This week was perhaps the craziest one yet.We flew to Kansas to see my family with this little dude on my lap. You guys? He was SO AMAZINGLY GOOD. There was a short freak out once we landed on the second flight and were taxiing back to the gate (which took FOREVER) and Ezra got cranky and cried. But by then, I myself was getting cranky enough to cry, so I totally didn't blame him. (By the way, this kid is loving his drool and blowing raspberries as you can see above.)My favorite part of the weekend was watching Ezra meet my grandmother, his great grandmother. Seeing the both of them light up while gazing at each other was totally worth the stress of flying with a newborn.You can see more photos below -- I gotta wrap up and get some sleep. We returned today to a very sick collie and a sorta angry vizsla and a dog poop covered kitchen floor followed by dog vomit. So yeah. I'm exhausted.
I couldn't leave out Miss Magda. This was her sleeping last week (in my bed which had been made before she arrived).
This is Ezra between flirting sessions with Nyberg, who loves to stop by and see the boy (which makes us super happy!).
These shots were from the trip. First off, look at how much crap we needed for three days in Kansas! Babies need so much stuff! (Strollers, car seats, extra clothes, diapers, etc etc etc) and the other shot is Ezra mid-flight. Happy guy, eh?
This is Ezra meeting Mimi, my grandmother. She turns 94 tomorrow! And she still lives on her own and is so impressive. I aspire to her level.
This is Ezra and my dad. Serious drool issues here. I'm pretty sure he's hearing all about the first BB gun that my dad is gonna buy him.
Mimi and Ezra again.
And just a shot of the kid laughing and happy to be on his tummy.For your internet share today, check out how air traffic control moves all these planes into the Atlanta airport during a thunderstorm. This looks like a crazy video game!
Well hello there! Did everyone have a good weekend? We were slammed around these parts! We had a birthday party, a bunch of errands, a bunch of cooking and we hosted a brunch! And there was much napping, which was glorious.Ezra has moved into the stage that includes laughing, and you guys? It is AWESOME. We've discovered he's ticklish and he loves having raspberries blown on his tummy. Unlike Magda.Also, we have been working so, so hard on his sleeping and last night the kid slept 12 hours with only one short middle-of-the-night feeding. This was huge, and since I told you about it, it will never happen again. Oh, I'm just kidding. Our sleep is about to go to hell anyway because we're taking Ezra on his second vacation this week, but this time it involves an airplane. Yup. Please say your prayers for our family (and for those seated around us).Below are a few shots from this weekend of the kids. The one of Merlin and Ezra is not a motion shot -- sometimes Merlin just stands there hanging out next to the boy. I adore how much he likes this tiny human. It reconfirms that he is, in fact, the best dog on the planet. But! I must admit that Magda has been exceptionally good this week and I'm super smitten with her these days as well. Onward!
Of course the first shot of the batch is my favorite. But that vacuuming shot? A very, very close second, just for all it represents.Now, for your internet share of the day! Did you know there's a festival in Nepal that celebrates dogs?!? 
Oh, this week was a roller coaster. Such highs! Such lows! One thing is for certain, just when you think you have had a good day with the kid and things are working out, the next day knocks you on your ass. And just when you think all is lost and this day is gonna blow, the kid smiles big and a wonderful, happy mood returns and you couldn't be more thrilled. (Also, notice how tummy time is ok now? Yay!)We had a full 11 hours of sleep on Christmas Eve. It was glorious! The best gift this kid could have given us! But then a few days later? I got about 1.5 hours of sleep the whole night. Oh, and it was not consecutive. See what I mean?But no matter what, I'm still totally smitten with this little sleep stealer. And I'm hopeful that we'll get him in a steady pattern soon enough. Or at least before he's two.
Here's my prince with the lovely Isla, my best friend Julie's daughter who is 3 months older than Ezra. I love this photo so much. We were so happy they could visit us this holiday season and the kids could meet.
There were some tired and cranky moments this week for sure. For some reason, getting in the car seat really pisses Ezra off this week. But start moving in it? Happy as a clam. Yup.
Christmas morning is even better than I thought when you've got a kid. Seriously, so much better.
Santa got Ezra this Jumper for the holiday, and watching Ezra figure it out is highly entertaining.
His ability to take off socks is stunning -- especially considering his inability to replace a fallen pacifier.
And lastly, one of my favorite moments this week was seeing Ezra watch Raiders of the Lost Ark with Jamie. He is clearly worried about the Nazis at this early age! And our pediatrician keeps telling us not to let Ezra watch TV, so yeah, we're breaking the rules. But it's a holiday. And a classic film.Oh! And before I forget! We also introduced the kid to Johnny Cash this week. That was SUPER fun. He loves it when his dad serenades him with Ring of Fire. As do I. 
