I am resisting every urge I have been having to follow my children around with the camera (and video camera) to record every heart-breakingly miraculous milestone they reach. it's all flying by me at such a frightening pace. I'm so afraid I might miss something and so I keep my record-keeping means handy and ready to go. yes, we are the uncool parents that must document everything and will stop at nothing to capture the moment. though lately I have been trying to let it happen, to let the days unfold and set the camera down. this is not an easy thing for me and people, I have to use physical force to get ward to do the same (you know it's true, LOV-ERRR). between ava starting kindergarten and ezra learning to walk... well, I'm worn out.
ezra has been walking since the last week of july (picking up speed each day) and adding all kinds of words to his vocabulary. there was also the first haircut and his joyous discovery that most anything in this world can be CLIMBED UPON. he is figuring things out faster than I can handle. I can't turn my back on the ez for a NANOSECOND, lest I find him eating a lost tortilla chip from a dust pile (yup, from one of my non-committal piles). I turned my head for a second, just to see what time it was only to find him about to seal the deal with said grimy, hairy broken chip. he loves to take the tops off of markers and scribble, gravitates towards electrical outlets, toilets and cat food. he wants nothing to do with his super-fun room filled with all the most fantastic toys. one of his favorite things to do is climb the bamboo chair in the living room and then look back at me like, "so what happens now, lady!? huh? I know I'm making you crazy and isn't it FUN!?" really not sure why I'm so surprised. he's a toddler, this is what they do, this is what we signed on for, it's in the contract. and so I sound like so many mothers who have gone before me, millions and millions of mothers. he's wearing me out and driving me crazy but I just don't want to miss a stinking second of it. whether he's hurling crayons through the air with super-human force or whispering words in that most delicious ezra-speak, I want to be present for all of it.
Go Ezra! How old is he? he looks like he might be about the same age as mary...especially because of their choices of daily entertainment. I think you've seen some of my photos documenting the escapades. I can't tell you how many times I've found her on top of the kitchen table. they are just so proud of themselves, with a hint of that "i know I'm making you crazy"-smile...
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should switch it to "child Portrait tuesday"...wouldn't that be so much easier?
look at him! what a cutie-pie! yes, go ezra go! good for you with all the documenting...it's a tough job and i'm always kicking myself for forgetting to charge the video or leaving the camera at home - so all the power to you. oh just wait for little boy potty training....that is soooooooo much fun!
ReplyDeletesooooo cute! i miss you all so much, and so does Luxie. cant wait to see what he's saying when we get together again. great photo!
ReplyDeleteLove it. This makes me want to have a baby!
ReplyDeleteum, ezra is just the coolest name ever! and he is such a doll! yay for ezra!
ReplyDeletewhat a lovely tribute to motherhood - and the photo is ULTRA cute!
ReplyDeleteCUTEST EZRA SHOT EVER!!! I wanna eat him all up!
ReplyDeleteMy baby (10 mos) has been walkin' a few steps here and there when he forgets he's not holding on to something... At first I was all excited, now I'm like... "there's no looking back." once he starts, hes not gonna stop, and boy thats scarey! So now I'm okay with him being scared to walk without something to hold onto... it slows his baby racing to adulthood days down a bit.
Thanks for the share, all of the billion-picture-taking-momminess cells inside me smiled a big toothy grin.
What a great image this is. It looks as if he's mastering his dance moves...what style.
ReplyDeletevery great action shot!!!! I can hear the theme music... something bondish. Isn't it so fun but maddening at the same time? I haven't had to deal with kindergarten yet, but boy 1 year old boys are just the greatest! Owen has found many wonderful things to eat... like pennies... um yum, copper!
ReplyDeletethis photo is sooooo cute! oh he's so adorable, i can't take it! that little expression and those hands poised so intently!!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I got this shot. We were at my work and I decided to place him on the ground to see what he would do. Also, it was the first time for a lot of my co-workers to see him walk. It was a big thing for them as they just saw him as this cute bundle of joy that we carried around. To see him walk suddenly made them realize just how much he's grown.
ReplyDeleteIt's a very cute thing to see Ezra walk, lumbering across the floor like some drunken old man.
hi, I just wanted to say that you have the cutest kids - and your pics just shine. they put a smile on my face.
ReplyDeleteHow can that kid look just like Andrea and still have some Ward in him? Amazing.
ReplyDeleteYou can scale back the documentation but don't let it go ... because that baby will grow and grow and grow and before long you'll try to remember when you held him like a "bundle of joy" in your arms. I understand you desire to put the cameras down ... but don't do it altogether ... just a little ... a bit a bit a bit. The picture like the one you featured today will always bring a HUGE smile to your face!!!!!!!!!
Dang! That's one cute kid.
i can totally relate to you on this. i'm always wanting to grab the camera and capture every moment with the kiddies. cute picture!
ReplyDeleteSo funny! I'm a nanny to a 13 month old girl who is just starting to walk. She gravitates toward fuzz and crumbs on the floor and can zero in on the tiniest object!
ReplyDeleteWell all I can say is I sure like looking at all the pictures and video so don't stop.
ReplyDeletebeautiful.....i have three boys, 4, 2, and a newborn. My first is thoughtful, kind, and loving, pure joy. My second sounds more like your ezra. Insanely curious, anyhting on the floor enters the mouth, if it moves even better for the mouth. Once he became mobile at 12 months it has been a sprinting chase ever since. He too is pure joy. The newborn so far a mix of the two. Don't stop with the pictures, they capture something that is hard to explain in ten years.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a mom(yet), and I'm always reading those cliches a la "parents all think their kids are the most gorgeous, smartest, cutest, etc," BUT between reading Ward's posts and finally havng a look at your journal--I've gotta say, they seem truly are all they're cracked up to be. ; )
ReplyDeleteHe's quite a charming little devil! And that's a wonderful photo, mom.