Better Late than Never: Baby Ethan Photos!

Grandpa Bly holding baby Ethan before he had to go back home. We were very lucky to have so much help from our family. Thank you! Caleb is already ready to go on another Father and Sons camping adventure with his Grandpa and Dad.



Baby Ethan at 3 weeks.



4 weeks old and very alert --probably wondering why he's not being held. :)



Caleb getting in on the photo shoot fun: What a cutie. :)



Ethan at 5 weeks old with his big brother Caleb 2 1/2.

Baby Ethan Photo Updates

Ethan at 1 week old. He's a little yellow from some Jaundice, but after a little less than a week on a billi blanket he's doing great.

Lots of love to Grandma S and Uncle L for helping us adjust and keeping Caleb entertained. -We loved the water balloons. :)

Ethan at 2 weeks old. 8 lbs. 9 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long --growing fast. Our home scale says he's 10 lbs. now and he's not even 3 weeks yet. Mommy must be feeding him good. :)

Our New Addition

Last Tuesday August 16th we welcomed our new little boy into our family. Ethan Glenn Bly was 7 lbs. 7 ounces, 20 3/4 inches long and has dark soft hair. Our delivery went very well and Caleb enjoyed spending time with his Grandma and Grandpa Long while we were at the hospital. He is very excited about his baby brother and is such a sweet 2-year-old. :)

35 Weeks and 35 Days to Go

So, I was checking out www.babycenter.com and thought it was cool that tomorrow I'll not only be 35 weeks pregnant, but I'll also only have 35 more days to go. Which, unfortunately sounds like a lot longer than saying I have another month to go.

This last stretch of pregnancy is always the hardest for me ... mostly because it's uncomfortable to gain weight and get bigger before the baby comes. Nights are longer and this pregnancy our baby likes to push, kick and wiggle --especially at night.

-We are all getting excited to have Ethan join our family. And since Caleb didn't give any signs of early arrival I am settling in for the long stretch. -Just 35 days to go. :)

Officially 29 Weeks

We are officially 29 weeks now! And in our third trimester. :) 11 more weeks and we will have our new baby boy here. -I am getting super excited.

Since we already have most of the basics from when Caleb was a baby, this pregnancy I seem to be organizing more, cleaning cupboards, etc. PS: I finished cleaning our guest room and it looks wonderful.

Yesterday we had our Dr. check-up and glucose screening. Everything looked pretty good. Just a little bit anemic, which doesn't really surprise me because I've been tired and don't like meat.

-On a side note: For Memorial Day we took Caleb bowling for the first time. He loved it and actually got a pretty decent score. I even did good with being pregnant --Aaron thinks the bumpers may have helped me out a little bit, but I did get quite a few strikes! To finish it off Aaron got a turkey (three strikes in a row). Too fun. :)

My Secret Hoarding Room

So I decided this week would be the perfect time to tackle our messy guest room. Especially since I want it ready for Grandmas and Grandpas when baby Ethan comes. And after emptying a dresser full of sewing projects, and hope chest contents onto the guest bed --along with odd misc items from my closet and bathroom cupboard organizing, add a few pieces of broken furniture, a lot of gift bags and wrapping paper and who knows what else. I was beginning to think I could have a professional job as a hoarder. LOL :)

Anyone who knows me well would never have imagined such a sight. -Guess I've just been a little bit tired and lazy this pregnancy. After investing in some awesome see-through storage containers and two days of organizing I am beginning to see progress. Hopefully one more day of cleaning will do the trick. -Wish me luck. :)

The Bear Cave

Ever since we got our living room couches, last fall, Caleb has loved making tunnels, castles, towers, etc. with the couch cushions. Yesterday we decided to make a bear cave in honor of one of his favorite books: We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. Isn't he a cute little bear. :)

-Another quick family update, just in case I haven't been able to tell you in person, is that we are expecting another baby boy in August! We have less than 3 months to go and it's getting so exciting. Caleb is so cute and careful around babies, which is impressive because he likes to run, be crazy and fast. I think he will be a great brother and helper when baby Ethan comes. -Mostly it's just fun to see our little family grow. :)

Signs of Spring

Now that it's spring time in Idaho we've been enjoying our yard a lot more. Caleb loves to explore outside and help me with my flowers.

Here's a picture of our Popcorn tree! I love the pink flowers. The ginormous bumblebee we found was an added bonus. :)

This is our funny Caterpillar tree. The caterpillar looking parts fall off of our tree when the leaves come and are fun to play with.

Caleb loves to help in the flower beds and knows to walk on the paths. We put bright mini pinwheels where new flowers and plants are coming back so he doesn't accidentally squish them. -He loves to water the flowers with a little red spray bottle. :)

This is our Bleeding Heart bush. Every year it comes back so beautifully. I love it and planted another one in our backyard this spring!

Geraniums are some of my all time favorite flowers. I found these gorgeous pink ones this year and am super excited to watch them grow.

Pansies and Snap Dragons from our local farmers market. I planted these Mothers Day weekend because I knew they were hearty and couldn't wait another minute for spring to come.

We planted these happy Daffodil bulbs last fall. I had always been a chicken when it came to bulb flowers, but not any more. Now I know, I can thin and plant bulbs with the best of them. :)

Our Plum tree.

One last shot of our crazy Popcorn tree. -Caleb looks so small in comparison, but has already grown up so much. We have already enjoyed discovering worms, butterflies and lady bugs. It's going to be a great summer. :)

Caleb's first prayer

I asked Caleb if he wanted to say his night-time prayer tonight and he was so cute. This is how his prayer went:

Heavenly Father
Love Family
Sleep Happy
Amen

He is such a cute, busy and crazy 2-year-old. :)

Easter Morning

This picture is of Caleb and I Easter Sunday morning. He was very excited about the little toys he got and especially loved this green slinky. -It probably wasn't the most reverent toy to take to church in the diaper bag, but it did keep him entertained. :)