Mom4Life

thanks

2010-07-26T23:17:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your prayers for me.
Since I've last posted on here, I have talked to a counselor.
She is nice and is a Christian. It's so nice to share the faith. :)
She is helping me to sort through my thoughts and feelings. She has suggested that I write down my feelings/thoughts and how I react to things on a day to day basis.

I am pretty sure that I know why I have been struggling a little more recently.
The past 2 years I have either been pregnant or nursing. Last year, I was both. Ethan was 7 months old when I found out I was pregnant with Brianna. I weaned Ethan pretty quickly. He didn't like the idea but he adjusted.
So I had a lot going on the past 3 years actually. And this summer I don't have much that I am preoccupied with. It's just different. It's a lonely and bored feeling. It's kind of weird to think that I am lonely. I think that is one of the ways that Satan has been attacking me lately.
Eric and Ethan are a handful. I think it's because of their ages and age difference. It's hard for me to keep Ethan busy because he has a short attention span. Anyway, that's a struggle in itself.

I am glad that I can start to identify some of the reasons why I have feeling lonely and depressed. I know a big part of this is that I'm grieving too. That makes all of these life changes much more difficult to handle.

SAHM and some venting....

2010-07-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

I am a Stay-At-Home-Mom. I do not like it, I don't like it one bit. I do not like green eggs and ham......
Ok, that's not exactly how I feel. But some days, I do hate it. Or maybe my hormones hate it.
Some days I lack the motivation to call people to set up play dates. I feel sorry for myself and I hope that people would call me. But then I think, "why would they need to call me? They don't want to get out of their house, because they have a house with a family room and a play room and their husband doesn't work from home (using one of the bedrooms).

(I really need to get this stuff out---I'm sorry for complaining/venting?)
It drives me crazy sometimes. I have a very hard time keeping the kids busy. Most of the time, I have to take them out some place just to make it through the day. I hope I am normal because this stress is making me crazy. I get frustrated because I don't see that things will get better.
My husband doesn't see this, he just thinks I'm crazy and emotional/hormonal.
I have been trying to give this stress to God and say "please take this from me". Maybe I don't know how to ask God to feel me with the Holy Spirit. I don't know.
I have been thinking that the Holy Spirit is a magic wand and that if I just pray the right prayer, that the stress would go away and I will be ok and that also I would be content with my circumstances.

I am sure I have the wrong attitude or heart about this, but this is what has been on my mind for quite a while. I don't know why when I need God's strength the most, that seems to be when my prayers hit the ceiling.

I have been realizing that sleeping, exercise and reading/studying the Bible really help A LOT. I can't believe the difference they make.

So I think I will be ok, I just have to remember that there are some VERY GOOD and cheap/free things I can do. Sleep, exercise, and get in God's word/pray.

If any of you have a minute I would really appreciate some prayer.
Please pray that I will remember to read His promises/verses, exercise and sleep.

Being a Stay at home Mom is exhausting.

Summer time pictures

2010-06-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

I know it's not officially summer time until next week, but the weather was really nice last weekend so I took the boys outside and told them to enjoy themselves. :-) They are really good at doing that. They are also really good at driving their mommy crazy. I love the look on Eric and Ethan's faces in the pool. They were having such a good time. :-)

We got them a sand box (thanks to Craiglist) and they love it. It's messy but I was getting desperate for things for the kids to do outside.

No more pain..... no more PMS, diaper rashes, tooth decay..

2010-06-08T22:13:00.000-07:00

Being with Jesus for the eternity is going to be awesome!

I was just thinking about the ickiness of life lately. Life on this earth stinks.
I just went to the dentist today for the first time in a long time. (who has time to go to the dentist when we have kiddos to take care of?) Anyway, I found time today. I have a few cavities and a clicking jaw problem. I've noticed the jaw problem for a while now, actually for a few years or so. But it hasn't been a huge problem and doesn't seem to interfere with my every day life.
To make a long story short, I have to wear a night guard.
First I have to have the fillings done and then I have to get the night guard which means I will wear it at night. What fun!

So in heaven we won't have any of this garbage. We'll have new bodies! And most importantly we'll be with Jesus forever. Just think, no more PMS, cramps, headaches, toothaches, cancer, tumors, etc....the list goes on.

a very rainy Friday

2010-05-28T17:26:00.000-07:00

Today it rained A LOT. I can hardly believe how rainy the month of May has been. I'm really looking forward to having some sunny, park days. And so are my boys.... Let me tell ya! Oh my goodness! Summer where are you?

Ethan is sick. He is grumpy and he doesn't have an appetite. He has had a rash for a few days and a fever. I am guessing that he got it from his brother.

Well Eric and Ethan are hanging onto me and Ethan is threatening to turn the computer off.
Gotta go! Bye!

non stop

2010-05-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

Eric has started asking "What's that? and why? and so on.... Help!!! He will be 4 in 4 months!!! Where or where did the time go?

And Ethan is almost 17 months. Yikes! In some ways I'm looking forward to the summer time but in other ways I'm not because I know I'll be so busy chasing them all over the place.

Today I took the boys to Target. I didn't think that a quick trip would be so adventurous. I originally went in just to use the restroom but then Eric said he "had to potty" also :-). Then I went over to get some more pull-ups and on the to the cashier/check-out, Eric managed to fall and hit his nose and cut his lip ( He was doing a combination of skipping/jumping, do all 3 year olds have this much energy?). I looked at him and then noticed that he was bleeding. Should I start panicking now? (yes!) Well, I tried to remain calm (even though he starting crying loudly in the middle of the store) but I didn't really have anything with me to clean up blood but I did have some wipes. I got a few out and held them up to his nose and then made our way to the restroom. When I got to the bathroom, I was able to use some wet paper towels and pinch his nose to stop the bleeding. After we got ourselves back together and Eric seemed happy again, I finished buying the pull-ups (I went back and got the pull-ups because I got distracted).
Whew! What a day.

Just this week Eric has been talking and jabbering pretty much non-stop. I am trying to enjoy it but some times it really ....... drives me crazy. :-O I know this will pass. This is a very challenging time though because Ethan is also very busy. I have been working on getting a break now and then during the day. Ethan almost always takes a good 2-3 nap, but Eric takes a little more work. He will sleep if I tire him out enough. I love those breaks during the day.

not sure what to call this

2010-05-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

(this post contains some emotions... just a warning)

This morning I woke up with swollen eyes.

Yesterday I went to a baby shower, for the first time since our miscarriage. I was doing ok until last night and this morning. I kind of had an idea that it would be difficult.
This morning it seemed to hit me or maybe it was like I hit it like a brick wall. I thought I was getting better. But suddenly the jealousy, anger and bitterness came up again.

The mom who was the guest of honor sat there so pretty. Along with her sat some other moms who had their babies with them. All girls... Imagine that? The cute baby girl clothes and the baby shoes.... It just went on and on. Satan was having a "hay day" with me yesterday and today.
I didn't even go to Church today. I didn't want to.

I don't think I will ever understand why there are some moms who had the chance to find out that their baby had a problem in an ultrasound or by some tests. When I had my 18 week ultrasound done to find out she was a girl, she appeared to be healthy. I don't know what defect or she had to cause her to die. I'm confused.
Did God supernaturally reach in and take her home? Maybe nothing really was wrong with Brianna. I don't know.
But I am having a hard time going forward. It is hard for me to be really happy and hold nothing back when I think of these Moms who have healthy babies.

I know I have 2 healthy boys. I don't know why I can't just be happy and get on with my life.

I also don't know why my husband doesn't understand. He's fine and I'm not.

Mothers Day

2010-05-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Mother's Day. It was beautiful. I felt so loved and appreciated. David gave me some roses and a necklace and treated me to dinner at a nice restaurant that overlooked the river.
The weather was beautiful too.
Today I woke up to rain and deary looking clouds. I was actually quite depressed. I tend to get that way when the weather is bad. I love sunny days. But I have hope that the sun will shine tomorrow.

Today Eric is sick. He seems to have a cold again and a fever. He was fine earlier today but when he woke up from his nap he was grumpy and had a fever. I took him and Ethan to the library this morning and it rained on the way home. I mentioned that I didn't have an umbrella and we might have to go buy one. Then at home he kept saying "umbrella, umbrella, umbrellaaaaaa........" so many times that I decided to just buy one just for him. I found a cars one at Walmart. I knew he would love to have his very own umbrella.

I'm doing well so far. I'm looking forward to the summer like weather though. I have days were I still feel depressed and it is frustrating to me when I can't get my alone/quiet time. Some days I can hardly wait until the boys are in school. I may say this now, but when they are actually in school, I will probably miss them like crazy and want them to be young and at home again.

cool stuff

2010-04-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went (as a family) to a home fellowship/small group. We've been trying out a new Church for the past few Sundays. It is nice to meet other Christians.
David and I have decided to sign up for a small group last week. It meets in someones home. They have child care. :-)
This was the first time we have attended the group. We got to the door and went inside and someone called my name. I wondered to myself as I looked around, "who else knows me here?".
I looked over and noticed an old friend who has the same meeting background and knows both David and I from way back when (Lassen and conference). Crazy huh? :-) So anyway, we hope to be able to go again. It was an encouraging time.

