Alrighty, here is the fourth and final Ezra update for this week. Hooray! It also covers some of the things we've done as a family these last couple weeks. This post is very picture and video heavy so I'm just going to jump into it.
January 16
I'm starting this post off with this video solely for chronology's sake. Don't let it depress you. :)
Here Ezra is complaining about naptime. He has been trying so hard lately to stay awake when he is tired. He has also been developing his little sad emotions, which run their course when I take something away that he wants to play with, my phone for instance, or when I put him down for a nap. If he's on his tummy, he'll put his arms, legs, and little head down on the floor and just cry. If he's on his back, he'll do this.
Of course he was much happier when Daddy came home.
January 17
He thinks he's in training for a mariachi band. He is hoping to specialize in the tambourine.
This one's cute. If you're only going to watch a couple, watch this one. We got him some teething toys from the dollar store that he loves (for the last two months he has been showing all signs of teething but no signs of teeth!). We throw them in the fridge, and he loves to suck on them.
His absolute favorite new activity (Daddy's idea) is playing in all of the toys of his tipped-over toybox. He likes playing with one toy, then moving on. He is always busy.
His favorite toys, believe it or not, are his books. He loves flipping the pages.
He also loves our cameras. He is always interested when they are out.
So Tanner and I are in a month-long weight-loss competition with several members of his extended family. (We have been doing AWESOME--have you noticed how skinny we are getting?) :) Anyways, it has motivated us to take some walks we might not otherwise have taken. Last week, we walked over to a state park about a half mile from our house. We got to walk across the draw-bridge when it was up. (It was cool and we kissed on the bridge.) And the park was beautiful.
What are those ancient sea-creature fossil things? We played on the rocks by the ocean and found some! For some reason, I like looking at these even more than the dinosaur bones in fossil exhibits. I had no idea they were still around.
Ezra had a great time at the seashore.
And Tanner actually got a couple pictures of me with my baby!
Ezra is my best little cuddle-buddy.
One cool thing about this bay is that Tanner and I were able to come kayaking here a year ago on our anniversary when he came to interview for Barry. It was fun to be here together again from a different perspective.
Just another pretty view
We saw a raccoon on our way out! I was pretty scared it would attack us but Tanner told me we'd be fine. At least long enough to get a couple pictures.
January 18
I love this video. It's short but sweet. Ezra always calms way down when it is time to eat, but here he is super chill.
Still loving the tipped-over toybox.
I found an online printable coupon to get dipped pineapples at Edible Arrangements. We went, and were both able to get one. They were huge! And delicious. They were one of our few deviations from our diet this month.
January 19
Another army-crawl video for those who think it's as cute as I do.
January 20
So, not sure if you knew this, but Tanner and I are nerds. One nerdy thing we like to do is play games. Our friends, Trent and Star, introduced us to this wonderfully intricate and nerdy game called Kingsburg. Once we figured it out (it took a while), we were hooked.
January 22
Ezra was very, very busy this day. Here are some of the things he did:
1. Watched Baby Einstein, sitting up and using his arms to balance himself
2. Tried tipping over the toy box all by himself
3. Pulled off several leaves from our plant and sucked on the branches
4. Watched cars out the window
5. Ate applesauce for the very first time.
Gosh, I love this baby!
January 25
The next weekend, we went on another adventure, this time to the Deering Estate.
Ezra loves being in his baby carrier. He didn't get bored or need to play with toys all day because he just likes being in it so much. He loves when we walk around and he gets to see so many new things as well.
This was the original front yard of the Deering Estate, meant to be reached by boat, as roads weren't fully developed at the time of construction. It was perhaps the most peaceful front yard ever. If I had lived here, I just might have spent all of my time on the dock.
Leaning forward from where I was sitting in the last picture, this is what I saw.
As always in every Floridian park, there was a Mangrove walk, an elevated wooden path through the mangrove swamps. I almost jumped over the railing when I just about walked into this snake. I was ready to bolt but Tanner just wanted to take pictures. After he took a couple, I got braver, and these are what I took.
We went on a tour of some of the natural areas that was really cool. Here is Tanner next to a strangler fig, a fig that birds eat and spread its seeds by pooping on the branches of other trees. It then starts to grow in the branches, dropping its roots to the ground, and eventually killing the tree. Also, here are some berries I found. The guide didn't know what they were, but I thought they were pretty.
Cocoon made from wild coffee leaves
Gumbo limbo tree, or the tourist tree for the way its skin peels, and more raccoons! They are apparently everywhere in Florida. Here is a momma and two babies. There was another Momma and two more babies in the woods a few feet away.
A nice German man took our picture.
Here is a small portion of one of the ceilings of the outside walk of the house, called the seashell mosaic. I wish I could've gotten a shot of the whole thing. It was really beautiful.
