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December 29, 2008 - Today we ventured onto the road and headed home. It was a long day. Eric did pretty well, but the snacks and books and toys did not hold his attention as they did on the way down. He watched quite a bit of 'Thomas the Train' and that certainly helped. At one of our stops for gas Dave bought Eric a toy car with doors that open up. Smart move! This occupied him for a solid hour and a half and was well worth the $5. We had no weather issues on the way home and there was no snow here at home. We are all very happy to be home, even if it is to the rain and cold.
December 27, 2008 - Our cat sitter sent us these pictures of our house and street. Keep in mind that this was about a week after most of the snow and ice came in, so there would have been a bunch more snow around Christmas. We missed a rare white Christmas in the northwest!
December 26, 2008 - We drove over to Half Moon Bay for lunch today and then walked around the harbor and caught a picture of this pelican.
December 25, 2008 - It's Christmas morning! We had a fun morning opening gifts. Eric enjoyed the Duplo legos that Santa brought for him. And when Eric had a toy that needed to be taken out of its packaging, he took it to Dave, said 'Open open' and watched and waited patiently. Eric even got his very first laptop as a gift from Daddy :) Oh, and here's a cute video of Eric Opening Santa's Pack.
December 24, 2008 - Here's a few pictures from Christmas Eve.
December 23, 2008 - After spending several days relaxing at Grammy and Grandpa's house, we decide to venture out for the day and head to the newly renovated California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate park. There was a lot to see and Eric seemed to particularly enjoy all of the fish exhibits. I particularly like the 'three-generation' picture. Video: Starfish
December 19, 2008 - And....we're off! We were out the door at 8:15 this morning and after stopping to grab some breakfast we hit the freeway on our way down south. All in all, the trip went very well. It was slow going through much of Oregon, with all of the snow/slush/ice, but we made it the entire trip without needing to chain up. The only scary point came when a chain link (from a truck's chains) flew into the windshield (loud!!) and got caught in the windshield wiper. It was loud and dented with windshield of the new car, but after we stopped and removed it there were no further problems.
Overall, Eric did very well on the long drive. He was entertained with snacks and books much of the way and, after a while, well...all I can say is 'Thank goodness for the car's DVD player!' By the end of the trip we think Eric watched Frosty at least 5 times, but it did keep him entertained. With stops and a couple of meals, the trip took about 14 hours and we arrived at Grammy and Grandpa's house around 10:00 that night.
December 18, 2008 - It's been very cold this week and the snow and ice has not really melted. We've been carefully watching the weather forecast all week in preparation for our drive to the Bay Area for Christmas. Tonight we decided that we are going to leave in the morning, before a big storm is supposed to hit this weekend. Thankfully, Jen started packing earlier this week so our last minute decision to leave in the morning is not as bad as it could be. We'll be leaving a day and a half earlier than we originally planned...
Oh, and here's a cute picture of Eric after he discovered how to open the containers of wet wipes.
December 15, 2008 - Here's a cute picture of Eric looking through his 'book of wheels'.
December 15, 2008 - At dinner this evening Eric enjoy his first Cream Wafer (the favorite Christmas cookie of Jen's family). Yum yum!!
December 14, 2008 - This morning we woke up to snow!! A few days ago Eric started saying 'snowman' and this morning he quickly mastered saying 'snow'. After a warm breakfast (and losing power for an hour- thankfully it came back on!!) we headed out into the snow and wind. Eric didn't seem to like the cold, but he seemed to have fun running around in the snow- especially in the street. Dave built him a snowman and our neighbors let us borrow their sled to pull Eric around in. The picture of Mocha is from this evening. Dave turned on a show about cats and Mocha seemed particularly interested in it. Also, here's a movie of Eric sledding and you can see our house covered in snow: Sledding
December 13, 2008 - This afternoon we met up with Jen's family and we went on a steam engine train ride. Santa was also on the train visiting all the kids, but as you can see from the picture Santa was not a hit with Eric. Eric did have a lot of fun, though, riding on the 'choo choo'.
