Dear Ezra- 15 months

*I'll pretend I wasn't gone for 3 months.  It was so hard to start again.  I don't think I've even started again or will ever have the time like I used to.  However, I had to write this letter, it's been on my to do list for 3 months.  I'm happy to check something off.

My Dearest Ezra

You turned 15 months 2 days ago and the last letter I wrote you was 3 months ago.  Sorry about that.  I guess I’m finally making up for the 1^st 8 months of Gage’s life when I didn’t even write him letters.  The last 3 months have been a blur of schoolwork for Mommy and trying to spend every moment w/ you guys that I can in the 2-3 hours I see you each weekday.  I just read your last letter and, my have you changed.  I’m pretty sure I’m not even writing about the same little boy anymore.  I could go on and on about you at 15 months, so let me try to hit the high points.

Ezra, you are crazy!  You are our little daredevil and are scared of nothing!  You are a climber and a mover and a shaker.  I don’t even know where to begin.  You last weighed in about a month ago at almost 23 lbs.  You have 10 teeth and are a RUNNER.  (You started standing right around mid-October and walked a few days later.)  This got you in trouble this last week on your 15^th month bday, you ran and fell and hit the seam of the wall right in the middle of your forehead, nearly splitting it in 2.  I think it worked out as well as to be expected and it didn’t seem to cause any side effects aside from a GIANT black and blue bruise you will sport next week in your Christmas pictures.  Ezra, for a while we weren’t sure if you’d be a talker, but I think you have proved us wrong.  Although not as articulate as your brother, you have around 10 words including:  Daddy, kitty, momma, Gagey, bye bye, baby, ball, eat, teeth, hi, yeah, cheese and nana.  You have even strung 2 words together and say ‘bye bye kitty’, or ‘bye bye daddy’. You also sing the ‘Bubble Guppies’ theme song and try to say your friends’ names at school.  You also sign a TON.  You know the signs for eat, please, thank you, bath, naughty, water, milk, more, daddy and hot.  Although we feel like you don’t know many words, it seems you understand every command we give you.  You still LOVE to eat and that’s probably the most frequent thing you ask for.  Next is bath…you will stop anything you’re doing (even throwing a fit) to climb up the stairs for your bath.  You love to splash in the water and play with your bath toys. 

Because of your love for food and milk, you are quickly outgrowing most of your clothes.  At least we have a never ending wardrobe and can just continue to dig out the next appropriate size.   You’ve outgrown all 12 month onesies or head to toe outfits. Even some of your 12-18  pants won’t button around your expanding midsection.  I am scared that next week at your 15 mo. appt, Dr. Bauer may mention your belly.  They still call you ‘Squish’ at daycare and if you’re asked to find your pudge, you know where to look.  Some of your favorite things right now are music, Bubble Guppies and your Fisher Price house.  You still love whatever Gage is playing with and you have a few books you’re obsessed with but most you won’t let us read past the 1^st 2 pages.  It’s really quite funny- you bring us books or let us begin new books but by 2 pages in you already know whether you’ll listen or close it and say ‘bye bye’.  Ezra, you love Ace- oh God, do you love him.  And bless his heart, you full on tackle him weighing at least 3x him and he lets you.  I don’t know why he hasn’t caught on to running yet, but it hasn’t seemed to faze him.  You are particularly naughty these days and are all.over.the.place.  It’s very hard to keep you contained.  You constantly pull at the Christmas tree or try to get things you can’t have.  You love to stack things so that you can climb then and most often try to climb things that can’t be.  As active as you, it must wear you out.  You are a pretty good sleeper at night I have to say.  You usually sleep from about 7p-6a.  You might wake up once or twice for a new diaper, but that’s usually the extent.  I am sure I am jinxing myself, but you haven’t been up for any length of time for quite a while.  Although in the last few weeks you’ve been slightly whinier at night due to about 84 teeth popping up in your head.  You just cut your 1^st molar and I’ m pretty sure at least 2 more are on their way. 

I wish I’d been blogging these last 3 months, I could probably tell you what we’ve been up to, but it all seems to be a blur.  You had your birthday of course and then celebrated Halloween as a lobster.  You loved riding around in the wagon- it was a very nice night.  You celebrated Gage’s 4^th birthday and had your 1^st plane ride.  We went to Austin to visit your Daddy’s family and it was a pretty awesome trip.  We’ve of course visited Nana and Grandiddy and they’ve been here as well.  You got to snuggle with your Auntie just 3 weeks before she died early last month.  She sure loved you and your brother.  These next few weeks will be pretty exciting as well.  Your 1^st Xmas that you’ll get to open gifts and your Grandma and Grandpa from TX will be visiting! 

