10 at 10

Ethan is now 10 months old [gulp] and we are all alive to prove it. It's truly amazing, considering most of our conversations start with, "Where's Ethan?" He is such a blessing and we feel so honored that God has placed him in our care for this lifetime. To celebrate making it 10 months, here are 10 things about Ethan that we find funny (read: potentially weird). We'll do this in Letterman fashion with the #1 thing being Ethan's funniest (read: potentially weirdest). We love you, Ethan!

10. Ethan pants like a dog as he's crawling towards our dog, Phoebe, at breakneck speed.

9. He really likes his books and sometimes wakes up asking for them: "Buah! Buah!"

8. Ethan loves the dishwasher. If he hears it open, he's there within seconds to lend a hand and/or attempt to destroy the top shelf.

7. He also enjoys the washer and dryer. These appliances provide fun drumming practice for hours. This is helpful during the "Where's Ethan?" conversation because you can hear where he's located in the house. (Other good drums include air vents, trashcans, my chest.)

6. He loves roughhousing. A simple tickle to the feet does nothing for him, but he and Jeffrey have a game called "Destruction" that elicits all sorts of laughter.

5. Ethan is an outdoorsman. Hiking in the backpack, running in the stroller, riding in the bike trailer, swinging in the yard...he loves it all.

4. Ethan is a climber. His favorite things to climb are me and Jeffrey. When seated in one of our laps, he uses the following body parts as handholds to climb to our faces: clavicle, bottom lip, earlobe, hair, nose (he'll stick his whole finger up the nostril to get a good grip)...

3. ...And then he kisses you. We're not talking sweet peck here. We're talking mouth wide open, drool encroaching, coming at you like a Betta fish to a mirror.

2. He thinks it's fun to play "chase" while he's crawling. In order for this to be ultimately fun, you have to crawl also (and pant like a dog if you're crawling towards Phoebe).

1. Ethan loves to be, well, naked. I'm not talking only-in-a-diaper naked. I mean wearing nothing but a smile and crawling as fast as he can away from you (and clothing). His favorite time to be naked is post-bath, standing at the baby gate upstairs, yelling into the stairwell, and laughing at his echo. It's fabulous!