Tribute to Ezril aka Scooter

Scooter - Ezril is a unique kid. He scoots instead of crawls. He's on his own time schedule. Both Salem & Oaklen were walking by 10 months and Ezril is now 14 months and is completely content to just scoot around. I think it's a defense tactic so that his older brothers won't knock him down. :) I've never noticed kids who scoot but now that I have a "scooter", I've had many parents come up to me and say that their kid did that same thing.

Ezril loves to play with anything that has to do with real life such as:
Spoons and other utensils - You'll often find him with a big stirring spoon or spatula scooting around the floor. I now have a spatula in my "church bag" for him so he can play with that while we're at church. It's actually nice since it's a quiet toy.

Milk Jugs - The other day I put an empty milk jug in the recycle can, but he took it out and played with it for a whole day. Each time I tried to put it back in the recycle can, he'd start screaming and then go scoot to get it out again. When I brought home a full milk jug from the store, he wanted to play with it but soon learned that it was a little too heavy for him lug around.

Vacuum - Every Monday he helps me vacuum. He follows me everywhere. He stiffens up his arms and legs when he gets excited and that happens a lot when the vacuum is around. Last week I ran upstairs for a moment to go get something, leaving him downstairs with the vacuum turned off. He used that alone time to climb on top of the vacuum and when I came back downstairs he was happy as can be using it as a ride-on toy.

Here is a video of scooting with the vacuum:


Here is another video of him excited to see the vacuum:


Broom - Ezril loves brooms too. We've been working on our laundry/mud room and have had to use the broom in there more often than the kitchen. He screamed when I took the broom out of the kitchen. I found a small broom for him at the store and bought it. He wouldn't even let go of it for me to put him the car after we bought it and had to hold it all the way home.

Mop - Mopping is fun with Ezril. I usually try to have him stay in his pajamas (terrycloth jammies work best) when we mop since he scoots around next to me and buffs the floor. I have to hide it on the days that I don't mop so that he won't take it out and get it dirty.
Here is a video of him moping:


Dishwasher - Whenever he's unhappy and I need to be in the kitchen to make food or clean up, I just open the dishwasher. (I make sure there are no sharp objects or knives in there.) He'll cruise along the open door and play for quite a while.

Ezril's baby book

I created this baby book for Ezril through picaboo.com. It turned out well, take a look!

PS - I also made baby books for Salem and Oaklen a few years ago, more info here.

Happy Birthday Ezril!

I can't believe it's already been a year since Ezril was born. What an amazing birth, you can re-read it here.

It's fun to be one!

E - Efficient. Ezril is small but his body is quite efficient.
Z - Zesty. Even though there are very few adjectives that start with z, Ezril really is zesty. (zesty - marked by spirited enjoyment.) He is well spirited and has a cute smile.
R - Random. I love Ezril's random smiles when you least expect them.
I - Interesting. Ezril is always interested in things. He has enjoyed reading books from day one.
L - Laugh. Ezril has such a cute laugh and when he gets in a funny mood he'll laugh for quite a while at some of our funny antics.

Happy February

I have been known among my friends to wish people "Happy [Month]" when it's a new month. Today I got a phone call from my friend to wish me a Happy February! :) It was so nice and I'm glad I've trained her to say that. :)

January flew by very fast, so here is a quick update...enjoy all the pictures, click on them to view larger versions.

Salem - His two front teeth came out on New Year's day. One while he was sledding down the hill. He walked back to the top of the hill and said "Hey, my tooth is gone!" Then later that day he wiggled the other one out. He had to write a letter to the tooth fairy to explain the missing tooth but assured her/him that he indeed lost 2 teeth. (By the way, is the tooth fair male or female? I've always thought that the fairy was female, but the Santa Clause 2 movie states otherwise.) He went skiing for the first time and  had a good time. Thanks Uncle Cabot for taking him!