Also, today I had a playdate/mom time. I really need to do more of these. They are good for both the kids and the Moms. I got to talk and listen to another friend/Mom and our kids get along well. She has a girl who is close to Eric's age. I think it's cute to see Eric interact with other kids his age.

I had a good day today. :-) Hooray for good days!

some people

2010-04-27T23:29:00.000-07:00

Some people seem to have it all together. They wake up in the morning and greet the day with a smile. They can potty train their kids with no problem even while having a 15 month old who is into everything. They can do a hobby or some other task when the kids are napping because they have the energy and they don't need a nap.

I am not those people.
I plant flowers to help me to smile and I try to make it through the day.
Life has been a big struggle. I guess that is normal for a stay-at-home mom. I mean I hope it's normal. Maybe I am not normal.

Flowers are good therapy

2010-04-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

These are the flowers I planted last Spring. I hope to be able to plant some this year. I think gardening/landscaping will be my new hobby or outlet.
I have also noticed that when I spend time outside in our yard, I feel more relaxed. I also enjoy seeing a positive result. Today I mowed the lawn and used the weed eater/edger. It looks so much better and I feel better too now that it's done.

I hope to be able to take pictures after I plant the new flowers.

goals and me time

2010-04-23T17:18:00.000-07:00

I hope to be able to achieve my goals.
I want to wake up about 1 hour earlier than my kids during the week. I want to take a shower and work out and have some quiet time.
I have notice that I've been quite stressed and agitated during the week and I find myself screaming on the inside (and sometimes screaming on the outside too).
My boys have been driving me crazy and I think one of the reasons is because I don't have enough time to myself. I also have been running out of ideas to keep them busy.

So here's to hoping and praying that I can have more quality time to myself.

Hanging on the Promises of God

2010-03-02T11:19:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how far I will get on this post because my boys don't stay busy for more than a few minutes. Eric decides that playing on the changing table or playing with his Mommy's make-up is more fun than playing blocks with his brother.

I'd like to share a few things. In the past few weeks I have been going to a Woman's Bible Study at our Church. It's on the book of John and it has a book with questions to go along with it.
I haven't been focusing on the questions all that much but instead I've been reading through the verses and references that are in the book.
John 16 v20-22 really jumped out off of the page and seemed to go right into my heart.
"I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice and no one can rob you of that joy. (John 16.20-22 NLT)

This Bible study has been such a comfort to me. Praise the Lord!

I don't have time to finish this post right now. My boys need me and I need to get Eric ready for preschool.

struggling

2010-02-13T21:43:00.000-08:00

I've decided to write on here for now. I have had a MAJOR life changing experience since I have last wrote anything on here.
About 3 months ago, my husband and I had a miscarriage. It was extremely sudden. I was 19 weeks when our baby girl died. I have been (and still am from time to time) so confused, angry, resentful and a number of other emotions.
When I was first pregnant with Brianna (that is the name we gave her), I had to have progesterone injections 3 times a week for about 3 months. It was very tiring and hard on my body. My progesterone (hormone levels) were extremely low. But the doctor believed that the progesterone shots would help. After about 3 months or so, the nurse called me and let me know that my levels were fine and that I didn't need the shots anymore. So at that point David and I thought we were out of the woods. Brianna was going to be ok.

This past November, I went in for the 18 week ultrasound to find out that she was a girl. We were pleasantly surprised. The ultrasound technician said Brianna looked good and her heart was beating strong.
Then on the week of November 19th, David had to go on a business trip on the East coast. I had another doctor appointment because I had to have a routine Papsmear done. The nurse decided to check the heart tones. When she couldn't hear the heart beat, she called in another nurse and the doctor to check it. Neither of them could find it.
I still wasn't worried about it although I was getting a little concerned that my experienced OB doctor couldn't find it by prodding and poking around on my abdomen so much so that it made me wince and close my eyes and count to help me relax. "She's probably just in a certain position and maybe her back is turned", I thought to myself.

My doctor quickly decided to do an ultrasound. A nurse and him took me into the room and started looking at Brianna. The doctor finally called the technician and asked if something was wrong with the ultrasound wand. She said that it should have been fine.
The doctor looked some more. Then I felt really hot and clammy. The nurse who was sitting down on my left, held my hand. My doctor looked at me and then back at the screen.
"Becky, I have some really bad news...... Your baby's heart has stopped beating. I don't know what happened. I'm so sorry."
It looked like a picture of Brianna, almost identical of the ultrasound picture of the week before.
I kept looking at the screen. I thought that something was wrong with the ultrasound screen.
I looked down at my stomach. I couldn't put it together that Brianna was in there.
"NO! This didn't just happen!!!",I thought to myself.

So the nurse kept holding my hand. She told me that I needed to call my family and my husband.
I told her that David was on a business trip and he wouldn't be home until Saturday.
I called him and tried a few times to get a hold of him. I left a text message and a voicemail to let him know that this was extremely urgent.
When I was able to get a hold of David he was just as shocked as I was. He said he would take the next flight home. So he would be home on Friday instead of Saturday.

In the meantime I called a few friends and got a hold of a girl who happened to be available during the dinner time hour. She came to the doctor's office and picked me up. (The nurse said there was NO way in the world that I would be driving now after I just found out that my baby died!) So my friend took me first to the pharmacy and to get something to eat because I hadn't eaten since lunch. I was in complete shock at this point. I actually thought I felt Brianna move.
It was crazy! I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't believe it.

Amy (the angel who came and helped me :) dropped me off at home and stayed with me for a while until other arrangements could me made and until someone else could be there with me. My neighbor across the street was watching the boys for me while I had the doctor appointment. While I was in the doctors office I decided to call my Aunt and Uncle who live 1 hour away. They are my closest family. They decided to come and pick me, Eric and Ethan up and take them to their house so we could stay the night. No one wanted me to stay alone that night.

On Saturday, I had to give birth to Brianna. I was induced to go into labor. The labor and birth was the most difficult thing I've ever had to do. She was breech and since she was dead, she couldn't move into a better position. It was awful! I wish I felt the Lord's presence but I didn't. I had to believe that He was there but I was so emotional and sad that I had a very hard time believing that He promises to be with me.
The nurses gave me some medicine to help me to relax. She also told me that I shouldn't need an epidural because Brianna was so small. Ha!! But the worst part of the pain was the crowing and the birthing. I wasn't sure if I could look at her. But then at the last minute I decided to.
She looked so small and red. She had eye lashes and fingernails. It was incredible in a very sad way. I really can't describe it. I was thinking "What happened? What went wrong? Why???!!! Why did this happen? What did I do wrong?"
Looking at Brianna in my lap was horrible. The best way that I can describe it is emotional torture. That's what it was to me.

On Sunday, I was discharged to go home. With no baby... I cried all the way home. Everything seemed so blurry around me.
I was so thankful that my Mom was able to fly up and be with me for 2 weeks. It was so helpful to have her here. She took care of the boys for us while David and I spent some time together grieving and planning for a memorial.
The next few days we decided to plan a memorial service for Brianna. It was held the next Saturday (a few days after Thanksgiving).

My doctor prescribed an anti-depressant for me. I can't honestly say if it has helped. Although I have noticed that it has suppressed and delayed my sadness a little bit. I also feel as though it has made me feel sort of apathetic but I'm not sure if that is what it is.
I recently have weaned myself off of the medicine and now it seems like I cry very easily.
It is very hard to just be a Mom to our boys and a wife to my husband. I am not myself. I don't know when or if I'm ever going to be normal.

I had to get this out. I have decided to not use my facebook account for a while. I hope you all understand.

Please pray for me and my family. We really need it. Thanks! I love you all!

too busy

2009-04-12T23:29:00.000-07:00

Where have I been? Well, I've been on facebook.... :) Actually, I've been extremely busy with my two boys. The other day I told my husband that my hair was going to become all gray before I am 31. Or maybe I'll be bald because I'm going to tear my hair out.......hmmmmmm......
But then I look at my boys when they are peacefully sleeping and I think "Ok, I can handle this. And the Lord helps me to get through it.

Lately I have been struggling to find time to read the Bible and spend time with the Lord.
I've had so much to do and I think maybe I'm a perfectionist and I want to get things done. But I have to realize that some things are not that important and that I really need to spend more time with my Savior during the day. I fall so short of this.

Now about my 2 wonderful boys. Eric is now 2 1/2 and Ethan is 3 months. Eric LOVES to play outside and gets bored easily when he is inside the house for too long. He has an active mind. He is learning to say more words and constantly amuses David and I. He is such a ham.
Then there is Ethan. He looks a bit like his brother did when he was little. Ethan is eating really well and is now about 14 lbs. He likes to smile and he says cute, baby, cooing noises that just make me melt.

I guess the smart thing to do right now is to end this post and hop into bed. Both of my boys are sleeping and I should be too. But I thought that it's been a while since I've posted on here.
I don't know if I have any readers left. You guys probably got tired of checking my blog to see if I've posted anything new.

Well, I guess I'll go for now. I'll see how much sleep I can get. Ethan hasn't been sleeping too well lately. He went from sleeping 6-7hrs to 4-5 hrs in a row. I can definitely feel the lack of sleep when I'm not able to get a nap during the day.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz I'm tired.... must sleep now.... :-)

I've been tagged but I should be sleeping

2009-01-28T22:55:00.000-08:00

Here I am blogging when I should be sleeping. What's wrong with me?

