Ethan is 10 months old

Ethan is 10 months old today! I swear, where does the time go? Let's see if blogger will cooperate today and post my little video from Blythe's birthday party of Ethan ringing the bell.

Just a little recap of what Ethan's doing these days: taking a step here or there, but mostly crawling, sleeping approx. 10-11 hours at night (sometimes even 12). Takes usually 2 naps a day, but sometimes only 1. Eats anything and everything in sight. Recently I had to take several pieces of mulch out of his mouth and a large piece of a baby wipe. Yuck. And his most recent trick is to point at something and say "Dis?" or "Dat?". He thinks it's hysterical when I say what something is after he does that and will do it over and over and over again. And of course, he loves his big sister except when she takes his toys, closes doors on him, or makes him fall down, which occur quite often.

Braden left today for the swim team's annual training trip to Ft. Lauderdale. So I'm on my own for the next few days. Now that the kids have day care again, it'll be a piece of cake compared to trying to work full time AND be a stay-at-home mom. In a few days I'm going to join Braden down in Ft. Lauderdale for some much needed rest and relaxation. Thank goodness for Gommy and Laura who are coming up to stay with the kids.

Thanks also to good ole' Uncle Sam who doesn't require companies to give any paid time off for childbirth or maternity. I do get some short-term disability paid leave, but oh wait, I have to use ALL of my vacation and sick days in order to get that. SO - that meant I worked since mid-May with NO days off (except July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day). So to say I need a few days off to lay on the beach is an understatement. I CANNOT wait.

2 years ago I went down to Ft. Lauderdale for a few days and brought Blythe when she was almost one. The team was staying in the same hotel they had stayed in for years, which was right on the beach, but was a shithole. So bad, actually, they tore it down. Last year they stayed in a different hotel, also right on the beach, also kind of shitty. They are staying there again this year (as am I). I didn't know the name, but I knew it was connected to a certain restaurant, so I thought I found it online, but it looked way too nice, so I wasn't sure. Come to find out, they've done a MAJOR overhaul renovation and now it is super nice. Yeah for me! Now I wish I was staying longer than 4 days.