Oaklen - He is still as funny as ever. Every day is an adventure for him (and me.) He is back in his Bob the Builder phase and is calling me Wendy. His imagination is quite cute. He started primary in January and has enjoyed it. His teacher is great, and his primary president is awesome! :) He still is always in the fridge and pantry. I happened to be holding the camera to go take a pic of Ezril and found Oaklen under the table eating to his heart's content. :)

I made my mom's cake, and let Oaklen lick the frosting off the beaters, he thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ezril - I can't believe he's already 11 months old today and it's interesting to watch how different each kid is. Ezril still does not crawl, he scoots along as he sits and is content with that. He has learned this week how to open cabinet doors and is starting his curious phase. He likes to stand while leaning on chairs and couches. He's just starting to cruise. He like his mega saucer and jumper and loves to jump. He babbles and has said momma, dadda, and other various baby words/sounds. He went swimming for the first time and loved it. He loves the water and baths. I call him my "little boy blue" because of his small stature and beautiful blue eyes.

Darrell - Darrell's company changed office buildings and it's been great all around. It's closer to home, and there is an on-site gym he can use for free. The desks, cubicles and computer hardware is better and it's got a great view out the windows. Darrell continues to get up every morning and run. He's very healthy and happy and a great example to all of us. He still serves as 1st counselor in the bishopric and still finds time to enjoy his guitar, children, wife and home.

Heather - I'm trying to keep my patience and temper on an hourly basis. I am a complainer by nature and it's a challenge for me to just be content and happy. :) (Thanks for putting up with me Darrell and kids.) I have cut back on eating sugar and only had one small taste of my mom's birthday cake for the entire month of January. (Although this may be why I've been ornery. :) ) It's not really a new year's resolution but just a "holiday-detox." I plan to continue this and only have sweets on a very rare basis. (Special occasions happen too often in our family, I can't use that as an excuse.) I still serve as Primary President in our ward, am the treasurer of the Utah Breastfeeding Coalition, and am a member of the school community council and PTA.

Smile, it increases your face value!

I hope these make you smile...

Happiness is...Volume 2 Part 3

Happiness is...
* Ezril wiggling his whole body with excitment when we sing him the good morning song
* Darrell constantly wanting to get things done
* Darrell never complaining
* Oaklen's hiding place
* Eating a banana every day
* Ezril's smile when you don't expect it
* Oaklen praying by himself
* Salem reading to Oaklen & Ezril
* Oaklen "reading" the scriptures by himself - "And Jacob came into the house and killed them."
* Salem being in a great program at his school
* The front porch being done before winter
* Ezril getting excited whenever we pick Salem up for school
* Family Home Evening when everyone is happy and participating
* Ezril loving bath time
* Salem putting a note on the door for Santa, already!
* Christmas music in the middle of November (yes, I'm one of "those" people)
* Darrell, Salem & Oaklen having a fun time at the Home Depot Kids Club
* Salem not the least bit scared to do his part this year for the Primary Sacrament Presentation
* Watching our neighborhood squirrel scurry across the trees in the front yard
* Oaklen being self sufficient in the bathroom (except when he uses way too much toilet paper)
* Playing Candyland
* Having a warm coat
* Driving a nice van and being able to afford the gasoline
* Oaklen say "Mommy...ya know what?..." (In the middle of the night, in the morning, all the time.)
* The fact that my 6 year old boy still likes and wants to snuggle with me
* Dinners not made by me - they always taste twice as good when someone else makes them
* My boys learning how to "play rough" (Oaklen is finally old and big enough to take on his brother.)
* My boys remembering to pray for certain people who need extra blessings that day
* Being able to multi-task while wearing the baby sling
* Darrell and Ezril's striking blue eyes

* The boys having more fun giving out treats on Halloween than actually going trick-or-treating

Here is a glimpse of our beautiful porch. I'll post more pictures of the porch later.

* Salem's stories he writes for homework and the pictures that go with them.

I love the "wow" face that I have in this drawing. I'm so impressed with him sweeping the floor.

* Oaklen's motor going when he enjoys what he's eating (which is almost always.) (See video below)

This is Oaklen a while ago, but he still makes his motor sound whenever he is enjoying what he's eating.

It's Fall time but I haven't fallen off the planet

It's been over a month since I've posted, I'm sorry! I forget that I have a blog, I'm too busy reading other blogs and websites that I forget that I need to update mine! :)

Here's a quickie...

