Snapshots of Life Lately

This is what a shopping spree looks like once you have a kid.

No Life Lately post would be complete without some food pics.

Lately life has been all about family time, lots of good meals (at home and out), spoiling the Ez (the grandparents, Joe, and I just can't help ourselves!), and dealing with a teething baby. Ezzy has been going through daily fussy periods where all he wants to do is chomp on something or nurse. Poor baby.   We actually had to cancel plans to go to a wedding on Saturday night because he was so distraught. If anyone has any good teething remedies, I'd love to hear it. We were looking at the baby orajel medicines, but most of them are not recommended for children under two, and the only one that was had some kind of coffee extract for "wakefulness" - which is the last thing Ezzy needs.

So, a few blog things to note:

1. I got a new collage app, and I'm going kinda crazy with it, if you couldn't tell. I think the quality is better than my old one, but the functionality isn't as great. If anyone has a good collage/photo editing app they love, please share!
2. I realized the blog's comment settings were kinda funky/uber-strict, so I changed that and now anybody can leave comments. 

Gangy Comes to Visit

My mom drove down for a visit on Saturday night and stayed through Wednesday morning. Almost the first thing she told us when we met her for dinner on Saturday night was that she hopes Ezzy doesn't call her Gangy, which is what they call the evil grandmother on Arrested Development (so I've been told, I don't actually watch the show). So, of course, we all call her Gangy now.  

Sunday we went to the Greek Festival at the Santa Anita Race Track. Mmmm, spanokopita and baklava. Ezzy is already a little flirt. He was making eyes at and babbling with a girl a little older than him while we were waiting in line for the changing table. 

On Monday, my mom's friend Leah got us all tickets to the A's vs. Angels game. We walked around Downtown Disney to kill time before heading over to Angel's Stadium. Ezzy loved the giant fish tank at Rain Forest Cafe. He also started babbling to a stuffed Elephant named Thunder, so Gangy had to buy it for him. I borrowed Ezzy's technique and started babbling to a pink frosted rice krispie treat, so Gangy bought that as well. The game started at 7:00, which means Ezzy was already tired and cranky when we got there and not at all amused by the loud cheering. Thankfully he inherited my skill for sleeping through anything and he managed to nap through a couple of innings and woke up in a much better mood.

Tuesday we drove over to Hollywood for a little sightseeing. We were starving so our first stop was Hard Rock Cafe, and while we were eating we noticed a huge crowd gathered out front and got the scoop that Justin Timberlake was going to be performing that afternoon. Even though none of us are huge JT fans, we figured we'd wait around since it was a free show. We had no idea he wasn't going on for another three hours, but after waiting for 90 minutes, we decided we'd come too far to just leave. Let me tell you, 14 pounds of baby feels really heavy after three hours. At one point he fell asleep so he was completely dead weight. Thankfully my mom and I were able to switch off holding him, but I have no idea how Joe carries him around all day on the weekends. That's an arm, back, and shoulder workout right there. So anyway, a little after 7 JT finally takes the stage, and we come to realize that Ezzy is not a Justin Timberlake fan at all. He decides it's the perfect time for a giant poop and then starts wailing. Poor baby. So Ezzy and I spent the concert in the bathroom. The sound wasn't that great where we were standing anyway, so I don't think we missed much. Another highlight of the day was that I finally got to try a cronut, which basically tasted exactly like a croissant but in a donut shape. 

And in case you were wondering why there aren't more pictures of my mom, Ezzy, and me, you can see for yourself just how many shots it takes to get one where all of us are looking in the general direction of the camera with our eyes open.

Probably one of my favorite Ezzy faces ever.

Overall we had a great visit and we already miss Gangy. Ezzy had so many new skills to show off, like grabbing things, trying to chew anything he could get his hands on, and babbling up a storm. We're sad Grandpa couldn't make it down this time. Next time we visit Ezzy will probably have a tooth or two to show off as well!

Weekend Recap: Soaking up the Outdoors

 

Ezzy had a couple of fun firsts over the weekend. Like walking in the grass. And then trying to dive headfirst into the grass. He seemed pretty mesmerized by it and I had to pry a fistful of grass out of his hands before we left the park. I also took him to play on the swings for the first time. As you can see, he's barely big enough to see over the swing, which makes it even more adorable. He cried for about half a second when I put him in the swing, and then he settled in all content to watch the other kids running around, screaming and playing. He also liked chewing on the swing. Luckily I was using a shopping cart seat cover or that would have been really gross. He stayed in there for almost 30 minutes and then fell asleep. On Sunday we happened to catch a little bit of a polo match at Will Rogers State Park, which was a first for all of us. It seemed very rich and British and novel for the first few minutes. Then we continued on with our original plan, which was to go for a hike. In my opinion, Polo is a pretty boring sport. For every minute they spend playing, they seem to spend 10 minutes doing nothing. I did like the way the horses tails were short and braided though.

