The Idyll Chatter: 2012

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Cousins!!

Sorry for the barage of posts...it seems we've been so busy living life, that I haven't been great at documenting it!!

One of our favorite things about our winter trips to Cincinnati, is watching Ethan with his cousins. They are growing so quickly, and it's heartwarming to see them playing together. Just last year, Ethan and Will were sleeping through their visits together. Now, they get right in there with the big kids!

Chanukah {2012}

There's nothing like experiencing a holiday through the eyes of children. Celebrating Chanukah was a lot of fun this year, since we got to spend it with the three most adorable little guys. Eli was very interested in all his presents. Will and Ethan had a great time playing together as Ben, Erin, Kevin, and I opened their gifts.

We loved spending time with everyone, and enjoyed the delicious brunch that Momma prepared for us!

Eight Nights

With Ethan being a little older than he was last year, we decided to start the eight nights of gifts tradition for Chanukah. I tried to have a theme for each night, but we got so carried away with the gifts, that some nights were just a mish-mash of presents. I'll try a little harder next year. Ethan still isn't into the whole "opening gifts" thing yet, but it was still lots of fun to present him with the new goodies.

Now, presenting Ethan's Eight Nights...

Monday, November 26, 2012

Pinsky Style Thanksgiving {2012}

Last year, a new tradition was started in the Pinsky family. Although our little trio joined Kevin's parents for a quaint Thanksgiving dinner, we chose to have our larger get together with Kevin's brothers and their families the next day. Instead of turkey and traditional sides, Kevin's mom {otherwise known as Momma to her grandsons} had an ingenious idea to create our own personal pizzas. I can see the kiddos loving this even more as they get older.

This year, the little ones had a blast playing together...although from the looks of Ethan's serious face, you can't tell. In fact, our little guy was so worn out, he went right to sleep at 7:30pm and didn't wake up until 8:30 the next morning! We were very thankful for that.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

13 Months

I decided that I'd change the format for Ethan's monthly posts...since he's such a big boy!

Happy 13 Months, little man! It's still hard to believe that we are the parents of a one-year old. Our little explorer enjoys learning about the world around him, so he's keeping himself {and us} very busy.

What Ethan's Doing...

WALKING! A little wobbly, but definitely walking. This means he's officially a toddler {sniff, sniff}.
Organizing - Ethan is very interested in dumping things out, and then putting them back in. He's so my kid.
Making us laugh - Ethan makes silly faces. Our favorite, called the "Squeeze Face" always cracks us up, and he knows it.
Playing with "Little People". These are Ethan's new it toy. He especially likes the farm animals and pushing the buttons on the vehicles over and over.
Talking...sort of. He's obsessed with the syllable "Da". Everything is "Dada"...Tobi, Kevin, me, toys, everything.
Picky eating. Things that he used to like, he won't touch. Like cheese. And sweet potato fries. He has an affinity for baked beans, grilled cheese, and anything in a pouch, which is lucky for us, since it's really the only way he's been getting his veggies!
Drinking milk like a champ! We've successfully transitioned to whole milk. We have to heat it up, and he still gets it in a bottle, but we're thrilled he's actually drinking cow's milk! We'll work on the other stuff soon.
Wearing 12-18 month clothing. He can still fit into some 9-12 month stuff, but not much. He's so tall and lanky that he has to wear 12-18 month clothing for length, but they tend to look and feel a little baggy on him, since he's not quite there with his weight. It's a good problem to have, I suppose.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Turkey Trotting

Just in time for his 13-Month Birthday...

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

The Little Things

I was going to go to school today to catch up on some work.

I did not make it.

Instead, I took a personal day.

Personal days used to mean laying around the house, napping at will, manicures and pedicures. Nowadays, they mean something totally different.

They mean enjoying a quiet drive through town.

They mean making multiple stops without having to remove a baby from his carseat...or have to put him back in.

They mean taking my time, browsing in stores, without ~~the ticking time bomb~~ Ethan counting down to meltdown status.

They mean not pushing a stroller through the mall...while holding numerous shopping bags, and a baby who refuses to stay in his stroller.

They mean savoring my lunch, rather than scarf it down.

