Daddy Time

Daddy had to go back to work yesterday, but we had him for an entire week, plus weekends of uninterrupted family time.  It was lovely.  It was a well-deserved vacation for all.  Even the routine activities were made better by having daddy/husband around.  We took a number of smaller outings, like exploring Cabella's and perusing Lowe's, but we also ventured further out.  Thanks to a wonderful daddy/husband, I was able to attend a temple endowment session.  And, we spent the better part of a day at the city zoo (in 60 degree weather!)  We caroled on doorsteps and delivered goodie bags.  We acted out the Nativity story--twice.  We hosted twelve people for Christmas dinner.  We worked in the yard together.  We looked at Christmas lights.  We had a movie night.  We snuggled, read books, and enjoyed being together.  Hooray for Christmas vacation!      

At Year End

The year is almost over, and while I don't intend to play catch-up for the last month, I will offer a few final comments.

"It was all worth it in the end" seems an apt summary of my year.  The first five months of 2013, I felt lousy with early pregnancy nausea, but knowing that we were welcoming another precious member into our family, made it all worth it.  My patience was rewarded by letting Maren arrive on her timetable--twelve days late--perfectly healthy and beautiful.  Our (seemingly endless) home search in a seller's market was frustrating, but our patience and persistence, and many, many prayers were rewarded by finding a house that has turned out to be practically perfect for us.  The weeks of construction dust and chaos and long tiring days with a scrub brush and paint scraper were worth it when we finally moved into a house re-made.  Ezra's "new everything" adjustments and extreme baby jealousy behaviors were all worth it when we saw his positive progress in the end.  Hopefully, in these various challenges, I was able to enjoy the journey, as well as the final result.  It was certainly a year of putting my trust and faith in God.     

Maren: Giggle Monster

Maren has turned into a giggle monster.  She is highly amused by most anything, especially Ezra antics.  She thinks it is hilarious when Ezra throws blankets in the air.  Go figure.  She laughs when I make animal noises.  She laughs at silly songs.  She laughs when I look at her with a funny face.  And, she loves being tickled.

She is officially an adorable chunk, measuring in the 95th percentile for height and weight, and in the 99th percentile for head circumference.  But, I didn't need a doctor to tell me that, my newly developed arm muscles are testimonial enough for me.  

Maren seems to be more physically active then Ezra was at a similar age.  She is very antsy if made to sit on a lap, and will try to turn, push, roll, squirm, and wiggle free.  While lying on her back, Maren will either hold her legs straight up in the air or arch her back and neck and attempt to roll over.

She has been diagnosed with some minor torticollis, or in other words, stiff neck muscles and joints that make turning or reaching left difficult.  She and I met with a pediatric physical therapist and have been working on a few simple exercises to help the situation.  She seems to be making some small improvements, and despite the discomfort she is probably feeling, works incredibly hard to move her little body. 

She is getting better control of her hand reflexes and will now pat mt cheek, grab my nose, and pull my hair when I hold her.  Recently, while sitting on my lap, she grabbed my bowl of soup, which--luckily--was only lukewarm, and dumped it on me.  She is teething now, and pulls in her bottom lip to massage her gums.  She is very keen on the pacifier too, for the same reason.        

Ezra's Latest

Ezra talks with confidence about all manner of things, but he has one funny quirk.  The letter "s" is a little tricky for him to pronounce, which makes for some funny conversations.  For example:

"Mommy, can I have a quirt?" [squirt] (when he wants to wash his hands)
"We can't watch the cary [scary] movie with monsters, Maren no like it."
"Ezra need a poon [spoon] to eat mac-and-cheese."

His responses to things keep me laughing:
Mommy: "Ezra do you want to get ready for bed?"
Ezra: "No.  Ezra need to put on Mommy shoes and go shopping at Costco."

Ezra does not like to be alone.  If I am upstairs nursing Maren, Ezra will gather up a small collection of cars, stuffed animals, and blankets, and play in the room with me.  If I go downstairs for any length of time, Ezra and the little pile of toys comes too.  I often have to tell him how soon I will be back, so he doesn't play the part of nomad unnecessarily.
 

