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.