They mean spending two hours reading a book {for pleasure} at Panera.

Yep. That's how I spent my day. It's the little things, I guess.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Sharon Family Thanksgiving {2012}

Thanksgiving.

One of my favorite holidays of the entire year. I think I love it for a variety of reasons. It kicks off the holiday season. It gives us time to reflect on where we were last year at this time, and how we got to where we are now. It gives me an opportunity to count my blessings. It is an excuse to eat...and eat...and eat. It causes you to stop, and focus on the thing that is most important ~ family.

Another reason I love Thanksgiving is because it gives me an opportunity to be "Susie Homemaker". I enjoy trying new holiday recipes, and building my repertoire of old favorites. I feel like I add a few more "keepers" each year. In my family, a lot of memories center around holiday meals and particular foods, and I hope to create the same kinds of memories for my children. I cooked and baked up a storm this year, but it was worth it. The end result was that each and every recipe turned out perfectly, which never happens to me. Kevin joked that it was because he didn't help me this year!

I'm including our 2012 Thanksgiving Menu, complete with links to make the stuff that I contributed, in case you want to try them out, too.

Thanksgiving Meal {2012}

Pomegranate Persimmon Salad

with Warm Goat Cheese

Oven Roasted Turkey

Herb Stuffing

Mom's Cranberry "Salsa"

Corn Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole

Orange-Ginger Glazed Carrots

Oven Roasted Asparagus

Apple-Cranberry Crumble

Pumpkin Pecan Dessert

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Happy 1-Year Birthday, Ethan!

You know what they say, Better late than never. It's the official one-year birthday post. I can't believe I'm actually the mother of a one-year-old. Sometimes I tell myself that I'm the mother of a 12-month old, just to make him seem smaller...but the facts are the facts. My baby is ONE.
Stats: At the doctor, Ethan weighed 20 pounds, 12 ounces. They say that kids are supposed to triple their birth weight by their first birthday, and we've definitely done that. His weight puts him in the 25th percentile for weight. His height, well, that's another story. He is 32 inches long (or tall? at what point do you convert from calling it length to height?). He is in the 95th percentile for that! Ethan got three shots this time, since we opted to get the flu shot. He handled it as well as any baby who gets stabbed with three different needles. He cried. But, he did calm down quickly, and had no reaction to any of the shots. Yay! Ethan now has four top teeth and two bottom teeth. We think he may be cutting some more teeth, since all the signs are there, but we're still waiting for it to make an appearance.

Likes: Ethan loves playing with his shoes and socks. We put him in the car with both shoes and socks on, and usually by the time we arrive at our destination, he has taken at least one shoe, if not both shoes and socks, off his feet. This, I must say, is slightly annoying, as he fusses and cries when he has trouble removing them. Ethan loves anything with buttons, or things he can push around. His favorite toys are the ones he can make "work". His new favorite meal is quesadillas with cheese and sweet potatoes. He'll even eat that in leftover form!

Dislikes: Ethan hates being told "no". He wants to get into things and make them "work", so it bugs him when we say "no", or our new favorite, "hands off". We oftentimes have to remove his hand from things he shouldn't touch (like the dog's water bowl), and he gets pretty annoyed at that.

Tricks: This list continues to grow and grow. Ethan is quite the little comedian. He likes to flirt and make silly faces so that we will laugh at him. He cracks himself up when he sees that he's gotten a reaction out of us. Ethan also bounces up and down and shakes his booty when you sing, "Dance, dance, dance". Very cute to watch. We've noticed that Ethan is standing on his own. I can tell that he is toying with the idea of taking a step or two, but he just isn't quite there yet. We think he'll be walking by the time I write his 13-month post! Finally, Ethan likes to feed himself his big boy Gerber Grabbers (and other puree pouches). He's getting so independent with his eating, which is so neat to see.

Mom: Things are still going well for me. Now that his birthday party is over, I feel like I've got some more free time on my hands on the home front. I feel very content with where I am right now in my life, as a working mommy. I am very much looking forward to the holiday season this year, and spending it with all of our loved ones.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Trick or Treat!

