For months and months, -v- and I have been having few to no issues getting Ezra to brush teeth, but that tooth brushing was Ezra sort of moving around a tooth brush in his mouth while he sucked off all the tooth paste then asking for more tooth paste. Ezra’s cleaning was followed by Valerie or me trying to help Ezra actually brush his teeth. This forced attempt to help Ezra brush his teeth only succeeded in making Ezra fussy and making Ezra tense up.
For a month now, -v- and I have had no problems helping Ezra brush his teeth after we have shown him the fun of making bubbles with the tooth brush and teeth. Now Ezra is more than happy to open his mouth before a mirror while -v- or I brush his teeth to create bubbles.
There was a point last week when Ezra was fussing and not wanting to take his Amoxicillin for his hear infection. It was morning or night, I can’t remember. I do remember hearing Ezra tell me that he would take it if he could to it. And by it he meant injecting the syringe full of Amoxicillin into his mouth.
Now everyday, he has been taking his medicine. Which makes me part proud as a father to see he can take his own medicine, but also sad as a father to know he has had so many ear infections that he has learned how to take is own medicine.
I was out for Futsal tonight, and -v- was home with EeZee - Oh, and -v- wasn’t feeling good but not totally bad because of the mild cold I have gave her, which I think I got from EeZee - Oh.
It’s a Cars Card because it is the easiest way to subdue EeZee - Oh for two hours on those nights when you don’t have the energy to read him all the books, and play trains, and say the ABC’s, and talk because you are sick and tired.
We are watching Cars again. After a week of watching Cars on the plane and in the cabin, we are watching it again. Again. I have seen it enough, but Ezra loves this movie. He wanted to watch it everyday since we have return, but we have resisted except during last night during movie night when we tried to see if Ezra wanted to watch the movie WALL*E, which Ezra didn’t like, which is no surprise because WALL*E has no Cars, has few noises and has no Cars. And now we watch because makes him happy while mom is away. He has only asked, ,,Where’s mommy,” twice.
After twenty minutes of, ,,MOMMY, MOMMY. I WANT MY MOMMY,” after he woke from a nap with mom out for a bit, I got him out of the crib by eating a granola bar in front of him then telling him if he wanted granola that he would have to get out of crib. He let me take him out of crib then he ate the granola then he walked the hall and pointed to television and said, ”T V..” We were going to watch Sesame Street, but the U.S. Open was on the channel last viewed, and he seemed and seems to like it. He is content watching it. The only thing he has said was, ”Where’d it go?” It being the tennis match when braking for commercial. And he has said, ”Beer,” while watching a beer commercial.
In an effort to entertain Ezra with videos from YouTube, I find my self thinking of things Ezra would enjoy, and I haven’t been very good at it. -v- was the one who found the garbage truck videos, the skate boarding videos, the firetruck video, the Trains Across America videos and many of the Sesame Street videos he use to watch. Then the other day after watching the garbage truck videos, I went through the list of things he wanted to watch, but he kept saying, ,,No.” Then a moment of inspiration over came me: MONSTER TRUCKS.
Now Monster Trucks are a subject he wants to watch daily. And for me it brings back memories of my child hood. It has been years since I had seen Bigfoot CRUSH and SMASH cars….
…What’s really cute is that Ezra says things like, ”Oh no,” and gets all worried and concerned when the monster truck rolls over or loses a tire not knowing that it’s all part of the show.
The easiest way to get Ezra to change his diaper or put on shorts or take off shorts or shirt, socks, shoes without fuss is for me ask Ezra if I could change or put on his article of clothing with the article of clothing in hand. He will then grab the article of clothing and say, ,,No, mama do it.” Ezra will then allow -v- to change or put on the article of clothing, and he won’t fuss.
This has been a fail proof method that works even when -v- has tried to put or change an article of clothing and gets a fussy reaction from Ezra. All I need to do is take the article of clothing from -v- and say, ,,Ezra can I put on your shirt?” Then Ezra will take the cloth of article from me and say, ,,NO, Mama do it,” and then give the article of clothing to -v- and let her change or put it on without fuss.
I don’t know why this is. -v- and I suspect it could be what seems to be some competition between he and I for -v-.
Ezra didn’t want to leave the park. Nor did he want to get into the bath tub. Then he didn’t want to leave the bath tub. After getting out of the bath tub Ezra didn’t want to wear his diaper or shorts or shirt. He wanted nothing more than to fuss loud and let us know he didn’t want to wear a diaper or shorts or shirt.
We did try to put his diaper on his body, but after a few wild shakes of Ezra we realized Ezra didn’t want to be clothed.
Ezra did fall asleep on his Fire Truck Bed. He has woke a couple times. He may wake again if he pees on the Fire Truck Bed.
