ANNOUNCING: The Batavia Duchette!

Well, since we are no longer living in Seattle, it makes little sense to continue publishing the Seattle Duchette! So we are unveiling our new publication - The Batavia Duchette! Be sure to update your bookmarks, readers/feeds, and email filters accordingly! :)

Ezra's Hit the Double Digits - Month 10!

My goodness, Ezra's last month just zipped right by! I feel like I was just typing up his 9 month post a week ago and here he is at 10 months old already. I suspect this month and next are also going to fly right by since we will be kept so super busy with our move back home to IL! We will be planning his 1st birthday party before I know it!

Like I mentioned last month, this remains one of my favorite ages. He is still plenty little enough to (fairly) easy carry around, he likes being held, he likes to snuggle and at the same time, he is becoming very adept at moving around, exploring new toys and finding a myriad of ways to keep himself occupied. Although, one thing that did disappear this month is our morning snuggle in bed. Since becoming a little mover, he quickly gets bored and wants to get down and explore! So I'm glad that I appreciated those times as much as I could up to now.

Knowing how busy we're going to be the next several weeks, I've been trying to make a special effort to "just be" with the kids. I want to absorb and enjoy all the little things that make this time so fun and special. I think I've been doing a decent job with that so far and hopefully I can keep it up.

I won't have official stats to report until Ezra's one year appointment in August, but I can tell the kid continues to grow like a weed. :) A few of the 9 month clothes fit him, but he is definitely fitting into a lot of 12 month clothes. I need to dig up Caiden's next batch of hand me downs!

I also did a better job of tracking items of note this month as they happen AND there are tons of videos to enjoy this month! So let's get to it!

• I'd say the biggest news is Ezra started crawling June 2nd. He had been rocking for weeks, and he finally figured out the finer details of turning the rocking into forward motion. :) He started of slowly and tentatively and had a combo army crawl and up on hands and knees. Now he is all hands and knees, and he has gotten FAST! We've had to move to that next level of baby proofing which means moving the cat dishes out of the way, sorting a lot of Caiden's toys and putting those with choke-able pieces into a box and away for a "snooze," and getting extra keen about vacuuming. It's been great fun watching him get around and explore. I love watching his little behind wiggle as he motors along. (I have video of this, but you can see him crawling in some of the other clips.)
  
  
  
• Along with the crawling, he has gotten really good at moving from a sitting to crawl position and vice-versa. He's also becoming quite adept at pulling up on things and balancing on his knees. I love seeing him learning all these new skills!
• Ezra also took his first plane ride and trip to IL. We stayed with Aunt Cathy & Uncle Bryan and got to see so much family! I think he was a little overwhelmed by all the people and attention and he definitely experienced some separation anxiety, but overall he did pretty well. He also did extremely well on both flights which was a big relief for me!
  
• Another milestone he crossed is holding his sippy cup all by himself. He is so darn cute maneuvering the spout into his mouth and then peering over the cup with his big blue eyes and shaggy bangs.
• We have finally cracked the sleep code for falling asleep. The solution? He has become a pacifier kid. After his last checkup, I got to thinking about self soothing, and decided we'd try really hard with the pacifier. He has learned to actually suck on the pacifier (as opposed to chewing on it and playing with it), and it has become the bedtime miracle. No more crying at bedtime and nap time. Hooray!!!! :D
• As for the actual sleep, it has been amazing. He takes 2 naps - one in the morning for 90 min - 2 hours and another in the afternoon for 1-2 hours. He is ready for bedtime at 7 and sleeps thru the night until sometime between 7-8 the next morning. Initially he was going to bed closer to 6, but after the trip to IL, we were able to shift him to a later bedtime. The only downside with the later bedtime is that it has shifted the nap schedule in a way that makes it tough to get out of the house during the day unless we go out first thing in the morning (because of Caiden's afternoon nap). But it's ok. I can manage until it invariably changes again in a few months.
• For awhile, he would shriek and screech at mealtime. Fortunately that habit seems to be gone (for the time being anyway) and instead he just has a running commentary during mealtime. :)
  
  
  Video of Ezra Eating
  
  
  
  Ezra still loves his Mum Mums
• Still toothless. Nothing new to report there.
• His latest vocalization is a "ba ba ba" sound.
• He is the best little hugger! He'll just spontaneously lay his head on your shoulder and snuggle for a moment or two. Totally melts the heart!
• He has started clapping which is just the cutest thing!
  
