An Update on the "E" of Team MEAT

"Ahoy, Matey!"

• Ethan will turn four at the end of May (gasp!)
• When Ethan turned 3-1/2, he suddenly became more defiant. Like a lightswitch was flipped. He's growing out of it a little bit, but it is just so strange to see him acting up in ways he didn't previously. He's becoming his own little man.
• Ethan has stopped seeing things as uni-sex and now makes distinctions between "boy" things and "girl" things. Sigh. He doesn't love the color pink anymore, and that makes me a little sad.
• Ethan's birthmom is expecting another baby in the fall. They are placing the baby for adoption with a couple who doesn't have any children yet. Mark and I are still a little conflicted about whether it is good news or sad news that the baby won't be in our home.
• Ethan is becoming very aware of his adoptee status and what that means. He likes to hear about how we met his birthfamily for the first time (while he was in his birthmom's tummy) and how he came to live with us. He also likes to hear about Abby's adoption. [Abby has yet to talk about her adoption or ask questions.]
• I predict that Ethan will be reading before kindergarten. He can already identify the starting letter of any word that he hears, and just yesterday tried to spell our last name phonetically using the refrigerator letters. He loves words.
• Ethan will be taking a sports sampler class this spring, and he can hardly wait. He asks every day "how many more days until I can play kickball, and t-ball, and soccer, and basketball and hockey??" He imagines he's going to have a team jersey with a number on the back. I think he may be a little disappointed. ;)
• Even though Ethy is "all-boy" right now, he still loves to hug his Mom. Yippee!