Ethan's Eye Surgery

Ethan's eye surgery was November 7th. The pre-surgery consult with the ophthalmologist revealed that the tear duct was 100% clogged. It's not unusual for a child to be born with a clogged tear duct. Many of those clear up by the first birthday. If they do not, they aren't going to clear on their own. We were anxious to get the surgery done, but had put it off until we had moved back home and were back from vacation. Ethan is of the age where he was starting to get increasingly annoyed with the constant need to clean his eye, and the semi-regular eye infections were just no fun. Interestingly enough, after the age of 1, a clogged duct begins to grow shut, dropping the success rate after two years of age rather significantly. 

Before

We had to check in at the Health Campus (5 minutes from home) at 6:15am. Ethan was the first surgery of the day at 7am! We literally pulled Ethan right out of bed in his jammies, wrapped him in a blanket, and right out the door into the car. I was concerned about how his morning would go. He wasn't allowed to have anything to eat after midnight, which in essence meant he hadn't eaten since 7pm the night before. When we got to the Out Patient Surgery center, he was distracted enough by his surroundings that his hungry belly was not an issue. We dressed him in his way too large fuzzy yellow gown and slipper socks that he refused to wear. The bracelets on his ankle made him very upset. My favorite story from the prep area was the nurse telling prepping to give him the liquid anesthesia. She was so concerned about him spitting it out. I told her that he takes some nasty tasting medication every day and now actually enjoys the flavor. She didn't believe me about how he'd react. She gives him the liquid in a syringe. He doesn't fight her. He swallows it right down and then asks for "more." She couldn't believe it. After the medication began to kick in, Ethan got a rather glazed and they took him back though the double doors to surgery. They said he'd cry on his way back, but he didn't.

The surgery itself took about 15 minutes. Around 7:30 the doctor came out to tell us that it went well and that they'd be back out to get us after he started to wake. The surgery requires no incision, so there were no post surgery restrictions, just eye drops and nose spray for the next 10 days. They came to get us around 8. He was angry waking up--Confused and hungry. Things got much better as he started to be able to eat his puffs and drink some water. Things also improved after they removed his ankle bracelets. We were released and home by 8:30. His eye was maybe a bit puffy (gone in about an hour), and he had a tiny bit of nose bleed, but that was it!

After we got home, in true Ethan fashion, he was ready to go--wanting to climb the slide and run all over the downstairs. What he didn't realize is that he could barley sit up by himself, and was quite frustrated that Mommy was trying to help him do something so basic. Daddy soon left to go to work, and Ethan and I watched Sprout in bed for 45 minutes before sleeping for a good 2 hours. When Ethan woke up, he was back to normal. Incredible to think he'd had surgery just hours before. He needed to be under close supervision for the first 24hrs after the procedure, so I had taken the day off work, and we had the whole afternoon ahead of us! We visited Daddy at work and got a snack at the coffee shop. We went to That Fish Place and looked at the fish and animals. All in all, a nice day!

After!! :)

Next day, back to school and work as usual! It's amazing how great his eye looks now. :)

His follow-up is next week, but I can't imagine that it would be anything but good news!

At 15 months (continued)

Continued from the previous post.... :)

One of my favorite things about Ethan right now is how genuine he is! He does this thing that we call a head "bump." Literally it's just that. He'll walk up to you and bump his forehead against yours. We're not exactly sure where he came up with it, but it's his version of a hug, and quite endearing. My favorite is when he's excited to see his friends at school and he walks up to each and every one of them and gives them a "bump." It's especially adorable when he "bumps" the infants! (Occasionally he gives a hug, but he "bump" is his "signature move"). He really enjoys his friends, and he doesn't like to see anyone sad. If one of his friends is crying, it's not unusual to see him walk over to them and smile to try and cheer them up. Last week his friend baby Abby was crying and he went and got her a few toys and brought them over to her. Good kiddo!

