This is what it looks like when the helmet is being put to the use for which it was intended: riding his new balance bike.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Neighborhood clean up
While headed out to play on his bike (hence the helmet), Zeke decided that the neighborhood needed a little cleanup. He insisted on taking out his play vacuum and pushing it down the driveway. And up the street. And around the corner. To another street. Hey, free to be you and me, I say. And, I did take off the helmet when it became apparent there was not going to be any bike riding, so Zeke didn't look like a complete alien during our very long walk/vacuum. Aaron feels this might have shortened the life of the play vacuum, but that doesn't seem like such a terrible thing given the little annoying song it plays.
This is what it looks like when the helmet is being put to the use for which it was intended: riding his new balance bike.
This is what it looks like when the helmet is being put to the use for which it was intended: riding his new balance bike.
Another day, another goat.
I think we have posted this picture before or at least 6 other variations. Still, I can't help myself. Plus, this one has a cute bucket hat and sunglasses! We went to the zoo on Saturday for their Bunny Hop and Zeke got to see some old friends.
Easter eggs
Zeke got to dye Easter eggs for the first time and he was very "enthusiastic." Thank goodness for play clothes and our tablecloth! He really liked the idea of dropping the eggs into the bowls of dye. I played Easter Bunny for a little while...
...and then it was his turn. Zeke has really started enjoying coloring and seemed pleased that he could use the crayons on something other than paper.
Here is one of his eggs. It was so pretty with the crayon and finger prints from the dye that I didn't even color the whole egg, despite his interest in tossing another egg into the bowls.
Sprout Daddy didn't play Easter Bunny, but did try his hand at decorating some eggs. (You can see in the photo part of Zeke's Easter dessert -- some chocolate cake that initially was supposed to be shaped like an egg. I gave him a bite and he immediately demanded "molp" -- his way of saying "soy milk" -- proving that it is a law of nature that chocolate cake and milk go together. We thought this was cute.)
The final product. Egg salad, anyone?
Friday, March 21, 2008
Let them eat cake
On Thursday, I took treats in for Zeke's class -- little individual cakes and noisemakers -- in honor of his birthday, even if a week late. I admit it wasn't all from scratch, and I did feel like I needed to send home notes with the kids letting the parents know what I crimes against natural foods I had committed. I was pleased though when another mom told me they were just like snack cakes from home -- I thought this was a great compliment! The children seemed to enjoy them as well, from the photos the teacher took for me. Here are some of the shots, including one of what they looked before the kids got their hands on them. Bless those teachers for being on clean up duty!
All for the best
So, when we left off with the story, Zeke had just gotten a fun and highly contagious (to small children) virus for his birthday. While we have been doing our best to teach him to share, it seemed that we shouldn't let him share his virus. We cancelled his birthday party for Saturday and I shelved plans for treats for his class and plans for going to the children's museum or any place where he might come in contact with other little ones.
Yes, this was disappointing, but it all worked out for the best and I'm sure that Zeke would agree.
Exhibit A: On Friday night, as you have heard, Atlanta had a tornado come through. While our neighborhood was not affected, we are about two miles south of where it did strike. On Saturday the weather was also bad and at the same time we would have been serving cake, we had hail storming down. We would have had to cancel anyway.
Exhibit B: I would have wanted to cancel anyway. Zeke wasn't the only one that got sick. I had a fever for a few days and then got a rash on my hands and feet and a terrible sore throat. Despite the fact that the virus is really only for the toddler set, yours truly also seems to have gotten some version of it. It didn't last as long as his though and I developed a much stronger sense of empathy for what he was going through. Everyone is all better now.
Exhibit C: Zeke got a birthday in many parts. We had cake on his birthday, opened a few gifts, and then opened a few more over the next few days. This week, I took treats in to his class and we will reschedule the party very soon. We still have a gift left to give him even. This is the unending birthday.
Here are photos of him with his "crater" cake. I had been experimenting with a pound cake recipe that I thought I might use for his class treats. The cake collapsed and the recipe deemed wrong for class treats, but it worked out for the best. We filled the cake's crater with strawberries and Aaron frosted it with coconut cream (like whipped cream, but without the cream). Also, here is a picture of Zeke with his sick mom and one of his gifts -- I had fun getting some new pieces for his train set. Happy (as yet unfinished) birthday to my baby!
Yes, this was disappointing, but it all worked out for the best and I'm sure that Zeke would agree.
