5 Things I Love About Ez

I've already mentioned quite a few times how helpful Joe has been this whole pregnancy, but I think Ez deserves some credit too. For a toddler, (I'm pretty sure calling him a high-energy toddler is a bit redundant, but that he is), he's been making this whole pregnancy fairly easy on me. He can't quite climb up onto the counter to make his own lunch just yet, but aside from needing to be fed several times a day he's a fairly independent little guy. So here's a little list of a few things I really appreciate about him:

1. He entertains himself for hours on end. It's seriously amazing. He already has a great imagination, and will narrate things as he's playing with his cars. I have no idea what he's actually trying to say, but I'm pretty sure he's got a super entertaining scenario going on that would be absolutely captivating if only I spoke toddler fluently.
2. His attention span has grown by leaps and bounds. I know I mentioned in my pregnancy confessions that Cars (the movie) has been a lifesaver, but I'm honestly still a little shocked that he'll even sit through a feature length Disney film. Perhaps watching it daily is overkill, and I sometimes question whether he's been brainwashed by Disney, but from what I've heard from parents of Frozen fanatics, that's pretty much par for the course once you've got kids. (And the answer is yes, we've all been brainwashed by Disney. There's no resisting their magicalness.)
3. He's started reading his books to himself. Usually this only takes place after we've read it together 20 times in a row, but hearing him narrate the story in his cute little toddler voice is pretty much the sweetest thing I've ever heard. Oh, and did I mention that he now sings to himself constantly? I take it back, listening to him sing nursery rhymes is actually the sweetest thing I've ever heard. ABCs, Wheels on the Bus, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star are the current faves. He can already carry a tune better than I can, and it never fails to bring a smile to my face. Also, it blows my mind the amount of info he soaks up and retains. Toddler brains are incredible.
4. He follows directions surprisingly well. He'll pick up his messes and fetch me things within his reach, and trust me, I take full advantage of both those things. I'm sure he goes around telling all his friends how much work it is having a parent ;)
5. Lately he's been giving me all kinds of extra snuggles. Maybe he senses that his time as an only child is coming to an end, or maybe he's picked up that mommy now struggles like a beached whale just to get off the couch, but whatever the reason, I'll take those extra snuggles and I'd bottle them up if I could.

Aside from Ez's easy-going and independent nature, here are a few things that have been getting us through these last few weeks:

• puzzles (the peg board kind)
• books (anything involving vehicles of any kind)
• the Cars & Planes movies
• his water table
• coloring books

That's pretty much our daily life lately. I feel bad that Ez is getting a little jipped in the parent department lately, but he's taking it all like a champ. And my parents are coming into town tomorrow, so soon he'll have plenty of doting grandparents to entertain him while I continue the baby waiting game.