Ethan's first Halloween Trick or Treating went very well! Last year, he got to hand out candy, on account of him only being nine days old! This year, he's a spunky little one-year-old (I know, I know, I owe you all a birthday post...it's coming!).

Anyway, we got to go Trick or Treating with our good friends, Kevin and Nicole, and their boys, Noah and Keegan. Our cuties got lots of goodies!

My favorite comment of the night? "I just love that little girl's {referring to Ethan} costume!" So...next year, we may be going with something a little more...masculine?

Just for nostalgia's sake, here's a Halloween picture from last year.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Pumpkin Pickin'

On this chilly fall day, Kevin, Ethan, and I ventured to Russell Farms, with our friends, The Atkinsons. We did lots of neat things, like ride a bucking bronco, pet baby goats, go for a hay ride, and pick some of our very own pumpkins. It was a wonderful way to ring in this season.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Baby Meal Ideas?? Anyone??

While writing my last post about Ethan's 11 month update, I got the idea to write a post about meal ideas for babies. Now don't get excited...I'm not going to be sharing any bright ideas. Quite the opposite, in fact. I want to know from all the mamas out there, what are some meals your kiddos really love (or loved when they were Ethan's age)?

I'd like to expose Ethan to a variety of foods, and want to expand his list of favorites, but the most frustrating thing is when I spend time making a meal for him, and he promptly rejects it. I know I'm supposed to be feeding him stuff that I would cook for myself, but I'm not exactly eating very healthily these days! So, let me know what kinds of things I should try.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Friday, September 28, 2012

Happy 11-Month Birthday, Ethan!

So...I'm a little late. I don't know if you've heard {or not heard, since I haven't been blogging}, but we've been a bit busy around here. Anyway, here it is...Ethan's update.

Stats: Again, no doctor's appointment, so no official stats. I would guess Ethan is still somewhere around 20 or 21 pounds. His length is off the charts, and we constantly hear comments about how tall he is! Something we can add to this section is all the teeth that Ethan has sprouted! Last month, he had one tooth, and he was cutting his second. Now, he's got both front bottom teeth, and he is cutting three more on the top! He's become a drool monster, due to all this teething. He has been handling it like a champ, and except for a few interrupted naps, and refusal to eat very much, he's his normal, happy self.

Likes: Unfortunately for us, Ethan's has some new favorite "toys": door handles, toilet paper rolls, electrical cords, drawer and cabinet pulls, and Tobi's water bowl. It's very difficult to get things done when you are chasing a baby around, trying to get him to stay away from his favorite things. Ethan enjoys playing with his new piano toy, and lion walker as well. I'm happy to report that Ethan enjoys some finger foods. On the acceptable list of table foods: grapes, peaches, strawberries, grilled cheese, Nutella and bread, goldfish crackers, graham crackers, pancakes, waffles, and cheese cubes. He will sometimes eat baked beans, black beans, carrots, peas, corn, ravioli, and macaroni and cheese.

Dislikes: One thing Ethan dislikes, is having Kevin or me stick food in his mouth. He will usually only take yogurt or applesauce from us. He has even started to reject pureed food at times. He is becoming very independent in his eating, which is what we wanted, but now he'll only eat what he wants, and not necessarily what we want.

Tricks: Ethan is definitely on the move. He is crawling like crazy, and cruising along tables and couches. He loves pushing his lion walker around the house. He is beginning to get the concept of peek-a-boo, and will cover his face with a blanket or piece of clothing when we say peek-a-boo, and pull it of his face, showing a big smile!

Mom: I'm still loving work! It's exhausting, stressful, and overwhelming at times, but it is also extremely gratifying. I still adore my students...and it's been 8 weeks! I can't lie, though, I am very much looking forward to my Fall Break after next week! My newest project is Ethan's first birthday party. We are planning a giraffe themed party. I'm so excited to celebrate Ethan's first year of life, and at the same time, I'm blown away that this yeaer has come and gone. It's true what they say...The days are long, but the years are short.

This is a bootleg copy of a picture from our Pinsky family photo shoot in Cincinnati. It happened to be on Ethan's 11-month birthday, so how could I not post it! I will post more pics when we get the CD!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Warning: A Post About Poop

This blog is not for the faint of ~~heart~~ stomach. I can't believe I'm doing it, but I've officially spiraled into the world of mommyhood. I am devoting an entire blog post to poop.

