We were going to clean our house all day. The living room is mostly done, just needs a good dusting. So in the morning I started on the kitchen and she started on the bathroom. I went through all our cupboards to see what was useful and we was not. We are making an effort to get rid of all the things in our house that don't get used. It feels good to know that next time we clean there won't be as many things to worry about. So, I took care of the kitchen, and did the toliet.

Then we got a call about going with some friends for a Memorial Day barbeque. We decided to take a break and had a great time cooking some steaks, eating some watermelon, and playing frisbee. Getting outside on such a beautiful day was just what we needed.

Both of us had been feeling pretty exhausted after our trip, especially with nothing but a day of cleaning to look forward to. It was nice to talk with some of our friends (most of whom are now pregnant) and relax on the holiday.

We went out to Albany this weekend for Dorothy's graduation party. She is going to be working as a Nurse and once she passes her board exams will be an RN. David hosted a barbeque for the family and friends. The weather cooperated and it was a very nice evening.

After that we spent the night with some friends who just bought a house in the Albany area. It was a nice split level home with a backyard, high ceilings in the living room, and plenty of bedrooms. It made us wish that we could afford to buy a house of our own. Of course, we also talked with them about the repairs they have to make to the house, and the extra taxes they have to pay, and quite a few other headaches that come along with owning a home. So, we are happy now with our apartment, especially happy with our rent for the area we live in.

The car ride out and back went pretty smoothly. The boy slept most of the time both ways. The couple of times he did wake up, he was not very happy about being in the carseat and we had to pull over so that he could be fed and calmed back down. Overall, the trip was not bad, but we don't know if we would want to do much longer with him.

So another thing that he has been doing this week is taking a bottle by himself. He's very funny about it though. We lie him on his back, and then put the bottle into his mouth and rest it on his chest. He usually starts to suck, but doesn't grab it. We have to keep holding it, or picking it up if it falls, for a minute or two. Then after that the boy will grab hold of the bottle and start to drink (or play with it) on his own.

The funny thing is, if we try to hold him while giving him a bottle he won't take it. But if he is doing it himself, then he's fine. Kids are weird. :)

Ethan has started learning to roll himself over this week. It's so cute because he can get himself up onto his side without any trouble. Then he starts to look at things, especially if there is something he wants to grab, and reaching for them. But sometimes he can't quite get himself all the way over, so just flops back. Usually he is on his back when he tries this.

We have been encouraging him to try rolling more often. We will put a toy just out of reach, or one of us will sit near him. It's good exercise for him to do things like this and he needs it. His little legs are still so fat. But once he starts to get active, we know all that will change.

Friday's are the day that I come home at 2PM to take care of the boy so my wife can go to work. We were both a little hesitant today because he has not been sleeping very well.
I wasn't sure I would even be able to get him to sleep at his bedtime without his mom being there to nurse him and comfort him before bed. He will eat with me, mostly his solid foods like rice cereal, strained fruit (he loves pears) and other strained vegetables like peas and carrots. But, when it comes time for bed he still likes his mom to feed him and then he usually falls asleep in her arms, or mine, right afterwards.

Tonight, some co-workers at the hospital wanted to see Ethan, so about the time he was starting to nod off I loaded him into the car. By the time we got there he was totally asleep. But when we got there and woke him up, he was just a happy little guy. He got to talk with everyone and all the people there said he was so much cuter in real life than in his pictures. I kind of agree, he is such a cute boy.

When I got home he was asleep again, and so far as stayed that way. Here's hoping for a peaceful night.

Ethan didn't sleep well on Tuesday night, or Wednesday night. It made for some very long nights and very long days. We just don't know what to do for him other than try to give him liquids so he doesn't dehydrate (he's been having a little bit of diarrhea) and hold him so he can sleep.

