Prison Break

This morning, just as I was about to leave for the gym, I heard Ethan's doorknob jiggle for about thirty seconds, then I heard the sound of the door opening, and a satisfied grunt from Ethan. At first I decided to go to the gym even though he was up, because we have a baby gate on his door to keep him in his room each morning, since it's normal for him to wake up at 6 or 6:30. Usually he plays with his cars and trucks for a while, then I let him out when I come home at 6:45. Today I made the mistake of turning on the living room light to get dressed. (Yes, I usually get dressed for the gym in the living room, in the dark.) So he knew someone was up.

When I heard his grunts of complaints, I went to check on him, and I found him stuck halfway under the baby gate. (We have it elevated a bit because he can climb over it when it's on the floor, and we don't want him falling and hitting his head in the middle of the night.) He and his dog were trying to break free. The poor kid had to lay there on the floor while I took pictures of him. I feel so sorry for our children, living in the days of such great digital cameras- we take pictures of everything!

Since this post is about Ethan, I'll give an update on his speaking abilities. He's been able to say "Mama" and "Dadda" for forever now, but he's refused to actually use them or to say them when we've asked him to. Now he is officially saying them when he wants to get our attention- yea! And he's saying "uh-oh" and "Marcus," which he pronounces "kksss." This kid is just not a talker, and it's all out of pure stubbornness. The doctor said to not give him what he wants when he grunts, but when we do that, he just decides he never wanted it in the first place (even candy!) The kid would probably go the whole day without eating if he had to talk for it - he would go that long! The amazing thing is how well he's able to get his point across by pointing and grunting. Oh, and stomping his foot. It's great that it's finally coming. He's finally starting to talk. I have this feeling that one day he'll just bust out with "Excuse me Mother, but would you mind getting me a drink of orange juice? I'm a bit parched."