His imaginative play incorporated many aspects of the Nativity story this month as we repeatedly watched movies, read books, sang songs, and acted out Jesus' arrival in Bethlehem.  For example, instead of riding Mommy-the-horse, I became Mommy-the-donkey or Mommy-the-camel.  Bear was often found in swaddling clothes.  Any kind of blanket, towel, or sheet draped on his head made him a shepherd (and I became Mary).  A pile of pillows became his hay for baby Jesus.  And, if something was lost in the house (me, for instance), he would exclaim, upon finding me, "Mommy, Ezra followed the tar [star] to find you!"

Ezra has been quite motherly with Bear lately.  I often see him nursing Bear--shirt yanked up and all.  He will randomly exclaim, "Oh Bear, you tinky [stinky], you need a change!"  Or, at other times, "Oh, goodness, you have big burp Bear."  It is not uncommon to have three little people in line for a diaper change and clothes in the morning: Maren, Ezra, and Bear.

Ezra liked Christmas and the opening of presents, but if I was anticipating an exuberant, emotional display of glee, I was sorely disappointed.  I think the extent of his excitement amounted to varying degrees of "Oh!" and some raised eyebrows.  Funny kid.  When all was said and done, his favorite Christmas gift was the 99 cent Matchbox car in his stocking.  Easy to please, simple, content--I like it. 

Progress!

I have so many wonderful, positive things to report about Ezra!  He is in a much better place; he has made some nice progress in recent weeks, especially in regards to Maren.  He also loves nursery again, and doesn't have as much anxiety in new situations.

He is an astute observer, and has picked up a number of social cues from us about how to respond to Maren.  These were not taught, just absorbed by our watchful little toddler.  For example:

When he hears Maren cry, he will immediately stop what he is doing, and rush to where she is and reassure her, "It's OK baby, big brother here.  Don't be sad."

When she is struggling to hold her head up during tummy time, Ezra offers kind encouragement, "You can do it, baby!"

When he is near her and she spits up, or blows bubbles and drools, Ezra will quickly grab a blanket or a wipe, dab her chin saying, "You pit [spit] up baby.  Ezra clean it.  All better baby!"

He likes to sit by her now.  He sometimes wants to snuggle with her.  He likes to watch her vocalize.  He brings his books and cars so he can have show-and-tell time with Maren.  He tries to put the pacifier back in her mouth if she loses it.  Often, when he wakes up in the morning or wakes up from an afternoon nap, he wants to see Maren.  He even occasionally shares Bear with Maren (for a brief minute or two).

A few weeks ago I caught an Ezra-Maren spontaneous moment on camera that delighted me.  Ezra was on the couch reading his Friend magazine.  Maren was on the floor on a blanket.  Both were quite content, amusing themselves independently.  Then, of his own accord, Ezra decided to share some magazine stories with Maren.  So, he left the couch and laid down beside her, "reading" almost half the magazine to her.  Precious.

Ezra and I had this conversation earlier this week: 
He did something that I thought was quite clever, so I said to him, "Ezra, you're sharp."
Ezra had a puzzled look on his face, and after a brief pause he said, "Mommy, Ezra not a shark.  Ezra a boy." 
I laughed.  And then he added with a smile, "Ezra a handsome boy."

Here is another, Ezra-is-observant-we-didn't-teach-him-this moment:
Almost every night at dinner, Ezra will ask Daddy, "Daddy, how your day?"
Daddy will respond.  If Daddy doesn't immediately return the question, Ezra will remind him of his polite social manners: "Daddy, now you say 'Ezra, how your day?'"

Funny kid.  We love him! 

