Ethan is 21 months

Ethan's hair has finally grown enough to need a trim in the back and sides. So far the top hasn't been cut.

Ethan's most noticeable achievement this past month is the rapidly growing vocabulary. The video at the end of this post shows some of the words he knows from the breakfast table. He can say so many things that it seems like he learns a couple new words each day. He has very clear diction and will practice a word over and over again until he has mastered it.

He can tell you all about animals and their sounds, foods, household items, musical instruments (thanks to Baby Einsteins "Meet the Orchestra") and some vehicles like bus, truck, tractor, car. We're working on numbers and colors and peoples names.

Ethan has a great love for books and wants to read the same book at least three times. His favorite stories are "Baby Moses" from My Bible Friends and "The Little Engine that Could."

Ethan likes to climb and explore. He still is careful as he tries new things so I don't worry that he'll be hurt. He thinks things through and is persistent until he figures out how it works or if he can fit through the small space. Every once in a while I hear "stuck" and I have to rescue him.

Andrew is 21 months

Andrew is a sweet little boy. He loves to give hugs and will say "awww" as he puts his head in toward whatever he is hugging. Andrew always says "hi" and "bye bye" even to strangers. He likes to wear hats. Sometimes his hats are plastic bowls, blankets and even shoe boxes.

Andrew is a master runner and is now experimenting with climbing down the stairs going forward. He even tries to walk around the house with a blanket over his face so sometimes he bumps into furniture or walls but I think it is interesting to see that he wants to try something difficult.

Andrew is still a picky eater at times but he usually enjoys a banana every morning. We go to Sam's Club twice a week for banana and other supplies. We have fun at Sam's because they can both ride in the shopping cart. Sometimes we even buy a slice of cheese pizza to eat at the store.

Just recently Andrew's speech is becoming easier to understand. He is saying things with one syllable like bus, truck, juice, gogurt (aka yogurt), cheese, and Jesus. He loves to read but I don't think he has a favorite story. He likes all the My Bible Friends books and asks for the "tool" book at nap time.

20 Months

This month has gone by quickly in some ways and slowly in others. The weather has been too cold or wet to go out for walks or play at a playground. We try to find things inside to keep us occupied or stretch our errands out to one a day.
Andrew loves stickers. They have to go on his face and can last there most of the day. I have found that I have gone into a store and had a sticker on my face too. :)



The bubbles are fascinating for two reasons, watching the bubbles pop and for Ethan "how does the bubble machine work?" David is holding Ethan getting him ready to "1, 2, 3, fly!!" up into the air. The next picture shows the boys visiting Nana at her office admiring pictures of themselves on her computer. They love looking at pictures of themselves, family and especially animals on the computer. The new word for Ethan visiting daddy at work is "office". He sounds so cute saying it, almost like a British accent. :) They love to visit daddy's office and run up and down the halls and around the chairs in the conference room.

Christmas 2008

Christmas morning brought clear weather, about 45 degrees, so we took a walk in downtown Chattanooga. We did this last year too so it may become a tradition. At the end of the walk we let the boys out of the stroller to walk the pier and they both loved that. Andrew was nervous walking on the metal grating on the pier because he didn't like seeing the water beneath him.

Our Christmas photo after dinner with Crawford's, Zumstein's, McCoy's, and Walters. We enjoyed a great meal, discovered all the decorations that moved and Andrew and Ethan opened a few presents.

The dump truck was fun to ride and then be "dumped" out of it as the bucket was lifted.

Andrew and Mindi watching the clock that plays music on the hour.

The video was taken on our Chattanooga walk. They boys had been a bit restless so I took the stairs instead of the ramp to spice things up. They had the biggest smiles and laughed. They chattered on about the bumps for quite a while afterwards.

Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving morning, David took the boys and brought back the Christmas tree and wreath from Grandma and Grandpa's basement. David had the wreath and Christmas lights on the house before we left for lunch.