I have to respond to what’s posted with one word that comes to mind. Then I
tag 4 people to do the same.... (some of them aren't one word answers so it's ok if you guys do it too :-)

1. Where is your cell phone? on the kitchen counter
2. Your significant other? David
3. Your hair? thick
4. Your mother? loving
5. Your father? Mr. Fix it
6. Your favorite thing(s)? vacation, being saved, knowing that I'm going to heaven, warm sunny days
7. Your dream last night? I don't think I've had enough sleep to be able to have dreams lately
8. Your favorite drink? apple juice
9. Your dream/goal? I can't think of one right now.
10. The room you’re in? dining room
11. Your fear? a loved one/family member passing away
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? in Heaven with Jesus
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you’re not? blonde
15. Muffins/donuts? donuts
16. One of your wish list items? a blender/food processor
17. Where you grew up? Eureka
18. The last thing you did? ate some cereal
19. What are you wearing? pajamas
20. Your TV? it's a life saver for my 2 year old when I'm feeding my newborn baby
21. Your pet? don't have any
22. Your computer? Dell
23. Your life? crazy
24. Your mood? tired and anxious
25. Missing someone? my family
26. Favorite pastime? going to a movie with David
27. Something you’re not wearing? make up
28. Favorite Store? Fred Meyer
29. Your summer? was busy
30. Your favorite color? blue
31. When is the last time you laughed? today
32. Last time you cried? yesterday
33. Who will re-post this? not sure
34. Four places I go over and over? Fred meyer, Target, Church, Taco Bell
35. Four people who e-mail me? Grace, my mom, ? (not too many emails lately)
36. Four of my favorite foods? enchiladas, lasagna, burritos, in n out burgers
37. Four places I would like to be right now? Heaven, vacation... that's it :)
38. Four people I tag? Alison P, Melanie W,Maria C.,Gina H.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T14:42:00.000-08:00

The other day Eric put the colander/strainer on his head.
He makes me laugh. Also, we have been getting quite a bit of snow in the past few weeks. It's been snowing almost non-stop today on Christmas Eve.
Have a merry Christmas everyone!

the home stretch

2008-12-05T18:04:00.001-08:00

Earlier this week, I let Eric use some finger paints. And they're washable. The clean up is so easy.
Eric loved it. He likes to make a mess.

This week has been crazy and busier than usual. David was out of town on a business trip and he just got back last night. I ended up getting a cold, probably due to watching a busy boy all day and night. I can't believe how I've been getting every bug that comes my way. Usually, I can just take a zinc or 2 and some vitamin C and I'm good to go. I guess I keep thinking that the prenatal vitamins will do the trick. Oh, those are for the baby? ;-)

On Thursday I had a doctor appointment and I'm 34 weeks now. I had an ultrasound. Ethan (that's what we've decided to name him) is a big boy and he's very active. Everyone's been telling me that I'm going to be busy. I think Eric will like having a little brother to play with.
My doctor says I'm at the home stretch. He also wants to see me in 2 weeks. I know it's getting close when he changes the appointments to every 2 weeks instead of every 4 weeks.
I know what this means too. We have to finish getting stuff done.
I need to finish packing the hospital bags and a few odds and ends.

Lots of babies

2008-11-14T14:52:00.000-08:00

Tis the season for babies!
We recently have found out that there are a lot of babies that will be born next year (Lord willing). Some of my friends are due a couple of months after me. Which should be exciting to have kids who are close in age. Some other people we know in California are also do in either the Spring or summer. Also, my brother-in-law and his wife are expecting too.

How have I been? I'm hanging in there and Eric is keeping me busy by telling me he is bored (in his own way), and has to get outside and socialize with other kids and that his Mommy can't sleep all day long (even though lately I have been so tired). I'm actually getting anxious to having this little boy. I know we still have some things to do. The most important thing we need to do is to bring the portable crib from the garage and set it up in our room. The next thing we would like to do is to buy a glider/rocker chair so I can feed the baby in a comfortable chair and rock him to sleep.

The past month or so I've had heartburn (which I haven't found too much that helps that) and I have been really tired. As long as I am able to take a nap during the day I'm usually ok.
Well, Eric finally settled down for his nap so I'm going to see if I can lay down for a while.
I'm glad it's Friday. :-)

Birthday party pictures

2008-10-17T21:49:00.000-07:00

Eric's 2nd birthday went well. We had some friends from our Church and some family members come. It was fun. It was nice to be able to have it at our new house.
The first picture is of Eric sitting on top of a game. :-) We played two games. The first one we had to improvise/change a little. I didn't have any white paper plates so I changed the game to just drawing a picture of Eric free hand (instead of on top of our heads and not looking). It was fun and even more fun to see all the creative art work.
He got to eat a cupcake for the first time. It was yummy. His mommy made a special recipe without milk.
My mom helped me to make the cupcakes. In fact, she helped me so much. Thank you Mom! I'm so glad my parents were both able to come up here for Eric's birthday. My parents are the best. I think my dad is "Mr. Fix it". He fixed our broken refrigerator door handle and he installed two thermometers and a few other things. One inside by the kitchen that reads the inside and outside temperature. And the other one is in the 4-runner so we know the temperature outside when we are driving. Thank you so much Dad! :-D He is also a wonderful Grandpa to Eric.
"Ok, Daddy, you're scaring me. It's just a birthday card."
I think Eric had a lot of fun and he made some new friends. He got some new toys and some clothes. The two kids (besides David :-) wanted to help him open the presents.

a nice warm day

2008-10-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

Today I took Eric in the jogging stroller and took a walk around the neighborhood. It was nice to be able to get out and enjoy the outdoors. I've had a cold for the past few weeks and I've been coughing a lot. I'm glad I am getting better now.
I hope to be able to take walks like this in the next few months (weather permitting) so I can get some good exercise. Walking is the best type of exercise I can do when I'm pregnant.

Eric seemed to really enjoy the ride in the stroller. It's been a while since he has been able to ride in the joggling stroller. We used it last summer quite a bit when we first moved here. But this summer went by so quickly, we didn't have much time to enjoy the outdoors.

Can you believe that I'm 6 months already? I have just about 3 months to go. We have been trying to figure out who would be available to watch Eric for us when I go into labor. I'm sure something will work out. God has a way of providing. :-)

Airshow

2008-09-24T22:19:00.000-07:00

There was an airshow at the Tri-cities airport today and we got to see it from our house. The snowbirds where showing off their maneuvers. Eric watched with me but he got pretty bored. I guess he wanted to walk around or something.
I used to go to the Redding airshow with my family and cousins a long time ago. I remember that pretty well. I like to watch the Blue Angels. I remember not being able to tell which direction they were coming from when they flew over. The sound their engines make is spectacular.

"Mom, can we go for a walk now? I'm tired of sitting here in this chair".

pictures

2008-09-08T23:30:00.000-07:00

The first picture is of Eric sitting at our new dining room table. I love it. It has 6 chairs and 2 leaves. Perfect for our growing family. That means we could have up to 4 kids :) But I'll leave that in the Lord's hands.

We went to Hicks Lake for Labor Day weekend and I got a nice picture of David and Eric at the lake. It was so sweet. Eric likes rocks and David was showing him how to skip a rock.

After meeting Eric wanted to try on my hat. Doesn't he look cute?

Eric has sure been on-the-go ever since he's been walking. He is hard to keep up with. He was all over the place at Hicks Lake. And every time the door opened, he made a bee line for it. He loves to be outdoors.

20 weeks

2008-08-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

So we had the ultrasound the other day and we found out that we're having another boy. Eric will have a little brother! We got to see our little baby boy moving and touching his face and showing off his cute little feet.

I know that there are a lot of other moms out there who have lots of kids and are pregnant while they have older kids. I have to say.... It's difficult. I had an idea of how it would be but I never knew exactly how it would be until I became pregnant. Now, taking care of an active boy while I'm in the second trimester seems more than I can handle. Especially when my emotions take over, which they tend to do from time to time.

I've been feeling my little boy move the past few weeks, and the past couple of days it's been more and more obvious. I think it's exciting.

David and I have been doing some sign language for Eric. The speech therapist that I've been taking him to has recommended that we do that. Over the past few weeks, we've noticed that he is catching on and repeating the signs. The speech therapist says to say what the sign is while we do the action. For example: "eat", "drink", "more", "all done" . Most of the signs are used during eating time. So Eric has learned "more" and "all done" and we think he is beginning to understand them. If he signs "all done" and put his hands out, then we take him down from the high chair and he doesn't get any more to eat. He has also learned what the sign is for bubbles.
We take him outside to blow bubbles and while we do it, we sign bubbles by moving our hands/arms up and down while making a "Ok" or a "zero" sign (only the index fingers opens and closes to show that the bubble is popping).

Bye for now! :-)

tired

2008-08-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

I've been so tired lately. Partly because of the baby growing inside me and partly because Eric loves walking and doesn't even look back to see where his Mom or Dad are. He moves fast too. He also loves to play with bigger toys now. Some of which include the TV and all the dvds. Right now his favorite movie is Cinderella. He loves the mice and how pretty Cinderella sings. We don't have a lot of movies but I try to rotate the ones we have every day and I try to only let him watch one when I take a shower or when I need a block of time to do a project, wash the dishes etc. He knows how to take the dvd out it's case and to put them in the dvd player, which is not always a good thing.