  
  Video of Ezra clapping
• He also started waving (June 20) which is just adorable!
  
  
  Ezra Waving
• He seems to like musical instruments and really enjoys playing the drum. He knows how to beat on it with his hands or with another object. He also likes to clap objects together to make sounds too.
• I brought the sorting box of shapes back out of storage and he LOVES it! So does big brother, so there has been some refereeing needed to make sure fair play happens.
  
  
  Video of Caiden and Ezra sharing blocks
• Ezra totally notices the cat now. He likes to reach out and try to grab her. I think she helped motivate him to start crawling.
• We started getting rid of some baby gear he's outgrown. It has been such a bittersweet feeling for me, and sometimes I just don't understand why I have such a hard time giving up these things. 
• He's rediscovered his raspberries with a passion!
  
  
  Video of Ezra blowing raspberries
• He still enjoys reading books. His face positively lights up we read the book that shows the faces of lots of babies.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Video of Caiden Reading Brown Bear to Ezra
• He HATES getting his nose wiped off. He will scream bloody murder once you go at him with a tissue.
• He has been "sharing" toys with Caiden. Caiden is fine when Ezra hands him toys, but we have been dealing with a lot of tantrums and meltdowns when Ezra starts to play with Caiden's other toys. It has been driving me crazy, especially when Caiden takes toys away from Ezra just for the sake of not wanting him to play with them. I would love to find a way to better manage this situation.
  
  
  
  
  

That pretty much covers it for the month. It's been a fast but fun month!! Here are the links to Caiden's album and Ezra's album for more photo fun! Below are some fun shots of Ezra doing his best imitation of Ray Charles. :)

"Crisco" Cailean Tiernan

My cat died last weekend. It was late Saturday night or very early Sunday morning depending on how you look at it. Brian was home when it happened; I was out of town. We don't know for sure how it happened. Brian passed him sitting on the basement steps. He was in the office when he heard a thud and thought it was just a cat landing or something getting knocked over. A few minutes later, he found Crisco on the landing. He was not responding, not moving. We don't know if he fell and broke his neck, or if he had a heart attack, or if he had a seizure or brain aneurysm. I hope it was quick and painless. He has been sick for a long long time. The vet's best diagnosis was that he had the kitty version of Chrohn's disease. He'd go thru periods where he was largely ok, and then there would be a week or two where he'd throw up a lot. He was on a steroid to help control the throwing up, but I think the effectiveness wasn't so good anymore. We've also noticed his increasing arthritis. He would move slowly and stiffly after getting up from a nap. So perhaps his bones were growing increasingly brittle, and a bad fall did more damage than it would a healthy cat. 

I'm so sad he is gone. I am sad I didn't get to say goodbye to him. I'm sad for all the times I wasn't very nice to him. I'm sad that there will no longer be a big fat cat sitting patiently by the fridge waiting for ice; that there won't be a cat walking all over us when his food bowl is empty; that there will be no insistent lap kitty ready to snuggle up on us while we sit on the couch; that we won't have to worry about balloon string or packing tape; that we won't see a fat cat squeezing himself into a tiny box; that we won't see this big orange monster suddenly getting playful and chasing after a toy mouse; that his growing tolerance of allowing Caiden to pet or brush him is no more; that we have two cat carriers and only need one; that I won't feel his purr motor rumbling or hear is silly tiny little meow squeaking out of his huge cat bulk. These are just some of the things that I will miss about him. There are many more. And more that will hit me and wash over me in time. It's hard saying goodbye to a loved pet.

