(9 months 2 days)

Reese and I got home at around 6:30PM last night. We had a BLAST in Virginia! TONS, i mean TONS of photos to come.... along with a great story! Just need to find a moment to post them.

But do you know what happens when you see Grandma, Great-Grandma, Great-Step-Grandpa then come home to see Grandma and Grandpa after a week - 3 week vacation?

SPOILED ROTTEN.

(8 months 3 weeks 3 days)

Reese will be 9 months old by the time I get back, so HAPPY 9 MONTH BIRTHDAY IN ADVANCE SWEETIE!

Reese and I are heading down to Virginia to spend until next Tuesday with my mom. Scott would be coming, but being a manager, he has to attend a bunch of different things going on around Ohio. It stinks, we both know! But Reese and I are guaranteed a good time especially when "Washington Zoo" and "the beach" are thrown around!

I've added a couple more photos to tide you all over until our return... which i'm sure will enclude a SLEW of photos of our adventures as well as Melissa should be finding out what "Ernie" is by this time next week, so that should be fun as well! I'm going to guess GIRL!!!!!!!!!

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

(8 months 3 weeks 1 day)

Scott and I got up REALLY early, only because Miss Stinker decided to rouse at 6:30AM! Oh well, she downed some milk and a bit of cereal and we got ready to head out to the lake! Scott and I really hadn’t planned anything, but just to hang out! We all got ready and I glanced outside and saw that the people up the street had their yard sale going again… I was able to get 2 outfits (1 gap 2 piece outfit, looked like it was worn maybe once and an elmo hooded pullover, so cute, also looked like it was worn once) for Reese for $2, they wanted nearly $5 for both… AND as I left I saw one of those in the tub sitting things that allow Reese to sit comfortably but not slip and slide everywhere… I asked if she would take $0.50 and she said yes! WOO HOO! SCORE FOR 3 FOR SUE for a whole $2.50…. mostly change from my car because I wasn’t prepared for any yard saling! Yes, the deal queen strikes AGAIN!

Around 10 we were on our way and arrived at our destination around 10:30 where Reese was MORE than ready and willing to get out of the car… and into her bathing suit and not so much stay in HER FIRST PADDLE BOAT RIDE! She hated her life jacket… sorry mom, we forgot the suit that had the jacket built in, we weren’t sure we’d be able to get in the water! Reese would dive bomb out of my lap or Scott’s to try and touch the water…. We ended up paddling a good 50 feet or so with Reese hanging over the side, upside down, dragging her hands in the water laughing like a crazy woman…. If I would pick her up to get the blood flowing back to her feet she would shriek and want to hang over the side again!

Dad's changing system.... LOL. Reese obviously wondering what the heck is going on! LOL


FIRST TIME IN A PADDLE BOAT! God did she HATE that life jacket. We have one of those life preserver bathing suits, but this was a last minute idea and we didn't bring it... SORRY MOM, NEXT TIME!




Reese would catapult herself out of my lap trying to jump into the water, so we ended up just hanging her over the edge... she giggled with glee.


Get me out of this jacket NOW... WOW, one pissed off daughter huh?

Scott took some video of Reese walking on the beach. You can see that I wasn’t moving fast enough for her at the end!!

OH OH OH OH! I almost forgot to mention that Reese can 100% high five! It’s REALLY cute and she loves doing that more than waving! She’s been doing it off and on the past week and a half, but you know with babies you have to wait for them to repeat it a lot before you can call it “official.”

Reese also DANCES!!! Especially to her toys that have a long song… case in point, her basketball hoop. <-- Make sure to see that!

She also LOVES to walk with her horse... especially to get the diapers on the second shelf of her changing table!

His ashes were laid up front and covered with a butterfly cloth and basked in the light of candle inside a stained glass angel and butterfly. Either side of the pulpit were adorned with flowers sent by Eric’s co-workers, president of the college and flowers purchased by Eric and Maleah especially for Ethan. A large easel holding a large frame with two 8x10’s of Maleah holding Ethan and the photo that I took of all three of their hands drew tears from everyone that walked by. Ethan’s toys, still fresh with his baby scent, looked on to remind everyone what tiny little life had made such an impact on so many people.