Three Months: Observations

• Our little sweetie girl is growing and changing!  She loves the mirror and will coo and babble at her own reflection for a good while.  She craves seeing people, and will often immediately calm at the sight of a happy face.  She is very social, and even when she is quite hungry, wants to talk first, until she remember how hungry she is, and then gets down to business.
• She shows interest in toys, and is especially taken with a brightly, colored butterfly we received from Dallin's co-workers.  She is interested in unique sounds: jingle bells, rattles, squeaky toys, and seems to love to hear Daddy play violin.  
• Earlier this month Maren discovered her arm and fist, and would watch it move in the air above her head.  More recently, she has discovered how to bring her hands together in front of her chest and interlock her little fingers.  She is developing more fine motor control!
• Tummy-time is not a favorite, but she is improving her upper-body strength slowly.  She has a decided preference for her right side, and often topples to the right because she puts all her weight on that side.  So, she is rolling over, accidentally.  

• Maren still hates hats, hair-bows, and headbands.  If you want to make Maren mad, any head ornament will do the trick.
• The baby laughs!  She is ticklish along her jawbone, cheeks, and earlobes.  She always laughs when I pretend to eat her little chubby cheeks.
• She is sleeping through the night now, about five days out of a week.  She usually nods off at 10:30 and sleeps through until 7:30 or so.  However, she will sometimes go twelve hours straight without a nap during the day, which is rather exhausting.  Or, she will nap two or three times, 20 minutes at a time, and want to be talked to and played with all the rest of the time.  Lately, any Maren nap is cause for celebration (like right now!)
• She still has her wavy, crazy adorable hair that seems to have the very slightest reddish tint.  Her eyes are still a beautiful, clear blue, and I think it is the color they will stay.  (At three months, Ezra's eyes were decidedly dark green.)
  
        

Bedtime Magic

Dallin made a little magic at our house last night.

Here's the scene: Cute kids are in pajamas, ready for bedtime.  Maren is snuggled up in blankets, propped up on the couch.  Ezra scurries upstairs to get his blanket so he can snuggle next to baby (yep, that's right, he wanted to snuggle next to baby!)  Daddy pulls out his violin and for at least fifteen minutes, both Ezra and Maren are perfectly mesmerized by the spontaneous musical performance.  No talking, no crying, no wiggling, just listening.  After a while, Ezra broke free of the musical spell and was giving Maren some cute commentary:

"Maren, see Daddy play violin for us?  Nice muse-gick (music).  Yah."

A little later I ran upstairs for the camera and Ezra had this commentary for Maren,

"Maren, see Mommy take picture with camera?  Yah.  Say cheese Maren."

Daddy finished his playing.  We clapped with great gusto.  He took a bow.  An encore was requested, and played.  And then, my docile little troop went upstairs and brushed teeth.

p.s.--I have been trying to play my clarinet more often, and I have never gotten that kind of positive response.  If I remember correctly, the last time I played, Ezra was running around the room in circles, and Maren was crying.  Daddy has the magic touch; his playing certainly won my heart.

Ta-Da!

Maren is almost 2 1/2 months, and we finally got some sibling pictures!  We tried it for the first time after our ward trunk-or-treat party when Ezra was distracted by a lollipop.  On Sunday we tried it again, this time with a pumpkin muffin as distraction.  It worked pretty well.  I have great respect for professional children's photographers!  I think these few pictures represent our best out of 25 tries.

 

Little Moments

Last night Maren had a first.  She laughed.  Not a half-chuckle, but a true all-out laugh, and it was in response to Ezra!

Daddy was at a stake orchestra rehearsal, so just the three of us were doing our bedtime routine.  After Book of Mormon reading, we sang songs.  Ezra was very animated and chattering between songs about construction sites, and muffins, and the moose at Cabela's.  Maren was grinning and cooing at him, highly entertained by his silly jabbering.  And then, Ezra did something--I'm not even sure what--and Maren let out the most beautiful delighted laugh.  It was only a moment, but what a moment!  I think better days are coming.  Maren loves Ezra!  Maren enjoys Ezra's company!  Perhaps in a coming day Ezra was realize that Maren is wonderful too.   

Success!