Exhibit A: On Friday night, as you have heard, Atlanta had a tornado come through. While our neighborhood was not affected, we are about two miles south of where it did strike. On Saturday the weather was also bad and at the same time we would have been serving cake, we had hail storming down. We would have had to cancel anyway.
Exhibit B: I would have wanted to cancel anyway. Zeke wasn't the only one that got sick. I had a fever for a few days and then got a rash on my hands and feet and a terrible sore throat. Despite the fact that the virus is really only for the toddler set, yours truly also seems to have gotten some version of it. It didn't last as long as his though and I developed a much stronger sense of empathy for what he was going through. Everyone is all better now.
Exhibit C: Zeke got a birthday in many parts. We had cake on his birthday, opened a few gifts, and then opened a few more over the next few days. This week, I took treats in to his class and we will reschedule the party very soon. We still have a gift left to give him even. This is the unending birthday.
Here are photos of him with his "crater" cake. I had been experimenting with a pound cake recipe that I thought I might use for his class treats. The cake collapsed and the recipe deemed wrong for class treats, but it worked out for the best. We filled the cake's crater with strawberries and Aaron frosted it with coconut cream (like whipped cream, but without the cream). Also, here is a picture of Zeke with his sick mom and one of his gifts -- I had fun getting some new pieces for his train set. Happy (as yet unfinished) birthday to my baby!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Two year old check up
In honor of his birthday, Zeke got a visit to the Good Doctor last Wednesday. It was a quick visit requiring no vaccinations or anything else Zeke might consider too terribly traumatic.
We have had two visits to the doctor since his last well baby visit, but no measurements since September. Good Doctor offered Zeke the chance to stand on the "big boy scale" (I'm glad that my doctor doesn't call it the "big girl" scale BTW). However, Zeke wasn't into it and GD said to put him on the baby scale. I was absolutely convinced that this would not work as the scale only goes up to 35 lbs. Imagine my surprise then when he was only 31.5 lbs (compared to 27.5 lbs last visit). He is also now 37.25 inches tall (compared to 33.5 inches last visit). GD asked if Zeke is the biggest child in his class. Yes, he is. Zeke isn't abnormally big, but he seems to put a lot of his energy into growing.
We went over the normal developmental questions and normal responses -- talking, fine and gross motor skills, eating, sleeping, potty training, behavior. The Good Doctor gave thumbs up on Zeke's recent positive response to brussels sprouts. He also said that it is positive that Zeke occasionally uses his potty (especially because he is a boy) and has started telling me when to change his diaper, and the Doctor encouraged me to step up the potty learning if we want. Approaches: sit him on the potty for 5 minutes after he drinks or eats; track when he needs changing and sit him on the potty then; and start putting underpants on him for half an hour at a time after changing him so that he can start getting a sense that underpants are the way to go. (I've gotten Kiddo the underwear but have yet to try this.) The Good Doctor also said that if Zeke seems to be growing at the pace he is and developing motor skills, that it is not surprising that he is not at the head of the curve of talking. I told the doctor that I am no longer worried about his speech development.
When we came in, the Doctor asked if Zeke was a well baby or a sick baby and I said we were there for both type of visits. You may remember how Zeke had a less than fun Movie Night at school. From Friday to Sunday, Zeke had a fever and ate very little. As the fever broke, he started getting little marks on his hands, feet and bottom. In June, Zeke had roseola, but for a time we wondered if he had Hand Foot Mouth Disease (a highly contagious virus). When I saw the rash, I realized that he definitely had HFMD. I ran into one of his classmates' moms at Target and eventually (eventually -- I wouldn't say she was upfront about it) she said that her son had HFMD the week before. There is nothing to be done about the virus other than for it to run its course, so I kept Zeke home from school, called and told the school to do an extra cleaning, and waited for Zeke's check up to confirm. Basically, the Doctor confirmed my internet diagnosis of Zeke (eh, who needs medical school?) and said that he would be contagious for at least 7 -10 days.
When I asked if we should cancel Zeke's birthday party, the Doctor asked two questions: would there be other small children there and how much did I like their parents. He said Zeke might not be contagious, so I figured parents might not want to come and I might need to cancel the party. So sad!
Despite being shy and super snuggly with me, Zeke ended up enjoying the attention from his doctor and demanding of him "Tickle, tickle!" -- tickling being a speciality of the Doctor. I, however, came away with a little less than a smile. My wheels are still spinning a little over how old fashioned the Good Doctor can be sometimes. He repeated his opinion about signing (that babies should talk first, sign later) and gave me advice I don't think I want to follow about (to say delicately) how to care for some of Zeke's anatomy. I can't even imagine his reaction if I had wanted to delay more of Zeke's vaccinations as I now wished I had (or, it is more accurate to say I can imagine his reaction). I'm a just a bit disappointed as we have always felt so fond of the Good Doctor, and it seems utterly backwards to go in and hope to see his backup pediatrician.