He was the first pet I picked out from a litter and cared for his entire life. He is my first pet that died unexpectedly. The house is empty without him. I keep walking around and thinking I see him out of the corner of my eye. Then I realize I will never see him out of the corner of my eye. I will never see him on the couch or chair or upstairs hallway. He will not be coming back to IL with us.

Crisco would have been 9 years old this summer. It's a short life for an indoor cat, and I think part of what makes the shock of his death even greater. We got him when he was just 10 weeks old. He was so sweet and so tiny. I took so many pictures of him. I was jealous over how much he preferred Brian to me, but in time he sought out my lap just as much as Brian's. He was my furbaby for many years. When the boys came along, both cats took a back seat in our priorities, but I still loved him dearly. He was a quirky cat, and he needed extra care, but he made sure you knew just how much he loved a warm lap.


I will miss you dearly my sweet "little tiger." I hope you are in a place free from sickness and pain. I hope there are balloon strings and catnip mice galore for you to play with. I hope there is a big lap for you to curl up on and nap. I hope there are sunbeams aplenty and no shortage of your favorite treats and food and bowls of ice.

You were loved.

Goodbye "Crisco" Cailean Tiernan.
June 2002 - June 5, 2011

Crisco's Memorial Service

  

Vintage Post: Easter Egg Decorating

**Vintage posts are entries that I am way behind in posting. :) These will be eventually refiled into the appropriate date range.**

 April 23, 2011

Last year we started the tradition of coloring Easter eggs! I learned that one dozen simply wasn't enough, so this year Caiden got to decorate 24 eggs! We also decorated on a weekend this year so that B could participate too! I stuck with the regular ol' dye set and didn't get any crazy fancy neon colors or Disney themed stuff. I also discovered that using mason jars is way cooler than mugs! Altho, getting the eggs out of the jars proved to be a little bit challenging. Next year we'll have to use the wide mouth jars! Lastly, I had the foresight to boil the eggs a few days in advance, so we didn't have to worry about taking time to cook and cool them.

Caiden had a great time picking which colors to dye his eggs and deciding how long to keep them in there. We also used the wax crayon to make special eggs for each of us. Ezra napped during the whole process, but we still made a special egg for him!

Vintage Post: Big Boy Bed

**Vintage posts are entries that I am way behind in posting. :) These will be eventually refiled into the appropriate date range.**

April 6, 2011

After our trip to Great Wolf Lodge at the end of February, we figured out that Caiden managed a big bed pretty well. I've been nervous about moving him into his own bed since it means we lose the guarantee of keeping him in bed that the crib offered. But Ezra really needs to move out of our room and into his own room (and out of the pack 'n' play), so it has become time to let go and move Caiden on to the next big step.

We've been prepping him and counting down to the big move (needed to wait until after our March and April visitors had come and gone), and the day finally arrived! B disassembled his crib, moved the former guest bed into his room and put on the Toy Story sheets we got him for his birthday. I couldn't believe how grown up his room looked with that change! But since it is a full sized bed, Caiden looked so adorably tiny in this big bed surrounded by fluffy blankets, pillows and all his stuffed animals.

I was really worried about 1) him falling out of bed and 2) him getting in and out of bed willy nilly. I asked for advice on Facebook, and our awesome friends gave me some really great ideas! One thing we did was set up strict rules about when he is allowed to get out of bed. Another thing we did was put a long body pillow along the outside edge of his bed so that he had a marker for getting to close to the edge. He did fantastically his first night as far as staying put goes. However, I think he was super excited because it took him a long time to fall asleep. The next few nights he dutifully followed the rule for staying in bed, but couldn't resist hanging out in the window that was so close to his head. One night he gave me a near heart attack when I came up to check on him only to discover him dancing on the window ledge with the window wide open (thankfully the screen was intact). This prompted a re-arrangement of the room and a search for quality window locks.

