Ezra is still requesting ‘Happy To Be With You’ by Johnny Cash like mad by saying, ,,Happy, happy,” throughout the day. If we are near the radio in his room that has the compact disk with the song we will play it. We did this today more than once. And more than once we listened to ‘Happy To Be With You’.
And more than once we listened to a new favorite song Ezra likes to both listen to and see. The song is from the early seasons of Sesame Street. The song is named ‘I’ve Got Two’. We discovered this song on a set of compact disks Grandma O got Ezra for Xmas. It stars the characters Susan and Bob. Valerie and I like the song. Maybe not as much after listening to it nearly seven times in a row today after going for an out door adventure to the park with Ezra. Ezra wanted to listen to the song over and over and over… He wanted to listen to it an eighth and a ninth and a tenth time but we stopped. It was fun watching him both listen and see the song because on the last verse when Susan stands to dance showing off her two feet, so does Ezra, and then the final time when both Susan and Bob sing, ,,And we’ve got two eyes, and they’re both the same size!” Ezra makes a soundless surprised expression with his mouth almost being an O. The video is below. Hopefully it won’t get removed from YouTube because it is a great song and dance…
Ezra’s become attached to Ted 3 to no encouragement of my own (really). He has other stuffed animals that once in a while during the past months he would want to hold for a time. It was with these stuffed animals in Ezra’s crib that Ted 3 was placed to be. For some reason, Ted 3 is some one he reaches for now when he needs a friend to squeeze and carry with him. He has even been sleeping on Ted 3 as a pillow. If he is feeling fussy, he wants Ted 3. Sometimes when he wakes in the morning, he reaches for Ted 3. Ear infection causing pain…He reaches for Ted 3. He carries Ted 3. He sits with Ted 3. This week Ted 3 every went to playcare with Ezra after Ezra was not wanting to leave for playcare after a long morning with -v- and insisted Ted 3 come along with him.
I do really enjoy seeing him become attached to Ted 3 because Ted 3 was never really my teddy bear for I had Ted 2. And I know longer get tense when he drags Ted 3’s head across the floor while holding Ted 3 because Ted 3 is now his. So much so that his name in the future may not be Ted 3 if Ezra discovers Ted 3 is not the teddy bear’s real name.
When I was a kid, I liked stuffed animals. There were many that I liked, but there are only two that remain with me to this day. Both are teddy bears. One is name Ted 2 and the other is named Ted 3. Ted 2 is the oldest and is nearly as old as I am. Ted 3 is about eight or nine years younger than me.
I hadn’t thought much of Ted 2 or Ted 3 over the years until a couple of weeks ago when -v- was carrying Ezra around, and Ezra seen Ted 2 and Ted 3 on top of the dresser. He seemed interested in them, but I resisted giving him either Ted 2 or Ted 3 until -v- teased me about not letting Ezra having Ted 2 or Ted 3 because I was TOO attached, so decided I would give Ezra Ted 3.
I chose Ted 3 because he is more soft and furry than Ted 2, and Ted 2 and I have a bond I am just not willing to let go. I gave Ezra Ted 3 by putting Ted 3 in his crib and waiting to see if Ezra and Ted 3 got along. I was hoping at best that he wouldn’t throw Ted 3 out or use him as a chew toy. And after I left Ted 3 in the crib I didn’t think much about Ted 3 until this week.
Today and few other times this week I arrived home or woke to Ezra clinging on to Ted 3 or using him as a pillow, which has brought smile to face. And while I don’t expect him to want to keep Ted 3 for a day or for a decade, I do enjoy seeing him walk around with a teddy bear that I use to hold and sleep upon.
Today Ezra showed off his increased skill at drinking from a cup without getting more water on him than in his mouth. It was a joyous occasion at the dinner table that inspired -v- and me to clap and say, ,,Yay,” after a couple of drinks. This provoked Ezra to drink more water from his cup and to clap and say, ,,Yay,” when I drank from my cup.
I pulled the red wagon with Ezra sitting inside on a long journey from the house to a garage for buses. Along the way we seen cars, buses, van, motorcycles, truck and buses. Lots of buses.
It was the buses that kept him awake for we began this journey near the time of his daily nap. As we neared the bus garage, he began to close his eyes and sway as he sat in the wagon. As we stood staring at the buses in the garage, he motioned that he wanted to be held. I picked him up and soon he began to become unsteady, close eyes and sway back and forth. We continued the journey home with Ezra in my arms and the red wagon rolling up a ruckus along the sidewalks. About half way home he laid his head on my shoulder and feel asleep. About this time, my back became sore, so I looked at the red wagon and then Ezra then the red wagon then I laid Ezra in the red wagon and pulled a sleeping Ezra slowly home to his bed for his daily nap.
