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January 16, 2003
Wednesday, January 15, 2003
18 Weeks!
So much has happened and I have so much to say! On the spur of the moment, we decided to skip town next week and since we’ll be gone, I figured I had better get an entry written before then!
Ethan
Ethan celebrated his first birthday on Monday the 13th. It was a very, very emotional day for this mama. I should back up. We had some family and friends over on the Sunday the 12th to celebrate. One by one, our family members either cancelled on us or had other circumstances and the group was disappointingly small. It turned out okay though and we still had a good time. We decorated our dining room with balloons and streamers. We had a table cloth on the table, matching plates and napkins… all in a “first birthday” theme for a boy. It came out really cute and we got most everything on sale at the local party store. I made a cake for Ethan (his very own) and then for everyone else I made individual cupcakes that I baked in ice cream cones. I had seen this idea a couple of times in books and decided to go for it. I was surprised at how cute they came out! I frosted each one and then used icing to write a separate letter on each one so that 19 of them spelled out “HAPPY BIRTHDAY ETHAN!” We got a lot of compliments on that! We sang Happy Birthday to him as he sat in his high chair with his cake in front of him (though far enough away so that he could not touch the lit candle!) I have to admit, as we started singing, I was able to sing maybe three or four words and that’s it… I was overcome with emotion. There was my beautiful little boy and he was a celebrating his very first birthday. Where has the past year gone? How did it go so quickly?
Ethan: Mommy wants you to know that she loves you very much (and so does your daddy!) On January 13, 2002, my life changed in ways I never could have dreamed possible. On that day, I became a mother! I’ll never forget the moment that they held you up over that curtain and said, “Hi Mom!” It was the happiest moment of my life. I will never, ever be the same. Thank you for making me so happy and bringing me such joy. Thank you for your daily smiles and loves and hugs and kisses and squeezes. I doubt I could live without them. You’ve been through so much this past year. I see why God doesn’t allow babies to remember these early days… while they are filled with endless joy, they are also filled with lots of physical challenges. You survived that birth experience. It was a tough one and I know that you will be a stronger boy because of it. Together, we made it through those early colicky days. Listening to other mothers, I realize how good we had it. Still, hearing you scream uncontrollably inevitably brought your mommy tears as well. I just wanted you to be happy and comfortable. Thus far, you’ve made it through nearly 12 teeth! That is such a feat for one so small! It hasn’t been easy, but you’ve endured it so well. You made it through growth spurts and colds and bumps and bruises. You learned how to put yourself to sleep. You have made it through so much.
On top of all the challenges, there have been the milestones and the learning to think about! WOW… a year ago, you were a helpless little boy just learning how to suck, swallow, and breathe in this new world. Now look at you! You went from rolling, to crawling, to standing, to cruising, to WALKING… all in one short year! You bring us so much joy I can scarcely put it into words. I’ll never forget those first cooing noises you made as a tiny infant, and how you would imitate us when we’d say, “Oooo”. Now you are using words and babbling like crazy. I’ll never forget that first smile you flashed us at about 8 weeks of age. Now you not only smile constantly, but you laugh! You laugh and you laugh and you giggle and you laugh! It is music to my ears! I’ll never forget the first time that I nursed you or the first time that we introduced you to rice cereal. Now you eat just about everything, you feed yourself using your fingers and you drink from a sippy cup. WOW! I’ll never forget how you would wrap your tiny newborn fingers around ours. Now you clap your hands, you pull yourself up, you give hugs, you explore objects, you have a perfect pincer grasp, and you point to things like mad.
It’s been an incredible year, Ethan. As I said, I never imagined I could love like this. I never imagined one human being could evoke so much joy in my heart. I never imagined life could be this good. Thank you for choosing us as your parents. Thank you for accepting us, with all of our faults. Thank you for the love you give on a daily basis. Thank you for being you. If this first year was any indication of what the future holds, we’re in for the time of our lives and I can’t wait! I love you, my little angel bug, so, so much!
Ethan Is Officially Walking!
I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting to finally be able to record this most important milestone and it finally happened!! I really thought Ethan would have been walking sooner than this. He was crawling at lightening speeds at just six months of age and pulling himself up shortly thereafter. But he was content with that. He has been cruising the furniture for a long time as well. On the day after his birthday, January 14th, he did it! He let go, concentrated, and took six steps! I was amazed and like every other milestone in his life, I cried! I just couldn’t believe it! I think he would have gone further but there was a step there. Since then, he is a little daredevil. Now that he knows he can do it, he tries it all the time! I think he also likes the response that he gets from us! We’re a couple of goofballs, yelling, clapping, and praising when he does it. The look on his face is absolutely priceless… he is so proud of himself! Look out world, here comes Ethan!