Here are a few pics from playing in the leaves last week.

 

I updated my food blog tonight with a fun Halloween recipe, check it out!

Ezril - 6 1/2 months

My baby is already 6 1/2 months old! We started giving him a little bit of solid food last week. His first taste was millet. It's a good first food for babies. (Just grind up the grain and cook with water.)

As we gradually give him food, his diapers will gradually loose their sweet "new-baby" smell. :( I'm savoring those last few wiffs. :)

He's quite a joy in our lives, he's a happy baby and is always sticking his tongue out as you can see in some of the pictures below.

From weeks to months

Today Ezril is 2 months old. I now have to start using months when referring to his age rather than weeks. He's growing up too fast!

Inside outside upside down

Darrell took this picture of me without me knowing. (It's not the most flattering.) I downloaded it today and had to do a double take, I look quite pregnant! I'm carrying Ezril in my ring sling and the sling is up over his head for support, his chest is toward mine. This is how I would look if he were breech and still in the womb. GEEZ!

I love my slings and baby carriers I need to do another post when I have more time to write about babywearing.

Things I forgot about newborns

It's been a while since I've had a newborn and it's amazing how quickly you forget things. As I stare at my 2 1/2 year old and 5 1/2 year old every day, I realize what's going to happen (all too quickly) to my newborn...he'll grow up! I feel like I'm cherishing these "baby moments" a little more this time around.

Things I forgot about newborns:
New baby smell - I know every mom will know what this smell is, but I never really noticed it until now. When Salem was born, seasoned moms would hold him and say "Oh I love that new baby smell!" I now will probably start saying that when I hold a newborn.

Yellow baby poop - This could be part of the new baby smell, but I strangely like the smell of yellow baby poop. Breastfed baby poop has a distinct smell that is not smelly but almost sweet. This "mustard" is difficult to remove from stained clothing but thanks to my mom and Oxyclean, I've been able to manage the stains so far. :)

Number of outfits per day - This small baby may be tiny, but he contributes his fair share of the laundry. (I give kudos to those cloth diapering mama's out there, you are doing laundry all the time!) Newborns go through a couple outfits per day due to spitting up, or diapers leaking or overflowing.

Blankets & burp clothes - You can never have too many blankets and burp clothes. I have some in almost every room in the house now and always need one.

Quivering cry - Both Salem and Oaklen had a little quiver in their cry those first few weeks. I figured that all newborns do that (and I think most still do) but Ezril has never done the quiver. A few times his little chin has moved up and down like getting the chills (yet he wasn't cold) but he never made a noise with it.

Quiet cry - As a new mom with Salem I thought his little newborn cry was loud and would bother people if he happened to cry during church or at the grocery store. One lady came up to me at the grocery store and commented on the cute little newborn cry that Salem was doing. I though "huh?" Now I realize what she meant. The older the child gets, the louder the cry. There have been times where all three of my boys are crying and the oldest child is the loudest, followed by the 2nd oldest.

Nursing all the time - I nurse Ezril on demand, which means that I don't watch the clock. I just nurse him when he needs it. That means I could be nursing him for 20 minutes then doing that same thing 10 minutes later. (By the way, I prefer to always use the term "nurse" rather than "feed" or "eat" since babies don't nurse just to eat, they need that nurturing, suckling time too.)

Sleeping all the time - When he's not nursing, he's sleeping. Adjusting to 3 children has been challenging but I think it's easier at this stage since he sleeps anytime and anywhere, rather than later when he'll be awake more.

Diapers - They're so little! We go through more diapers with newborns than with toddlers. You also use a lot more wipes.

Curled up in a ball -Newborns still want to be tight and curled up. I think it's adorable when you pick them up out of a swing, car seat, or sling and they still have their legs tucked up underneath and they "stretch" with their little arms above their head and move their head from side to side.

Squeaks - Ezril makes all sorts of noises & cute squeaks. Both when he's awake and asleep.

Cross-eyed - It's cute when newborns try to focus in on something then go cross-eyed trying to do it. Those first few times when Ezril has focused in on me has melted my heart.