Happiness found in a fall leaf!

And of course, we all love to be silly and play together. Daddy and Ethan fly around the living room like helicopters and airplanes.  We all play Elefun or play with the Little People Farms which are distributed with all the animals and farmers across our coffee table.  We play Speedway and trucks.  We put together a lot of puzzles. Mommy drags Ethan outside to sled in the snow (Can you believe we had snow before Halloween?! Time to make use of our hill!) and to rake and play in the leaves. Mommy and Ethan still like to craft, paint, and color. In fact, we've had a few tears shed when Ethan has sighted the paint at inopportune times. 

In our day to day lives, we're successfully bottle free! Yipee!! Sleep is another story, although we're making forward strides (minus the mess this crazy time change has turned bedtime into!) And we're up to 12 teeth! TWELVE! Ethan's knuckles are starting to look a bit rough from biting on his fingers to ease teething pain. In October we had our first school Open House, and Ethan had his first school photos taken. I can't believe I've been back to work for over a year, and Ethan is beginning to creep in on one year at daycare!

So I think that's a rather complete recap from the last few months!

The next post will be about Ethan's surgery, but that warrants it's own post!

Instead, I'll end on a funny story. This weekend I'm sitting on the couch. Ethan comes walking across the living room holding his arm high in the air. I think I see a spider dangling from a web hanging from his hand. No, it can't be. Next thing I know, Ethan places the object in question next to my feet on the carpet and proudly declares "BUG!" It is indeed a live spider. Nice Ethan, nice. :)

At 15 months (part 1)

Now that I have the blog caught up, I can focus on our protagonist, Ethan! This is going to be a multi-part post, or I will never get it done!!!

Ethan has just grown up so fast! I can't believe it! He's always such a happy guy--I only wish I could bottle that little laugh of his. He really does have the greatest "HA-HA-HA" laugh. 

And he's FAST. He started walking almost spot on his first birthday, and he's been running full speed ahead ever since!

His teacher at school is convinced that he's going to be an engineer (with her disclaimer that of course, he can be whatever he wants to be when he grows up!) because he is just so detail oriented. Nothing makes it past him. If something in his world moves, he notices it immediately. He sees small details everywhere. Things also have to be "just so." If you put a cup on his highchair try, he will immediately put it into the cup holder. What do you do if you have two cups on the tray? Why you stack them of course, so that they are BOTH in the cup holder! 

Putting the cups where they belong!

Many toys have to be played with a certain way. The cement mixer driver belongs to the cement mixer. He may not ride in the back of the dump truck- that's not where he belongs. A piece of dirt or thread on the stairs! Oh no! That doesn't belong! And he sorts and arranges things constantly. Last week at school he was playing with the Velcro board and 5 ducks. He placed all 5 in a row, exactly spaced, and spent time making sure they are all straight! Always in the details!

Ethan's communication skills are also really taking off. He says dozens of words, and he's willing to try and say just about anything..and he usually gets pretty close! Recently at school he said "Kelly, snack please." Pretty good, right?! He likes to sing, and I recently recognized him singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on his own! He sings other songs I don't recognize too. He really likes music and song. We have Sprout (PBS preschool channel) on almost all the time. He really likes it, but his attention is focused when there is singing and music- commercials or programming theme songs. His favorites are Play with Me Sesame and The Wiggles. At bedtime we watch Pajanimals and RubberDubbers.

He also knows quite a bit of signing: more, please, thank you, star, roll, dirty, diaper, airplane, all done, kite, bug, eat, and most recently, hippo and hurts. Of course, he can also "wink" (really blinking both eyes at the same time- good try!) and he sticks his tongue in and out for "lizard." He knows lots and lots of animals and what sounds they make. He's quite the little sound machine! The signing is great. It definitely have giving him confidence in his communication skills, and when his speech is coupled with his sign, where one falls short, the other picks up, making him much easier to understand!

