Eric's birthday party video

Uncle Sean & Aunt Courtney did a great job. Thank you

Party Pics

You know it is a good party when your plaids don't match. The Brown's throw a good First Birthday Party pizza, cake, carrots, sippy cups and all.


Eric knows how to treat his friends on their birthday. He is really enjoying playing with Spencer here and all his new toys


Spencer digs into solid sugar. That is what birthday cake is all about. Happy Birthday Spencer.


Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Brown for inviting us to such a fun party. We had a great time meeting your family and putting names to faces.


The Crew celebrating together with their mommies right behind them. We were so excited the morning Mrs. Karbowski (Jennifer) called to say they could make to Eric's party. This was the first all three families were able to hang our since the NICU. The boys loved checking each other out.

What's new

If you haven't noticed, Eric has curls. The curls keep coming. At first this was puzzling because neither Aaron nor have even a single wave in our hair. Looking at the family tree it seems that my dad, Grandpa Ralphy, is the likely source. Uncle Sean also inherited the loopy locks.

Eric has been "combat" crawling, pulling himself forward with his arms, for about 3 weeks. He is starting to make good time with this maneuver and can pretty much get anywhere he chooses to go. Watch out. He is also quite the pivoter and can do a 360 to avoid needing reverse.

He has figured out that his knees bend and has been pulling them underneath himself. Today he has been holding himself on all fours swaying forward and back but hasn't quite figured out what he needs to do to crawl. Meanwhile Aaron and I are babyproofing like crazy.

He has figured out how to get out of the sitting position so no more sitting him down and expecting him to stay there. He does get what Aaron calls the "gravity assist" for this move but he is gaining a little more control.

He has also managed to go from his tummy to sitting a few times but I have yet to catch him in the act. I will turn around for a second and back again he is sitting up. He his quick.

Eric has caught on that food tastes pretty good and his current preference are the carotenoid vegetable sources: butternut squash, winter squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots. He is a veggie man but his starting to acquire the flavor for fruits. He has no interest in chunking food yet and gags nearly at the sight of it. He will pick up any toy you put in front of him, but put some foreign food on his tray and he won't even touch he. He is definitely telling us he prefers puree at the moment.

Favorite "word" is Ba, Ba, Ba. and he is quite good at adjusting his tone. He is also good with Mumm, Mumm and I am pretty sure I have heard a Momma in there.

He is attentive when we read to him looking every page over as if he is reading it himself and turns the pages when we're ready.

The NICU has a follow-up clinic that Eric will go to every 6 months or so called the Whitney Clinic. His first visit was last week and it went well. He is right with his chronological age for his gross motor skills and responsiveness. He is in perfect health and is growing just has he should. Eric is a go-getter and I have a feeling his determination is going to have him catching up to his birthday age in record time since he is there for most everything already. There is also know doubt that his IQ will be high - because we can tell you that he is very bright.

Our household has also made it through our first cold in over 18 months. Dad got it, then Eric, then me, and of all of us Eric handled it like the best and besides being a little more sleepy only had a bit of a drippy nose, a cough, and possibly a little sore throat. He smiled at the doctors and was quite playful, all good signs that a little cold wasn't slowing him down.

Eric got lots of great toys for his b-day and continues to be spoiled by Aunt Courtney and Uncle Sean. Check out the cood panda all the way from the best toy store, FAO Schwartz. I think he likes him.

Happy, Happy Birthday

Today, Eric, is your first birthday. There is no mistake, September 7th, 2006 at 4:34pm was the first your Dad and I heard your beautiful cry. What a wonderful sound that was. It was the first time we met face to face. Immediately after you were born I felt so calm and at ease. It must have been exhaustion because the feeling didn't last too long. But in that moment I must have known that everything was going to be alright, that you were going to teach us to be strong, patient, and determined, all good training for when you came home, and that we were embarking on a great adventure.

This year feels like a timewharp. It feels neither long nor short. You have brought us more smiles than I can count. When you were still "in the store" as your Dad says when refering to the hospital, your Dad said he could tell you were a good guy, and he was absolutely right on. You are a great guy and people and babies love your company. I must kiss you 10,000 times a day at least.

