First tooth!!!

He finally did it! The first tooth is in, with the second shortly behind it. Well, it's next to it, but... Here's the proof so far (click on the picture to see the full-size version):



And for a few other pictures that we've taken recently and just uploaded, see http://picasaweb.google.com/jatraylor

We'll have more Christmas pictures up soon!

My first halloween

So, mom and dad made me dress up for halloween even though I didn't get to eat any of the candy... But they said I looked cute. Here are some pictures of me in action:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jatraylor/200910Halloween

And they made another video of me crawling while in my adorable costume. Enjoy!

Ethan is crawling!!!

Something must have just clicked in Ethan's mind yesterday. He is now crawling! Here's a video for proof.

Niagara Falls, Canada

We had our first family trip outside of the US last week. Joel, Ethan and I went with MeeMaw, PeePops and Greg to Niagara Falls and Toronto in Canada and then ended with a wedding for Peepops and MeeMaw and NYC for the rest of us. It was an adventure with a 5 month old along for the 8 hour car rides, but we made it with only a few bad crying spells followed by long naps.


Ethan did well sleeping at the hotel in his pack 'n play and just on a blanket pallet in NYC. We did not take him back for his daily naps so those are off now that we are home, but I am hoping that he will soon pick up where went left off.

Here we are at Rockefeller Center in NYC. Ethan napped in his bjorn while we toured.



To check out more of the photos click here

Eating solids like a big boy

What fun it is to eat solids! We had cantaloupe one night and decided to see if Ethan would like a lick. Well as you can see he wanted more than just a little taste.




Yesterday we gave him rice cereal for the first time. He ate like a champ. Nothing was spit out at us and there was not a tear shed or head turned away. He ate 2 servings worth and would probably had more, but we thought that was enough for the first time. :) Mommy was the one that needed lessons on getting the food in the mouth and not on his face. Poor little guy puts up with his parents so well. hahahaha

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On another note, we just returned from our trip to Niagara Falls. I will more post pictures later, but we had a great time. Ethan was a trooper with the 8 hour drive and late nights out. Not too bad for his first trip out of the good 'ol U.S. of A.

4 month check up

So I'm a little slow since our little man will be 5 months on Monday. Where does the time go?

And the numbers: drumroll please

• weight - 14 lbs. (25th percentile) Not a hefty guy, but look at his parents!
• length - 26 inches (80th percentile) again look at the parents

We are on par or above with everything and the doctor was highly impressed with Ethan's head control and rolling skills. He said that we will probably have an early crawler. I do not have the house babyproofed - so hopefully the crawling will hold off a bit. :) We can also start feeding him solids, but I think we are going to wait a bit longer. At least until we get back from vacation so we do not have to mess with new schedule and new foods. Something tells me bad combo...

Fun things that happened this month:

2nd haricut - Mommy used Daddy's clippers 'cause it was just too much to tackle with the scissors. You can really tell from the 3 month picture to this one as to how much was cut.

Ocean - Ethan had his first overnight trip to the Atlantic Ocean. We went out on the beach just to get his picture taken in the water. Thanks Mike, Heather, and Tyler for letting us crash with you for the weekend.

A year goes by quickly...

Don't worry - you didn't miss anything. Ethan isn't already a year old. Rather, it was a year ago that I found out that I was becoming a father. Now, if you're quick on your math, you'll realize that Alysa was only 4 weeks along last Father's Day. "Wow! Isn't that something?!?!?!", you say. (Or maybe it's more like "Okay - and your point is?!?!?!")

Well, to fill you in, let me give just a brief overview of what had been going on before then. You see, we had been trying to come across that little bugger (Ethan, that is) for about two and a half years. He wasn't anywhere to be found. We tried a variety of things: good ol' patience, various levels of assorted medicines, and even relaxing vacations to romantic places. As each month went by, The Human Pincushion* and I were left where we started - only more confused/frustrated/worn out than the month before. (* Oh, sorry - she did change her name back to Alysa; that alias arose due the medley of injectables she went through.)

By God's Grace, Alysa and I each had our times where one of us was "up" when the other was "down". We would, quite literally, take turns reminding each other that God did/does/always will have a plan for us and that even though this chapter in our life is difficult, He's in control.

Now, there were clearly many details that I glossed over. No - THOSE details will not be posted, but perhaps at some point, Alysa will hammer out more about the tears shed, the friends who were such an encouragement (and so much more), the numerous "why us?" questions, etc. Suffice it to say, though, that we are EXTREMELY proud of our son, OVERJOYED with all that God has blessed us with, and AMAZED at His faithfulness - even (and especially) in times when we question the work of His hand.

It is a great and exciting time to be celebrating Father's Day. Rejoice with me in God's gracious outpouring of His love for us. Happy Father's Day!

WHOA!!!

So, it's been a little while... We're all doing well and have finally updated some of the pictures online. Here are the links to the new albums. Enjoy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/jatraylor/200905ThreeMonthsOld#
http://picasaweb.google.com/jatraylor/200906PhotoShoot#

3 months old!!

