Hanging with grandma

Ethan's had plenty of time with his gran, but somehow no pictures - until now!

Thanks, Mom, for coming over to help with Ethan last weekend! Joe and I felt like new people after the good night's sleep!!

Chunky monkey

Our baby boy is making up for lost time by gaining almost a pound a week in the past 2 weeks! He weighed in at just under 9 pounds today!!!

You lookin' at me?
[maybe you're lookin' at my baby acne - they won't sell me Proactiv till I qualify for my first credit card...]

is that a double chin??

Jones '33

Please say hello to future Rice U grad Ethan Scott!

Thank you, Tonyamas, for the Rice Owl hat and shirt (the little guy has a Rice-sized brain but his body's still too little for the shirt...)

Hmm... still deciding... double E or CompSci...

I'm already dressed for Baker 13

JIBA! JIBA! JIBA!

What? I'm too young to get into Willy's Pub? This ID clearly says I'm 21.

 

So much homework in DiffEq - I may have to miss BeerBike. NOOO!

Birth announcement rejects

As someone who hasn't sent out Christmas cards in, what, 4 or 5 years and prefers an Evite to a mailed invitation (so much work on both ends - RSVP'ing, remembering the date and time or putting it on my Outlook calendar... yes, I'm that lazy...), I would not surprise anyone if I never got around to mailing birth announcements.

While nothing has been mailed out yet and the proof is in the proverbial pudding, I have taken the first step and actually ordered the announcements. Also improving the odds of cards truly being sent out is that I have a somewhat comprehensive address list just now, thanks to my sis-in-law's persistence when she hosted my baby shower.

The awesomest thing, though, is that I entered a sweepstakes hosted by Project Nursery and Minted.com and I WON!!! Thanks to these fantastic websites, I have absolutely no excuse for not mailing announcements - and fancy-pants announcements at that.

Ethan and I had a little photo shoot this week and I love the photo we picked. That one I'm saving as a surprise for the announcement, but there were definitely a lot of pics that I adore but didn't make the cut, most for obvious reasons. Without further ado...

 

 

Meeting the family

Last weekend, Ethan had a chance to spend some time with his wonderful aunt and cousins. His great-great Aunt Dorothy and his cousins (first cousins, twice removed) Laura and Denise and Lee traveled all the way up here to The Woodlands to meet the little guy. It had been way too long since Joe and I had spent time with the family, and we loved having everyone up here.

E for extraordinary

Happy one-month birthday, Extraordinary Ethan!

Extraordinarily developed. You lift and turn your head like a pro, and when you're on your tummy you're already surprisingly mobile. You have already figured out how to hold the pacifier or the bottle in place with your tiny hands. And while you may not be reading just yet, you do look at those felt letters hanging over your changing table - all you need is some time to get those eyes focused. Oh, brilliant baby mine.

Extraordinarily dramatic. They say parents should watch for signs of baby becoming hungry, as crying is a late sign of hunger. But you sleep peacefully for 2 or 2 1/2 hours (when you sleep at all) and then wake in a panic, crying desperately to all who will listen that you are being starved. Your little face gets so red and your cry is so pathetic that sometimes (not at 3am) it's hard not to laugh as I attempt to calm you.

Extraordinarily loved. Yes, of course by your papa and your mama and your human family, but also by your canine housemates. Choxie wants so desperately to be your friend/nurse/mother. You are starting to notice her when she sits beside you and you aren't bothered at all when she manages to lick you on the head or the foot. She loves helping participate in tummy time on your soft rug. And Chico is never far from you, often sitting just outside the nursery on guard.

Extraordinarily exhausting. Ok, I hear all babies are exhausting, so I don't think there's anything unusual about you in this regard, but oh my goodness are babies ever exhausting. This week, you're finally sleeping through the night (besides waking to eat). Thank you, love.

Extraordinarily teensy. For someone I thought was going to be large for dates, you are a scrawny fella. In fact, even using the premature charts you're pretty darn tiny. At your 1-month pediatrician visit, you had gained exactly 1 ounce from your newborn weight. The Leaven family will be working very hard in the next few weeks to fatten you up, little bit.

Extraordinarily adorable. Yes, every new mom thinks her baby is the most beautiful baby in the world, but only one is right.

Your eyes are still blue and we'd love if you'd keep them that way. Your hair (so exciting that you have hair at all, since your parents were both bald at birth) is looking pretty brown, although mama is still holding out hope for a bit of auburn in there. While your height and weight are in the <3rd percentile, your head is in the 75th percentile for your age. That, of course, means there is a whole lot of brain in there, mister smartyknickers.

We love you, kiddo!

:) your parents

Our little Trader Ethan

First trip to Trader Joe's! He's a fan.

Wonderful people holding an adorable baby

A series of photos of Ethan with some of our favorite people.