Zeke and I both got Winnie the Pooh stickers for our trouble, though, and do not plan on going back for the next year!
We have had two visits to the doctor since his last well baby visit, but no measurements since September. Good Doctor offered Zeke the chance to stand on the "big boy scale" (I'm glad that my doctor doesn't call it the "big girl" scale BTW). However, Zeke wasn't into it and GD said to put him on the baby scale. I was absolutely convinced that this would not work as the scale only goes up to 35 lbs. Imagine my surprise then when he was only 31.5 lbs (compared to 27.5 lbs last visit). He is also now 37.25 inches tall (compared to 33.5 inches last visit). GD asked if Zeke is the biggest child in his class. Yes, he is. Zeke isn't abnormally big, but he seems to put a lot of his energy into growing.
We went over the normal developmental questions and normal responses -- talking, fine and gross motor skills, eating, sleeping, potty training, behavior. The Good Doctor gave thumbs up on Zeke's recent positive response to brussels sprouts. He also said that it is positive that Zeke occasionally uses his potty (especially because he is a boy) and has started telling me when to change his diaper, and the Doctor encouraged me to step up the potty learning if we want. Approaches: sit him on the potty for 5 minutes after he drinks or eats; track when he needs changing and sit him on the potty then; and start putting underpants on him for half an hour at a time after changing him so that he can start getting a sense that underpants are the way to go. (I've gotten Kiddo the underwear but have yet to try this.) The Good Doctor also said that if Zeke seems to be growing at the pace he is and developing motor skills, that it is not surprising that he is not at the head of the curve of talking. I told the doctor that I am no longer worried about his speech development.
When we came in, the Doctor asked if Zeke was a well baby or a sick baby and I said we were there for both type of visits. You may remember how Zeke had a less than fun Movie Night at school. From Friday to Sunday, Zeke had a fever and ate very little. As the fever broke, he started getting little marks on his hands, feet and bottom. In June, Zeke had roseola, but for a time we wondered if he had Hand Foot Mouth Disease (a highly contagious virus). When I saw the rash, I realized that he definitely had HFMD. I ran into one of his classmates' moms at Target and eventually (eventually -- I wouldn't say she was upfront about it) she said that her son had HFMD the week before. There is nothing to be done about the virus other than for it to run its course, so I kept Zeke home from school, called and told the school to do an extra cleaning, and waited for Zeke's check up to confirm. Basically, the Doctor confirmed my internet diagnosis of Zeke (eh, who needs medical school?) and said that he would be contagious for at least 7 -10 days.
When I asked if we should cancel Zeke's birthday party, the Doctor asked two questions: would there be other small children there and how much did I like their parents. He said Zeke might not be contagious, so I figured parents might not want to come and I might need to cancel the party. So sad!
Despite being shy and super snuggly with me, Zeke ended up enjoying the attention from his doctor and demanding of him "Tickle, tickle!" -- tickling being a speciality of the Doctor. I, however, came away with a little less than a smile. My wheels are still spinning a little over how old fashioned the Good Doctor can be sometimes. He repeated his opinion about signing (that babies should talk first, sign later) and gave me advice I don't think I want to follow about (to say delicately) how to care for some of Zeke's anatomy. I can't even imagine his reaction if I had wanted to delay more of Zeke's vaccinations as I now wished I had (or, it is more accurate to say I can imagine his reaction). I'm a just a bit disappointed as we have always felt so fond of the Good Doctor, and it seems utterly backwards to go in and hope to see his backup pediatrician.
Zeke and I both got Winnie the Pooh stickers for our trouble, though, and do not plan on going back for the next year!
Backyard Birthday Gift
For a couple of months, I have been thinking it would be great to have a climber for Zeke in the backyard, as he now loves being outside ("side, Mama, side!") and being more active. I never intended that he should have a swing set, as we have a great time going to our local parks. But, then there was a sale and his birthday and a generous offer from his grandmother and before you know it...a toddler swing set in the backyard. Aaron and his mom put it together for Zeke's birthday last week and he enjoyed right away. We've already had neighbors to come and play, too!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
The Night Before
I never really had a chance to write about it, but parts of the night before Zeke was born are very clear in my mind. Aaron and I had a late dinner at Agave, a nice Southwestern restaurant close by. I hadn't been feeling very well...for reasons that became perfectly obvious in about six hours. The weather was spring like though a little cool, and I even remember the light outfit I was wearing and where we sat on the outdoor patio. We both had the tuna dish and I think we split the chocolate mousse with creme anglaise. It was a lovely evening and now is a fond memory of what my family was on Sunday, March 12, 2006. I still smile to think of it.