Today I was forced to endure a strange sort of torture--a trip to the DMV with two children.  When we arrived, I pulled number 169 from the ticket dispenser; the electronic screen showed the current number as 102.  After thirty minutes of waiting, a crying baby, and an exasperated toddler, I realized I had grabbed the wrong piece of paperwork.  Dejected, we went home and had lunch.  After lunch, I took a deep breath, cinched up my belt and tried again.  This time we went to a different office, with slightly shorter lines.  

By the time our turn came up, Ezra was ready to burst with frustration.  Three times while I was at the counter, he ran out the front door and into the lobby.  By that time, Maren had had it too.  I had Ezra (the 30-pound bucking bronco) in one arm, while I bounced Maren in the car seat with the other arm.  Somehow, I was also trying to carry on a civilized conversation with the woman employee behind the desk, provide the required paperwork, and put my signature on a piece of paper.

Despite the fact that I looked like a frantic mother with an out-of-control toddler and a screaming baby, I felt like a conquering hero.  We had a successful DMV visit, and it only took two tries!  And, unless we decide to buy another vehicle, it will be a very long time before I have to do that again.

As an added perk, I also got a nice bicep workout.    

Kudos to You

My mom is like most good mothers I know; she is highly interested in the health, well-being, and happiness of her children (whether or not they recognize it as such), but most of the time her efforts receive little praise or thanks.  My mom is also unlikely to toot her own horn.  So, it seems appropriate to toot a horn in her behalf.

My dad and sisters flew in for a quick weekend visit in late September, but my mom stayed for another full week after they left.  She read to Ezra, tickled Ezra, cuddled Ezra, listened to Ezra, and did a dozen other all-star Grandma things for my sweet (needy) boy.  She spent cuddly time with little Maren too.  She cooked dinners, washed dishes, mended clothes, did laundry, helped me run errands, worked in the yard, and watched kids so I could take naps.  We went on outings to the zoo and the children's museum together.  She baked us a homemade apple pie.  She gave me time to go to the temple.

And, she helped me with one of my many wouldn't-it-be-nice-if-I-had-the-time projects.  The kid bedrooms in our house face full west.  The light intensity in the late afternoon even with plantation shutters is intense.  I thought it might be nice to put up curtains, which would help with the heat in the summer and cold in the winter.

My mom happened to have two panels of nearly brand new curtains that my Grandma had made for her house shortly before she passed away.  She was an expert seamstress and the curtains are heavy duty and finely made.  My mom had them stored away for a future need.  She brought them along in her suitcase, just in case.

As luck would have it, the cream and sage green curtains matched very nicely with the existing pastel color scheme in Maren's room.  The other panel, which was also cream and sage green, was retrofitted by my mom with some lovely fine wale chocolate brown corduroy.  (I am in the process of making a new brown, green, and blue patchwork quilt for Ezra that will match the newly installed curtains.)  Not only did she give me the beautiful curtains, which saved me time and money, she retrofitted the curtain for Ezra's room, and then hung rods for them.

I probably could have made curtains, and I probably could have gotten them hung, but it would probably be another six months from now.  So, thanks Mom.  Thanks for the visit.  Thanks for the fun outings.  Thanks for the Grandma snuggles.  Thanks for the naps.  Thanks for the curtains.  Thanks for everything.             

Mohawk Maren

Do you believe me when I say that this is her natural look? 

The more I comb, the more it stands up.  She is quite opposed to any and all hair or head accessories; she turns beet red, shakes her head, and squawks until they are removed.  So, I am embracing the hair, and letting it do its thing.  She will most certainly have bragging rights for coolest baby hair!

More Fun with Family

Before my Dad and sisters flew back home on Monday afternoon, we had a little more family time together.  Ezra craved all the attention from the extra guests.  Interestingly enough, Bear was all but forgotten for most of the weekend.  Why cuddle with stuffed animal friends when you have two lovely aunts, and two adoring grandparents at your disposal?

