It's Happened

I can't believe it. It's true, Ethan is officially (since we celebrated early) one year old. I know I've said it before, but time just seems to speed up exponentially. My baby is one. I thought I would reminisce with you a bit.
Ethan was born on Monday morning, 8/18/08 at 5:46am, after just four and a half hours of labor. He was 8 pounds 12 ounces, and was 21 inches long. The first comment the nurse made was, "Look at those cheeks!" And when he was being washed up, he was already trying to roll over, out of her hands.

Ethan has always been a happy, mellow baby. The only time he would really get upset would be when he was hungry. And you can tell by how tiny and frail he was that I hardly ever fed him. No, he is well fed. He just seems to think that the food should be instantaneously in his mouth the second he feels hungry. He is so cute to watch when he sees the food close by. His whole body shakes with anticipation.

He spent so many hours in his bouncer. He loved that thing, until he was a bit more mobile. Before he started crawling, he was scooting, kind of a half army crawl. He would pull himself around with his left arm outstretched, and his right arm bent at the elbow. Always the same. He was very proficient at scooting; but once he was freed from the bouncer, he quickly developed the skills necessary for crawling, pulling himself up on furniture, and cruising around it. He still hasn't started walking, which I'm thankful for, but he looks like he wants to let go and step out on his own. I don't think that he will wait much longer before he finally does.

Ethan loves being like his big brothers. He is not often entertained with his own age-appropriate toys. He would much rather be a "big boy" too. Even now, a I'm typing, he is playing with Nick's new tool set rather than all the wonderful toys he got himself. He does enjoy those as well, don't get me wrong, but when his big brothers are playing with the tools, so is he.

And now, we have made it a whole year. One year ago today I was sitting in a hospital room, mostly all by myself, as Nick had to be home with the kids. I spent a lonely night, not being able to sleep, even though Ethan slept most of the time. He would wake up to eat every few hours, but would go back to sleep right afterwards. In the morning, I packed my stuff back up, got my own ice water from the break room while Ethan was getting his hearing test done, and waited for my doctor to okay me going home. I wish I hadn't had to stay so long; I was ready to be home by noon the day before. But they have to keep the baby for a full 24 hours before they release him, so I had to wait.

I can't imagine my life without all three of my precious treasures. They each bring their own special light to my life. They have also been asking for a sister. I will try to accommodate them sometime.

Also, I want to wish a very happy birthday to Grandpa Chuck. It is his birthday today, too.

Have a great week. The boys have their first appointment with a new doctor next week, and then we will be getting ready for school to start. The next phase of my life is just about to start, and I must say, I am more scared of it, than any other phase I have been through.