I ask you: How does a baby poop so much, that said poop comes up and out of his shirt sleeve??? Yes, I said shirt sleeve.

This morning, Ethan woke very early, and talked in his crib until I was done getting ready. Normally if he wakes, he is able to go back to sleep, but not today. I went to get him, and when I opened the door, I was smacked in the face by a horrible odor. I thought he may have peed out of his diaper, but the bed wasn't wet.

When I put him down on the changing mat, he started wailing. I sat him up, and decided to change him that way, which is when I saw it. The poop coming out of his shirt sleeve. At this point, I knew I was in for it. When I peeled off his sleeper, I saw the damage that had been done. He was covered in poop. I'm talking up to his neck.

Now, folks, you know it's bad when you try to use wipes to clean it up, and it only smears it around. I knew that effort was futile. Up to the bathtub we went for a hose down. My poor poop-covered baby screamed and screamed, until I got him in the warm, soapy water. I gave him the fastest bath possible, shoved all the poop covered items in the washing machine and started it, and cleaned myself up.

After all of that hoopla {or should I say, poopla} we managed to make it out of the house, only 5 minutes late...and with my coffee in hand!

What a way to start our day!

Monday, August 27, 2012

Snapshots from School

Ethan has had a successful week-and-a-half at pre-school. One of my favorite things about his teachers, is that they send me pictures via e-mail, almost every day. They also send a daily note home documenting his day. I so appreciate them taking time out of their day to keep me updated on how my little guy is doing.

According to the pictures, it seems that Ethan enjoys art, playtime, nap time and snack!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

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.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Pinsky Q-Time

Where has the time gone? It seems like it was just yesterday that we were headed to Cincinnati to celebrate the bris of our nephew, Will. We all blinked, and he turned ONE!

This weekend, we journeyed to Cincinnati to party like a one-year-old, for Will's birthday. Ethan so enjoyed spending time with his cousins. It's neat to see them all interact with one another.

Later that day, we went to Steve and Cindy's house where both of their families met for the first time. Their close friends came over as well, and Steve and Cindy officially asked their closest friends and family members to be in their wedding party. Unfortunately, it was way past Ethan's bedtime, so we missed this part. However, all the cousins got to spend some time in the fabulous bounce house!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Things I Forgot

Well, I made it. I got through my first official week back at work. I won't say it went perfectly, but it went. I have to say that I love my students...all 29 of them! There are, however, some things I forgot about teaching, and I was reminded of them this week.

1) Your feet will hurt...a lot. I forgot how much I have to be on my feet, walking around, monitoring groups, rushing to use the copier/restroom/eat a snack/prep for activities...all during my 50 minutes of prep time. My poor tootsies are so achy by the end of the day!

2) You have to scarf down your food. A 30 minute lunch isn't really a 30 minute lunch, once you drop your kids off, use the restroom, wash your hands, heat your meal, check your mailbox, and clean up with time to spare to pick up your kids. It's really only a 15 minute lunch...if that.

3) You will sweat. At night, when I set out my clothes for the next day, I don't ask myself what will I not sweat in. I ask myself what will I sweat the least in. The constant movement (see the first entry on this list) causes you to perspirate...and it ain't pretty.

I'm sure there are many more things that I will remember as I experience them and think, Oh yeah! For now, I'm just glad I made it through {mostly} unscathed.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Thoughts: Working Mommyhood {Part 1}

Thursday was my first official day at work. Even though I have going in to school consistently for the last month, yesterday was the first day that I was required to be there at a certain time, and stay there until a certain time.

I'll start by saying I'm a bit overwhelmed, but I think that's to be expected. I'm used to staying at school until I'm ~~done~~ at a good stopping point. Well, those days are over. I have to leave at a specific time so I can get home to the sitter. {So far, Kevin's had to relieve her, as I've been 15 minutes late each day.} I'm having a lot of trouble stopping when I'm in the middle of things. Then, all I do is think about those things all the way home.