I'm racking my brain thinking of other things to write and I have probably forgotten things already! Ezril is starting to smile in his sleep and a few times I've caught some half smiles while he's awake. I can't wait for those genuine smiles coming soon!

Here is a picture of my "newborn" yet he doesn't look like a newborn anymore!

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2009

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

3-1-9... Introducing Ezril Windsor

It's a boy!
Ezril Windsor Hendriksen
3 hr labor
Born at the comforts of home on Sunday 3-1-9
6:12 AM
8 lbs 11 oz
20 inches long

It's been 5 days since the birth and I've finally finished this blog post. My nose is almost back to normal (no longer hugely swollen) and Ezril's cord fell off today so he officially has a belly button! For those who just need a quick reference, I've posted the stats above. Anyone interested in the long birth story, read on! (Note the picture slideshow at the end.)

Ezril's Birth Story
Saturday night Feb 28th I was irritable and anxious wondering when the baby would come. I felt like I was going to have a March baby (due date was March 6th) and March was soon approaching. We had dinner as a family (our classic garlic & oil pasta family staple) and after eating a little, I asked to be excused from the table since my back was hurting. I got on all fours and after 20 minutes felt better.

Since Oaklen's labor started while my friends Candace & Eli were here, I jokingly told Darrell that we should invite them over tonight. :) Well, the spirit must have prompted them because Candace called a little later and asked if she and Eli could stop by. I was more than willing to welcome them into our home. :)

We put the kids to bed and Candace & Eli arrived about 8:15 PM. We had a nice visit and had a few good laughs. They didn't stay too long and left our house before 10:00 PM. As they were leaving I jokingly said "We'll call you in a few hours when we have the baby!" (Little did we know what was going to happen.)

Darrell and I were asleep in bed by 10:45 PM, but just before we retired my back started hurting again. Throughout the next few hours my back seemed to still hurt no matter what I did. I didn't think it was labor since it was just a constant ache like I had been having with my hips for the past month. I got up to go to the bathroom at 3:11 AM and still was hurting. I finally started pacing my room and the walking seemed to help my back. I did this for about 5 minutes then laid back down in bed.

It was then that I felt the first real contractions. They were pretty low in the belly and I remember the contractions being a little higher in front with Oaklen's labor. I wasn't able to sleep; the contractions were coming pretty often so I rolled over to view the clock and started timing them. They were about 4-5 minutes apart. It was about 4:00 AM by then and I wondered what I should do first. Wake up Darrell? Call my midwife? Call my mom? I decided to wake up Darrell.

I gently nudged him and said "Darrell, I'm in labor." He calmly woke up and said "How do you know?" I told him that I was having regular contractions about 4-5 minutes apart. He then smiled and said that he remembered his dream! (He never remembers his dream so this was quite an occasion. He ended up not telling me his dream and later I asked him and he had already forgotten the dream.) Anyway...he got out of bed and turned off the alarm. I knew then that things were going to be happening since he wasn't planning on going to his Sunday morning meetings.

He asked me what I wanted him to do so I told him to start preparing the bed and to get the hose. (Hose? You're probably wondering...our midwife brought a blow-up birth pool/tub a few weeks prior for us to use if we wanted and so he needed to get the hose from our car trunk since I purchased a new hose.)

I started walking around and stopped when I had a contraction. I swayed back & forth and was dancing on my tip toes to help with the contractions. Darrell kept coming in and out of the room with more stuff and wanted to help me with the contractions but I just kept telling him to prepare everything. We got a plastic drop cloth and draped it over the bed and put another sheet on top. I helped with that between contractions and also managed to have Darrell snap a picture of me one last pregnant time.

Once the bed was ready I laid down and rested since I was getting tired. At 4:45 AM Darrell called Rebecca, our midwife. She woke up to answer the phone and asked if we wanted her to come now. I (always indecisive) wasn't sure so she talked to me on the phone to see if I could talk through a contraction. A minute later a contraction started and I wasn't able to talk since I needed to focus on breathing. That was all that she needed to know so I handed the phone back to Darrell and she said that she would be there soon, but wouldn't rush. If we felt like we needed her to rush then to call back and tell her.