After a couple of weeks, the novelty has worn off, and he does an excellent job of going to sleep for both nap and bedtime, and he stays put. We've been fortunate that he has followed the rule for staying in bed until we come get him, and I hope he continues to do so. As for the crib, I made the mistake of forgetting to ask him if it was OK that Ezra starts sleeping there. He was a little upset at first, but after I properly asked him if he'd let Ezra sleep there, he agreed and has had no problems ever since. He's such a great little guy!! :)

What's Up on the West Coast

Blog? What's that? Oh, you mean this thing? Ohhhhh yeah! About that...

Yeah....this blog has been pretty neglected this year. It's a sad thing, and sometimes I miss making regular updates, but I seriously just haven't had the time or motivation to sit down and write. My monthly updates on Ezra are quite time intensive (they often take a good couple of hours since I am usually interrupted), and somehow I just haven't been feeling terribly inspired. I suppose I've had a fairly long list of other pursuits that have been keeping me plenty busy on top of the severe lack of sleep that Ezra has gifted us with. Thank heavens we're finally digging ourselves out of that fog (knock on wood that it lasts!).

At the very top of the Busy List is our impending move back to IL! Next weekend, Ezra and I are going back for a short trip to do some house hunting and will hopefully be coming back to WA with a signed lease. Once we secure housing, we'll be able to schedule the rest of the big items - flying the boys and me home, B and company driving the cars and cats back, and getting the movers on the calendar. Oh, and of course planning our going away shindig! I can't believe how quickly the time is coming for us to be moving back! I am VERY excited but a little nervous too. Nothing like major changes to keep you awake and thinking in the wee hours. :)

I've also been keeping busy with a few hours of contract work I've picked up. A lot of my formerly free time for the computer is now getting devoted to that work. It's really the ideal arrangement - I work when I can and I don't have to worry about compromising much of my time with the boys. I couldn't have asked for a better situation!

And of course, running a household and taking care of the boys is where I spend the most of my time. I don't often have time to myself during the day as someone is usually awake and in need of attention. I'm not complaining, but it has been a shift (and a challenge) in finding time to get things more leisurely activities done. I've also been keeping busy with baking and a new passion - couponing. Add some organizational and crafty projects to the list and you can see that doesn't leave much room for blogging and email. Like I said, I do miss it. I miss chronicling what goes on in our lives and sharing that with all of you too. I have all these pictures and videos I'd love to post, but they've been getting chucked into the backlog or squeezed into some of Ezra's regular updates. Or posted to Facebook - that's an easy one to just throw stuff up on.

Well, the whole point of my sitting down and doing a little updating was to get some of these backlogged posts up and running. So enjoy! I've missed putting up these entries, and I hope to get a little better about future updates.

Mom Prom 2011

This year I got to go to Prom! Specifically, it was the Seattle Mom Prom. My friend Ashley invited me to go along, and after I read up a little on it I thought this sounded like an incredibly fun night out! First and foremost, it is a charity event and proceeds benefit Postpartum Support International of WA. Essentially, it was a big girls' night out party. The official theme was '80s night, but both Ashley and I opted to go the more formal route.

The best part was there was no going to expensive department stores to find a fancy dress. Instead it was all about hitting up the thrift stores! I got super lucky and found the perfect dress at the first thrift store I tried. It was a gorgeous aqua and brown floor length gown complete with sparklies and a mini-train. The brown sash and sequins adorning it were what totally sold me. Oh, and the fact that it cost me $15 certainly didn't hurt either! I did get to test out my tailoring skillz on this dress too. It was just a wee bit snug, so I got some matching thread, took a deep breath and let out a couple of seams. I am thrilled to report that it was a success! And a much better fitting dress too.

I spent much of Saturday getting ready (not the WHOLE day, just bits and pieces throughout the day). I did my nails and toenails, did my own hair, did my make-up. You know, the whole shebang! I took some photos with Caiden (who will make an adorable prom date someday!), and then Ashley came over and we took some more photos together.

The Prom was in the Seattle neighborhood of Fremont at what looked like an old dance hall. The dance floor was in the main hall complete with tall ceilings, wood floor and huge windows. On the lower level, there were plenty of snacks (think slumber party snacks), the bar, a hair and make up station, professional photographer, and a table of silent auction items. We met up with some of Ashley's friends and hung out for a little while before heading upstairs to commence dancing our butts off!

