baby blessing!

I just realized I never typed up your baby blessing and this is all I have is the notes from Elizabeth!
Sorry little Ephraim!

Dear Father in Heaven, 

By the Holy Melchezidek priesthood which we hold. . .

Ephriam, we give you a blessing that you will be a choice son of God, that you will listen to your Father in Heaven and follow Him throughout your life. 

. . .

We bless you that you will be of great service and be a wonderful member of the church. We bless you that you will find a wonderful companion in life. 

. . .

We bless you with health and strength and *influence.* 

. . .

We bless you to serve the mission that Heavenly Father has for you. 

. . .

We bless you with strength and an ability to follow promptings so that you can be guided in life so you can return to Heavenly Father with your family.

The word in the asterists I am not 100% positive about. I skipped on word and the I can't really read the next, but I think it was influence. Hopefully someone else covered where I slacked.

Thanks again for inviting us, Cherise. It was so special! We loved celebrating Ephriam's great spirit with you. :)

First steps!

You took your first steps about a week shy of 14 months. You're taking more and more steps everyday but usually only about 4 or 5. You still do your elephant walk so quickly that you don't really feel the need to walk upright.
The other day we were at Jeremy Cooper's birthday party at Grandpa and Grandma Cooper's house. You have recently within the last month been able to climb on any chair, couch, bed, trampoline, etc. You had climbed up on a folding chair and slipped and were falling towards the ground. With your hands above your head, you grabbed on to part of their chair and held on for dear life, yelling for help. Your hand slipped again and you grabbed a different part still holding on. Finally someone got to you to help you down. We were all amazed at your strength and determination to hold on and not give up.This will be your overall attitude towards life is to be strong in hard times and determined to hold on with all your might.
I adore your little cheeks and your chubby little thighs. Your smile and excitement when you see me is so sweet. YOu're going to be a big brother in January and I feel as if you've always been ready to give up the baby status in the family as you're always trying to keep up with the other kids. You love throwing balls or rocks into rivers. You are so adventurous when we go swimming or splash pads or rivers. You love to explore and move. You can even climb on the swings by yourself now.
You crawl to the bathroom every chance you can get to get in the toilet water or unroll the toilet paper. You love to open the cabinets and explore but you're more cautious as you've been in trouble before to only get a few things out. You don't dump out whole containers of tupperwear or canning lids like you used to. You love climbing on the dishwasher. You make a grunting noise through your nose and reach out with your hand towards whatever you want or where you want to go. You snuggle a little. You wake up at about 6 every morning wanting a bottle and in order to keep you quiet we usually oblige. You fall asleep like a champ and usually with a bottle in your hands. You aren't eating as much as you used to since you were teething last week getting a new tooth on top and one on bottom. Meriden loves to try and pick you up and snuggle you and you sometimes indulge her but usually just tolerate her. Jeffrey is constantly hitting, kicking and sitting on you and for good reason, you don't much care for him. I keep telling him he's going to get what he deserves when you get a little older. You still love fruit. Watermelon and grapes are your favorite now that oranges aren't in season. When you eat you insist on carrying a utensil though you can hardly use it. If you don't have one and I'm cutting your food with my fork you will grab it out of my hands so fast! You always feed yourself. You're great at entertaining yourself for long periods of time playing with toys and dumping toys out. You're also really good at putting toys away already! You love to help Mom. When I fold clothes you love to hand me each clothing item to fold and when you can get away with it, you love to dump over my piles of clothes.
You have a special relationship with your dad because he works from home and I've been so sick from this pregnancy and whenever I hold you, you like to climb all over my sore growing belly, so Dad has had more time with you at this stage than the other 2 and its been really fun for him. He just adores you. He loves to put a sword in your hand and play sword fight with you.
I love you my little Mr. E! More than you'll ever know.
Love,
Mom

Silly baby

Since we've been in Arizona you've been doing a few new things. You're still crawling but you're walking with you legs straight. Like an elephant. It's so funny. And yesterday you waved at someone and said hi when we w.r.t. at Costco. It was so sweet. You are my best eater. You eat amped everything out in front of you and huge portions. Usually more than Meriden and Jeff. I've been trying to complexly ween you but then this morning after I finished giving you your bottle you still seemed like you were still hungry so I'm nursing you right now. Yes I want my body back before #4 is in the oven but I also just really love feeling close to you and I don't want you to stop being my baby. You pull at everyone's nose and face and always my glasses and pinch my arm hair and skin. Every time any door is open you try to make an escape. Fridge front door back door garage door hate to the stairs bits like you are always wanting to leave to explore. I love you my sweet baby.
Ps. You just for your four top teeth all at once!!

