Having a baby is an amazing thing. It's funny how it only gets more amazing the older they get. I can't believe that Ethan is almost a year old, and he keeps surprising me more and more every day. When I was growing up, I never understood why my grandparents marveled each time they saw my brothers and I. They would say, "You are growing like a weed," or, "you're such a big boy now!!!" But it really is true, and now I can finally appreciate it.
Ethan really is growing like a weed, both physically and mentally. He loves to sing and hum when he's happy, which is most of the time. He also babbles incessantly. Nobody is quite sure what he is saying, but I'm sure it makes sense to him somehow. I can see now that my decision a couple of months ago to watch my language was a good one as Ethan is already starting to mimic Jenny and I. The other day, Ethan and I were letting Barley outside, and whenever Barley is about to go outside, I tell her to "Sit" and point to the ground, Barley's sign that she is to sit. As soon as I did it, Ethan, too, pointed to the ground and commanded Barley to "dit." It was precious.
Ethan continues to love daycare. He has become very close friends with John and Justin, the son of a guy I work with. They are the elder-statesmen of the infant room now and pretty much rule the place. The teachers tell me that Ethan fancies himself as the welcoming committee. Some days he will park himself one floor tile outside the room in the hallway and wave at everybody who walks by. That was, of course, until John saw this and followed Ethan out of the room one day, then proceeded to show Ethan that there was a world outside of the infant room. Ethan then followed John to the three year old room. Apparently, Ethan also enjoys picking on girls in his class. One day, on an unseasonably warm day, the kids were coming in from outside in their oversized stroller which holds 6 kids. Ethan was sitting next to Emily while the teachers disassembled the mass of kids. When they got back to the stroller, they found Ethan pulling Emily's hair and laughing maniacally. When do spankings start?
Ethan doesn't like to limit his naughty behavior to school, however. At home, he is slowly finding the benefits of having nine teeth when eating. He hasn't compensated in his other chewing activities, though. Namely, he has been biting Jenny and I, and his jaws are strong. As a matter of fact, Ethan got his first spanking (OK, it wasn't so much a spanking as a stern scolding) after biting me on the chest. Who was it that said that "everything I know I learned from my dog?"
The most amazing thing happened on April 18, one day after Ethan's 11 month birthday. He has been standing on his own for quite some time now, but has always been too afraid to take any steps, opting rather for getting down on all fours and crawling. Well, on the 18th, he finally decided that he was big enough to take a couple of steps. I don't think I've ever been prouder of anything in my entire life!!! Weird how that works. He's been working on walking now for a couple of days, and hasn't quite mastered it, but is getting much more adept. It's amazing the progress he can make in a single day!!!
I hope everybody is as well as they can be. We will be celebrating Ethan's first birthday in Neillsville on memorial day weekend, Sunday to be specific. If you can join us, please do. Until then, enjoy this beautiful spring/summer/winter weather and take care.
