December brought Ethan....

A new tooth, his first cold, walking and talking! Needless to say, we've been busy. Despite a runny nose, cough and crankiness for most of the month, little man continues to delight us daily. Given his new tooth, his favorite skill is taking a "bite" of string cheese or PB & J on Ritz crackers (actually, he likes to lick all of the jelly off first, then beg for more). He has also taken to using a washcloth to help "wipe" the table and his hands after meals. Ethan also enjoys sitting at the table and coloring--I use coloring loosely. It's scribbling really, but he does it very intently in between attempts to eat the crayons (this is a closely supervised task!). We are humbled by the awareness of how much delight he takes in the "little" things like turning on a light or flushing the toilet. Humbled because our lives are so easily cluttered with busyness that we miss out on the joys of everyday.

He has been truly walking for just over a week now, and prefers it to crawling most of the time. He is amazingly proficient over our multiple thresholds and large area rugs. Mommy's back is feeling much better since he can move himself about more easily.

He also loves to dance, "stomp his feet" and have us sing to him. This has led to learning "If you're happy and you know it..." which he requests at nearly every diaper change. Clap your hands, stomp your feet, cover your eyes, touch your nose, click your tongue-the possibilities are endless really. Perhaps most extraordinary to us is his use of spoken language. He can say 35+ words and use them appropriately in context! (For those interested, his word list is at the bottom of this post.) He has become a little parrot, attempting to repeat most things we say, anything from "poop" to "moon" to "baby". He understands that Mommy has a baby under her shirt, and we're all working to understand what that will mean once he arrives!

Speaking of baby Mac, he is doing well. Only 10 weeks to go, as I will have a scheduled c-section near the end of March. Generally, I am feeling well, though fatigue sets in by day's end. I survived the 3 hour glucose tolerance test (barely!) which looks for gestational diabetes and was grateful to not have it. We are starting to think about rearranging rooms to make a space for Mac, working on names, and generally enjoying these moments leading up to his arrival. Eric and I are looking forward to an Ethan-free overnight to a B & B in the southern Adirondacks in early February.

We enjoyed a short, but fun trip to CT to celebrate Christmas with Eric's family. (The east coast blizzard caused things to be cut short a bit). We're learning how having a toddler changes the way you interact with others when you're out and about :0) We're grateful for understanding family and friends who have walked this way before us! Eric also had about 2 weeks off at the end of December. Ethan loved having Daddy around so much and Eric was happy to tackle purging and re-arranging the basement. On New Year's Day we enjoyed lunch together at The Whistling Kettle. It's a delightful little spot--we'll be happy to take anyone who comes to visit! This photo was taken on our way...

Hope everyone is well--thanks to all who write little notes occasionally and update us on how things are with you!

Ethan's word list: nigh-night, na-na (binki), Wow, dizzy, li (light), moon, boo-boo, poop, heat, wa-wa (water), baby, moo, baa, roar, sss (snake), neigh, woof woof, pffbb (elephant sound), meow, eee ooo (monkey), hop (what a frog and bunny do), hot, hat, Pa Paw, Noah, up, more, MaMa, DaDa, vroom, help, please, all done, Moriah, sharp, tree, cheese, thank you!