Shirts and Slippers

Several months ago Damon's parents (aka Nanna and Poppy) were out shopping for their grandkids. They visited a very popular kid's clothing store and discovered that a shirt was designed specifically for Ezra and his cousin! I have been so excited for Ezra to grow into this shirt and it finally fits. Check out the Buster shirt!

Hilarious, right? I love it! Also, please notice the adorable little slippers on Ezra's feet. Over the past couple of years Damon's mom has knit a pair of slippers for probably all of her family members and several friends. Even my best friend has a pair! This past weekend we were visiting Damon's parents and his mom measured Ezra's feet. On Wednesday we got a package in the mail with his new slippers enclosed.

They fit him perfectly. Ezra is constantly pulling his socks off so I am glad his feet will now stay warm. AND they look good, which is of course the most important thing. Thank you, Nanna!!

All About LB - 12 months

I realize that the title of this post is a little silly because this blog has basically turned into all about LB all the time. Oh well. Hopefully in the future I will occasionally come up with some intelligent things to say and you don't have to read about me rambling on about LB all the time. LB did have his 12 month check-up on Friday and I think that is a pretty big deal.

The Stats:

He weighs 19lbs 8oz and is 28 inches long. I thought for sure he would be at least 20lbs and would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. I am not sure why I was disappointed but I think I had the expectation that he would be 20lbs so it felt like a let down. Weird, I know. BUT the big news is that he is finally on the charts! When we got his referral we were told he was just shy of 4 months and weighed 9.7lbs. At the time I went to check and see what percentile that was. All of my mom friends were always talking about what percentile their kid was. I thought this was a stat I needed to know so I could talk about my kid in mom-speak. If you are an experienced mom then you are probably laughing at me because he wasn't even close to being on the percentile chart. He was so far off the charts that I am embarrassed that I even thought to look. Even at his 9 month check-up he was still considered to be below the 3rd percentile, which means not on the charts. So when they told me he was 7th percentile for weight and 5th percentile for height I was ecstatic. Of course, he is still small by American standards and probably always will be. I don't think we are raising a future Sumo wrestler. It is worth mentioning that even though he isn't 20lbs he has come so far and we have so much to celebrate. When we were at the doctors there was a med student that was shadowing her for the day. We were reviewing his height and weight and the doctor was showing us his growth curve. She was also excited with how far he has come and was sharing in my joy that he was officially on the charts. Since it seemed a little strange our doctor turned the chart towards the med student to show her why we were giddy over the 5th percentile. All of his measurements from 4 weeks old are on there and I noticed a dramatic change in her facial expression when she scanned the chart and saw where he started. She let out an "Oh" and got a sad look on her face. He has come a long way and is such a little miracle. Our doctor said that most kids really start to level off a bit at this age in terms of growth but that she suspects LB's curve will continue to increase. He is happy and healthy and that is what matters!

our happy boy

Communication & Personality:

LB continues to be quite the communicator and has learned some new signs. There are days when I think we are actually "talking" to each other quite well and then other days we get our wires crossed. For example, last night we were giving him a smoothie. He had eaten quite a bit so I asked him using the signs if he was all done or if he wanted to more. His response was to point to his nose. Hmmmmm. Not quite sure what went wrong there. He is very good at pointing to various body parts if you ask him and sometimes he will point to my mouth and then point to his and do it over and over again. It's pretty darn cute.

LB continues to make friend wherever we go and forces me to more chatty than usual. We stopped by one of our local libraries last week and three different librarians approached us. One of them handed me the flyer with their story time hours and personally asked LB if he would come. HA! I usually don't go to that branch but I think I will have to take LB back to see those nice librarians. Have I mentioned that the Columbus Metro Library System was awarded the 2010 Library of the Year? Pretty cool.

It is possible that LB might have a little OCD. The other day we were playing in his room and he saw a piece of lint and kept pointing to it. He eventually picked it up and handed it to me and it was like he was saying, "please remove this dirt from my room." On the same day there also happened to be a little piece of string. He pointed that out to me as well. I promise the room was recently swept but I guess not to his standards.

The tiny piece of lint next to the red ring. This was right before he picked it up.

See the hand attempting to reach the string? I do love that chubby hand.

Food:

The jury is still out on whether or not he will be a picky eater. D and I have had the hardest time getting him to eat stage 3 baby food. He gags like crazy every time we try. His gag reflex is pretty intense. There has to be something about the chunkiness that he doesn't like. We mentioned this to the doctor and she said some kids don't like the stage 3 but are fine with mashed up regular food even if it has some chunks. She suggested we try some smoothies. Success! He gobbled it up and didn't seem too upset about some random chunks of banana. Hopefully we can introduce more and more and the gagging will decrease. He still has NO teeth. The doctor did say that it looks like his bottom teeth are very close and that it shouldn't be long. Both D and I have noticed that his bottom gums have gotten very swollen so we are crossing our fingers it will be any day now.

playing with prunes

Obsessions:

LB's love for stuffed animals/friends continues to grow. If there is a stuffed animal in his vision he wants it and makes his opinion known pretty forcefully that he must have it immediately. Once the animal is in his arms he will always kiss and hug it. I have to say his kisses and hugs are pretty awesome. When he is a little tired he will snuggle his head into my chest and then lean in for a kiss and hug. He also loves to kiss characters in his books. Often I can't open the next page because it is stuck together with slobber. LB loves all toys with wheels and toys that make music. If the toy has a wheel AND makes music then he is in heaven. He has recently developed a new habit of requesting to go from room to room to touch light switches. I am not a fan of this game. But he likes it when I turn the switch on and show him the light and then turn it off. He could do this for longer than I care to try. Even though he has some weird obsessions I am so grateful I get spend the day playing with him.

Here are a few more photos of our 12 month old little boy. He is pure sweetness.

LB's 1st Birthday

LB is 1! His birthday was overall a very good day and I am glad we decided to go for the low key option. Sadly, D didn't have the day off work so LB and I just had a regular day. We did go to the craft store for the second time in my life for a project that resulted in a huge failure. I will tell you more about that later. Here are a few shots of LB waiting for his dad to get home from work.

His facial expressions kill me. I had made pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese icing (Trader Joe's mix) the day before as his birthday treat. I guess it was more a treat for D and me since Ezra isn't into adult food yet. (This kid doesn't even like puffs yet! What kid doesn't like puffs?) But I wanted to let him attempt to smash it to pieces and maybe eat some icing.

This series of photos makes me laugh out loud. As you can tell he was happy at first when he thought he was just having his regular dinner. He was very skeptical of the cupcake. He did manage to make a mess but didn't seem to enjoy it. He was over it pretty quickly. I think D was quite pleased that his son took after him and did not enjoy being messy. I tried to feed him some of the icing and he didn't like it. What kid doesn't like cream cheese icing? Oh well. I would say his favorite part of the day was when we sang to him. That kid loves music.

After the cupcakes we attempted the craft project. About a week ago D and I were brainstorming ideas for his birthday. D came up with the idea to do his hand and foot prints. I thought it was brilliant. So I went to the craft store and got paint and construction paper and I was going to make it the colors of the Ethiopian flag. I was very excited to do this and thought it would be a nice keepsake. We got everything set up and then dipped his foot in the paint and all hell broke loose! He HATED it. He started crying at the same level as when he had blood drawn. It was awful. We tried to push through but quickly realized we were ruining his birthday so we called it quits on the craft project. Poor guy. Perhaps it was just too much messy for one day. We probably should have started with his hands too because I think that would have freaked him out less. Oh well, lesson learned.

It was still a fun day and LB got lots of phone calls, facebook messages and emails wishing him a happy birthday. Friday we go to the doctor for his 12 month check up. I am very eager to get his new measurements because we haven't had him weighed since his 9 month check up. He was 16.5 lbs at 9 months and based on the way my neck and shoulders feel I am thinking he is around 21 lbs.

Happy 1st Birthday, LB! Your dad and I love you so much!!

Almost a Year Ago

Ezra's birthday is on Monday. Almost a year ago he was born in a hospital in Awassa, Ethiopia. This year his birthday falls on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which I love. I have been seriously conflicted about what to do to commemorate his birthday. I have gone back and forth a million times if we would have a party and invite friends over or not. Finally, last week Damon and I came to the decision that we would just do something the three of us rather than have a big shindig. Of course if he wants a party when he is older then we will do something. In the past few weeks leading up to his birthday I have been overcome with emotion. Not because he is getting older. But I am reminded of the loss that led to his adoption. I hadn't said much to Damon about this because I wondered if I was being melodramatic and I DO want to focus on celebrating Ezra's life and all the joy he brings to us. That's what birthdays are for. I don't want this sadness to be misinterpreted. However, last night Damon told me that he was feeling conflicted about January 17th too. I was so glad that we were able to talk about it together and that I wasn't alone. A few weeks ago I read a post from another adoptive mom who was also feeling sadness leading up to her twins' first birthday and she decided that she would be sad the day before the birthday so she could focus on celebrating their life on the actual day. That works for me too. So this weekend I am allowing myself to be sad. I am not beating myself up over it but am showing myself some grace. I understand now how parents can make the ultimate sacrifice for their children. Ezra's Ethiopian family is never far from my mind but this weekend they will be front and center. If you wouldn't mind saying a prayer for them I would be ever so grateful.

The Photo Shoot

While we were in Tulsa over the holidays we had several days of really beautiful weather. I had been hoping that would be the case so we could have some professional photos done at one of Tulsa's best parks. I LOVE outdoor photos. Our friend, Maggie, did an AMAZING job and when I first saw the proofs I found myself wiping away tears. She captured his personality and joy for life in a way that I never could with a camera. I am so grateful. If you live in the Tulsa, OK area, I highly recommend Maggie S. Photography. Maggie has three boys so she is really great with kids. I wanted to post all of them but instead of giving you Ezra overload I picked my 10 favorite.