We decided that getting out the tub/pool would take too long and might not be worth it. But just in case I felt like I really needed the water, I told Darrell to go rinse out the tub to ensure it was clean. After he washed the tub, he wanted to lay on the bed with me and hold my hand; for some reason I didn't want to move and wanted my hand where it had been for the past while. I'm sure he felt helpless but he was (and is always) a big help, and very calm.

By about 5:30 AM the contractions were quite strong and I had the urge to push. I was excited to get that urge since I knew "transition" was over and that it would somewhat be downhill from there. We called Rebecca to see where she was and she was 15 minutes away.

With each contraction I pushed slightly even though Darrell told me not to push since Rebecca wasn't here yet. I knew that it would take me a while and I felt relief pushing a little. I had Darrell get a warm wash cloth to put on me and he stroked my hair. He wanted to go downstairs to check to see if Rebecca was here but I told him that I needed him here with me instead. Rebecca rang the doorbell and we called her cell phone to tell her to come in and up the stairs. She brought in her gear (oxygen, necessary medical supplies, etc.) and scrubbed up.

We heard Oaklen awake. He must have awoken with the door bell although it wasn't uncommon for him to wake up at that hour on any other given night. Darrell went to greet him and instead of putting him back to bed, we let him play in his room quietly. Darrell called my mom to tell her that I was in labor and that we needed help with the kids.

I was still lying on my left side on our bed and Darrell and Rebecca had to lift me to make sure that I had the disposable bed pads underneath me. I didn't want to move, I made them move me.

I grunted with each contraction and Rebecca encouraged my low-pitched noises. Darrell continued to hold the warm wash cloth and stroke my hair. Slowly they could see something start to come out. Later I learned that it was part of the bag of water still in tact that first came out. His head came next and after his head was completely out, Rebecca unpeeled the sac off his face and Ezril took his first breath of air. Next came the shoulders and I had to move my leg up to help that part come out. I didn't want to move so Darrell and Rebecca basically did it for me and held up my leg. It was quite the burning sensation but I was told if it burnt too badly then to hold off a little on the pushing. I did a few mini-rocking pushes and finally Ezril was fully born a 6:12 AM. It was such a relieved feeling when I could feel his body slide out.

He was immediately place on my bare chest, skin to skin, and then Rebecca put a warm towel on the both of us. Darrell quickly left to get Oaklen and wake up Salem to meet their new brother. They came in and climbed up on the bed. The cord had finished pulsating and was ready to be cut. Prior to labor, I had thought about cutting the cord myself since Darrell got to do it last time but since the boys were with us, we gave Salem the opportunity to cut the cord. That was a pretty neat experience for him.

Ezril was very vocal and kept whimpering. We tried to nurse and he seemed not quite ready yet. His head and face looked perfect since he was cushioned being born in his sac. His coloring was a wonderful pink at the 5 minute mark. I delivered my placenta and all was well.

My mom came not too long after Ezril was born and the boys were quite excited to tell Grandma that they had a new brother. It was like Christmas for them since they woke up to a fun surprise.

Ezril laid on my chest for the next hour and we learned that he pooped on me twice! It’s not surprising since I pooped three times after birth before they weighed me and Darrell gave his Dad a nice squirt. :)

Darrell finally got to hold him, then he and Rebecca weighed and measured him: 8 lbs, 11 oz. (after pooping) and 20 inches long.

I got up to take a shower and felt great. Afterward, the family and I watched Rebecca do her exam on Ezril and he was a happy healthy boy. After a round of pictures and hugs, she packed up her things and left the house by about 9:00 AM.

The boys and Darrell sang Happy Birthday to Ezril; Oaklen looked at my belly at first to sing to it but then remembered that he was in Daddy’s arms now. :)

Darrell, the boys, and my mom went downstairs so Ezril and I could rest. We had many visitors later that afternoon and evening and throughout the next few days. Thank you to everyone for your visits, meals, gifts, friendship, and support!

Ezril remains to be happy, healthy, and nursing well! We love you Ezril, Happy Birthday!