My kid only likes others to use their "inside voice"

I thought it was a fluke when one of Ethan's friends, Helena, first let out a lovely little screech while playing and Ethan completely freaked.  Those who know him well have rarely seen him cry, so when he does, it sort of gets our attention.

Well that sequence played out over and over during our visit with his BFF Elias.  They happily chased and played together day after day, except for one little hiccup.  Elias has, as his mom and dad lovingly put it, a particular squawk.  He uses it when he's gleeful to cranky, and Ethan apparently did not approve.  It went a little something like this...

Elias shares his loud excitement over their coffee table chase, "Squawk!"

Ethan replies, "Seriously dude? I thought we discussed this!"

Elias asks, "You applying to be the class monitor or something?" 

And just like that, they were pals again.  Well, as long as it stayed quiet.

A playdate a year in the making

My good friend Lucia and I both got pregnant just a couple months apart while we were the only two female staff at our company.  While in L.A., I finally got to introduce her to our son and we had a weekend long playdate!

Here we were about a year ago at our office baby shower:

And last week, the "E-twins," Elias and Ethan, finally met outside of our bellies!

They went to the park...

Chased each other around and around and around the coffee table...

Cruised around town in matching carseats...

 Auditioned as khaki pants models together...

Scrubbed in the tub together...

 and finally...

 wore out together!

A days long playdate that was more than worth the wait!

Beverly Hills Award Dinner

I just returned from an awards dinner honoring my boss in L.A. The dinner was hosted in and we stayed at the Beverly Hills Hilton, where they host the Golden Globes!  Here are my paparazzi shots of the celebrities that spoke at the dinner.

Alec Baldwin

 (Truly paparazzi shot) Alec Baldwin sitting next to Billy Baldwin at the table next to ours.

 Elizabeth Banks

 Hector Elizondo

 Mike Farrell

James Cromwell

 Jane Kaczmarek

(me!)

There were other randoms as well, such as Melissa Padrón from Real World Miami (1992!) and Charles Carver from Desperate Housewives.  (I fully expect you to click on their names to know who they are.)  I'm sure there were more that I just didn't recognize!

Happy to have landed in DC!

While Ethan seemed more than content to climb on and cuddle with his mom for 6 straight hours in an Economy seat, we were BOTH happy to be back home!  The nearby passengers that literally cursed upon seeing a baby seated near them came over and complimented how good he was!

"We made it Mommy!"

Stories and pics from our trip to LA coming soon!

We have the greatest friends and family- and a pretty cute kid too!

Thanks to everyone's votes, facebook posts, and emails, Ethan won a $1,000 prize for being an "Impossibly Cute Kid- Fan Favorite"!  That money will be gone one day, but the sense of support from our family and friends will be a lifelong memory.

Now the voting site shows this headline:

Wow, if he kept this up, Ethan would start paying for himself!  A heartfelt thank you to everyone who put in all that effort!

Yes, he owns another shirt

As I was writing this post to share with you the last bit of our Easter adventure visiting the cherry blossoms, my dear sis wrote me asking, "So, does your kid have another shirt besides that Obama one?" (I bet my Grandpa was wondering the same question!) Why yes, he does, but he did grow out of most of his short sleeve shirts so it is in heavy rotation! So here's the disclaimer, these three posts are from the same day, I do cloth my child, but I also do need to go shopping now that it's getting warmer.

Finally, here are our pictures with the cherry blossoms!

(testing for pollen allergies apparently)

When your kid becomes a tourist attraction

When we last went to the National Mall to see the cherry blossoms, we stopped by some beautiful tulips for a couple of pictures.  Little did we know what would occur...

We snapped a few pictures...

 Ethan wanted to eat a flower...

And while we posed... it happened. 

 A small line started of people.  Asking to take pictures with our child.  Really?!

This woman borrowed someone's Easter balloon to get a smile for her photo op. 

Needless to say, we found it hilarious!

If Ethan starts getting vain though, I'm telling him it was only because of his Obama shirt.  (See what your gift started, Caroline and Frank?)

I have the two most handsome men in the world in my life!

"Weeeeee!"

 

"This is the best ride...."

"ever!"

Help make Ethan a winner?

I'm so proud of my little redhead!  A few weeks back I entered a photo I took of Ethan in Babble's Impossibly Cute Kid Photo Contest.  Out of thousands of entries, he was chosen as one of the top 20 finalists!  Now it's down to popular vote to see which child wins $1,000!!  

If you have a spare moment between now and April 15th, mind voting for our little model?  

Click here to vote!

There's no registration or log in needed, it's a simple click!  And family members out there... you can show your love by voting once a day until the 15th if you'd like! ;)  

Thanks in advance for validating his Mommy's vanity and 

for helping put some cash in his college fund!

Update: 4/16- YOU DID IT!! ETHAN WON!