The hardest part about yesterday was that Mia was working and Ethan just did not want to go to sleep. I held him for an hour while he cried and cried. Finally he calmed down and I held him for 2 more hours just to make sure he got some rest. Finally when Mia got home I put him down and about an our later he was awake and crying again. He didn't wake up as much as Tuesday, but it was still too much. We were both very tired today, and my wife had to work again! And she works tomorrow!

Fortunately Ethan is still asleep, so this is the longest he has gone in the last couple of days. I am hopeful that he will sleep through the night and we might be getting clear of his sickness.

I stayed home from work today because Ethan has been sick and Mia is exhausted from taking care of him. He hasn't had a fever or ear infection (thank goodness) but is all congested and has a cold. It makes it hard to breath, which makes it hard to sleep.

I stayed home so that we could trade naps and taking care of Ethan, but we ended up spending the day doing chores and errands. They were things that needed to be done, but it still made for an exhausting day.

We did finally finish putting together a new TV cabinet that is much safer than the one we currently are using. Once the boy is up and walking around we don't want him to start hurting himself with dangerous furniture.

It would be harder to go back to work on Monday's except that I really like my new job. Even with Ethan waking me up at 5:30 each morning (I never set my alarm clock anymore) I don't mind getting up and leaving for work by 7:15AM.

My schedule works out very well for us right now, I work from 7:30AM to 5:00PM Monday through Thursday and then leave at 2:00PM on Fridays so Mia can go to work. We've been very grateful for a job and company that would let me do that.

For my actual job I am helping move a Web site over to a new system, it's one that will be easier to manage the content and control who can contribute to the site. We are hoping it will help keep our messaging consistent and our content reliable for customers. The site isn't going to change for another two weeks, but you can find our current site, and a little about what I do at www.snowbound.com

I am learning a lot, and have plenty of room for initiative. It has helped me to focus on what I want to do with this position, giving me more opportunities than at either of my previous jobs. It's a very good place for me to be right now.

Saturday's are interesting with a baby. Ethan wakes up about 5:30, but then falls back asleep with me holding him usually until 7:00 or 8:00 AM. Then he wakes up, a little bit spacey, and just wants to be held for a while. Once he is fully awake, he likes to sit up and play. We usually sit on the ground so that he can have acces to all his toys. He is getting better about not dropping face down into them, instead picking them up and bringing them to his mouth for chewing and drooling on.

His hands are also very fascinating to him, he will hold them out in front of him, or above him, and stare at them before trying to bring them into his mouth. Sometimes he does the same thing with his feet if he is lying down. He will bring his legs up and stare at his feet then try to grab them and bring them into his mouth.

Yikes, it's Friday the 13th.
We were supposed to launch the new Web site for my new job but the company helping us made a major mis-communication and we can't actually change to a new site until about two weeks from now. But it is exciting getting to work on a Web site again, and I am learning alot about CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). They are pretty amazing and powerful and I don't want to ever create another site without them.

The boy is doing well. He flucuates from really happy to very fussy. Of course, he only really gets fussy when he is sick (and now he has a cold) so most of the time it's just between really happy and whiny because he is tired.

He is growing so fast. If you put him in a sitting postion he can keep himself up without support (most of the time). He loves to play with his mom and dad, especially if he gets to chew on one of us. He still loves to stand up when he can, and if his mom is there, he makes happy faces and reaches out to try and grab her. It is so cute.

Mia and Ethan and I are all very happy right now and excited to see what is in store for us the rest of this year.

I can't believe it's May. I can't believe Ethan is so big.
I can't believe that I have a new job. Or that we are still living in Massachusetts.

This year has been good so far. While I was unemployed I picked up some contracts and freelance work that was very rewarding and interesting. Currently I am working for a company called Snowbound Software, we do Document Imaging software and learning this industry is quite interesting.

I have decided that it only takes me five minutes to do a quick post to my blog and that I should do it daily. I know that I decided this back in January also, but I hope to be better about it this time.

Ethan has some great pictures at the other side of my site, I recommend checking out what a cute boy he is.