"Not flesh of my flesh, nor bone of my bone, but still miraculously my own. Never forget for a single minute, you didn't grow under my heart - but in it." - Fleur Conkling Heylinger

Drama Boy

Ezra definitely has a flare for the dramatic. Just in case he pursues a career in acting, I wanted to make sure I had it noted here that the drama started at an early age. Whenever he is playing on the floor I always put a pillow behind him. This isn't because he is unstable when seated. Ezra's mood changes quickly and one minute he will be playing contently and the next he is ticked off. His way of expressing his anger is to throw his head back quite forcefully. So I put the pillow there to cushion the blow. I know when he starts getting mad at his toys and throwing his head back that it is close to nap time.

There are many times when he is jabbering away and it looks like he is having an intense conversation with God. He will put his hands up, look up to the sky and while talking loudly he will shake his hands. It cracks me up every time but he seems quite serious about whatever conversation he is having.

Ezra has mastered two versions of a fake laugh and a fake cough. The first fake laugh is more of a "Ha Ha" sound and it seems as though he is mocking you. He just started the second fake laugh this week and it is a more extended laugh. It sounds closer to a real laugh but it is still fake. His real laugh is joyful and you can't help but join him.

The drama also comes out when you put Ezra on his belly. He DOES NOT like it one bit. I am actually thinking he may bypass crawling and go straight to walking since he spends so little time on his belly. Just in case you thought it was all laughs around here, this photo is a pretty good depiction of tummy time.

Poor dramatic baby. Does it make me a bad mom that I find this picture hilarious?

Holiday Memories

We got back to Ohio on Sunday after spending the holidays with my family in Tulsa. It was Ezra's first trip to Tulsa and he did very well. He adjusted quickly and we were able to keep him on basically the same sleeping and eating schedule as if we were home. Ezra seemed very comfortable in Oklahoma! If you live far away from family members then I highly recommend taking advantage of Skype or Google Video. We Skype with my parents a few times a week and I think it has made a huge difference. Ezra clearly recognizes them and I am guessing he must also be familiar with their voices. He even fell asleep on my dad's lap one morning, which is very unusual for him these days since he is Mr. Squirmy. So sweet. There are so many other wonderful memories from his first Christmas that I don't want to forget.

On Christmas Eve morning we visited Santa at the same place where my parents took my sister and me when we were little. My mom has many a picture of us at the Santa House so it was fun to do the same thing with Ezra. That night we went to the early Christmas Eve service that seems to be the popular time for families with young children. Ezra loves music and singing so once the carols started he really enjoyed it. He also got to meet the minister, who also has an adopted child, that married Damon and me. It was a special moment. He told my mom at church on Sunday that Ezra "is shining." I thought that was so kind. Ezra is obviously a bit young to get into the whole present thing on Christmas morning but he got a lot of great gifts that he definitely enjoys. At one point I told Ezra to say thank you after we opened a gift and he did the sign for it for the very first time. I couldn't believe it and thought his timing was impeccable. I had been showing him that one for a while now and didn't realize he was picking up on it. Damon caught it on video. He did it several times that morning which made me so happy.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Here he is in his Christmas outfit from my mom after all the presents were opened. I couldn't get him to smile. Perhaps he was experiencing the post holiday blues.

On the 26th my aunt, uncle and cousins from Kansas City came to visit. Ezra warmed up to all of them very quickly and I think they were pretty smitten with him too. Here is my cousin, Ali, reading his new Curious George book to him.

It was not shocking that one of their presents to him was a KU shirt. I actually think he looks pretty good in KU blue.

Ezra also got to meet several family friends and friends of mine from childhood. I didn't get all of these meetings on camera but here he is flirting with my friend, Valerie.

Another highlight was having some professional photos done of Ezra OUTSIDE at the park near my parents' house. One of our family friends recently started her own photography business and I have had visions for a while of having photos done at that particular park. Tulsa can really go either way in terms of weather in December. There could be an ice storm or the temperatures could be in the 50s and sunny. If you can believe it we had one day when it was 70 degrees. As soon as I saw the weather forecast, I emailed Maggie and luckily she was available that day. I have already seen the proofs and they are so good they brought me to tears. I can't wait to share them with you. I was grateful the weather cooperated and these are definitely the photos I dreamed of.

Ezra's vocabulary expanded while we were in Tulsa. He has started saying cat and duck. He also made big strides in standing on his own while holding on to something. He is definitely eager to be on the move. Ezra looks like such a little man in this photo.

One of the funniest things that he did while we were there was yell at our family dog, Phoebe. She was clearly jealous of Ezra and every time my mom held him she would bark. So for the first couple of days we were there Ezra observed all of us yell at her to stop barking. In his typical copy-cat style he started yelling too and even pointed his finger at her the way we did. It was my goal to get this on video and luckily we did.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I hope your holidays were filled with laughter and love.

Cheers to 2011!