Our first outing on Monday morning was a field trip to the alpine forest, err...the local Cabela's, just up the road from our house.  We might as well have been in the mountains, the hunting-boating-fishing-camping-shooting everything store boasts an impressive taxidermic wonderland.   We got up close and personal with deer, cougar, bear, mountain goat, wolf, polar bear, and moose--to name a few.  Ezra was awestruck.  He still talks about the moose.

Maren's Baby Blessing

So many wonderful things are happening around here!  Like this:

The last Sunday in September we blessed Maren at church.  There were two other babies being blessed the same Sunday, and since that time, two more women in our ward have had babies, with another due in late October.  Hurray for babies, and crowded mother's nursing rooms.  The more the merrier! 

Maren wore the same blessing dress that I wore as a wee one.  Does that make it vintage?  Certainly nostalgic for my parents, who were able to fly in for the weekend, along with two of my sisters.  Sunday morning was busy as six adults and two little people scurried around our little house getting ready for nine o'clock church.  My Maren soothing-feeding-changing-burping-cuddling efforts were successful.  She was content, drowsy, dry, and free of bubbles when Daddy took her up to be blessed.  Both grandpas, an uncle, and daddy were in the circle for the blessing.

After church we hosted a lunch for Quinn and Mara and their family, and for my parents and sisters.  It felt wonderful to have a house full of family!  We attempted a group picture, which is getting more and more difficult.  This is the best of our seven attempts.  As my mom said, "It's history."  Ezra had to be held in place and tickled frantically to produce any kind of successful result.  Not bad, not bad.
            

After food was a much needed boy cousin romp in the back yard.  Our yard is kind of shabby right now, but I think the dirt, weeds, rocks, and sticks made it all the better for three active boys.  Their antics were highly entertaining!  Here are some favorite candid shots:

Just Pretend

Ezra spends a good deal of time in the Imagi-Nation lately.  His creativity and conversations with Bear and others are so fun to watch and hear.

Ezra likes to "go to work" with bag slung over a shoulder and his "cell phone" (Daddy's shaver cord attachment).  His "work" involves skyping at the computer and talking on the phone.  Bear is his silent and studious co-worker.

Ezra is "working."  The computer is off, but his imagination is not.

Mimicking animals is another favorite activity.

"Ezra tiger.  Roar!"
"Ezra whale.  Splash!"
"Ezra bunny.  Hop!"
"Ezra horse.  Neigh-neigh!"
"Ezra baboon."  He wasn't quite sure how to act for that last one, but seemed very pleased with himself for coming up with it.  Dallin and I thought so too!

 For the past three days, he has been making "mango soup".  We haven't eaten mangos in this house for several months, so the recipe was completely his own.  Give him a mixing bowl and a spoon, and he is in earnest.  His soup kitchen is open to all.  He is constantly perfecting the concoction; he cups his hands and measures out various imaginary additions that are added to the bowl and stirred in (pepper, milk, ham and cheese, among others).  I am one of Ezra's taste testers, and I give my compliments to the chef--he makes a very tasty mango soup.

Bear is Ezra's "yes" man.  Ezra speaks for himself and Bear.  The funny part is Ezra changes the tone in his voice slightly when he answers for Bear in the affirmative, as if Bear really were talking with him.  Conversations go like this:

"Bear eat mango soup?"
"Yes."
"Bear poop, need change?"
"Yes." 
"Bear listen story with us?"
"Yes."
"Bear like mac-cheese.  Have some?"
"Yes."
"Bear love Ezra?"
"Yes."

This morning at bath-time, I stepped out of the room to change Maren.  A minute later I heard Ezra choke and sputter on some water.  I peeked into the bathroom.

"Are you alright?" I asked.
"Yah...No issues mommy.  No issues," he said with a grin.
I bust out laughing.  Where did he pick that up? 

