10 months old!!!

Yesterday Ethan turned 10 months old.  I cannot believe it!!!  Pretty soon I will have to start planning a FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!  He is growing and growing and his personality is really starting to be ETHAN!!! 

 He is the fasted crawler around.  He can sneak from the livingroom all the way back to my bedroom in no time.  NO MATTER where I go, he can find me.  He follows me around like a little puppy dog, which I am SUPER sad about.  He has started to be a HUGE momma's boy.  If he had his way, we would be touching 24/7 (preferably him holding onto my hair).  We are REALLY trying to work on that one.

 He weighs 21 pounds (60th percentile) and 31.7 inches long (99th percentile).  I guess tall is good, but I am not sure where he gets it from:)  He is MOSTLY a happy smiling little boy.  He likes people and USUALLY likes to be held by almost anyone (but always back to mom).  He LOVES to snuggle.  If you pick him up, he will put his head down on your shoulder...he just loves to cuddle up.  Hugs are his favorite.  He really likes to people watch.  McDonalds is a favorite spot because he can eat fries AND watch crazy people.  Speaking of eating...he likes to eat ANYTHING and EVERYTHING.  He would rather eat BIG people food than baby food, but gets a little of both.  Bananas are a favorite right now, but only of you give him the whole thing and let him take bites.  HE hates it when you break it into baby bites....a slap in the face I guess.   HE LOVES SUCKERS.  If the house gets quiet, I know where to find Ethan....THE PANTRY.  He sneaks in there and digs through Emersyn's candy stash.  He is NEVER happier than when he has a contraband sucker.  UNLESS of course he gets an Otter Pop....YUM!!!  He has two GIANT teeth on the top and two on the bottom.  He is working on getting  two more on the top and is NOT SLEEPING MUCH!!! 

 Last Tuesday he was scheduled to have his surgery.  We headed over to Seattle on Sunday afternoon and spent the evening hanging out in the hotel.  He tried and tried to perfect his walking skills between the bed and chair.  He took a few steps back and forth, but never TOOK OFF.  Then Monday we had appointments starting at 8 o'clock all the way until 1:30.  He was a trooper and smiled pretty for all of the doctors despite being exhausted and bored out of his mind.  Poor kid was stuck in a little doctor's office with a few toys and me and Todd to entertain him---not what he wanted to be doing!!!  His least favorite part of course was giving blood.  It took Todd and I and the phlebotomist to hold him down....Did I mention he is SUPER strong!!!  Well he is. 
Tuesday he was up early (5:30) and at the hospital by 6:30.  We got him checked in, scrubbed down, gowned up, checked out, and drugged up. Then the anesthesiologist decided that his  cough was a little wet sounding....and that was it.  He went and told the doctors (who were all scrubbing in) that he was calling it off.  SOOOO at about 5 till 8 (his surgery was scheduled for 8) they told us we were done for the day.  I was pretty much a crying wreck and Todd was SILENT. Ethan was doped up, so he was a big ball of confused jello baby.  They made us stay for a half hour until they were sure he was fine, then sent us out the door. 
Looking back, I am glad that they did what was best for his health, but at the time I was pretty much angry, sad, and happy at the same time.  Angry that we would have to do it all over again.  Sad that he was not going to be fixed as planned.  And happy....because they were not cutting my babies head open.  He DID get a cold, we all did, so I guess it was for the best.  We head back over to Seattle on January 17th for his surgery and it ALL STARTS AGAIN:) 

BTW...this last picture shows pretty perfectly what they will be fixing on his head.  See how he has "shadows" on the sides of his forehead.  The front of his head is narrow because of lack of sutures (or soft spots).  They will be going in (through his same incision) and removing that front part of his skull.  Then they will reform it.  They will also be separating his eye sockets a bit and widening his forehead.  SOOO needless to say.....at 12 months he will look much different.  I know he will still be cute as a bugs ear, but just different.  Keep an eye on this kid, he will LITERALLY be changing right before your eyes this month:)