Naps

For Ezra's first 8 weeks of life he was held for every single one of his naps.  Either Tieba, a visitor, or I had him in our arms for each and every little snooze. 

The first 4 weeks it didn't even cross my mind to put him down for a nap. I loved holding him and since I was pretty much stuck to the couch myself, I saw no point in putting him down.  I cherished the hours of simply staring at him, taking pictures of him while he was so peaceful, and watching way too much Bravo. 

Right around the 6 week mark I decided that I should probably set him down every once in a while and was even having the urge to get things done around the house.  I started by putting him down in the little vibrating seat that he happily sat in while I showered.  He would be dead asleep, until he hit the seat, and was then suddenly wide awake, giving me a look that would make anyone pick him back up. 

On the rare occasion that we left the house (doctor appointments, trips to the Buehler's, or my parents'), Ezra would fall asleep and then stay asleep for his longest stretches. 

Eventually, he became quite upset each time I would set him down while he was sleeping and would act like he was being stung by a swarm of bees when he touched a surface that wasn't a warm body.  
Other than the fact that he was up every two hours to eat (which is a whole other story), our taco did a great job sleeping in his bassinet at night.  If only he could sleep there during the day...

By the 8 week mark I felt negligent for my lack of a sleep schedule and desperate to have a little bit of time to myself.  I still held him for his first morning nap so I could finish the season of Sister Wives and start Vanderpump Rules... but was dead set on having at least one of his naps in his crib (quickly graduated out of the bassinet).  

At this point our "schedule" roughly went as follows... 

8:00 am: exit the bedroom, enter the living room
8:01 am: Ezzy furiously screams while I change his 5 pound diaper and gather my essentials: Boppy, water, protein shake, iPhone, burp rag, & remote
8:05 am: begin nursing (record on Nursing Notes) and chat with my milk hound
8:10 am: send out my morning texts to Tieba, Kelly, and Mom
8:12 am: go to my List and select from... Real Housewives Atlanta/BH/Miami, Shahs of Sunset, Vanderpump Rules, Teen Mom, Honey Boo Boo, and Sister Wives... 
8:23 am: unlatch the beast, motorcycle kick and loud squeaks until he gets on the other side
8:43 am: Ezzy falls asleep at the breast and I carefully cuddle him so he doesn't wake up
9:00 am: start a new show
9:36 am: decide to take a nap myself
9:40 am: nap is over. 
9:41 am: change diaper
9:50 am: look out the window and talk about what we see
10:00 am: begin nursing and make my morning phone calls
10:30 am: finish nursing
10:35 am: brush my teeth 
10:40 am: take a shower (sing and talk to Ezra the whole time)
10:46 am: work as fast as I can to dry off, lotion up, dress and brush my hair before he maxes out
10:52 am: tummy time (torture time)
10:53 am: read books in vibrating chair
11:00 am: tired cries start
11:02 am: sing and dance into the bedroom while turning off all of the lights in the condo
11:03 am: turn on the giraffe
11:03 am: wrestle Ezzy into his swaddle
11:04 am: take Taco into the bathroom (darkest part of the bedroom), turn on the fan, get cheek to cheek start my song and dance routine
11:08 am: eyes closed ready to sleep
11:09 am: debate whether I should hold him for the nap or put him down... 
11:11 am: put him down in the crib and stare for a minute in disbelief that he is still quietly sleeping
11:12 am: put make up on
11:14 am: creep around corner to see if he is still sleeping-confirmed
11:16 am: text Tieba and my mom to tell them nap details
11:18 am: check to see if he is breathing
11:19 am: finish putting make up on
11:22 am: check to see if he is breathing
11:23 am: start to unload the dishwasher
11:23 am: Ezzy starts to cry
11:23 am: rush into the room, reinsert paci, stroke forehead- asleep
11:25 am: continue with dishes
11:27 am: check to see if he is breathing
... dishes/breathing routine continues until he wakes up between 30 and 40 minutes after putting him down... 
11:45 am: starvation scream, diaper change
11:50 am: nurse my malnourished panda
12:20 pm: sponge bath, new clothes for the day, soak out fit in spit up, put on another new outfit
12:40 pm: scurry around and fill the diaper bag
12:42 pm: load Ezzy in his carseat
12:45 pm: head to- Target/Kelly's/Hobby Lobby/Mom & Dad's/Fred Meyer/Central Market... nap on the go!
...Hurry home in case Ezzy is awake and ready to eat at 1:50... routine starts all over again! 

