The Terrible...Ones???

First off, it's a week full of birthdays. Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law, Jen and my brother, Ryan. They are both....29....and are only 1 day apart! Also, a very happy birthday wish to my niece, Finley. She turned 3 today and is a beautiful little trouble maker!

It's been a fun week! We have found some new things about our child - we'll start with the good...

1. He LOVES bounce houses! My mom and I took him in one at the mall and he thought it was awesome! Of course, I did most of the bouncing, but he reaped the enjoyment. I was left exhausted and sweaty! My mom got some great pics - as soon as she remembers to send them to me, I'll post them :-)

And now, the bad...

2. Ethan has developed a bad new habit, which I unfortunately think he inherited from me. When he is full or sick of eating, instead of just swallowing and being done with it, he holds things in his mouth and then pushes them out with his tongue. Lovely. Apparently, I did the same thing until I was 5.

3. The doozy. He now throws temper tantrums. Like, throw himself on the ground and scream as high-pitched and loudly as he can tantrums. These outbursts can be triggered by many things - falling down, being told no, sitting in the car seat, or wanting something he can't reach. I didn't realize the terrible two's started at 13 months! It's a bit dramatic and ridiculous at times around here! We are thinking the sudden personality change is due to a couple of things - 1. He is getting more and more independent every day, so it must be pretty frustrating not being entirely independent and not being able to communicate what it is that he really wants. 2. The little booger is testing us, trying to see how far he needs to spaz before we give in. So, we are working on a little thing called 'tough love.' It's hard to listen to him scream, but when we know he is absolutely fine, we are trying to let him work some things out on his own. We are no experts, though, and our theories and methods are not fool-proof. Note exhibit A:

So, we spent the 4th quietly at home. Ethan had his first Happy Meal today and loved it! He particularly loved the apples dipped in caramel - yummy! We also went to the pet store to get some supplies for Bailey. Ethan loved it there- he hot to see ferets, bunnies, and fish. It was better than the zoo! We had a mini-cookout for the three of us. Ethan had a hotdog and some corn on the cob, and then we took a nice and long walk. There is a great new park in Cranberry that has a nice trail - we love it! My biggest (well, maybe not the biggest...) complaint about our neighborhood is the lack of sidewalks - the trail is a great solution so we can now walk without fear of being run over!

Today, we went to AJ's grandparent's house for dinner. Ethan did terribly on the trip in - he pretty much pitched a fit for 45 minutes. Below, I'll talk about separation anxiety. This made it easier! Anyway, he did great once we got there. He just loved walking around and playing, particularly in the rocks outside the house. It's nice to see him have the space to play - yet another reminder that we need to get things in gear and move into a bigger house! We had a yummy meal and visited with some family and Ethan is currently sleeping soundly in bed.

We are currently getting ready for our big trip - AJ and I are leaving for Boston on Tuesday. We will make a quick stop in Connecticut to see the Pletcher gang, and then off to the city until Friday. Ethan will be staying with his Grammy and Papa. I am having a bit of separation anxiety - I've never even left him for a full 24 hours - but it will also be really nice to be able to move at our own pace in the city. We are planning lots of touristy things and will be spending lots of time with friends up there- it should be a great time!

Enjoy the pics from the week - they are mainly from today. There are quite a few, but they were too cute not to share!