Ezra Luke Secrest

Small Victories!

Ezra finally ate solid food! It was not a lot but anything is better than nothing. He is very interested in what we eat and is always trying to get some, however when we give him something he is not so interested. Well the other day Caleb and I were eating apples with lunch. I held one out toward Ezra to see what he would do. He wanted it and sucked on it for a bit. So I put it in a mess feeder for him to hold himself (and keep him from choking). He really enjoyed that. I then cooked a few apple slices to make it easier to actually eat it rather than just suck the juice out. I put that in the mesh feeder with a chuck of cooked sweet potato and voila he ate! I was very excited. It is the small things that we look for.

He has also gotten his first tooth. He has one little tooth on the bottom in the front. He is a great “teether” just like his brother. He has had a few fussy times but nothing like the stories I hear from other families. I think he is working on at least one other tooth. The other front bottom tooth is close and the top front ones are also looking closer to coming in.

Ezra has become a pro at scooting across the room or as far as he can go with out leaving his bottom. He has figured out how to go from side to side using his legs and lifting his hip to get around. It is really cute to watch and he is getting rather quick. I am not sure how I will keep up with him when he starts crawling.

He is such a happy baby. He very rarely cries even when hungry. He fusses to let me know he doesn’t like something but very rarely cries. He is easy going and loves to be in the same room as his brother. He laughs at his brother more than any one else. Caleb also likes being around him and loves to make him laugh. They are a joy to be around. 

First Plane Rides

Ezra has now been on two trips. In September we went to California to see my family and celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary. We then went to North Carolina to see Dustin’s family for our vacation this year. We just got back yesterday. Ezra travels just as good as his big brother.

The CA trip was a bit easier as it was 2 short plane rides. Ezra was not sure what to think at first. He is so conscious of what is going on around him and what his surroundings look like that he was a little over-stimulated. However he did great and loved that there were so many people to smile at. He had a hard time sleeping on the plane and got a little fussy due to that but he could not fight it forever.

The NC trip was a bit more of a challenge. We had a 5 hour flight and short 1 and 1/2 hour flight. The long flight was first and right at his nap time so I thought he would sleep for a while. Well he proved me wrong. He fought sleep as long as he could. He finally did sleep but then only for a short time. That happened a few times on the long flight. He got a little tired of being held as well. He really likes to have room to kick, as most of you have witnessed. However he did great!

He had a great time in both CA and NC on our trips. He loved seeing all his grandparents and of course stole their hearts. He also had his first trip to the beach in CA. He liked having his toes in the sand. In NC we also went to the beach but it was windy there and he did not like that so much. The little bit that he did get out he really liked it when Grandma sat with him so that his feet could be in the waves.  During our trip to NC he started figuring out how to sit and lean to one side to get a toy that he wanted. In the process he also toppled a few times which led to him figuring out how to get on his tummy from a sitting position. He would then scoot around a little bit by pushing himself backwards and in circles (by leaning his head to one side or the other to change directions) till he decided that he was done with tummy time so he would roll over to his back. It has been really fun to watch the changes in such a short time. It would not surprise me if he crawls soon. 

Community Group Babies

Our community group at church started back this week, after having the summer off. It’s been a fruitful year for this crew.  The moms decided they wanted a photo of all the kids together.  Ezra is not the oldest.  There’s another guy there that’s a year older than Ezra.  But Ezra is, in fact, the biggest of them all.  He looks thrilled to be there, doesn’t he?!

Mamama… Dadadad

If you watched the video Dustin put on here you got a glimpse at Ezra’s talking. He has become quite vocal. It is so fun to listen to. Anytime he is not too tired to talk he is babbling. He has said Dada and Mama however he does not know what he is saying. Dustin and I keep saying it to him to see if he will say it. Caleb has also tried to get him to say Caleb. That one has not come out yet. He had his 6 month appointment yesterday. He weighs 17.5 pounds. He is doing well and the dr said he is right on track. He does not like solid food anymore. He was good for about a week and then he started getting an expression on his face that said “That is the most disgusting stuff she just put in mouth”. It is quite funny to watch however I have taken a break for a while. Maybe then he will be more into it. 

Chatting With Ez

It was almost time for Ezzie to go to bed, which is often the most comical times with him.  Here’s a little excerpt from his talk with us.

Chatting With Ez from Dustin Secrest on Vimeo.

Sitting Up and Taking Notice

Now that Ezra can really interact with those around him he does not like being left alone. He really likes to be able to see what is going on and who is in the room. I started sitting him up in front of me to see how long he could sit up by himself. He is now sitting up by himself without tumbling over for long periods of time. He can not pull himself up to sitting but I sit him down he holds himself up. He is still working on rolling over. He can roll over from his back to his tummy and his tummy to his back he just does not choose to do so at times.  He is learning to pass toys from one hand to the other and put his binki in his mouth (if he gets a hold of it right). He has learned in the last few days how to make a zerbert south with his mouth. It is really cute. He drools all the time and is always on the move. His chubby little legs are always moving. Caleb loves to watch and help him to learn new things. He is a great big brother. He is also growing and learning so much. He can write all his letters, count to 100, is learning to swim and is a very happy little boy. 

So Much To Say…

It has been a long time since we added any updates so I thought we should. Ezra has been quite the talker lately. He has just learned how to squeal, quite loudly in fact. It is really cute to hear him learning to find his voice. He adores his brother Caleb and will usually watch him more than anyone else in the room. Caleb can make him laugh easier than the rest of us and loves to love on him. I love to watch them growing together and being aware of each other.  One of the biggest achievements of the last month or so was when he rolled over from his tummy to his back. He has only done it once but he is close to rolling from his back to his tummy. He also finally took a bottle. It has been a"long hard” road but he finally decided it was ok. We still have to work with him on it to make sure he will take it from a babysitter but a little more freedom is in sight. Another big one is that he has started reaching for toys, grabbing them and getting them to his mouth. He is learning so much!! He had his four month Dr. visit where everything was good except she is concerned about his head being too flat. Other than that he is doing great, growing as he should etc. He is now 15 pounds 8 ounces and in the 75th percentile.