Will Rogers has become our favorite summer hiking spot, mainly because there's usually a cool ocean breeze that makes it at least ten degrees cooler than most other trails. Unfortunately the breeze wasn't really blowing that day. However, we did get to see an interesting exchange between a dad picnicking with his two kids and two dog owners after one of the dogs knocked his kids sandwich to the ground and then both dogs devoured it. The dad was pissed. After the dad left with his kids in a huff, the dog owners argued amongst themselves about how their dogs are their kids and they have rights too. Something like that. Not sure whose side I would take, cause the whole thing was  pretty harmless and the sandwich-less kid didn't seem to mind. Before I probably wouldn't have even noticed their little argument. Now that I have Ezzy though, I'd probably be annoyed if somebody let their dog jump all over him and eat his food. Either way, it provided a little dose of entertainment for us.

My Lil 4 Month Old

Less than an hour old; 1 month old; 2 months old; and 4 months old

Our lil baby is 4 months old today! Ezzy, you are such a cheerful, smily baby. You're fascinated with everything around you and you love being surrounded by people, exploring the outdoors, and visiting new places. Watching you learn and grow makes all the little skills and sights and sounds we'd normally take for granted seem new and exciting. You've officially found your voice and you love chattering away (just like Daddy!). I can almost imagine what you will sound like once you start talking and I can't wait to hear what your first words will be. Every day that your Daddy and I get to spend with you makes us feel like the luckiest people in the world. We love you more than words can say.

Some 4 Month Stats: Ezzy has gained almost a pound in the last month, up to 13.4 lbs from 12.5 at two months. His clothing sizes are all over the place. He fits into some 0-3 month pants still, but can also wear 6 month onesies and t-shirts. He eats about every three hours, though he's gone as long as six hours without eating as long as he's distracted and entertained. But then he makes up for it by eating every hour, so it all balances out in the end. He's still exclusively breastfeeding and has never taken a bottle, but we'll probably start trying out the bottle thing in the near future.

A few notable changes in the last month:

• Ezzy recently started sleeping for 7 hour stretches. Not every night, but frequently enough for me to go to bed with hope that I'll get some real sleep. 
• He's also started sleeping in his own crib. Our typical night goes something along the lines of nursing him to sleep around 9:00, putting him in his crib (sometimes still slightly awake) and then he'll wake up anywhere between 3-5. I nurse him in my bed, and then I move to the couch at some point, because if I sleep next to him he'll nurse all night, whereas if I keep the boobs out of sight, he'll go back to sleep til anywhere between 7-9. 
• He's really exploring all kinds of new sounds. Like I pointed out in the last post, "hmm" and "mmm" are his most current favorites. He also experiments with pitch and volume. Sometimes he'll scream for no reason other than to hear his own voice, which is actually pretty adorable. 
• He's still fine-tuning his hand-eye coordination. He's gotten to the point that he can grab and hold onto things, and he's even starting putting random things (pillows, wii controller, blankets) in his mouth. Yay...

Ezzy Likes: (in addition to all his 3 month favorites)

• His exersaucer. The toys. The sounds. Standing on his own. Throwing himself backward and making the whole thing sway. It's a baby paradise. And the best part is that it keeps him enthralled for up to 30 minutes a few times a day. Mommy is a fan. 
• Pillows. Specifically ones with patterns. He'll stare at them with his eyebrows raised and his pupils all dilated before he dives headfirst into it, usually while letting out a rebel yell. 
• Clutching anything he can get his hands on. And this kid has an iron grip. Bibs. Tshirts. Hair. Skin. Move it or lose it.
• After-dinner walks.
• People watching in crowded, noisy places.
• Splashing in the bathtub.
• "Walking" and "standing".
• Sucking on his bottom lip.
• Chatting up a storm. Often to nobody in particular.
• Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You by Dr. Seuss.
• Watching us play Mario Kart.
• Being carried around by Daddy - both in his throne position, and on Joe's shoulders. I see this being a favorite at least until he's able to walk.

Ezzy Dislikes: (Pretty much the same list as when he turned 3 months. He's an easy-going baby, so it's not a long list.)

• Camels.
• Quiet places, like the library. 
• Being hungry.
• His car seat (though he's gotten a lot better about it).

His wtf face cracks me up.

 

Right after a nice dive into the pillow.

His new favorite thing: sucking on his bottom lip.

Watching his first Raiders' game.

He's a fan of this weird crouching "frog" position.