Long day...

What a long day it was for us today.  It was long, but nice.  Ethan fell asleep very quickly tonight.  He was too exhausted from all the activities, even though he had two naps today.  I hope he sleeps well tonight as he did last night.  He slept from 8pm until 6am yesterday, and didn't wake up once in the middle of the night.  That was actually the first time he's done that (as a toddler, that is)!

Ethan now sleeps on a toddler air bed that we purchased for him to use last weekend in the hotel we stayed at in Holland, MI.  When I purchased it, I knew that it would be his "regular" everyday bed, but I also liked the convenience of taking it anywhere with us for travel.  Reviews also stated that it was a good transition bed to a real toddler bed.  Ethan had slept on an adult queen-sized air mattress prior to this bed, so I knew this toddler air bed would be a much better alternative.  Anyway, he's been waking up very silently these days, and actually gets out of bed on his own, like a big boy!  I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad one?  After all, he is only 14 months old.  I'm more worried about his safety than anything else.  But he always comes to find me after he wakes up, so as of now, it can't really be that harmful.  Right?  More discussion on this topic at a later time.

We had two playdates today.  One at a friend's home, and the other at a park with another friend we hadn't seen in a long time.  It was a fun day.  However, I noticed that Ethan has become very territorial with his belongings, and even things that aren't exactly his but in his possession.  I took out a can of his favorite Gerber crunchies for him to snack on, and his friend, Dave, came by to get a crunchie too.  Well, Ethan grabbed the can quickly before Dave could get to it, and began to scream (not in a mean way, but more like "no, you can't have it because it's mine!").  And he even does it with toys too.  If he's playing with the toy, he won't share it with anyone else. 

Apparently, his friend, Elliott, is the same way.  I had a discussion with his mom about that today at the park.  So crazy how these little toddlers have similar manners.  I'm glad it's sort of "normal" though, in that it is not just Ethan who is acting this way.  I'm hoping that this is just another phase that toddler's go through, and not a potential tendency for bullying.  Ethan has also started to throw fits, at home and in public places, if he doesn't get what he wants, or is frustrated that I don't know what he wants.  He stomps his little feet and starts to whine and cry and scream.  I will admit that the stomping of the feet is kind of cute, but not the vocal part.  I actually need to get one of these episodes on tape!

And here are a couple pictures of my little man at the park today:



Anyway, I need to retire for the night now, as I am just as exhausted as Ethan is.  Let's cross our fingers that Ethan sleeps well through the night tonight again!

♥ Jen