Fast forward a few hours to after midnight and I am sitting in the nursery/my office in front of my computer multitasking by simultaneously doing office work (!) and revising my birth plan (!!) when my water breaks. What a bewildering four hours followed -- I (re)packed my hospital bag, the animals were following me all around the house in the commotion, I called the spa to cancel the manicure that I desperately wanted before Zeke's scheduled birth at the end of that week, of course all followed by my first surgery and the my first birth! Some of it I can look back on with some humor. For example, I laugh when I think about the anesthesiologist who assumed I had high blood pressure through my pregnancy. I have never had high blood pressure a day in my life other than right then. I reminded him that it was 3 AM, I had not slept since the day before, I was sitting almost naked in a cold o.r. for my first surgery for my first child, I was in labor, and my husband was in another room while I was being prepped. Taking all those things into thoughtful consideration, he answered something like, "Oh, yes, that is stressful. That could cause the high blood pressure you have right now." Yes, folks, the measured opinion of a medical expert! Many aspects of that night/early morning were tremendously stressful for me. (Hello, postpartum hormones!) Honestly, I still wince that most of my memories of those next few days were not of the warm fuzzy variety and are not ones I cherish. However, motherhood got infinitely better moving forward from each of those days and I have more than enough warm memories to cherish from the past two years to get past those first ones. And, I always felt lucky that we had such a nice night out as a couple AND that I had a nice meal before surgery. If anyone had known I was going into labor, I would have been restricted from eating. Plus, I didn't get to eat for almost a whole day after and then only clear broth!
In 2007, the night before Zeke's birthday we returned to Agave as a celebration of our new family a year in. Zeke was so well behaved and sat with his grandmother for a good part of the dinner, sharing her salmon. I think we even had the same waiter as in 2006. It was another lovely March 12.
Now in 2008, we moved by slight degrees away from this newly minted tradition: we went to Redfish, a restaurant a block over but owned by the same person. Again, Zeke was so well behaved, especially for a two year at a nice restaurant! He even got his own dinner, though he again sampled some of his grandmother's dish. Trish had come in only a few hours before and Zeke had been acting shy in front of her. Halfway through dinner, though, he asked from help down from his seat and walked around the table and demanded to sit in her lap for the rest of the evening.
I love seeing these pictures together and am looking forward to adding 2009 to them. (Eventually -- who's in any hurry?) Maybe next March 12, Zeke will let Trish eat in peace...
Fast forward a few hours to after midnight and I am sitting in the nursery/my office in front of my computer multitasking by simultaneously doing office work (!) and revising my birth plan (!!) when my water breaks. What a bewildering four hours followed -- I (re)packed my hospital bag, the animals were following me all around the house in the commotion, I called the spa to cancel the manicure that I desperately wanted before Zeke's scheduled birth at the end of that week, of course all followed by my first surgery and the my first birth! Some of it I can look back on with some humor. For example, I laugh when I think about the anesthesiologist who assumed I had high blood pressure through my pregnancy. I have never had high blood pressure a day in my life other than right then. I reminded him that it was 3 AM, I had not slept since the day before, I was sitting almost naked in a cold o.r. for my first surgery for my first child, I was in labor, and my husband was in another room while I was being prepped. Taking all those things into thoughtful consideration, he answered something like, "Oh, yes, that is stressful. That could cause the high blood pressure you have right now." Yes, folks, the measured opinion of a medical expert! Many aspects of that night/early morning were tremendously stressful for me. (Hello, postpartum hormones!) Honestly, I still wince that most of my memories of those next few days were not of the warm fuzzy variety and are not ones I cherish. However, motherhood got infinitely better moving forward from each of those days and I have more than enough warm memories to cherish from the past two years to get past those first ones. And, I always felt lucky that we had such a nice night out as a couple AND that I had a nice meal before surgery. If anyone had known I was going into labor, I would have been restricted from eating. Plus, I didn't get to eat for almost a whole day after and then only clear broth!
In 2007, the night before Zeke's birthday we returned to Agave as a celebration of our new family a year in. Zeke was so well behaved and sat with his grandmother for a good part of the dinner, sharing her salmon. I think we even had the same waiter as in 2006. It was another lovely March 12.
