 From our family to yours, wishing you a Merry Christmas  Ethan and Kona by the Christmas tree  Ethan Christmas morning, having his toast by the Tree with all the presents still wrapped.  A Huge Thank You to all our family and friends who have spoiled Ethan once again this year. Ethan will have so much fun playing with all his new toys, wearing his crazy cool new shoes and drinking from his way cool sippy cup. We promise he will share his toys with the other little ones. Wishing you and your family and very Happy New Year! Cheers to 2008! It has been a fantastic year. 
Well, it was bound to happen one day and it happened this weekend. Our very first trip to the ER! We were just getting ready to head out the door to go swimming at the Waterpark for Wackie's Christmas party and Ethan tripped. He had walked into the bathroom where I was getting ready and tripped on our bathmat. He fell and hit corner of our ceramic tile leaving a nice indent and gash on his forehead. He only cried for a short bit and stopped as soon as I picked him up. I decided to call Health Link just in case though he seemed okay beside the goose egg that came up very soon after his fall! Since it took so long to get through, we had already arrived at the Waterpark when I got through and the nurse advised me to take him to the ER due to that indent (soft head). So we turned around and headed to the ER. The nurse and doc was so nice there. We were there probably for only 10 minutes while everyone else had been waiting for a long time! It must of been Ethan's smiles and flirting nature to the nurses ;) They checked him out right away and sent us home. No stitches needed and the boy was happy to go to the Waterpark after all. I'm thinking this is not going to be the last trip out to the ER. He does not appear to be afraid of anything!  Owie!  Ethan had to put on a baby's hospital gown. It was so sad to see him wear it, but it was too cute to resist a picture.
Well, Ethan is getting a bit more mobile as he takes his first steps. Here he is at my work before going off to show of his Halloween costume.  And here we are. Paper Bag Princess and her Dragon! Now where is the Prince??? Today was my first day back to work after an entire year off on Mat. Leave. I had a very restless sleep waking up every hour since 1:00am. Thankfully, I did not have to drop Ethan off at the Day Home as Wackie works in the afternoon. Therefore, we can allow him to sleep till he wakes up on his own and feed him breakfast at home. Otherwise, he would be getting up at the crack of dawn with me so that I can make it to work on time. My first day back at work was quite uneventful. I had 2 meetings in the morning that took up the entire morning, then a shopping trip out to Ikea with my co-worker to buy her a new desk as she will be relocating to a new office (otherwise there would be 3 of us in 1 office!). That was a nice ease into work. The next two days, I will be sitting on my butt listening and "learning" about managment things which somewhat doesn't apply as my role does not involve managing people...yet (still waiting for them to push that on me). Anyway, when I picked up Ethan, he was very happy to see me and the drive home was plesant with no crying. Our Day Home lady said that he did well with little fussing. He even napped for 1.5 hours though she said he cried and fussed for a while first. He ate well, but didn't drink too much so when we got home, I fed him and he drank fast and long. Lets hope that he continues to do well at the Day Home. I'm hoping for better sleep tonight as well. Well, an entire year has gone by. Ethan has turned 1! It's crazy to think that a year ago, I was still in the hospital recovering and getting "use" to the whole new baby thing. The months of lack of sleep, the feedings, diaper changes, and all those discoveries. It has been fun, frustrating, tiring, exciting and so very cool. Maybe I'll consider doing it all over again...maybe :) This will be our first Thanksgiving together at home since last year we spent it in the hospital. I'm sure Ethan will love chomping on some turkey and stuffing. He's getting better at eating non baby food, though he still tends to swallow the entire thing, rather than chewing on it for a bit. He loves feeding himself, which usually ends up really messy. Laundry has now doubled! Since his whole milk allergy scare, I have slowly started introducing dairy to him to see if he has outgrown the allergy. So far he is good with yogurt. Next will be cheese and then milk. I sure hope he isn't truly allergic. Anyway, I thought I add in our video of Ethan on his birthday at home. To all our family who were unable to be here in person. And to everyone who has been so incredibly kind and generous in giving Ethan a birthday gift, a huge Thank You! He has so many new toys, clothes and books that we don't even know were to put everything. Thanks again to everyone for all your prayers, support and help over the past year. We really look forward in watching Ethan continue to develop into a little boy. Well, I had booked Ethan's 12 month shots 2 months in advance and had the date set for today. We arrived at the clinic and got measured and weighted. Ethan is still a "light weight" as he is 19.10lbs. He has not broken that 20lbs mark yet. He measures in at 28 1/4 inches. Hasn't grown in length too much since his 6 months check up :( Anyway, as we sat waiting to be called, a nurse came and found us. Instead of inviting us to one of their rooms, she informs us that because Ethan is not exactly or past his 12 month, in "immunity world" (and yes, she said those exact words), he was unable to get his shots. Ethan is turning 1 in 3 days and they still would not do the shots. What a waste! They figured out that in their computer system, it allows the individual to book an appointment after a certain time after their previous shots (which works for other immunizations), but because this is his 12 month shot, apparently the system does not inform the reception person