Three Chicks, Two Babies and a Carrot

This weekend my good friends Robym and Crystal came for a visit and we had such a good time. Crystal came in from Phoenix and Robyn from Ohio. We spent the weekend hanging out aruond the apartment, taking walks, and getting really good at getting four adults (one of whom is pregnant) and two babies with all of the accessories in and out of our borrowed minivan. We had a nice time having dinner with Aunt Lisa on Friday, going into the city on Saturday and hitting Eastern Market Sunday morning.

While it is obvous in the picture who the three chicks and two babies are, the carrot is actually Crystal's baby. For some reason all of the pregnancy books tell you how large your baby is in terms of food, so Crystal's baby, who is 21 weeks along, is the size of a carrot! So there you have it - all three of us, and all three of our babies in one shot!

Milk Drunk!

Katie loves to look at Ethan after he's eaten, mostly because he looks drunk. Yup. Wasted on milk. Look at these pictures, and tell us what you think!

First Night

My parents have been after us since Ethan's second week to have them babysit so Katie and I could go on a date. While I think they just wanted some alone time with their grandson, We were very appreciative of their gesture. After we successfully fed Ethan a bottle in PA, I called my mom and asked if they could watch Ethan the forthcoming Friday night. "Of course," she replied!

About 5 pm (or was it 4:30?) on Friday, June 4, Mom came over. Katie was about to feed Ethan, and I walked Mom through Ethan's changing things, and showed her where everything was. Then Mom and I picked Dad up from the parking lot and took the dogs to the dog park. We came home, Katie and I got changed, and then gave my parents some more instruction on Ethan's caring. Mom took a picture of Katie and I out for our first date in almost a month (the last one was the night before we went to the hospital), and we headed out. But, this blog's no longer really about Katie and I. Who really cares that we went to a nice French restaurant in Old Town (La Bergerie), or had a four course tasting menu with accompanying wines (from an award winning wine list)? You all want to know about Ethan. Which is completely understandable.

First off, Mom has decided to rename Ethan "My little screamer." It's appropriate, and if you have doubts, check out the posts from May 20 and 22. He screamed most of the night. When we got home at 10, or 10:30, Golden Girls was blasting from the television, so we assumed that he had been up to one of his tricks.

Mom was also amazed at Gracie's transformation into ultranmaternal dog! Courtesy of Dad's birthday present from Aunt Barbara, we have video of Gracie checking up on Ethan, kissing him, and, yes, petting him! It's pretty amazing stuff, check it out here.

And, for Ethan's grand finale, he proved his atheleticism! At age 4 weeks, Ethan rolled from his tummy to his back. He also inchwormed his way across the floor, without assistance. This kid's something special.

Weekend in PA

We spent Memorial Day weekend in West Chester, visiting with Katie's family. As a result of a slight hangover on my part - something about tasting 9 bourbons, and two of them twice, and then some rum, and the natural delays of trying to leave the house with a 3 week old, we were a bit late to hit the road. Hold back your surprise, please!

On Saturday, we gave Katie's grandmother (Grammy) her prize for winning the pool - several hours visiting just with Ethan (and us for logistical support). Don't tell her, but we would've done that anyway... That was mostly it for Saturday. Except, I feel like I'm missing something. Oh, yeah. Now I remember. Courtney graduated from UD! Congratulations, Court!

On Sunday afternoon, we had a little party for Courtney's graduation. Although we know that several people want to meet the E-man, this was Courtney's day. So, Boo, Carol, Larry, and the Moffits came by to congratulate Courtney, and, as an added benefit, got to meet Ethan. Laura, the semi-professional photographer, took many pictures - but I'm still waiting to see them! :-)

It seems that Paul (AKA Grandpop) and Ethan hit things off well - Ethan danced with him - as in this picture, and slept on him outside for several hours.

One other first for Ethan's life - he took a bottle for the first time on Saturday morning! Now I can feed him, which I did on our (or is it Lisa's) balcony yesterday. Other people can, too, so perhaps Katie and I can go out for a little bit at some point.

In other news, we booked our tickets for Argentina. We're all set for Economy Plus, and the dogs have reserved space in the hold. We've got our housing assignment, and will have plenty of space for guests in our Belgrano apartment.