Well, I need to cut this short for now. I would like to take a nap before a little busy boy wakes up.
By the way, we have an ultrasound this Wednesday. We hope to find out if the baby is a girl or a boy.

more pictures of the family visit

2008-08-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

Here is me holding my niece Hailey. She is so cuddly and cute. I like holding her. I'm really looking forward to having our new baby.
Lord willing, we get to have an ultrasound next week to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl.

A visit with my family

2008-08-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of me holding Eric who is holding Hailey.
I have a few more pictures to put up but I'll do it later.

Hailey is 2 months old and Eric is 22 months old. He seems to really like his cousin. But he hasn't quite figured out how to be gentle. I guess David and I will have to get him used to little babies real soon.

We all had a nice time and my cousin Kim was there too. It was great to spend time with all of my family.
On Sunday, my parents watched Eric (overnight! It was so nice of them to do that!) for us so that David and I could celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. David had planned and surprised me with a bed and breakfast and a couples massage. The massage therapist was trained in prenatal massages so that was nice. (What a fantastic husband... I know that :-)

playing with blocks

2008-08-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Eric playing with his blocks. He likes to build towers.

Look at how precise he is.
"I think I need a green block. This one looks good."
"There we go, right on the top for the finishing touch."

We are going on a mini vacation to visit my family. My niece, Hailey is 2 months old now are I'm looking forward to seeing her. I hope we all have a nice time. It's been a while since we've been on a trip as a family. I'm looking forward to it.

15 weeks!

2008-07-22T17:58:00.000-07:00

Here is the ultrasound that was taken today. I'm about 15 weeks. I thought he/she looked a little like Eric. It was exciting to see the baby move and at one point he/she actually kicked against the ultrasound wand and I felt it.

We are looking forward to finding out what the gender is when I am about 20 weeks (end of August).

A bug and some pool time

2008-07-20T21:57:00.000-07:00

We've had this friendly praying mantis hanging out in the front yard. I think he has made our yard his home.

Eric got to play in a pool today. He loved it. It's been so hot lately. I hope the heat wave ends soon.

Fun, fun, fun

2008-07-17T14:29:00.000-07:00

Eric has been having fun playing outside, especially with the sprinklers. He also has a new friend named Alena. She is about 7 years old and lives across the street. She likes to give him rides on his 4 wheeler.

I think I spoke too soon about not getting sick. So far I've had heart burn and an occasional queasiness but today, I was actually sick. I think it may have been the guacamole and turkey sandwich that made me sick. Guacamole does not sound good to me at all. It smells nasty and it's green. Blech!
Eric likes avocado (or guacamole) and turkey sandwiches but I think I'll have to give him something else for a while.

Last Monday, I my first OB check up. I had some blood work done and was able to listen to the baby's heart beat (yippee, even if it was just for a few seconds). I have an ultrasound scheduled for next week, because they need to confirm how far along I am and to give me a due date. But the doctor guessed that from what I said when I was feeling a little off and not my self (beginning of April), that I'm about 14 weeks.

I'll let you all know and try to keep my blog updated.

Mommy brain?

2008-07-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

That's what some people call it. Whatever it's called, I think I have it. :-)
Today I lost my cell phone but I thought it was still in my purse. Does that make sense?
I went to the park this morning and was going to meet up with a friend. I was taking Eric out of the car and putting him in the stroller when I heard a crash like something fell. I looked down and under the car but I didn't see anything so I just continued to strap him into the stroller and gather my things. I just assumed that my brain was playing tricks on me or something.
Hmm dee dum..... then later on when I got home, David's cell phone rang and it was some really nice person who found my cell phone at the park. Wow! (she was able to call David and my mom, as I found out later). How thoughtful of her to keep my phone and return it to me. As it turns out she lives really close to us.

Anyway, it was an interesting day. Eric had a lot of fun at the kids water park. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera-(another pregnancy thing). There were sprinklers and fountains for kids to play in. Just perfect for the 90 plus degree weather we've been having the past few days.

Our house

2008-07-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, our front lawn is dying. The sprinkler system is not working and we are working on getting it fixed. We have contacted the builder as our home is under warranty.
We are in the process of getting some window coverings for the windows too. It's fun to pick out different colors and styles. David and I are finding out how different we really are and that we each like different things.
I think we compliment each other though. :-)

We bought a lawn mower and David mowed the lawn last weekend.

So far this pregnancy has been making me so tired. I have been struggling to just make it through the day. I have been trying to time my naps with Eric's nap, but sometimes that is a challenge.

I have my first OBGYN appointment next Monday. I'm anxious to find out how far along I am.

He likes bubbles

2008-07-03T22:33:00.001-07:00

Today I took Eric to a park that is close to our house.
I also brought some bubbles. He loved them. I love to see the joy in his face.

We are loving our new house. It's beginning to look more like a home instead of a storage place for boxes along with some out of place furniture. :-)
Tomorrow, we plan to put up some curtains. What a way to celebrate the 4th of July huh? :-)

Happy Forth of July everyone!

A little too close

2008-07-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

These were taken last Monday just after we had moved into our new house. I looked out the sliding glass door in the dining room and saw this fire. It was a wild fire about 200 feet from our house. (There is an open field just over the fence where there's a farm and an empty lot with lots of dry brush.) Anyway, it has been very hot since last weekend.
I decided to call 911 because I didn't see or hear any fire trucks headed this way. It had already been reported but we didn't hear the sirens until a few minutes after that. I prayed right then. We thought that if the winds had changed direction then our house and neighbors' houses would be in danger.

About an hour later, the firemen had the blaze put out but they stayed out there for quite some time, drenching the ground to make sure that it wouldn't start up again. We are so thankful that they responded so quickly.

trying to think of a title for this one! :-)

2008-06-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

Eric just wanted to say that he is very excited about something. Lord willing, he will be having a little brother or a little sister. :-) !!!

Today I took a pregnancy test and ........ (drum roll... :-) it came out positive!
I have a doctor appointment on Monday. Tomorrow we are moving and I plan to take it easy.

hot summer day

2008-06-20T13:22:00.001-07:00

I took Eric to the park today. There is a wading pool and it was very crowded. At first Eric didn't know what to think. But then he put his foot in and wanted to get in and join all the other kids. They made it look like so much fun. Pretty soon, he was walking all around the pool while holding on to my hand of course.

I'm so glad I got out today. It was a beautiful day and I really needed a break from packing.

On to something new

2008-06-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

Eric told me to stop complaining and to stop being such a downer. :-) (from the last post)

Today he handed me a book and got into my lap. It was the first time he has done that. He acted content and was pointing to the pictures and made some cute sounds like he's really trying to say Stegosaurus (dinosaur book). It was so cute. Usually, he just closes the book when I try to read to him.

The packing is coming along. I have been trying to pack a few boxes each night after Eric goes to bed.
The move in date is next weekend. We are supposed to sign the papers for the loan this Friday and the closing date is Monday.

I don't understand

2008-06-10T19:12:00.001-07:00

This post may contain some venting and other things........................................

Eric has a mystery rash and a fever that came out of nowhere. What I don't understand is why now? You know how when you're a mom and when your kids get sick and how your life stops? Well, the problem is that I don't have time for my life to stop. I have moving boxes in my living room and dining room and and dishes on the kitchen counter....... and I have a wonderful husband who loves his job (too much). Oops, did I just say that on my blog? Well, I need to hide some of my feelings but I can't keep everything to myself. If I keep things bottled up and to myself, I will explode.
Well, I know that I have to be careful what I say and how I say it. But I have a lot of things going on right now in my life. I am feeling frustrated with the fact that Eric is sick now and I have already packed the parenting/health books last week. I am frustrated that my husband works late a lot. I am overwhelmed because of the whole first time home buyer, moving thing. It's our first house and there are a few unknowns about it. I have such a hard time with unknowns. It makes me uneasy not knowing how something is going to turn out.

I guess I need to go now. Eric needs to practice his typing and I'm tying up the computer. :-)

Here's a picture of Hailey

2008-06-09T23:34:00.000-07:00

Here is Reada and her daughter Hailey. There are more pictures on Facebook if anyone is interested. :-)

I'm an Aunt!

2008-06-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

Haley Charlotte Lee was born this morning at around 6:30am to Tim and Reada. She weighed 6lbs 3oz 19 inches long. All 3 of them are doing well.
Congratulations to the new parents!

niece is coming soon!

2008-06-05T23:54:00.001-07:00

I just found out that my sister-in-law Reada is in labor! Whoohoo! Her and my brother, Tim went to the hospital around 8pm tonight.

I'll keep you all posted when I find out more.

beautiful double wedding

2008-06-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here are the few pictures I took at the double wedding that we went to a few weeks ago. David's brother Tim got married and his bride, Elizabeth's sister got married. What a day it was. I was busy most of the day taking care of Eric. David was a groomsman so I had my hands full. That explains the limited amount of pictures.

Since we've gotten back, I've basically hit the ground running. We have a few weeks to get packed and ready to move. I can hardly believe it's June already. Where did the time go?

Prayer request:
Please pray for our family. My father-in-law had a serious accident a few weeks ago. He fell and broke his back. He is in the hospital. Pray for healing for him.
Thanks.