On the flip side, I've been having some guilt about not being with Ethan. Well, guilt isn't the right word. I'm sad, and jealous of the babysitter for getting to spend all day with him. I never feel that way while at work, but once I'm home and I realize I only have a few hours before bedtime (and those hours are filled with making dinner, eating dinner, bath, and bedtime routine), I get sad. Sometimes I find myself thinking, I hope he doesn't forget who I am. Silly, right?

Once Ethan is in bed, it's time to get more work done. You know, all the extras that I wasn't even able to think about at school. Then I think, When am I supposed to shower? Run personal errands? Call my eye doctor because I accidentally forgot to go to my check-up and my contacts are forever-and-a-day old? Finish reading my Book Club book? And the list goes on. And on. And on.

My friend, Libby, told me that the first month going back to work is very overwhelming, and then you start finding tricks that help you manage Mommyhood and Teacherhood. I'm very much looking forward to that! For now, I'm doing what I can, and doing it to the best of my abilities.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Happy 9-Month Birthday, Ethan!

It's hard to believe that it's been nine months since my little man was born. It seems like each day brings new changes and developments, and it's exciting to watch him grow.

Stats: We have a doctor's appointment this week, so I promise to post Ethan's stats. He's been quite the eating machine this past week, so I can't wait to see how that translates on the scale.

Likes: This list continues to grow. Ethan exploring cause-and-effect relationships. He throws things on the ground, listening for them to hit the floor, he bangs things together to hear the sound, and he has learned how to push buttons on his toys to make them work and play music. Ethan has also grown quite fond of Tobi. He loves to ~~grab~~ pet Tobi, and thinks he is hilarious, even when he's not doing anything! Ethan has a babysitter, Ali, who stays with him so that I can go to work and prepare my room. He LOVES her, and she is wonderful with him.

Dislikes: Ethan doesn't really have many dislikes. He does show dissatisfaction by throwing little crying fits...we're working on it.

Tricks: His list of tricks has multiplied!! Ethan is "scoot-crawling"...it's not quite scooting, and not quite crawling. He manages to move from Point A to Point B quite efficiently, using this method. Ethan has learned how to get himself into a sitting position, including once he wakes up, which has prompted us lower his mattress. Finally, Ethan can feed himself! He picks up puffs on his own (one at a time, at that), and can get them into his mouth (most of the time). Tobi is always laying in wait by Ethan's high chair, waiting for him to drop Puffs. Unfortunately for Tobi, Ethan's hand-to-mouth coordination continues to improve daily.

Mom: I didn't think I'd be saying this, but I'm ready to go back to school. The more I've been getting my room ready, the more I realize how big a part of me teaching actually is. I'm still not quite sure how I will juggle everything once I'm back at work, but I'm trying not to worry about that. I think it will just fall into place...eventually!

Monday, July 9, 2012

Day at the Zoo

Kevin is currently in between projects, so we are taking advantage of his free time and finding fun, family things to do. Today, on the first nice day in, well, FOREVER, we decided to venture out to the Indianapolis Zoo. It was all three of our first times there. We invited my friend Nicole, and her two boys, Noah and Keegan. My mom also tagged along. We saw the dolphin show and saw Ethan's favorite animals...giraffes! Noah even got to feed one! Here are some pictures of our adventures.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Happy Fourth of July!!

Ethan had quite a busy first Fourth of July! We spent some time at the JCC waterpark, where Ethan splashed and chattered in the pool. Later in the day (and after a ~~skipped~~ nap), we went to my parents' house, where we enjoyed some kebabs, cole slaw, broccoli salad, corn on the cob, and fruit skewers. Ethan had his favorite meal - corn, squash, and rice cereal, with a side of banana yogurt and puffs.

Since we are in the midst of a horrible heat wave, there are limited options for viewing fireworks. On the one hand - YAY...no noisy blasts to wake my exhausted baby (see today's nap situation, above). On the other hand - no fireworks on baby's first fourth...BOO. While we did not get to see any fireworks, we did get to spend time with some of our favorite people!

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Rockin' the Shades

Ethan's Possible Thoughts:

How YOU doin'?
Enough with the pictures, Ma!
I'm sexy, and I know it.