Fun at the Park

Here’s the latest of the boys.  They are both rock stars, growing like crazy.  We go to the park all the time, but this was one of the first times that Ezzie was able to really enjoy it.

Growing Boy

I am a bit behind on the update however I wanted to let everyone know what has been going on. For a couple of days in March Ezra was having a hard time eating. He would get choked up often in one feeding, and would cry while trying to eat. I was concerned that he was not getting enough to eat. He had also stopped sleeping as long as night and started spitting up more frequently. So I took Ezra to the doctor on March 24th. He was 3 weeks old at the time. They said that he is fine, had no signs of anything wrong that they could tell. The best part of the appointment was when they weighed him. I had to ask the nurse how much he weighed (since she didn’t tell me right away). I was shocked when she told me. She told me he was 10 pounds 12 ounces!  That means that he gained 2 full pounds in 3 weeks!!  So I am no longer concerned about him getting enough to eat. He is no longer fitting in most of his new born clothes and is into the 0-3 months clothes.

Since then he has grown not only physically but also developmentally. He has started smiling all the time and tries to talk to us. It has been so fun to watch the progress. He is also on a good feeding schedule and sleeping 6 hours at night before feeding again. Sleep is a great thing!!

Jenny

Ezzie & His Big Brother, Caleb

Well, it’s been a week! We can’t believe it.  It’s so wonderful having 2 boys!  The week has gone by fast, and everything is great.  Caleb loves his little brother, and seems to be adjusting great.  The first night we were home, Caleb got sick in the night and was up for about an hour.  Plus, with the challenges of getting into a groove with nursing the new little one, it was a rough night for all of us.  Over the next couple of days, Caleb was sick with a nasty cold, and couldn’t be too close to Ezra.  It was hard for us to have to keep Caleb at a distance, while at the same time, really try to get him used to this new little person in our home.  We couldn’t be more proud of Caleb.  He did so good. He would walk over and sneak a kiss on Ezzie’s head or go talk to him, but he never got in his face, and he always remembered to cover his mouth when he coughed around him, etc.  All is well now, and Caleb has been busy helping with diaper changes, helping calm Ezra down with his binki, holding him and anything else he can do to help.

Jenny is doing well now too.  She is working to get on a nursing schedule and so far, things are going pretty well.  We’ve had Ezra home now for 5 nights.  For 3 of those nights, we’ve gotten 7 hours of sleep each night!  Pretty amazing, and we are thankful.

Teeth!

I have noticed this weird thing in my mouth in the last couple weeks. One day it was not there and the next day it was. My mom keeps saying something about having a tooth. I guess that is what it is. I keep feeling it with my tongue which mom says I look like a lizard when I do. My brother is really excited about it too. I am not sure what all the hype is about. 

Scooting Around

This last few days I have started to figure out how to get around more. I can’t always go in the direction that I want to go in but I can move around. When I am on my tummy I can push my self backwards and can turn a bit to the sides. When I am sitting up I have figured out how to turn to the side, get on my tummy and then I roll over on my back. It is great to not have to stay in one place all the time.

Ok.. Not So Good

So now that I have had some time with solid food I have decided that it is not so good. Mom kinda laughs when I she puts it in my mouth cause I guess I make a funny face. I can’t figure out what the disgusting stuff is that she kept putting in my mouth. She has finally stopped trying to make me eat it. She says that we are taking a break which I am loving. 

Glorious Food!

I had my first real food yesterday. Mom gave me what she called cereal. It was a little strange at first. I didn’t know what that thing was they put in my mouth. They called it a spoon. And the ‘cereal’ felt funny in my mouth. But by the end I kinda figured out how to get it to stay in my mouth and I liked it. It was really fun and I hope that they keep giving me food. Take a look at how well I did.

Sharing Dinner Together

I get to sit at the table with the family now for dinner. I have a special booster just for me. I love to be at the table with everyone. I like to talk to everyone and watch my brother do silly things. I really get to be a part of the family. 

Thumbs and Toes!

I have discovered my toes. They are so easy to grab and I can even get them in my mouth. Sometimes it is hard to suck on them cause they pull away from me. I have also found what my mom calls my thumb. She keeps telling me that I don’t need to suck on it but sometimes I really like it. It is right there all the time. Sometimes when I get it in my mouth there is something in the way of my eyes and I can’t see, I think those are what mom calls fingers. Sometimes they poke me in my eyes. 

Rolling Over

I am getting better at rolling over. Mom put me on my tummy yesterday and today a number of times and each time I have rolled over really good. Sometimes I wait while but then other times I just go for it. How fun!!

My First Bath At Home

Tonight was my first bath since coming home.  It was a little traumatic.  There were 4 people, besides me, in the bathroom, hovering over the sink.  I’m fine now.  I just didn’t like being naked and wet.  They keep telling me that it’s part of life and that I will love it one day.  We’ll see.

Nursing

I am nursing like a wild man.  It didn’t take long after I was born when I was ready to eat. It’s going well!

My Blood Sugar

Since my arrival this morning, I have been tested (and by tested I mean pricked in the heel of my foot!) about 8 times for my blood sugar levels.  It was sort of all over the charts.  Finally, this afternoon, and now into the the evening, it has leveled to where it is supposed to be, and the nurses are happy and no longer concerned.  I am good to go.