Spring Has Sprung

My parents have some really fun and sweet neighbors.  One of their neighbors has two boys, and she is absolutely the ultimate "boy" Mom.  Seriously, she let her oldest son (who is extremely smart) have this incredible saltwater tank that housed an octopus for a few months.  Totally cool.  

Anyway, she texted Mom last night and asked if either Riley or Ethan would be by the house today, because she had something she would love to show them.  So we decided to swing by the house and see what fun thing she had up her sleeve for the boys.

Baby ducks!!!! She brought home 7 baby ducks for them to enjoy for a couple of days before releasing them in the pond on a relative's land.  She brought them over so that we could play with them for a few minutes.  Let me say, these ducks were SO stinkin' cute.  If it weren't for her talking about how much they poop (and given Ethan's history with finding that edible, ha) I would have totally called Jason up and insisted that our home needed baby ducks too.

The kids had a blast with them, especially Riley.

Clearly, I think I was just as excited to play with them as the kids were.

Sweet girl was IN LOVE.

They all ran in a huddle together, so funny!

My sweet boy, extremely frustrated that I wouldn't let him chase the ducks like he wanted to.  I was afraid he would grab one with too much aggression, so he had to pet them while Mommy held on.

Hey look! A duck!

It was such a fun, springtime moment.  Thanks so much Tina for sharing your temporary pets with us!

Already? 9 Months

Hi Stink!

I can't believe you are 9 months old today! You have almost been in the outside world for as long as I carried you! It's amazing how quickly things change and how much you grow.  You weigh about 19 pounds now, and we will know for sure your measurements when you have your check up next week. You are still in size 2 diapers, and are wearing mostly 6-9 month clothes, but have recently started fitting into some of your 9-12 month clothes as well! It seems like you are starting to grow out of your clothing faster and faster.

You are definitely pulling up on EVERYTHING and starting to take a stab at walking while holding on for balance.  Your balance is improving, but you haven't quite mastered standing independently.  I suspect you will be walking before your first birthday, but probably just before.  You aren't lacking in your mobility though, because you are an extremely fast crawler and can leave the room and get into just about anything at the drop of a pin.  You have your days where you really test my patience with the things you know you aren't supposed to get into.  You absolutely know what the word "No" means, but you often push the limit and try anyway.  I can tell your toddler years are going to be very interesting to say the least.

You still only have two teeth, and we sure wish those top two that are giving you so much trouble would come on through!  Hopefully in the next couple of days they will break through and stop causing you so much pain.

You LOVE being outside, and get really excited when we take you to the park.  You really love the swing, and the slide doesn't impress you at all.  In fact, you yawned the last time we attempted to take you down a slide.  So much for that!

You are starting to look more and more like your Daddy.  The only part of me that you are hanging onto is that tiny nose.

You aren't a fan of the grass, and fuss pretty quickly after exploring in it for a few minutes.  It's a texture that we are working toward, because we can't wait for you to want to play in the backyard.

You are such a SILLY little boy, and are still extremely laid back.  You managed to be silly and then fall asleep during your first big tornado warning, even though Mommy was a total mess.

You've taken a new interest in laundry, and find it hysterical to pull dirty clothes out of the basket, clean clothes off of the couch, and drag them with you on your journey around the house.

You are starting to show love and affection a lot more now.  You have a handful of stuffed animals that you adore, and hug them often.  Two of them (a star from Granny and an Easter bunny from your Grandma) that sing to you that are your favorites.  You snuggle them up as soon as they start to sing.

You are a HUGE giggle box, and nothing makes you laugh harder than playing chase with Daddy.



 One of the really exciting things you have done this month is start to say"Bye-bye!"  You've been waving for a while now, but the words that come along with it are so cute now.



 It seems though, that you often only practice your "tricks" during meal times. We seem to work the most on waving, clapping (which you refuse to do, but LOVE when we clap for you), and a few signs during mealtimes. You certainly don't wave when we ask you to in public, but have no problem waving and showing off on your own terms. You are definitely an independent spirit.

You definitely spread your love around to so many people that are in your daily life and routine, but let's be honest-you are partial to your Momma.  I can't say that I hate it.  I hate to see you fall and get hurt, but I love that you look for me to comfort you and tell you that you're going to be ok.



I can't believe it is time to start planning your birthday party! To be honest, Mommy has been planning it for several months now, but now I actually have to start putting some of these Pinterest ideas into action!

