Christmas Spice and Other Ailments

Merry Belated Christmas to everyone. Our holiday season has been BUSY! Thus the lack of blogs about the baby. Everyone should be unhappy to hear that he is feeling quite under the weather lately. We are pretty sure he caught a cold from his cousin. He walks around with a terrible cough and just an abundance of snot (I know, ick..right?) running down his face. He has learned that when I come at him with a baby towel to do two things - run, and pucker up his little lips so I can't quite get to his nose to wipe it.

Our Christmas started on Christmas Eve. It started hectic as Marty was at work until almost 6:00 and then we had to run to his Nana's in Augusta, but once we got there and found out we weren't the last to arrive, the night seemed to slow down and relax. I handed Marty the camera and told him to take a bunch of pictures - which he did ..mostly of himself. So my pictures I have available are very limited (unless you want to see pics of Marty's eye...then his other eye...then his hair...then his mouth..then him smiling, then frowning...yep, you get the drift.) Marty and I "see" things very differently through the camera.

Group shot at Marty's family's Christmas Eve:


And another:


Very determined to open his gifts before the other kids do:


Mommy and Baby hamming it up on Christmas Eve:


Opening another present:


We left relatively early (I think this is the first year that we made it home before midnight) and got Ezekiel to bed so he could be fresh for Christmas morning at my mom's house. Marty and I cooked a huge breakfast for everyone of sausage, bacon, eggs, hash browns, and muffins. After eating it was time for gifts again. By this time, Ezekiel had the idea that inside that pretty paper, there were new surprises waiting for him.

Here he is trying to convince Grammy to just give up the goods (notice the lack of shirt - a family trait of mine is to take off your clothes and make yourself comfortable, no matter the occasion):


Not sure if he likes the present or the gift bag better:


OOOHHH, his own phone so he can call Grammy like Mama does:


Christmas morning video:


Playing with the drum from Grammy:


One of his favortie gifts is this little Fisher Price learning chair that he got from Grammy. At first, he loved it for its intended use:


Then he discovered that Grammy actually bought him a step stool!


For him to harrass the fish:


And just be plain old Spicy-Boy:


And, a video of him using the chair:


End of the day diaper change...why is it that Beckie always insists on holding the kids down with her feet when she changes them? I think she has a foot fetish...


Another new seat video (he spends a lot of time in it!)


After Christmas, my mom and I went to Mandy's to watch Kevin and Ashley. Ezekiel is amazed by Ashley. He also thinks she is hilarious:


(Notice the lack of clothes once again..I do dress him to go out).

Here's his new fish face:


And again, he loves the fishies:


Kevin built them a couch-fort for them to play on:


Ezekiel is super impressed:


Last night's end of the day bath...he's happily covered in chocolate and battle wounds on his forehead:

Baby's Got The Pox

of the Chicken variety.

Poor little nugget. He was up for maybe an hour and a half today before he went and put himself back to bed. I laid with him for a bit to make sure he was ok and as I laid there, I actually was able to watch new pox appear on his skin.

Blast those live vaccines.

Ezekiel's Birthday Party

Finally, I'm able to take a moment and get some of the pictures up from Ezekiel's birthday. It was a relatively small gathering with about 25 family members. I think Ezekiel liked the idea of everyone coming to see him and singing for him. When "Happy Birthday" was over, he didn't blow out his candle - instead he clapped for all of us. We actually started his birthday celebration by "letting" him stay up until after midnight. Here he is..after midnight. You can tell he is fighting the tired.



He wants to crash, but he just won't give in. I guess it doesn't help that Mommy and Daddy kept shouting "Happy Birthday, Baby!" and then snapping pictures like crazy.


He's at wits end..and so is the cat. Check out those eyes!!


This is after some rest...December 5th around 9:00 in the morning. Ezekiel rolls out of bed and walks up the hall while Mommy snaps MORE pictures:


We got ready to go in record time, then we ran around like chickens trying to get everything ready for Ezekiel's party. Here is Ezekiel during the set up of his birthday party. He is getting a kick out of us being frantic (and the fact that we locked the dogs in the basement):


The cake is ready! In celebration of all of his months of life, we had a picture (or two..or three) from each month he has existed, starting with the first day of his life:


Party favors always include kisses at Mommy's and Daddy's parties. Ezekiel is not impressed:


Gift time!! Ezekiel LOVED the idea that he was getting presents. He got some really great ones too. Lots of clothes, p.j.s, little toys that make lots of noise, a Bounce and Spin Zebra, loads of books (which he LOVES), a cutie-pie snowsuit, and a stuffed teddy bear with blocks.

Daddy helped open the presents. He used the "tear and go" method:


Ezekiel wanted to take a little break and read a story. We wouldn't let him and that upset him tremendously:


Daddy helped open the presents and left clean up to Mama...during clean up, Ezekiel decided it would be fun to bite me:


Looking at the cake and wondering where his piece is:


Ezekiel had a blast playing chase with his 2 year old cousin Darius. Darius ran and Ezekiel tried his darndest to keep up:


End of the party with Grammy. He is one tired little one year old:


Gift opening video:


And another one:


This summer my mom had this idea where she would buy all the grandkids matching pajamas and then set them up in front of the Christmas tree, take pictures, and then turn the best picture into a Christmas Card. I don't think this worked out quite like she wanted, but I sure got a kick out of it. The two littlest didn't get to be part of the picture because Ashley was sleeping and Isabella is still in the hospital.