Ezra, Bear, and the "little friends" (two small bears, a monkey, a frog, a rabbit, and a rubber duck) hang out in Ezra's crib during nap time.  Often, Ezra wakes up and will play with all these friends in his crib, chattering on contentedly for more than 30 minutes post-nap.  The other day he was so into his play that I walked into his room and stood next to his crib before he noticed me.  He screamed in surprise and then giggled excitedly.

Ezra having a picnic with Bear and the little friends.

Courage

Last year I made a Gospel ABC book for Ezra.  On the "C is for Courage" page, I chose to use this painting of Abinadi before wicked King Noah.  Ezra likes to look at the "courage" page and talk about this special man.  As I have simplified the message of Abinadi to the level of a toddler, its message has touched me more deeply.

We don't know much about Abinadi as recorded in The Book of Mormon.  His life and mission comprise just a few short chapters.  He receives a special assignment to cry repentance to a sinful people.  He reminds them of the commandments of God, specifically the Ten Commandments that Moses received on Mount Sinai.  He bears witness of Jesus Christ in powerful, vibrant words of pure testimony.  His message is almost wholeheartedly rejected.    He is condemned to death by fire for his convictions.

I am impressed by Abinadi's willingness, even when his life is at stake, to fulfill his duty, and hold his ground.  King Noah offers to release Abinadi if he will recall all the words he taught.  Abinadi courageously responds:

 "I say unto you, I will not recall the words which I have spoken unto you concerning this people, for they are true; and that ye may know of their surety I have suffered myself that I have fallen into your hands.

Yea, and I will suffer even until death, and I will not recall my words, and they shall stand as a testimony against you. And if ye slay me ye will shed innocent blood, and this shall also stand as a testimony against you at the last day" (Mosiah 17:9-10).

Abinadi must have thought his mission was a failure.  He probably did not realize that the one man who believed his words, Alma, a priest in King Noah's court, would write down all of Abinadi's words.  This same Alma would later repent of his sins, and begin to teach Abinadi's words to anyone who would listen.  Miraculously, Abinadi's single convert helped to bring about 450 people to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  And, he also changed the rest of the history of The Book of Mormon. 

Abinadi's example encourages me to remember these words from the Doctrine & Covenants, "Shall we not go on in so great a cause?  Go forward and not backward.  Courage...and on, on to the victory!"  I hope that I can, and that I will. 

One Month Old: Observations

• Maren is a great eater.  She is probably approaching ten pounds already.  Hence, the chubby cheek smirk pictured here.  She likes to do feeding frenzies, though, feeding off and on in snack-size portions for three to four hour stints that sort of drives me crazy.  
• Her hair is naturally poofy and wavy.  A lady at church asked me if I put product in it--hah!  This low-maintenance momma doesn't even own a bottle of hairspray.  Maren's hair started out black, with some lighter highlights, and has already lightened significantly.  I think she will be a blonde like big brother.  
•   The pediatrician noted that she is likely to be a chatty Cathy based on her variety and quantity of noises: cooing, grunting, whistling, sighing, squeaking, singing, etc.  Big brother is highly verbal, so she is exposed to a lot.  
• She loves faces, as I am sure most babies do.  She will quiet almost instantly if she sees a face.  Maren has also started to track my movement with her eyes, following me as I move or turn.  I imagine that means her vision is improving.  
• She has already started to smile!  Her smiles are brief and usually so quick I don't have time to grab a camera.  Ezra was smiling consistently by 1.5 months, so I am sure I will get a picture soon.  She is also right on the verge of having baby talk conversations.  She gets this look on her face like she has something to say, and wants to say it, if she could only get her mouth to cooperate.
• We transitioned from sink-side washcloth baths to baby tub baths to her great relief.  The washcloth baths were some strange sort of baby torture that made her scream from beginning to end.  She loves the tub and seems very relaxed during her little spa treatment.
• Lately she wants to feed every 2 hours all through the night.  She usually wakes up from her morning nap around 2 pm, right when Ezra is going down for a nap.  (So I usually don't get a nap).  My sleep patterns are all wacky, but somehow my body is adjusting.
• She's a beauty.  We are so grateful for Maren in our family. 