One going on 20

 I can't believe you were almost 1 years old! You are so inquisitive and have to experience everything. If I'd let you or if your body would let you you look completely bypass being a baby. You try to do everything the other kids can do and get upset when I won't let you.  You're very determined and stubborn and almost always get what you want. Tonight we had Autumn and Tanner over and you wanted to get into our pig charlotte's water. I pulled you away about 10 times and finally had to move the water before you would stop and leave it alone.  You have no desire to walk or stand alone. You do like pushing the scooter outside and you do it very well. I think you will be walking two weeks after you turn one. Your birthday is on Thursday. Please stop growing up!
 You are my best eater. You often eat double what your brother and sister eat. You will never deny food.  Despite only having to complete teeth you manage to eat everything from cucumbers meat orange slices and anything you can get your hands on. You take a bottle very well. I am only nursing you one time a day. I started weaning  you  at the beginning of March. It has been hard for me to stop cursing you because it is one less way that you are my baby anymore.  You make the cutest noises! They are also very loud noises – especially during sacrament meeting! When you were happy you often say dad dad dad. When you are sad you cry around the house  saying mama mama.  From dad: The other day you learned how to clap. when you started to clap and I thought it was so cute so put my face close to you as you clap your hands front of my face and then you slap me across his face.
 To change your diaper wear dress you is like wrestling a calf. You absolutely hate it! You do everything within your power to turn onto your belly when we're trying to change your diaper – especially when it is Poupee! You love pulling your socks off it's so exciting for you.  Every time the fridge opens or the dishwasher opens or the back door or front door opens you be laying it so fast no one would believe how fast you can crawl for whatever is open. You make it very known that you were not happy when we  prevent you from any of these things. I have finally stopped trying to stop you from going outside. You soon go down the concrete stairs by yourself and spend long periods of time by yourself in the sandbox.  Hope you have had quite a few meals of sand. Maybe some chicken coop and you love to chase Charlotte around the yard. You are easy-going and as long is your tummy is full and you've had enough sleep You are content and happy. You are of a more serious nature but we can get you to smile. I love you little tutu throug you are content and happy. You are of a more serious nature but we can get you to smile. I love your Little two teeth smile!!  You give the Best open mouth kisses!  Today you wanted to nurse so you kept trying to suck on my nose. It was kind of funny. You Love to mimic panting excitement  and many try to encourage you to do it. You can now imitate charlottes snorting and it is so cute. Today you crawled through charlottes little hole into the pony cage. I was so afraid that the pony would trample you.  Aunt Autumn jumped the fence so fast to save you.  You are a great sleeper. He usually sleep from 8 Pm-6am   Then I nuts e you and you sleep until 8 AM.  You take a morning afternoon nap also. You almost always cry yourself to sleep from 9:57 minutes or until I can't handle your sadness.  Your favorite food is clementines.  You love Meriden and often pull her hair.  Your  baby song that I sing to you every time I put you down to sleep is "you are my sunshine". Every night when I pray with you I think my heavenly father for giving me such a sweet baby a wonderful son. My heart that you will grow up to be  A great man that loves his heavenly father just like heavenly father loves you. Please don't ever forget the love that your mother has for you. There are no words to describe how much I love you my little ephraim.
Love, mom

Eat by yourself or don't eat at all

I confessed to Dad today that I need a new baby... not that I'm ready to be pregnant again... but that you are growing up to fast Ephraim! I think you kind of skipped being a baby stage and jumped right into exploring and being independent. It is SO difficult to change your diaper! and dress you! You squirm because its like you think you don't have time to lay around and get those things done. You absolutely MUST feed yourself 100% of the time. You went from hardly eating anything- because you'd spit it right back at us to us testing to see if you could soft solid things like cooked carrots, PB&J sandwich, avocados, etc to you devouring them and eating AS MUCH as Meriden and Jeffie. You eat almost everything! My other babies like to be where I am always, but you sometimes will go in the kid's room- where all the toys are and just play independently all alone. You are happy as long as you've had enough to eat and aren't tired. You don't cuddle or care to be kissed except every once in awhile. I love you my sweet baby so much. Your strong personality (I'm guessing a red) will take you to great places someday.

Love,

Mom

Making messes

 It's hard to believe that you are going to be nine months this next week. The nine months of you in my belly are torture and the nine months of you out of my belly is bliss. You keep her family happy and smiling through everything you say and do. However, you are  currently dumping out all the diapers from the drawer that I just barely cleaned up. It's a good thing you are absolutely adorable. You follow me around crawling  as if it's your life mission to get to me.  Once I pick you up you don't know what to do. Yesterday while I was throwing a baby shower for a friend, Daddy gave you a bottle  and you drink it!  This was a first for you and dad was ecstatic!  You are sleeping about seven hours every night. You take Two good two hour naps during the day.  You still dislike food but you're getting better at tolerating it. You crawl super fast! I love you sweet boy!