The New England Aquarium

So it is basically a fact that to be a Bowling you have to enjoy the ocean (usually from underneath it rather than at it's shores), so we took Ezra to the NE Aquarium. It was really crowded when we went and not as big as I expected, so I am really glad we got discount passes from the library. Ezra got scared of some big ugly fish near the top of the big tank, and then preferred to have one of us holding him to look in the big tank! They had a lot of cool things though. My personal favorite was the sea horses, they also had a bunch of leafy sea dragons, some huge sea turtles and a really cool octopus that liked to show off. Due to the crowds I didn't get the greatest pictures but enjoy!

Ezra rode the Subway for the first time so we could save on parking!

They had some nice sea horses, this one is just a plain brown one.

The white looking thing is a leafy sea dragon.

This is the show off Octopus. Sorry about the blur!

Not that you can tell but that is the sea horse tank behind us!

Third generation?

Ever since he has had any degree of manual dexterity, Ezra has enjoyed exploring my mouth. He likes to scrape at my teeth and stares with some sort of fascination. Maybe it's just because I let him do an activity that would otherwise be taboo but I like to think he really does like teeth. His most recent development is that we can no longer brush our teeth in peace. If he sees EmmaLee or me brushing our teeth he wants his own tooth brush to "brush" his teeth with. We'll have to work on proper technique further down the road! What ever Ezra chooses to do for a career in many moons from now is fine by me, but I do have some bias and would say that dentistry makes a fine profession.

Performing an intra oral exam

First Hair Cut

Last Thursday we cut Ezra's hair for the first time. Bob has been bothering me to do it for weeks, and I finally felt brave enough so we did it. It was really long, and stuck out way over his ears, even with his helmet on. I never thought I would be the kind of mom to get emotional over things like haircuts and the first day of school, but apparently I am. I didn't cry or anything (I hate crying and did not do it during any of his surgeries, so why do it over a hair cut?) but it has been hard to see yet another physical manifestation that my baby is quickly becoming no longer my baby. Luckily he still wears his helmet, so I don't have to be reminded too much. He is an adorable little guy though!

Bonus video: This is why Ezra is not walking just yet, he is too busy doing an Irish Jig every time he is standing!

Halloween and B-day pics!

I want to keep this post short but filled with pictures. We took Ezra Trick or Treating with some girls from our ward. It was a lot of fun and Ezra even picked out his own candy. Bob took Ezra up to most of the doors, but I took him up to a few and gave Bob the camera so that there could be a picture of me and Ezra...what did I find upon the return of the camera....a close up of my rear end (not included). Thanks for the memorable picture Bob!

Sunday was my birthday. It was not too eventful, but we made it to the cemetery for the third year in a row, and Bob spoiled me all day. It was a wonderful day. Bob and Ezra got me a case for my sewing machine (now I don't have to pack it in the box when I am not using it) and these magnetic measuring spoons I have been wanting. Ezra really enjoyed the candles and was a little confused when I blew out the flames. They weren't so exciting anymore!

Oh how we love the fall!

Autumn is such a beautiful time of year here. It almost makes up for the long, cold, winters. Okay not really, but I still do enjoy the beautiful colors that are everywhere. Today we went to the Mt. Auburn Cemetery to find acorns for a craft project and then we let Ezra and Emily play in the leaves. They had a blast and it was fun to watch them be so cute together. We may not get a picture of Ezra in a pumpkin patch, but at least we took advantage of the natural beauty!

We also had our ward Halloween party over the weekend. It was nice to have a reason to dress up. We couldn't pass up Ezra's first Halloween, yet he really doesn't need candy and can't even say trick or treat. We did the ward Trunk or Treat and it worked out great. We are loser parents and all the batteries were dead in both camera's so this is all we got for you. I will get some good ones of Ezra crawling in it for a later post!

