Diaper Guilt

Liz had been feeling more guilty these days about all the disposable diapers Anneliese was using. Turns out a Stroller Strides mom was a marketing rep for Dy-Dee Diaper Service and got Liz a free month of cloth diaper service to try it out. We got some stretchy outer wraps to go around the folded cloth which makes it just about as easy as disposables. As you can see in the picture, Anneliese's behind looks a little bigger in her clothes due to the thickness of the diaper. I think we're going to stick with it.

Bottle Boycott

Anneliese's refusal to accept a bottle from Dad continues. When she was younger it looked like everything was going to be fine but after a few attempts she changed her mind. Confusing things further is the fact that she did take a bottle or two from her Opa when they were visiting. This could make it very hard to retain a baby sitter.

Ouch, am I sore...

Well, we went for a family run this weekend...just under two miles at about an 11-minute-mile clip. I'm amazed I survived at all given that my weekly exercise routine is 25 flights of stairs. Liz' friend convinced her after their pregnancies to do the San Diego Marine Corps Boot Camp Challenge 2008 on October 4th featuring a 3-mile course with obstacles used only by Marine Recruits at the Marine Recruit Depot. Participants get "encouragement" along the way at each obstacle by MCRD Drill Instructors.

Here's a video of last year for reference. All I can say is thank goodness I'm not doing it. However, I'm going to try to be the good husband and try to run with Liz heading up to the event. We'll see if she'll let me yell at her while doing practice pushups and situps.

Potty Training Update

Congratulations go out to Ethan today for making it through the day without any accidents! He even told us when he needed to go #2 and did it on the big potty for the first time in months. We've been trying in earnest for four days, bribing him with an M&M for peeing and two for pooping. He also got a Matchbox car from a new set we bought for being accident-free today. We're working hard to get him ready for preschool a few mornings a week at our church starting in September. Traveling to Ohio later this week for Grandma's wedding will be a real test.

She's a happy girl

Anneliese sure does smile a lot. She's very good natured and only gets upset when she's hungry. She's incredibly tolerant of Ethan's limb pulling, screaming and yelling in her face, etc. He still is pretty taken with her which is good. She's taken to sucking on her fingers a lot and blows bubbles/raspberries with her mouth. Her legs are pretty chunky now but she's only 15 lbs while Ethan was closer to 18 lbs. Anneliese is good at using her legs to roll but hasn't quite flipped over yet.


Click here or the pictures to go to see more!

Dinosaurs 24-7

Ethan is all about dinosaurs these days. Books, placemat, pajamas, sheets, blanket, figurines, flashcards, etc. We're well past the usual suspects and working on apatosaurus, dimetredon, and others. There's a live action show Walking with Dinosaurs - The Live Experience coming to town but we're afraid Ethan will get scared.

Recent Ethan Quote

"Mom, I'm going to squish your muscles so you get milk on your shirt." --Ethan

Ethan completes a board game!

Well, I had the pleasure of playing two games of Candyland with Ethan today. Apparently he'd never been able to follow the rules or deal with picking cards before so I was proud of him. If you're interested...we each won one game.

Ethan turns 3!!!

Click here or the picture to check out birthday pics from his Doggy-cupcake swim party!

Recent Ethan Quote

"Santa...he's a great guy." --Ethan

Firetruck Birthday Party

Ethan's friend Steven had a real firetruck at his 3rd birthday party! Lucky for us, Ethan was still cool with just having a swim party for his. Ethan got to hang out with his ex-girlfriend Avery (platinum blonde that moved away to Colorado) who was in town visiting.