He said it!

I vaguely remember making a bet with Mike about whether Ethan's goingto say "mama" or "dada" first. Everyday, we banter back and forth and it always results in Ethan getting a confound and confused look, wondering how he got stuck with two crazy parents.

"Say mama. Say mah-muh. Say mamamamamamama", I would chant.

"No, Ethan. Say dada! Say dadadadadadadada", Mike would counter.

And it goes on and on like that. I thought.... one day, in a desperate act of self-preservation, Ethan will finally blurt out a badly garbed version just to get us to stop acting like idiots.

And last night, he said it.

He was happily playing in his exersaucer and I had just finished putting away dishes from dinner, when I heard a distinct "mumumumumumum" coming from the other side of the room. My first reaction was to look at Mike, who looked just as dumbfounded as I was (I would imagine), and then looked back at Ethan to see if he'd do it again. Sure enough! He pouted his lips together and said "mumumumumumum". I was as ecstatic as if I hit the lotto jackpot, I was literally jumping up and down (partly to gloat that he chose to say a syllable close to "mom" than close to"dad"). Never mind that he doesn't know the true meaning and application of the word "mom" any more than he knows the square root of 893.

So it technically wasn't his first word. Nonetheless, I'm flying on Cloud 9 knowing that my child has just crossed a brilliant developmental advance. It might not mean much to some, but to me, it means he's learning how to talk! It's a step up from the usual "oooooooooooo" and"aaaaaaaaaaa", and it definitely tells me that he's realizing that he has the ability to make other sounds than cooing and grunting. I knowI'm probably prematurely celebrating, but it just sounded so beautiful coming from this little guy that used to live in me, being fed through an umbilical cord.

Fun in the Bucket.... sort of.....

Lately, photographing Ethan has been a hit or miss. He hadn't been feeling good because he's teething, but this afternoon he seemed to be in a really good mood so of course... mommy dearest puts together her makeshift poor man's studio made of poster boards taped to the wall and desklamps with flood bulbs and had a little fun with the baby.

I actually had planned to have bubbles incorporated in the shots, only to find out that Mike grabbed the bubble maker but not the bubbles :) It was still fun though!

The Checkup

Ethan had his 6 month check up today. Poor thing got a little break and got only 2 shots instead of the regular five. We waited for about an hour before the doctor finally came in. Everything checked out great --- 18.7 lbs and 24 inches long... a staggering 2 lbs heavier from the last visit! The doctor gave his stamp of approval, and then desperately tried to entertain Ethan while waiting and half an hour later, the nurse came in armed with needles. By that time, Ethan had already dozed off... and instead of pissing him off then sticking him.... well, she just stuck him while he was asleep. Ethan woke up yelling, but went right back to sleep about five minutes after. What a trooper.

When You Say Nothing At All

A week ago, we were sitting in a crowded Applebees after Sunday mass waiting for our server to take our lunch order. I couldn't help but notice an old married couple, probably in their 70s, who were sitting directly across from us. The old lady casually looked around while playing with her straw swimming in a cup of what looked like lemonade. Occasionally, she would look in our direction and try to sneak a peak of Ethan, sitting contently in the stroller (he usually behaves well until we get our food). The old man, on the other hand, kept flipping back and forth through the menu, which I figured was his way to pass time since I know they have already ordered. Neither said a word to each other throughout the meal, and neither one seemed to care.

And that got me thinking..... is that how it's going to be for us in 50 years? The old lady reminded me of me, fancying people-watching... not just because it's fun, but because there ought to be something to do inbetween the beginning of the meal and the end of the meal. The old man reminded me of Mike, flipping through the menus... You can tell when he's really bored when he opens up the alcohol menu and starts pointing out the ones he's already had in his lifetime, and the ones he would like to try (he does this a lot).

Am I wrong to want to have a conversation beyond the usual banters of"How was your day?" and "What's for dinner?" ? God, I certainly hope not.

All grown up!

Ethan's sitting up! I mean, he's been sitting up for about 3 weeks now, but he's getting stronger and stronger everyday. It's an incredible milestone to witness Ethan learn how to balance on his own... sometimes, he'd even get cocky (I wonder where he got that from?) and lunge forward to grab a toy that's slightly out of reach and most often plants his face on the floor. But he doesn't seem to mind. Just yesterday, I saw him fall face first reaching for a pacifier, and I was sure he was going to let out a good cry... but he just rolled right over with a beaming smile of instant gratification as he puts the pacifier in his mouth. There's nothing like an "I got it mom!" look that makes me so proud.

He's also coming mightly close to crawling now. I made a note to his daycare "teachers" to make sure he gets a fair amount of tummy time everyday, but at night, we've been doing some exercises to teach him how to crawl and roll over. If you put him on his tummy, he would kick and kick vigorously until he gets tired and gives up. Surprisingly, actually covers some ground doing it. I have to constantly move him back to the end of the mat because I don't want him crawling on the carpet and get some rug burns. *sigh* I know, I can't protect him forever. I sometimes help him by tucking his legs under him to encourage more of a crawling position, but right now I guess he's completely content "scooting". I'd even put toys around him to reach for like his favorite banana guy, and after yelling "Go get it Ethan!" about a thousand times... he'd get frustrated and start fussing, so I just end up giving him the stupid banana guy anyway. Man, am I baby-whipped.

Mike's been encouraging Ethan to stand more too. If you hold out your hands in front of him, Ethan will take the first fingers he could grab and pull himself right up. Lately, he's been letting go of our fingers as soon as he realizes he's standing, thinking he could do it on his own (makes me a little sad that he wants to be independent so soon). "Come to daddy Ethan. Step out and come to daddy..." Mike always says. Ethan just stands there and wiggles and gives us a big ol' smile, with both legs firmly planted on the floor but obviously still lacking some control from his knees. He does love sitting in his Jumperoo though.. it gives him the illusion of standing on his own. Not to mention it gives me a little break to pick up around the house or do the dishes or stick something in the oven. Oh joy!