Pain

With strong little hands

and a new little tooth,

he's become extremely efficient at

frequently eliciting an

OUCH! from the parents

Snowflakes on noses

A few of my favorite things from the past several weeks...

my sweet nephew, Reid

Aunt Ann's humor

Ezra's first snow

 this moment between Ezra and Grams

rosy cheeks

four generation pictures

and cardboard boxes

Boo Hoo

We ended up going camping for Halloween, so we didn't do anything especially Halloweeny this year except to tell scary stories in the woods.  What to do with the costumes, yes, costumes in the plural, that we had for Ezra?  We had the short-lived thought of making him wear one of them around as we hiked and camped, but after the costume photo shoot we realized that it would be best to just spare him the discomfort and total misery that wearing a costume seems to cause the Ezra child.  

Pleasant.

 

Curious.

Impartial.

Reconsidering.

Angry.

Angrier.

Defeated.

A few hours later....

Dear Chicken Costume, Don't take it personally.

A Happy, Rainy Fall Day

Today we woke up to a dark and rainy day, so in an effort to get out the apartment, I decided to take Ezra to the Museum of Natural History.  I wasn't sure if he would appreciate it yet, but his vocalizations, arm flailing,  and wide open eyes quickly did away with any doubts that I had.  He absolutely loved it.  He especially loved the room with the giant whale where he was talking/squealing up a storm.   

I didn't get any museum pictures, but I did snap a few on our walk home.   The rain let up long enough for us to enjoy the leaves in the park.  Despite initial appearances, it turned out to be an amazing and happy day. 

5 Months

I figured I should post a few pictures of Ezra at his 5 months mark.  Perhaps for myself more than anyone else.  I love looking back and seeing how much he's grown.  

Below is Ezra attempting to assume a stable sitting position.  He'll get there soon.
 

What Babies Do

This week, Ezra...

hung out on the floor,

took it easy in the tub,

chowed down on some oatmeal,

helped me babysit,

went to the park, 

and escaped from his Boppy chair

(numerous times).

The Tie

Secret: If you want your baby boy to get lots of attention, put a tie on him.  People were pulling out their cell phones at church to get pictures of this handsome little guy. 

As we were getting ready for church, Martin insisted that it was a form of infant torture when I put the tie on Ezra .  Ezra didn't seem to mind at all.  As a matter of fact, he seemed quite pleased that he had a chew toy tied around his neck.  

My Sleeping Angel

Today we went out for a bit to enjoy this amazing fall weather.  We hit a street fair and then the playground.  On the way home, Ezra fell asleep and I couldn't resist taking a few pictures.  I think that he is so beautiful when he's asleep.  I mean, check out those eyelashes!   

Here's one of Ezra goofing off about 2 minutes before he zonked out.

And here are the photos of my beautiful sleeping angel.

Little Planes

This posting is a bit late, but I really need to say congratulations to my dad for his first flight of the the airplane he built.  It seemed, at times, that the day would never come when all of those parts in the garage would somehow come together into something that would actually carry people through the air.  Well, the day finally came and Dad, I am so proud of you.  Your plane is beautiful.  Ezra wore his little planes shirt in honor of your little plane.  He's proud of you too and can't wait for his turn to fly. 

It's All About the Feet

Ezra is in LOVE with his feet.  Yesterday he finally figured out how to get his foot all the way to his mouth, which is something he has been working at for some time.  They do a much better job of entertaining him than any of his toys.  If I need a few minutes, all I have to do is wave his feet in front of his face to remind him that they are there and he is totally content for quite some time.  Ah, the simple joys of life!

Feet are sweet, but when it really comes down to it, Ezra's thing right now is putting everything and anything into his mouth.  Feet just happen to fall into that broad category of "everything and anything."  One of his favorite things is chillin' in the swing while chewing on his hands.   We usually make it to a playground twice a day to hit the baby swings...a very integral part of our daily routine.  Ezra's been a swinging baby for a bit over a month now.  I don't know the appropriate age to put babies in swings, but I think many playground mothers and nannies think I am pushing it.  I always get asked how old Ezra is and then often my response is followed by a disapproving look.  Oh, how I love the playground culture of this city!  Here is a video of Ezra swinging away.  If you watch closely you may see one of his trademark ribbons of drool being carried on the breeze.  

(video coming soon!)

Only 17.5 lbs!?

Today Ezra turned 4 months old and to celebrate we went to the doctor for his well visit.  I was shocked when he ONLY weighed 17 and a half pounds.   I was sure he would be over 20.  The nurse was surely confused when I said, "That's all?" since that weight put him in the 91st percentile.   Everything's relative.  