December 8, 2008 - The first thing Eric did this morning was lay down in the living room and look up at the tree. Dave and I finished decorating the tree last night, so this was Eric's first chance at seeing all of the lights and ornaments on it.
December 6, 2008 - This morning we went and cut down our Christmas tree. Eric had fun walking around all of the trees and was quite intrigued with Dave cutting the tree. He was really amazed after we brought it into the house and started putting lights on it.
December 1, 2008 - Here's a cute movie of Eric talking and saying 'Happy Turkey'. Of course, he didn't start saying this until a couple of days AFTER Thanksgiving. Movie: Happy Turkey
November 30, 2008 - Eric woke up this morning with wheezing and labored breathing, so we headed to the pediatrician this morning. Last spring when he had this issue they called it bronchialitis, but now they think he may just have an asthmatic reaction when he gets sick. This usually isn't diagnosed until a child is at least 2 years old, so we'll have to wait and see if it happens again in the future.
November 27, 2008 - THANKSGIVING!! We spent the day at Nana and Pops' house. Eric woke up this morning with a cold, so he felt pretty miserable most of the day. Although he wouldn't eat any turkey, he did have fun putting an olive on each of his fingers and then eating them. In case you can't read it, his shirt in the first picture says 'who are you calling a turkey?' We often call him a turkey (since he was born early and on Thanksgiving), so this shirt was very appropriate.
November 25, 2008 - Eric had his 2-year check up this morning. He weighed in at 25 lb. (25th percentile) and is 34 inches tall (40th percentile). For the past year plus both of these numbers have been in the 25th percentile, so over the last six months he has gotten taller but hasn't gained much weight. Nevertheless, the doctor is not at all concerned about his growth.
Eric did really well at the appointment today. For the longest time, whenever we went to the doctor he screamed the whole time. This morning, when the doctor came into the room his lower lip got all pouty and he looked like he was going to cry, but he didn't. He did really well while she listened to his heart and lungs and checked his ears (it probably helped that Eric brought his play stethoscope and ear thingy), and didn't protest until she had to look into his mouth. Then he didn't cry again until he had his two shots- and who can blame him!
I talked a lot with the doctor about overall development, both gross motor and verbal. Overall, she thinks Eric is doing just fine and is on track. Verbally, he can say about 50 words (Dave and I counted the other night during dinner, with Eric's help :) and the minimum is 20 words. He should also be able to say at least a two-word sentence, which he is just starting to do, so this is something to continue working on. Physically, Eric has hit most of the major milestones but he doesn't like to climb and is pretty calm compared to a lot of other kids his age. I really can't complain! But, there are a few things we need to work on like jumping and climbing more than one stair unassisted.
November 23, 2008 - Happy 2nd Birthday, Eric!!! Eric celebrated his birthday this morning with family and cousins. We had a birthday brunch with car cakes for dessert, followed by a whirlwind gift opening. As of last night, when you ask him 'how old are you?' he will say 'two' and hold up each of his pointer fingers. Yea!! We had a quiet evening at home and it took a lot of convincing to get Eric to break away from playing with his toys to go and eat dinner. He seems to have had a good, fun-filled day. Oh...and the new word for the day is 'dump truck'.
November 22, 2008 - New words today- 'apple' and 'blue' (which he identified correctly). Seems like there is a new word every day or two...
November 19, 2008 - New word today- 'cracker'.
November 18, 2008 - Tooth #19 has popped through (upper left, 2nd molar).