Ezra in Motion

We just wanted to share a few videos and pictures of Ezra and what he has been up to lately. He loves to have us help him walk and has a major melt-down when we make him stop. He is scooting all around the house and crawled on his hands and knees for the first time yesterday (He did better than it looks in the video). He still prefers the inchworm method though. He likes to pretend to pick things up off the floor so that Bob and I will pull his hand away from his mouth. He thinks he is so hilarious. When he really just wants our reaction he will hit himself in the eye or just hold his hand in the air, because he is so intent on watching us that he doesn't pay too much attention to actually getting his hand in his mouth. He really enjoys flipping through my cookbooks too. I think it is because they are spiral bound and easier to keep open, but they still have little pages. He waves, but I have a hard time getting him to do it in front of strangers. He likes to ride on your shoulders, but will pull your hair and beat on your head endlessly! He has started watching Signing Time videos and gets really excited about them. He has yet to do a sign but he moves his hands around a lot and occasionally pauses and looks at his hands like he is trying how to make his hands do what they are doing. It is totally adorable. He is such a smart little boy! Annie also got Ezra to do the Little Rascal wave while she was here, but I couldn't get him to do it on camera. And last but not least he really enjoys making sounds by moving his hand back and forth across his mouth. He is such a funny kid, we laugh at him all day long. I don't know how we ever got by without him!

  

Ezra's backup crew

My Mom, Aunt Annie, and my little brother Josh (who got home from his mission the day before coming here) all came to help out with Ezra's surgery. We played games a lot. In the hospital, in the car, and into the late hours of the night. We played some of the worst rounds of pinochle I have ever seen, but I for one had a good time.

As Jolyn is demonstrating, we also did a lot of eating!

We did more than play games and cuddle a crying child though. We went out to Concord and Lexington, the Christmas Tree Shops, the Mt. Auburn Cemetery and hit up the Cranberry Harvest Festival.

Despite this picture I don't think either of them were 

thrilled to be shopping with the ladies! 

Bob has never been so grateful for school!

We saw this blue heron while we were at the cemetery.

I think somebody wants to be a farmer when they grow up!

Bob has dreamed of seeing the guys in waders 

ever since the Ocean Spray commercials.

Ezra in the middle of a dry cranberry bog.

In case you ever wondered, this is what the inside of a cranberry looks like.

Nothing was too exciting, but it was nice to be able to get out a little with Ezra. We were sad to see them go, but we were all in bed by 8:30 that night to try to catch a few extra zzzzz!

Practically perfect in every way!

Our little guy under went the knife one last time for his palate repair and to get tubes in his ears (to minimize the chance of ear infections). He has been such a trooper through everything and this time was no different. To get the full scope of what he went through this time around we are going to back up to the Thursday before his surgery. I noticed what looked like a little bug bite on Ezra as we are putting him to bed. I made a mental note to keep and eye on it and didn't worry too much. The next morning it was considerably bigger and blistery looking. I called the doctors office and they said I should bring him in a.s.a.p. So we headed into Boston, and luckily they got us right in. At first the nurses thought it was chicken pox, due to a couple spots on his face, but the doctor was sure it was impetigo and was not at all concerned with the spots on his face. We were really glad that it wasn't chicken pox because they would have cancelled his surgery but they took a swab to test for M.R.S.A.. They were worried that since he has been in the hospital so much that it may be from that, and they would need to take extra precautions for his surgery. Luckily the tests came back negative.

So Monday morning we headed to the hospital for surgery. Ezra really liked the waiting area, but when his surgeon got delayed with a previous surgery and Ezra had to go an extra hour and a half without food he was not a happy camper. He screamed himself to sleep, poor little guy. I was almost in tears, it was definitely the hardest part. I just felt so bad that he didn't understand why we weren't feeding him, it made me feel cruel. We played games with my family in the waiting area. I think the nursing staff thought we were crazy, but it made the time go by faster.

Bob hates these pictures, he doesn't like to see Ezra in such rough shape.

I think it is important to document, 
especially for other parents who will go through the same thing.

The surgery went well and Ezra was sleeping when we got to join him in the recovery room. When he did wake up his cry was much quieter than usual, and he was fairly easy to calm as long as Bob or I were holding him. Bob and I both spent the night so I got a little more sleep this time around. (That and we had a private room this time) He was really groggy the first day, but smiling and eager to get around the next day. We took him home late that night and although he had a big crying spell at 1 am it was nice to be home in our own beds. My family was a huge help and allowed Bob and I to catch up on some sleep. I was really grateful, especially because for the first few days he only wanted me so they couldn't help much then.

Ezra is doing much better than I expected. He really wants to eat real food, but is on a liquid diet until Thursday, so we try not to eat in front of him. Yesterday he tested out his new singing voice in church. He has always enjoyed the music, but now he is joining in. Bob and I had a hard time singing we were laughing so hard. He is one week post op and has had no pain medicine at all today. He is just his happy old self!