Awesome Hair

Ethan woke up from his nap with crazy hair. Scott and I were laughing hysterically and he just kept looking at us like we were crazy...

We love our little bed head =)

Busy Busy Busy

Ethan is almost 10 months old, and he is busy! He loves crawling around and getting into everything, which keeps mommy very busy! He started pulling up on the furniture very soon after he learned to crawl, and now he is learning to "cruise" along b/w furniture. Fun stuff =)

I have been very busy doing embroidery! I still enjoy it and love getting orders. I have gotten orders from all over the United States! Crazy, but I love being creative with all my fonts and appliques. (Tell your friends with kids to check out
http://snips-hannah.blogspot.com)!!

Poor Ethan gets many compliments about how pretty "she" is all the time. I think it is because of his beautiful eyes and long eyelashes...both of which he gets from his daddy. I try and dress him as "boyish" as possible, but everytime I take him somewhere...somebody gives me a compliment about "her." I'm sure we will harass him about it when he is older =)

Our psycho dog Molly always jumps for no reason

Stomach Bug and Popsicles

Ok so the inevitable stomach bug has made its way around the Archer household over the week. Ethan got it first, and got sick at the most inopportune time! Scott and I got several gift certificates to P.F. Changs for Christmas and decided to go out to eat last Saturday night. We had just gotten our food when Ethan threw up everywhere! He was sitting in his bumbo chair next to me, so I picked him up to make sure I had gotten all the throw up I could when I noticed there was poo everywhere, all up his back and all in the chair. I realize this may be too much information for some people, and for that I am sorry! I had no idea what to do since he had throw up all over the front of him, and diarrhea all over the back! Our waitress was kind enough to box up our food to go, and Scott carried Ethan IN his bumbo out to the car. There was no other way to carry him as to not totally gross out everyone else in the restaurant. Once we got to the car, we stripped the little guy and tried to wipe him down with wipes as best we could. He was screaming, not because he was sick but because we had stripped him down in the cold (it was like 30 degrees outside). So he rode home in a diaper wrapped in a blanket.

This little experience was a little traumatizing for all of us since this is the first time Ethan has really been sick. I know as our kids get older, we will have many more stories like this one to tell.

Scott got sick after Ethan, then I got sick on Wednesday night after I thought I had eluded the disease =)

Here are some pictures of Ethan eating his first Popsicle! I wanted some when I wasn't feeling well, and Scott got some that were mini- and Ethan kept wanting licks of mine. So we ended up giving him one of his own. He screamed like I've never heard him scream before when we took it away from him!

9 months

Ethan was nine months old on Christmas Eve! I remember last Christmas thinking we would have a nine month old the next Christmas, and thinking how far away that seemed. Now it has come and gone in the blink of an eye. The last nine months have been such an amazing experience, and I am so thankful that God blessed us with such a precious little boy.

At his nine month checkup, Ethan weighed 22lbs (75th percentile), and I don't remember exactly how long he was, but he was off the charts! (100th percentile) Unless his growth slows down rapidly, he is going to be a BIG boy!

Ok so I thought this was hilarious =)

Alternative Discipline Techniques
Courtesy of MckLinky Stuff - FREE!

Tough Love vs. Spanking





Most people nowadays think it improper to spank children, so I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have one of 'those moments'.





One that I have found very effective is for me to just take the child for a car ride during which I say nothing and give the child the opportunity to reflect on his or her behavior.





I don't know whether it's the steady vibration from the car, or just the time away from any distractions such as TV, Video Games, Computer, IPod, etc.





Either way, my kids usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together. I believe that eye to eye contact during these sessions is an important element in achieving the desired results.





I've included a photo below of one of my sessions with my son, in case you would like to use the technique. Scroll down below to see it....

Courtesy of MckLinky Stuff - FREE!

Ethan is crawling!

Now that Ethan is 8 months old, he is finally crawling! He is still pretty lazy about it, and doesn't crawl unless he REALLY wants something. I'm sure he will get curious soon and be everywhere... =)