You are really coming into your own and showing us the personality behind those eyes, those eyes that I new were blue from just about the first day you opened them. Everyone kept telling me it was too soon to tell but knew I could see the bright blue beginings in them. Your Grandma Lorraine and I were there the first moment you opened them. You looked right at me and although you couldn't yet see me, you could feel me holding you close, and hear your Dad's voice and his stories of each day.

On your first birthday I hope you enjoyed your first push in the swing at Alta Vista Park. We know you loved watching the yboy push his red car around the playground. You also met Angela Williamson for the first time and she of course loved your curls.

So you weren't into getting messy with your cupcake. I understand your need to be neat. I am definietly messy Mommy but messes are ok as long as you clean them up. The candle was cool though and Dad helped you blow it out. You got tons of cool presents. The deliveries poored in dropped off by our favorite UPS driver. The phone rang off the hook with Happy Birthday wishes on your special day from friends and family: Bobby fay, Grandpa Ralph, Grandma Lorraine, Aunt Susie. Cards poored in from Gram Jeannie, nurse Kathy, and Great Nana.




I am your Mom and that gives me the right to be sentimental. All these birthday wishes were reminders of all the support that washed over us in waves this time last year. You are blessed with so many wonderful people who care about you.

Party, party, party is what we will do all weekend with your Birthday Buddies Ryan (September 5th) & Spencer (September 8th). Heck, all year. Do you know why? Because things are really good and we are so happy. Yes we are all a little tired in our little family but being tired is really no big thing when we know we get to be tired together. Let's celebrate - All our love, Mom & Dad

All at LWW

Can you believe that we finaly got the California based Aunts, Uncles, cousins, grandma, and grandpa all together for one fun-filled action-packed weekend at Lake Wildwood (LWW)




......and we managed not to wait until the last minute to try and cram in a family photo. Good suggestion Uncle Mike.


Eric had constant entertainment with big cousin Sam running laps in the living room, and baby cousin Maylin flashing those two big teeth of hers. Eric loved the action but was a little harder to get to sleep. Who would blame him with all the activity. Someone was always eating, sleeping, splashing, or rolling around.





Aaron and I were surprisingly treated to a fabulous dinner out in Nevada City for our fifth anniversary. Thanks FIL & MIL. We felt like a king and queen the way the rolled out the red carpet for us at New Moon. I would recommend that restaurant to anyone for special occasions. We even got through dessert before we got called back to the house to calm Eric down. Eric needed a little more adjustment time than we gave him before leaving him for the evening with Grandma and Grandpa. Don't let his constant smiles fool you; it is his party and he will cry if he wants to. He is always a little suspicous of Grandpa Terry at first, but after a good book and a baby massage he is grandpa's boy.


Today was the start of my first 40 hour work week. Well, actually yesterday was. Good to ease into this with a holiday week.

5th Year Anniversary

August 24th Aaron and I celebrated 5 amazing years of marriage. It has been 9 years since we met on Notre Dame in Santa Clara - Jen and Tony thought we might be weird enough for each other. Thanks for the enoucorage guys, because as you know, you were right.

Our adventurers are many, but what I have learned this year is that the real adventure is just being together, where ever that me be, doing or not doing, raising Eric, and growing our family.



Being together is timeless. I have already lost track of the years and every minute we have spent together seems like just
yesterday.

Caviar & Karbowskis

Recently we enjoyed both caviar and a visit with our NICU buddies the Karbowski family.

Caviar was definietly impulsive. We found ourselves strolling on the Embarcedero and into the Ferry Building during happy hour. We pulled up to Tsar Nicoulai and indulged ourselves. Having never really tried the stuff I wasn't sure what it was all about, but we found it pretty tastey. Eric opted for his organic sweet potatoes and flashed his big orange grin and big blues eyes to every passer by. I had to slap a few hands away, but I was nice about it, I think.





