for the baby book

I've been so bad about putting true "Ethan updates" here on the blog. I can't tell you how many times I've wondered when he did this or that, and looked back at old posts to figure it out.

Lately? Not so much. I recently read a Facebook post from a friend of mine, stating she was updating the baby book for her four-year old son. That motivated me to find the perfect book, and start using it! Has it happened yet? Nope.

So, in an effort to do better and not allow three months worth of progress to slip out of my memory, here I go...


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Growth: At two years and three months, Ethan stands 35.5 inches tall and weighs a little over 27 pounds. This puts him around the 30th percentile for weight, and a little over the 50th for height. This is just about perfection for a cardiac kid with weight gain issues. And, can we say, "proportionate"?!

Development: Ethan is excelling in all of this therapies right now! His OT (occupational therapist) has brought up the idea of going to once monthly sessions, and his DT (developmental therapist) is wondering if she'll be allowed to stick around for much longer!

(For the record, RM, I sure do hope so!!)

He started SLT (speech & language therapy) in mid-March and has already come such a long way. He has eliminated nearly all of the nasal, air-trapping sounds he had acquired and is currently working on "sn-" and "sm-" blends (snake, smile, snail, etc.) His speech therapist is also doing some language development activities with him. Ethan has gotten away with being a "lazy talker" because we've always been so impressed with his massive vocabulary. This created somewhat of a gap, though, as he just throws around a variety of big words, but doesn't really do anything structurally sound with them. We're working on that, though, and in just a week's time he has started putting together 4 and 5 word sentences!


Urology: We met with Ethan's urologist a few weeks ago, and everything checked out nicely. I'll take him back in six months for another check-up, and for a final ultrasound of his kidneys.

(He had a mild-to-moderate case of hydronephrosis when he was born, which has been monitored and has gone away on its own. As long as this next ultrasound is clear, we'll have one less diagnosis to think about.)

We are free to start potty training, but Dr. W warned us about starting too early. According to urologists (and whoever else may share this opinion) the average age for boys is two and 3/4 years, so I don't even plan to go there until our next appointment.


Orthopedics: Ethan is so proficient at using his left arm and we don't see his orthopedic surgeon again until December! He should be wearing a brace during periods of sleep, but we've had no luck having one made that he'll actually keep on. Thankfully, my naked eye can't see signs of any loss of correction, so I hope the x-ray in 6 months says the same.

He does still have a really dark scar from his first arm surgery (January 2010), and I'd love for y'all to tell me if you've had luck with specific creams or ointments.

Cardiology: Since the cath back in May, Ethan has been doing FANtastic! His heart sounds great, to us, and there is still no sign of a thrill when we feel his chest. We haven't seen anyone from cardiology since the cath, so I am definitely looking forward to Dr. I laying eyes on him in a few weeks!

Miscellaneous: Ethan is obsessed with popcorn, dumped his Tommee Tippee straw cups for Gerber sippy ones, and continues his love for "tummus" (hummus). He cut the last of his teeth a few weeks after turning two and still despises having them brushed. He loves the water, but is very timid when it comes to jumping in or being taken out in the deep end. He runs and plays with the best of them, can jump with both feet off the ground, and just recently learned to jump off of a raised surface. His favorite thing to draw is a circle and he thinks that Mama can draw whatever he asks of her (so sorry, buddy). His letter and number recognition skills are impressive and he's learning to count to 10 in sign language.


(Side note: does God know what He's doing, or what? Thanks to only having 9 fingers total, 4 of which don't bend, how would Ethan learn the traditional finger/number system? Enter sign language, and a Mama who can teach it to him.)

His favorite park is the Observation Park at Raleigh-Durham International Airport and he yells out "Welcome (to) Raleigh!" when we see a plane land. Precious, I tell ya.


He is adventurous, curious, and fiercely independent. He is a source of joy, a test of patience, and fills me with more love than I ever thought possible.

How's that for a baby book entry?