First attempt to get Ezekiel under the tree to pose - give him a puzzle - it didn't work.


Then we thought that Marty could place him near the other kids and then run out of the shot. That didn't work either:


Maybe Jacob could hold him and that would work? hmm..didn't work and now the other kids are getting restless:




Ezekiel's done with this picture stuff:


I don't think we got even one good picture but it provided us with a huge laugh...especially this one...


Eventually, I gave up on the pictures of the pj kids and just took a video to remember it by. The kids were HYPED off all the sugar (don't you wish you could have been there?):



I know a lot of people thought it was silly for us to give Ezekiel a first birthday but it is so important for us that we create memories for him that he will remember (that's why we always have the cameras flashing). Thank you to everyone that showed up, remembered his big day, and just made it all that much more enjoyable.

Happy Birthday Ezekiel!

Today was Ezekiel's first birthday! We had a birthday bash at my Mom's place in Buckfield. It was just a ton of fun. Ezekiel had a blast - I have loads of pictures and videos that I will upload later (I'm playing catch up). Two days ago, Grandaddy Jack and Angie sent Ezekiel a big box of birthday presents. They were the first presents that Ezekiel actually had to work to get to. We video taped it so that we would be able to share it all with Grandaddy Jack and Angie, so here are the vids(first one was cut off prematurely and they are not in order..and the best one won't seem to post! I'll work on it tomorrow):









More pics and vids and the such tomorrow when I'm not so sleepy :)

First Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Today was Ezekiel's very first Thanksgiving - and what a Thanksgiving it was!

First, we started with my family at my Grammy Bea's for a Thanksgiving lunch. There were lots of people (in the range of 25); all loud, all in the livingroom, and I'm pretty sure - all in love with Ezekiel. Marty and I both brought cameras as we were super excited to capture every moment with Ezekiel and his first Thanksgiving. I got his plate ready, brought it out to him and realized that I still had to make MY plate. I told him to "hold on", I'd be right back so Marty and I could witness his first taste of Thanksgiving. Our cameras were ready to capture the first taste...I walk into the livingroom after making my plate and see my sister Beckie standing there feeding him his plate! NOOOOOOOOO. So, after much fanfare, we captured his third bite of Thanksgiving on film.

Here he is enjoying his "first" bite of lunch (notice my sister is STILL doing the feeding):






Ezekiel was super tired. We had a long day yesterday (we went over and helped Grammy Bea cook - I made my first lemon meringue pie, Ezekiel opened drawers, cupboards, and danced on toy boxes). Then today he didn't have time for a nap. He really held up well, letting everyone hold him, kiss him, and play with him. He even let out more than a few hearty growls to everyones' delight.

Waiting for his lunch to be served. Not impressed with the wait.


Wait, who put the celery in front of Ezekiel? He really enjoyed helping himself.


After lunch (of which he ate a LOT), he got to have a piece of chocolate pie. I was busy stuffing MY face with pie, so I figured he could eat for himself.

Start of the sugar high:


I gave him a fork to use so he wouldn't make too much of a mess. My logic was sound.












Using said fork:




Wondering if there is any more pie available:


Disbelief that he isn't getting any more pie:




Scientists have proven that there is no such thing as a sugar high. Scientists, meet my son:



Being that his shirt was destroyed, we took it off and gave him a washdown. He likes showing off his chest, so we let him run around shirtless for a bit to impress the older ladies (4, 7, 8, and 11 years old!)


During the final pamper change, he tries to pass out:


Video of the pie eating:


And another one..


We finished up around 3:15 at my grandmothers. We were supposed to be in Winthrop for a Thanksgiving dinner at 3:30.. We were running a bit late :) Ezekiel took a quick snooze in the car on the way to Winthrop that gave him a little juice back. When we got to Marty's aunt, Ezekiel got to remeet his cousin Darius. They are almost exactly a year apart. Ezekiel was really impressed with a little guy that was almost his size. He was even willing to share his pacifier and his juicy cup!

At one point, Ezekiel and Darius just kind of disappeared. I found them in Darius' closet hiding out with each other giggling like crazy. I tried to snap pictures but they didn't come out great. I think they felt like I was interupting their boy time.




By the end of the night, we were all exhausted. Here are Marty and Ezekiel getting ready to go:




All and all, it was a really great first Thanksgiving. There were a few people that were definitely missed though. We missed Papa..we toasted to him at Marty's aunt's. Adam is always missed. We miss Auntie Berta. And Marie. We missed Grandad Jack and Angie - we would have loved to have seen them over the holiday. We missed Tammy and her new beau. We missed Julie and Lonnie. We missed Auntie (but we got to see the gorgeous flowers she sent to Gram Bea). And we missed Cricket.