Ethan signing "more"

Every Saturday we still attend classes at The Little Gym. He's getting quite good. His favorite things to do there are walk on the balance beam (one foot in front of the other!) and hang from the uneven bars or rings. He likes to flip backwards over the uneven bars...or as always,  do anything that involves him being upside down. And of course, he loves the bubbles at the end of the session! Little Gym is a great fit for Ethan because he loves to be active. They do a lot of dancing at daycare, and he dances a lot--sometimes even while he's walking. If you're lucky, he'll do a spin when you ask him! Miss Sherri has also done a lot of baby yoga with him at daycare. If you ask him to "do yoga," he'll immediately do his favorite yoga stretch!

Downward facing dog!

So that's it for now! Post 2 is in progress!!

Summer Catch-Up..Here we go...

It seems so long since I've posted an update, and the further away the last post gets, the more I dread getting things caught up!

The last few months have been a wild ride. It of course all seemed to start with that pesky house fire that had our little family of three living in an even smaller hotel room for exactly two months. We of course have many blessings to count from the situation, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a huge thorn in the side! During this time we also had two weeks where all three of us were on antibiotics, and we had two visits to the ER (one for Daddy, one for Ethan). It's amazing what "living in public" can do to your immune system! Ethan had an ear infection, Charlie had Walking Pneumonia, and I had Bronchitis. It was during this time that we found out that Ethan is allergic to Amoxicillin (hence the middle of the night ER visit for his horrible itchy rash!) Definitely a point in time that I want to document, and then forget!

Now three months later, one month after being home, we're finally catching up on life.

We tried to make the most of our summer. We kept our weekends and Ethan busy, mostly doing "touristy" things in the local area. The summer, complete with an earthquake and nasty tropical storms/hurricanes, seemed to slip away from our grasps before we knew it.

Somewhere in there, Ethan also got his first haircut!!

And of course there is VACATION!! We were lucky to have a week vacation in the Outer Banks planned for September with my parents and Paul and Bobbie. It was a well needed (and deserved!) break. Ethan had a blast a the beach. He loved looking at the water and spent hours collecting shells. He's a fantastic shell collector, and we brought home a bunch of treasures including a sand dollar and a horseshoe crab shell! 

Ethan is now displaying his shells proudly in a hurricane vase in the living room. Ethan always really enjoyed splashing in the puddles in the sand. He definitely liked that better than sitting in the waves. Fun in the waves was hit or miss. 

We did other things while we were there too like climbing a lighthouse, petting a mustang, visiting the aquarium and the children's museum. And as is with any vacation, we ate!

Since we've been home from vacation, I think the highlight of Ethan's fall has been our trip to Dutch Wonderland. Our little daredevil loved riding all by himself, and he especially loved riding The Whip!!! 

So that brings us to now...with a toddler who is getting bigger and smarter by the minute! But now that we're "caught up," that's for the next post!

Ethan is ONE!

Ethan is ONE YEAR OLD! I can't believe it!!!

So what's it like to be a 1 yr old Ethan?

Ethan....

• loves (and needs) to be busy-all-the-time! 
• enjoys swimming and splashing in the water- swimming pool, baby pool, tub, or other!
• likes his animals (especially monkeys) and makes some animals sounds "ooo-ooo-ooo" "moooooo"
• loves to play "chase" and "peek"
• can't get enough of checking himself out in the mirror
• is referring to everything as THAT (except Cheerios- those are "Oh oh oh oh oh")
• loves cars and trucks
• likes to look though anything with a hole in it!
• enjoys fingerpainting!!!
• is a sorter--he likes to put things in containers and sometimes sorts them by type
• goes to The Little Gym every Saturday morning to play and tumble-his favorite is jumping on the vault springboard and playing bubbles
• is obsessed with climbing the stairs and can climb into the bathtub
• really just likes to climb anything he can!
• is starting to walk
• is very into drinking water, especially out of a grown up water bottle
• loves playing with his friends at school, especially Michael
• really likes yogurt fruit drops, crackers, and cookies
• loves his sandals. He wants to wear them all the time. They make him brave.
• likes to look at books and read together
• likes to play music and make noise (especially maracas)
• really enjoys being upside down.
• likes to watch Sesame Street before bed
• wants attention from everyone when we're out in public
• really enjoys swinging
• has a lot of determination
• wants to be like the big kids
• likes to be silly
• loves loves to be outside. Especially when the wind blows in his hair.

