Ethan (6.5 months) and his cousins Matayah (5) and Kendra (3)


Ethan and the girls


Eatin' my sweet potato puffs


Mmmm...all gone

Up on my hands and knees with a big grin on my face.
6.5 months


I hold my own ba-ba now.


Brody (1) and Ethan (6 months) playing.


Mommy and Ethan at Brody's birthday party.

4th of July - Ames


It was a chilly night - look how bundled up Ethan was!


Ethan seemed to like the fireworks - but after about 5 minutes he was ready to snuggle and go to sleep but those loud things kept him up!

Daddy and Ethan watching a sparkler!

Mommy and Ethan did a sparkler together!

The camera is temporarily dead - I didn't get it plugged in today. Watch for a new posting Monday or Tuesday!

Ethan now has 4 teeth - and they are sharp little guys! Word to the wise - try to look in his mouth at your own risk! He is also discovering how to be more mobile. For one, he rolls and rolls and spins and spins around the room and is all over the place. In the last couple of days he has shown us that he knows how to extend his arms to hold himself up, and how to tuck his knees and stick his butt up (see the box pics below). Just tonight Daddy found him on all fours in his crib scooting backwards. This would be a fair sign to move the crib mattress down a notch - and Mike did that immediately! We are thinking a matter of weeks and he'll be everywhere and into everything! Time to baby proof the house!

We met a new friend this weekend - Aiden - he was born on July 4th (to a college friend of Heather's). Ethan was curious and interested for about 2 minutes, barely touched Aiden's foot with that look of "Hmm...this would be something new to put in my mouth." Mommy was very adament that we had "nice touches" with the baby. So, we look forward to playdates with Aiden when he gets a little older (and tougher to withstand the wrath of Ethan!).

Checking out the bottom of the box...

Checking out the top...

Ok, maybe I will climb through it...

Trying so hard, but I always end up going backwards.

Excited about the box!


Hello My Name is: Trouble - sounds about right sometimes!



Ethan likes to hold his own bottle now...which makes feeding time that much longer!

Check out my big boy carseat! So comfy!

We found the "newborn" pacifier that we got from the hospital. It makes for a good "chewy" and thumb sucker - he puts his thumb in the opening and sucks the pacifer and is thumb all at once. He is so efficient!
6 months


Chewing on more toys


Um, Maggie has all of a sudden taken quite an interest in Ethan

Discovering "puffs" for the first time. He is still a bit too little to pick them up and doesn't quite know what to think of them in his mouth.

Note that Maggie is still involved in supper time...

Stat Update!

We went to the doctor today and Ethan weighs 20 lbs 14 oz and is 29" long. We thought for sure he was going to weigh more, but he is still in the 95th percentile for weight and off the charts for height. He had to get 3 shots, but only cried for the duration of the shots and then was fine - usually he screams bloody murder and is crabby for the rest of the day. And he has cool Snoopy band-aids! ;)

Life in the Dean house has been quite busy lately. We (which means Mike) started painting the house after months of discussing paint colors and finally coming to an agreement - just in time for Home Depot's paint sale! We just hope for good weather the next couple of weeks so this project can be done and over with.

Ethan is just growing into a little kid with quite the personality. He has discovered his voice, because he is a chatterbox. His new sound is "da-da-da-da-da" - we are working on the "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma." He is very curious and wants to grab and eat everything - including Maggie's ears and tail, oh and mommy's hair, jewelry, ears and skin! He still only has 2 teeth - we thought for sure the top 2 would be in this past week, but they aren't. If I think the hair pulling is bad, I am not looking forward to the biting stage! Thankfully he isn't really that bad of a teether - he sleeps when he doesn't feel good which is quite the blessing! He has his checkup this Friday, and we anticipate he will be off the charts...especially since there is an 18 month old, 12 month old, and 6 month old (Ethan) all wearing size 4 diapers at daycare!

We started "Kindermusik" this week, which is a program that involves singing, dancing, playing instruments, reading books, and even a quick quiet time. We go once a week for 5 weeks. Little strange the first time, but I think we will get used to it. It will be really good for Ethan's learning development and socializing/watching the other kids. We even got a CD with some of the "kid tunes" from class...we are officially uncool with a kids CD blasting in the car. Mike put a nix to that right away!

We had a fun 4th of July - although it was rather chilly! I don't ever recall having to wear jeans, sweatshirt, socks and shoes to the fireworks! Ethan looked like he was going out to play in the s**w (I just can't write it in July)! We had a few friends over for the day - the guys hung out in the garage and grilled while the ladies and kids hung out in the house. The sun did come out for about 10 minutes, and we were able to get outside and play a game of bag toss in the front yard. Of course, I forgot the camera when we headed to Ames for the fireworks...I have a friend who took pictures, so as soon as I get them from her I will post them. He wasn't scared a bit...in fact he got bored and wanted to cuddle and go to sleep - but those sparkly things in the sky were just too loud to go to sleep! Maggie on the other hand - I'm surprised she didn't pee on Mike's lap! She has officially protested that she will not be attending the Fireworks ever again.

Above the garage is before - we call it "no color"
The blue is after - MUCH better!
The trim will be tan and the window sashes are going to be white


Mike got a good deal on a sprayer, which makes painting much easier!
We also purchased a new front door which will be white to match the other accents of the house.


Still a work in progress...should be done in a week or two

Look at me - I sit up by myself
6 months


Uh-oh, here I go again...


Such is life.

I will do it myself


Busted...


It won't be long before I'm beating Dad at Guitar Hero

Who knew Guitars would make a good chew toy

Maggie and Brody were chasing each other around the house!

Ethan (6 mo) and Brody (1 yr) playing on the 4th of July


Hi Penguin!


What a ham

The fresh air makes me sleepy

All tuckered out

I sleep just like Daddy.

June 28th was my BFF Brody's 1st Birthday!
Almost 6 months old!


I'm soooo tired




Cute but messy, just like Daddy

Ok, so I don't get in trouble for not breaking the news immediately... Ethan's first tooth broke through today. It's the bottom front left tooth, and the right one isn't far behind. His top 2 front teeth also look like they will be in soon - he is just chewing on everything. Thankfully, teething hasn't been too bad thus far. He doesn't really seem to care, the pacifier seems to suffice. Once they really grow in, we will have plenty of pictures to share.

Next Doctor's visit is July 10th...watch for statistical updates!

Let go of me!
5.5 months


I have Daddy's hair



Blowin' Bubbles

Maggie (2), Mommy (24.9 years), and Ethan (5.5 months)


He actually took his paci out to suck his thumb.
He is holding the paci too.



cutie pie