that it has to be on or after his birthday. So they are going to squeeze me in for this coming Monday, the day after this birthday... I think this is all just a little silly. Anyway, on another note, it has been so nice out lately that Ethan and I have been spending most of our mornings outside on walks. We go walk through the parks and school yards so that Ethan can watch the big kids play. He loves the fall leaves blowing around and gets pretty excited when they are falling when we walk by them. He also likes pointing out trees for me to see. I hope he'll like trees and plants as much as I do. Well, his big 1st Birthday party is coming up this weekend. We have been busy cleaning and preparing for all our friends and family to come help celebrate this big occasion. I have a feeling he's going to be pretty spoiled. Wow, just yesterday I was walking behind him to slow down the pusher, today, he can do it on his own. This kid is ready to take his first steps on his own soon... he still needs to get more interested in walking. He can crawl fast so he doesn't really think he needs to learn to walk quite yet. But he's slowly learning to climb up furniture. He can already climb up the entire flight of stairs, but sill doesn't know the proper way or should I say, the safe way of getting down the stairs or off furniture. I guess one step at a time ;) Wow, has a year really almost over?!? I can't believe that we're already in mid September and I'm in the mist of preparing and planning Ethan's 1st Birthday party. It's hard to know what theme to go with or what gift to buy and loop bags... so many kids! Birthday's are a lot of work for little ones. I just keep telling myself, just for his 1st Birthday than the rest we can do small family gatherings but we'll see if it ends up being another big one next year :) We have visited the Day Home he will be going to next month and am please to see that he will be surrounded with friendly kids. I'm worried that he won't be napping at her house though since he hates change. I'm also worried that he won't wean fast enough, but I guess by then, he'll have no choice but to take what he is given. I've been up lately at night just thinking about going back to work and leaving him at the Day Home. I'm so incredibly sad about leaving him and being apart from him for so many hours of the day. I don't know if I will be able to take it. I miss him even when I'm just thinking about it. If only I asked for a 0.4FTE position instead. ha ha ha. That would be so nice... oh well, we'll see how it goes. Well, time to start packing for our last trip before I head back to work. To see grandparents in Toronto.   Wow, can you believe we're almost done our Orlando trip?!? Has 10 days gone by already? Sheesh... Well, we have had a packed 10 days anyways. We have visited both Universal Studios (I personally liked Island of Adventure better), Magic Kingdom (amazing fireworks), Hollywood Studios (great shows) and Animal Kingdom (one of the best). We still have 2 days left on our Disney Pass, but I think we're Disney'd out now. As you may already know, Hurricane Fay is visiting Florida the same time we're here. She's not very nice and has really dampen (literally) our vacation. It has been raining off and on (from drizzling to pouring in a matter of seconds) since Monday. Since it has been raining so much, we haven't had a chance to visit any beaches and doesn't look like we will be able to by tomorrow (it's still raining), but we have managed to do A LOT of shopping :) We hit both Outlets (Prime and Premium), visited 2 Targets, 2 Marshalls, a few Wal-Marts and a Costco, oh and 2 Malls too. Whew... I'm not going to like my MC bill at the end of this month :( But none the less, great deals! I think Ethan got the most stuff though, can't wait to put on all his new cool clothes. Anyway, we're now waiting for the rain to stop (which I don't think will happen anytime soon), so we better see what else we can do that is possibly indoors.
Well, it has been a fantastic week. Wackie's family came and had a short visit with us. We did the sites of Edmonton: Heritage Days, WEM, Southgate, and of course lots of good eats at home and out. Ethan was spoiled like crazy with new toys from his Auntie and Uncle that will keep him entertained for quite some time. Plus, he'll develop his musical skills (he got a xylophone and a piano). But Ethan was not the only one that got spoiled, both Wacky and Wackie got a brand new camera to replace their original SD100 camera. Now we can capture more of Ethan and not have to wait for the camera to cue up - thank goodness. Well, Ethan continues to surprise us with all his new skills. Yesterday, while I went upstairs to grab stuff, Ethan decided it was time for him to climb the stairs. He managed to get halfway up our stairwell before he got bored. Crazy kid. Now we need to teach him how to go down the stairs safely. He still thinks he can go head first down anything including couches and beds. He'll be walking in no time...    Ethan's new favorite toy is his Thomas Ball that he got at his friend's Lucas' birthday party. He loves chasing this ball around and getting into all sorts of places. Unfortunately, Kona has also found this ball to be really amusing and I found him playing with it while Ethan was napping. Thank goodness the surface is washable! I guess in the future both our boys will be fighting for the toy they want...
What rainy days we have been having here in the West side of town. One thing nice is that we don't need to water our plants or lawn, however, my rain barrel is very very full. We found a rain jacket for Ethan after looking at various stores and thankfully we found one on sale at good old Superstore. It has been in good use this Summer already. I don't think he likes the hood though, it covers his entire face! Hey, at least he doesn't get wet right?!? Yes, he is standing hands free. He's being a very brave little boy lately. He is however, leaning against my legs :) Soon he'll be walking I'm sure.
