The Godfather

We were happy to have our friend Ryan Hoke in town for a couple of days this week. We hadn't seen him in a few years, so it was quite a treat! While he was here, Ryan got to meet Ethan for the first time. He was very sweet with him, and gave Ethan lots of cuddles, smiles, and even a bottle!


Ethan had a fantastic time with Ryan, and we're really looking forward to him meeting Candace! We won't have to wait too long, as the Hokes will be joining us in Minnesota for Thanksgiving weekend.

It's also been a few years since we've seen our family in Minnesota. We're braving the airport crowds and will be taking Ethan on his first plane ride to Minneapolis for the holidays. We're having Ethan baptized while we're there in the church that Ryan's grandmother has been attending for years and years. We asked the Hokes to be Ethan's Godparents, and they will be making the trek up from Milwaukee to join us for the big event. We'll be sure to post pictures of the baptism when we return!

Not Quite as Exciting as Black Gold or Texas Tea...

Come and listen to a story about the Notch family,
Kicked out of their house because of termites, you see,
Got a call from their landlord, who rang them to say,
"We've got to relocate you to the Extended Stay."

Hotel, that is. Small room. Big inconvenience.

Y'all can't come back now, y'hear?


Well... that's not entirely true. We were allowed to return to our pest-free abode on Saturday afternoon. It was quite an adventure, being packed into a tiny space with Max, Ethan, and all of the baby gear. After the first very trying and frustrating day, we learned that the key to surviving a hotel room with a baby is to be in it for as little time as possible. Taking advantage of the need to be out, we decided to take Ethan on his first hike.


It didn't last that long - the days seem so short now and the sunset crept up on us - but it was a nice diversion.


With all of the trails around here, it will be so much fun to repeat these hikes when he's old enough to run up the hills ahead of us. For now, at least we know he likes the change of scenery.


He's really interested in his surroundings, and we'd like to think that he appreciated the views on our little adventure!

Heads Up!

Remember the post not too long ago where we said that it took Ethan about 20 minutes to roll over? He's made so much progress since then. Not only is he rolling over almost instantly from his back to his belly, we also recently discovered that he can roll back the other way! His routine when we put him down in his crib is as follows:

1) Roll over to his side
2) Insert thumb into mouth
3) Hang out for a few seconds
4) Take thumb out, roll over to belly
5) Reinsert thumb and fall asleep

It's pretty cute.


Ethan has also made a lot of improvements with his head control. Gone are the bobblehead days - this boy is doing a great job of using his neck muscles to hold up his head! Check it out:



He was doing this for about ten minutes yesterday before Ryan picked up the video camera, so he had lots of practice! Ethan is also practicing his laugh, and has tried out several different squeaks and squeals in the last week or so. He cracks himself up, and gets caught off guard by the sounds that come out of his mouth. He's such a funny boy!