Just 2 weeks ago, you got to play in your 1^st snow, sled for the 1^st time and visit Santa Clause.  No fear there, again, you toddled right on up to him and climbed right up in his lap.  You LOVE to smile and laugh and how could I forget, your ABSOLUTE favorite thing in all the world is peek a boo.  Something that cracks your teachers up at school is every time anyone says funny or silly, not even to you, but in passing, you CRACK up- thinking you must be in on the joke as well.  Ezra, although you are crazy, we LOVE you and our lives would be lacking without you.  Gage loves you too and although you’ve become an annoyance later when you want to take his toys or take a bite out of his leg or arm, he still loves to play with you and show you things.  I can’t believe how fast you are growing up and I’m thankful for my cell phone where I occasionally jot down milestones, etc.  Life is almost too quick these days and although your baby book will never be comparable to Gage’s, I swear I’m writing down things as much as I can- without missing out on the important things- being in the moment with you too.  I would be amiss if I didn’t mention in this letter your complete obsession with your Daddy and how much you LOVE him these days.  I felt like the babysitter the other day as he left and you cried and cried for him and couldn’t be soothed. Every chance you get you’re in his arms and it’s a great relationship to watch.  Hopefully I’ll be back next month to write you another letter when you move up to the next class at school and down to one nap a day!  Wow!  My baby is growing up.  I love you Ezra Jude, my little dude!  Merry Christmas!

Love Momma

Dear Ezra (11 months.....and 3 weeks)

*This is why I take a September Break ya'll.  It just doesn't happen.  Takes some getting used to be being back at work and having no time to blog or do anything at all, really.  I'm teaching new classes this year so after the kids go to bed it's lots of work for me.  Although this letter is finished 3 weeks late, I wanted to still write/post it.  In 6 days, my baby will be 1!

Dear Ezra

It is less than 2 weeks ‘til your 1^st birthday.  I have been putting off this letter.  First we were on vacation and it was my LAST week to spend with the 2 of you before going back to work.   I was tired from a busy summer and just didn’t take the time.  Once we got home, you boys went back to school and I went back to work and it’s been a crazy 2 weeks that I haven’t got to spend much time with the 2 of you. It makes me sad but I know in just a few weeks both of you will adjust and you’ll be happy to be back with your friends at school.  Oh my God, in jus t 12 days you’ll be 1.  I’ll try to write this letter as you were at 11 months, I’m sure not much has changed in the last few weeks.

At 11 months, you still LOVE to laugh, mostly at your brother or when we’re pulling you back when you crawl away from us while we’re changing you.  Just in the last month, you have finally been able to start really playing with Gage…you guys love to play with your Fisher Price house, your dinosaur popper and ‘cook dinner’ together.  It’s an awesome thing, watching the two of you play.  You also LOVE your tunnel, much like Gage did, but we can hardly let the 2 of you play since you guys are so silly and so rough that someone’s bound to get hurt.  Speaking of, you love to roughhouse and it makes you happy when Daddy plays hard with you.  You still love to eat and haven’t found much (aside from fish sticks) you don’t really care for.  Some of your favorites are mac and cheese, pizza, and yogurt.  You still eat at least one pouch a day and you still enjoy them b/c you can feed them to yourself.  You still nurse 4x a day and nap twice.  You’ve become quite the good little napper  this summer and for that I am thankful.  I do need a break at some point.

You still haven’t started talking and I think the one word you can claim is ‘Daddy’.  I’m still not even sure you really mean it.  Some days you look right at him, point and say Daddy, other days the door opens around 5pm and you say ‘Daddy’, then some days you look at the cat and say ‘Daddy’ so who really knows.  You can make the sound ‘mama’ but don’t say it on any kind of consistent basis.  You do love your Mama though and cry almost every am I leave you at school.  You got spoiled spending time with me this summer and even have a little bit of ‘stanger danger’ that Gage never had.  You don’t like to be held by people that aren’t familiar to you.