Any other ideas?

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Ball Pit

The next few days are slated to be H-O-T, HOT! We're supposed to reach temperatures over 100 degrees. You know what that means...we will be limiting our outdoor time. Which means, I need to find some more fun activities for my little guy to enjoy inside.

Last week, one of the other moms at Gymboree mentioned that she turned her son's pack-'n-play into a ball pit. Perfect!! Here's how ours turned out.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Happy 8-Month Birthday, Ethan!

Another month flies by, and boy, was it eventful! We've been squeezing as much fun into our days as possible.

Stats: We didn't have a doctor's appointment, but we weighed him at home. I think my little peanut hit a growth spurt (and I say this because he was quite the fuss-monster, and refused naps), because he now weighs 18 pounds, 3 ounces!

Likes: Ethan is obsessed with remotes. We've given him an old TV remote, which is one of his new favorite ~~teething~~ toys. Probably the biggest new like is swimming. Our little fish loves splashing around and sticking his head in the water. We recently went to the JCC to play around in the water. He spent an hour in the pool, but probably could have gone longer if I hadn't decided to leave! We also tried the swings at a local park, and really enjoyed flying through the air! We're still attending our Gymboree classes, but now Ethan has his very own three-foot-tall Gymbo the Clown doll! We've tried out a handful of new foods with great success, like mango, and most recently, yogurt!

Dislikes: There are not too many things he dislikes. He is beginning to get frustrated that he can't move, and shows his anger by grunting/growling/screaming.

Tricks: Ethan likes to lunge for his toys. He can sometimes even get himself onto his tummy, if he lunges hard enough. Ethan can also roll from tummy to back AND back to tummy, but he has to be motivated to do it. During a recent nap time, Ethan rolled onto his tummy three times, and screamed until we got him. That nap was a wash! We went on vacation a few weeks ago, and Ethan slept through the night EVERY NIGHT in his pack-and-play!

Mom: I'm easing myself back into school stuff. My plan is to focus on Ethan when I'm with him during the day, and not break out the school stuff until after he goes to sleep {around 7:30pm - yay!}. I have mixed feelings about going back to work, but I'm starting to get that "teaching bug" back, and have lots of great ideas for when school starts!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

A Swingin' Time

Another first...

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Water Baby

This past Monday, my mom and I took Ethan to the Jewish Community Center, to splash around in the waterpark. They have a wonderful children's area, but that only kept Ethan's attention for 15 minutes. He wanted to swim in the big pool with the big kids. Here are some cute shots of my little fish.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

A Vacation to Remember

It's been quite a while since I've posted. I'm trying to make the most out of my time left as a SAHM, and blogging has just taken a backseat.

Last week, we took our annual Pinsky Family Vacation. This year, we went to Pigeon Forge. It was Ethan's first long car trip, and he did so well. Sure, we had a few instances of crying and whining, but overall, it was a success ride.

We arrived at our large log cabin, and decided on sleeping arrangements. Our family got the upstairs bedrooms (one for Ethan, and one for us). My in-laws got the main level master, and my brothers-in-law and their broods got the basement. I don't know if you know this, but there is NO insulation in log cabins. Therefore, you can hear everything going on on the floor above you. Fortunately for Ethan, this was not a problem, but our nephews, my younger brother-in-law and his fiance had to deal with the constant pitter-patter of feet, plus the noises that come with two babies and a four-year-old. Ethan was exhausted at the end of every day, and slept 11 hours straight EVERY NIGHT!

Now, on to our adventures. Well, they were limited. Unfortunately, we came down with the stomach flu. All of us...except Ethan (thank goodness). Each day, a new family member dealt with their version of the sickness, making it difficult to go on family outings. Kevin was non-functioning for a day, but still "walking-sick" for three days more. I was down and out for two days.

We did get to do a few fun things when we weren't quarantined to a bedroom.

We visited the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies.

We shopped till we dropped {literally} at the outlet mall.

We spent time in the cabin with our family.

We took our first dip in a pool {and loved it}.

We also made it to the Titanic Museum, but since they don't allow photography, I'm not able to share pictures. It was SUPER cool, and I highly recommend it if you are in the area.

