Whew! This has been a whirlwind of a month! We started off by driving to Detroit for the fourth of July to see my Granddad, Aunt and Cousins. Having learned something from a REALLY LONG DAY in the car on the way home on Memorial Day, we did all of our traveling in the evening. Too bad that Ethan still had a rough landing - we were up until 5 am and he was even able to resist the power of a car ride! It made me really grateful that we don't have many nights like that anymore. It used to be a way of life! He eventually settled down and we had a good rest of the visit. The second weekend I attended an all-board-game-day at my new friend's/host's house. Tim and Mary Rita have been wonderful about making sure Ethan gets attended to and it brings back fond memories of the Whitmore's Tuesday Night Gamers sessions. The third weekend Mom, Dad, Ethan and I went to Starved Rock for camping. It has been a really long time since I have been (probably over two years!) and it was really fun and really hot. We did some hiking, some swimming, played games and, of course, ate great camp food. I am a firm believer that nothing tastes as good as food cooked outside :)The fourth weekend in July, the whole family headed down to Florida for Grandma's memorial service. It was a really nice service and it was good to get some closure and to be able to say a final goodbye. It also makes me happy that her ashes are buried next to Grandpa's. They were such a great couple - it only seems right that they are together once again. Sheila, Allison, Ethan and I all stayed an extra day and had many laughs in the pool and spent Sunday afternoon at the beach. Once again, it was hot but very fun to play in the sand and keep Ethan from eating just the normal, everyday stuff. The last day in July I left for Portland, but I'll wait to tell you about that trip next month. All this, plus Michelle Urish swung through town and we went to the Field Museum AND I had my first date in almost 8 years (which was very fun, I might add). Holy cow!!! I'm tired just writing about it all! It was great to have a lot of stuff to do and Ethan is wonderful companion (if just a tad high maintenance). But all the same, I am glad to be home and back on some semblance of a schedule.

This was a HUGE month for Ethan. He finally put a lot of things together that he has been working on for a while. He has started pulling himself to standing - which of course means that he wants to be standing all the time now. And his balance is questionable which means he falls down. A lot. As you may imagine, this is the age that people start thinking you are abusing your children. Ethan almost always has one bruise on his face that is just starting, one that is just starting to heal and one that is a horrible yellow that will be gone in a couple of days. He has also started crawling on hands and knees from time to time. The commando crawl is still his preferred method of travel (for speed purposes). But depending on the surface, Ethan often will take a couple of crawl steps before flopping down on his belly and racing off. He is also learning to wave hello and goodbye. It's so cute! His chubby little arm flails from one side to the other - some times both arms at a time. I am sure he doesn't know what it means yet. Either that or he thinks that the couch and the cat and cars on the road need to be greeted! But it's adorable just the same.

Drum roll please... He is finally consistently sleeping through the night! It took a long time (seemed like forever at times), but I very rarely have get up to get him before 6:00 am. That's a beautiful thing - it's amazing what 6 straight hours of sleep will do for a person. He is also a great little eater. The boy slurps up whatever we put in front of him including sweet potatoes, peas, beans, broccoli and zucchini! I enjoy him more all the time and he's becoming less of a baby and more of a little boy right before my eyes. We have a great time together and I am really enjoying motherhood. No one in the world lights up the way he does when I walk into a room! And there is no better feeling than him drifting off to sleep in my arms after a long day. He's wiggled his way into a place in my heart that I didn't even know I had and it's wonderful and terrifying all at once. I highly recommend it.

Well that certainly was a long update! I was looking at my website recently and realized that I have been sending these for over a year. Writing them has been really great for me and has provided an awesome structure for me to take the time, every month, to get present to what is going on with me and what I love about my life. I also realized that you(s) got added to my list somewhere along the way and are getting monthly updates whether you still want them or not! So I am going to give you the opportunity to say "thanks, but no thanks" with no hurt feelings. If you would like to continue to get my monthly ramblings, just drop me a line and let me know. I'd also love to hear how you're doing if you have the time, but I know we're all busy and a simple "yes, please" will do just as well. If I don't hear back from you by next month I'll assume you either 1) don't get your e-mail at the address I have anymore 2) don't really want to get the update anymore but have been too polite to say anything 3) are trapped under something heavy in which case you are on your own. Take care and enjoy what's left of summer!!