Weekend Recap: Brunches & Giggles

That. face.

Brunch with Grandma

Ezzy plane!

After-nap stretch

  

Melts my heart

 

Not sure why he looks terrified, we were just reading Sleepytime Bears...

More Ezzy giggles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvb9NVUpiFE 

Life Lately, in B&W + Ezzy Laughing

Just a few random snapshots from life lately. I recently downloaded a new photo editing app, so I'm a little obsessed with black & white pics at the moment. 

Cuddles with Mommy:

Jammies & Stories:

  Napping with Daddy:

 Chillin' While Snacking on Fingers: 

I already mentioned in Ezzy's 3 month update that he's begun laughing and giggling, but it really hard to capture on video because as soon as he sees the phone he becomes mister serious. But after at least half a dozen tries, I finally caught a little footage of  Ezzy giggling and chatting it up with Daddy:
(Here's the link of Ezzy laughing)

Mid-week Beach Day With Millie and The Ez

Since it was 100 degrees in our neck of the woods, Ezzy and I decided to head for the beach with Millie this past Thursday. We went to Will Rogers State Beach and the weather was absolutely perfect. There must have been some good eatin' going on right off the coast, because tons of pelicans and seagulls were crowded all along the beach and huge packs of them were diving into the underwater fishy buffet. Apparently there was so much food that they were sending out signals to other pelicans further down the coast because we saw several flocks fly up the beach and then make a 90 degree turn to dive into the water right in front of us. We even saw a couple dolphins join the party, which totally made my day. Ezzy seemed pretty fascinated by it all too.

I found it funny that there was a package of seaweed snacks tangled up in some seaweed. It found its way home!

Auntie Serena Comes to Town

Yay for family time! Serena came out to Cali to celebrate her birthday at the beginning of the month and we managed to fit in lots of quality family time during her week-long visit. On the agenda was a delicious dinner at Taco Rosa, a bday barbecue (stuffed salmon = sooo delicious!), and dinner with our aunt and cousins. Ezzy and I loved catching up and we're already looking forward to the next visit in December. Check out how much he's grown since her last visit (when he was about 3 weeks):

Ezzy at 3 Weeks

Ezzy at almost 3 months

 

Ezzy Turns 3 Months

Our little baby is growing up so fast! He's is no longer classified as a newborn. I'm not sure what he is called now... I guess just a baby? He weighs 12.5 lbs, up a pound from his 2-month checkup. I'm not sure how long he is now, but he was 22 inches at 2 months and he's been wearing size 3 month clothing for the last month, and he's also recently started wearing size 3-6.

Check out how different he looks from when we brought him home:

Ezzy: 0-3 Months

His little cheeks have filled out so much and even though he was pretty expressive as a newborn, his personality is really shining through now.

I was just re-reading my post on my daily schedule with a newborn, and Ezzy is definitely more independent than he was at 3 weeks. Even though he still prefers being held, he will entertain himself in his bouncer or on his playmat for 20-30 minutes about twice a day. Our afternoon routine varies a lot, depending on his mood, whether or not he takes a long nap, or just cat naps, and what we have planned for the day. Lately we've been making the rounds, visiting friends and family. Sometimes we'll run errands, and sometimes we just stay home and do chores. I feel very lucky that Ezzy is such an easy-going, social baby.

Our morning routine is fairly consistent, and actually not that different from when he was a few weeks old. He tends to wake up at 5 or 5:30 and I feed him in bed until he goes back to sleep. Then he wakes up for real around 8:30 and he'll usually entertain himself in bed long enough for me to make and eat breakfast. Once he starts fussing I change him and play with him. It makes my heart melt how fast he goes from fussing to smiling when he sees my face. He'll usually stay up until 11:30 or 12, and then start fussing so I feed him and he'll fall asleep again. Sometimes he'll take a 3 hour nap, and sometimes he's awake in 20 minutes. I'm trying to implement a night time routine too, to get him in the mood for bed. When Joe gets home, he'll hold Ezzy while I finish up dinner. After dinner we do bathtime and change into jammies. Then Joe or I read him a story, which he is surprisingly into. Afterward I usually nurse him on the couch until he falls asleep, which is anywhere between 9 - 11. Once he's asleep I move him into his rock & play, where he stays asleep until about 3 or 4 am, when I bring him to bed with me.

As far as nursing goes, Ezzy still hasn't ever had a bottle. I've tried pumping, but I'm not a fan. I have a feeling that when I do decide to leave him with a sitter, I'm just going to use formula. Back when he was a month old, he was eating up to 14 times a day/night. As of now he's down to 8 feedings a day. And I've mastered the art of feeding him in his carrier while I run errands, so I'm no longer chained to the couch. Yay!