I felt so bad because my little Ez was very happy during the whole visit...smiling when he was getting weighed and measured, talking to the doctor when she was using her stethoscope, and reaching for the animal wallpaper with such enthusiasm.  When the doctor was filling up the syringes for his vaccinations he was waving his arms around excitedly while leaning towards the little tray that held the instruments of pain.  When I saw his huge grin I felt so guilty...he had no idea what was coming.  Ezra's got some powerful lungs and a low tolerance for pain.  Broke my heart.

As you can see the pain was only temporary.  Below is Ezra showing off his Band Aid-clad, chunker thighs.  I thought he looked funny with his socks pulled up and dressed him like this to get a reaction from Martin when he got home.  Martin's response?  "Sweet!  He looks like a soccer player."

This is Ezra when I told him to tell Dad about our trip to the doctor.  The memory was obviously difficult to bear and Ezra momentarily became sullen and withdrawn.  

But that's one thing that I love about my son, he forgives freely and rebounds quickly.

Maclarens on Mulberry

I don't know why it has taken me so long, but I've finally realized that life is much better when I get out of Harlem every now and then.  Ezra and I had a great week and found ourselves out and about much more than usual.  One of the highlights of the week was when we ventured down to Little Italy with some other Harlem moms to enjoy the San Gennarro Festival.  We formed quite the posse with our 4 strollers, 3 Bjorns, and 6 1/2 children.  We worked our Maclarens through the crowd with New York finesse while oohing and awing at the cannoli and sausage. 

One of my favorite parts was when we got to eat.  The pizza at Lombardi's was pretty darn good.  The best part was the thin, crunchy crust.  Since living in New York I've come to the realization that when it comes to pizza, less is more.  Mozzarella and fresh basil...yum!  

28

My dad wrote to little bro' Adam on his mission and said how crazy it is that I just turned 29 and how next year I'll be 30.  When I read this, I actually had to do some quick math in my mind to make sure that he wasn't correct.  I am happy to be able to write the following with confidence: Dear Dad, I am actually only 28.  Hopefully this piece of knowledge will have the same affect on you as it does on me and make you feel a bit younger.  Love, Britney

For my 28th birthday celebration Martin's cousins came over with some delicious chocolate cake.  Martin followed tradition by getting me an extravagant and visually stunning flower arrangement.  I only say extravagant because I don't even want to think about how much flowers like those cost in New York, but Martin says he has to get "beautiful flowers for a beautiful wife." I admit that even though I always tell him that he could have just gotten me daisies, I actually love it that he spoils me and he knows it.  He also got me some new running clothes ,which is what I asked for.  Really, I couldn't be happier.

The Wiggles

So, I recently discovered that my son is capable of sitting independently for a short amount of time.  The secret is to sit him in front of the magical device know as the t.v!  But, of course, not just any t.v. show will do.  It has to be colorful, loud, and annoyingly upbeat.  "The Wiggles!"  I had no idea this show existed as of 3 weeks ago, but thanks to Netflix Instant Watch and the lovely invention of the Roku player I can now entertain my son long enough for me to get dressed, run a brush through my hair, and put on mascara. Being the good mother that I am, naturally I limit his viewing time to only a few songs at a time.   Here is a short video clip of him watching "The Wiggles."  You will notice that my highly advanced 3 month old actually has his own dance move that he performs periodically while watching.  It is the side twitch...watch closely and you will see him move his body in a delicate arch to his right while simultaneously raising his arms.  It's really quite brilliant (read with an Australian accent)!

Elevator Talk

Whenever I get stuck in the elevator with other people, they always feel that it's necessary to comment on the little guy in the stroller.  Usually people say, "Oh, he looks like a doll," or "My, look at the big guy," or often it's the more creative, "He's cute!"  As a doting mother, I certainly appreciate the kind comments.  Well, today this woman in the few moments it took to get from the 3rd floor to the 1st floor tried to convince me that I'm overfeeding my son.  Since I was stuck in a little moving box with this stranger and had nowhere to go, I quickly said something along the lines of that I did not feed him too much, but rather he just was storing up everything he eats for some future growth spurt.  I said it in a playful way, but really inside I was thinking, "The nerve! "  I think Ezra is beautiful and just the right size.  Elevator chit chat will never make me think otherwise!  Included are some photos that are proof of his cuteness.

Sir Ezra the Cute

Do these arms look overfed? 

Taking it easy with Dad

Out for an evening stroll in the park