I taught Ezra my version of a poor man’s belt today after his pants were both loose from being worn and weighted down by the pee filled diaper and hanging nearly below his butt as he ran from the slide to the stairs at the park. The sagging pants caused him to stop running or climbing to pull up his pants and become annoyed. I showed him all he needed to do when his pants were sagging was fold the waist of the pants. He didn’t need to stop to pull up pants for the rest of the park time.
Making a jump for Ezra’s new motorcycle toy from two books and some big blocks was the highlight of a day drug down by too many hours of working money job writing for a computer with a result of people either being unhappy or happy and wanting more.
Seeing a smile on Ezra’s face as the motorcycle rolled up the book-jump, fly into the air, land and roll over the ground made me smile and allowed some of the stress and residue tension of money job to fly away.
Ezra once liked the idea of brushing teeth. He even use to go into the bathroom and want to brush his teeth. Unforturnatly his idea of brushing teeth was him sucking off the toothpaste from toothbrush then tossing his tooth brush in the sink.
We tried singing and smiling about brushing teeth. We tried showing him how to brush teeth by brushing our teeth and how it is fun by smiling and dancing while we brushed our teeth. Nothing worked. He would suck the toothbrush clean of toothpaste and hold it up. If we didn’t put anymore toothpaste on the toothbrush he would toss it into the sink.
What has worked is holding Ezra while one of us brushes his teeth, so he doesn’t hurt himself. He fusses and shouts. He squirms. He shifts and moves. He shouts, which only helps us clean the teeth in the back of his mouth. He doesn’t like it at any time, but his teeth are getting clean, and what else are going to do? Let his teeth rot? No, then he really would be in pain, and that would be bad.
During these past days while we have all been trapped inside the house Ezra has walked Valerie and I to the bathroom four or five times a day to brush teeth.
He won’t exactly brush his teeth, but rather he wants his tooth brush topped off with a kid friendly toothpaste, so he can suck the toothpaste from the tooth brush and sort of move his tooth brush over his teeth as he watches Valerie and I either brush our teeth or act like we are brushing are teeth.
We are able to help him actually brush more than his front teeth throughout the day, so it is worth the time. And it is kind of cute and a good habit for the future if he wants healthy teeth and gums and fresh breath.
Ezra has created his own sign for milk! It is only used for “mama milk” - Ezra hasn’t yet developed a drinking relationship with cow’s milk and he currently only uses it to wash his hands or squirt on his high chair tray. The first time he did this was last week when Grandma O was here visiting. I had come home from work, and was sitting in the living room with Ezra, Grandma O, and Kalab.  Ezra walked over to the couch and grabbed a pillow - one that I have frequently used to prop him up while he is nursing. I thought maybe he was just going to flop down with it on the floor, but instead, he walked it over to where I was sitting, and practically threw it at me! Then he waved his arms in the way he does when he wants to be picked up. So I thought this was cute and decided that since he had figured out a way to ask me, I would let him nurse. This might have been a mistake. Now every time Ezra wants to nurse (which has been often the last few days because it’s been so hot and he is teething), he picks up a pillow and gives me the sign for milk. And if I refuse him, he gets sort of upset!
Ezra’s sign for “mama milk” is so great I wish I had it on video! Maybe Kalab can help with this.
To better show and tell Ezra how to brush teeth, and to distract Ezra with entertainment and props while I brush his teeth, I give Ezra a tooth brush when I brush his teeth. This has never helped me brush his teeth until tonight when he stuck the tooth brush he held in my mouth and brushed my teeth. Then he opened his mouth, and I was easily able to brush his top and bottom teeth. Then he brushed my teeth. And he smiled and kept smiling while I brushed his teeth.
I can only hope this happens more than just to night.
…Ezra’s brushing of my teeth was light brushes and chaotic movement that made me gag when he brushed for the molars. Even if I have to choke to brush Ezra’s without Ezra becoming fussy having tooth brush in mouth then I will choke.
Ezra still has some resistance to having his teeth brushed. He resists by covering his teeth with tongue, shutting his mouth and grabbing the tooth brush and fussing.
He does still have resistance to teeth brushing, but -v- and I have found ways to show him brushing teeth is fun or at least something not to cause fuss. We have shown him by giving him own tooth brush to hold while we brush his teeth with another one. This allows of him to grab a tooth brush and feel like he is resisting. I have also begun to brush my teeth while we brush Ezra’s teeth. I open my mouth wide and smile and brush, brush, brush away. Sometimes I do a teeth brushing dance. Even if this means brushing my teeth two times more a day that is OK for the act of me brushing teeth before Ezra while -v- brushes his teeth seems to be working because he does open his mouth for longer and stops using his tongue to force the tooth brush out. We now also brush his teeth twice a day to make sure those teeth are clean, so Ezra can avoid cavities and teeth problems that will only cause more fussing and pain.