To go along with the theme, they played primarily 80s music which I LOVED! I had such a blast dancing all night long! I can't remember the last time I had such a fun night out! It was just what I needed. :) Of course, it would have been an even more perfect night if Brian could have gone too, so maybe we'll just have to find a night to go out dancing together. :)

Ezra at 9 Marvelous Months

I think this has got to be one of my favorite ages. It seems that around 9 months, babies (or at least mine anyway) are suddenly more interactive, more engaging, so much fun and just plain adorable. I have such a great time playing with him, making him laugh and smile, and simply love hanging out with him! And of course it helps that he is a super smiley guy. Ezra has been busy working on so many milestones this month. He is so close to crossing them too! Somehow I didn't take many pictures this month, so I'll try and make up for that with an extra video or two.

An exciting change in our household has been the addition of our part-time nanny! Her name is Kyra (or "My-Kyra" as Caiden calls her) and she is fantastic! She is going to be a returning senior in college this year and is super passionate about kids. Both Caiden and Ezra love her, and she does such a great job with them! She comes in twice a week for a few hours on Tues and Thurs, and then every Weds night so B and I can have a regular date night. It's so great to finally have a regular sitter!

Ezra did a great job at his 9 month well baby check up! The only minor concern is his eczema. It's not too bad, but we need to treat it with some hydro-cortizone to keep it in check. Other than that, he is doing fantastically! While we were in the waiting room, a little girl was running around and very excited about "the baby" in the stroller (Ezra). Her mom and I started chatting, and she revealed that the little girl was 18 mos. She guessed Ezra was about the same age, and when I told her he was only 9 mos, her eyes widened and she exclaimed over what a big boy he is! LOL!

Here are his stats:
Weight: 20lbs, 9oz (up 2lbs even from his 6 month appt) which puts him in the 50-75%.
Height: 30in (up one inch since February) - that keeps him in the 95%!
Head: 18 inches

Now on to the highlights. I didn't do a good job "collecting" these over the month, so let's see how much I can remember.

• He is getting super close to crawling! He has been getting up on his hands and knees for the last several weeks and rocking back and forth. Recently, he pops a knee forward a little bit, but I don't think he quite realizes that he's doing it.

• Ezra's current method of getting around is "helicoptering" (to borrow a term from the Shaffers). He'll be on his belly and can do a full 360 to reach any toys in his radius. Sometimes he combines this with rolling and can cover a surprising distance!

 

• He has totally mastered sitting up and even occasionally figures out how to get to his belly from a sitting up position. Sometimes he takes a shortcut and flops on his back. :)
• There is a good chance he is working on a tooth. He has been drooling more and chewing a lot more on his thumb and pointer fingers. I don't feel anything yet, but Caiden popped his first tooth at this age, so we'll see if Ezra follows suit.
• Of course I can't resist talking about sleep, but this time it is mostly good news to report! Ezra is FINALLY consistently sleeping thru the night. I can't believe it's only been 2 weeks (feels like much longer), but it has been such a huge relief to know fairly reliably that he will stay asleep for the night. Now, some mornings he has woken abnormally early (4am) and sometimes gets himself back to sleep. Bedtime is around 6:15pm and he'll generally wake up around 6am (if all has gone well). Lately his naps have been a little off kilter in that they've been shorter than usual, but I am hoping that will resolve itself. I dislike getting up so early, but it does allow for some time in the late morning/early afternoon for Caiden, Ezra and me to get out of the house before someone needs lunch or the next nap. The one major downer with his sleep remains the issue of getting him to actually FALL asleep. He fights naps and bedtime quite a bit which still just breaks my heart some nights. The other night he took 90 minutes to finally go to bed for the night and that included 30 minutes of me trying to soothe and rock him. Even the doctor is at a loss for how to help him adjust. So I keep hoping he'll eventually grow out of it, or else we'll figure out a way to get him to happily go to sleep.
• This kid continues to eat like a horse. I swear, he's going to eat us out of house and home when he gets older. He's happy with oatmeal and applesauce at breakfast. Lunch is rye bread with an avocado & cream cheese spread, and two kinds of fruit. Dinner has been rice or noodles with chicken and veggies. And these aren't small portions either! I need to figure out some other recipes to feed him. He does also sometimes share our dinners as long as it is something that he can safely eat.
• He's been making lots of new vocalizations. Most recently he's making a "t" sound. Nothing clear just yet tho. I also thought for a little while that he was doing the sign for water. I got him to repeat the motion a few times at lunch one day, but he hasn't done it since. I keep practicing lots of signs with him tho!
• He really enjoys reading books. He likes to look at them on his own, and he'll get really excited when we sit down and read to him. I feel like I don't do as good a job reading to him as I did with Caiden, so I am trying to be more conscious of building time into our day for reading together.