We joined the Walters at Dale and Lezlee's house for a fantastic lunch. Since we had beautiful weather, we were able to go outside after lunch and take a walk and play in the leaves.

Here is a collage of pictures from the day that we like. The boys were so animated that we had over 150 pictures between two cameras to enjoy and select from. What a special day to remember!

19th Month

This year we attended several Christmas events. The first for the boys was Christmas on the Promenade at Southern Adventist University. Nana and Aunt Lezlee took them all bundled up since it was very cold that evening. They enjoyed their apple cider and walking in the crowd.
On December 6 we went downtown to watch the Chattanooga Holiday Parade. We left the boys bundled up in the stroller so they stayed warm and we didn't have to worry about them running into the street. They liked the big tow trucks and the people dressed like animals the best. After the parade ended we decided to stop for a treat at Rembrandt's. David and Mindi enjoyed hot chocolate and coconut macaroons while Andrew and Ethan drank warm apple cider.
The following weekend we had two events on Saturday. First, a Christmas Cantata at the University church. The boys were impressed with the musicians and choir but quickly got tired of having to sit still and were also intimidated by such a large crowd. Next we helped host our Sabbath School Christmas Party at the church. We enjoyed a dinner, gift exchange and time chatting with friends. During the party Ethan fell out of a chair and busted his lower lip pretty good. It bled for a short while and he recovered quickly. Wow that boy is tough!

They both enjoy getting in the hot tub. Now that they are taller they have more confidence to move around to all the different levels. For some reason they were both happy to just sit in the chair for a while so we had to get a picture of the cute smiles.

Ethan loves toys that have moving parts. Here he is closing and opening the back gate. As they learn something they want to do it over and over and over again. A lesson for us adults would be to keep learning new things, and when we do, we should keep practicing until we master it.

Andrew is dressed and ready to ride the pony. He rocks so vigorously that the horse moves across the room.

When the boys first saw the Christmas tree they said "ooooh" and then Andrew gave the sign for "hot" though the lights only give off a small amount of heat. The breakable ornaments are on the top half and the bottom half has ornaments that are a bit more durable. They are usually quite gentle with the ornaments but have to be reminded from time to time to look or touch only with one finger.
Andrew loves the Christmas bells. He takes them off the tree and shakes them and sometimes even puts them back on the tree when he is done.

Ethan inspects the little bird ornament.

18th Month

Andrew and Ethan have been a part of our lives for 1 1/2 years now. At their 18 month check up, Andrew weighed 24 pounds and is 31 inches tall and wears a size 6 shoe. Ethan is 32 inches tall and weighs 24 1/2 pounds and wears a size 6 1/2 shoe. They can still wear 18 month clothes but will soon move into 24 month clothes.

Our current schedule is get up at 7:15am and they drink some milk while we sit on the couch and have worship. We all eat breakfast together, if Daddy doesn't have an 8am appointment. We play, run errands, and wish we could go for a walk (it's been too cold or rainy for two weeks now). Lunch is about 11:30am and then the boys take a nap for 2-3 hours. During nap time I clean up the kitchen, plan meals, work on the computer and from time to time take a nap too. The rest of the afternoon is for playing or errands. At least once a week we go visit Daddy's office to see him, along with Grandma and Grandpa Crawford. Supper is at 6pm followed by bath and bedtime by 8pm.

Daddy loves to read stories and ask "where is the butterfly or ducks...?" It is surprising how large their vocabulary is. They can identify at least 50 animals and are beginning to point out numbers, especially 2 and 3. They have grown so big that is hard for me to reach around them and hold the book while sitting in the green chair.

The boys like to spend time at Nana and Papa's. In this picture they picked up acorns and put them in the bowl. Then they had fun throwing them down the slide and watching the acorns bounce.

