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.

I have been meaning to get better about posting here and with the new year, I am resolved to do so.

Let me begin by saying that the boy is healthy and happy. He is especially happy when he is eating. We went to the pediatrian on Friday for our one month visit and Ethan weighed 11lbs 5oz. He gained almost 2lbs in his first month, needless to say he continues to top the charts for weight in his age category.

In other Ethan news, we think that he is on the verge of smiling. Currently he will give a rare open mouth expression that isn't a cry. We consider it the beginnings of a smile. Also, when he has gas he makes a sound that we think will be similar to his laugh when he learns to do that.

As you can tell our lives are still ted by the little boss that moved into our house. But we love him so much that we don't mind.
And besides, having been around some other children, we have a wonderful baby. He rarely cries, and when he does it isn't very loud, more of a moan or whine. But once someone is holding him (and standing) he calms back down.
Playtime is getting more fun. We lay him on his stomach and he can lift is head up a little bit. If you get him up on your shoulder, he will arch way back and lift his head high, but in that position he pushes his legs in against you for leverage. When he is on the floor he flails his legs, but they don't do much for him. Then he strains to lift up his head. And if you put your face next to the back of his head and talk to him, in small steps, he can work his head over to the other side to look at you. It's great.

I am still home, but hope to find a job now that the New Year has passed. With the holidays over I am hopeful that companies will begin to search for candidates to hire again. My resume never fails to impress people, and my interviewing skills have been getting some practice lately, so I am hopeful that something will come my way.
On the other hand, I am not just looking for the first job that pops up. I still want to make sure that I pick a job that will let me learn and progress. I need something that I can use as the foundation of a career. I have some great experience but need a solid position to solidify my ability to work in corporate America. Of course my dream is to work outside the mainstream, but until I can do that I have to make a living somehow.

My wife is doing great. She loves to hold Ethan and play with him and take care of him. She went through a brief period of post-partum mood swings, but no major depression. We think that is in part because I am home (and because Ethan is just so cute). We will keep an eye out when I go back to work, but are not worried about it. She looks great, and I am not the only one telling her that. She feels great, her recovery is going well and she has really enjoyed getting to hold Ethan and do so many things with him.

Well this has gone on for long enough. Needless to say our 2005 is looking like a great year.

WOW! So many things have happened, and I haven't update this in so long.

Well, first of all the best news is that we have a son. His name is Ethan Urban Alexander J. And we love him dearly. He was born on Dec. 2, 2004 and weighed in at 9lbs. 6oz. That is quite a bit of baby for a first child. Mia had him naturally, as the doctor was surprised to see how big he was. No one was expecting it.
Other than that however, the labor and delivery were very good. It was short, things progressed smoothly, and once the epidural was in, Mom didn't feel a thing (mostly).

Everything besides that seems unspectacular. The new Grandma (my mother-in-law) came to stay with us for a couple of days, which was a big help. It made such a difference having someone to boss around :)
But really, she helped out so much.

Grandpa (my father-in-law) also came to see Ethan while he was in the hospital. He couldn't get over how long his fingers were. And how cute he was.

My parents are coming for Christmas, and they can't stop talking about getting to finally meet Ethan. We are pretty excited to see them too.

I am still working at my contract, much longer than expected but we are so grateful to have the work. It has been good experience for me and I think will help to open some doors for me. After working there for about 2 months, I was finally motivated into buying a book about JavaScript, so I am going to learn out to write in it. I can pretty much read it, but don't know how to make my own scripts.

And that's about it.