The verdict is in

Me: "Is it a girl?! It is a girl!"

Tech (a little shocked that I could read the image): "Well, I haven't seen any boys parts, so I wasn't going to confirm it is a girl yet, but it looks like it is."

Tech (a little bit later): "I am going to say it is a girl for sure!!"

Me: "Ethan, Carter, did you hear that? Mommy is going to have a baby girl!"

Ethan (jumping up and down): "YAYAYAYAY baby girl!"

Ethan kept telling us that he wanted us to have a baby girl. He is thrilled and so are we! Even better, the perinatologist said that baby girl looks perfect! We will still do the fetal echo we had already scheduled but we are pretty sure everything looks healthy. Praise the Lord!

I think these two boys are going to be the best big brothers a sister could have.

Cravings

I find it so interesting how different pregnancies yield different cravings. My main craving with both boys was steak. This time around, the consistent cravings are salad and iced tea...as in I can't get enough of either. I could drink gallons of iced tea, with the perfect combination of lemon and sweetener, and it still wouldn't be enough. There have been a few days (about three) of wanting popcorn but tonight I needed chocolate. If you know me, you know that I am not a big fan of chocolate. Thankfully my wonderful husband went out and got us the Great Wall of Chocolate dessert. De...light...ful.

He didn't learn that at home

It can be pretty hysterical what Ethan brings home from school. He hasn't brought home any inappropriate behaviors so far. Besides the learning, increased vocabulary and social skills, he has brought home a couple of behaviors that reduce Craig and me to belly ache laughter.

Having spent many years in the classroom, I can only imagine the classroom management it takes to control a preschool room. (Now that I teach online, I have a button I can press to kick disrespectful students out of our "classroom"--quite handy.) I learned how the teacher might get the students attention during the following exchange with Ethan:

Ethan: "mom mee"

Me: (busy writing a work email)

Ethan: "MOM MEE" Complete with two hands surrounding his mouth, attempting to amplify his small voice (he must have learned this there as well)

Me: (about ready to acknowledge him, but had to write the final sentence)

Ethan: "MOM MEEEEEEE," followed by two loud claps

Me: Laughing so hard, I fell out of my chair

Apparently when the teacher needs to get their attention, she will announce "students" (or something of the like) and then clap her hands twice. Cracks me up. I think it is funny because I know he isn't trying to be disrespectful--unlike a teenager snapping his fingers at me or something like that--plus it totally threw me off, which was also fun. Ahh, kids.

I can tell he is observing the other boys play because he also brought home "karate." He hasn't done it often, but he will move his hands in karate motion while also say, "woah ahh." So far he hasn't tried to do karate on his brother, so until that point, he is welcome to play in the world of make-believe.

Why?

This past week Ethan started the why phase. He will ask why after every single thing I tell him or after I respond to his questions. I think it is funny. I don't find it bothersome at all and, in fact, look forward to giving him a response. He is still at the age where he accepts my response and doesn't ask a secondary why. I think I am enjoying it because it is pretty close to an age appropriate stage and sometimes he even stumps me. :)

No fear

This child.

This child has no fear. No hesitations. A go-getter. He is a climber, an adventurer and doer. He adores baths and loves to be tossed in the air. He is a blast to be around.

During the day, I have to turn all the kitchen chairs on their sides to prevent him from climbing onto the table. (Our kitchen chairs are bar height.)

Carter devoured his is first PB&J sandwich. (So far it looks like his only allergy is eggs.)


Why climb up the stairs when you can climb up the outside of the stairs and make your mother worry?

We love this little man. He is a gift from God and has greatly blessed our family.

You may not see any pictures for awhile because my camera broke. :( To say I am distraught would be an understatement. We have to send it in and hope that whatever is wrong with it is under the warranty!

Vocabulary

We have been quite impressed with Ethan's jump in his vocabulary. Not only is he talking much, much more, he also doesn't seem to get as frustrated as in the past. We are now hearing three word sentences, along with "parrot" like talking. We adore hearing him talk and repeat things he hears us say.

The best part of his vocabulary is that he is using two syllable words. For the longest time, he would call Craig and me, mom and dad. Now that he is doing better with syllables, he uses Mommy and Daddy. It sounds more like "mom mee" and "dad dee." He currently has a tendency to add an "ee" ending on a lot of words that don't require it, but overall, he has greatly improved! And, he has gotten much better at using adjectives when he is referring to certain objects.
Some more examples so that I don't forget:

elp ee pease, mom mee (help me please, mommy)
dis car, mom mee (this car, mommy)
Tarter, no no (Carter, no, no.)
Tarter ake mom mee (Carter awake, mommy)
autch dis mom mee (Watch this, mommy)
geen car, wellow ball/car
nee ne kick dis ball (Ethan kick this ball)
dis car ack home (this car back home)

There are many more examples. Everyday he comes up with something new, which is wonderful. Of course, many times I have to listen hard to figure out what he is trying to say, but at least he will keep repeating it to me until I figure it out. We are so proud of him!

Searching for calories

As adults, I think we find calories pretty easily. I guess that would apply to children as well. I have been trying to vary Ethan's purées a little, but I haven't had much success. I did discover some Greek yogurt with honey in it and have added that to his daily intake. It is a good addition at just over 5 ounces and 210 calories, plus it is a new texture/taste. Besides that, I can't seem to find nutritious high calories foods that I can purée or that are puréed. I guess it makes sense because "high calorie" and "nutritious" don't often go hand in hand. I need to try avocados with him and see if he likes them. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to pass them along!

My other little man is in the process of getting some more teeth and he is pretty miserable. I was paged at church today because he was hysterical from the time we left. He cuddled with us during the rest of the service, which is a sign that he isn't feeling that great. Thankfully he is sleeping just fine but I feel badly for him. Carter only has eight teeth, so he still has a way to go.

My two little crazy little men. Love them.