I snapped photos along the way, and I was so touched by a certain scene that I failed to grab a photo…. As Maleah’s mother walked by, she leaned over and gave Maleah a kiss on the forehead. I could tell that Meleah might have said something about her doing that, so her Mom did it again and laughed.

Reverend Gale Green gave a beautiful sermon and interjected analogies between children’s stories such as The Velveteen Rabbit and Guess How Much I Love You. I was doing “ok” until she read Guess How Much I Love You because I read that to Reese myself. She mentioned all the love and support from parents, grandparents, friends and family. 

Eric gave a VERY touching Eulogy, which everyone was so amazed that he was going to speak. It was so heartfelt and of course had smiles from Ethan wearing a Boston Red Sox hat for the day. I tear up just thinking about this.

Joy, an Aunt, wrote a very poetic letter to Eric and Maleah that was read by Reverend Green. We all sang songs from the program and hymnal. Reverend Green has a WONDERFUL voice and sang a song near the end of her sermon and then led us all in a song at the end “Live in the spirit of Love.”

After a moment of silence in remembrance of Ethan, each of us silently filed out of the chapel, sniffling while picking up a single white sea shell as a little reminder of faith, as Jesus scooped up the water for baptism.

I was one of the last ones to leave out of the chapel because I wanted to take a few more photos and I by the time I made it downstairs to the food I was greeted by laughter…. This made me smile and feel so overwhelmed with the love that everyone has for this family. I was cautiously approached by people because only people that came to the hospital knew who I was, but as soon as I said who I was I was given hugs and blown away by “OH YOU ARE SUE!!” Or “OH! You helped Maleah pick out her outfit!!” Thanks Maleah!

There was an overwhelming response from church members who volunteered there time to prepare a meal and set up the downstairs eating area… the food was FANTASTIC and I could have eaten more, but I was so stuffed!

I stayed and helped to pack up the cars and most importantly I was on self-appointed “purse duty” so Maleah had one less thing to worry about. We all pitched in to put away photos, clean up, take down everything and pack stuff back up. Eric and Maleah donated 2 of the flower bunches to the church and took 2 home. Maleah removed 2 flowers to have a lady dry and press for her.

It was a lovely day and I can’t wait to hear and see photos from the places that Maleah and Eric are planning on taking Ethan to which from what she told me will include:

1. Fenway Park
2. Washington, D.C in front of the Washington Monument where Eric proposed to Maleah
3. Grandmother’s house that they used to visit
4. 2 Beaches to be named.

Again, it was such a wonderful celebration of such a short life and I am forever blessed to have been part of such a wonderful reflection.

I gave Eric and Maleah the following:

11 x 14 print that I had framed. It's the poem that Amanda wrote and the photos that I put with it.

Ethan's Legacy

Light of love, love with light
Tiny boy, kept in their sight.
The bridges loom wide, no weary-work rest
A breath for each second, a triumph, a test.

No choice has been given, he knows well his path
They hold back their anger, their sadness, their wrath.
Not without hope, the world still can spin,
Let it stop moving, and retreat well within.

Silvery tears rain down from the sky
Soaking the ground, each one screaming why.
As angels above begin to prepare
For this one small boy will be joining them there.

With selfless endeavor, a choice they have made
Their minds beg relief, for the onslaught to fade.
A gift they shall give, and still they keep hope
Holding their prayers, they struggle to cope.

He nestles inside the hearts of each one
His memory is sacred, as bright as the sun.
Beautiful boy, too perfect to keep
And those left behind, for his loss they weep.

                                                   ~Amanda

Sorta bummed about this because it won't be here for another 3 weeks.... but it's coming! I printed this out and put it in a very cool butterfly card.


To celebrate Ethan and Eric's birthday. It's a tie-tack. Really cool if I do say so myself.

