YES! That is correct. A major show of growth and development occurred tonight after brushing teeth: Ezra spit out his toothpaste bubbles. Not all of the toothpaste bubbles were spit out, but some. This was exciting to all including Ezra because Ezra has been trying to spit toothpaste out of mouth like mom and dad since tooth brushing began.
After waking, eating, talking, reading, car riding, playing, fort building with Ezra all day long. After having built one chair fort for most his toys and many couch forts for Ezra, and after reading books, and after eating. After ABCs and counting. After watching Caillou as we sat on the couch and ate a heated frozen pizza, Ezra smiled and said, ,,I like you, dad.”
Saturday, I introduced Ezra to building forts with sofa and chair cushions. We built our first fort using a chair and its two cushions, four sofa pillows and a blanket. Sunday, we built more forts. Today, we built another fort before bedtime after telling him this during morning that couldn’t build a fort before pre-school because we didn’t have time.
We are perfected our structures though Ezra does have a tendency to find joy in taking down the forts to build a new one. I find the joy in building forts with Ezra.
I think he liked my ceaser salad dinner because he ate it. Ezra even said, ,,Thank you for dinner, daddy,” for the first time.
I haven’t seen Ezra since I dropped him off at daycare. He got a ride home with auntie kate and daddy because I had a holiday party to attend for work. This morning we drove by the train yard on our way to preschool and saw the big black engine! The big black engine that will be pulling the train tomorrow morning that Ezra will be riding on. “The big black engine?” he asked. “Puffing and chuffing?” “With the smoke up in the sky?” Yes! Tomorrow morning we are going to go ride the holiday express around the river front, and the big black engine will be pulling the train. So, maybe tonight he will be dreaming of trains!
Ezra woke with a smile today. He ate breakfast, had his diaper changed, got dressed and got ready to preschool without fuss. He got into the car to go to preschool fully dressed unlike yesterday or days before when he was missing shoes or a coat and even one day a shirt because he didn’t want to leave for preschool. But not today. And today when I got home he brought me an orange and peeled it. Then we talked. He had a bath and went to bed with no tears.
Today was a great day for family fun. It began with breakfast and continued on to the day’s event: Going to the Columbia Gorge Model Railroad Club.
If buying him wooden train track for his birthday wasn’t enough to make him a train geek then introducing him to the model trains at the Columbia Gorge Model Railroad Club could bring him closer to train geekdom.
Ezra had a great time looking at the many small houses, tunnels, bridges, lights, trains, trees, people, cars and trucks moving, tooting and shining. There were classic model trains of many types rolling around tracks and through tunnels. There was a small LEGO train set near the snack bar. After an hour we left, but the enthusiasm for trains continued. Because while playing trucks with Ezra, he lined up trucks, cars, teddy bears, books as a train. Ezra had me sit at the front of the line while he sat at the back of the line. I made train toots while Ezra said loud, ,,I’m driving! I’m driving!”
Ezra now some times says, ,,Yeah,” instead of, ”Yes,” which too me is cute and adorable and fun to hear when Ezra says it.
Ezra lead Grandma O, -v- and me during a session of playing with cars. Ezra lead the way first as the LEGO firetruck then as the front loader after -v- didn’t want to play with the front-loader anymore for she wanted to be the monster truck Snakebite. -v- playing with Snakebite didn’t last long because she wanted to run over everyone else as Grandma O drove the safari truck, Ezra drove the LEGO firetruck and I drove the tow truck around the dinning room table, so Ezra took Snakebite away from -v- and had her play with the LEGO firetruck. Ezra then parked Snakebite for the night and played the front loader as I continued to be the tow truck as we drove around and around the table.
I hate standing in line, but standing in line for forty minutes for a hayride to a pumpkin patch with Ezra is worth the wait. I actually didn’t mind standing because I knew he would enjoy the hayride because ever since the hayride last week he has wanted another hayride.
This hayride was long, muddy and bumpy, and Ezra smiled the whole way to the pumpkin patch and from the pumpkin patch with our pumpkins. We got two. One with warts all over and one that is smooth and near round.
We took our pumpkins and a hayride back to the barns and sheds and shops with Ezra smiling and already asking for another hayride. We then looked at ducks, goats, rabbits and a lama, and he asked for another hayride; then we shared fry bread, corn-on-the-cob and a hamburger, and he asked for another hayride; then Ezra selected, and we bought a small pumpkin and a gourd that looked like a used candle, and he asked for another hayride, but the day was late and his passion not that great and the wait would have been an hour or more, so instead of a hayride he got a car ride home, which induced a nap and a few more calls for another hayride.
Ezra got some cloths from Grandma O today. Ezra wanted to wear them all as we pulled them from box. The fire engine shirts, the Lighting McQueen (of the movie Cars) pajamas and shirts. He could barely wait for the cloths to be washed. But he did wait, and we reminded him when he didn’t want to take a bath that he could put on one of the new shirts after the bath, so then he was happy to take a bath. And then after the bath Ezra was excited to wear the shirts. It did take us putting on and taking off three shirts until he calmed down for the one he wore tonight for sleep and the one he will likely be wearing tomorrow for playcare. The shirt has fire trucks.
No pre-school for Ezra, so I remained home with him, and we had a great time. He and I made a train track. We read books. We strolled to the fire station. We shared a muffin. We played at the park. We looked at pictures. Then after his nap we created a town with all his various blocks, cars, trucks, trains, container and toys. After we had been playing with cars in the town for awhile, Ezra decided he needed to go to work, so he picked up his mini-lunch pale and pack full of toys then said, ,,Daddy, kiss,” as he stepped to me navigating his snot covered lips to mine. As I stared at his snot covered lips, I felt loved because he’s never gave me the soft peck kiss of affection that he has given to -v-. I was happy to kiss his snotty lips as he walked off to work, which was over by the windows in the main living area. I’m not sure what he does for work.
…It was a tiring time with Ezra, but it was a great time. By the end of the day, he was calling out for, ”Daddy, daddy,” then running to hug me.
The word Whaus is slowly being removed from Ezra lexicon after hours, days, weeks of saying, ,,What’s this?” when he says, ,,Whaus.” As proof, for the last few days, I have heard him say, ”What’s this?”and not, ”Whaus?” when want to know an object. WHOO HOO!
No more sleeping in bed at the Stoney Creek cabin with Valerie for Ezra. No more cows, horses, tractors, buggies and open field everywhere for Ezra to point at and say, ,,Cows, horses, tractors, buggies…” Ezra seems happy to be home.
Ezra has demonstrated again he can sing his ABCs without help or urging for him to sing his ABCs. YAY! …Next up: NUMBERS!