ezra: eighteen [18] months

Our littlest man is such a ham.  He's a very jolly fellow with a pleasant temperament, moving along with his brothers, definitely a part of the pack. He's more possessive of his mommy and daddy than his brothers were which is at the same time perplexing and hilarious.  When he sees his brothers cozying up with a parent, he somehow manages to squeeze right in between, do some cozying of his own, and then scamper off.

ezra at 18 months

He loves his brothers and believes he is about four years old.  He tries to make his brothers laugh by doing funny dances and making funny faces.  His antics never fail and his brothers end up in peals of laughter. He spins in circles until he's dizzy and bumps into a piece of furniture, then he laughs and continues to spin.  He loves to be outside, going up and down on the slide or swinging.  He sits on the tricycle and somehow meanders along the sidewalk

He imitates everyone around him.  He pushes toy cars around with the sweetest sound effects.  He likes to play with the toy kitchen tools and of course, all of daddy's gadgets.

i need to get my blanket just right so i can pretend to take a nap

His naughtiness is tempered with the cutest grin and if he knows you're really upset, he'll quickly back away...literally and pretend to hide even though he's right in front of you.  He pushes a chair around so that he can access whatever is supposed to be out of his reach which can get quite tiring for his mama.  He loves to help clean up,which I suppose is good because he can reach the water dispenser on the fridge which affords him plenty of opportunity to wipe up spills. 

this smile says, i'm thinking about something naughty and it involves you.

the cute, playful grin that makes you just want to squeeze him and bite his cheeks

He still is not very verbal although he gets what he wants with signs or other gesturing.  Mamma, Dadda, Nanni (nathaniel), bye-bye, hi, ba-bo, pala, done, thangu (thankyou) are his most frequent words with a few more sneaking in each day.  In a way, this keeps him a baby just a bit longer and that is special. He loves most every food with a particular fondness for sweets and also yogurt, pasta, fish, and chapatti.  Without a doubt, he loves his milk. 

taking a break

He is quite dramatic making many different faces and sounds to convey his meanings.  I've tried to capture some of that with the photos here.

the squint that say "i don't really like what you're saying"

drama and flexibility while pointing out a minuscule ouch

We really do love this little man/person and and as with all our special boys, we are so thankful he's here.

12 months

My sweet man is a whole year old now. I realize this seems to be the universal sentiment from mothers at this time (and perhaps always), but I'll say it anyway, where ever has the time gone?  It continues to amaze me how a short 12 months brings about such changes in a little person and how such a little person can exhibit so much personality. 

Our guy is not really verbal yet, but he knows how to communicate what he wants.  He uses a few signs but primarily the one to nurse which he uses often... very, very often.  He has his two upper teeth and is working hard for those two bottom ones which makes for very sharp kisses.  He has been a much fussier eater than his brothers but I think we're working up to a healthy appetite.  He is very playful and is easily amused.  His cute chuckle and silly faces have us all charmed.  His brothers are very protective and are enjoying that they can play with him more.  I just love this age where he straddles being a cuddly, needy baby and a quirky little person.

Of all our little guys, he has had the privilege of spending the most time with his daddy at this age.  They have already started to use electronics/technology as a means of spending quality time together.  In particular, Ezra love this video, and, yes it's in German.  If his daddy's in the bed with the computer he comes over, does a little hopping (dancing), and points to the laptop.  Then he moves around until he's snuggled in perfectly close and falls asleep.  Sweetness.

We had two birthday celebrations for him with just our family.  The first was a bit early since Sam, Gifty, Mom and Dad were in town all at the same time.  I made a chocolate almond cake from the Joy of Cooking.  I quite liked it.  I don't think Ezra could believe his good fortune of not only being allowed to climb onto the table but also to have managed to grab a handful of cake and then more and more.



Ethan-man, why the funny face?



On his actually birthday, we had our first grilled meal of the summer followed by an assortment of home-made red velvet and carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  The twins and I had bought balloons for E after school which kept him entertained for the rest of the day and some.  A whole month later, I'm still trying to get that last balloon to come down off our ceiling!

