Happy 10-Month Birthday, Ethan!

Our little sprout is not so little anymore...and he's on the move! This month has proven to be the most exciting yet!

Stats: No doctor's appointment this month, so no official stats. If I had to guess, I'd say that Ethan is around 20 pounds. He doesn't look like he weighs very much, since he's so long, but trust me, I can feel all 20 pounds after holding him for a while.

Likes: Ethan's favorite toy is Tobi {unfortunately for Tobi}. He loves anything that has buttons, regardless of whether it's a toy or not. Our little explorer loves to investigate power cords, cabinet doors, and drawers. Ethan is also starting to open books and turn pages. This list continues to grow. Ethan exploring cause-and-effect relationships. A brand new "like" for Ethan, is pre-school! He loves his teachers and classmates, and comes home exhausted every day. He is transitioning to one nap a day, so that might also have something to do with his tiredness, too. 

Dislikes: As much as I hate to say it, Ethan does not like finger foods. We've tried everything from baked beans to grapes to cheese. He is hit-or-miss with table food, and he will only feed himself Cheerios {we've weaned him off of Puffs - YAY!}.

Tricks: Soon after he turned nine months old, Ethan started crawling. Now, he's one speedy little guy, and he is keeping us on our toes. He also started pulling up on the coffee table, his toys, walls, and pretty much anything he can get his hands on. One of our new favorite tricks is his clapping. He can do it on command {sort of}. If you say "Yay, Ethan", he will almost always start clapping. 

Mom: Although I am exhausted, I'm so glad that I was forced made the choice to go back to work. I love being in the classroom, interacting with students and colleagues, and having a little space of my own...even though I have to share it with 29 fifth graders! Each day, I'm reminded of why I went into teaching. On the flip side, I have so much to do, and not enough time to do it. Juggling mommyhood and teaching is quite a challenge, but I just find that I have less time worry about things, and I am grateful for that. I'm sure things will get easier as we continue to adjust to our new routines.