Brady's Baptism

Brady was baptized on Saturday evening, March 28th. He did a great job during church and didn't shed a single tear when the pastor poured the baptismal water on his head (thanks to all those baths, Brady loves water!) We would like to thank our family and friends for supporting Brady on this very special occasion; especially our family from St. Louis who made the long drive just to be there (Brady was so happy to finally meet you!) And to Brady's Godparents Amanda, Justin and Megan, he's so blessed to have you in his life.

Being a good boy in church

At brunch with Uncle Chuck and Aunt Debbie

And Great Grandma Doris and Bob

Misc. March Photos

Watching the NCAA tourney with Dad

Just after naptime

Tinley and Brady

Yay, bathime!

First time facing out in the Bjorn

My first St. Patrick's Day

How will I ever reach those keys?!

Brady and Great Grandma Bubby

3 Months Old!

Yesterday, our little guy turned 3 months old, and what a fantastic age it is! I'd be lying if I didn't say that the first 2 months or so were really, really hard. And it's not like every day is a walk in the park now... but all of a sudden it's like we're all starting to jive as a family, and it feels great! Brady is getting so active and inquisitive, it's so much fun entertaining him. He still enjoys his Boppy vibrating chair, so he spends a lot of time in there playing with various toys hanging in front of him. He also likes kicking back and watching a little basketball too (gotta love the NCAA tourney!) He's laughing and "talking" our ears off; we love all of our little conversations. And now that he's getting stronger, he always wants to be sitting up, so we hope he'll be in the Bumbo chair very soon. Hard to believe that in one short month, he'll be eating cereal!

To celebrate his 3 month "birthday" we had some professional photos taken. We just received the proofs yesterday, so please take a look when you get a chance. They are outstanding (in our humble opinions...), it'll be hard not to buy them all!

www.bellababyphotography.com, click on the baby feet (website), then click on "client" in the options on the bottom of the page. The password is "eatherton".

And here are some very "non-professional" 3 month pictures we took of Brady yesterday...

Let's hope these walls don't blow away

They pretty much erected all of floor #1 in 2 days.  Let's just hope that the crazy Chicago spring weather doesn't blow these new walls down!

New first floor:

Cross section looking into living room, stairwell, and kitchen:

Back patio looking north toward front door:

New front door on Gillick Ave. vs. Vine Ave:

Dining room:

Back of house:

Brady's First Laugh

It's been awhile since our last Brady posting, but I promise, this one's worth the wait! On Friday, Matt got Brady to laugh out loud for the first time ever and I was able to catch it on camera. Get ready to smile!



I know I sound like a broken record, but I still cannot believe how fast he is growing up. He's 11 weeks old now and can reach for and hold (for just a few seconds) some of his toys and he LOVES sucking on his hands. He is already trying to sit up in his Boppy chair, which means we can't leave him alone anymore, even just for a second... I'm afraid he'll topple right over! He's not a big fan of lifting his head up during tummy time (he uses that time mostly for sucking on his left hand!), but when he lays on his back, he's starting to curl his legs up and roll onto one side. It is truly amazing!!

Next week is my last week of maternity leave and I'm still in denial about going back to work. It seems surreal to have to leave my sweet little boy, but I know he'll be in good hands (Auntie Manny is now going to be Nanny Manny, ha ha ha!). Brady and I had a lot of good times over the last three months!!

Eatherton Pool

Update on grandma and grandpa's house. Weather was nice and warm the week of 3/3, so the concrete was poured. It was completed just in time for a solid 3 inches of rain the weekend of 3/7 which made the foundation quite the pool. Sounds like the carpenters won't be too far behind!

A new definition for "fun"...

This weekend the Baileys made a trip up from STL for Drew's first visit to Chi town. Brady was so excited to meet his new buddy, he even brought out all his new toys to share! We hadn't seen Drew since Nov. and we couldn't believe how big he has gotten. He'll be on the move in no time!


It was fun to get a bunch of the DZs together for a playdate, and it became apparent that we now know a new definition for "fun" (although, the adults did get a little of their own playtime once the kiddies went to sleep)...

Drew checking Brady for ticks :)

Me with Ella, Emma and Drew

(back) Emma, Stephanie, me, Brady, Ella and Laura
(front) Valerie*, Kimberly, Bambi and Amanda
* Drew was napping!

Halle and Drew... born just one day apart!

Brady's laughing because Drew's naked... again!

Til next time buddy!