Now in 2008, we moved by slight degrees away from this newly minted tradition: we went to Redfish, a restaurant a block over but owned by the same person. Again, Zeke was so well behaved, especially for a two year at a nice restaurant! He even got his own dinner, though he again sampled some of his grandmother's dish. Trish had come in only a few hours before and Zeke had been acting shy in front of her. Halfway through dinner, though, he asked from help down from his seat and walked around the table and demanded to sit in her lap for the rest of the evening.I love seeing these pictures together and am looking forward to adding 2009 to them. (Eventually -- who's in any hurry?) Maybe next March 12, Zeke will let Trish eat in peace...
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Beast Master
On Wednesday night, Zeke found a comfy place to sit -- Winnie the Neighbor Dog. What a good dog. She is just happy to have found a stick in our yard. Zeke continues to have a lot of love for his canine friends. He must call Maggie's name 1000 times a day (especially when he drops food and wants her to clean it up) and chases her incessantly. However, he does seem to be confusing playing with dogs with antagonizing dogs, this being Exhibit A. As Exhibit B, this week, Zeke has starting grabbing Maggie's tail, much to her and our mutual chagrin. She takes it rather good naturedly, but we have been doing our (drumroll please -- doggone!) best to stop this behavior. If anyone has any suggestions that has worked for them, let me know!
Friday, March 07, 2008
Music man
These photos were taken by the host mom for today's afternoon play group. Zeke found this toy in the corner and just pounded away at the buttons, swaying back and forth to the music they produced, and keeping it cool in his shades. He was the center of attention both with his peers and the moms. The moms all thought it was hilarious that he kept on his sunglasses the entire afternoon. I am beginning to think that my son might have a better sense of cool than I do.
I was actually hoping to post photos tonight of Zeke wearing his shades to see his first movie. His school had a movie night tonight as a fundraiser. The kids all wore their pajamas and got juice boxes and popcorn. Zeke wore his pajamas, as well as the red sunglasses...even in the dark. I thought we might not make it through the whole movie as I don't know what his attention span is for anything longer than the Elmo's World segment on Sesame Street. We didn't make it through the whole movie, though, as Zeke got sick halfway through the movie. No photos to remember Movie Night were taken for that very good reason. The poor baby. I knew that he was feeling tired and clingy, but didn't realize it was because he wasn't feeling well. Poor, poor baby. We hope it is a short term bug because he has a big week coming up!
I was actually hoping to post photos tonight of Zeke wearing his shades to see his first movie. His school had a movie night tonight as a fundraiser. The kids all wore their pajamas and got juice boxes and popcorn. Zeke wore his pajamas, as well as the red sunglasses...even in the dark. I thought we might not make it through the whole movie as I don't know what his attention span is for anything longer than the Elmo's World segment on Sesame Street. We didn't make it through the whole movie, though, as Zeke got sick halfway through the movie. No photos to remember Movie Night were taken for that very good reason. The poor baby. I knew that he was feeling tired and clingy, but didn't realize it was because he wasn't feeling well. Poor, poor baby. We hope it is a short term bug because he has a big week coming up!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Embarrassing bath shot
Rub a dub dub! Two little boys in a tub!
Post bath shot -- it is too late to hide your face from the camera -- we have already seen more than your faces!
Post bath shot -- it is too late to hide your face from the camera -- we have already seen more than your faces!
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
One in a million...
...or at least one in 4.3 million, the number of babies born in America in 2006. It seems that Zeke isn't alone in getting ready to celebrate his 2nd birthday. 2006 saw the largest number of babies born in one year since 1961. I read this news a few months ago, but wanted to make sure to include in Zeke's baby blog.
This number of 4.3 million means that the fertility rate is up to 2.1 children per American woman, which is much higher than for European and Japanese women. This constitutes a US baby "boomlet." One quarter of the babies were born to Hispanic families and this attributes some to the increased rate, but birth rates are increasing in almost every ethnicity, age group and family structure (single or married). Total births jumped 3% from the previous year, the largest increase since 1989. More babies for everyone! The article goes on to explain some of the theories as to why Americans are having more babies.
I was really intrigued to hear this news as it confirmed what we had been feeling since before Zeke was born, which is we seem to be surrounded by babies everywhere: lots of babies on the block, in the stores, in the parks, in the play groups and especially in the preschools. It will take a few more years to determine what this boomlet might mean or if Zeke is part of a new larger baby boom. (If you ask me, though, I'm betting that there will be at least a few more years of a healthy birth rate. At a recent play group, there were a total of 12 moms. I was one of only three moms who wasn't expecting or hoping to.)