  In only a matter of 5 days, Ethan has taught himself to kneel hanging onto his rail in his crib to standing. Today while writing his new height and weight (27.5 inches and 19.9lbs) on his wall, I was surprise to look over to see him standing up in his crib. We will now have to move the crib to it's lowest position. Next thing I know, he'll teach himself to climb out of the crib!
Ethan's new favorite toy at this time is his soccer ball. As soon as you pull out the ball and roll it to him, he gets so excited. This is what Mommy and Ethan does when he gets up in the morning. Nothing like some good old morning exercise - ha ha ha.  What an amazing couple... my parents celebrated their 35th Wedding Anniversary today! 35 years ago, I'm sure they imagined what their future held as they walked down that aisle. Now 35 years later, they are enjoying what their hard work has brought them: 3 grown adult children, a grandson, retirement and freedom to do what they want. I sure hope all their dreams have come true, if not all, at least most. To my parents, Happy Anniversary. Cheers to many more anniversaries to come... Much Love!
Wow, after all those Chinese Aunts and Uncles clicking their tongue at Ethan, he has learned how to do it. And it's not soft either, he can click his tongue pretty loud. He loves when you click your tongue when he is doing it. I think he thinks it's a way of communicating with each other.    
I guess he's like Mommy... ticklish. He is ticklish everywhere, his feet, tummy, back, arm pits, everywhere. It's too funny. Our "Race Horse" Dog  Press & Seal is amazing!  Well, with Kona being so sick as he is, it's like having 2 babies at home except one is much more work... Kona! He's doing better, so the Vet says, so that means we're on the right track. He's still not eating as well, but that is probably because he's not allowed to run around, so he's burning very little off. He now has to wear socks on each of his paws to protect them, so Wackie had me buy him black socks so that they would blend in. Too bad, the athletic tape that holds them up are white. Well, he looks like a race horse now. We're also suppose to put plastic bags on each of his paws when the ground is wet outside, but we found an even better solution... Press & Seal! Amazing stuff, and the best part is, you can keep reusing them. No tape needed, just press and it sticks. ha ha. We should send in this picture to Glad and tell them what else people can use their product for. ha ha ha.
 Well, he's back home now after spending a night at the Vet clinic. He's not doing too hot. He now has to take 2 more new medication so in total he's on 3 antibiotic medications. As you can see, now all 4 of his paws are bandaged up and he gets to sport a fancy cone to prevent him from trying to take his bandages off. We go back on Friday for another check up to see how he is progressing. Sadly, he is to be confined inside so when he has to go to the potty, we have to take him on his leash so that he doesn't do anything active. Not a fun birthday month for him huh? He's turning 2 this month.
 Our poor Kona is not doing well these pass few days. We noticed that he started limping last week on and off and decided to bring him in to get his paws checked out. When Wackie brought him in, Kona would not let the Vet or Wackie touch his paw. It was decided that we had to bring him in the next day to get it checked out. The vet ended up having to put him under to check his paw and turned out that all of his nails were in poor shape. She mentioned that it could either be an infection or his immune system failing! It was so bad that 2 of his nails peeled right off when they were checking him (hence his colorful bandage). He's on anti-biotic for the next 30 days, plus a bath for his feet everyday. We are also trying to add in Omega 3 fatty acid supplement into his diet to see if it's something that is missing in his diet. If all of these don't work, then it means his immune system is poor. Well, this was all completed on Friday, and as of right now, Kona is right back at the Vet. While trying to chase him back into the house (since he's not suppose to be outside for long periods), something happened to one of his back paws causing him to bleed lots. Wackie had to come home to bring back to the Vet. We're waiting for the Dr.'s call. We're feeling the pain of vet bills...
Here's our wacky little baby... instead of exhaling, he really enjoys to inhale to make noise. This is how he communicates with us. It's priceless. Well, after all these months of drool and no signs of teeth, we finally can see his bottom front teeth are cutting. This may explain why he has been very whiny and cranky over the past week. At least he's eating his solid well and we have almost finished all of the vegetables: squash, peas, carrots, wax beans, green beans, corn, and sweet potato. Surprisingly, he liked them all. We have a few more vegetables to try, but onto meats very soon. I'm saving fruits for the very end as most babies and kids like fruit. Who wouldn't, they're naturally very sweet. Anyway, since feeding him at the dining room table, he has discovered the joy of biting the table. I think it helps soothes his teething. None the less, it's quite funny watching him bite the table in between bites of food. It happens every meal time. Silly boy. Mommy just has to make sure the table is well cleaned after each meal.
Well, my first Mother's Day has arrived. Ethan must of known it was a special day because he woke up twice last night just so that he can get some comforting from me. What a guy. But I wish everyone who had even a glimpse of experiencing being a mom, a wonderful Mother's Day. We are that special. Thanks Boys for the special Mother's Day gift. Ethan had his first swimming lesson yesterday at the YMCA. He's a natural swimmer! He's not scared of the water at all, and he even got to go down the slide. It was lots of fun. We sang songs, practiced the front and back float (without his face going into the water... yet), and played with floating boats and swimming noddles. Ethan is the 2nd youngest in the class, the youngest being only a few weeks younger. Better start them young right?!? ha ha. |
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