twenty-one months

Size: Ezra is wearing size 5 diapers, mostly 2T clothes (some 3T things because have you seen those thighs and belly?!) and size 6 shoe. Pushing 30 pounds, this little chunk is just that - chunky! And we love it!

Eat: Ezra eats 3 meals a day with 1-2 snacks throughout. One of the first things she says in the morning is "I hungry!" Just like her momma ;) Her favorite foods are still fruit - oranges, strawberries and blue berries. She rarely eats vegetables, calls every meal "dinner" and can eat her weight in chicken nuggets. For the most part, she'll eat, or at least try, everything we give her (unlike her brother!) so we've been thankful in that regard, though overall, I would still call her a picky eater. She'll eat string cheese and applesauce one day, and not the next. She loves pizza but not the leftovers. She won't touch it until you threaten to eat it yourself and all of a sudden she can't get enough. And on and on it goes. Dinner time is always interesting with our two ;) I do want to forever remember her eating food out of her catch all bib - digging her fork or spoon in there like I intentionally served it in her bib! She always keeps us laughing!

Teeth: Baby girl's got 16 teeth in that cheesy smile of hers! Just waiting on her last set of molars to come in - praying they show up unnoticed! She loves to brush her teeth! She might moan when you say "bedtime!" but she'll run to get the process started if it means brushing her teeth!

Sleep: Ezra is such a rockstar sleeper! She goes down with little to no fuss at 8 with Uriah and wakes up around 7 in the morning, usually second to her brother. Hearing her cry out in the night is so rare, it always wakes me with a start and a worry - she does it so seldom I immediately assume something is wrong. Thankfully, there almost never is, it's just one little cry from her sleep and not a peep for the rest of night. Nap time is just as easy around here. She goes down with Uriah around 1 and sleeps about 2 hours, usually waking after Uriah. I think ideally she would take an earlier nap and then an earlier bedtime, but she's been a champ and adjusts to Uriah's schedule. Maybe once he's no longer napping we'll be able to tweak our routine a little, but it seems to be working pretty well for us for now. My easy peasy babe - so thankful for her sweet personality!

Milestones: Where do I start?! Miss Ezra is a little chatter box! And she's talking so well (and what seems so early to me since Uriah didn't really start talking until after he turned 2!) Her words are getting clearer, though it's certainly easiest for Stephen and I to understand her, and she's often putting 4, 5+ words together. She's curious about the world and is always asking us questions to clarify things for her. She's learning her colors and consistently knows purple, pink, orange and green. She's counting, too! I've never even attempted to teach her to count, outside of saying she's 1 and almost 2, but she's picked it up from Uriah learning to count and counting while playing hide-and-go-seek! She can usually get to thirteen by herself and then to twenty if you help her with 14-17. Maybe it's not impressive, maybe other kids are counting at her age, but she has been a completely different kid than Uriah and it has taken me by such surprise! She's starting to learn her alphabet from Uriah, too. Mostly just the tune of the song, but she's got a few letters down pretty well! I know being around while we do school certainly helps. She is still building all the time - Legos, wood blocks, magna tiles, train tracks - and her hand-eye coordination is great! She knows all her body parts (and loves pointing them out on every person in the room!), all her superheroes (we like to teach her the important things in life) and animals (horses are currently her favorite!) Ezra got a balance bike for Christmas just her size and she's slowing getting better at it - trying so hard to keep up with Uriah! For awhile now she's been going to the bathroom on the toilet, but just pee and just when we ask if she wants to (or if she's naked and tells us she has to - she's never had an accident without a diaper on!) She'll tell us after she's gone poop and asked to be changed, and will sometimes tell me as she's going pee, but I have no intention of potty training until she is well beyond ready. We potty trained Uriah fairly early, especially for a boy, and while it went great, I know now that there's no need to rush. It's in the near future though, she's definitely showing a little bit of interest, so, we'll see!

Likes: Ezra loves Iron Man. Loves him. Thinks that she is him! And I love it! She's constantly asking to put on Uriah's old Iron Man Halloween costume and wanting to fight with the boys on the bed as "Ion Man" (or, as "Wild Girl!" Aka, Ezra without a shirt on) She loves Thomas the Train and making tracks and Minnie Mouse (specifically her new Mickey Mouse shirt from Nana and Papa. The first thing out of her mouth in the morning since getting the shirt at Christmas: "Min Mouse shirt on?") She loves building with Magna Tiles and Legos. Loves animals, but especially horses and currently elephants. Loves reading books and "about God" (her bible) - she could sit and flip through the pages for hours if she's in the right mood! Loves jumping on, climbing on, laying on, fighting with and tickling daddy! Loves playing hide-and-go-seek and chase with Uriah. Loves doing anything with Uriah! Loves being outside - playing in the sand, running around, going on a walk in the stroller, bug hunting, playing at the park... Loves shoes and bows and her blankey and several different stuffed animals. Loves bath time and swimming and brushing her teeth. Loves food, coloring and helping in the kitchen. She would be completely content with nothing but boy toys (she's got great airplane, car and superhero sound effects!) but she's started a small collection of dolls and will occasionally be caught playing with them ;) Walking them in her new doll stroller is probably her favorite (or making mom undress and dress them over and over and over again).

Dislikes: She likes to finish her task before being taken away to get changed or leave, and while I don't blame her, she can be quite the force to reckon with when it happens. She doesn't like getting in trouble (I know, who does?!) but her pout face as she's being told "no" or as she's sitting in time out is just so very fake and pathetic that all I want to do is laugh! It's hard to ever be mad at her for long.

Things I want to remember: The way she insists "I coming!" whenever anyone goes to leave the house or even mentions going somewhere. Her perfectly smooth skin - especially those sweet cheeks.  Her hand gestures while "telling a story". The way she wraps her blanket around her head and calls herself Mary. Her squinty eyed smile and her true belly laugh. The way she tries to sing songs with me at bedtime, repeating just the last word or two from each line. Her love for Iron Man, always telling us "I Iron Man". Her excitement about our Friday pizza movie night tradition - "Move nigh!" The way she comes running when I put food on the table. The way she babbles when she reads books. The way she backs her bum up to your lap when she wants to sit in it. Her hair - it's slowly getting darker and I don't ever want to forget the soft, fuzzy, white blonde pigtails she's been sporting for the last few months.

Ezra, I have said it multiple times and written it in every update - you bring so much JOY to those around you. You are the root of so many smiles and so much laughter and it is an honor to be apart of that joy on a daily basis. Not only do we feel so blessed to be yours, and to have you as our daughter, but to witness the love and joy you are spreading to and sharing with our family and friends - you are adored by all who know you and I pray you will always feel our love and know that you have our support.