You weigh right around 20 lbs and it seems you get heavier every day.  You wear all 12 month clothes and have an entire wardrobe for every season.  I wrote in your last letter that you didn’t care for the pool, but you learned to mostly like it (more so in the afternoon when there was some shade) and you loved the beach.  You loved playing with your big brother in the waves.  You are really a ‘no fear’ kinda kid.

Within the last month, we have gone to the beach twice, been to Gage’s swim class on multiple occasions, finished up your swim class (complete with blowing bubbles), been to the zoo and a birthday party and hung at the park.  Nothing too interesting, just the normal summer stuff.  At this point in my letter, I realize that it’s taken me over 3 weeks to write this letter to you.  For that, I apologize.  I just don’t have the time after work.  I want to spend the 2 hours with you guys every night and it always gets put on the back burner.  For that reason, Ezra, this letter is kinda lame, but it’s life right now and that’s the point of these letters.  I’ll stop writing now and in less than a week I’ll be reflecting on your 1^st year.  I love you my Ezra Bean.  You are truly a joy!

Love Momma

Project 52: Week 34 (THE last week of summer)

Week 34 was our beach week.  Lots of pictures from only 4 days.  See, sometimes, I just like to play and not take pictures.  I tend to only take my camera to the beach one or 2 days while we're there.  Playing is too much fun.

Silhouette

Swingin' (again)

Feel free to caption this yourself....

Mud monster

And although I have been seriously slacking on birthday posts (I do apologize to those I have missed), I do not have any pictures but do want to wish my niece, Ianna a very happy 9th birthday today and my good friend, Malisa, a happy birthday as well.

Project 52: Week 32 and 33

Yeah, so there was vacation you know and life and stuff.  So here are the last few weeks of August all at once.

Week 32:  (Aug 4-10)  Only 3 pictures this week, boo!  And all of Gage! We had a mini golf play date and a lunch date with Daddy.  We did meet up with friends at a pretty cool park with a carousel and train, but no pics of that.



Horrible picture quality-damn iPhone

I have no idea what this face is even about.

 

Too bad he's not wearing Old Navy clothes, right?

 Week 33:  (Aug 11-17)  Only 3 again, I guess that's my average.  I mean I have more than 3 pictures a week, just not on 3 different days...blah.  Gage ended up being sick this week so we were sequestered to the house for 3 days before our beach trip.  Guess nothing exciting to take pics of.

 

My boys



My am snuggle buddies

Swingin'

 

Project 52: Week 31 (Am I almost caught up?)

Don't judge!  There are so many things I want to blog about but I keep doing picture posts instead.  I want to keep this up the whole year even if I blog about nothing else.  At least I can go back and see what we did.  Probably better this way- I doubt if I'd ever have time to blog this summer.  Here goes....

Week 31 (July 28- Aug 3)- 4 days of pictures

Loungin' with Ace cat

Mommy, what just fell on my head?
 

Breakfast Birthday party

Bucket Head

Pretty Parrot



At the zoo

Holy cow!

Project 52: Week 29 and 30

Ok, so it's not really a Project 52 anymore, but it's just a lot of pictures broken down by weeks;)

Week 29 (July 14-20)- OMG, complete fail!  Now it really is over.  I have ZERO pictures from this week, what the hell did we do?  Looking back at my calendar, this was our super busy, super fun week.  Guess we were having so much fun I didn't bother to take any pictures.  We had a bounce house playdate on Monday, AJ over on Tuesday, a swim playdate on Wed. and Thursday (Oh, wait, I have ONE picture a friend sent me!) and I had a much needed pedicure on Saturday!

playdate

Week 30 (July 21-27)- Luke's bday week and our long weekend beach getaway.  Can you believe no pictures of the birthday- we spent the entire day in the car, but then had ice cream and cake on Sunday instead.  Here are my boys enjoying the beach and the rest of the week.

Pasta

Playing together

Road trip- go O's

Always happy at the beach

Dear Ezra- 10 months

Yeah yeah yeah, late again- it was written last week if that counts for anything.

Dear Ezra-

In just 8 weeks, we will be celebrating your 1^st birthday.  I never really got it when I read other parent’s posts/letters/comments about how they want time to stand still and how their babies grow up so fast, but oh my God- it really IS flying by.  One year is just crazy.  I can’t believe we’ve come this far.  You are my little firecracker and there is never a dull moment when you’re around.  You keep Momma on her toes.  You have the sweetest smile and your giggle could melt anyone’s heart but you sure do like to make it known when you’re unhappy.  Your teeth continue to make you mad- they just always seem to be rightthere and just enough to make you hurt.  You still are a biter and quite frankly I’m not really looking forward to the phone calls next year from daycare. 

