Ezra's 4 & 5 Month Update

 Our sweet boy is already 5 months old! I never got around to getting a 4 month update done, so I'm going to combine the last 2 months together. And what a big couple of months he has had!

 He had his 4 month well baby check-up last month. He is still growing and was right on track developmentally. He weighed 18 pounds and was 27 1/4 inches. He has more than doubled his birth weight and grown over 5 inches!

 Last month was a rough one as far as his sleep goes. He went through the dreaded 4 month sleep regression simultaneously with a particularly bad wonder week and he was teething. He went from sleeping 5-6 hours at a time back to waking every 1.5-2 hours. He also learned to roll over so instead of going to sleep when I laid him down he just rolled all over his crib and it usually ended in me picking him up and swaying him until he was almost asleep. It's been a long month and we're still working on getting that worked out, but it is slowly getting better, Thankfully, his naps haven't been affected too badly.

 We finally got around to starting his nursery. It's looking great and if we ever finish I'll post pictures. At the current rate he'll be 2 when that happens :) He takes all of his naps in his room and has adapted to it really well. I put him down in his room for the night, but since he's been waking so often I usually end up putting back in our room just to make it a little easier on myself.

 He has hit a ton of milestones the past 2 months! He can rollover from both his tummy and his back, He now uses it as a means to get around and rolls all over the place! He cut 2 teeth! I was really surprised by this. Kennedy didn't get her first tooth until 13 months and Karoline was 6 months so it was definitely unexpected that he had 2 pop up before he was 5 months! His biggest milestone so far is that he learned to sit up this past week! He got really good at it, really fast! I say it's because his fluffy bottom and chunky thighs give him a nice sturdy base :) I am never in a hurry for my babies to grow, but sitting up is one of my favorite milestones! It makes things like grocery shopping, dining out and playtime a lot easier.

 He also has shown a LOT of interest in food. I was set on waiting until 6 months before introducing solids, but he has made it known that he does not want to wait that long! Mealtime was resulting in a lot of screaming, banging on the table and swiping food from my plate or hands. We've decided to go with baby led weaning so I've taken these hints as he's ready to explore with solids. I still intend on breast milk being his main source of nutrition, but I'm excited to see him play with eating solids.

 He is growing so fast and he brings us so much joy! Such a blessing to us! We are so excited to see what he does next!

Throwback Thursday: 9/11 Memorial

 Today marks 13 years ago since the biggest American tragedy that has happened in my lifetime. September 11, 2001 will always be burned in my memory. I will never forget where I was and what I was doing when I heard the news. I remember the images and emotions of that day like it was yesterday. Just as much as I remember the feelings and emotions of that day, I remember the following days and the feeling of pride that took over our great country. How we pulled together as a nation and leaned on one another for support. I'm still so proud of how, even 13 years later, we have not forgotten. We have made sure that the ones who lost their lives that day are remembered and honored.  This date never passes by unnoticed and the heavy feeling that comes with it never goes away.
 Back in February I was very lucky to be able to see one of the ways we have honored those who lost their lives. While on a short trip to NYC we visited the 9/11 Memorial. The victims of that horrible day are beautifully remembered and everyone,especially the families of those lost who didn't have remains to place in a grave to visit, have a peaceful memorial to visit.  It was an experience I will never forget and I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity. It was in the midst of a snow storm so the pictures aren't the best, but I'm happy to share the ones I have. If you ever have the chance to see it, do not pass it up. I also highly suggest visiting St. Paul's Chapel right across the street. It was a gathering place for all of the search and rescue teams to rest and get something to eat. There are still letters, pictures and other mementos from that time.

Names of New York Firefighters lost.

Flight 175

Those lost at the Pentagon.

Flight 93
(Because of the snow, not all sides of the pools were accessible so I wasn't able to get a photo of  flight 11 and flight 77.)

Things left at ground zero.

Patches from emergency crews from across the country who helped in the following weeks.  

These are strings of origami peace cranes that were sent by school children and other groups from Japan.

May we never stop remembering the victims of that day and strive to keep their memories alive so that generations after us know their stories and the sacrifices made.