Milestones:

• Ezzy can now touch and grab things. That's a skill they're supposed to learn during week 12 (a wonder week) - and he was right on track with that. He'll concentrate really hard on an object, with his fists in front of his face like a little boxer, and then he'll reach out and bat at or grab whatever has caught his attention. Some of his favorite things to fixate on are my bouquet of fake flowers, my scarves or anything with a bright pattern, and some of his toys, especially the lamaze firefly.
• He rolled over from tummy to back for the first time this past Saturday. It seemed unintentional and he looked really surprised to be on his back. It actually happened so quickly that I almost missed it.
• He went from hating bathtime to loving it in the past week. He kicks his little feet and splashes around. It's the cutest thing. 
• Ezzy gets little giggling fits every now and then. In the past there was the infamous Ezzy squeak, but now he'll actually laugh and giggle, especially when we're playing airplane. Again, this kid melts my heart.
• He likes to chatter and he's been experimenting with new sounds. I usually try to mimic whatever sound he makes, which cracks him up.

Ezzy Likes:

• Being carried around by daddy, facing forward, like he's on a little throne.
• Sucking on his hands is his favorite thing. He's been doing this for at least a month, but it's pretty rare to see him without his hands either in front of his face, or in his mouth. 
• Toys that sound like crinkly paper.
• Playing airplane.
• Shadow boxing.
• Doing baby "pull-ups" with the help of daddy.
• His changing table.

Ezzy Dislikes:

• His carseat.
• Long car rides.
• Having to wait for food.
• Tummy time. He tries so hard to crawl/scoot, and gets frustrated that he can't move.

Meeting Auntie Rhoda for the first time

The Ezzy Tour - First Stop: Modesto

Sunday night, right after we returned from Santa Barbara, I packed a bag and we headed to the Burbank airport for Ezzy's first flight. We (minus Joe) were headed to Modesto to hang out with family and introduce Ezzy to lots and lots of friends and relatives. The pic below is Ezzy right before boarding. He flew like a champ. I had read that it's best to nurse during take off and landing to avoid any pain from the cabin pressure, and since it's such a short flight to Oakland, he spent the entire flight nestled under a blanket, quietly eating. Once we landed several passengers commented that they didn't even know there was a baby on the plane, which I think was a compliment.

Our 4-day visit in Modesto was jam-packed with Ezzy appearances. Monday was all about my childhood friends. They came over with their kids and we spent the day by the pool, eating pizza and homemade coconut cake (thanks, Zshnette!). I even took Ezzy for his first dip in the pool, and he didn't seem to mind it. 

Tuesday Ezzy got to meet his Aunt Anna for the first time. He was in a particularly hungry mood that day. Maybe all the excitement from traveling worked up an appetite? It was really great to catch up with my sis though, and Ezzy stopped eating long enough to show off his charming dimples. He was also really entranced by those black and white pillows in the pic below. 

After Auntie Anna's house, it was off to Chevy's so Ezzy could meet his great-grandpa Delbert & great-grandma Nancy. Ezzy spent the first half of the meal sucking on his hands and the second half asleep in Grandma Nancy's arms, which means mommy got to eat her enchiladas with two hands!

After such a busy day, it was nice to spend some time relaxing at home with the fam. For some reason Ezzy thinks his uncles are hilarious. As soon as he sees them he breaks out into huge grins (as you can see in the pic below of him and Brett, sizing each other up). The uncles seem equally fascinated by Ezzy. In fact, the whole family spent an hour watching Ezzy lie on the floor and watch baseball while kicking his legs in the air and shadow boxing. Ezzy was completely oblivious to our presence, and when he finally turned his head and noticed all of us staring at him he seemed startled - but it was good entertainment for the rest of us. 

Wednesday we headed over to my Aunt's house in Stockton and Ezzy met several great-aunts and cousins. He's a lil social butterfly, so he was loving all the attention. He also made out like a bandit with a whole sack of adorable clothes. He's such a loved/spoiled baby. Thank you, Kelli!

After spending the day in Stockton we headed straight over to Great-Grandma Kathi's house. By then Ezzy's social skills were fading a little, but he seemed content to gnaw on his fist while in grandpa's arms.

Thursday evening we were flying back home, so we spent the day relaxing and I got to catch up with my bros a little. And I actually went swimming for the first time this summer. It was soooo nice.

Isn't that sad??? Grandpa's cuddling with Ezzy's shirt after we left.

We had such a great time visiting with everyone and it's so heartwarming that Ezzy has such a huge family that want to spend time with him and love on him. He's such a lucky lil guy. We can't wait for our next visit, hopefully with Joe too. I was playing Ezzy videos of him and Joe while we were there and he would perk up at the sound of daddy's voice. So cute!