Ethan is One Year Old

First tooth

It took Ethan 10 to 12 days to get over the jet lag coming back from Asia. Those nights when he demanded us to play with him from 2 to 5 am were not memorable. However, the trip was. As you can see in the photos below, he finally has two teeth. In addition, he is balancing himself much better ... after lots of hard work in standing, walking, and falling on his bump. He should be on the verge of walking independently very soon. Ethan also has his first taste of sickness. In the last month or so, he experienced a mild fever, a running nose, and recently diarrhea. Fortunately, they did not seem to bother him as he kept eating, playing, and walking in his play area from one end to the other falling many times in between.

Tokyo

After leaving Shanghai, we spent four memorable days in the dynamic city of Tokyo and as you can see - lots of calories were consumed.

Hong Kong & Shanghai

Here are some photos we took in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Ethan Stands Up!

After mastering the skill of crawling last month, Ethan can stand up by holding on to various things. It's quite amusing to see him standing up by holding on to things, and looking left and right. Ethan, the lazy boy, also develops a new skill in place of crawling. He sometimes moves from point A to B by sitting on his bump the entire time! We took Ethan to swim for the first time this month. He seems to enjoy floating in the big pool and kicking his legs. He must think swimming in the pool is no different from bathing at home. Watching TV is the only time when Ethan would sit still. He loves watching TV so much that no matter how we distract him, his eyes are glued to the screen. When his favorite characters appear, he would giggle in his chair. There can only be one reason when he draws our attention after ignoring us for ten fifteen minutes of TV - the DVD has ended! At least, we find a way to have him sit still for a few minutes.

Our Favourite Video Clips of Ethan

A picture is worth a thousand words. A video must then worth a million words. We put together a minute long video clip consisting of two of our favorite clips of Ethan. Sound is highy recommended for best result. You'll see in the video that Ethan loves to play! See you next month.

Uncle Patrick Graduates

Last week Mom, Dad, Grandpa, and Grandma took me to San Francisco for the graduation ceremony of Uncle Patrick. There were many students in those long black robes. Grandma and grandpa were particularly joyful. Many people wanted to take picture with me and Uncle Patrick. During our stay, Uncle Patrick and Frederick were always holding me and playing with me. Together with Mom, Dad, Grandpa, and Grandma, one of them would immediately attend to me whenever I scream and protest. I love to play with Uncle Patrick's baseball cap and Uncle Frederick's eyeglasses. They didn't seem to mind.

After leaving San Francisco, we spent a few days in Las Vegas. We stayed in this triangular shaped hotel. What puzzled me most was whenever they decided to go visit those fun looking casino hotels, Mom and Dad would always take me back to our room for my naps. Instead they could take turn to hold me and let me nap in their arms so that I could be with them all the time.

My trip away from Toronto was too short. I am honored to attend the graduation ceremony of Uncle Patrick. Dad told me to study hard like Uncle Patrick when I grow up. I particularly miss Uncle Patrick and Frederick who would fight to play with me and hold me. I hope Mom and Dad will take me on a plane to visit them very soon.

One Active Ethan

Ethan has mastered the skill of rolling around. In fact, he is showing some signs of crawling (before he can even sit). He is very active, kicking his legs all the time and therefore it is not too surprising that he crawls before he can sit still. We also started him on solid food and he is enjoying the baby food despite making a mess every meal. Ethan is also very sensitive to sound and the surroundings. He can hear the slightest sound.

Unlike some other babies, Ethan has not shown any sign of "stranger anxiety" yet. As long as you hold him and play with him, you are immediately his friend. However, when you hold him for the first time, he will study your face and touch your face for a while before he relaxes and let you take him around.

On Mother's Day, we dedicated Ethan to our Heavenly Father. We hope our family walks in His way.

Rolling Day and Night

There is no greater joy for a father than coming home from a long day of work, Ethan looks at me ... sort of figures out who I am and then starts giggling! For mom, Ethan stops in the middle of a feed, looks up at mommy, starts talking (as if he is making a lot of sense), mom responds, Ethan stops and sort of thinks about what mom says, and "converses" back and forth softly .....

Ethan is currently trying to master the skill of rolling over. Since he rolled for the first time a few weeks ago, he has been practicing day and night. He even rolls around at night when he is half asleep. We often find him 180 degree from where we put him down to bed. He still loves reading story book. Mom has even taught him how to flip a page. Before bed and nap time, we would read him a story and have him flip the book page by page. What else is new? Ethan just starts to grab onto the bottle. When we feed him, he would grab the bottle with both hands and stick it to his nose first and then his mouth. Looks like he needs more practicing on this one.

Four Months

I can't believe Ethan is four months old already. He is definitely becoming a lot more playful and loves to play peekaboo with Dad. Although he smiles a lot, he doesn't giggle too much yet. Ethan loves company. If you leave him alone, he would make all kinds of sound to draw your attention. But if you talk to him, it doesn't take long to crack him up. With the weather warming up (slightly), we have been taking Ethan out more frequently. So, next time when you see him, say hi to him and I would not be surprised if Ethan greets you with his lovely smile. But don't shake hand with him though! He has this habit of sucking his fingers all the time. I would be surprised if his hands are dry!

Twelve Weeks

Ethan is twelve weeks old! He has many different expressions as you can see in the slide show. Beside being held by Mom (and may be Dad), Ethan loves listening to stories while sitting in his chair. When listening to stories, he would wave his arms, kick his legs, laugh, and make all kinds of sound as if he is responding. He is still a little nervous when it comes to bathing. However, he has come a long way compare to his first few weeks. Watching Mom and Dad having dinner from his chair and waiting for his bath have definitely become part of the daily routine that Ethan looks forward to.