…When I ask for Ezra to turn off the radio in his room before we leave the room and then he turn off the radio. …When he turns off the radio in his room without asking. …How he says, ,,WOW,” when a new type of motorized vehicle drives past. …That he likes to brush his teeth. …That he is petting the cats with soft touches. …That he helps unload the dishwasher by lifting the dishes from the bottom rack and into the air for -v- or me to grab. …When he wants to sit at the table and eat. …When he likes what I cook. …That he plays crazy fun ball. …How he likes to stare at things. …How he actually is listening to me and is beginning to understand. …How he pushes the boundaries of what he can and can’t hit with a toy hammer. …How he dances to most music sitting or standing even if it is only with his right arm extending and contracting with the beat.
Ezra knows when he wants a nap. He will climb the stairs, walk to his room, point to the door if closed and when door is open walk into room and stand by crib and point.
We will lift him inside crib, and he will lay in the crib. Sometimes he will look at us and standup if we don’t lay on the floor near the crib for a few minutes after he is put inside.
Ezra takes his sippy cup, turns it upside down and shakes out water on a plate or on top of his table. Then he slams an open palm in the spreading pool of water and watches the splash. Then this action is performed again until either there is no more water or inspiration has waned.
He also likes to take some of his food from his food plate and put it in an empty cup. Then he takes his sippy cup and shakes water from the sippy cup to the inside of the cup with food. He will then look inside the cup and reach inside mixing the food and water together. Most the time he is satisfied with leaving the mixture of Food Art and Water Art in the cup, but other times he wants to use a different canvas, so he spills the cup’s contents upon a flat surface allowing the food and water to flow and the art to spread.
At first, I would criticize his Water Art regardless if it was on his plate, his table or the floor. But now, after following the wisdom of -v-, I have chosen to limit my criticism of Ezra and only criticize his expression when his canvas is the floor.
When Ezra hears a tonal Mozart song of a toy, he claps and moves his chest. When he hears Johnny Cash or They Might Be Giants, he claps his hands, moves his chest and some times shakes a leg or shuffle steps. On a rare occasion he will do a step twirl. Whenever Ezra dances, he smiles.
Days ago Ezra had brought me my shoes. I was sitting on the ground staring at the computer screen and here comes Ezra with one of my shoes in his hand. He let it drop to the ground near me me then left and returned with my other shoe. He dropped the shoe. Then he left and returned with his shoes.
I smile and said, ,,THANKS! Ezra,” with a big smile.
It took the wisdom of -v- for her to enlighten me that it was his way of telling me that he wanted to go outside, which I found to be true because he went and stood by the door, so we put on shoes and went outside.
I thought it was a one time thing, but since that day he has brought me my shoes almost everyday.
Ezra pulled his own red wagon today after he rode in it. He began by pushing the red wagon with me steering, but then we showed him the handle and -v- showed him and helped him hold the handle until he moved her hand off the handle and pulled the red wagon.
-v- said Ezra pulling the red wagon was like seeing Shetland pony pulling a prairie wagon.
Ezra is nearing 1 year old and finally. YES, finally, when Ezra is in need of comfort and needs to be held he actually reaches from me even when -v- is near. He has even reached for me while being held by his obvious favorite -v-. Of course, when this occurred and I held him in my arms, he immediately reached for -v-, but that’s not the point! The point is this shows me that I am his second favorite person in the world!
Ezra picks up the soccer ball. He walks it over to the coffee table. He lifts it to the coffee table top. Then he pushes it over the coffee table top and watches it roll. If the soccer ball doesn’t leave the coffee table top after the push he will stare at it, get fussy and leave. If the soccer ball rolls off the top to the floor then he watches the soccer ball until it stops rolling. Then he walks away from the coffee with arms up and hands high over head with cheers and squeals of joy.
I took Ezra outside tonight after dinner for a walk, one where I walked AND Ezra walked!
We didn’t go very far, but Ezra was so excited to be out for a walk, walking on his own! We walked from our street corner down the sidewalk and stopped for a moment to squat near the big lily plant, eat mulberries and look at some ants. Then we stood up and continued our walk past our house and our neighbor’s house. Then we walked down the neighbor’s driveway to tap the bumper of the neighbor’s shiny red truck. Then we walked back up the driveway, turned around, walked back to the truck, tapped the bumper again. Then we returned to the sidewalk and Ezra was moving so fast - he almost seemed close to running at times - waving his arms up above his head, wind in his hair, smiling and laughing with such great joy. It was enough to a tear to my eye of mostly joy, but a little sadness, at how quickly my son is growing up!! Then he turned the corner, looked back at me, and seemed to wave as if to say “try to keep up, mom!”
