A Little Laughter Every Day

How did I get such a smart, funny, affectionate little son? I never imagined I could be so proud of anyone, or so amazed by the little person Greg and I created. Ethan brings a smile to our faces every day. What a blessing!

He has conversations with himself all day long. Every little while he comes and finds me, just to say, "Hi Mama!" in his bright little voice and maybe give me a big kiss, too, complete with sound effects.

He gets really excited when he sees a truck, a bug, a dog, a squirrel, a bird... When he sees something unusual or especially interesting, he exclaims, "Oh my!"

When he is good and obedient, helping to close the refrigerator door or throw a piece of trash in the trashcan, he then claps and cheers for himself: "Yeeeeah!" He likes to give high-fives, saying "Yeah!" as he does it. He likes knuckles, too, and says "Boom!" Greg recently taught him to say "Yes!" with the clenched fist. It's adorable!

He says "Uh-oh" and "Oh no" with dramatic solemnity. He also likes to talk in a monster voice once in a while.

He'll eat anything off the floor, even if he just got done eating and said he was all done. His favorite food is fruit!

He LOVES to read. It's one of his favorite pasttimes! He also loves water and being outdoors. He loves to play with my baking utensils. He adores animals. He loves to be tickled, to the point where he will sometimes come to us saying, "Tickle, tickle, tickle." He loves having his hair combed. He likes meeting new people, and when we have company, he becomes quite a ham, putting on a show of shyness, smiles and affection. He wins over all the girls in the nursery with his desire to be cuddled. He holds his baby doll, gives her kisses, pats her back, and says "Oh, baby," as if he finds her very sweet.

He says his own name, and his friend Makayla's name. He gives her unsolicited kisses and hugs, and asks about her when she's not here.

And my favorite? Every now and then, even at 18 months, he still falls asleep in my arms. He blows kisses in his crib at naptime and bedtime. He holds on tight when we give hugs. He initiates Eskimo kisses. Sometimes, he just wants to sit in my lap and be held. When I say I love you, he says it back, in his adorable, all-one-word way.