News flash all of my 10 or so followers. (Nothing like MeeMaw checking the blog everyday for a new photo of yours truly...) - I am 3 Months Old!!

My favorite thing to do is smile at my Daddy. So much so that he was the first one that made me laugh. He seems to get me going with his funny faces and noises.

I am holding my head up better and better everyday and my hands are fascinating. Every now and then I try to shove my entire fist into my mouth just to see if I can do it. So far not yet, but I will keep you posted.

Oh yeah and Mommy can make all the faces and say my name as much as she wants, but she has NOTHING on the ceiling fan in my room.

Thanks for checking in!
Ethan

A blast from the past

Some people say that I look like my daddy. Well - now you can decide.


Then: Joel at 6 weeks





Now: Ethan at 6 weeks





Then: Joel's sister, Gail (4 yrs) and baby Joel







Now: Gail's little girl, Amelia (2 yrs old) and baby Ethan

Sleeping like a big boy

Hey everybody!
For the past two nights, I've slept in my crib in my own room. It's been wonderful. My mommy and daddy say that they're enjoying their full night's rest (whatever THAT means...) I still enjoy my 4am snack, but I go right back to bed. (Psssst - I'm just doing this to check and see if they're doing okay, but don't tell them I said that.) Oh - this is me this morning. I love scooting all around the bed now that I have so much room.





I love being two months old. The whole smiling thing is a blast! Since I'm not seeing mommy and daddy in the middle of the night any more, I like giving them big smiles in the morning - 'cause I'm so happy to see them.

~~Ethan

(Editor's note: Just because we're first-time parents doesn't mean that we don't know what we're doing. We realize that the sleeping wedge is not for his head. It appears that he likes to inch down there sometime between 12am and 3am every night. Apparently HE doesn't know what it's for... ~~Daddy)

A picture is worth 1,000 words...

Click here to see more!

Meeting the Family

This past weekend Ethan was able to meet Nana, Aunt Kim, and cousin Noah.

We had a great time together and spent an entire day walking New York City. This was a first for my Mom, Kim, Noah and Ethan of course. Our travels took us to Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Ground Zero, Canal Street, and much more. We were all very tired, but had a great time.

The rest of the weekend we spent a little closer to home letting our poor feet get some rest. Thanks for visiting us Nana, Kim and Noah!

Bath time

A few things to point out:
- Yes -- these are pictures from Ethan's first official bath
- No -- Ethan doesn't just get a bath once every month; these were from a few weeks ago. We like to think of him as the little Mr. Clean (except, of course, he isn't bald and doesn't mop our kitchen floor)
- the rest of the shots are here.

One Month!!! (yesterday...)

We were up late yesterday celebrating (hehe) and are just now getting some pictures uploaded. Here are a few more:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jatraylor/2009_03OneMonth#

Ethan, mommy, and daddy are all doing great! More pictures and updates to come, we promise.

Weight check!

Woohoo - we just had another weight check. Ethan weighed in at 9 lbs, 10 ozs. The doctor is very pleased with the results from the past week. He's back to normal now - his next visit won't be until his 2 month checkup. Go Ethan!! Your parents are proud of you.

2 weeks old!

Yes our little man is two weeks old today and let me tell you that time has just flown by. Joel has been off for the whole time and we both have loved spending every moment with Ethan. He is such a good baby. We are so in love with our miracle.

One of these days I plan on posting a 'how we got here' post telling about our struggle with infertility and how God blessed us and answered prayers with Ethan, but I will leave that for another day.

Until then - you gotta love the cute baby!

Pictures

At long last, here is a link of our latest Ethan photo shots. We will try to keep it updated, so come back as often as you want. Especially you, Nana! Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/jatraylor

Please do not try to print any of the photos from this site. They WILL be of low quality in order to make them upload faster. If you would like a certain photo printed, please email us and we will send you a full sized pic for printing. Thanks!

Just a teaser...

It began with a pop!

A recap on the events from a week ago:

1:00am, Friday morning, February 20th --- Pop! Alysa's water broke as we were both asleep. We called the doctor and gathered our last minute things. While heading to the hospital, we made a few phone calls to update our parents.

2:20am --- Alysa transfered to the labor & delivery room (after being monitored in triage). She's nearly 10cm dilated and is feeling the urge to push.

3:01am --- It's a boy!!! Welcome Ethan Timothy Traylor

Stats:
9 lbs 11 oz
22 inches long
(Just for the record, at Alysa's 39 week appointment, the baby was estimated to be just over 7lbs. Ooooops And neither Alysa or I were big babies. Quite a shock!)


We are SO thankful to have been blessed with such a smooth delivery and healthy baby. Mommy and daddy are doing great, too. Ethan has been doing very well with nursing and continues to sleep well through the night. On an average night, he will go between 2.5 to 3 hours between feedings. Yeah!