Sniffle, Sniffle, Cough, Cough

Ethan has been sick for the past week. He just has a cold, and yet my heart absolutely breaks every time he cries, sniffles, coughs, or looks up at me with confusion and pain behind his eyes. My nights are sleepless, spent either nursing him, rocking him, or worrying about him. I wonder with every intervention I try whether or not I'm effectively treating his discomfort. I second guess my decision to break the "let him cry it out" rule when I run to scoop up my wailing baby, yet end up justifying it by telling myself that all bets are off when he's sick. My entire world is upside down, with everything that I have been used to (a champion sleeper, eater, and all-around happy baby) replaced with a weaker, crankier, insomniac version of my child. All I want is to be able to fix him, to banish his symptoms with a wave of my magic mom wand.

Did I mention he just has a common cold?

What is it about motherhood that turns women into mush? I've always been sensitive, but every single emotion I've ever felt has intensified in my eight short months as a mom. I can't hear about children that have met with tragic ends, mothers who have been separated from their little ones, or babies that are actually horribly ill without getting teary. At the same time, I also feel like motherhood has strengthened me, that I am now capable of things that I never thought possible. I am the strongest ball of mush you've ever seen.

One of the most effective ways to make Ethan feel better has been to give him a bath. He loves splashing around in the water, and it turns him almost instantly from crabby into charming. See for yourself:

Oh, how I love my sweet, sweet little boy!

"Baby Ethan" Got a Facelift!

No, no, we didn't take Ethan in for elective surgery - his handsome little face is perfect just as it is! Our blog, formerly entitled "Baby Ethan" is the one that went under the knife. There are lots of changes in store, the first being that I (Sarah) am going to stop posting in third person. There are so many personal thoughts and stories I want to share, and trying to do so without being personal is cumbersome and awkward. Before getting pregnant, I'd never read a blog, let alone written one myself. The original intent was to enable our friends and family living far, far away to have a way to experience the pregnancy with us. Those of you who know Ryan could have predicted that our journey would be well documented, visually. The purpose of blog version 1.0 was to provide a platform to share his art, with my words merely serving as a side dish - a written compass guiding the reader from one image to the next. Since becoming parents, our lives have changed completely, and it's high time that our blog evolved as well. Thanks to those of you who have phenomenal sites of your own (I read blogs now!) that have inspired me to do more, think more, and say more. Stay tuned, friends, for good things to come.

Future Golfer?

We took a day trip down the coast while Pa-Pa, Oma, and Aunt Mary were here visiting. We went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and introduced Ethan to fish, sharks, sea otters, and Oma's favorite - penguins. While we were there, we also toured the 17-Mile Drive at Pebble Beach. It's an absolutely gorgeous route along the beach and on the edge of rocky cliffs.


Sarah jokes that Ethan will not be allowed to play football or hockey when he grows up due to the risk of injury. Golf is found on the short list of her pre-approved sports, along with swimming, bowling, and ultimate frisbee. Perhaps the early exposure to one of the world's greatest golf courses will instill a love of the *safe* game.




We also took a tour around San Francisco, visiting the Ferry Building Farmers Market, Alamo Square, and the Cliff House for a sunset dinner over Ocean Beach. Ethan was such a trooper, adjusting easily to napping in the car or stroller instead of his crib. Even though he missed out on a few hours of sleep, he stayed pretty happy all day - especially when we made our way to the playground.

He sure does love swinging, and we have a great time listening to his happy squeals of delight!

Babble Boy

We had a great visit with Pa-Pa, Oma, and Aunt Mary this weekend! Though it's only been a few months since we last saw them, it feels like Ethan is completely different now. Baby growth is so similar to dog years - a short time on the calendar makes a HUGE difference developmentally. One of the many milestones that they were able to witness was Ethan's babbling. He usually chatters with "da" and "ya", but recently discovered "ba" and seems to be a big fan of his new sound. Aunt Mary grabbed her camera to take a video during a particularly chatty car ride. Every single time Sarah went to wipe his drool, Ethan would start talking to us. We got such a kick out of it, both for the predictability and repetition as well as the silly way he was turning down the corners of his mouth.



Did you notice how he flashed a toothy grin when he saw the camera in the beginning? Daddy has trained him well. What a little ham!

Swing, Swing, Swing!

While Ryan was at class yesterday, Sarah and Ethan were lucky to spend all day with our friend, Laurie, and her beautiful boy, Joey. We took advantage of another momentary break in the rain to take the boys to the playground. There are so many trails and parks around here, and we love taking the strollers out and going for a nice, brisk walk whenever we can. Joey is old enough to really take advantage of the playground, but we didn't want Ethan to miss out on all of the fun. We decided to see if he would like the baby swings. After packing him in with jackets and blankets for extra stability, Sarah gave Ethan a little push, and watched in delight as his face absolutely lit up. Always prepared, Laurie was armed with a camera to take a video of the experience since Ryan wasn't there to see it for himself.



When we got back from the park, Ethan and Joey played with one of Ethan's new toys together. It was so cute to watch the two of them - Joey very quickly figured out how the toy worked, and Ethan stared at him intently, studying his every move. He'd even try to copy what Joey was doing!


We can't wait until Ethan gets a little bit bigger and can really play with his buddy!