Welcome Summer!!

Time to dust the cobwebs off the old blog and get out an update! It's been a crazy ride....This is post that I started 6/27 and never finished. I'm going to post it as is and catch up on the "here and now" soon!

Ethan underwent a battery of tests, including an upper GI scan for his tummy problems. It was determined that he's having acid reflux, and the medication seems to be helping a lot! Back to less sick baby and a u-turn on his growth chart. He also got himself a nasty virus that had us at the ER once again at 2am. It was a rough few days, but together we moved though it.

I'm forever in awe of how much Ethan understands and does. His vocabulary is so large. The list of items that he can identify is very long. He can also say quite a few words. Of course, duck! His favorite right now is "That" (coupled with pointing). He spends a lot of time trying to communicate, and does a pretty good job of it!

We need to keep the little guy busy all the time. He's so incredibly active, it can be quite the challenge some days! We try to get to the pool now and then, or throw a kiddie pool on the back porch. We took a return trip to Port Discovery in Baltimore a few weekends ago (how fun to see how the exhibits have changed for him!). We're also taking gym classes at The Little Gym on Saturday mornings. He gets to play on all the gymnastics equipment, play and be active. It's a great activity for Ethan who loves to play with other kids (especially his friend from school, Michael!)

Ya ya ya, Da da da

The other day I told Ethan that I wish that he could talk because "he always has so much to say." As of late, Ethan is chatty, chatty, chatty.  He makes "sound effects" when he plays, and squeals with delight. He's started signing "change" when he's getting his diaper changed (assuming he's in the mood!). I declare his first "official" word to be Duck. In my book, the word has to be said in association to it's meaning or it doesn't count (sorry Dada!). Regardless, all his baby noises are really entertaining!

Easter
I'm pretty sure Ethan enjoyed his first Easter. The bunny was very gracious to him this year!
Also, he found all but one of his hidden Easter eggs! He like playing with them, and thought it was funny when they showed up with some of his favorite toys.

Making a Splash
We're down to only two more swim lessons left! I can't believe it!! Ethan really enjoys the time in the pool, especially the splashing!

"Baby Mania"
This last weekend we started "Baby Mania"--a story, song, and play time at the library. It was so nice to have somewhere for Ethan to go play on a Saturday morning. After it was over, we continued playing with some of the toys and books in the library's children's area. Life goes much smoother when Ethan is kept happily busy! What a great start to our weekend!

I'm pretty sure this toy was MADE for Ethan!

Did you say turtle?
At a trip to the Wetlands Festival at Wildwood Nature Center in Harrisburg, Ethan adopted a turtle. Researchers are studying turtles in the area, and turtles were up for adoption. We got to pick our turtle, who is tagged with a computer chip. Ethan wasn't real sure of the turtle at first, but was definitely interested. After he was all registered, we walked our turtle down to the water's edge and released him. :) We also got out and enjoyed some of the trails and birdwatching opportunities.

Oh, and did I mention that 2 teeth are quickly becoming 6? Yup, Ethan has FOUR teeth coming in on top!!

And now--off to more adventures!!! Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Look out world! I'm on the move!!

My absolute favorite photo of Ethan at the moment. It captures him perfectly!