I never appreciated the time it took parents of small children to get places before having my own. Now that is cold outside it take about 10-15 minutes longer to unload from the car. Here's the situation. When they wear winter coats they look like the Michelin tire guy because they can hardly bend their legs or arms. The children can't wear their winter coats in the car because they will be too hot and they can't move at all once their are strapped in. So that means that every time I get them out of the car I have to put coats, hats, gloves (sometimes) on before I strap them in the stroller. Then there is keeping track of gloves, hats and shoes are present and accounted for at all times. Putting shoes or gloves back on every 15 minutes and walking or getting my errand done at the same time. Whew! No wonder I've been staying home more these past two weeks.

Here are some great things about Andrew. Andrew loves to say boo and gives great hugs. He is very fun to play with and has a great laugh. Yesterday he was eating a corn dog and would hand it back between each bite to have us dip it in more ketchup. He is picky about his food and would prefer that it was in a bowl rather than directly on his tray. Yogurt "gogurt" is one of his favorite foods along with sweet potato fries, ice cream and graham crackers. Andrew is a great mimic. A soon as I start putting on chapstick, he rubs his lips together than gives a big smack at the end.

Ethan is still an engineer at heart. He take things apart as carefully as he can and wants to know how everything works. He loves to climb and does things repeatedly until he has mastered it. When he is excited, he has very expressive facial expressions and often kicks his feet like yesterday while seeing animals at the zoo. When greeting someone he says "hi. hi, hi, hi, hi, hi" until it is returned. One time is not enough. If I let him wander around the van, he immediately heads for the drivers seat and wants to hold the steering wheel and push all the buttons. He is also very fascinated with cell phones. He can play for at least 10 minutes with a phone and not notice what is going on around him. Nana is so kind and lets him play with her phone.

17th Month

This month has gone by quickly and as I look back there was a lot of activities and development though the rate is now slower. Andrew and Ethan can walk well on any flat surface and are starting to master hills and the uneven ground in our back yard. Gravel and steps will probably be their next challenge. Teeth are also arriving in mass. Andrew has four molars and Ethan has two or three and his top incisors are cutting now.

Besides walking they are beginning to use words. Most are hard to understand except through context. Words include "kitty cat, fish (gold fish crackers), car, truck, woof woof, boo" and many more words that they say the first syllable only such as 'ba" for ball. Their love of reading is growing. We enjoy reading a story and quizzing their knowledge by asking "where is the butterfly or dog?" Their vocabulary is surprisingly large. They follow simple instructions and are enthusiastic about putting on shoes to go outside.

Independence is very important to Andrew. He wants to do so many things on his own and has a fit if I won't let him or even at time when I try to help. They help with getting dressed, holding food containers, and putting toys back in a box though more frequently it is emptying the container.

The Ocoee White Water Center is a great place to walk so we invited Nana, Papa, Aunt Lezlee, Uncle Dale, Diana, and Grandma Bernice to join us for a picnic on September 27. The boys walked almost the whole path. There is a suspension bridge where we like to jump and make the bridge bounce. The boys were frightened for a moment and then thought it was great fun.


September 28, I walked 5K in the Race for the Cure. Thank you fellow supporters of the Cure, I reached my goal. Gail and Earl Aagaard joined us in our stroll. Since there are so many walkers and the path is narrow, the pace is slow and there is no hope of getting out of the pack. We learned our lesson and in the future will line up with the runners even though I may not want to run the whole race.

David, with some help, built a fence and deck in the back yard. It has given us more freedom to spend time outside. A video is posted below of the boys eating banana peppers sitting on the steps. What started out as a platform for the spa turned into a beautiful and visually interesting space.

16th Month part 3

Andrew and Ethan enjoyed riding the carousel at Coolidge Park. Andrew, pictured here, liked it so much he didn't want to get off at the end. I had to pry his hands free to leave.

Cousin Maddy and family came to visit for several days at the beginning of September. We had fun at Grandma's house. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for a fun environment and great food. We played in the pool, sandbox and with the tool bench inside.

Andrew and Ethan are both walking but are unsteady. Maddy is already an accomplished walker and twirler. Maddy is 4 months older yet they are all close in height. What fun to see them interact.