More pictures of the house

2008-05-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

These pictures where taken last Sunday. They are really working fast on our house. I can hardly believe it.

There are just a few more things that need to be done. Just a few appliances and the carpet and that's about it.
I'm so excited.

pictures at the park

2008-05-16T00:13:00.000-07:00

This a neat picture of the Columbia river. It was so calm today.
I saw some geese with their little babies (geeslings? not sure what the babies are called).

beautiful day

2008-05-16T00:05:00.000-07:00

I took Eric to the park today and the geese were out. It was a beautiful day and quite warm. Eric wasn't sure what that goose wanted. He was sure curious though.
I drove by our new house and took a picture. The driveway and sidewalk are finished. :-D

allergies and stuff

2008-05-12T15:34:00.000-07:00

Not too long after I got back from my trip to Eureka to visit my family, I starting getting sick.
I starting taking zinc and vitamin C and drinking lots of water. I think I forgot about the part when I'm supposed to be getting lots of rest too. It's funny I seem to work best at night. I'm a night owl. After Eric goes to bed then I can play. I mean get stuff done. :-)
Anyway, this past week we've been quite busy. David and I had to get homeowners insurance before we can get our loan approved. That took quite a bit of research. We finally ended up choosing a carrier and all the paperwork is on it's way to being completed and approved by our lender.
We also had to fix some type of health insurance problem that we were having. We had a government program in California and now our current insurance needed something from our old insurance (long story). I'll just say it's a pain to move to a different state, especially moving from California. California's health insurance plans and Washington's health insurance plans are different. They have different terms that they used, forms/letters etc. What a headache! We are both glad that is over with.

So I haven't had a chance to rest or take it easy when I felt a sore throat coming on. It quickly progressed to a cold with a stuffed up nose and a cough. Then it got worse. I kept coughing especially at night. And in the morning I had a bunch of mucus. Ick. The strange thing is that I feel ok. I still feel like doing stuff and taking care of Eric.
After taking Nyquil and figuring out that it wasn't helping me to sleep, I decided to see the doctor. I described my symptoms and he did a strep test thinking that maybe I had a certain kind of Strep Throat. The test came back negative.
He also listened to my lungs and said they were clear. He told me he thinks it's either asthma (which I had when I was a kid) or allergies which I've also had a lot of when I was a kid. I even had allergy shots. It was pretty bad. A person can usually tell that I have allergies because I have pretty dark circles/shadows under my eyes. I've tried those special under eye correctors or concealers and they don't seem to work. So I always look like I'm really tired. It's frustrating when someone comes up to me and says "you look tired, have you been up all night?" I think it makes me feel less confident about myself and it affects my self image which I don't think I can do anything about.
So back to the doctor visit. He prescribed an inhaler and some Zyrtec allergy medicine to help me sleep at night. Hopefully this helps.

Yesterday was Mother's Day. When David celebrates something special, he really celebrates. He took me to lunch after Church and then he surprised me with a professional, relaxation massage. I don't know how I'm going to top this for Father's day next month.

By the way, the picture is of Eric rearranging my cupboard. He likes to help me in the kitchen.

trip to Eureka and some pictures

2008-05-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the pictures I liked from the trip. I don't have a lot of pictures because I misplaced my camera until later in the week. It was buried at the bottom of my back pack.

My sister-in-law Reada had a baby shower when I was there. What a great party that was; lots of good food and lots of cute little bear decorations. My mom really loves to decorate. My mom and my Aunt Dianna made some of the decorations and party favors. We spent the evening before the party decorating the living room and dining room. We decided to wait until Eric had gone to bed to hang up some of the dangling ones and the balloons. Those would be to tempting for Eric.

In the first picture, Eric was looking at a dog that was coming towards him. He makes a whimpering sound when he sees a dog or a cat. I think he's afraid of them but he's curious at the same time.
My parents have two cats and they are inside cats. Eric had a hard time adjusting to them, especially since he's not used to living with them. I was a little worried that Eric would be allergic to them since allergies tend to run in our family.

Last Thursday, he came down with a cold. He hasn't been sleeping too well the past few nights.

Since I got back last Monday, I've been noticing that he loves to be outside. He's has been taking both of our hands (either thumbs or index fingers) and begging us to go out the front door. We've been taking his walker and letting him walk around with it. He loves it and cries when we bring him back inside.
Fortunately, the weather is warming up so I hope to be able to take him to the park soon.

house pictures

2008-05-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

It's really coming along. These were taken last Monday (28th).

This is the inside where the kitchen will be. The thing sticking up in the floor is where the island/bar will be. It's suppose to have an electrical outlet which will be convenient.

This is looking towards one of the bedrooms and the hallway.

We hope to be able to take more pictures next week.

Amazing!

2008-05-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

I was in the kitchen and I had noticed that Eric was being quiet. I thought that was unusual so I came over and saw this with the football on top. Then Eric looked up at me smiled proudly.
I yelled for David (who was still working in his office) to come and see it. He was amazed too.

He's going to be a genius.

I'm it

2008-04-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

My friend Alison tagged me. :-) (please look at the bottom and see if you have been tagged)
Here are some things about me that you may not know:

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I just graduated from high school and I couldn't wait to get out but I didn't what I was going to do so I got a job at Montgomery Wards.

Five things on your to-do list:
1.make banana bread
2.work on Bible Study
3.take a walk with Eric by the river since the weather is finally warming up
4.finish loan paper work
5.start packing

Five snacks you enjoy:
1.cheese and crackers
2.cinnamon and raisin bagels
3.chips and guacamole
4.apple slices
5.olives

Five things you would do if you became a billionaire:
1.donate money to a pregnancy crisis center(Heart Beat International)
2.decorate our new house and get new furniture
3.give money to my family and Grandparents
4.support as many kids as I can through Compassion International
5.go back to school

Five bad habits:
1.I worry
2.I compare myself to other people
3.If there is something to complain about I will do it.
4.I get stressed when things don't go according to plan
5.I stay up too late at night

Five places you've lived:
1.Eureka, CA
2.Sacramento, CA
3.Fullerton, CA
4.Tustin, CA
5. Richland, WA

Five jobs you've had:
1.cashier/team member at KFC
2.sales associate at Montgomery Wards in the bedding and bath department
3.administrative assistant
4.executive assistant
5.receptionist

Tag your it! Brenda Ponnay, Dianna McMullan, Reada McConnaughy, Kim Estrada

going away

2008-04-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

"Where are we going Mom?" "Really? We're going to Grandpa and Grandma's with Uncle Tim and Aunt Reada?! Can I help you pack?"
I'm so glad I got to go the park just before we left, especially since I won't be able to see my daddy for a while. (He couldn't go with us because he had to work)
We drove to Walla Walla to visit some my family before heading down south to Northern California. I just love playing the piano.

I'll post more about the trip later.

Just like his daddy

2008-04-02T17:30:00.000-07:00

Eric is going to be a computer programmer just like his daddy.
He likes to practice typing sometimes even when I am in the process of using the computer.

Lately, Eric has been acting more and more independent. The other day when I took him to the indoor playgroun, he kept crawling away from me and climbing over all the mats and obstacles without even looking back. He crawls so fast too.

David and I are looking forward to having a back yard for Eric to play in. Lord willing, in a few months our house will be done. Eric's going to love it.
Eric wants to use the computer now. I've got to get going. He needs to practice his special code that his daddy taught him. :-)

A house!!

2008-03-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

Well I didn't really tell you all that our little family has been looking for a house. It's been in the back of our minds and a couple of weeks ago after getting our taxes done, we found out that we are getting a pretty generous refund. So David and I looked at each other and said "Oh my goodness! We could put this money to good use." :-D So after doing some research and a few weekends of searching out the area, we found that we could use this money to pay for the closing costs for a house. We also hope to be able to put a small down payment Lord willing.

There are a few good housing developments in our area who are building brand new houses for an affordable price.
We have been praying about which house and which neighborhood would be best. And most importantly if the Lord wants us to buy a house. We know that He could close the door at any time.

We have started the loan process and the paper work but once everything goes through, the house will start being built and it takes 2 months to be completed. Which should work out good because our lease at our apartment ends at about the same time.

The floor plan above is what our house would look like when it's finished. We were able to see a model one and we both love it.
I'm already excited and the foundation isn't even up yet. I've already been looking at curtains for the windows. :-) I can hardly believe this is happening.

The day the apple juice spilled

2008-03-06T00:14:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I had one of those days. The morning started out fine, just like all the other days.
Then I had a brillant idea. Since I didn't have anything else to do, I would take Eric and try to find a smoothie shop (sounds yummy) with a playground that I've heard about. One of my friends told me about it and we're planning a get-together sometime in the near future. I wanted to see where this place was and I am almost always in the mood to get out of the apartment. Especially lately since Eric seems to be completely bored of his toys and I'm starting to run out of ideas of how to entertain him. Plus, it really helps to have a change of scenery once in a while.
So I fed him some french toast for breakfast,(he LOVES it!) I think he would have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I let him. :-) I'm glad I found something he loves.
I started getting a snack ready to put in the diaper bag. I opened the freezer door to take out the ice packs (to put in the diaper bag), I realized that the container of apple juice that was sitting up on top of the freezer (that's where we store stuff when we don't have any more storage space) was close to the edge. But I didn't realize how close it was. It fell to the floor with a crash and the plastic container came open and spilled apple juice all over the kitchen floor.
Hmmmmmmmm........ Now what? Well, I was going to take Eric and be on my way. I guess I'll mop the floor instead. That sounds like fun to me. But first I had to dry all the swimming pool of apple juice with some paper towels before I mopped it. When it broke and spilled, it managed to get on my shoes, my jeans and the kitchen rug by the sink. I guess I'll do some laundry while I'm at it.
I knew that I should have taken a deep breath and calmed down but I was too frustrated to think. David immediately came running out of his office and asked what happened.
"Apple juice is all over the kitchen floor! I was going to take Eric out but now I have to clean the floor. Arrggh!!!"
David looked at me as if to say "It's not that big of a deal. It's just apple juice."
He did have a point.

