6 Months

In the blink of an eye 6 months have passed. Ezra's growing strong, she's eating all sorts of baby food, she's sitting up on her own, and while she can't quite crawl, (she's trying her hardest, the arms just aren't there yet), she's perfectly content to just roll where she needs to go. And she's fast. Which brings us to the subject at hand.

We bought our first house last year and were super excited to find just exactly what we wanted...a 1957 ranch in the city, a bit of a fixer upper, but with potential. Some of the quirks are small obstacles, like the fact that the previous owner thought that it would be a good idea to wood glue and screw the towel hooks into the wall, so when we started to replace the bathroom fixtures we inadvertently peeled a big strip of drywall off too. And some of the quirks are rather disruptive, for instance the house did not have central air when we moved in, only old moldy window units...some mounted in the middle of walls, which left us with gaping holes in the house to patch.

Our latest project was more of a safety concern that required some immediate attention. Our family room was added in the 60s or 70s, I'm guessing, because it includes a rather hip conversation pit in front of a giant fireplace, which, I suppose would be pretty freaking magical if you lived anywhere that the temperature dropped below 50 degrees. I imagine you could gather 'round the pit with your loved ones and sip cocoa while your faces were lit only by the twinkling Christmas lights and the glowing fire before you while your husband lazily strums the guitar. But since we live on the face of the sun, and I currently have no memory of the temperature falling below 100 degrees, the pit/fireplace proves to be more of a nonfunctional area of the room, and here recently it's more like a giant gaping 2 foot deep crevasse of a hole in the floor, inviting baby to roll into it and crack her head on the terra cotta tile.

Enter my hero-handyman of a father-in-law and my hardworking husband. The two took matters into their own hands and built a cover for said pit. They toiled tirelessly and got it built in one Saturday, all that's left to do is to cover it with a flooring material. It's sturdy and well crafted and best of all it's keeping the baby from plummeting into a world of pain. My sincerest thanks to PaPaw and Dad.

Before

After

Okay, So I've Been Lazy

But I've been really busy, too. The husband is off for the summer and my stepdaughter is home, so we've been having lots of fun. Needless to say, I've been putting all my energy elsewhere. Here's a 30-second summery summary:

We celebrated Father's Day



Ezra met her big sister



We tried some baby food, she doesn't like peas.



On the way to Louisiana, Mady gave Ezra a stylish coiffure.

Ezra met her Aunt Janie

And Uncle George and cousin Courtney

Cousin Patrick took us sailing

We hung out with the Louisiana Whites.

Ezra got big.

We lounged around.

We went camping.

and hiking...

and spelunking.

We made some fig jam.

Ezra played PlayStation with Dad and Mady

We went swimming.

Uncle Nick changed his first diaper. (Note the gloves and the beer).

Whew.

We also took Mady to see The Phantom of the Opera in Houston for her birthday; we took both the girls to see our favorite cajun/zydeco band, Beausoleil; and we've got a trip to Schlitterbahn scheduled for next week. We're having a ton of fun, and we're so not ready for it to be over.

I promise to write again soon.

Sympathy for the New Mom

Last weekend we took Ezra on her first boat ride around Lady Bird Lake in Austin. It was a perfect day to be out...warm sun and a cool breeze. The babe was perfectly content during the hour long drive and and the five minute walk down to the boat, but as soon as we boarded and pulled up a chair next to the grandparents, she started belting out the screams. She usually only cries if she needs something...a bottle, a burp, a nap. Seriously, she's mostly a very happy baby. But that afternoon she was completely inconsolable. The list of possible irritants ran through my mind over and over again, it couldn't have been the movement or the breeze. Like most babies she likes a gentle rocking and she's already spent more time outdoors than most of her school age cousins, so I knew it wasn't the breeze.

After much rocking and pacing back and forth, fretting that my screaming baby was disrupting the party, my mother-in-law's sister-in-law, (really I don't know how else to explain it), walked up to me and very sweetly insisted that I hand over the baby to her, saying that she remembers what it's like to be a new mom with an upset baby, and that I return to my table and finish eating my lunch. Before I knew it she and a couple of other ladies were passing Ezra around, rocking and playing with her, and she and I were both as happy as clams.

It's true, what they say, that once you're a mom it's like all of a sudden you're part of some secret club. And it is great. Ours is an ancient, world-wide club of strong, compassionate, and understanding women that I am so proud to be a part of. And I can't wait to help out the next mom.

One Funny Dog

It's official! Minnie, our jack russell terrier gets the baby's first laugh. If you're not at least smiling by the end of this movie then there is something wrong with you. {Please excuse the atrocious clash of color and pattern in this clip.}

Mother's Day

Okay, so I know it's like week overdue, but I had a fantastic Mom's Day. It started the evening before with Travis telling me to stay in bed if the baby gets up at night, that he'll take care of her. Yay, sleep! I woke up the next morning to him arriving home from the grocery store and starting breakfast in the kitchen. I wondered into the nursery to Ezra waking. This is my favorite time of day...she starts to fuss just a little bit, but as soon as I lean over her her crib and say good morning, her whole face lights up and she flashes the biggest smile of the day for me. I also notice on this particular morning that there is an envelope labeled "Mom" laying next to her with a gift certificate for a spa package inside. Just what I needed!

I scoop her up and head to the couch for some Sunday morning playtime and notice the beautiful bouquet of wildflowers. As soon as I sit down Dad delivers a plate full of smoked salmon, fresh fruit, and a mushroom omelette. I am completely wowed.

Saving the Galaxy

Here are the latest pictures of Miss E. We've been having an awful lot of fun lately, smiling and cooing. She can officially say "goo" and "oh" now...only on her terms of course. I can also see the beginnings of her discovering touch with relation to her own hands. She's also turning into a slobber monster. Enjoy the pictures.

Air Ezra

My friend Natalie made this picture, and it is awesome. I might start sending it around to all the major universities.