I want to go sit by the fire and watch holiday movies with my husband while eating homemade soup, so this week's entry is gonna be a quickie.I love the photo above because that outfit is AWESOME. It's a hand-me-down from my friend Stacy. Adorable.
Bubie was stilll here at the start of the week, so I snapped a few photos of these two together.
You can see that Magda was like, "WAITAMINUTE. SHOULDN'T *I* BE IN THE PHOTO??"
He's still sorting out this whole "sitting up" thing.
Oh hello, handsome.
This photo is of him on my knees doing his tummy time (so he's looking down on me). Yeah, you gotta dodge the drool if you're in this position. The good news though? Tummy time is gettin' good and easy.
Look who's sitting up like a big guy! This was a great week with Ezra as there was more playing with toys, some rolling over, modeling for a photo shoot, sitting up in the chair and on top of all that, his Bubie was back in town! He has been a happy, happy guy.Because my mother-in-law is here (meaning I have tons of free child care), I've been working like crazy and holy cow am I tired. So you're getting more photos than words today.Ooooo, but I have a doozy of an internet share for you today. 
We saw Santa at the Swedish Institute, but he wasn't taking visitors on his lap. So we might have to hit up a mall after all.
Is this kid happy to start the day or what?
He was a little freaked out by the stark, white (hard) backdrop in the studio. Either that or gluten really freaks him out.
But luckily he warmed up to the camera in the end.
What a week! Ezra's eyesight seems to have fully come in and now he's reaching and grabbing for things like TOYS! Which makes my days with him much more interesting. It's really fun to watch him figure things out -- I cannot wait to work on things like spelling and reading! (I am such a nerd.)Anyway! Besides toys, Ezra also got to go to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts this week, which was a great excursion as a) it's free b) it's totally stroller friendly and c) it's huge, so it's a nice place to walk. Oh! And of course d) lots of pretty art!And in the photo above, I love how Magda is such a camera hog! Of *course* she had to get in on the action and show Ezra how it's done. And how do I know she missed the attention? Because there were zero treats involved. She did this FOR FUN. Cutie.
Big fan of the long-sleeved winter "onesies" around these parts. 
"Please, please, please play with me!" After this shot, she was ushered out of the room. While she is always super gentle with Ezra, I don't want to push my luck. And those paws are huge.
Ezra sleeps at the MIA. I love how he sleeps with his fist raised. That's right, Ez, "Fight the Power."
Such a cutie.
This is Ezra playing with his new toy. SO HAPPY!
And yeah, he still hates tummy time.
What a week. We had a holiday, a feast, a ton of basketball games, a sick collie, a well collie, dessert with friends, a well-behaved vizsla (!!) and a general lack of sleep. Plus I had several photo shoots and I joined a gym and started working out again. So yeah, I'm beat. Here are the photos of the kid from this week. He is such a charmer. Above, he looks like a dancer in a hip-hop video to me. Love those pants.
He got to meet Aurora (my friends Tom and Lora's seven month old) over brunch. WHERE IS HIS NECK IN THIS PHOTO? Tyra would be appalled.
He's not so sure about all the layers required for a Minnesota winter.
And that was before we put him in the Ergo inside his dad's coat. I love this photo because it's the closest Jamie can feel to being pregnant. He even needed me to tie his shoes. Oh, it is so nice to be able to tie my own shoes again.
Game day attire.
Ha! I love this one. Like he's just sittin' there enjoying the news and his coffee.
Wow, ten weeks already! Well, he'll be 10 weeks old on Tuesday, but still! We had a super busy week over here at Shuttersmack HQ now that we've hit mid-November. I've been doing more shoots, which means much more work at the computer as well. This, sadly, results in less time for Ezra photos (although I still photograph him a lot). So here we go!
Last Sunday was Ezra's first trip to the Mall of America. Look at that face! He's just as overwhelmed as we are by that place! What a cutie. We went there to get in some exercise (tons of walking since the sidewalks here were covered in ice) and then we found some huge sales at baby stores. So it was a pretty good day.
I like this photo a) because you can see all the standing that's happening around these parts, b) you can see adorable Magda trying to kiss Ezra and c) you get a sense of his size in comparison to my sweet (yet crazy) Vizsla. 
With all the added work, my friend Meredith is coming over to watch Ezra a few times a week so that I can catch up on computer work. SUPER HELPFUL!
And, uh, we had shots this week. Poor kid. I snapped these photos super quick before scooping this cutie up into my arms to comfort him. Amazingly, he quieted down immediately and then just slept all day -- which was the most I could have hoped for. This photo seriously tugs at my heart though.
But see!? This was taken today, so he's all over those traumatic shots and just happy to be hanging out with the family.For your internet share of the day, are you listening to