Ethan the Dancer

When Ethan was a day old, Atta, the hospital Family Wellness Center, told us that he was going to like movement, and strongly recommended we get a rocking chair. A couple of days later, Mimi (AKA Peggy, AKA Katie's mom) and I went on a rocking chair safari, checking out such high class joints as the Salvation Army and neighborhood junk, I mean antique, shop. Our search took us to a pair of stores in Del Ray, Alexandria ("Where Main Street still exists," but is called Mt Vernon Ave) with some great consignment pieces and a pretty neat rocker. I bought the rocker - for the bargain price of $79 - and we took it home. With some creative rearranging, we got it into the bedroom, next to the bed. Katie and Mimi have had some success calming Ethan down with it.

I, however, failed. Since putting the Moby wrap on in the middle of the night whilst half-asleep just isn't very appealing, and probably not very safe for Ethan or me, I've had to come up with other ways. These usually involve taking him to another room and bouncing him around a bit.

Last night, though, We discovered another way. We give Ethan to Elmira, I mean, Erica. I was out at a bourbon tasting with James, so Katie went to their house to hang out with Erica. Ethan was getting fussy as they watched "So you think you can dance." Erica picked him up, and starting dancing. For an hour. To Lady Gaga. For an hour.

Today we drove up to West Chester, with this story fresh in my ears and Katie's memory. Ethan started his witching hour, right about on time, and I started bouncing him around. We danced for a bit, and Katie took this picture - I think he likes it!

So, how are the dogs dealing with Ethan?

The most common question we get from friends and family, after, "So, how are you doing?" and "Are you getting any sleep?" is "So, how are George and Gracie around Ethan?"

George and Gracie spent Ethan's first week with Grandma and Grandpa, and came home when Ethan was 9 days old. Although my parents didn't want to give up the grandpuppies, they were eager to come and visit. We were happy to have them, and, of course, were happy to have everybody home!

George, yes, our nice placid George, who likes almost everybody, wanted nothing to do with Ethan. In fact, George seemed a bit put-out that there was a new child in the house to compete for our affection. He stayed away from Ethan, hung out by himself, and gave off a very depressed air. George kept up his very hang-dog expression for 2 or three days, until I spent several minutes with him Tuesday evening, just petting him. George wasn't really into it for the first few minutes. I think he really wanted to go into his cage and sleep, but he didn't even want to come over to me. But, after a few minutes, he warmed back up to me, and gave me a kiss. He's been much happier since. George continues to remain somewhat aloof, but, he's growing more attached to Ethan day by day.

Gracie, on the other hand, has been very interested in Ethan from the moment she saw him. She comes over to check on him when he starts crying, or even making any noise whatsoever. She sniffs him and gives him the occasional kiss, either on the feet, legs, or head. She checks up on him whether he's in the carseat, getting changed, or in his bassinet. She even stops by while he's eating!

They have both gotten a bit more protective of Ethan and Katie, as well. This past weekend we all went to the dog park. This was the first time we've taken Ethan in, so we kept him in the stroller, and Katie walked around with him. After doing his business, George didn't move more than about 6 feet from them the entire time we were there. When I called Gracie, she came immediately, and they escorted Katie out of the park.

The Two Week Checkup

Ethan had his 2 week checkup yesterday. He got weighed, measured, and generally looked over. We asked after his middle-of-the-night screaming, hiccups, and immunizations. The results?

He's 7 lbs, 7 oz, a good thing - in the 50th percentile. He's 21.25 inches long (with the second measurement, when he was fully extended), in the 75th percentile. His head's also in the 75th percentile - which really isn't that much of a shock. It's surprisingly difficult to get pullover shirts on him.

As for the middle of the night screaming, the hiccups, and the immunizations? Well, the screaming may eventually go away, but it's not all that uncommon. She gave Katie the same advice everybody else has - sleep when he sleeps. She also said to avoid any food that begins with "B" - Beans, Brussel Sprouts, and Broccoli - which isn't really a worry for Katie. But, she recommended staying away from tomatoes, caffiene, chocolate, and other acidy foods - which is a bit more difficult! The hiccups are pretty normal, and will go away.

We asked when he'd get what immunizations, so we could tell the Dr. in BA, and now we have a little schedule. He gets his first round on Jun 8. Who can't wait to give an infant some shots?