Ethan is 11 Months!

Time is flying so fast!  I can't believe my little man is 11 months old!!!  He continues to be such a joy and has really been turning into more of a little boy than a baby.  It is super cute to watch him learn new things, but also a little sad for this mama!!  Ethan says mama and I'm pretty sure he has me in mind when he says.  It's not constant, but occasionally it comes out and seems pretty purposeful.  He is also started showing interest books, and will sometimes sit for a minute to let you read.  He has also begun doing a few little motions.  He will rub his hands together when you ask him to wash his hands, and he will put his phone up to his ear if you say "ring ring" or "Hello!" Just this past month he started showing interest in this little blue doggy that my sister and nieces gave him when he was born.  Whenever he sees he wants to hold it and has started making a doggy noise.  It super cute!!!  He uses the doggy noise for any animal and gets so excited about them all!! He loves to spot birds whenever we are outside.  He has also started being about to try and put a hat on his head, or a bib over his head.  He has figured out where they go, though usually they just get dropped behind him.  I love watching his little mind working.  His favorite things to do right now are putting tops on the toy pots, putting the nesting blocks inside one another, and pulling anything out of the kitchen or toy box.  He still crawls around like a champ and is cruising really well!  I think he is starting to figure out how to go down the stairs too, but he still tries to sit halfway down so we only "practice" under very close supervision!!  Ethan is a great sleeper and continues to be a great eater!  He is getting a little bit too big for his 12-18 month clothes (esp those that are one piece) and has just started wearing a few 24 month things, though pants are still a little long. I'm excited to see how much he weighs and how tall he is at his 1 year doctors appt!!!

April

April was a super fun month for us!!!  Hannah had her very first dentist appointment!  She was very brave, but a bit apprehensive at first.  Thankfully the ladies at the front desk hung out with Ethan so I could focus on being with Hannah.  Her favorite part of the visit was getting her new toothbrush!  As soon as we got home, she ran upstairs and threw away her old toothbrush and told everyone we saw that she got a new one!!  The second weekend of April, we went to Asheville for a day trip to see the flowers at the Biltmore, and lucked out as it was the perfect weekend to see all the tulips in full bloom!!!  Tulips are by far my favorite flower and it was just so fun to see so many of them!!!!  Hannah had a blast with her cousins and Ethan tolerated the day pretty well in the Ergo, but loved the opportunities to crawl around in the grass!! Then for Easter we headed to St. Louis to see Grandma Margie and Grandpapa.  Again Hannah had so much fun playing her cousins and her grandparents.  She loved to go visit the horses with Papa, and read with Grandma.  Ethan was so cute smiling and waving to everyone.  Easter was fun, but unfortunately Hannah came down with a pretty high fever.  It was just a little virus, but it made Easter Sunday not quite as fun as it would have been.  She did enjoy hunting for eggs and opening up her Easter basket, and luckily the tylenol kicked in enough to enjoy Easter dinner!  Then the last weekend of April, we had a full house!!!  We had the Goforth 6 come to stay with another family of 4 from Asheville. My sister and brother-in-law and the mommy from the other family were doing a sprint triathlon here in Huntersville, and Abby and Caroline (my twin nieces) did their first kids triathlon!!  Again, Hannah LOVED having her cousins here, especially Molly.  And we all had a great time spending time with one another and cheering the triathletes on!!!  Hannah said that when she gets bigger she wants to do a race like Abby and Caroline.  We kept Lauren Sunday morning while the adults were racing, and just had so much fun with her!

Fun at the Biltmore gardens!

Easter Weekend Fun!

Cheering on Abby and Caroline!!

We also had a little photoshoot of the kids done at the end of April.  A woman at our church is starting a photography business and she asked if Hannah and Ethan could be part of her portfolio.  I jumped at the chance and am so incredibly glad I did!  Elaine, at Full Quiver Photography, is so incredibly talented and I am so pleased with the pictures she took!!  Hannah and Ethan had an absolute blast with the animals and all of the fun things about farm life!  They live on a beautiful property and have chickens, roosters, horses, cats and a bunny!  Hannah was able to hold Gus Gus the bunny for a picture, and Ethan LOVED watching the cats stroll by during the shoot.