March ended with a fantastic trip for three to Baltimore's Inner harbor. It was Ethan's first "vacation," where we spent the night out of town in a hotel (just one night this time!) Although the trip was for our wedding anniversary, the weekend was geared towards Ethan and fulfilled his new found crawling habit. We visited the baby rooms at the Maryland Science Center and Port Discovery where Ethan could let loose and play in some well crafted baby play areas. Can you tell that Ethan enjoyed himself?!?

Smile popping off Ethan's face!

Since then, things have been a little less exciting as once again we've been trying to recover from a pesky stomach bug. It's been quite the ride....

A wet baby in his adorable frog suit--reminds me of frog Mario....

Ethan recently started baby swim lessons. We've had two so far. Week one, my curious Ethan decided to find out what happens when you shove your face into the water when you're supposed to be blowing bubbles! He had fun, but was a little intimidated by the water. Week two-Ethan falls in love with the pool. He had such a great time slapping the surface of the water with all his might. He also worked on reaching across the water to grab his rubber ducky. Lots of fun! Oh- and licking the water...that's fun too!

I've been keeping busy trying to find baby appropriate activities for us to fill our summer. Gotta keep this busy little boy--well, busy!! It's been a bit of a challenge. So far we're signed up for a few events at the library and have joined The Little Gym and signed up for classes. The gym is going to be perfect for Ethan. Last week at daycare he climbed to the top of a soft play mat structure, looked at his teacher, and jumped off. He looked at her proudly when he reached the floor. He loves climbing on the mats so much. Yesterday his teacher set a box at the top of the little mat stairs. In the meantime, Ethan crawled over and started crying because he owns the mat, and his stairs were blocked! Also, when you hold him, he is constantly trying to climb. Recently, I quickly found myself holding Ethan as he stood on my shoulders. I'm still not quite sure how he got there. Long story short, he's going to have a great summer!

Ethan and his Uncle Keith bond over their matching O's hats

Otherwise, most of our time is spent chasing our little man speed around the house. Although he's usually pretty good at entertaining himself, much of that entertainment includes pulling up (and down) on tables and otherwise getting himself into baby mischief. Every few minutes he pauses and claps--so proud of his new clapping skills. :) He says da-da-da all the time. I'm working with him to say "duck." I think he's almost there...Daddy says I'm crazy. And of course, we're still crafting....!!!

March- In like a baby, out like a teenager

March goes in like a lion, and out like a lamb. Or for a certain 7 month old, March goes in like a baby and out like a teenager!

The biggest news on the scene is Ethan crawling. On March 16th, Ethan made strides by taking a small backwards crawl. On March 21st he could make a few moves forward. On March 22nd, he was speeding across the living room. Besides the fact that it absolutely wears him out, he has this new sense of calm about him. His frustrations are gone. And best of all--he doesn't have to practice all night long! Luckily, I've seen this milestone on the horizon, and have been scrambling to do some baby-proofing (including cleaning up and getting rid of JUNK!) and we're good to go for the time being!

What else is going on?

Well...

• We went straight from crawling to crawling to objects where we can pull up to standing.
• Ethan started using an infant toothbrush and toothpaste for his new pearly whites (no more washcloth brushing for Ethan!) He thinks it's funny cause we make noises while we brush...not to mention, he likes the flavor! Here's to good habits!
• Thanks to some extra remotes that his grandmother had given us, Ethan FINALLY has that remote control he's coveted for so long. He's ecstatic!
• We went to the park during a fluke of warm spring weather last weekend. Ethan got to play on the slide and swing. I'm pretty sure it was the most fun he's had in is whole life!!
• Ethan not only thinks dogs are funny, but so are cat's! He met my co-workers 9 month old kitten this weekend and thought she was the funniest thing. Even let her touch her nose against his!
• Last week Ethan started waving. At first this special talent was reserved only for the monkeys on his wall at bedtime, but now he more often waves when we say "hi" or "bye." The best waves, however, are still reserved for the monkeys.
• Ethan's working on clapping. He's been working on clapping with his teacher at school. You have to be lucky to see it, but I finally got a glimpse today!
• We're having as much fun as ever. I have soooo much new content for my blog Crafting Play. (yup, shameless plug--but we've all got to start somewhere!!)

