Bike Ride

Oh how Ethan loves his bike rides. This afternoon I took him out for a 6.5 mile bike ride. We went all over. We started with the bike trail then went up & down a bunch of side streets. By the time we got back my legs were worn out! Not to mention I was sweating up a storm even though it was only 72 outside. We pulled into the driveway & boy did he get mad when I tried to get him out of his trailer. He was not happy that his ride was over. It took me an hour to make that 6.5 mile trip. I kept explaining to him that MomMom's legs were tired & needed a little break. Fortunately right as we got back Dada got home from work so he managed to help distract Ethan from the fact that his bike ride was over. As soon as I got in the house I had to crash for a moment on the couch. LOL I couldn't feel my legs.

Later this evening, after dinner, the 3 of us took a walk for some malts & to just enjoy a little outing together. Ethan loves his malts. We walked for about 45min to an hour before getting home. Then Ethan had a blast scooting around the yard on his trike. He still hasn't figured out how to pedal. I tried to show him how to do it for like the millionth time yesterday by holding his ankles & then pushing the pedals that way. But he likes to scoot his trike with his feet. LOL it's so cute. He was not a happy camper when it came time for bed. It meant that he had to stop playing for the day. I think that it still being light outside at his bedtime is throwing him off. It's like this old poem from this children's poetry book from my childhood:

In winter I get up at night & dress by yellow candle light,
In summer it's quite the other way to have to go to bed by day,
I have to go to bed & see the birds still hopping in the trees,
Or hear the grown up people's feet still passing by me in the street,
And does it not seem hard to you when all the sky is clear & blue,
That I would like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day!

Last night Ethan's routine was really thrown off. Dada was called into work about 6:30 & he wasn't home to tell him good night! I started getting him ready for bed about 8:45. He brushed his teeth, had his diaper changed, we read from his book of Favorite Bedtime Stories, I sang him 3 or 4 little lullabies, & then he was insistent that I turn on his stars even though he won't be able to see them. The whole time we were going through this he asked for his Dada. He loves having Dada put him to bed. It kind of makes me sad that he doesn't want MomMom. One day he just decieded that Dada should put him to bed. If MomMom tries to help he pushes me away & tells me no :>( Oh well, I think it comes from the fact that I am home with him all day & he doesn't get to spend all day with his Dada so he wants his bedtime to be their time together. Maybe someday he will say "No, MomMom tuck me in" LOL, till then I guess I'll have to just be happy with out good night hugs & kisses.

Oh, Ethan

Ethan's mommy always said "Oh Ethan!"
"Open up Ethan!" She would say when feeding him
"P.U!" She'd say when he filled his diaper
"Hold still!" He was told when getting his diaper changed
"Go to sleep Ethan!" Mommy said when she put him to bed
"Oh, Ethan I love you!"

That's actually from one of Ethan's little books (Oh David! By David Shannon). I just narrated the pictures & changed the name. It so reminds me of Ethan though which is why I posted it. Tonight Ethan got an "Oh Ethan!" tonight when he threw a ball & knocked over Dada's bottle of beer. Of course Ethan was proud he told us "My Mess!" with a big smile on his face.

Tonight Ethan is perpetual motion. Then again when isn't he? The child never stops moving unless he's sleeping. I would give anything to have an ounce of his energy. It never ceases to amaze me how someone so small can have so much freaking energy! Where does he get it from? He is just a bundle of energy that's for sure.

Last weekend Ethan all of a sudden began saying a few 3 word phrases. We were over at Uncle Brian's for a little swimming. Ethan was playing with a balloon when it went under a car. All of a sudden Ethan just says "Ba-oon under car!" It was so cool to hear him say that. Weds I took him over just to visit with his Grandpa Frank & he went into the kitchen to Uncle Brian & asked him "Bian cacker pees" It's so cool to hear him start putting words together into little phrases.


Don't forget to check out the little videos at the end of this post!!

Ethan & his messes

Ethan is my little mess maker. He loves to make messes. I think it's his favorite thing to do. Thursday morning he was playing in his room while I was getting up & around. I went into get him dressed & changed when all of a sudden he started screaming. I went to pick him up but my hands slipped over him. He found a bottle of baby shampoo that had accidentally been placed in his dresser cubby in place of lotion. He managed to get it opened & get the foil ripped off. He spilled half the bottle on the carpet & had his face & hands covered in it. Good thing it was just the Johnson & Johnsons no tears kind. I got him all cleaned up & then had to tackle the carpet. Boy was that a pain to clean up. I had to use our Bissell Little Green to suck it all up. Instead of filling the vac with soap & water I just used water to help dilute the shampoo. It still took quite a while to clean it up. Of course Ethan stood & watched & kept proudly telling me "My mess". Yea it was a mess that's for sure.

