Here are just a few pictures and videos of what we've been up to lately.
Ezra is almost 17 months, and this month has come with a need to be with his mom. This is how we are much of the day...I'm trying to get things done and he wants to be held.
Ezra LOVES to read these days. He will come up to you over and over again saying, "Book? Book?" and bring you book after book and sit in your lap to read. He wants to be in the middle of everything we are doing. He talks and talks and talks, and it's obvious he has something to say, he just can't get out the right words yet. Soon enough though, I'm sure. He adds a word or two to his vocabulary every day, with the most used word this month being "pass?" as in he wants his pacifier.
I have some hand-me-down shoes in his closet from his cousin Kellen and some other friends, and Ezra found these shoes which are about 5 sizes too big.
Sweet picture that dad took when they were here for Thanksgiving.
This month (last week actually) brought Ezra's first real sickness (more than just a cold or runny nose). He had a low-grade fever for days and also had a stomach bug (which he passed along to us). After a few days of just extra clingy and fussy behavior, we saw his pediatrician who confirmed that he also had an ear infection. After a couple days of antibiotics, he is back to his happy self.
These days, Ezra has a lot of ups and downs. When he is happy and having fun, he is VERY happy. But when something isn't going his way, he is very dramatic and throws tantrums. Such is the life of a toddler who can't yet communicate what they want. Although most of the time he just wants something he can't have, like to get in the refrigerator and empty all the shelves or take all the DVDs out of the bottom of the entertainment center.
He has started to communicate even better. He points out lots of things, especially dogs and ducks. He can now sign and say "more," and he can also say "ice," "baby," "bath," and "whoa" which is what I say every time he falls or slips, and he repeats. Some words he tries, but isn't quite there yet--like "oosh" for "shoe." He also likes to clap his hands during "If you're happy and you know it" and do the hand motions for "patty cake." He also takes commands better, like if I ask if he wants to take a bath, he goes directly to the bathtub. If I say it's time for a nap (and he's in the mood), he gets his pacifier and little blanket and walks to his crib. This is great, except it makes it even more frustrating now that I know that he understands a lot of what I'm saying and deliberately disobeys. One of his favorite naughty things to do is play with the toilet handle, toilet seat, toilet water, etc. etc. When I say no he just looks at me and laughs. It is kind of funny, but I have to be the disciplinarian.
His eating is very sporadic as far as what he likes. Since we've gone through a few days of sickness, he hasn't eaten much, but his staples are pasta, grapes, bananas, cheerios, pancakes, waffles, animal crackers, blueberries, green beans, and every once in a while something I make, but he's leery of foods that are mixed together (like a stew or enchiladas or something). He does like chick-fil-a chicken nuggets too, which I guess if you are feeding your kid fast food that is one of the better ones. He is also particular about the order that we put things on his tray. For example, if we put his milk on his tray before his food, and he is really hungry, he throws his cup on the floor angrily. Yeah. That is a lot of fun.
One other funny thing that Ezra does these days: we don't have carpet in our house, just wood and tile, so if there is any dirt or crumbs on the floor, you can tell if you have bare feet. Ezra walks around barefoot all day long, but lately he has started to abruptly sit down and analyze the bottom of his feet to see what is stuck there. It's a little blow to my ego, that my 17-month-old is so critical of my housekeeping skills. :)
Here are some videos...
Eating with a fork from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.
These next couple are taken on my iphone. With the iphone, you can flip the view so you can actually see yourself while you're videotaping. Ezra loves to look at himself in the view while I'm taping...that's why he's saying "hi" so enthusiastically.
Hi! Hi! HI! from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.
Last week our friends Jeff and Elena watched Ezra for a little bit while Chad and I went to dinner. Ezra and their son Aiden are a month apart and are buddies. Everytime Ezra sees Aiden he gets very happy. Here they are while Ezra lovingly pats Aiden on the head.
Besties from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.
Here Ezra is showing off his skills...signing and saying more, and also saying "ice" which I think he says so cute with a little lisp.
More ice from Lesley Montandon on Vimeo.
As for the adults in the family, Chad is working working working and schooling schooling schooling. He is very busy. The stomach bug didn't help the fact that he has a paper/project due the day after Christmas. They don't get a Christmas break at Chad's school. One of his classes spans the holidays. I have been working hard to organize and clean the house. I started the "fly lady" system and have been donating and throwing things away like crazy, cleaning and cleaning some more, making to-do lists and crossing everything off every day (today on my to-do list was post to the blog and upload videos. DONE!), and generally just trying to keep a more organized and clean house. It doesn't leave much free time but the house feels a lot calmer and less chaotic, and I'm able to relax in the evenings.
Merry Christmas everyone! I'll blog again after the holidays.
Opening presents at home before leaving for mom's.
It's hard to exaggerate how much Ezra loves books these days. I found him in the middle of the hallway. He saw a book on the floor and had to stop to sit and read it.
My mom lives out in the country, right across the street from my grandparents' old house. While we were there we wandered around the land and went to a place that my mom and her friends used to call the "badlands" when she was growing up where they used to go and find fossils (her grandparents lived on that same land too). Her neighbor leases the land to raise cattle, and here are a few checking us out as we head to the badlands. On another note, we also walked back on the property behind grandmother & granddad's old barn, and found the big tank where my grandmother used to take me to fish. Fun memories.
Ezra didn't last long in the wagon.
Cousins: My sister's three kids, Bonnie, Kellen, and Noelle, and Ezra. This was seriously the best picture I got of them all weekend. Kellen and Bonnie are pretty compliant but the other two are a different story.
We found some fossils! Success!
Walking back from the badlands
