two months old

it's hard to believe that nearly two and half months have gone by since this little boy was born.  he is more like a very small (very smiley) wise old man than a baby.

ezra august has such a clear personality, already.  everyone says so.  he really does seem old beyond his age, his wide eyes always taking in his surroundings.  he loves to look at people.  and after a moment of looking, he usually smiles.

he is super strong, holding his head up well.  he does not like to be cradled like a baby.  he is happy on his tummy.  he is happy in the swing.  he is happy on his play mat, looking at the toys hanging down.  he is happy on our bed, looking at the mobile.  he is happy on his changing table, looking out the window, into the light.  generally, he is happy.

he is drooling already, and always sucking on his hands.  he rarely spits up.  he is a fast nurser.  he likes to be naked.  he is ambivalent about baths.

he loves his siblings.  he watches them all the time.  he laughs for them.  isla kisses him non-stop.  he seems okay with it.  he tries to bite her nose.

i can't say i'm not still exhausted at the end of each day.  i am.  but ezra is such a delight.  someday soon i'll be able to sleep through the night again.  but i won't always be able to smell the sweet smell from my baby's soft head.  (i think there is some red hair on there...)

ezra laughing (a movie)

who will sit at your tables and chairs?

recently isla was reading a highlights high five magazine when she came across this page.  she got really excited about this set-up.  she said, "when daddy comes home i will ask him to make me some tables and chairs for my dollies!"  i encouraged her to try to build the tables and chairs with blocks, but she said we don't have the right blocks and she needed daddy's help.  sure enough, as soon as he walked in the door she asked for his help.  he could tell she was really excited and he headed out to the shop right away.  "don't forget to bring the magazine with you so you know how to make them!" said isla.  aaron laughed and brought the magazine.

a little while later he came back in with a table and chairs.  isla was thrilled.  she said, "i knew you could do it!"  isn't that encouraging to a busy dad?  :)

here's her version of the set-up:

noah's last day of kindergarten

yesterday was noah's last day of school for the year, and also his last day of being a student at gardenview montessori.  he has grown so much since he started there two years ago.  he and i both cried the first time i dropped him off!  recently he doesn't like to leave and asks for more time at school with his friends.  what a change.

he brought home a notebook he's been working on all year, and today he and isla were flipping through it together.  he pointed out a page at the beginning and said to her, "that was from back before i knew how to read.  that was when i was five.  that was so long ago."  isn't perspective funny?

well, congratulations to my big boy, who loves learning so much and passes on that excitement to the rest of us.  it's great.

isla will start at gardenview in the fall.  she keeps saying, "gardenview isn't noah's school anymore.  now it's my school!"

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above are some pictures from noah's two years at gardenview montessori

photos: may

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photos: noah's birthday party

this year, as always, aaron made something awesome for noah's birthday party--a big wooden racetrack that starts on our front porch and heads to the fence.  it had a loop-the-loop that crossed lanes, ramps, an elasticized drop-down starting line, and a finish line drawn by noah.  it was meant for racing lego race car creations made by noah and his friends at the party, but it was soon realized that hot wheels cars are much faster.  very much fun was had by all.

aaron also made the lego cakes.  they involve six marshmallow pieces on top dyed in food coloring.  i was stressing out about how i was going to pull it off, and aaron said "let me handle it."  and he did, so very well!

in general, i don't recommend hosting a birthday party two weeks after having a baby.  but grandma was crucially helpful in the goodie-bag making.  she made very cool lego-shaped bags, filled with little chocolate lego men, lego brick candies, lego brick crayons and a little coloring book that the kids and i made.  if you're thinking of hosting a lego birthday party, there are PLENTY of online resources available.  ours was so tame compared to some.  you can imagine!

but we had a pretty happy six year old boy.  he spent the rest of the day building and rebuilding his many new lego sets, while the rest of us polished off the lego cake.

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photos: late april

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photos: baby ezra

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