I needed to calm down. I got the mop out and all that stuff. I decided to put Eric in the crib with some of his toys because I had a feeling it was going to be a while and I knew that he would decide to raid the pantry or re-organize the videos/DVDs and CDs in the entertainment center and I wasn't really up for cleaning up more than one big mess today.
As I was cleaning the floor, I started feeling much better. That usually happens. I think I like to clean. Is that crazy? I love to see a clean, counter top with no dirty dishes and an empty laundry basket.
It helps me to deal with other things much better.

After the cleaning was done, I did get to go out of the house, but it was much later in the afternoon.
That was how my crazy day went. :-)
I'll let you know how the smoothie place was later on.

Valentine's Day Card

2008-03-02T18:51:00.000-08:00

My husband made me a Valentine's Day card that I mention in the video in my last post. It's a zipped file. If you can't open it, go to winzip.com and download the free trial.

Eric likes to throw blocks

2008-02-29T23:36:00.000-08:00

I need eyes on the back of my head

2008-02-29T23:21:00.000-08:00

Guess what? Eric climbed up on top of the coffee table. He climbed up there when I wasn't looking. What's next? The dining room table?

I'm quickly finding out that our apartment is never going to be Eric proofed. We've tried to think of everything but even the outlet plug covers don't stop Eric. We've put tape over them but Eric still attempts to take the tape off. I think he would if I let him. He seems to be very determined and of course, very curious.

Yesterday I took him to the park. It was completely spontaneous because I was going to go to the Childrens museum but when I went outside to take the trash out earlier, I noticed that it was such a sunny, Spring like day. I didn't want to pass it up, especially since the weather has been a little rainy and cold. I got to push Eric in the swing. He loved it. Next time I'll be sure to bring my camera.
Hopefully, in a few weeks some of the other moms will want to plan an outing at the park. I've really missed those "Park days" last Spring and Summer and now that Eric loves swings, it'll be even more fun for us.

"You're funny Mom, trying to get me to walk. Don't you know that crawling is much better? I don't have to worry about falling".

What a big boy

2008-02-15T21:56:00.000-08:00

"Hello? Is anybody there?"
Eric likes to use his Winnie the Pooh telephone. He just started holding it up to his ear a couple of days ago.
This past week, he has been doing some other things too. He is learning to feed himself with a fork and spoon.(Hooray!)
Last night, we went to dinner and a lady came over and commented on how cute Eric was. Then as she was leaving she said "good bye" to Eric. So I asked Eric to say good bye and he put his hand up and waved good bye for the first time. I've been teaching him some things and now he's remembering what I've taught him. :-D
It's so awesome to see him develop.
We also just bought him a new walker that is supposed to help him to walk. We already have one but it converts to a ride-on toy and it's too short for Eric. He uses it to kneel instead of what it's designed for.
The doctor suggested that we get a walker for him and some new shoes. I bought a pair that are light weight and are made for babies who are learning to walk.
Also, we have started giving him soy milk instead of formula and he seems to like it. He loves drinking from bottles and I think it's going to be tough for him to give them up.

Children's museum

2008-02-08T22:59:00.000-08:00

I took Eric to a Children's museum today. I met up with some other moms and their kids. It was great. I've been hearing about it but I figured that it was mostly for older kids (pre-school and older) and Eric would probably be bored (I've been to one before and that's mostly how it was). I was wrong. He absolutely loved it. There were a lot of toys for Eric to play with and things for him to explore. I'm so glad that there is a place like this in our area. I'll try to do this more often as it's a great way to get out of the house and to meet and connect with other moms. It helps both of us (Eric and me) and that's always a good thing.
There was a long, wooden floor that he loved crawling on. I tried to take more pictures but I was too busy trying to keep an eye on him. He sure crawls fast. It's going to be interesting when he starts walking. I'm sure that once he gets up and starts walking he's going to just take off.

The past few days he's been pointing at things. David and I have been telling him what things are. Also, he has been getting up on all fours like he is ready to stand up by himself! I'll keep the camera nearby to try to capture those shots. It's been exciting watching him develop and meet those milestones.

cookies and a hair cut

2008-01-29T20:45:00.000-08:00

Today I made chocolate chip cookies. Yummy! They were quite good. I used the recipe on the Tollhouse semi-sweet chocolate chip package. I'm glad I was able to make them when Eric was taking a nap.
I decided to cut Eric's hair since I haven't cut it since his birthday in October. It's hard to do a good job when the little boy is moving and wants to see what his mommy is doing. I think it's better than it was though.
It didn't snow today but it sure was windy. It has warmed up to about 40 and now all the snow is melting and the ice that is underneath. It is really slushy and soggy outside. The weather forecast says more snow at the end of this week and this weekend.

More snow pictures

2008-01-28T17:31:00.000-08:00

Eric was just hanging out and decided to put his sunglasses (with our help). He looked so cute.
Yes, this is our 4-runner. There is a layer of ice under the snow.

Lots of snow

2008-01-28T17:15:00.000-08:00

David made a snow baby. I thought it was really good. We got about 8 inches yesterday.
This is the swimming pool which was completely frozen over with snow on top.
Man it's been crazy weather.

getting out

2008-01-25T13:41:00.000-08:00

Today I took Eric to a place called Beaver Bark. It's been so cold lately that we've been stuck inside. Today I decided to brave the freezing temperatures and get out. It was nice. It really helped me to clear my thoughts. That and the cold temps helped to "freeze" my frustrations for a while.
Beaver Bark is a nursery and a gift shop. Plus it has a koy fish pond. Another nice thing is that it's right across from our apartment. How cool is that?
Eric liked looking at the big fish.

Adjustments from a frustrated Mom

2008-01-24T17:16:00.001-08:00

-------------------Beware of a frustrated Mom who needs to get her frustrations out-----------------

I didn't know that when I became a mom, I automatically entered my baby into a competition.
Don't people realize that babies and toddlers grow and develop at their own rate?
We can't rush them. They will walk when they are good and ready.

Here I am typing and backspacing on this blog trying to be careful about what I say. Why do I have to be so cautious and afraid all the time?

Is it ok that my toddler is not walking yet and not eating finger/table foods very well?(except for the times that he gags and throws it up 90% of the time) I don't know but I am getting tired of hearing about the moms who brag about how their kids just started taking their first steps, and they're not even 1 year yet.

I don't know what to do with the gagging problem. I think I've tried everything from Graduates for toddlers, finger foods (veggie and fruit puffs-which are suppose to melt in the mouth). The size 3 textured foods are out.
Maybe Eric is just a picky eater? I don't know. He seems to love it if it's pureed, but if it has the wrong texture or is too sticky, he rejects it by either throwing in down on the floor, or putting it in his mouth and quickly spitting it out.
Over the past few weeks, I have found that he likes a few things that are finger food: French toast, broccoli (sometimes he keeps putting a bunch in his mouth and it gets stuck at the roof of his mouth), butternut squash. That seems to be about it for now. I'm not sure what else to try. I have to remember to check the labels for milk since he is allergic to milk. That's another challenge. I got frustrated today when I opened up a can of "little chicken sticks" by Graduates I noticed that it said whey powder (from milk) in the ingredients list. Don't you love that? Arrrggghhhh... who puts milk in chicken pieces?

Did I mention that it's been down right freezing the past few weeks? Actually way below that. Yesterday morning it was 8 degrees. This afternoon, it was 21. Nice huh?
It's been quite an adjustment for us who came from California where it rarely hits 45 degrees (for a low) at night in the winter.

much better

2008-01-17T16:49:00.000-08:00

Eric is back to his old self. The doctor concluded that he had a stomach virus and he gave him some medicine to help with the vomiting. Also, he prescribed some vitamins since he's not drinking cows milk and the doctor wanted to make sure that Eric is getting enough vitamin D (he's allergic to it. Instead, he's on Next Step soy formula) Today for the first time he stood in one place for several seconds!
He seems to be getting stronger and more steady on his feet. Yay for Eric!
David and I can both tell that it's only a matter of time before he starts walking. I know what that mean. I'd better keep the camera handy.

Also, Eric is cutting some more teeth. He's getting 3 molars at the same time. He's definitely had his fussy/cranky times lately.
I am looking forward to getting out and taking Eric to the indoor playground. I've been stuck inside for the past few weeks since we've been sick.

still sick

2008-01-13T23:49:00.000-08:00

Last week was absolutely exhausting. First Eric was sick and then Tuesday it snowed all day long, then I got sick and then Eric seemed to get sick again and on Friday, David was threatening to be sick but it was a blessing that he didn't. When Eric took a 4 hour nap on Tuesday I got to go outside and take pictures of the snow. I know he's sick when he goes back to sleep after waking up in the morning.
This weekend, he threw up two more times. I don't know what's wrong but I plan to take him back to the doctor tomorrow. The good news is that he acts mostly cheerful and he still wants to play.