 

• He's discovered he can clap toys, like his stacking cups, together and loves it! He also likes playing with his soft blocks and the little shapes that are nested inside of them.
• I'm thrilled that he still loves to cuddle and snuggle. He is super happy to sit on a lap and chew on a toy. I love spending mornings in bed with him and just snuggling. He's also got this super cute maneuver where he'll act all shy. I'll be holding him and someone will interact with him. He'll smile at them and then bury his head in my shoulder for a few seconds and then look at them and smile again. It is just the cutest thing!
  
  
  
  
• Ezra and Caiden are still getting along pretty well. Caiden likes to try and make him laugh, and Ezra adores watching Caiden do anything. A few days ago, Caiden wasn't feeling too good and getting sporadic stomach cramps. The cramps would make him cry, and one hit him while he was standing by Ezra and B. Caiden started crying, and Ezra immediately responded in kind with a huge boo boo lip and then his face crumbled into tears. I don't think I'd ever seen him react like that before! (On a side note, Caiden finally passed a big BM later that evening and felt much better, poor kid!)
  
  
  
  
  
  
• We finally got some nice enough weather to spend some time outdoors in the morning and afternoon. I set Ezra up on a blanket with some toys, and he seemed to really like it! We've also taken a couple walks to go see the horses just outside of our neighborhood. We also got a great deal on a Radio Flyer two seater wagon (which Caiden ADORES) and took the boys for a couple walks in it. Ezra has also gotten to spend some time in the swing we have hanging in the garage which he really likes!

I *think* that about covers it for the month. I wish I had done a better job of keeping track throughout the month, but I seemed to have remembered a good amount of what I wanted to share. We are looking forward to seeing lots of family next weekend when Ezra and I are in town for our house hunting trip! Updated pictures of Caiden are here and pictures of Ezra are here.

No Way! Ezra is 8 Months!!

So this month seemed to go by a lot faster than last month! I think that probably has a lot to do with all of the wonderful company we had! Karla and Katie were here in mid March. Mom followed along 10 days later along with Tara and her family! Plus we had Caiden's 3rd birthday celebration squeezed in there too. SO, we've been busy! In the midst of all that, Ezra has been keeping plenty busy doing lots of growing and mastering of milestones!

Like last month, I don't have official stats, but I can tell he is getting heavier. He is still pretty comfortable in 6-9 month clothing depending on the label. More often than not, he's wearing 9 month sized clothing.

Grandma & Ezra

 I've got lots of fun stuff to cover in the highlights, so let's get to it!