We also took a drive up to Sonoma to meet Jennifer, Ryan, and Kevin. For our long time readers you know them from our time together in the NICU. Ryan was born September 5, 2006 at 25 weeks and 1 pound 12 oz. (By-the-way, does anyone check the blog any more? I haven't enjoyed many comments lately) Ryan is now pushing 20 lbs and loves to do cheers. Eric and Ryan were happy to play together in the park while we parents took obnoxious amounts of pictures and revelled in the fact that were actually picnicing with our boys rather than cramming cookies and milk down after pumping or eat in the car.



We had a great time, but I don't think the boys had enough toys to play with because the seemed to want the one the other had.

Santa Cruz

We took a quick overnight trip down to Santa Cruz the other weekend. I usually volunteer at a Camp de los Ninos, a camp for kids with type 1 diabetes, in the Santa Cruz Mountains, but this year we drove down to drop off snacks and menus and left the carb counting to the counselors. The camp staff I work have worked with for the past 8 years were happy to meet Eric. Eric was more interested in the flys and very tall trees.



We went down the night before and strolled around downtown Santa Cruz. As the evening approached it got a little too funky for me. It really isn't my scene anymore. After dinner we started our search for the nearest grocery store because we FORGOT DIAPERS. Amateurs. Can you believe we couldn't find a grocery store. While college students are emerging to party we are driving around Santa Cruz desparate for diapers and our bedtime.



We had a good time in Boulder Creek which is just 5 miles from the summer camp. It really is beautiful there.

Lots of motion

Eric is Mr. Motion, always on the move, rolling, scutching, and semi-crawling from toy to toy to toy and book to book to book and anything else he can get his hands on. This week he has also mastered sitting up on his own while wildly shaking his larger toys. Very talented.

Yes those are blonde curls you see. Uncle Sean and Great Grandpa Eric both had wavey hair at one point but that is the closest thing to curls on either side of the family.


Eric loves to play and loves to have people to play with. Last week he played a lot with Grandma L & Grandpa T and over the weekend Spencer and Eric had some great play time after the preemie friend's, James, birthday party. Happy Birthday James. James was born a month before Eric, Ryan, Spencer, and Ms. Pacitaat 27 week and 6 days. He of course is doing fabulous and very much Super James.



Eric gets very excited when someone comes to play. We have had a nanny helping us out this week, Alzira, and Eric loves to show her his toys. He waves his hands and swings his legs in pure joy, and so fast too. He the makings of a sprinter.



Eric may look like and expert eater here but don't be fooled. He rarely hits his mouth or even is face and he is just pretending to know what end of the spoon goes in his mouth. Or maybe, we he really does know how to feed himself and is just putting an act for us.

Because one rubber ducky just isn't enough

Miracle babies

All babies are world-wonders and miracles, but as we know all to well, some have a more challenging entry into this world than others and are even more miraculous.

Last week I saw another miracle, baby Hailey. Our friend Kristen is mother to this beautiful baby girl and has been by Hailey's side with our angels at the CPMC NICU. Eric and I stopped by the NICU to give Kristen a hug and also got to say hello to all the wonderful nurses and Dr. Rytizyeck while we were there. Many of them didn't recognize us at first, and I was very encouraged by this because it means we are both looking healthy and happy.

I was honored to see amazing Hailey, her delicate six pound features hiding her true strength and determination to join her family at home. She was in the unit Eric started out in and I must say I was a little taken aback by the feeling of walking in those doors, seeing the sink we washed our hands in thousands of times and the spot in the room where Eric grew and grew. Looking over to the spot where Eric and Ryan were for 2 months side by side felt a little like an unnerving flash back.

Seeing Hailey, Kristen, and all the angels of the CPMC NICU was so good. The staff there makes miracles happen everyday and we are all so blessed that there are people in this world so good at what they do.

Here are a few pictures of some of Eric's wonderful nurses:

Summer time

Summer time, computer crashes (yes that is plural), more and more play time, more and more work time, and a nanny search has kept me from posting with weekly regularity. Today I was reminded just how wonderful this blog is and decided if all I posted was one sentence I was posting something.