10 months

This past month has been full of activity for little Ezra.  He took his first steps 2 days into being 9 months old and has been gaining balance and momentum since. 

He is eating better although he still has days where he has no interest in solid food.  On those days, you will probably find his daddy sneaking in some chocolate to give him some calories.  I know, I know.. I can't believe it either.  Although our little man has no teeth yet, he still likes to try to take big bites.  He clenches down really hard and holds his fists really tight.  It's awfully cute.

He give big, wet kisses when you ask and even when you don't which is ok with all of us since we just can't get enough.  He's learned to clap and raise his hands when he hears music.   He's adding to his musical repertoire with a hilarious little bounce action.  He loves this touch and feel book, "Brown Bear, Who Do You Love."   He really likes any sort of electronic gadget and particularly his daddy's computer, pager, and cell phone.

He's a charmer this one, and I think it's safe to say that we are all enchanted especially his brothers.  Ezra is now waddling behind them when they go off to play and in no time, I'm sure he'll be right in the middle of things.

and he's on the move

My happy, little man is 6 months (and three days) and he's finding his way into lots of new and interesting things.  He's constantly rolling, spinning, and scooching into new exploration.  Today, he even sat up on his own for a bit.  It's great fun for his brothers and of course exciting to watch him grow, but I do wish he would stay a babe in arms for a bit longer. 

I was out in the garden with him picking what must be the end of the season vegetables, and he was itching to get in my basket.  So, after a quick rinse I let him get his fingers on all the different textures.

And then wouldn't you know, he rolled off the mat to go explore something else.  A water puddle... could you blame him?

in the kitchen

Since tomorrow brings another farmer's market with more vegetables, I thought I would recap what's been made this past week.  Does anyone else struggle with making sure nothing spoils in the back of the fridge or the bottom of a drawer?  I know it's happened to me more often than I would like to admit... so here's last week's recap:

Tossed Salad  (lots of it)

Steamed Bok Choy with Ginger

Asian-style Lettuce Wraps

Dhal with Methi (fenugreek leaves)

Guacamole and Chicken Roast used up the cilantro

Russian Kale Thoran (Malayalee sauteed vegetable)

A little bit about Thoran.  This is a common way to prepare vegetables in Kerala cooking - it's simple, healthy, and tasty.  To prepare, you first fry mustard seed, then add in onions, grated coconut, green chilis, curry leaves, and turmeric.  In the case of dark green vegetables, I like to add in some cooked masoor dhal, a couple cloves of garlic, a little bit of cumin and chili powder.   I mash all these ingredients into a coarse paste and add it to the mustard seed.  Once your onions are cooked through and the coconut is toasted, you add in your chopped vegetables.  Season with salt.  Cover the mixture and let it cook through.

 While making the thoran, I just had to take some pictures of my little assistant. He really likes to be in the middle of all the action which in this case means he's on the kitchen floor playing on his activity mat with his little birdie. 

three months

My sweet boy is three months old today.  He's such a delightful baby with a cheery and peaceful disposition.  He takes a good long look at someone before he offers an enchanting smile that seems to say, "Hey, I know you and I'm glad you came around."  He loves baths and now likes to sit and coo at the baby in the mirror.   He even lets out a little wail when I turn him away from his reflection. 

I can already see that he loves his brothers.  He is completely engaged and amused when they come around doing all kinds of stunts to make "baby Ez-i-ra" laugh.

On Saturday during family prayer,  he turned over from his belly to his back much to the delight of his big brothers.  They giggled and cheered him on and woke up the next morning asking for him to do it again.  I suppose he'll be moving around sooner than I'm ready, but right now I am thoroughly enjoying these cuddly baby months.

38 weeks

Soon, I will meet my littlest guy for the first time.

I can't wait to...

...hold his fingers

... kiss his little wrinkly toes

...run my finger down his nose

...have him all snug up against me

...consider who he most resembles

...give him a name

...see how his brothers react when they meet him for the first time

...and to fall completely in love with a wee one all over again.