The ballroom
Cool 16th-century Spanish chandelier
My cute, skinny husband in front of the estate
I love this picture.
And here's our rickety attempt at a selfie in front of the ocean.
January 26
Okay, back to Ezra! He has learned to get up on his hands and knees and rock. This is one of the cutest things so far that he does. I am in love with him.
January 28
More cute rocking
And some cute laughing
And some more cute army crawling
January 30
Last but not least, Ezra is incredibly strong. Here he is doing pull-ups on his toy box. (I think he loves the box itself more than any of his toys. He is always playing with/in it.)
We noticed right away when we got back from the trip that Ezra had entered a dangerous stage. The fact that he could get around on his own definitely had me on my feet all through December, but in January, he took up an interest in electric cords and sockets, shoes and the broom, and bits of paper and plastic, or, in other words, anything that could electrocute, infect, or choke him. We've had fun baby-proofing. We want to get those little plastic things for electrical sockets, but since he goes for the cords too, we have tried to block all outlets from him with pieces of furniture. We can't leave anything he can't have on the floor, or he will get it. It makes it difficult with things like shoes, which we usually leave by the front door, or the broom, which is tucked between the fridge and the wall.
His favorite new place is the kitchen. He is always trying to get into it. He first started going in there when Tanner and I were making dinner. He wanted to know where all the fun was happening, so he scooted over, popped his little head around the wall, and smiled really big at us. But now he tries to go whether we're in there or not. I am constantly chasing him and moving him back to the rug. If he makes it to the kitchen door though, he always goes for the broom. He puts his little head up against the space between the fridge and the wall and tries to reach his little arm in. Silly baby. We love him.
January 2
Enjoying his last nap in Houston.
January 3
As good as Ezra usually is, we had to work HARD on the way home to keep him happy. He was wiggly and needed lots of love and attention.
January 7
Who doesn't love sweet potatoes?
January 8
January 11
We tried to get some selfie family pictures. They turned out really, really good.
January 13
Here's the little man crawling in action. Normally he's much faster. I think he was distracted by his screams.
Here he is after all that crawling. Sooo tired....
He had just enough strength though to find and explore more things.
This movie is definitely a "grandparents movie." It is his first time eating applesauce. If you're just casually reading this, skip ahead.
January 15
I love how much he loves his daddy. Ezra is always happy when Daddy is home. Also, isn't his little sailor outfit adorable? Another of my favorite hand-me-downs.
As always, I just had to leave you with a just plain cute pic. And he really is this adorable.
As you know, we spent the second half of December in Houston at Tanner's parents house. Ezra was super spoiled by all the attention. At home he spends a lot of time on the floor--not in Houston. He was always in someone's arms, always being played with. He had a wonderful time.
It was also really fun to see him with his cousins. They loved playing with "Baby Ezwa." Logan (4) and Reid (2) were probably his biggest fans. Logan would put his little face right up to Ezra's and say "Hi, Baby Ezwa! Hi, Baby Ezwa!" and poke him in the cheeks like I showed him (for some reason Ezra loves being poked in his chubby little cheeks). Ezra loved it. Reid was also a big supporter of Baby Ezwa. We had to intervene once or twice when he tried wrapping him up (from head to toe) like a burrito in an baby blanket, but Ezra loved the attention. Here are the pictures and movies from those two weeks:
December 18
This was Ezra's temporary bed. He loved it. He was a little sick over winter break with some congestion so we tried to keep him elevated. We propped it up on one side, so he slept on an angle.
December 20
I love his polar bear hat (Thank you, Nancy Vandre!). It was perfect for the cold (brrr!) weather in Houston. It was in the 40's and 50's some days, so we had to dress warm on walks and other outings. Tanner, Ezra, and I brought all of our winter clothes (basically all of our long sleeved shirts and a couple pairs of pants). Things change when you live in Miami.
December 21
Ezra has really missed his Coleman great grandparents ever since leaving Utah. He was so happy to see them again. Whenever Grandma or Grandpa Coleman would hold him, they would play with him, and he would just smile and smile.
December 24
One of Ezra's hobbies over the break was eating his feet. He just loves sucking on those little toes. Toes/toys = same thing. And you can take them everywhere!
Here's a little video of the little toe-sucking buggy baby for you to enjoy.
Oh and did I mention that in December he's been laughing more? He started laughing in November but really started thinking things were funny this month. Here we are throwing something up in the air (okay, it's his diaper I just changed. Gross, maybe.) and catching it. He thought it was hilarious.
Dcember 29
Just cute.
I'm telling ya, those toes are good for chewin'.
December 30
And last but not least, his bear outfit, quite possible one of my favorite hand-me-downs. And the snuggliest.