I sure hope that this week is better.

In other news: I got a new computer for Christmas! :-D It was a group gift from David's side of the family. It's such a nice improvement from the old one that I had.
It even has a CD/DVD drive that works. :-)

more snow

2008-01-08T10:21:00.000-08:00

I'd like to get out and enjoy this. When we woke up this morning it was snowing. I have a feeling I'll being staying indoors today. Eric is still really sick. We're watching him really closely. He hasn't been drinking his fluids very well and has a fever of 100.
He's sleeping right now.

Sick

2008-01-07T12:49:00.000-08:00

Eric seems to have this bug that has been going around. This morning he vomited 3 times.
I called the doctor because he appears to be getting dehydrated and I'm worried.
The doctor said to come in this afternoon. In the meantime, we'll be praying for Eric. From what I've heard this bug is mean and nasty.

In other news: Our apartment has smelled like cigarette smoke for the past month or so. It seemed to be coming in from the laundry closet right next to the kitchen. It's getting worse. The maintenance man said it's coming from the neighbors who smoke. He is going to see what he can do to fix that by sealing up the hole in the attic. He thought it's coming into the clothes dryer vent or something like that. So since we've had this problem, we've been doing laundry at the laundromat. We've also been airing our the apartment as much as we can by opening the windows.

I hope this gets fixed soon. I'm getting concerned about Eric.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

For New Years, we drove down south to Southern Oregon to meet with a friend of David's. His friend had his 3 year old daughter with him. She really liked Eric.
We went to the mall and let the kids play on the playground.
David and his friend worked together in the Navy.
Eric liked to play in the tunnel the best.

More Christmas pictures

2008-01-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

This was taken some time before Christmas. One of his favorite things to do is to throw all of his toys out of his crib. It usually takes him about 10 minutes to do that.
Will somebody push me? Please?
The blond little boy is my cousin's youngest. He is 2 months younger than Eric. They both had fun playing the piano.

Christmas post

2008-01-02T19:19:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning with my cousin's kids and Eric. They all had a lot of fun.
Eric got a new walker/ride-on car from Mommy and Daddy. He loves it. He also got a few outfits and a teddy bear.

chunky food

2007-12-18T16:56:00.000-08:00

Eric is gagging on textured, chunky foods. He is fine on the pureed foods( in fact, he loves those) but any of the size 3 foods (especially the Gerber brand) he gags and vomits. I've also tried some spaghetti noodles (table food) and he just plays with it.
I've been trying these textured foods for the past 4 months or so. Sometimes Eric starts to eat a bite and it goes down and then he acts like he wants more and so I give him a little bit more and just when I think that it's getting better and he's getting the hang of it, he throws it up.
I've told the pediatrician about this and he says that Eric isn't ready if he is gagging. I'd like to try feeding Eric in his office to show him what happens and then see what the doctor says. I plan to talk to him again at Eric's 15 month checkup next month.

I'm not sure why I feel so frustrated. I guess I feel like I'm the only one who has a toddler who has trouble eating.
Has anybody had this trouble with their kids? Or does anybody have some ideas?

Want a parrot?

2007-12-10T16:23:00.001-08:00

Eric thought you might like to have a parrot.

I have been going crazy lately. He is cruising the furniture and very, very curious and must find out how things work or what things are, especially if they are in drawers or on top of the kitchen table and within his reach.

I know I mentioned that we have our apartment baby proofed... well, not completely. Instead we have the bedroom doors and the bathroom closed. I know that's only temporary because soon he'll be tall enough to open the doors on his own.

It's getting really difficult to find time to do things. (Aka: take a shower, think..... etc.) He's getting bored with his toys.
However, I have found that "Baby Einstein" works for about 10 minutes.

weather and stuff

2007-12-04T22:05:00.000-08:00

The weather has been crazy lately. Last Saturday morning it was snowing and it was below freezing. Then Sunday it warmed up to around 50 and it was extremely windy. I don't think my immune system liked it too much because I've been feeling really run down and I've had a bit of a sore throat. Today I have been feeling a little better so that is good.
Eric is doing well and is cruising/crawling all over the place. I think the apartment is pretty much baby proof now. I've taken away the play yard for now and have put part of it up around the Christmas tree. I put up the tree a few nights ago after Eric went to bed.
I'm glad I thought of using the play yard because it sure has helped Eric not to pull off the ornaments.

Eric has 2 more teeth poking through. That makes a total of 9 so far.
Another thing that Eric has been doing is copying what we do. I've noticed it a couple of weeks ago. I started clapping my hands as I was facing him and he started clapping his hands. Also, I put my hands up like I was reaching to the sky and he did the same thing. Oh, and one other thing that he has been doing is biting our noses. (I'll try to get that on camera some day) I can't figure out if it's because he's really hungry or teething. That silly boy!

More snow pictures

2007-11-30T15:54:00.000-08:00

Here are a few snow pictures from earlier this week. We have been enjoying the snow up here. It's been cold too during the day so it's not melting very fast.

a late Thanksgiving post

2007-11-30T15:48:00.000-08:00

This was taken at the beach in Northern Cal. It's about 1 1/2 hours north of where my parents live. It was beautiful on Thanksgiving day.
At my parents house, Eric practiced playing the piano. Practice makes perfect :-)
Here he is standing up and using a desk to hold onto.
He was having fun making faces in the mirror at my Aunt and Uncle's house.

Snow!!!!

2007-11-26T21:56:00.000-08:00

It's the first snow for us. I was so surprised. We just got home from our trip to Northern California for Thanksgiving last night. This evening around 8pm, I looked outside and it was snowing. I like snow and I was surprised to get snow so soon. It's not even Christmas yet. :-) I guess I'll have to get that snow shovel out. ;-)
This is taken outside of our apartment. I'm looking forward to seeing it in the daytime. Tomorrow I have to try to drive in it. Whoohoo! That should be interesting.

ice skating

2007-11-13T13:09:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I was able to go ice skating. I only fell once.
Some girls who where there took my picture.

the outlet post

2007-11-09T17:04:00.000-08:00

When I read over my post about the iceskating, I thought I should not have made a big deal about a women my age liking iceskating so much. I was thinking that there aren't many older women who have taken iceskating lessons and who have pursued it. I like it so much that I have taken lessons and I thought that was strange. When I took lessons in Orange County, I was the oldest one in the class and I felt silly and almost quit the class because of it. I think I felt that way because I struggle with self confidence and I care what people think too much. That's not good. I think I need to work on that.

Indoor playground

2007-11-09T14:35:00.000-08:00

Today I took Eric to the indoor playground at the gymnastics academy. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for a couple of hours they open the gym so that kids and toddlers can play. There are toys for toddlers and babies to play with too so Eric had plenty of things to keep him busy.
The floor was really spongy and had springs underneath so it was fun to walk on and it looks like Eric had a lot of fun crawling on it.
He found this squishy ball that he liked. He was holding onto it for most of the time.

an outlet

2007-11-08T20:50:00.000-08:00

I'm excited. I just found an ice skating rink in our area. I took Eric to the mall today and I found a visitor's guide and it had one listed. So, since I was in the area I decided to drive by it.
I like ice skating. I took some lessons while I lived in Southern Cal. I was so glad that I had that opportunity. I have liked ice skating since I watched the '88 Winter Olympics and even more since I've watched the '94 Olympics.
The funny thing is that I don't know many 29 year old females who like ice skating so much. Am I strange? That's ok. I think it's fun to watch and I even have my own skates. David got them for my birthday about 4 years ago. I haven't been able to use them much since I've had them.
I found out that there are public skating times available at this ice rink. I hope to be able to skate this weekend. I'd like to be able to skate as a form of exercise and as an outlet. I've been needing that for a while.

the little boy has a cold

2007-11-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

Eric has discovered the kleenex box.
Mommy, I have a cold. My doz id duffed up. But please, whatever you do, don't use the nasal aspirator thingy. I hate that thing.
Here is a squirrel that was on the tree that is right outside our living room window. We've actually seen two on this tree at the same time. They're fun to watch.

getting colder

2007-11-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

We have colds. I think Eric got it first and now he has decided to share it with us.
I guess the cold virus is going around. I'm trying to keep the vitamin C and zinc down and I've been encouraging David to do the same. I guess it's a good thing that we're coming down with it today so that hopefully, we'll be over the worst part of it before the week starts. Colds aren't fun, but I guess it's better than the flu virus.

Speaking of cold it has been so cold up here lately. Since October, it has barely been getting in the 60's during the day and at night it's been in the upper 20's. So in the morning there is ice on the car windshield. I guess we'll need to buy and ice scraper.

Every day during the week I try to let Eric roam free in the living room and dining room. He loves it. He crawls all over the place and gets into things. He likes to take out the CDs, videos and DVDs that are underneath the TV (in the entertainment center). And if there is anything on the coffee table or the couch (and if he can pick it up), he will throw it on the floor. I have fun watching him play and explore.
Now he doesn't like to put in his gated play yard. When we put him back in there, he cries.
Poor little guy. David and I both try to play with him and give him plenty of attention. But sometimes I have to put him in the play yard when I can't watch him.