• The biggest news is that Ezra is now sleeping in a crib in his own room! We moved him on April 9th, and he has transitioned pretty well, and it has been SO nice having our bedroom back. I can actually go in my room and take a shower while Ezra is napping! Such a novelty! :)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Speaking of sleep, this has actually been a pretty decent month. He seems to have settled into a nice routine for the time being. He starts his day around 7:15am and is ready for his morning nap by 10. He'll sleep for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours and then takes his afternoon nap between 2 and 3. He'll generally wake up between 4 and 5. Bedtime is pretty consistently at 6:30 now. Most nights he wakes up either around 1am or between 4-5am for a feeding and goes back to sleep. There have been a few nights where he wakes up around 10 or 11 and fusses a bit, but then he goes back to sleep on his own. The only downer that's developed over the last couple of weeks is he gets so upset about naps and bedtime. He never goes to sleep happy which makes me sad. I really hope we can get to a point where he doesn't fuss so much about sleep. But I having this routine (finally!) has been a lifesaver for me. Having some sense of structure makes even the nighttime feedings a lot more sane in my world. Now I can more confidently predict that if I go to bed by a certain hour, I'll at least get X hours of sleep before the next day.
• Last month I mentioned that he wasn't terribly interested in rolling over, and he seemed to have forgotten how to roll from his tummy to his back. Well, wouldn't you know it, the very day after I blogged that entry the little stinker rolled over from back to tummy and resumed his tummy to back rolling! I guess he was just biding his time. LOL!
  
  

  

  His very first time rolling from back to tummy!

• Now that he is rolling, we often find him sleeping on his side or his tummy. As a result, we stopped swaddling his arms so that he can maneuver himself and not get stuck. I never know what position I am going to find him in when he is ready to get up. :) I also suspect that the pack 'n' play may have been getting uncomfortable. Because once he moved to the crib, he immediately changed his sleeping position.
• The eating has been going extremely well! So well in fact that I am virtually convinced the poor kid was starving all these months judging by the way he packs the solids in! He has scrambled eggs or a full bowl of oatmeal mixed with applesauce at breakfast. Caiden then helps ration out the Cheerios for him. Then at lunch he has bananas or lentils mixed with carrots or sweet potatoes and his Mum Mums. (And let me tell you, this boy LOVES his Mum Mums. That was his first food for self feeding. In fact, he loves them so much he thru an unholy fit at lunch one Saturday when I tried feeding him something after he already spotted the Mum Mums. That was a 30 minute screaming fit calmed only by eating his dang Mum Mums. Sigh) And dinner usually involves some sort of veggie/fruit combo. He took awhile to adjust to water, but all of the sudden one day he was totally down with it. So weird!
  
  

  

  Mmmm....Mum Mums!

  
• He has learned how to play with Caiden's old red train that spits out balls and plays music. He knows how to push the button to get it to go. It took him all of 2 minutes to figure it out!
  
  
  Video of Ezra playing with the train. If you can't see it, click here.
  
  
• He loves to click his tongue against the roof of his mouth and especially loves if you click back to him. He'll either instigate the clicks or mimic yours, and then smile and laugh.
• Tara has applied the perfect nickname to Ezra: Little Billy Goat. This kid loves to first, put anything into his mouth, and second, he loves to chew on paper, shiny objects (necklaces), hoodie draw strings, etc. He is constantly munching on his books! So the billy goat moniker fits him like a glove.
• Ezra has been working a little too hard on his pincer grip. He goes into overdrive and pinches the crap out of me while he is nursing. He'll grab my face, my nose, my skin...anything he can get a hold of. And if his nails are just the tiniest bit too long, OUCH! I can't wait for this phase to pass.
• His sitting up skills have dramatically improved. I can now sit him down on the floor and he only occasionally falls backwards. One of his recently discovered  favorite past times is to sit next to his basket full of toys and pull them out one at a time. This will keep him happily occupied for a good half hour! I just love to sit and watch him pull things out one by one and explore (i.e.: chew on) them.
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Hmmm...what to pick, what to pick...

• Ezra seems to be exercising his temper. If he is ready for a change or wants something different, he has no qualms about letting you know! Most of the time he is pretty chilled out, but boy oh boy, when that temper flares up, watch out!
• He is still such a cuddler which I just love! He will happily sit on your lap for endless amounts of time. He also really enjoys being carried around the house.

I think that about covers it for this month. Lots of big steps and plenty of fun along the way. Next month he has his 9 month check up, so I'll have some height and weight stats to post. In the meantime, have fun looking thru all the photos from this month! Here are Ezra's photos, and here are Caiden's photos.

Blowing raspberries

Pimpin' Daddy's company on his 8 month birthday