November 16, 2008 - We bought a new car today! After much deliberation, we decided it was time to replace our 10+ year old Explorer and purchased a 2008 Toyota Highlander. Eric did really well today as we spent an hour or so playing with the car, and then later in the afternoon as we spent 3+ hours at the Toyota dealership buying the car and completing all of the paperwork. We made sure to get all the pluses on the car, including a 3rd row seat (for when Grammy and Grandpa come to visit) and a rear seat DVD player. And Jen especially loves the leather interior and heated front seats :)
November 14, 2008 - Eric now says 'Grandpa' (although it sounds like Ba-pa).
November 12, 2008 - This morning we visited Pops at his office, where he was a huge hit, and afterwards we went to Nana's school. Pops also gave Eric his very first Hot Wheels car and Eric has a great time driving it on furniture and saying 'Vroom, vroom!' Around dinner time we headed to the airport to pick up Dave, and Eric was very glad to have Daddy home.
November 9, 2008 - Talking update....today Eric started saying 'Mocha', only it sounds like 'Ocha'. I realized today that most of his words are either names or animal sounds. He says Mama, Dada, Nana, Grammy, Mocha, meow, moo, eh eh eh (monkey), quack, woof. He says several other words too, but I don't think I could list them all.
November 7, 2008 - This morning we dropped Dave off at the airport for a short (5 days) trip to Israel. Then we went and picked up Nana and headed to a holiday festival for the afternoon, and spent the evening with Nana and Pops.
October 31-November 2, 2008 - Grandma came into town for a short visit, but she was able to go with us trick-or-treating. Here's a cute picture of Eric being silly, and of Eric and Grandma playing with crayons, stickers and play-doh together.
October 31, 2008 - Happy Halloween! This year, Eric's second Halloween, we finally got out to go trick-or-treating. It was also the first time since we moved that we had nice weather for it. Jen and Grandma took Eric out while Dave stayed at home to pass out candy. Eric loved getting all dressed up in his monkey outfit, but it took him a while to figure out the whole trick-or-treating thing. We were able to go to many more houses than we expected to as it was dry and about 60 degrees outside. When we went up to a house, he helped me knock on the door but then would be very shy and not say a word. After a while, Grandma had to carry his bag (we call it his 'BOO!! bag' and he loves to grab it and say 'BOO') because it was getting quite heavy. About 2/3 of the way through, he finally figured out that if he held up his bag the person would put a piece of candy into it. At the second to the last house he finally reached into the bowl to take a piece of candy after it was offered to him, and at the last house he finally signed 'thank you'.
After we got home, he sat down on the rug and took out each and every piece of candy one by one, until it was spread all across the floor. Overall, we think he had a good time and had fun learning a whole new experience. He especially loved the pumpkins and BOO! of the Halloween season.
October 27, 2008 - We had our Halloween playgroup at our house this morning. Last year we were able to get a great group shot of the kids, but this year, with seven almost-two-year-olds and two infants, it was virtually impossible. This is the best shot that I captured...
October 26, 2008 - This morning we headed up to Nana and Pops to carve pumpkins. He seemed to enjoy watching, but wouldn't get his hands dirty. We also had fun taking pictures of Eric and cousin Zachary in their Halloween costumes. Eric is a monkey, and will even make monkey sounds and gestures when you ask him to. So cute!
October 19, 2008 - We went to the pumpkin patch this morning and Eric had a great time walking through the field of pumpkins. He also enjoyed riding the little train, which we took to and from the pumpkin patch. Here's also a cute video: Pumpkin Patch
October 18, 2008 - Nana and Pops came over for dinner tonight and to watch the Beavers tromp all over the Huskies (we'll get them next year...). Eric had fun showing off his talents of saying Mama and Dada. He was even willing to try saying Nana and Pops! The star moment of the evening, though, was when he pointed to the letter 'M' that was on his plate and said 'Mama'. What a smart boy!!
October 16, 2008 - Here's a few pictures from this evening...Eric enjoying a chocolate chip cookie (that he 'helped' Jen mix up earlier), Eric and Daddy reading, and Eric reading Mommy a story.
October 14, 2008 - At lunch today Eric said 'all done' for the first time- on his own (no prompting) and in the correct context!
