Ezra wanted to wear his Monster Jam shirt today, and he wanted me to wear my Monster Jam shirt today. So I proudly wore my Monster Jam 2010 World Tour t-shirt to work, and Ezra wore his shirt to pre-school. Fortunately, my work dress code as software engineer is about as strict as Ezra’s at pre-school.
Day was bright and warm enough to go out and excavate and haul dirt with the Tonka Metal Dump Truck and CAT Plastic Excavator.
Ezra found a road to haul the dirt. The road was a long drive for the dump truck from the dirt pit where the excavator dug up the dirt to a path near the porch, along the side of the house, between more plants only to end near the excavator.
For near an hour he dug and hauled dirt. Then we went inside once he was done hauling all the dirt then began to want take all of his toys outside and throw a fuss because he couldn’t take all his toy to his dirt pile.
Ezra’s enthusiasm for monster trucks and my desire to bond with Ezra persuaded me to buy tickets to Monster Jam featuring the legendary Grave Digger. -v- and I were skeptical the loud noise and many people screaming and cheering would give Ezra joy because loud noise and many people screaming and cheering all at once isn’t Ezra’s joy. But Ezra REALLY likes monster trucks (and yes, so do I), so I got cheap tickets far from the arena floor. -v- got Ezra ear protection muffs to block nearly all sound.
We went. We sat down in the arena. The monster trucks were resting. People were many, but calm. Ezra, wearing his ear protection muffs, wanted to leave the arena before the show started. We went out of the arena then outside to a table where it was quiet. We bought him a 15 dollar cotton candy that came with a foam Grave Digger hat that Ezra wanted. Then -v- sat with Ezra as Ezra ran around and played with an older kid that didn’t like the loud noise while I got some video of the monster trucks crushing. Then we walked around the stadium and heard loud noises from quad races. We made sure Ezra wanted to go because we knew he would want to go back once we left for he was hesitant. We heard more sounds. Then Ezra wanted to go home, for sure, so we left, but not before we bought the large and small Monster Jam World Tour 2010 t-shirts that he and I wore when we got home. He asked about the monster trucks a few times, and he wanted to go back a couple hours later. Fortunately, I got some video.
Ezra likes this picture from a video that will soon be on youtube, so we can watch the monster trucks crush things and spin around on dirt from the calm of home.
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.
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.
Ezra is at Grandma and Grandpa T’s with -v-, and he wanted to call me. He called and told me where he was then gave the phone to -v-. I believe it was the first time Ezra talked with me on the phone.
Ear infection for the month is gone. The last of the Amoxicillin has been injected into Ezra’s mouth by Ezra. Things are good and happy. We are sleeping, playing, smiling, hugging and talking with only a little bit of fussing.
Ezra has began a habit of calling things bad by saying, ,,That’s bad.” I ask him why a particular things is bad, and his only answer is, ,,Because it’s not good.” Not many things have been bad. Usually only when he is fussing a bit then something is bad, but bad hasn’t been an issue during the past days because there has been a lot of good, which has reminded me there is more good than bad during life with Ezra.
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.
I want to vacuum the rug to suck-up the bits of card board that was recycling bits for Ezra’s Recycling Truck that we made Christmas day that are now bits of card board trash. I didn’t vacuum the rug because Ezra pleaded and insisted that the fire truck puzzle remain assembled and on the rug. I really didn’t want to vacuum anyway, and he let me move many other things to begin to cleanup from Christmas, and I didn’t have the talk in me to reason with Ezra to show him I only want to vacuum. The fire truck puzzle will abide for now, and with the talking of -v- and me then Ezra will probably help put away the fire truck puzzle.
The cleanup from Christmas will continue tomorrow. Maybe we will take the lights and decorations of his tree tomorrow. Maybe we won’t.
There have been times during the past when Ezra has claimed my facial stubble as reason I could not read to him, hug him or do something. He says that I have a bumpy face. I don’t think he liked the rough feel of course stubble or the tickle of the short scruff. Lucky for Ezra, I have been shaving everyday for the past days, so now he has no fear of the bumpy face, and every time he says I have a bumpy face I have him touch my cheek or chin and he feels the smooth shave, which causes him to smile and say, ,,Daddy don’t have bumpy face.”
Christmas was fun. Ezra got lots of gifts, and this year he was able to open most with his hands. He tore and ripped then he played until he slept. He ate the holiday sweets and food. He read all his new books. He parked all the new cars finding places for each in his many garages around the house.
Ezra has told me, ,,Santa is not coming here.” He told me this while we went to his room to search for his binky and after I told him that Santa would give him a wonderful, great toy if he gave-up his binky. We found the binky. He took it, and said no more about Santa. And I realize why does Ezra need Santa when he has his binky and a loving, extended family?
I think he liked my ceaser salad dinner because he ate it. Ezra even said, ,,Thank you for dinner, daddy,” for the first time.
We took Ezra the otolaryngologist, and the otolaryngologist said Ezra has one tube in the right ear. The left ear drum without the tube has some fluid behind the ear drum. There is no inflammation. And we noted to the otolaryngologist that Ezra hasn’t complained about ear pain since the last ear infection. The good news is that the otolaryngologist said there is no need now for new tubes in ears.
The best news is that Ezra and I have been enjoying the rest of the day at home. We’ve read books, ran, laughed, danced with Johnny Cash, ate bagels and now he naps to ready for more fun to come.
Ezra has a step stool for bathroom, kitchen, dinning room. During the past, Valerie and i would usually need to carry Ezra’s step stool around from the kitchen sink, the dishwasher, his table, to the chair at the big table, so he could wash hands, unload the dishwasher, let -v- or I sit, or climb to his chair at the big table.
Now he carries his own stool.
Now he carries his own stool to new places like a movable cart in kitchen for fruit or to the drawers for a spoon or the the counter tops for his binky or for the sink in bathroom, to unload the dishwasher, for a seat, to use to step to the big chair.
Now he can get to those places where I thought he wouldn’t be for a couple more months or years.