"Head, shoulders, knees, and toes..."

The song goes a little differently at our house, but Ethan is definitely learning his body parts! It is so cute and we love asking him to point things out! It goes a little something like this:

Ethan, where's your ears? He will tug at one of his ears.

Ethan, where's your eyes? He will blink his eyes or squint them and point at his eyes.

Ethan, where's your mouth? He opens his mouth and sticks his finger in the middle.

Ethan, where's your belly? He lifts his shirt up and pats or rubs his belly.

Ethan, where's your hands? He rubs his hands together like he's dusting them off (he does this when he falls down on his hands or is cleaning up too :)

Ethan, where's your feet? He will lift his feet up or reach down to tickle his toes.

And our favorite... Ethan, where's your nose? He would usually reach out for our nose instead, and we always say "honk-honk!" as he pinches our nose. Just today he started grabbing his own nose and making a "hmmm-hmmm" sound as he pinches his nose, or he grabs our hand and reaches it toward his nose, and makes his sound when we pinch. Love it!

He has also learned to smell... he loves to smell candles, and wrinkles his nose up and sniffs. He is starting to learn to blow... he loves bubbles, and we are working on him blowing them himself. He puffs out a little blow, but isn't quite blowing the bubbles yet :)

Thank you, Jesus :)

Ethan has been doing very well with us doing his bedtime prayers and at mealtimes. We will ask him, "Ethan, where's Jesus?" and he will raise his hand up and smile. He also does it when we say "Thank you, Jesus!" Yesterday, he and I were at Mammaw's and he raised his hand and we actually heard him say "Day-doo, Dee-Dus" Wow!! He is constantly talking and saying so many different sounds, but it was clear as day to us what he was saying :) I think there is a lot more in his vocabulary that he understands, and we've just got to listen to figure it out!! Very proud Mama moment :)

Happy 16 months, sweet boy!

Ethan turned 16 months yesterday and I wonder every day where our baby has gone.  I was just reading the "Your Toddler This Week" update and this could not sound more spot on!!   Where, oh where, has your baby gone? You have a full-fledged toddler living with you now. Walking and running still top the agenda, but take note of how complex your child's movements have become. When she crosses a room, she'll squat to pick up an interesting toy or stop to stack some blocks. If she's particularly ambitious, she'll figure out how to push a stool or chair over to the kitchen counter so she can climb up for a better look — all the more reason to make sure your house is as childproof as it can be. Ethan is very inquisitive and loves being in the middle of everything.  He pushes whatever he can around the house... the barstools and his highchair in particular.  He loves to pickup the laundry baskets and the basket I keep his toys in.  You wouldn't think that such a little guy could tote those things around!  He is very funny to watch.  Last night he was playing with his Fridge Farm and was busting some new moves... Ryan and I were cracking up.  We got a video, so I will try to upload it.   We went out yesterday after church and had a picnic and walked around Ault Park.  It turned out to be a very pretty spring day!  We went to the aquarium afterward and Ethan just had a blast.  We have passes but haven't been since last fall.  He loved running around looking at all the fishies, and he kept pointing and saying "see! see!"  We had a lot of fun.

Our little water lover

Ethan loves playing in the water. Bathtime is his favorite time, and he does his little "flashdance" while we're getting the water ready. The water coming from the faucet is like a huge treat for him... he will stick his hands and toys under the water coming from the faucet and just giggle away. Sometimes he will take a shower with me too - we have a handheld sprayer and he just loves the spray from it. We've been looking into getting a sand and water table for outside since he loves playing in the water so much. Well, this morning we were downstairs and I heard a sound like the little door stoppers boinging. He came to get me and wanted me to come with him, and his hand was wet. He walked to the refrigerator where I noticed water streaks down the door, and he reached up on his tip toes and was pressing the lever that the water comes out of on our fridge! I cannot believe he can reach it already. Ryan was just saying that he seems taller! So it looks like we will start using the lock button, or we will have a mess all the time :) I guess he was thirsty!!

Follow the leader!

I had a really bad headache this morning so Ethan and I stayed in the mother's room at church so I could watch the service with the lights off. I had the door closed and Ethan wanted to wander. He came to me, grabbed my hand and kind of pulled at me so I would stand up. Once I was standing, he kept ahold of my hand and walked me over the the door, and reached up towards the door handle. This is the first time he has led me over to something. Pretty cool!!

Grandma Anne's birthday was yesterday so she and Grandpa came over to have lunch with us today. I tried a few new recipes and they turned out pretty yummy! We went to Jungle Jim's to get some fresh produce and I got some rosemary, so we had roasted rosemary and garlic red potatoes, and I found a great marinade recipe for Grilled Rosemary Garlic Porkchops. Very highly recommended! Ethan loved having some playtime with Grandma and Grandpa. Happy Birthday, Grandma Anne!

Playing hide and seek

Ethan's new favorite thing to do when we're getting ready is playing hide and seek in the closet. He has discovered that he can push Daddy's shirts aside, and he runs behind them against the wall. We will say "where's Ethan? I can't see Ethan?" And he will run out and start cracking up. It is very cute and tickles us to death :)

Time to toddler proof the toilet...

Ethan loves having a cup of cold water, dipping his binkie in it, and then sucking on it. He will do it over and over and over again. Well, this morning I was on the computer and heard some noises in the bathroom. I walk in there and he is standing there DIPPING HIS BINKIE IN THE TOILET! I about died. He must have thought he had died and gone to heaven with that gigantic "glass of water" to dunk his binkie in. Who knew those toilet straps they actually sell for babyproofing might come in handy??

Today I believe we have reached teething hell. Ethan has been a wonderful teether and I have always wondered what usually happens with other kids because they haven't seemed to bother him before. He's had eight teeth for a long time, 4 on top and 4 on bottom. Last week, he got one of the right bottom molars, and a couple days ago he got one of the left bottom molars. He's been a drool machine with a runny nose, but that's about it. Today was a completely different story! His left canine tooth is coming in now, and he turned into a little monster at times. He was mean and fussy most of the day! He would get into things over and over that he normally does not do, would throw a fit at the drop of a hat, hardly wanted to eat, and even scoffed at his fave cheese and crackers. The old ice cube in the mesh feeder was a godsend at dinner time, and then Daddy went out to get some of the Hyland Teething Tablets I've been hearing about and it really worked wonders for him. It was close to bedtime, but he had been super fussy after dinner, and he really seemed to calm down and not be in pain pretty quickly after taking the tablets. I hope they make him feel better!