Treasuring My Little Noggin

A few weeks ago we returned to Children's to check on Ezra's head shape and the specialist recommended that he do helmet therapy.  Ever since then I have been treasuring his precious little noggin.  I love the little soft curls that I see coming in.  I wonder if his hair will stay brown or get darker? I like combing it to the side and then parting it down the middle.  More than anything, I love when he rests his head on my shoulder, with my cheek to his cheek.  I find that I am lingering longer and holding him closer because I know that pretty soon his sweet, sweaty, little head will be replaced with a cold, hard, helmet.  
I am confident that I will not regret having Ezra wear the helmet, and am trying to remember how blessed I am to have my healthy, happy, boy.  I need to be grateful that this is our greatest medical worry.  And... I may need to purchase a mouth guard becuase the liklihood of me coming out with a chipped tooth or black eye from this treatment is quite probable!

M

8 Months

Dear Ezra, 
We have entered a whole new world of sleep in our home!  Gone are the days of waking up all night to nurse and cuddle with your momma.  Our nightly routine now consists of a rambunctious nursing at 6:30, followed by a bath with Dad, a few stories, prayers, and songs.  You usually make it into your crib around 7:00. Most nights you are ready to fall fast asleep, but other times you have a wrestling match with your monkey first.  You sleep in the craziest positions, your booty is usually in the air, your face is often smashed into the mattress, and you are almost always in a corner of the crib. We usually see each other around 11:00 for a mid night snack and then you wake up for the day at 6:00 am.  I love the smile on your face when I come in to say good morning; there is no better way to wake up.  Baths usually calm babies down, but not you!  You get so excited when you get in the water.  You love splashing in the tub and even more so in the pool. You aren't afraid to get your face wet, and crack up when I pour water over your head. You love to make people laugh and mimic our faces.  You smack your lips, blow raspberries, and have a special game face.  Your game face is when you scrunch up your nose, furrow your brow, and do rapid fire sniffing.  You do this game face every time you see your Dad and both of you end up cracking up!  I have a feeling you are going to be a funny man, just like him! But... you are also becoming a bit of a shy guy.  When we see someone new you bury your face into my shoulder and cling onto me.  You warm up after a couple of minutes, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't love the cuddle time!  I always will. 
Love, 
Mom

4th of July!

The Buehler's hosted a fun 4th of July BBQ! 

Food

 Family

Fireworks

 Freak Out...

A firework was lit within feet of Levi... pointed right at him.  He loved it.  We were freaked!

Can't go wrong with food, family, and watching my little Leland's face when the fireworks go off! 

M 

Heat Wave

Usually when the forecast predicts the upper 80s I can hardly wait to grab a lawn chair, go to a park, and read for hours while roasting in the sun.  Things have changed now that I'm a mom... Not only would I rather not wear a swimsuit, I now have a little heat pack with me at all times to worry about. 

Hot days are now spent splashing in a kiddie pool, 

finding shade, 

harassing naked babies, 

playing inside with lights off, fans blasting, diaper on (and it is still 10 degrees warmer inside than out...), 

giving cool baths, dressing Ezzy to sleep with only a onsie on, going to the store because it has air conditioning, applying self tanner to my scary white self, and turning into a sweat monster with my warm bodied bear.  

While I would love to be a more active part of this beautiful heat wave, I'm loving spending it with my partner in new ways. 

M

Photo Dump // June

M

Father's Day

Ezra is very lucky to have such an incredible dad.  And I am lucky to have such a caring, supportive husband.  This quote I found on Pinterest sums it up really well. 


For T's first Father's Day we surprised him with a new pair of shoes and fancy Space Needle socks to wear when he plays basketball.  

My sisters and I all surprised my parents and went to church with them.  It was fun to all be together, even though I spent most of the time roaming the halls with my growling baby... 
After church we went to my parents and had lunch and enjoyed the sunshine. 

After spending most of his life surrounded by girls, my dad finally has his boys!  

I think it takes a special man to be the dad of four girls. A little bit of the note I wrote him:
I am privileged to have you as my dad.  As I have gotten older I have
realized that not everyone has a dad that will drive up to Bellingham
after he gets off of work to help fix your car, or make you change
your clothes so you are wearing something more modest, or rub your head
until you fall asleep when you are scared you will die from e coli, or
teach you how to properly wash a car, mow a lawn, shake off a weed,
and shoot a basket... Thank you for all of the sacrifices you have
made to be the best dad and help me be a better me.

 Ezra and I scored in the dad department. 

M

He Sleeps!

For whatever reason, I had a really hard time getting myself to move Ezra into his own room.  For almost two months I came up with reasons why we needed to postpone the change (a cold, teething, growth spurt, vacation),  and would get really sad every time I even though of not having him an arm length away.  
After we got home from SLC, worked through a runny nose, and purchased a video baby monitor,  we made the move.  For Ezra, the transition was a breeze.  He woke up no more or less than before, and probably didn't really realize the difference because I was in his room the minute he started to cry. 

The first night that he slept in his room I (with out exaggeration) watched him sleep for an hour straight.  

Suddenly my pictures of him sleeping in his crib  switched to pictures of the monitor, and an occasional sneak into his room.  

 From what I have read and heard, some babies start to sleep for longer stretches when they are in their own room because they are no longer able to smell their mom's milk.  I was hoping this would be the case with Ezzy, but wasn't surprised when his usual sleep habits (up every 1-2 hours and then wanting to be held from 4 am on...) continued.  
After a week of sleep walking back and forth from his room to mine, months of Tieba fighting to stay awake in meetings, staying home from work because of exhaustion, and going to the "cot room" to take a nap, we decided that a change needed to happen.  We had tried everything, other than crying it out, and realized that we had no other choice.  I set up an appointment with the pediatrician to help me feel more confident about the decision and started the Friday before Father's Day.  
I expected Ezra to cry for hours. I feared that he would feel abandoned.  I anticipated needing to explain to my neighbors why my baby is screaming and crying for hours each day. After all of the stress, research, and anxiety that I had around the cry it out method, I was absolutely shocked when he fell asleep in 24 minutes the first night and then 5 minutes the next night!  Within in 2 days he went from needing total assistance to sleep- to none, from taking 20 minutes naps- to 1 hour, and eating 4 times a night- to 1.  

I wouldn't have done it any sooner, but I am oh so happy we did it when we did!  

M

Teeth!

After months of chronic teething, these little pearls popped up overnight with out any warning! 

Getting a picture of his teeth has been oddly difficult.  So, while this picture doesn't even look like him... His cute little teeth are visible and he is smiling with every muscle in his face! 

M