Learning How to Clap

Ethan has learned how to clap! Take a peek...

Ethan and Frosty

At first Frosty scared Ethan, but he warmed up to it pretty quickly.

Tree Trimming 2009

We purchased our first Christmas tree as a family on Thanksgiving Weekend. We let it sit in water for a few days and let the branches fall down, as they typically do, before decorating it. Well...this past Saturday we spent most of the morning getting our decorations out of their boxes and wrappers, we strung the lights on the tree and put on all of our beautiful decorations we've collected through the years. It was such a beautiful tree, wasnt it!?

and then it fell....

What a disaster! We waited until the next day to try our hand at it again with the help of Mom and Dad Finger. They came to save the day with extra hands and a hand saw.

Tree Trimming Take 2:

Bye Bye Bumpers...

So we covered the outlets, removed breakables from within reach, and protected covers, but with Ethan becoming more and more mobile these days, steps clearly needs to be taken in his crib.

Ethan's Crawling!

Oh boy, are we in trouble now! Ethan has been crawling since mid October. We have so much baby-proofing to do - and boy does he test his limits... Check out what he does here!

Pop Goes the Weasel!

I guess we know what Ethan's favorite song is now!

Bouncy, Bouncy!

Ethan new favorite contraption!

Sleeping like a Baby!

I snuck into his room one morning before he woke up to just look at him, and thought this was just precious. He loves sleeping with his knees tucked under him and his bum sticking in the air. Looks quite comfy!

Ethan's First Halloween

Many of you have seen these, but our little man was a turtle for his first Halloween!

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Starting Solids

Ethan is well on his way to having a great diet - he loves everything! The only thing he is not a huge fan of and makes faces at is avocados.

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ND Home Opener

Ethan has a great time at the Notre Dame home opener back in September. He was so thrilled to see his cousin Bridgette and hang out with good friends. He hung out in the shade for most of the day. Once we entered the stadium, the roaring fans scared the little guy, so we had to put our hands on his ears whenever ND made a great play or scored a TD. We stayed till half time and then hit the road. Our little man was tired and hot - and so were we!

Ethan and Papa

One night, I showed Papa all of the cool toys on my exersaucer! I especially like the car that makes a laughing noise. I always get such a kick out of that!

Meeting Aunt Mimi

In mid August, my Aunt Mimi came to Chicago and we were able to meet for the first time! I had such a good time. We went shopping, we had dinner - I was so happy she came to visit me! I can't wait for her to come back with my cousin Patrick in October.

My First Cubs Game

My first Cubs game was amazing. I was even able to ditch the boring stroller I'm always stuck in! I got to dress in Cubs gear, sip on my bottle and lounge with Mommy and Daddy. After the game though, I was exhausted! I had a great nap afterward and dreamed about Cubby wins...

Auntie Alicia's 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk

I was so glad to comfort my Auntie Alicia while she recovered from her walk! She could only walk about 45 miles (out of the 60), since her ankle was too worn down. The nurses at the walk told her not to walk the final day, so Mommy went to go pick her up in the burbs. Her ankle was really swollen when she got to our house, but it was great for me because I could chill with her all day long!

Mommy's 30th Birthday Surprise in RI

Mommy and Daddy have been very busy, and they haven't updated my blog! I gave them a piece of my mind, and voila, a new post is up the very next day! These photos are from Mommy's 30th Birthday party in RI. Daddy was secretly planning the bash with Auntie Bethy and Auntie Tara. Mommy was so surprised!!! And the best part, I got to hang with my friend Max in the pool. Boy, was it cool!

Laughing with Nana and Daddy!!!!

Nana got this great footage while hanging out with Ethan and Greg. Its great, enjoy!

Sharing tradition with Papa Joe!

It has been a Coccia/Krekorian tradition that no birthday goes by without a phone call from Papa Joe playing the piano and belting out the "Happy Birthday" tune. This trip to RI for my 30th birthday proved no different, but Ethan and I were able to witness a live performance!

Singing at the Sheffield Garden Walk

The Sheffield Garden Walk was this past weekend, and Ethan and Mommy walked around the neighborhood to look at all the pretty flowers and plants! The houses were amazing! While on the walk, Ethan started to sing! Ethan has been very quiet since his unsuccessful solid food trial (except for the frequent grunting!), but he seems to be back to normal and happy as can be.

Shhh, Ethan's Sleeping...and Snoring!

I grabbed this footage while at home on Fourth of July weekend. We went to see our friends Bridgette and Natasha in the burbs and enjoyed the holiday parade. Ethan LOVED the bands and the drums as they passed by. By the time we got home, Ethan was pooped!

Ethan's Solid Food Trial

After a recent trip to the doctor, it was suggested we try Ethan on solid foods. We tried some organic rice cereal mixed in his bottle for about a week, but unfortunately, his little body just couldn't take it. He was in too much pain and wasn't as expressive and talkative as he was before. We decided to try again at 6 months.

Chatting with Ethan!

Ethan has been very vocal lately! He is cooing, and googooing whenever he has a chance, His favorite spots are the changing table, his bear rug, and his Ocean Voyage playmate!

Home with Daddy

Being that Greg is a teacher, he is able to spend all summer with Ethan! It is quite a relief leaving for work knowing that Ethan is with Daddy than with a stranger...we will cross that bridge in August when Greg goes back to work. Here are some pictures of EThan spending time with Daddy!

We baptized Ethan on June 14th at St Benedict's Church in Chicago. We were lucky to have such great weather after a period of rain. Ethan wore the traditional baptismal gown and bonnet that most of the Finger grandchildren wore and crocheted booties that I wore when I was baptized. After the sacrament, family and friends were invited back to our house for a luncheon. We changed Ethan into another outfit for comfort - a little cotton onesie/bloomers, traditional knee-socks and booties. He looked adorable!

Mommy's First Day Back at Work

On June 9th, I woke up to a lovely homemade breakfast and fresh coffee that Greg had prepared for me! What a surprise! I got ready, fed Ethan, and took the 15 minute El ride to the downtown Chicago office. After 7 years of traveling M-Th, I am finally able to work in my city! Its been a great transition and I am thankful to have this flexibility. The first day is never as bad as the anticipation of it, but I was itching all day long to get home to my baby!!!

Fathers' Day!

For Greg's first Fathers' Day, we spent the day relaxing and enjoying time with Ethan. We went to Taste of Randolph with some other friends, and then capped the day off with a nice cookout at the Fingers' house. Ethan was decked out in a onesie that read PERFECT (Just like my Dad) and Daddy & Me socks!

Meeting Family in RI!

Ethan had such a great time meeting his grandpa, great-grandpa, aunties, cousins, and friends in RI! Here are some of the pictures from the week!

Ethan's First Trip to RI

On May 13th, Ethan took his first trip to

RI to meet the rest of my family. So many firsts!!! It was his first airplane ride which went very well - he slept through the whole flight! It was the first time Grandpa Bob and Papa Joe met Ethan too, and they couldn't wait to see us! Tomorrow we meet cousins Sofia and Ryan and lots of aunties and uncles!

My First Mother's Day

My first mother's day was wonderful!! Greg and Ethan surprised me with breakfast from my favorite place, a massage gift certificate and beautiful eternity necklace engraved with Ethan's name! We capped off the day with a lovely dinner with Greg's family at Bistro Margot!

Ethan Gets Comfy

After a long walk with mommy during the day, this is the best way to cap off the day!

Cubs Game Watch

Ethan spent his first Cub;s game at home watching the game with daddy and our friend Tim Reilly! He was all decked out in his new cubs jersey and bloomers. Go Cubs!!!