growing up!

Since Ethan is down for his nap, I thought I would update you on what he's been doing now that he is one! Notice that I'm writing while he is sleeping, otherwise I wouldn't be able to post! I can hardly keep up with him now that he is on the move. He is into EVERYTHING! Any space that I think is too small, he squeezes himself into. He opens, throws, rips, grabs, and eats anything! I'm laughing just thinking about it because he's so curious!! He's definitely crawling everywhere and walking very well holding onto one of our hands. He's very close to walking on his own.

It's amazing how much he has changed this past month. At his one year appointment, he weighed in at 18 lbs. 14 oz. and 29 inches long (tall). He eats any food that we eat (minus a few spices) and is almost through nursing. Ethan waves "hi" and "bye-bye" to anyone, claps his hands, shows you where his hair, tummy, and ears are...and can let me know through sign language that he wants more (and that's with about anything when he's eating!). He LOVES to read...we can sit and read for 30 minutes and he just wants to keep turning the pages. He laughs at his favorite parts...it's so cute!

We are learning that Ethan may very well be a strong-willed child. He throws his food when he doesn't want whatever it is (and believe me when I say that we don't tolerate that!) and pinches even when told "no". "No" or smacking his hand don't even seem to phaze him. We're praying for wisdom and guidance in discipline for him. He is surely a piece of work, that's for sure.

We are enjoying this new stage of our lives with Ethan so much and look forward to all of his next "firsts". Thanks for all of your support, thoughts, and prayers as we've faced challenges this past year. We don't want to re-live those times, but we surely thank God for how we've grown in Him through them. It's amazing how such a little guy can capture our love and show us a glimpse of how much God loves us. I'll close for now knowing I have much to do before he wakes up, but I promise to post more pictures soon! Thanks for following along with us on our journey...