My co-worker and good friend Grady brought me close to tears today when he reminded me of all the support from around the globe that has come through this blog. I was once again so touched when he told me that he read Eric's blog more than any other. Grady's last day at Clif Bar was today and he is now off to travel around the world (literally). He will be blogging and we will be lucky to experience his journey vicariously.

Eric is in motion, motion, motion rolling to the left, rolling to the right, and pulling himself up right to sit. He is so strong and always doing his ab exercises. I guess all those winter days watching me do sit-ups in my pajamas gave him the right idea. He wants to go forward and stretches with all he's got, waving his arms and legs as if he might be able to swim to that book just out if his reach.

He has really become quite the book warm. He loves to go the last page first, taste it, and then listen to the story. If you set a book down next to him he will dive for it with so much enthusiasm.



Eric has started liking his solid food more. He is now eating organic apples, pears, bananas, peas, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Tonight we tried avocado and he wasn't thrilled with it.

The weekend after 4th of July we road tripped up to Lake Wildwood (aka LWW) for some summer heat. Hot it was with, 102 degrees being the "official" high from meteroligist Grandpa Terry. It was an exciting weekend for Eric because not only did he get to go on boat rides with Grandma and Grandpa and meet the seamstress, Theresa from Florida, of his cool animal blanket, and hang out with Great Grandma Ruth, but he also had his first slumber party with Spencer.



The Brown's made there first trip out of town over night, a huge step. Us parents actually had some time together to have a glass (or two) of vino and talk the night away. Spencer enjoyed his first boat ride refusing to go to sleep (it was his bedtime) because he didn't want to miss any of the action.

So much to do

It was not my intention to make all of you loyal Eric groupies think that just because I am going back to work (part time) that we would no longer be keeping you up to date with all the latest and greatest news. It just so happens that going back to work coincided with Uncle Sean & Aunt Courtney's big wedding in Chico, a trip to Lake Wildwood with not one but two sets of grandparents, a nanny search, the expanation of Aaron's business, and many outings to enjoy the nice weather. Not to mention I have had to rebuild my computer because I thought I was such a genious and now I am having difficulting accessing my photos, of which I have hundreds of the fore mentioned events.



Throwing 20 hours a week of work into the picture has definitely caused a shifting of our routine but we are finding our rhythm. Eric spends more time with Dad and giggles in delight at his everyword. On the days I am working they stroll through the neighborhood in hit all the deli's in search of the perfect sandwhich. They have even gotten together with Chris (Dad) and Spencer Brown while the moms are working.

Eric is 14 pounds 9 oz and 25 1/2 inchies. He is exploring the use of his taste buds and has expanded his menu from milk to include mulit grain cereal and oatmeal (non-GMO ofcourse), organic sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, apples, and bananas. He still, however, mostly prefers his Neosure. His acid reflux is getting better and better. His hydrocele (the thing the doc orginially thought was a hernia in his groin) is getting smaller and won't need surgery, which is great. It would have been a very minor thing but still nice to not have to do. Other big news is that Eric has moved to his crib and he loves the comfey mattress and space to stretch out. He has been asking me to move to his own room and crib for a few weeks since he had cleary outgrown his bassinet.

Aaron also enjoyed his first Father's Day as a daddy and as soon as I figure this computer glitch out I will post the Father's Day pictures of our picnic at San Bruno moutain.



Eric has been getting around the city a bit more to see the sights. He has been to the Mission district, enjoyed a stroll in Dolores Park over looking the city with Stell, the Ferry Building with Spencer, Aquatic park and Crissy Field with Grandma Lorraine and Grandpa Jerry, his first dinner out(side) at Pizetta, Fillmore street with Uncle Joe, and a few jogs in the baby jogger through the Presidio. He has also had more trips over the Golden Gate Bridge to hang with Spence than I can count. He is very social and loves to smile and charm the pants off people, especially the ladies.

Mom is going back to work

It is time, time to go back to making donuts, got to make the donuts. Did you ever see that Dunkin Donuts commercial years ago with the guy getting up in the dark to go in an make the donuts? Every time I get up to go to work or hear Aaron's alarm I think of this commercial. Ironic since I make food that is healthy.