Friday afternoon I was fixing him some lunch & he would not stop climbing the kitchen drawers. He kept squeezing himself between me & the counter. So I pulled him off 3 times & told him that we don't climb the counters. On the 4th time I picked him up to pull him away & right as I did he reached out & grabbed his Frog-O-Sphere. Ethan went with me & the frogs crashed to the floor. I had no chance of being able to even try to catch it. Sadly it did break. Water & rocks all over & the frogs hopped away. One hopped into the dining room & the other hopped under the fridge. I managed to catch the one frog in the dining room. I made the attempt to rescue the one that went under the fridge. I had to call my dad over to help me pull the fridge out. We never found the frog unfortunately. I did check the cabinet later but it was a futile look. I did call Brookstone (the store who sold it) & asked to see what we could do to replace the enclosure. I explained that I was able to rescue the one frog & that I had plenty of food. I was hoping that if they weren't able to exchange the enclosure that maybe I could just purchase the enclosure for less since I didn't have to buy the food, frogs, or tool to change the water. The store told me that the only thing that they guaranteed was the frogs but they decided to help me out & they said they would replace what I brought in & the one frog since I couldn't find it. What they did was just damage out one of theirs & switched the broken one with a new one & they gave me a new frog. The sales guy I talked to had told his manager that he really felt bad for my little boy & that I was so nice that he really wanted to do something to help a frazzled mother out. The manager felt the same way. So to repay them for their generosity to a curious 2 year old & a frustrated mommy I will mention the store here in the blog. Brookstone is the store & it's definitely one of our favorite places to roam when we go to the mall. They have all kinds of cool gadgets. Even if there wasn't much they could do I would still like them b/c I understand how all that stuff works. So if anyone has never heard of them they do have a web site www.brookstone.com check it out they really are a neat store. Sorry I felt I had to do something nice for the store since they did something so nice for me.

I hope everyone had a chance to watch the little video I posted. I put a lot of thought into the music. It only took me a few days to put together. I would have had it done sooner but my computer was in for repairs & I didn't get it back till a few days after Ethan's party. Then I had to load all my pictures from Ethan's birthday & his party, then edit them. I plan to do these little videos of him each year just to show how much he grows through out the year. I hope everyone enjoyed it. It's so hard to put a years worth of pictures into under a half hour video. There are so many cute ones it's hard to decide which ones to use.

Father's Day

Matt had a great father's day yesterday. I managed to convince Ethan that 7 in the morning was just too early to get up that we should let Dada sleep in just this once, then Ethan & I took him out to brunch at Original Pancake House, then we went to visit Petey who will become a father in Oct, then it was home to put Ethan down for a nap while Matt & I enjoyed a House marathon on TV. Finally we went to Grammy Marcia's to celebrate 3 b-days & father's day. Ethan had a ball. We got home put Ethan to bed & continued the House marathon. The day couldn't have been spent any better. Matt said he got what he wanted.

I've been working on another little video for Ethan & I just got it finished last night. I uploaded it onto the internet last night so that I could post it here. It's about 20 mins long & is set to music so make sure you have your speakers turned on. Hope you enjoy. Oh & make sure you turn off Ethan's radio before you watch, to do that just go to the side bar where it is located & click on the pause button.

Ethan's Adventures from Julie Pacholski on Vimeo.

2 yrs ago.....

June 3, 2008 at 6 in the morning I checked into the hospital in preterm labor. By 7 that night my water had broken & Ethan was on his way. At 10:02PM Ethan made his entrance into this world 10 weeks too soon. He was only 3lbs 9oz & 16.5" long. With 10 tiny fingers, 10 tiny toes, & a full head of black hair he was perfect. He was only an hour old when I finally got to hold my precious baby. It was love at first sight. He had his eyes open & he wriggled his arm out of his blanket & grabbed my finger. Right then he was named Ethan Russell Pacholski. Ethan was the first name that came to mind when I got my first glance at him, Russell was my grandfathers name & it was just perfect. Ethan spent the first 52 days of his life in the NICU. It was a long road that seemed like it was never going to end. During that time we got to watch our little preemie grow & get stronger.

He was just a few days old when we gave him his first bath. He was so tiny the size of a football. He loved getting baths though.

There was always an opportunity to grab a few snuggles here or there. There was never a better way to spend time together than giving him hugs & kisses. The one thing about having a preemie is that there is the honor of being able to hold a baby that small. Not everyone gets to say they held a 3lb baby. There is really nothing like it in this world.

Ethan had quite the personality right from the start. His facial expressions showed the many sides to his. He became well know for his many expressions.

Finally after 8 weeks in the NICU Ethan came home on July 25, 2008. We couldn't pack everything up & get the paperwork signed quick enough. It had been a long road that we thought was never going to end. Then that day finally came & all we wanted to do was get our precious baby home so we could finally be a family.

So we packed him up & headed out the door. We were not going to have to return to the NICU again. At 3pm that day Ethan felt the sun on his skin for the very first time. He was put in the car & he was on his way home

Since coming home Ethan has done nothing but shine. He has grown & never ceased to amaze us.

He turned 3 months on Sept. 3, 2008. What a handsome baby he was.

He turned 6 months Dec 3, 2008.

He was 9 months on March 3, 2009.

He turned 1 on June 3, 2009. It's hard to believe that's the same little boy there that we see today. He wasn't even walking yet in that picture. Now he doesn't walk he runs & jumps.

Today Ethan is 2. He has turned into a little man. He loves Curious

George & his aquariums. He doesn't go many places without his buddy

Moose. Who would've thought that my 3lb 9oz little preemie would turn

into such a handsome little man. Happy Birthday Ethan MomMom &

Dada love you!!