At the top of the slide. "Here I come Daddy!!"

Doesn't he just look the cutest in that green?!! (Too bad you can't see the froggy eyes on the hood!)

I'm sure I'm missing some things, but that's the great thing about the "internets"--I'll just add them later! :)

Shark attack!

The two bottom front teeth have finally cut, and all of a sudden we have our baby back (plus two tiny pearly white nubs)!

Remember this commercial?

SHARK, SHARK, SHARK ATTACK! This shark is like a MANIAC. I told Ethan this morning that with his new teeth, he's a little shark. I promptly started singing the song to him, and realized that it fit! We call Ethan a maniac all the time! (you'd understand if you've ever seen his high energy climbing and playing--cue the music: "he's a maniac, maniac, on the floor....") But a darn adorable maniac shark at that!!

More fun moments?

Ethan tried to give his monkey (his BFF) his pacifier!! Put it right up to his mouth and everything.

We say goodnight to Ethan's monkeys on his wall every night. I've been showing him how to wave "bye bye" at them, and last night he did it, on cue, all by himself. :) He also waved bye-bye to his teacher today!

Ethan is pretty sure he should be able to stand by himself. He lets go of your hands, and pushes you off if you hold his waist. Slow down, you move too fast!!

Ethan has decided he LOVES lemons (and limes). Here he is chowing down all by himself!




More to come.....

Longest Winter- EVER

Every year it always seem like one winter is longer than the next. I wonder how long this winter feels to Ethan!? Anyway, we're dying for weather warm enough to spend time outside, and more importantly, rid our house of our horrible string of illness. For two weeks we've had a bit of a reprieve, but no more! Last night, after Ethan was to bed and Charlie was under bedroom arrest, I finally got the last month in photos organized, edited, and uploaded. So what comes next? A blog post of course!!

I could go on and on about Ethan. About how smart he is. About how physically advanced he is. About how crazy tall he is. But I won't. (although I make no promises for later posts)

This time, I am going to leave a few tidbits of some of my favorite things/moments. Oh, and did I mention that he is 7 MONTHS OLD!

• Ethan will try and pull himself up on anything and anyone. Two weeks ago at school he pulled himself up on his friend Michael, who was significantly confused by the whole event.
• Ethan wants to share with Mommy and Daddy. It started with Ethan trying to shove his pacifier in Daddy's mouth. He tried for a good 10 minutes or so. Last weekend he repeatedly fed me my necklace, and just this morning, was feeding me his stacking ring.
• Ethan loves to play Where is Ethan?, especially with Daddy. He loves to pull the cloth off Daddy's head. Daddies can be so funny!
• Ethan met my friends Eric and Dustin's dog Sanford last weekend. He thought he was funny...and eventually reached out his hand to pet him. He was then greeted by a wet doggie kiss on the hand! 
• Music is fun. A new favorite is playing the bells, tambourine, and maracas. He loves them, especially when we all play together.

Ethan and I have also spent a good deal of time this month crafting together. After some suggestions that I should DO something with all the crafty things that we do, I finally started a blog. It's new in the works, but if you're looking for a sneak peek, check out: Crafting Play. If you're wondering about my bad blogging track record, refer to my first post (but look---here I am, still writing THIS blog--success!) Otherwise, check it out because, well, it's going to be fun. :) 

And can you believe it's already getting hits!

Hello world!

If you haven't noticed, the Savko household have been hiding snug in our little cave this winter. I would like to say that we've been hibernating, but our tired eyes tell a different story. Instead of whining and complaining, let me just summarize that we've been passing illness back and forth since just after Christmas (the worst of it really being in the past 4 weeks). Of course, poor Ethan has suffered the brunt of it, including Bronchitis and Conjunctivitis. It's also raised havoc on his sleep pattern. We're desperately waiting for the arrival of spring. (Here's hoping that today's warm temps are foreshadowing of warm days to come).

