Fishy Playmat

We decided to let Ethan relax on his fishy play mat. He obviously doesn't "play" with anything yet, but it has music and the toys make sounds he can listen to. We let him do tummy time laying on the mat or on our chests - he can pick his head up pretty far and turn it side to side... gotta work those neck muscles!

Hanging out in the crib...

This is Ethan's first time hanging out in his crib since he sleeps in a bassinet next to our bed. I needed to get a few things done around the house and he was wide awake, so I laid him down and he just stared at the ceiling fan for a little while. I'm not sure when we'll transition him to his own room, but hopefully I will find the willpower to resist checking on him every 5 minutes!

Mom on diaper duty...

Dad usually handles diaper duty (and is much better at it!), but today he was busy doing yard work. Ethan was happier than normal during this task, so I decided to try and capture a smile. After many blury shots of him squirming around, I got a few cute facial expressions.

The Nursery

Here are some photos of Ethan's nursery. I painted a number mural behind his crib; it didn't turn out exactly like I had planned, but we hope that Ethan will develop a love for numbers. I made the quilt, pillow for the glider, and "ETHAN" wall art above the changing table. Pat built the cubby bench under the window and the bookshelves behind the glider. We hope he'll love the room well into his toddler years!

First big outing

Besides Dr. appts, we've only had one outing to Uncle Alvie & Aunt Bess' house. We were going a bit crazy being couped up in the house for 2 weeks and yesterday the Dr. gave us the OK to start taking Ethan in public. So we took a trip to Fairview Heights and visited Borders, Chevy's for lunch, and then we walked around the mall for awhile. Luckily, we kept him covered and didn't encounter any touchy strangers. Ethan loved being in his stroller and slept most of the time.

Below, at Borders, Dad started the first science lesson by showing him the Periodic Table of Elements. You can see how excited he was....

We picked up a couple of books (which have already been read) and some flash cards. This little boy is going to get his fair share of learning!

Ethan's new buddy, Mocha...

The pups are getting used to Ethan and now find him pretty boring. Here is Mocha cuddling next to Pat, as he finishes up burping duty. Maverick is even less interested in Ethan, but they both like to sniff his feet and are curious about the sounds he makes when he's sleeping.

Sleepy, sleepy...

Ethan had a great day today - he is such a happy baby. I took a few minutes to snap some pictures while he was sleep.

Taking it all in...

This wide-eyed look makes us laugh! He is usually wide awake while he is feeding and for awhile afterwards. He seems so curious about everything - patterns on our shirts, touching the dogs fur, the ceiling fan, bright lights, etc.

Alert and wide awake... the pediatrician said it's great for him to be so interested in his surroundings at this age. He is prefectly happy and content looking around. He loves staring at these paintings we have in the living room and looking out the patio door. His eyes are slowly turning from gray to blue, just like Pat and I.

We love playing with his little feet! You can't tell from this photo, but he has the longest toes and can curl them to grip things.

First Bath

We gave Ethan his first bath today and he did not seem to enjoy it. Maybe it will become more fun as he gets older and can be submerged in water (we had to sponge bath him until his umbilical cord falls off). Poor little guy cried the whole time, but then he settled down when daddy wrapped him up in the bath robe!

Prince Wollenweber

Aunt Jackie sent us 2 personalized outfits for Mr. Ethan as soon as we found out we were having a boy. This one is NB size and we couldn't wait for him to wear it. Here is Prince Wollenweber's debut...

Home at last!

Mr. Ethan happily sleeping in his pack'n'play after arriving home Saturday afternoon. The pups couldn't wait to meet him and it didn't take them long to realize they needed to be calm around the new baby. He spends the majority of his day looking like this!

Ethan's 2nd day of life

We couldn't be happier that our precious bundle has arrived! The swelling in his head is much better and we think he is simply adorable (though we are a bit biased). We love watching him sleep, seeing his facial expressions, and how he stares around the room with wide eyes, taking everything in. He is such a happy baby, hardly crying at all, and perfectly content just to be held and talked to. Mommy & Daddy can't wait to get back home to our puppies and continue family life!

Ethan is born!

Ethan Lucas Wollenweber was born Thursday, June 30, 2011 at Anderson Hospital in Maryville, IL. He weighed 7.9 lbs and was 21 inches long. My water began leaking Wednesday morning, so we were admitted that afternoon and after too many hours of pushing, he arrived 25 hours later (5:01 pm). He was face up (and should be face down), so he had trouble getting past my pelvic bone and arrived with a large, bruised cone head.