1 Year Old

48 Weeks
Grandma and Grandpa Wiebe arrived this week as did another tooth.  We enjoyed lots of sunshine and Ezra began using his single word "Dada" for all things under the sun.  He seemed quite proud of his linguistic accomplishments.  He also kept his audience entertained.  He enjoys people coming over and showing off his speedy crawling and clapping.  And he continues to enjoy his evening ritual of stripping down to diaper before PJ's go on and playing on the sheepskin and charging back and forth across the living room with clothes over his head.
49 Weeks
Canadian Thanksgiving was this week and we also did a small preview celebration of Ezra's birthday while Grandma and Grandpa Wiebe were visiting, at the same time.  Cousins from Calgary were able to join us and we had a tasty meal and fun afternoon visiting.  Ezra also was able to enjoy some time with a doggy friend that came with the cousins.  This senior pooch quickly found a spot on the couch just out of Ezra's curious hands.
50 Weeks
Paster and Spouse Retreat!!!  Our annual getaway is something we always look forward to, and this was no exception.  Especially since friends agreed to take Ezra for the 3 days and 2 nights we were away in Banff.  Ezra did great and wore himself out keeping up with the other kids in the house and exploring his new surroundings.  And we had several days child-free to be able to listen to the speaker and calm dinners, and strolls around downtown.  Unfortunately, Nate got a cold right before we left and wasn't feeling 100% but we made the most of it anyway.  And it was great to get back and see Ez's smile again.
51 Weeks
After noticing Ez continue to want to suck his fingers and thumb we agreed to try to reintroduce the soother.  He refused the soother a number of months ago and I had since packed them all away, but after finding the box they were stuck in, Ez took a day or two to remember the art of keeping that soother in before locking it in.  We also decided to turn Ezra's car seat around after observing his legs climbing up the van seat, and not resting on his own carseat.  It resulted in a fussier baby as he was not sure about this change, or perhaps he wasn't feeling well.  Either way, it made a trip up to Edmonton extra long to pick up a washer and dryer, as he cried a good portion of the way up and back.
52 Weeks
Grandma Jolliff arrived this week to celebrate Ezra's first birthday with the family.  Ezra enjoyed his play time with Grandma as well as time with a few friends at his birthday party on Saturday.  Thanks to sneak treats in the last month or so, Ez took to his chocolate cupcake with no problem!  And finished it without hesitation.  Overall, Ezra was on the fussier side as he is clearly working on another tooth or two, but with the help of some Tylenol everyone had a good visit.  Ezra is growing in confidence in standing and taking a few steps between people and as luck had it, he started walking between Mommy and Daddy 3-5 steps on his own the day Grandma Jolliff had headed home.  All Grandma's practice paid off, and fortunately we were even able to video some of it for sharing.