Ethan has done so much developing over the last month. He can sit unassisted, so straight and tall! In fact, the pillow behind him serves only as a backside decoration. Sitting has been a quick journey for Ethan. He skipped right over tripoding with his arms. Ok, I lie. He's not that amazing (close?). He had to balance himself for a good week or so. His determination to play while in this new upright position made him quickly figure out how to balance. Although sitting makes him very happy, he'll be happier when he can move! He rocks back and forth was incredible vigor in hopes of propelling his little self forward. In fact, he plants his feet on the ground in such a way that it almost looks like he's trying to stand up (I wouldn't be surprised if he thought he could seeing as how he's always stood to his feet immediately if you pull on his arms while he's laying down.) In due time Ethan. In due time...Until then, his near future looks to promise a few face plants into the carpet (and a few baby breakdowns) as he lunges himself airborne up and over his little legs. For these reasons, he's been banned from his BabyPod seat and his FisherPrice chair (except when he takes his bottle).

I taught him how to blow raspberries this month. He started out by making a sound like a motorcycle or a motorboat. The he would just stick out his tongue. And about a week later, it all came together. That sound was "so a 5 month old sound" as he figured out how to say "blah blah blah" this weekend. It's a bit like a Peanuts cartoon. Is that what adults sound like to him? "Blah blah blah?" I'm working on "Da da" next. I think this morning he was close! And of course, he squeals when he's having a good time.

Eating baby food has become not only something that we do everyday, but something that Ethan enjoys doing. And can you believe I stuck to my word and actually MADE some baby food? I made applesauce, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes. He's not a fan of the squash (although it's his favorite in the Gerber variety), but he loves the others. We'll keep trying though. I read yesterday that babies should try a food up to 15 times before it's determined that they don't like something. That's a lot of times!!

We have lots of fun games we play together. I kiss his cheek and say "mum mum mum" and he gives me the best sloppy baby kisses back and makes baby noises against my cheek. (Side note: He also gives great hugs now. Sitting next to him on the floor he'll lunge over for a hug from time to time.) He loves when we peek out from behind things at him, but he's too smart to surprise anymore...he doesn't forget that we're there. He likes to play in the bathroom mirror. He gives Mommy (and now Daddy too) "five" when we say "give me five" and put out our palms. We splish splash in the tub. Bath time is not considered successful if there aren't big water droplets dripping off his long eye lashes. And we sing, and read books. Lots of books. So much fun.

A few nights ago, I got teased for saying to Ethan "Remember when you were a baby and we would sit on this sofa all day?" Ok, so he IS still a baby. He's just SO BIG.

Shooting Stars and Comet Tails

At Ethan's "school" there are a few shiny metallic cardboard stars that hang from the ceiling. He is often fascinated by them, and on Friday before we left it told him we'd try and find him some stars like that for in his room. So I thought about it for a bit, wondering where I was going to find said stars. It didn't take long before I started wondering how we could make these stars ourselves...and then of course, how Ethan could get involved!

Ultimately what I came up with I think is a fantastic (and practically free) craft for baby to take part in, using stuff that can be found around the house. In fact, I wish I had know just what a success it was going to be, or I wouldn't have completed as many of them by myself the night before (Ethan helped make 3 of the 8)!

Don't they look fantastic?!? There are more on the other side of the room as well. Of course, they are great near the changing table!

So, ready to see how it's done?
Supplies needed: Cardboard cereal or snack box, Aluminum foil, Hole Punch, Thread (That's all stuff that you can dig around the house for. How great is that!?)...oh yeah, and a baby artist assistant!

1. Cut open cereal box (or any other cardboard food packaging with a large available surface area. Quickly draw a star or two on the box with a pen. The idea is not to be precise, but to just draw quickly.