This number of 4.3 million means that the fertility rate is up to 2.1 children per American woman, which is much higher than for European and Japanese women. This constitutes a US baby "boomlet." One quarter of the babies were born to Hispanic families and this attributes some to the increased rate, but birth rates are increasing in almost every ethnicity, age group and family structure (single or married). Total births jumped 3% from the previous year, the largest increase since 1989. More babies for everyone! The article goes on to explain some of the theories as to why Americans are having more babies.
I was really intrigued to hear this news as it confirmed what we had been feeling since before Zeke was born, which is we seem to be surrounded by babies everywhere: lots of babies on the block, in the stores, in the parks, in the play groups and especially in the preschools. It will take a few more years to determine what this boomlet might mean or if Zeke is part of a new larger baby boom. (If you ask me, though, I'm betting that there will be at least a few more years of a healthy birth rate. At a recent play group, there were a total of 12 moms. I was one of only three moms who wasn't expecting or hoping to.)
Monday, March 03, 2008
Rocket Man
Photo taken during some intelligence gathering for someone's upcoming birthday. As you can see, Zeke had some of his own ideas as to what he might like. He rode this throughout the store and had to be pulled out of the "space ship" kicking and screaming. Part of his attachment appears to stem from the fun that he has in ride-on's like this now that he can scoot forward in them quickly.
We are in the process of planning for Zeke's birthday. We have made some headway and I have to thank my new friend Maureen sooooo much for her help getting Zeke's gift. Don't tell, but we got him what is sometimes called a balance bike or run bike. It is basically a training bike without pedals, and they are much more common in Europe. The idea is if a child learns balance on this bike, that they can skip training wheels later. I had read about them before, but I really started looking for one once we saw a Sesame Street segment where Grover visits a little girl in the Netherlands and learns about her "loop fiets" or running bike. I posted to a regional board for moms to see if anyone knew where I could find one locally. One mom who responded went to a consignment sale I had posted about earlier and saw exactly the bike model I was looking for (in the preferred color even) and snagged it for us! It is like new and at least $45 cheaper than if I bought it new...which I couldn't do anyway because it is out of stock right now! Yay for the kindness of strangers. I'm still so amazed and appreciative that she did that for us. Sometime I should write a full post about it, but the Internet and the people I have met there have been such a great part of this parenting gig. I don't know how I would do what I do without a couple of forums and websites, eBay and Freecycle. This modern age and all.
We picked out a helmet for Zeke but have already given that to him as he has started some daredevil moves on one of his trikes (from Freecycle!) that merit some head protection. Fortunately that was not needed in the store for the space ship ride.
Nana's Birthday
My grandmother (Zeke and Zach's Nana) celebrated her 88th birthday twice, once on her actual birthday of February 23 and once a few days earlier so that Zeke and I could help celebrate. We celebrated with a little bit of bedtime cake and strawberries. May we all be so blessed to live a life as long and healthy as Nana Nobi! She is a role model for me. I'm glad that Zeke has gotten to visit with her at least a few times in the past year even though we live so far apart. We love you!
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Riding around
Zach was kind enough to give his little cousin a ride in his John Deere Gator. Zeke LOVED it and actually hit the pedal for a few feet much to our mutual surprise, his delight and my fear.
Two little monkeys...
...jumping on the bed. This is from our last night in Florida a few weeks ago. Zach and Zeke (and his sunglasses) do some jumping around, even though Dixie and Aunt Dawn are trying to take it easy.
Set in stone
Well, in brick at least. This is a photo of the brick we bought for Zeke at our local playground as part of a fundraiser for some new climbing equipment. I am not sure why I decided against just putting his first and last name on the brick like some of the other families. Someone with a public blog should probably not be worried about being shy or keeping her life private! On the bright side, I hope the other Zeke* in our community thinks it is a secret message for him.* Yes, we live in a community where there is another Zeke. He is two years older than our Zeke. We have met him a few times: we marched behind him in the Halloween parade and we have seen him at the playground where the brick is. We hear a lot more about him, though. When we meet families with older children and they learn Zeke's name, they immediately say, "Oh, we know another Zeke!" The other Zeke is best friends with our neighbor down the street, Zion, whose sister is Zora. I've told a neighbor who was talking about having a baby (one day) that we are making it a rule that all future children on the block must be given a "z" name.
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