Well hi there. This week was super busy, but great. I tell you what, after the previous week, just getting healthy took us to the next level of happy. And? On top of that? It was Record Store Day! And we had a fantastic weekend.
First, Ezra took some monster naps this week, and I finally snapped a shot of the kid sleeping. Oh, my heart.
We stopped at the Electric Fetus on Saturday for Record Store Day and also got some Nate Dogs. Did Ezra want to try some hot dog? No. That's the face I got. C'mon kid! Trust your mama!
How handsome are these two?
Ezra was in a bit of a mood on Saturday, but Stacy cheered him up a bit :)
Coupla hipsters.
Then we went to a birthday party for my buddy Gigi's little boy. Some of us ate guacamole. Ezra ate his teething necklace.
And then he got happier because who isn't crazy about being thrown in the air?
And then he got to snuggle with Gigi! Life is pretty great for this kid.
Sunday we walked to brunch.
Nyberg met us, and Ezra got to try pancakes for the first time! Big hit. Especially since they came with blueberries.
Overall, a much better week.
This last week kinda sucked.When it began, I was sick with a head cold. Then we had to put my dear sweet Merlin to sleep. Then I got the flu ... the barfy flu. With a fever. And then the next day Ezra got pink eye.So yeah. Can we get on to a better week pretty please?
The bright spot of this week was a visit from my mother-in-law from Kansas City. Oh, how these two adore each other.
One thing Ezra tried this week, besides pink eye, was thai food.
Yeah. He's a fan of massaman curry.
Here are a few more shots of Merlin on his last day. These are super hard for me to look at right now, but I know I'll love them later. It's so fucking hard to realize he's not with us anymore. I miss him like crazy.
One last shot of my boy.Here's hoping next week is better and that this guy is in a happier place.
Oh, how Memphis and Merlin loved to play as pups. Jamie and I were reminiscing about how our house at the time was like a huge puppy obstacle course. This photo was taken a short time after we got Merlin, so both dogs were about 4 or 5 months old. And they weighed 40-50 lbs (Merlin later grew to 80).They would wrestle anywhere they could (like on top of this chair) and there were endless games of keep away and chase in our house. I remember my mom visiting once and telling me that my dogs had way more energy than toddlers (and that's saying something) as she ducked out of the way of some serious tug-of-war in our kitchen.Today, whenever I've gotten sad about Merlin (which has been a lot), this happy playing is what I've tried to remember, and what I hope is happening in heaven up above.Many, many, many of you sent me wonderful comments or sweet emails or notes on facebook. Some of you even brought me flowers or mailed me cards that somehow already arrived today. You guys out there are the BEST. Seriously. I have been blown away by your kindness.Tomorrow things will return to a bit more normalcy around these parts, but today I wanted a little more of 
Happy Monday! Last week was insane. We had Ezra's first fever, Merlin was sick, Magda was sick and then I got sick, too. Ezra, however, who started all this, began feeling better just 24 hours after he got ill, thank goodness. His other firsts this week included steak and asparagus! And how cute is it that this kid loves steak? Adorable.I also ran into several readers this weekend who all told me what a smiley baby I had! Well, he is pretty smiley. But you have to remember that I'm choosing the photos you see each week! So this week, I chose a few images of his resting gaze, which I adore just as much as his smile.
This shot was taken for my mother. She loves those two guys up there so dang much :)
What a week. I am pretty sure that Ezra is *just* about to start teething. As you look through these images, you'll notice a few things. 1) His hands are in his mouth a lot and there is a LOT of drool. 2) He has found his toes and wants to hold them constantly. 3) He also now likes to pull on our faces. It's hilarious.Thursday night, we got about 1.5 hours of sleep total. And then Friday and Sunday we got 7 hours straight. He is so unpredictable at this point, but through it all, he's still pretty adorable so I guess I'll keep him ;)New things for Ezra this week included yogurt and blueberries (he loves them!) and drinking water from a sippy cup. Merlin got to walk outside without a leash a bit this week, which he loved, and Magda is getting monster walks every day as I try to keep up my steps on my FitBit. And I think that's the news! Happy Monday, everyone!
Ezra had another playdate with Naomi this week. When I was taking this photo she was patting his butt. It was hilarious.
I snapped a few shots during bathtime this week because I love his soapy hair.
I love these new shoes.
Are you sure you can't fit more of your hands in your mouth there, buddy?
Dear, sweet Magda.This girl is trying *so hard* to be good. She just has such a hard time lately because we seem to have visitors almost every other day, and many of them bring children, and none of them are at all interested in this here pup. Oh, some of the kids are interested in her, but also a little afraid (understandably) because of her excitable nature. And let's be clear, the adults are all here to see Ezra, mainly.Anyway, it leaves this poor pup locked out of many rooms, singing for some attention, and trying so hard to be well behaved.Because of this, I've been walking Mags for about an hour each day (whew!) and trying to love her up even more.Anyway, she hasn't gotten much play in our Mondays at the Madhouse lately, and I wanted to show you all that she still is burrowed deep in my heart (and probably in my hamper at the moment).For your internet share of the day, I want you all to read about 
What a week! We had our six month checkup (and shots), new foods (the kid loves peas!), a visit from my college roommate (so much fun!) and lots of NCAA basketball (thank goodness the kid doesn't understand swear words yet).Look at that photo up there of Ezra and Jamie ready for Sunday's game. If only the team had been as ready as they were.
Pro tip: Whole peas are less messy than pureed peas.
This is Ezra while we wait for the doctor. Clearly, he is forgetting that these visits end with shots.
Wait. Did I just say shots?!
Poor kid.
Here is Ezra with my childhood buddy, Robin (from Colorado).
Yeah, this kid is definitely mine. He's marked as such.
Remember 
Poor Merlin. This week was tough on the boy.
This week Ezra is six months old! And his grandma came to visit from Kansas! And he got to go to the zoo! Overall, a pretty great week for the kid. Also, we've been feeding him "real food" lately, and it has been hilarious.Perhaps I will do a few photos of that next week so you can all laugh along with us. The poor kid seems to hate to swallow the food, but he loves the taste of it. We'll get there eventually...But back to this week!
First up at the zoo was the monkey house! I love the monkeys and was highly entertained.
Look at that mustache!
Ezra was more like, "Meh... whatever." We'll try this again in a few months.
No baby gorillas to be seen!
More shots of the polar bear.
This is the giraffe looking at Ezra.
This is Ezra looking at the giraffe!
This is my mom holding Ezra his second week of life on the left, and last week on the right. As you can tell, he's much more wiggly now.
This is grandma telling Ezra all of his mother's secrets.
Yeah kid, I really did have members of Skid Row sign my shorts when I was 13. Don't judge. I thought I was cool.For your internet share of the day, I'm sending you to the most "mom" link ever. Please forgive me, clearly my hormones have not evened out yet as