Love you always,
Mommy

Hangin' With Riley- A Picture Post

Could these two be any cuter, really?



Hey Riley! Look over here, I'm swinging too!




Giggle boxes.



Trying to attract the ducks to shore with her awesome throwing skills.

Spring time with the kiddos is my new favorite past time.

BFF-It's Gagworthy. Really.

Ethan's relationship with Fenway has been a slow building one.  When we brought Ethan home, Fenway would run and hide from him.  After a few weeks, he would slowly approach Ethan to sniff him out, and usually only if we were right there to tell him it was ok.  He was very patient waiting for his turn for love, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to learn to love and protect someone else.

        

He finally decided that it was ok to join us for naps, even if he didn't sleep...

         

And then he decided to up the ante and join us during feeding time...

Pretty soon, Fenway was allowing Ethan to tug his ears, pull his hair, and discover what it means to have a pet.  Ethan fell in love with him, and I think that Fenway has finally fallen in love with Ethan too.

They've learned to tag team play with each other.  Fenway will distract me to allow Ethan to escape towards something he isn't supposed to be climbing on.  Ethan will steal one of Fenway's toys so that I will throw it just to keep it out of Ethan's mouth (a fantastic manipulation from the dog to play fetch) and chase each other.

Up to NO good.

Guarding the house.

True BFF

Fenway has even started allowing Ethan to pull to standing using his back, although he doesn't like it.  Fenway will growl and snarl the entire time, but he won't move a muscle, knowing that Ethan would fall and hurt himself if he did.

One pissed pup.

Hugs and Kisses.

So why is it gagworthy?  These two are TOO close sometimes, and this past week just about did me in.  Fenway has been housebroken for a really long time now, and the only accidents we have had in the past year are completely and totally my fault.  AKA, Fenway rang the bell to go out and I ignored him for way too long (Puppy Mom fail).

I'm not sure what happened this week because Fenway had not rang his bell to go out.  I came into the office in hopes of catching up on my blog and instead ended up with the absolute worst experience of my life.  If this is what comes with being the mother of boys, please pray that our next child, and every single one after, are girls.

Ethan took off out of the office, as normal, to start his navigation.  I had already closed off the doors of rooms he didn't need to be in (or aren't baby proof) so I wasn't too worried.  I call out to him every few seconds, he giggles and comes crawling back.  It's a fun game we play that allows him to explore without being followed constantly, but keeps him out of trouble.  

I called out to Ethan and he didn't giggle, he didn't come crawling back.  I got up, sans glasses, to find him sitting in our living room floor.  Just sitting.  Not playing, just hanging out.  As I got closer, I realized that Ethan was holding a dog turd in his hand and mashing it between his fingers.  I gagged.  I picked him up, sent Fenway to his bed, and rushed to clean him off.  Once I get the HORRIBLE, disgusting mess under control, I called Jason.

"Oh dear Lord, I'm having the worst experience ever.  Your dog has crapped in the house and your son has decided to play in it."

I can hear that Jason is trying really hard not to laugh, but asks if I need help.  I tell him no, by the time he gets home, the mess will be long gone and there's nothing that can be done.  At this point, all the poop is off my sons hands, his outfit is off, but that awful smell is lingering.  

And that's when Ethan started smacking his lips.  

And that's when I started heaving.

"Oh my gosh, Jason IT'S IN HIS MOUTH.  ETHAN HAS EATEN DOG POOP!"

I hear a quick, "I'll be there in two minutes."  He hangs up, and I'm not sure how I didn't stop from gagging.

Ethan was getting extremely angry at me for trying to fish the poop out of his mouth, and he began to fight me.  Thank goodness Jason did actually come home, because he was able to help hold Ethan while we finished cleaning his mouth, and proceeded to brush his teeth and rinse his mouth for at least 20 minutes.  

I never imagined that I would have to Google, "My child has eaten poop."  My search engine was flooded with info, and thankfully this disgusting occurrence is fairly common and not at all harmful as long as large amounts are not consumed and the dog does not have worms.  Fenway definitely does not have worms, and I'm 99% sure that Ethan didn't swallow any of it.  We haven't seen any complications yet, although my stomach still hasn't quite recovered.

As for Fenway? I haven't quite forgiven him yet either.  It's a good thing Ethan loves him so much.