I feel  like you’re finally turning that corner to understanding and communicating.  This is the time that Gage started talking and although you haven’t yet, you definitely have your ‘sound’ for the kitties and whether we say their name or you see them, it’s always the same.  You can say ‘dada’ although I’m not completely sure you’re associating it, you definitely know it’s something we want you to say.  You have started signing ‘milk’ when you want to eat although now it seems like you just like to sign it for fun as well.  You know how to high five and think it’s pretty hilarious and you are consistently waving hi and bye.  I just can’t wait to hear more of your little voice.  I can only hope you’re as verbal as Gage this early on. 

One major difference in you and Gage at this age is your eating habits.  There is NOTHING you will not eat.  That is. aside from anything that appears to be baby food.  You have no use for it anymore- all you want is what we’re eating and you want it ALL.  You eat twice as much as Gage at a sitting and most of the time I wonder if we should cut you off.  I don’t even know how much a baby your age should be eating but I have a feeling it’s less than what we give you.  In turn, milk is pretty much a dessert for you, which is fine.  You still nurse 4 times a day, 2 of which I don’t think you really care too much about.  But I think we’re gonna make it, dude- all the way to a year!  Your favorite foods right now are oranges like your brother, turkey, cheese and just about everything else! 

I’m not really sure where you’re putting all the food but you are wearing a combination of 9 and 12 month clothing.  You seem to have the same short legs as Gage but a much rounder belly.  Speaking of Gage, the time has come that you guys are really starting to ‘play’ together.  Of course, you still think he’s the greatest ever and he’s starting to feel the same.  When you’re upset in the car, he comforts you by making you laugh.  He says things like ‘it’s ok, Ezzy, we’re almost home’, like he’s heard me say.  The other day you guys played for almost an hour together- it warms my heart to see you interact.  You are still quite the mover and don’t ‘play’ very well unsupervised.  You are still chasing cords, cats and shoes.  You do however like the kitty piano, dancing and playing with trains and cars and the Little People garage.  You like Gage’s blocks and like to bang them together.  You sit slightly longer than you used to for books, although you’re not the scholar your brother was.  You are now full on crawling on your knees, cruising around anything and everything and can stand for a few seconds alone.  You don’t seem to be too interested yet, so I’m still guessing it’s going to be around 13 months before you’re ready to take your 1st steps.  You finished swim lessons this week and seemed to enjoy them for the most part.  You still aren’t the biggest fan of the pool (much to Gage’s dismay) but maybe next summer when you have a little more freedom you’ll like it better.  For now, you don’t like being contained in your float.  It is much more tolerable though in the afternoon when there’s some shade.  You don’t seem to be a fan AT ALL of the sun and you’re not a fan of your hat either, so that’s kind of a problem. 

Unfortunately, you’re back to being a crappy napper and don’t seem to break an hour most days.  You also started sleeping in a bit this summer but are back to your 6am wakings and refusing to go back to sleep.  You do still go to bed right around 7pm though with a full belly.  You have taken to screaming at me though when it’s just the 2 of us and I put you in your crib to play because I have to get something done.  You DO NOT LIKE it when I ignore you.  You are kind of high maintenance like that.  You do like your doorway bouncer though and can at least tolerate it for a bit of time…..as long as you can see me….grrr.

In the last month, you have taken your 1^st trip to Dutch Wonderland and stayed in your 1^st hotel!  You have stayed home most of the month with Gage and I and we have had our ups and downs.   You’ve tagged along to the bounce house, eaten at Chick Fil A, seen your brother do gymnastics, enjoyed music at the mall, gotten your pics taken with your brother (you’re much more photogenic than him;)), hung with Nana and Grandiddy, gone to SplashDown and taken your 2^nd trip to the beach!  You’ll help Daddy celebrate his 34^th birthday on Saturday and we have 3 more weeks together before we head down to the OBX for our final vacay of the summer.  It’s crazy how quick our summer has flown by and how much you’ve grown.  I just can’t believe you are growing up so fast.  I love you my Ezzy dear- you keep me on my toes.  Although our snuggles are few and far between, they are special to me and your giggles light up all of our lives!  We love you, Squishy!

Love, Momma