Late Night Blessings

Ezra is sick (again).  The nasty viral infection that started before Maren was born finally dwindled down to almost nothing for about four days, and has resurfaced with a vengeance.  He coughed most of the night last night.  Sometime around midnight I went in with some water.  Ezra was sitting cross-legged in the crib rubbing Bear's back methodically. 

In between coughing spells he requested "songs."  I started with "I Am a Child of God", which he asked me to sing six times over.  Sometime in the middle of "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus" Ezra quietly said, "Jesus loves Ezra."  Of course he does!  How easy it is to forget such a beautiful, simple truth.  Oh the faith of little children! 

Daddy came in and gave Ezra a blessing.  I told Ezra to hold still so Daddy could put hands on head, like Jesus.  "Hands on head," he said smiling, touching his head.  He folded his arms and sat perfectly still through the entire thing.  We talked and snuggled some more, and finally all went back to bed an hour later.

Angels attended to Maren while we were occupied with Ezra.  Normally, she should have been awake and needing a feeding at the same time.  Last night, however, she slept three hours longer than usual, and when she did wake up, she fed efficiently and fell back to sleep almost immediately.  Tender mercies.  I am counting my blessings; any bit of extra sleep is indeed a tender mercy.           

My Ezra Boy

When I was in the hospital after delivering Maren, I was surprised at how much I longed to see Ezra.  We had only been apart for one day, but I could hardly wait until he came for a visit with Grandma.  Grumpy toddler moments, notwithstanding, he is my darling boy, and I love being his mommy.  Two years with him has created an incredible bond, something that I have yet to feel with Maren.  He and I have had such wonderful times together!   

I struggle to find that Ezra-Maren attention balance, but books are still a mommy-Ezra favorite, so for right now, at every possible opportunity, we read together.  Reading books is even possible while nursing Maren, which is usually when he feels most in need of snuggling.

Ezra has been much more emotional lately.  He requests, "Hold you"  or "Carry you" constantly.  He also has had more social fears and separation anxiety.  Nursery, which used to be something he anticipated all week, is now a sobbing, death-grip-on-mommy, traumatic weekly event.

Daddy has been an angel during this time.  Ezra has bonded in significant ways with him, which is wonderful to see.  He and daddy have "piano lessons", bike rides, and couch snuggle time watching the news.  On weekends Dallin is a gem to let me sleep a bit more while he and Ezra get breakfast together.

Ezra continues to grow and develop.  He has an occasional interest in trying to go "tinkle".  He makes efforts to "do it by self" (brushing his own teeth, climbing in and out of his high chair, taking shoes off, washing hands, etc.)  He likes to pick out his own clothes, which usually means he wants to wear his burgundy race car shirt everyday, and no pants. 

Although it is very slow in coming, he is starting to make some small connections between his emotions and his behavior.  After I get hit for some provocation of one kind or another (ie, time to get out of the van), he will often say, almost immediately, "Bad choice.  No hit."  On other occasions, Ezra will hit me, and then say, "Mommy sad.  Sorry Mommy."  What a beautiful thing to see progress!

A few days ago my cheap fulfilled-their-useable-life sunglasses got broken by my exuberant toddler.  Ezra and Bear brought the broken sunglasses to me sheepishly.  "Glasses fragile," Ezra said.  "Bear kiss it," which Bear proceeded to do.  (No change in status of sunglasses).  "Bear hug it,"  which Bear also proceeded to do.  "All better," Ezra assured me, handing me the broken pieces.
                

Little Angel

One of my new friends is a professional newborn photographer.  She requested the opportunity to have a Maren photo session.  We went to her in-home studio earlier this week; a magical room filled from floor to ceiling with baby hats, bows, wraps, blankets, and props.  Five hours later we finished.  She is passionate about her work...and oh so patient.  She sent me a sneak peek of some of her favorites.  The full photo-shopped CD will come in a few weeks.

Here is my little Maren looking perfectly angelic: