Posted by Aprille D on Saturday, May 19, 2012,
In :
Photo blogs
Ezra is now 20 months!!! Can't believe it. Most days he's all "little boy" and no more baby!!! Just a few words about these photos:
Ezra had had an incredibly long day that went something like this... Out for breakfast with Mommy and Daddy, tagging along to Walmart for Mommy's money order, park #1 to see duckies for five minutes because Mommy needed to kill some time, playtime with my friends at La Leche League meeting, car-ride up to post to have lunch with Daddy at park #2 where I got super-...
Posted by Aprille D on Thursday, May 17, 2012,
In :
Holidays
I had a very nice weekend for Mother's Day. On Thursday night Russ admitted that he had no plans or no ideas what to do...I was rather upset at first, but I knew that he would probably come up with something, even if it was at the last minute. The next morning he told me, "I'm going to buy you flowers!" Okay...it made me smile, even though he "ruined" the surprise.
Friday was a good day. Ezra and I went to Walmart (a much better shopping experience than the one I had last week!) and I got som...
Posted by Aprille D on Saturday, May 12, 2012,
In :
Video blogs
I took these video clips a few weeks ago. Ezra chattering away, playing with the hose, counting to five, and jumping off of the steps! I finally had a chance tonight to sit down and put them together in a montage format. I hope you enjoy watching it!
Posted by Aprille D on Wednesday, May 9, 2012,
In :
Toddler Play
When I was pregnant with Ezra, I somehow received free subscriptions to American Baby, Parenting, and Babytalk Magazines. I read through them and considered throwing them away, but for some odd reason I stuck them in a bag on the top of the front closet. I pulled them out last year to find cute phrases and sayings for magazine-text letters that I sent to Russ in Afghanistan (that in itself should be it's own blog post).
Anyway, I got a genius idea this morning. At least I think it's genius (i... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille D on Thursday, April 19, 2012,
In :
Toddler Play
Ezra and I are venturing out into new waters for playtime. Ezra is extremely intelligent, active, and energetic, and toys have ceased to hold his attention. The other day my mom sent me a link to http://pre-schoolplay.blogspot.com/ which is FULL of exciting sensory and messy playtime ideas to help engage young children. This was JUST the thing I've been searching for to help us on those days we are stuck in the house with nothing to do!
Posted by Aprille D on Tuesday, March 13, 2012,
In :
Baby Ezra
Watching Ezra grow up before my own eyes has been fascinating. But I think that of all aspects of development we have experienced, his learning to talk has been the most exciting and fascinating!
Ezra began to use words about like the average baby. "Dada" was his first...then he moved onto words like "mama" and "ball." He picked up words here and there and it was very exciting. But then he hit 16 months and his vocabulary just exploded! (I think having a daddy who loves to talk who came home ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille D on Saturday, February 25, 2012,
In :
Photo blogs
It is of the small joys and little pleasures that the greatest of our days are built. - Mary Anne Radmacher
January and February have been very full months for our family. Full of ordinary days and ordinary moments. They have been fun and relaxing, but busy as well. Ordinary, busy, relaxing, and beautiful...
My husband has had a lot of leave (days off) since he got back from Afghanistan. The Army does this on purpose, to give the families a lot of time together for them to connect, reintegrate, ...
Posted by Aprille D on Sunday, December 4, 2011,
In :
Family News
Is it possible to catch you up on the last 3 months of random, everyday fun and Ezra's developmental milestones in 10 pictures or less?
It is when you know how to cheat! :)
So what's happening these days?
Ezra has made a lot of progress in his eating! He's almost completely off of baby food and onto table solids. He also likes to drink water and juice, as well as mommy-milk. His new favorite food is soup - of any kind. Which is great because I can sneak in meat and vegetables when he isn't look... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille D on Sunday, December 4, 2011,
In :
Photo blogs
I tried super-hard to only post my favorites...but you know how I am about favorites! Gotta have at least a thousand!
So thankful for my friend Carleeh who took these photos for us! Please check out her website here: http://www.wix.com/onlycys/carleehmulhollandphography
Posted by Aprille D on Thursday, December 1, 2011,
In :
Miscellaneous
It was just a little phrase stamped across the top of the jug of apple cider that I pulled out of the fridge - but it caught my attention.
"Enjoy" - who says that? I mean usually it says "Sell by" or "Use by." But "enjoy"?
And I stopped. And took a sip from the glass I had poured. And I enjoyed it. Really truly and thoroughly enjoyed it.
But those words didn't just make me think about cider. I thought about my entire existence in the flash of about 30 seconds. I feel like I am reminded of this ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille D on Wednesday, November 16, 2011,
In :
Family News
Since Russ went back to Afghanistan, I've really been struggling. Struggling with what? Well, just everything. I think that 90% of the time I feel utterly exhausted and overwhelmed. There's a song that has a line that says something like "You can only be strong so long before you break..." Which is true. But I think that most of the time people don't realize that I'm not even trying to be strong - I stopped trying a LONG time ago. Mostly, I'm just trying to survive.
Posted by Aprille D on Wednesday, October 19, 2011,
In :
Photo blogs
One of the greatest blessings in my life is the fact that my husband and my brother are best friends. And not just because it got me a husband. Kurt has continued to be not only my best friend, and my husband's best friend, but also a wonderful uncle to Ezra and sometimes even a stand-in father over these past few months. Kurt calls to talk to Ezra just about every day and is always checking in on both of us to make sure we are okay while Russ is away.
Posted by Aprille D on Wednesday, October 5, 2011,
In :
Family News
My husband and I have extremely different tastes in music. I like country and operatic pop. He likes 80s-90s rock and trance and a bunch of other random stuff. He likes to poke fun at my favorite country songs by making up his own words and renditions. It has become a little bit of a game to us. And, over the last few years our tastes have begun to mesh just a little bit. I've found some awesome 80s songs that I like, and he's found some country songs and artists that he likes.
Posted by Aprille D on Tuesday, August 9, 2011,
In :
Family News
I was going to get on here this morning and apologize for running behind on blogging...yet again.
Then I realized that I didn't really care that much.
I love blogging. I love sharing my photos with the world. I love having a place to share inspirational thoughts or vent about life as it is. But I'm learning that time with my son is so much more important.
The older Ezra gets, the harder it is to spend time online. 1) Now, unless I am sitting at the kitchen table, he can reach the computer and ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille D on Wednesday, June 1, 2011,
In :
Photo blogs
Between Ezra being sick and teething, I feel like I've been a prisoner in my own home for most of the month of May! It has not been easy, but we are doing okay. And we have managed to do a LOT of fun things this month in spite of everything!
We got to see Uncle Kurt graduate from college with his Masters degree:
Ezra had a few playdates:
Ezra is growing so rapidly - doing new things just about every day - sometimes even every hour! I blink and now he's all grown up and doing new things....
Posted by Aprille D on Sunday, May 8, 2011,
In :
Holidays
This is my third Mother's Day.
My first (2009), I celebrated a life in the arms of Jesus, and mourned the loss of our first little one. My second (2010), I celebrated the life growing within me. I appreciated the honor bestowed upon me simply due to the fact that I had conceived two children...I was blessed to have carried life.
This year is different.
I look in the mirror. Where once I saw a slim figure...now I see leftover baby fat, a cesarean scar, and stretch marks. Instead of a made-up fa... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Wednesday, March 23, 2011,
In :
Baby Ezra
I realized this morning that I've taken to calling Ezra "Little Man" much more than I call him anything else...
I'm not really sure how or when that started happening...it just did. He's not really a baby anymore, he's growing up so fast!
He can sit up on his own, VERY well...I actually get a lot of compliments/comments on how well he can sit up on his own without falling over. It's my personal opinion that it's partially due to the fact that I carry or "wear" him every where we go, and he's ra... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Tuesday, March 22, 2011,
In :
Baby Ezra
"LOOK AT ALL THAT HAIR!!!!"
That's what most people say when they first see Ezra.
A few people have even said, "Wow! He needs a haircut already!"
I loved my long-haired hippie baby and I really didn't want to cut it until he was at least a year old.
But it kept growing...and growing...and growing!
It was constantly in his eyes...
So when my grandfather's wife (a hairdresser for 16 years) offered to cut it when we went there for a visit, I began to really consider that it was time.
Posted by Aprille on Thursday, March 10, 2011,
In :
Baby Ezra
Our journey towards "real" food has begun. So far Ezra has eaten bananas (mixed with my milk). It's been a really positive experience! We tried jarred bananas but they were a no-go.
Posted by Aprille on Thursday, March 10, 2011,
In :
Photo blogs
Oh yes... I am. His name is Canon EOS Rebel XS! He was a gift from my husband...a gift to occupy my thoughts and time while my True Love is away fighting in this war.
With My Rebel, I can capture clearly everyday moments and freeze them forever:
I can capture my favorite things:
(My favorite coffee mug and my Macbook Pro)
(My favorite flower)
(some of my favorite people)
I can capture details I might have otherwise missed:
"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you hav...
Posted by Aprille on Sunday, February 27, 2011,
In :
Baby Ezra
“Let labor begin on it's
own...” (Lamaze Healthy Birth Practice #1)
On
the evening of September 6, this was the one thing I was trying to
repeat over and over to myself. I was almost 41 weeks pregnant.
In
the months leading up to Ezra's birth, I had done of lot of research
into birth practices. I knew what I wanted: a little-to-no
intervention, natural, unmedicated childbirth with strong labor
support, and a happy healthy baby who would be ready to breastfeed
shortly after birth. ...
Posted by Aprille on Friday, February 11, 2011,
In :
Miscellaneous
"A time to get, and a time to lose..." (Ecclesiastes 3:6)
For most of my adult life, my weight has fluctuated right around 100 pounds, regardless of how much I ate or how often I exercised. Honestly, it was AWESOME and I loved being so skinny!
After Russ came home from Afghanistan in June of 2009, for some reason within about 3 months I had put on about 20-25 pounds (fluctuating between 120-125). Which I was totally fine with. I still looked good, and most people said that I looked healthier.
Posted by Aprille on Thursday, December 23, 2010,
In :
Holidays
Normally, in keeping with our little Christmas tradition, we would be headed up to Chicago to spend Christmas and New Years with my family. But this year, plans had to change, thanks to Uncle Sam. I can't really go into a lot of detail at this time, but let's just say that we were forced to celebrate Christmas Day as just the three of us. Knowing that we were faced with this, my mother-in-law and her husband decided to bring Christmas to us, a little bit early! While this isn't what I had ima...
Posted by Aprille on Thursday, December 9, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine
eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my
members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet
there was none of them.
(Psalm 139:15-16)
I am a firm believer that human life begins at the moment of conception. Based on this belief, our Baby Ezra has been alive for a whole year now! I'd like to take this blog post to share...
Posted by Aprille on Wednesday, December 1, 2010,
In :
Family News
November was a good month for us. We started out with a pre-Thanksgiving trip to North Carolina to see Russell's family. The baby traveled amazingly well. On the way there we drove through the night and he slept the whole way except when he wanted to eat! Ezra had a lot of fun visiting family.
We also took a day-trip while we were there to visit Ezra's "Aunt Maggie" down at Ambassador. We got to hang out on campus pretty much all day and meet some of Maggie's friends, as well as talk with som... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Saturday, October 23, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Ezra is now 6 (almost 7) weeks old! He weighs over 12 pounds now! Milestones this week were more smiles, him grasping onto things, and him FINALLY losing his umbilical cord stump! Last week we bought him this little playmat and he loves to lay there and look at the toys. He kind of is starting to bat at them but I'm not sure if he's really doing it on purpose so much as it's still just his little arms flailing around. Either way it is fascinating!
Posted by Aprille on Friday, October 8, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
A baby boy was created
by the hand of God above
to give the world the sweetest touch
of tenderness and love.
With the softness of a whisper,
God made a baby's skin
and then designed two trusting eyes
to put the starlight in.
With giggles from a waterfall
and breezes passing by,
God made a baby's laughter
and a tiny, sleepy sigh.
God made the world a precious gift
more dear and pure than gold,
with little toes to play with
and tiny hands to hold
then brought into the sunshine
a precious baby b...
Posted by Aprille on Tuesday, October 5, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Today Ezra is 4 weeks old! He has grown immensely in the last month and is changing and acting more grownup every day...it's astonishing!
It took him about 2 1/2 weeks, but he finally figured out how to nurse! Let me say that was a very rough process! I came very close to giving up on so many occasions, but I'm so glad that I didn't! Now he is breastfeeding exclusively which makes life easier on both of us.
As far as my recovery, each day gets better and better. The anemia still leaves me feel... Continue reading ...
Posted by Aprille on Thursday, September 30, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
It was very important to both Russ and I that our child's name be a name that not only did we both like, but also something that had significance to us, and a significance that we could pass on to our child. A name with meaning.
Why "Ezra"?
In discussion of our baby's first name, my husband wanted to have a Biblical name. I, not so much. I didn't mind our child having a Biblical name, but it wasn't that important to me. It seemed that Bible names fell into one of two categories... 1) the common...
Posted by Aprille on Friday, September 17, 2010,
In :
Baby Ezra
Some of you are already aware of some of the content of this blog post, but
others of you are not, so I am going to start at the beginning.
Ezra Kurt Donaldson was born September 7th, 10:32 PM. He weighed 9 lbs 13 oz and was 21 1/2 (I think) inches long.
When
I ended up delivering Ezra by cesarean (that is a long story in itself
which I will post about later) it was immensely
difficult...but if I had known then what my recovery would be like I
don't think it would have been so traumatizing.