All in all, it was a good time was had by all!

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Just a Taste

Today, I went to school for several hours to clean up and organize my classroom. I'm lucky that my maternity leave substitute did a fabulous job of keeping my room tidy, so I didn't have a ton of work to do. I left Ethan in the very capable hands of my friend, Debra.

As soon as I was handed back my classroom keys, I knew it was happening: I was no longer just a stay-at-home mom. Although I don't have to get back into the classroom for a little while, it is all becoming real. I know that navigating my way through working mommyhood will be challenging. Period. I have some real fears about going back to work, on which I plan to elaborate in future block posts.

For now, I'm just going to enjoy my time with Ethan, and worry about work later.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Baby on a Boat

Memorial Day was a day to honor all of the men and women who have served, currently serve, or have died serving in the armed forces for the sake of our freedom.

For us, it was also a day to spend together with some of our dearest friends. We are fortunate enough to have friends who have a boat and slip on a reservoir near our house. Therefore, Memorial Day is usually the kick-off to the summer boating season.

This was Ethan's very first trip on the boat, and he had a great time. He refused to take his morning nap, I'm pretty sure it was because of his excitement. We made sure to lather up with sunscreen before we went...and two more times on the boat. He ate, played with his friends A.J. and Ashley, and snoozed on the boat. He has yet to get into the water, but I'm sure there will be plenty more chances to take a dip in the months to come.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Happy 7-Month Birthday, Ethan!

OK. This is not funny anymore. Time is just racing by! Seven months have gone by in a flash. At this time last year, I was so looking forward to my summer break from school. Now, I'm willing time to slow down so I can enjoy my last few months of stay-at-home motherhood.

Stats: No official stats this month. No unofficial stats this month either, for that matter. If I had to guess, I'd say Ethan weighed 16 pounds, 8 ounces, or thereabouts. He's still a very long baby. In fact, at least three people tell me that per day. No joke.

Likes: Gymboree would rank highly on his list of likes. Thanks to their Summer Passport, we go at least two or three times a week. He does Tummy Time there without protest. He has recently discovered his love for balls. We are working on rolling balls back and forth. Ethan is still a huge fan of Sophie the Giraffe. Sometimes in the car, he gets carried away with her, throws her out of his seat, and when he finds she is not coming back, he starts whining and fussing. It took me a few times before I connected the fussing with the strewn aside Sophie. Ethan also likes to play with musical toys, like his Baby Einstein radio. He enjoys controlling all the sounds and tunes.

Dislikes: Fortunately, this list is dwindling. There are very few things I can add to this. In terms of food, anything green (save zucchini) continue to be rejected by Ethan. He does not like being in his car seat unless it is moving, which is kind of a pain. He's outgrown the whole "nap in the car seat" thing, unless he's in the car or the stroller. If he's napping and I take him out, he wakes up within 15 minutes.

Tricks: Ethan is now sitting, unassisted, and he's really good at it, too. He loves sitting amongst his toys, reaching for different things, and putting them in his mouth. Since he is sitting so well, we stopped using the baby bathtub, and have Ethan sitting in the regular tub. It's adorable. He is successfully rolling onto his side from his back, but that's as far as he's gotten. He did manage to roll onto his tummy in the crib at Momma and Pops' house (while his legs were stuck between the bars), which he was not happy about, but we've never actually seen him do it. He is reaching out to be held. He mostly does it for me and Kevin, but he has also reached out for Uncle Yuval! Some new Ethan-approved solids are apricots, peaches, zucchini, and prunes. Most importantly, Ethan is no longer swaddled!! Wahoo! He now sleeps with a larger version of GiGi. The transition went pretty well, although some nights I still think he's transitioning, but we are very fortunate that he did as well as he did.

Mom: I'm making great strides. My anxiety in the morning is slowly diminishing. I'm on my third or fourth (can't remember anymore!) week staying by myself while Kevin is gone, and I'm doing well with it. I've also decided to get back into running. I went to the gym and dropped Ethan off in the babysitting room. We both did well! I've set some goals for myself, and am confident that I can reach them.

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