Hawaii

Ben and I just returned from a wonderful week in Hawaii with great friends! This was our first venture away from Ethan. Prior to this trip, we had never been away from him for even one night. So we were both worried about how not only he would adjust but also how we would handle being away from him. After hearing his giggles on the phone, we knew we had nothing to worry about and Mimi had it all under control. So, we sat back and enjoyed our trip...here are a few of the more than 400 pictures we took.

The awesome view from our balcony

A 5 a.m. sunrise at 30,000 feet atop Haleakala. It was a toasty 40 degrees.

Our group after biking down a volcano. I made it half-way, then decided to relax and ride the rest of the way down.

A sunset dinner at fabulous Mama's Seafood!

Ben playing a Kapalua's PGA course

Snorkeling on the Pride of Maui

Ben learning to surf

The Diesch's and the Le's learning the Hula

A gorgeous view from our sunset dinner cruise

A visit to the 7 sacred pools




While there was a small twinge that we hoped that Ethan was home missing us, we soon realized that he was having the time of his life with Mimi and Ms. Kristin...As evidenced by the numerous picture messages we received of our baby boy having a blast at home.

He spent his week...

Playing in his water table

Playing with his push toys outside

Playing in the tunnel at the park

Swinging at the park

And playing in his pool (Thanks Kara!!)

It was great to know that he was so entertained while we were gone. I'm not sure if he even knew that we weren't there! He has been in great spirits ever since we got home and only Mommy and Daddy know how much they missed him! Not to mention how much he grew while we were gone! Before we left he was walking 4-5 steps at a time and now he's walking across the house. Before we left, we were working on waving bye-bye and now he's clapping and playing Pat-A-Cake. All in 1 week!! That will show Mommy and Daddy!

Our First Swim Lessons

I guess everyone is taking swim lessons this summer! We started our lessons the first Monday after I got out of school and took a Mommy and Me class at the YMCA. There were 6 Mommy's and their little ones in our group ranging from 7 months to 3 years. We played games, sang songs, and learned a few things about swimming.

We learned that it is OK to not always be in Mommy's arms in the water. We can trust others and swim to them.

And we learned a lot of songs to help us remember how to practice doing "ice cream scoops," blowing bubbles, and kicking our feet. We have a lot of new moves to show off!

Yummy in My Tummy

Even though you can't tell by his size, this little man has always been a great eater! We call him Mikey from the old Life cereal commercial. You know the one..."He likes it, he really likes it!" We have not been able to stump him yet. Lately, after I have fed him he has been taking his spoon and placing it inside the empty bowl, then putting the spoon in his mouth. So, the other day I decided to let him try to feed himself. He loves cottage cheese (which Ben and I hate) so we experimented with that. He started with the spoon, but quickly figured out it was much easier if you just use your fingers.
In deep concentration...

Yum-Yum! All done!

Final Fun with Ms. Kristin

Ms. Kristin is one of the most important people in Ethan's life. She has spent just about as much time with him as Ben and I have. Kristin first met Ethan when he was about 7 weeks old and has been watching him ever since. At first, she came to visit a few hours each week just to build a relationship with him and allow me to get to know her. As time went on and I returned to work, she became his primary caregiver, considering she spent more of his waking hours with him than we did. Then when I went part-time, she amazingly stayed with us even though that stretched her budget beyond comfortable. He absolutely adores her and Ben and I completely trust her with him. She loves him, entertains him, teaches him, and meets his needs as well as we do. She is number 1 in our book! We love you, Ms. Kristin!

They were very busy their last couple of weeks together and these were a few of the thousands(I am not exaggerating) of pictures that she took.
One of their visits to Harry Myers Park

Swinging in our neighborhood park

A favorite...the slide!

Swinging at Harry Myers after a visit to the Splash Park

First Rangers Game

I'm a little late posting about this, but back in mid-May Ethan went to his first Rangers game. Since we have quite the little adventurer with some awesome lungs, I was a little wary about this. The thought of keeping him still and happy in a confined space around a million people just didn't seem too appealing, but he was a total champ! We had the best time! Thanks for the invite Aunt Leigh Ann!

It's Mommytime!

This is it! This is what I have been waiting for! All Mommy, All the time! After spending the last 2 weeks getting my classroom packed up, performing end of year duties, and preparing for someone to take over my role, I can now officially say that I am a stay-at-home Mom! I never envisioned that I would have a desire to stay home, but this little man turned my world upside down the moment he was born. I can't wait to watch Ethan as he grows knowing that I will not have to miss those milestones that only happen once. And maybe even allow him the opportunity to know that the world does not always revolve around him and give him a little brother or sister, but not yet!

I must admit, though, that the end of the day got a little tough for me. Although the decision was made several months ago and my resignation turned in not long after that, I never once thought about what today actually meant. Through taping up boxes and loading the car, not once did I get emotional and think that the end was near. But then it hit...the moment that the car was loaded and the classroom no longer held any of my belongings. It was then that I realized that I have just given up my dream job and all I have to show for it is a decade(literally-which makes me feel very old) of memories and a bunch of boxes. The tears were coming as I took one last look around, turned off the lights, and told myself very quickly that I will be back in the fall, even if it is just to help the new Literacy Coach get started. After saying my goodbyes and telling everyone that I would see them in August, I felt much better and drove home in good spirits thinking that a new chapter is beginning.

It's Official

Well, it happened on Sunday, May 30th, and it wasn't what I wanted to hear...DaDaDaDaDa. And may I add that while I was cooking dinner a couple of weeks ago, May 17th, to be exact, that he took his first official independent steps while he was playing with Daddy, too. How is it that Ethan is all about showing Daddy the latest and greatest things he can do, but not the least bit interested in showing off for Mommy.