Now that we are at the 12 week mark, I am pleased to say that Ezzy takes most of his naps in his crib!  

Every once in a while I still check to see if he is breathing, but for the most part I just peak around the corner to remind myself that I really do have a baby sleeping in the other room. 

He has made me very proud (on the rare occasion) when he puts himself to sleep. 

 

I am trying my best to "pause" (Bringing Up Bebe) and let him figure it out and become a little more independent, but it can be hard.  I already miss the days (tears in eyes) of cuddling all day long. 

And so, every once in a while I treat myself to holding him through a nap and hugging him right up to my cheek. 

I love my Taco!

M

 

Little Comedian

It has been such an amazing ride over the past 12 weeks with Ezra. I can't believe how much I love him, I always knew I was going to love him but I didn't know it would be this intense. Ever time I think about him I can't help but smile. He can't even talk yet and he makes me laugh. Some of my favorite things about Ezzy right now that make me smile/laugh:

1. Smiling- His cheeks are so chubby and perfectly round, its funny and unbelievably adorable how cute he is when he smiles.

2. Chatting- When I'm changing his diaper at night or we're just hanging out he really starts cooing and cawing and telling me all kinds of stories about his day. It's just funny to hear his noises and have him respond.

3. Hanging Out- I almost always die of laughter when I look over at Ezzy, and Meg or I are holding him and he's just sitting there staring at me or something else. His facial expressions are priceless, he either looks like he is shocked to see you there (see photo below) or has this blank look on his face that is to die for.

"What are you doing there?"

4. Fist of Furry- In the past two weeks or so "E" has become more aware of his body, particularly his fists, and at any given point through out the day you might catch him with a mouthful of his fist and drool drilling down his chin. I have made the mistake a time or two of trying to clean the drool of his chin...and he does not appreciate me interrupting his routine. :-)   

I could go on for hours about all the small things he does that just makes my day and life so much better..but for the sake of getting some work done :-) I will not. Ezzy has been and continues to be such a blessing in our lives, I can't imagine our little family without him. I feel very blessed to have such a wonderful, happy, health, and beautiful little man and wife to come home to everyday. I love them both very much-

T

Cousin Love

Levi has been the king of our family for the last three years, the center of our universe, and life of all of our parties!

Last Spring Kelly and I found out we were expecting boys 7 weeks apart from each other.  We were so excited for our babes to be buddies and for Levi to have playmates! 

 I assumed that Levi may be a little jealous and unsure about these new creatures in his world... 

Boy, did he prove me wrong!  From the moment Levi met Baby Ezra and Baby Troy, he was in love!  He was anxious to hold the boys, kiss baby toes, throw their diapers away, rock their seats, and of course hang out in their cribs...

Our new babes made the Bropleh-Buehler family unable to travel together and left us home bound.  Thankfully, before the cabin fever got the best of us, Ben came to the rescue and spoiled Kelly with a new Pathfinder! We are so excited to be able to take much needed outings together and carpools to Mukilteo to visit Grandma and Grandpa. The three boys are so cute together in the middle seat! 

While I love the fact that the new car allows us to travel together, my favorite part about it has been some of the tender moments shared between Levi and Ezzy.  
On our way home from dinner at my parents on Sunday my heart nearly melted when I saw Levi reaching into Ezra's car seat to hold his hand. 

But, the most precious moment yet was on the car ride home from our mall walk on Monday. After a peaceful snooze while walking, Ezzy decided he was ready to be out of his seat and with his milk source.  He was freaking out beyond consolation and after a number of failed attempts to give him his pacifier I decided to stop trying and pray for green lights.  
After a minute or two, Ezra miraculously stopped crying.  I figured he wore himself out and fell asleep. I was wrong, dear little Levi was helping his Baby Ezra by giving him his paci and then holding it in for him.  Such a treasured moment.

Levi loves his babies and we love him! 

....

Afterword: The paci only worked for so long... Kel and I eventually ended up in the QFC parking lot nursing both babes... 

M

Hello!

In the last 11 weeks we have taken hundreds of pictures and made many memories- the most precious portraits our lenses have ever seen and memories we never want to forget.  Here is our place to hold on to all the little moments ...

naps with Dad,

strolls with Mom,

 afternoons with cousins,

Friday nights, 

 precious faces, 

and everything in between!

M