For Grandpa and Grandma

Dear Grandpa and Grandma,

I know that my mom has been a bit negligent when it comes to posting pictures of me. She said that she talked to you on the phone the other day and it was mentioned that Uncle Jeff and Aunt Elise have more recent pictures of me on their blog than she, my own mom, has on hers. A sad situation indeed. And so, I've convinced her to let me sit down and give you an Ezra update. Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Scott, this is for you.

I'm mobile now. Two weeks ago, I learned how to crawl. With my new mobility came the irrepresible desire to explore everything around the apartment. One of my favorite activities is to crawl around the perimeter of the living room and pull down everything I can get my little hands on. I especially love the magazines, CDs, and of course, the blue watering can that makes a great clunking sound when I hit it on the floor. I'm also becoming quite expert at pulling myself up onto my feet with the aid of a chair, the wall, or loving hands. Mom says that I'm becoming more stable with each passing day.

This new talent made it necessary for Dad to move my crib mattress down to it's lowest setting. I enjoy pulling myself up, holding onto crib bars, and bouncing up and down on my mattress. However, there are times when I find myself hanging onto those same bars, squeezing tears of anger and frustration out of my eyes. When I wake in the middle of the night and stand up, I now can see Mom and Dad are right there, so close to me. The crib bumper no longer obstructs my view. How dare they not come to my immediate rescue when they are just a few feet away in their bed. Yes, with age comes new perspective.

I love solid foods. I'm a great eater (probably no surprise for you there). The baby food they sell in the store is okay, but I'm not really interested. It's quite bland...why would I waste my time with that stuff when I know that Mom and Dad are obviously eating something better? Last night Mom pureed some Thai Green Curry and mixed a bit of rice into it. Mmmmm...now that's what I'm talking about.

In the communication department, I've moved beyond the basics of crying and smiling. I have started to make the typical monosyllabic baby babble sounds like ba ba ba and ma ma ma. The ba ba bas are usually used when I'm bouncing on my knees and the ma ma mas are used when I'm upset, hungry, or just in a whiney mood. At other times, I tend to be very masculine in my vocalizations. I have a Tarzan-like yell that I employ when I feel strong, and well...manly. For example, I use this long, loud undulating call when I pull down a pile of books from the shelf and they come crashing to the ground. And sometimes I use it just to see how loud I can be, like I did the other day when we were at that restaurant. I also frequently am heard using an equally masculine guttural growl. I use this sound when I am working hard to accomplish something, like attempting to pull down the stack of aforementioned books.

While it seems like I may have changed a lot since you saw me at Christmas, many things are still the same. I still only have a few wisps of hair on my nice round head and only one snaggle tooth graces my mouth. Grandpa, I'm still your "Construction Joe" and rarely is there a bolt, screw, or electronic device that I do not thoroughly investigate. I still make my scrunch face, love reading books, won't hold still for a diaper change (it takes them longer than ever!), and am mesmerized by "The Wiggles." Oh, and I still love you! Please come and visit me soon. Grandpa, it's as good of an excuse as any to fly that snazzy little plane of yours.

Love,

Ezra (8 months)

The Scrunch Face

The One-tooth Grin

Self-feeding

Big in the Crib