More pictures from the corn field

2007-10-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

We bundled Eric up because it was cold. I just bought this jacket for him and I know we're going to need it in a few months.
Here is a cute little boy with his mommy.
A happy little family. (by the way, the blue smudge on Eric's cheek is a pterodactyl dinosaur face painting)

2007-10-28T21:10:00.001-07:00

Corn field maze

2007-10-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

On Sunday afternoon, we went to a corn field that had a maze in it with some other activities for kids. There was a sand box full of wheat and corn instead of sand to play in. There were kiddy train rides and for the adults (guys) they launched pumpkins into the air. It was pretty neat to see actually. I enjoyed seeing the country side.
Eric looked like he enjoyed touching hay for the first time.
Hi Mom!
This is taken from standing up on top of the hay. Those people down below are some of the people we met when we first moved here about 4 months ago.

pretty view

2007-10-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

This the view outside our bedroom window. A few of the trees in the area are changing colors and they are so pretty now. We've seen a few squirrels run back and forth to this tree.

I'm a big kid now!

2007-10-25T12:12:00.000-07:00

I like to stand up in my crib. Now I can push the button to turn on the crib waterfall soother. I don't need it too much now that I'm a big kid, I can fall asleep with a bedtime story. My favorite one is called "Goodnight moon".
I'd like to just put this video in and play it, but I don't know how the thing works. Maybe I'll just ask mom to show me or, maybe she will put in a Baby Einstein DVD instead. That would be much better. Don't you think?
Mom, I'm done ripping up magazines. What else can I do? Empty the trash? How about pick up the crumbs off the floor? I'm really good at that. I also like to help my mom to "sort" the laundry. I think the best technique is to throw them on the floor first.
Now where did I put that lego? I just had it in my hand. Oh, what's this an animal cracker crumb that I forgot to eat?

more pictures

2007-10-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

looking at my second cousin who is about 6 years older than me
trying out my new 4 wheeler
Great Aunt Donna's house has a lot of places to crawl and things I can use to pull myself up. Look! I'm taller than a barstool!

birthday pictures

2007-10-17T22:49:00.000-07:00

My first birthday cake that my mom and Grandma made! It sure was an interesting texture.
I got a few dinosaur board books with first words so I can learn!
a 4 wheeler that makes cool sounds and music!
I can pull myself with no problem now! Pretty soon I'll be standing on my own and walking. Look out!

Eric's 1st Birthday

2007-10-16T23:31:00.000-07:00

Eric had a good time at his birthday party last Saturday. My parents came up from California to help us celebrate and I'm so glad they did. They helped me to decorate our apartment. We put up Orange and Green streamers in the living room and dining room near the ceiling. It matched the colors of the dinosaur balloon that I bought.

Some of my relatives who live fairly close to us (within driving distance) came to the party.
Eric got some cool toys that were just right for his age and a few of them are supposed to help him to develop and learn. He has already had fun playing with his new toys.

The other highlight of the weekend was that we had family pictures taken with my family. It was nice. I think the pictures turned out good and I'll be looking forward to getting them back. Poor Eric was so tired. The pictures were scheduled for 3:00pm and that turned out to be the time that Eric wanted to take a nap. He toughed it out though and managed a cute smile and cute facial expressions. At the end, he crashed his David's arms. I'm so glad that he wasn't fussy during the pictures.

It was a busy weekend. I was sad to see my parents leave. I miss them but Lord willing, we plan to go see them next month for Thanksgiving.

Blogger is having problems uploading pictures. I will try it again later. Sorry about that.

more pictures

2007-10-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the wasted blank space. I don't like the way Blogger uploads pictures. Picasa seems to do the same thing. It makes it so I have to type at the bottom of everything. Maybe I just need some time to figure it out. I am becoming more and more computer/blogging/posting/picture illiterate. Or maybe it's just not a priority to me to figure it out right now.

As you can see from the second to the last picture, David likes playing chess and he was able to sneak a game in during the reception. His cousin's son ( who is 6 years old) likes to play and brought his game with him.

The last picture is the Bride and Groom putting on a performance of Brazilian Martial Arts with some of their other classmates. This was during the reception.

The day that we left to head back home, we stopped by my friends house. She had heart surgery about 4 weeks ago and it was a success! She has been suffering for a long time. Now her heart seems to be back to normal and she may be able to live a more normal life. Up until this surgery, she had to refrain from doing any activities that would make her heart speed up any faster than it was.
When we saw her on Sunday, she was up and around and feeling good. Just a little sore, but very happy, excited and blessed.
What an answer to prayer! A lot of people had been praying for her.

2007-10-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the pictures of the wedding. I didn't get very many. I'll put up the ones that I have.
Eric slept on the way down at the airport. He was so tired on the whole trip because he didn't sleep well in the portable crib. He is too big for it.

Grandma got to hold him for a little bit while he sucked his thumb.

David and I found a cute suit for him to wear to the wedding. He looked so handsome in it.

tired

2007-10-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

I'm tired from the trip to California. It was a quick trip and very busy. I was a bridesmaid and David took care of Eric.

I'll put a few pictures up later.

Old blog

2007-09-24T15:01:00.001-07:00

I have been noticing that I didn't put a link to my old blog (the "zwickerblogging/Thoughts from Becky"one). Now those people who have the old link on their blog/website, it goes to this crazy place called "Get the Man of your dreams" . It's not me.... I married the man of my dreams. :-)
I've been a little busy and distracted with being a mom lately and I don't know if there is a way that I could fix this. A little while ago, I sent an email saying that I have a new blog address but that didn't seem to help. I wish I could've been more "with it" about this and not canceled my old blog and just had a link so that people wouldn't get sent to this crazy website.
I'm sorry that this happened. I hope I can find some way of fixing this problem.

coming in from the cold

2007-09-24T14:33:00.001-07:00

I think this is a black widow. (Sorry about the blur) I didn't want to get too close to this guy. Yikes! He was right outside our front door a few months ago when it was really hot.
The past month, the temperature has gotten a lot colder and now the spiders want to be inside to stay warm. Lately, I've been caught by surprise by these ugly light brown colored spiders.
I don't like spiders. They love to hide in dark covered places like in closets and nice warm bathrooms, just waiting to scare someone (me).

I've been packing and getting ready for our trip to So Cal. We leave in a few days.
Gotta go for now, a little boy is trying to get his mommy's attention. :-)

brrrrrrrrrr

2007-09-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

It's officially fall now in the Pacific Northwest. And my goodness it's cold. I've been hearing that Washington gets the 4 seasons and this morning I got to experience the chill in the air.
I went to the park this morning for a couple of hours with a few other moms. I've really been enjoying getting to know the others moms around here. I feel like I'm fitting in and for me that feels great, especially since we are new to the area.

I bought a new hat and some mittens for Eric because his poor little ears and hands were so cold. I guess I'll have to buy a few more outfits and a big heavy coat for him for the winter. I think it's going to be super freezing this winter. It's not even November yet and it's been cold at night and in the morning. This is a big change coming from the Sunny and warm Orange County that we just moved from. Actually, I'm originally from Northern Cal and it gets cold up there but I think I've gotten used to the warm/mild Orange County weather.

weight problem

2007-09-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

I need to lose weight and I'm getting rather depressed about it. Especially when I see these other moms who have 3 or 4 kids and even 8 (!!!!!) kids and look perfect. I don't know how they do it.
Maybe they have the thin genes or something. Anyway, I've been working on it but it's been difficult. I just didn't think I'd still have this weight almost 1 year later. It's ridiculous. I don't like it and I especially don't like the fact that I still can't fit into most of my old clothes.

I know that I should be happy that I'm a mom and that Eric is the cutest baby in the world. (Yeah, yeah...... I know he is :-).... But that ugly fat on my is soooooo stubborn.
I'll keep working on it. I'm going to go for a walk now.

busy

2007-09-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

In a few weeks, the 3 of us are flying down to California for a wedding. David's (triplet) sister is getting married and I'm going to be a bridesmaid. I'm looking forward to that. This time I think the flight will be a bit different. Eric will be teething and be eating solid foods and we won't be able to bring the car seat on the plane. He'll have to sit in our laps. That should be interesting.

Eric doesn't like to eat meat that much. He does like chicken but only if it's with apples or broccoli. He still likes his pureed squash, sweet potatoes and most of the fruits. But the problem that I'm noticing is that he seems to just gulp all of his foods down because most of them are all really soft and pureed. That doesn't work too well with the bite sized pieces of meat or vegetables that the 3rd foods has. He ends up gagging and practically choking on the pieces. Anyway, I'm hoping that it gets better and he can master the new foods around his 1st birthday.
I've just started walking again with the stroller. Since Eric and I have both been well, I've been taking walks in the afternoon. The weather has been so nice lately. But it has been cooling off in the evening.

It looks like David and I will have to buy some more clothes for Eric. Or should I say buy some more again. He is growing some more and he is tall. Some of his onesies still fit but most of his pants don't and are too short. It seems like every few months he grows and then "outgrows" his outfits.

He is starting to pull himself up into a standing position and he will also stand for a short time if he is holding on to something.