(8 months 2 weeks 5 days)

We went to the community fountain this afternoon where they shoot streams of water in different intervals straight up in the air. It was SO cute to see all the kids playing in it, though it was a bit cold, even for Reese who wasn't that thrilled and had a death grip on my shoulder! I would have taken photos, but it was just me and Reese and TONS of water... I wasn't going to chance it with my camera... hopefully we'll go back this weekend when Scott's back in town.

This brings me to why my kid is a big ham....

I was sudsing her up in the bath to get the coppertone off and after washing her off we just sat there and played. She grabbed her blue seal squirt toy and just started to gnaw on it (helps her teeth) and she started to giggle because I was laughing at her facial expressions (she has quite a treasure trove of them).... at this instant it was as if switched on in her brain and said "If I do X then I get mom to laugh." The next 10 minutes were spent with Reese doing different variations of her laughs including the one that gets me everytime, tommy gun. GOSH HOW I LOVE MY DAUGHTER.

(8 months 2 weeks 5 days)

Reese always seems to get Scott and I laughing... and sometimes she doesn’t even know why! Case in point:

Rock-a-doodle! This is how her hair looked this morning. After looking at the photo before... I think this is "frog hair"


"What? It's all the rage in Milan."


Smile! Ok Oreo, you just smile then.



Where's Reese? PEEK-A-BOO I SEE YOU!

And yesterday, June 22nd, Reese's 5th tooth officially "popped" through. No wonder she has been finicky with her eating habits... I'm sure that sucker hurts, especially since it's RIGHT under her right "fang"

TOOFERS...MORE TOOFERS!

Reese continues to "walk" while holding onto our fingers if she's standing, but really hasn't gotten that she can lead.... now in her walker.... she's like greased lightening! Brings up the threats of my mother with a grocery cart as a kid... "Sue if you run over the back of my heel with that cart one more time....."  Now I can relate!

I've been pleasantly surprised with our local BJ's with regard to baby food. Seems that they have bulk of things that she likes to eat, or we've found she likes to eat. No worries, she's still eating some of the stuff I'm making. I REALLY want her to try okra, but at $7.00 a pound doubt that's gonna happen!! And to think I'd eat that stuff right off the stalk as a kid in our garden! I didn't realize how good I had it!

Scott and I have also come down off our pedestal of diaper snobs. We decided to put the Consumer Reports of Wal-Mart, SAMs, Target brands vs. Leading diaper companies, Pampers in our case, to the test. HOLY COW Consumer Reports WAS right! Wal-Mart and Target diapers ARE as good as CR said that they are! And even cute with the Carebear strip.... and yes Scott, it can be boyish.   I was VERY apprehensive with the whole thing because as you know that Reese got her nickname Reeinator for a reason... and it's not because she can aim a laser gun.  She was just as lethal and still is from the OTHER end, but they hold up... EVEN AT NIGHT!....... And not to mention that for $5.74 you can get 30 Parent's Choice diapers at Wal-Mart.  So.... for all die-hard name brand diaper snobs take it from a former diaper snob, try a pack!

(8 months 2 weeks 3 days)

Sorry, third update today, but I have good reason!

Reese is working on her 5th tooth!

Only saw it trying to break through after she gave herself a bloody lip on the side of the laundry basket!!!! Now to see if dried blood stains will come outta her clothes!

Check out Monkey Chompers for the diagram.

(8 months 2 weeks 3 days)

She started doing this last last week for about 2 seconds at a time and I thought it was a fluke. Then Scott said that on Father's Day she did it a bit longer.... then yesterday I was sitting on the floor talking with our baby sitter and Reese was doing her chimpanzee crawling all over me, then all of a sudden she stood up let go of me and stood there.... STOOD THERE for a good 15 - 20 seconds before she realized "oh, I'm not holding onto anything but this toy in my mouth" and she slowly lowered herself to the floor.

I was SPEECHLESS. I kept looking at Renee to say "did you see that?!" she too was in awe!!!

Babies aren't supposed to be doing this now!!!! Reese is ONLY 8 1/2 months old!!!!! Dear Lord help us in the next month or so, she'll be walking!!