The Pregnancy
This jellybean is growing by leaps and bounds! Boy, my tummy is really big all of a sudden! I do believe my sickness is officially behind me and it feels so good. I have had a couple of waves in the past week, but overall, it’s gone. No sooner had the sickness left me then the insomnia and uncomfortable nights have set in. UGH. Last night was especially bad. I woke up in the night in tears because I hurt so bad and just could not get comfortable. It is so frustrating. I think part of me gets really worked up in moments like that because I know that I am not even quite half way through this pregnancy and already the aches and pains are really getting to me. It was like this last time as well, so I have had my hat on for it, but still, it doesn’t really make it any easier to experience. In any case, the aches and pains are better than the morning sickness by far. My next appointment is on the 28th. Oh yeah, one more thing… at my last appointment, I had the quad screen drawn and I’m happy to report that my numbers came back really good. I think I’m 1:2600 for Down’s and 1:5600 for open neural tube defects. That made me so happy!
“I’m Leaving On a Jet Plane…”
Yes, we are leaving! We’re going to Hawaii this weekend! I know, I know, how come I’ve never mentioned this before? Well, it’s because I didn’t plan it until yesterday! It’s true! Last summer, Mike’s friend (who works for a major airline) gave us a couple of his flying passes because we really wanted to go to Hawaii… I was feeling very homesick at the time. We ended up not going because it was summer and his friend told us that the flights were booked solid and we’d probably get stuck in another city on the way there (it’s not a direct flight AND we have to fly standby). So we scrapped the idea and then we got pregnant and well, life just happens. Then in November, my mom came for a month.
Anyway… his friend was over on Sunday and said, “Hey, are you going to use those passes? If you don’t use them by June, you forfeit them.” To make matters worse, the airline he works for has dissolved that program so this was the last year that he’ll even be able to offer them to us. We sort of half talked about going soon, but like every other time we’ve talked about it, we’d find a million reasons not to do it. Well, this time was different. We decided we’d better jump on the opportunity. Pretty soon, I’ll be too uncomfortable to travel and then it’ll be too late. So, we just made a spur-of-the-moment decision to go!
We leave on Sunday morning and come back Friday afternoon (yes, I have to work that night… ugh.) I’ll be tired, but it’ll be worth it! I casually called up my mom and said, “What are you doing this weekend?” She said, “Oh, nothing.” I said, “Well, if we can swing it, can we come hang out with you?” She screamed… I knew I had my answer. Then of course she says, “YES! Bring my baby!!!” Forget about me and Mike… she wants Ethan! Hahaha. I remember when I used to be the “baby”… no more. I take second seat to Ethan! I’ve talked to her a couple of times since then. She’s already arranged with her boss to work from 6am-2pm all week so that she has the afternoons with us. She is taking Monday off and we (along with some other really close friends) are all heading to a nice beach that day. It’s a semi-private beach… no beach is completely private in Hawaii, it’s against the law. However, this one is in a residential area (my aunt has a house on the beach there) and since it’ll be a weekday in January, I know it will be virtually empty. It’s not a place tourists even know about.
In fact, speaking of this beach… I call it my “happy place.” I have spent countless hours on that particular beach, from the time I was very little. Now that I live in Washington, I miss it so much. I use it all the time when I am dealing with pain. For example, when I have migraines, I “go to the beach.” In my head, I visualize being there and I go through my five senses… what I smell, hear, taste, feel, and see. I do this and imagine the waves taking my head pain away… it works better than ANY drug I’ve ever tried. I also used it while I was in labor and I think it’s part of what was able to make me go so long without drugs. Anyway… I told my aunt about it and she was touched that her home brought me such happy memories. I tell my husband about it all the time and he is really excited to see this particular beach!
Anyway… aside from the beach, we really have no plans and don’t intend on making any. My husband has never been there but has no desire to do any of the “touristy” things. I just want to smell the air, hear the music, eat my favorite foods, see my family and friends and just relax. I just want to be home, even if it is only for a few days. I’m excited. I am NOT excited about traveling with Ethan, but hopefully he’ll do okay! I’ll be sure and write all about that when we get back!
One more thing I want to add here… I started this entry yesterday morning and Ethan did something in the afternoon that I want to record…
As he was walking around, I noticed one of his socks was off. I looked at him and said, “Ethan where is your sock? Please bring Mommy your sock.” He stopped, looked around the room until he spied, went over and got it and brought it to me! MY BOY IS A GENIUS! Okay, that’s pushing it, but I can be a proud mama if I want to… it amazes me to watch his little brain develop!!!
Also, Ethan had his one-year pediatric well-child visit yesterday. He is measuring in at 31.5 inches tall, 23.5 pounds, and his head circumference is 18 inches. My big boy! He got two shots yesterday… his first MMR and Hep B #3. He gets four shots at his 15 month appointment. He is developing on track and the doctor sees no issues! We are happy!
I’ll write more after our big trip!
Sunshine and beaches, here we come!!!
Christina, Ethan, and the Jellybean!
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