bubble day.

We have had a busy week of parks, playdates and desperately trying to regain a normalized sleep pattern. Guess which of these things have been fun and which have been absolutely miserable?

The good news is we're down to only two wake-ups per night. The bad news is that when in his bassinet, Ethan was already sleeping through the night for a while so this regression is hard to celebrate. The other good news is that on these playdates, I'm allowed to show up looking like a zombie and I'm met with sympathetic support from moms who understand the exhausted stupor I'm trying to float through without completely losing my mind and sanity.

Today was a good day, regardless. At 5:30 a.m., my exhausted husband surrendered and carried a still sleepy Ethan into our bed. Ethan and I proceeded to sleep until 8:30 in the morning. I don't think I've slept in that late since I was a teenager. No, really. 8:30 in the morning is my equivalent of sleeping until noon. It was kind of nice, even when I was being whacked in the cheek repeatedly by tiny infant hands to wake me up when he saw fit.

Wednesdays are Ethan's My Gym days and therefore our favorite day of the week. I can't even begin to list all of the things that we love about My Gym, but today was at the top of Ethan's list. Today was bubble day. Yes, bubble day is a special day in the eyes of my son. It's a special day for me, too, as all that fun made Ethan so sleepy that he fell asleep in the car and didn't even wake up when I changed him and placed him down for a nap in his crib. Success!

Sleep (or the lack thereof) aside, I'm realizing that Ethan turns 7 months in just four short days and that (even though I always say this nearly every month) this just might be my favorite age of all. That little boy might not how to sleep, but he sure knows how to melt his mommy into puddles with his big, silly grins. I swear the entire world lights up when he smiles.

mommy (& grandma & aunt katie) and me!

Today was Ethan's first "Little Bundles" class at our local My Gym! Luckily the staff at My Gym is used to lunatics and didn't flinch as we strolled in -- three people for one Little Bundle -- with camera in tow. Hey, he's the first baby in the family in years, what do you expect?!

There wasn't much of a turnout of babies in his age group (under six months) but we still managed to have a lot of fun! Ethan enjoyed some back and tummy time on his special blanket while we listened to music, clapped our hands and sang along to cutesy renditions of Sheryl Crow and Avril Lavigne songs. While Aunt Katie (one of my best friends since I was only a couple of years older than Ethan is) and I admittedly had way too much fun in the ball pit than two adults should admit to having, Ethan had preferred the swing...which is ironic considering he decided he flat-out will not tolerate his swing at home.

All of that swinging and playtime must have really worn Ethan out because he passed out in the swing and didn't wake up until we got home from lunch at a local deli that we stopped at on the way home.


While the My Gym employees were apologetic over the lack of spirit from the other "Little Bundles," I had a lot of fun and it's safe to say that Ethan did as well -- as he way, way too easily agreed to take three full naps today! I've almost forgotten what a struggle it has been to get him to even agree to one nap in the afternoons.

Baby Skunk, The Little Bundle

Of all the silly, strange, cute and downright random baby accessories out there, I think the skunk hat that my sister and I bought for Ethan at the mall yesterday wins a spot on my favorites list. (It's part of Gymboree's "Baby Skunk" line, if you're wanting one for your own baby skunk!)

I'm also pretty excited because our little skunk will be starting MyGym in just a couple of weeks when he's two months old! (Typing that just made me realize he's going to be two whole months in just a couple of weeks! Why is time flying so quickly?!) Yes, you're looking at the soon-to-be newest member of the MyGym Little Bundles class! While I'm undoubtedly more excited than he is, I know we'll end up having a lot of fun!