I am looking at the calendar and it says June but, some how I still think it is April. Is it really June? How can it be June already?

I have been home for nine months. Nine months that I could have never expected, prepared for, or even imagined. There has never been a time in my life more rich with emotion, healing, and joy. I was stripped to my core and have emerged a stronger, happier, and more present person. And most importantly, a mother.

These past nine months have been precious, and at the same time some of the most difficult moments I have ever experienced. Thousands of small steps and little moments have lead to this moment, which builds me up to lead to the next moment. The steps are small and sometimes unrecognizable to the "naked eye". They started the minute I was wheeled out of the delivery room and continued on every time I hooked up to the breast pump and every time I walked out the hospital door without Eric.

Introducing Eric to the front of the flat,going outside, letting people in our house, stopping pumping, feeding Eric in public, driving with Eric, going out to dinner with Eric, leaving Eric with a baby sitter, going to Grandma and Grandpas have all been moves forward. It also took a while to feel comfortable re-introducing things I enjoyed before Eric was born; running, being out and about, going to grocery store, going to my office, and meeting friends, all without feeling tremendous amounts of anxiety.

Moving forward is a funny thing. You just do it. You may wonder how will we do it and than one day you are so far forward you hardly know where you began. So that is what we do, move forward without worrying about how because there is so much joy to experience and that is how you find it and fill your life with it.

All the things that fell away the day Eric was born we have been adding back to our world together so that he can learn the joy and bliss that they bring to each day.I am never moving forward alone. Eric and Aaron are with me every step. I know our dear friends, The Brown's and Karbowski's, are also moving forward with us.

I have learned more about myself, Aaron, and Eric than I could have imagined.I have come to know caring and tenderness from all of the people that have reached out to us in waves.

Now, together, my family and I open another door and walk through it to take on the next transition.

Starting solids

We go started feeding Eric some rice cereal. As you can see from the photo, he is a bit of a sceptic. We seem to get rice cereal most everywhere but his mouth; in my hair, his hair, the floor. Occassionally he is into it but mostly he just wants to move on the bottle after a few bites. He is quite curious about the spoon. We have moved on to a little baby oatmeal but he doesn't seem to like that any better than rice cereal. He is holding out for the good stuff like sweet potatos and butternut squash, which are Mom's favorites too.

Album cover - Small boys get big

The boys got somethin' to tell the world



Album features songs like:

"Busting out of the NICU"
"Who you calling preemie now?"
"Gimme some of that milk"
"You looking at my puppy?"
"Go lick your rings"

and

"Watch this move"

Happy Mother's Day

This is a very special Mother's Day. Not only is it my first Mother's day as a mommy, but it is also the first Mother's day that I realize HOW much my own mother loves me. The love from a mother is so great, so huge, that it can not be explained. It can only be felt.

It is also so special because I get to celebrate with the two people who have so thankfully made me a mother, Eric and Aaron. I thank the universe for bringing these people into my life. Nothing could make me happier than waking up to Eric's jibber jabber or smiling face. To whoever is listening, thank you.

I know so many incredible mothers that have given me so much support. Thank you. I have met so many strong and gracious mothers of the tiniest babies. To all the NICU moms, I think of you and your beautiful healthy, happy babies every day. Alan, Spencer, Pacita, Ryan, James, Christopher, Emma, Morgan, Danik, your mothers are courgaeous women.

My boys were so wonderful to me today. They made me pancake brunch and gave me a beautiful photo necklace with their smiling faces on it. We went for a nice walk and I was sent to a yoga class.


To my own mom, Eric thinks his Grandma needs to stay cool, chill out, and slow down.



My Mom is moving so quickly and doing so much (mostly for others) and doesn't pay close enough attention to the path infront of her. I mean this literally. She took a hard tumble and broke her arm in three places and has to have a plate surgically put in her arm. I guess this is one way to get her to relax and take care of herself. Heal fast Grandma and find yoga poses that don't require use of your left arm.