2. Cut out the stars. This is where you can refine any errors in the sketch. The idea however, is to not go too crazy making the stars perfect. They are supposed to look somewhat organic and original.

3. Crinkle up some foil. Add one baby. This is the part where baby is incredibly helpful. Not only is it a great tactile experience, but it makes a great noise, is shiny, and a lot of fun! Make sure to keep a good eye on things however, the foil tears easily, and could disappear into baby's mouth. Ethan tried to lick it a few times, but he never really put it in his mouth a whole lot. Warning: baby drool accumulates on foil surface quickly. It's not a bad idea to stop the show on each piece before you have to hang your foil out to dry!

We make baby art first thing in the morning when Ethan is fresh!

4. Smooth the foil and wrap it around the cardboard cut outs. To make this happen, sometimes the foil needs to be torn or trimmed. It doesn't have to be perfect! It's foil. If there is a bald spot, just crinkle in another small patch. Wrap the foil tight to the edges. Again, this is not the craft to be obsessive compulsive! The idea is for them to look a bit messy (I mean, artsy!).

5. Punch a hole in one of the stars points. Hint: Sometimes a star looks better positioned one way over another. Be sure to check this before punching the hole. However, if you "mess up," you can always cover the hole with a foil patch and start over!

6. The installation: Loop some thread though the holes. I used a white sewing thread. Any thread will do. I tied the thread in one big loop and hung the stars with tape (they are light enough that regular old magic tape will do the trick). Wa-la! Beware however, the corners are a bit sharp. I would warn against hanging them directly over a crib, changing table, or play area in case they would decide to become shooting stars!

The finished product looks great. Ethan loves them, and best of all, he helped create yet another work of baby art! What a great excuse to spend some quality time together!

Water Baby

Ethan loves the bath tub. The more splashing we do, the better. He kicks and kicks and kicks, and Mommy splashes back. His favorite part is when the water splashes him in the face. This video makes me laugh every time, especially the big gum smile at around 33 seconds! Really considering those swim lessons at 6 months...

Also, sorry Ethan for every doubting that you had no interest in crawling. You didn't have to prove me wrong by practicing in bed all night Saturday night. Here's Ethan practicing Sunday morning. He rocks back and forth on his knees and forearms. He's not going anywhere fast...yet....

Finger Painting!

Not only is art something important to me, I'm a big believer in the power of art education. At less than a week old, I was dipping Ethan's hands and feet in paint to make his first piece of art. Now he's five months old, and it's time to kick this into gear!

At school two weeks ago, he made a painting of his footprints.

Our first project at home? Finger painting! Sound like a 5 month old mess?  Well, it was a well calculated controlled mess. I sat Ethan in his highchair in just a diaper. I had preset the highchair, lightly taping a few layers of paper onto the tray. I was also armed with a box of baby wipes and a camera ready to go! I'd squeeze small globs of the finger paint onto the paper, and let Ethan smear it around. Sometimes I'd run my fingers though it too to demonstrate for him (If you know of my aversion to getting finger paint on my fingers as a child, you would find this scene quite ironic!). Ultimately, he did most of the work.

So proud!

He really seemed to enjoy himself, and liked watching the colors smear around. He was really too busy smearing to put it into his mouth (although it does look like he tasted a little orange maybe?) The party was over however, when he got angry that he was not allowed to have the paint tubes. (Thank you Crayola for making the tubes with sharp corners!) I've since been told that maybe using ketchup and mustard squeeze bottles to put the paint in is a good solution. I may have to keep in mind for next time.

When painting time was officially over, it was straight into the bathtub for even more fun!

Ultimately, the whole experience was a success, and definitely worth doing with an infant. It turned out to be a great activity for us to share together, and it was something that Ethan enjoyed. It was also a great opportunity for him to experience a different texture on his tiny little fingers. He also now has some fantastic masterpieces to be so proud of....

Copyright Ethan Savko!