October 12, 2008 - Jen had to take Mocha in to the emergency vet this afternoon, as it appeared that Mocha had some urinary blockage and our vet isn't open since it is Sunday. Looks like he is having an episode of his cystitis, so hopefully the antibiotics will help. It's quite funny...both Eric and Mocha are on Amoxicillin. We have to different kinds in the fridge- just different sizes and colors! On a fun note...Eric has learned how to spin and make himself dizzy- very funny to watch. Enjoy the video! Spinning
October 7, 2008 - It's the invasion of the Kleenex!! Before Eric's nap, I walked into his room to find him emptying the Kleenex box. It was super funny, but I had too keep from laughing too much and went to find the camera to capture it. The real funny part is that after he emptied the box, he stuffed all of the Kleenex back in! Oh, and Eric is feeling much better today. If I ask him if anything hurts he points first to his ear, then to his teeth, then back to his ear. Thank goodness for Tylenol...
October 6, 2008 - Eric woke up much earlier than normal this morning, and was quite fussy all morning long. Several times I asked him if something hurt and every time he pointed to his left ear, so I got us in to see the pediatrician in the afternoon. Before lunchtime I gave Eric some more Tylenol and then turned on Bob the Builder to try and calm him down (a rare exception to our no-TV-for-Eric rule), and he ended up falling asleep on me and then taking a 3-hour nap. At the doctor, Eric was quickly diagnosed with his first ear infection, mainly in his left ear and a little bit in his right ear. We picked up some antibiotics on the way home from the doctor's office.
October 5, 2008 - Another busy day of working on our bedroom, and this evening we went up to Vancouver to celebrate Uncle Mike's birthday. Happy Birthday, Uncle Mike!
October 4, 2008 - We had a busy day today and spent the morning moving furniture back into the room and working on it. This afternoon/evening we went up to have dinner with Jen's friends. Here's a cute video of Eric helping Daddy in the bedroom: Learning to Measure
October 3, 2008 - This morning we had new carpet installed in our bedroom. Eric enjoyed playing in the empty room this afternoon, as it was something completely new.
September 30, 2008 - Tooth #18 (his bottom left, second molar in) has now popped through. It can't be much fun getting in such big teeth... Now for a talking update- Eric still talks constantly and we still can't understand much of what he says, but usually we can get the gist of what he says by his gestures and pointing. He now says both Dada and Mama (yea!!!), as well as 'up' and 'help'. He also began attempting to say something when we ask him to, at least some of the time.
September 29, 2008 - Today was probably one of the last super-nice days before fall really hits. We had playgroup here this morning and the kids were able to get outside and play in the backyard. This afternoon we took Eric's roadster car outside and he had fun riding around in it, all while enjoying a graham cracker :)
September 27, 2008 - In preparation for getting new carpet in our bedroom, Dave spent the day ripping out the old carpet and prepping the floor (i.e. screwing in the floorboards). Eric enjoyed watching, and even got out his hammer.
September 25, 2008 - Tooth #17 (the first of his second set of molars- his bottom right) has popped through. Eric has certainly been fussy the last few weeks with these molars coming in, so hopefully the fussiness will end soon. At his class this morning, Eric blew bubbles himself for the first time! This afternoon after nap Eric spent some time playing with play-doh and seemed to have fun. Actually, he had more fun playing with the containers than the actual play-doh :)
September 23, 2008 - What a busy day today! This morning we went to the zoo and got to see the new baby elephant. This afternoon Uncle Doug watched Eric for a little while so that Jen and Dave could go for their eye check-ups. Eric also got to talk with Aunt Eiko on the phone for the first time. We went out to dinner this evening, and at dinner Eric smacked his lips for the first time. Then at bedtime Eric smacked his lips while kissing Mommy good night (so his first real kiss) and even said 'night-night' for the first time. We also got Eric to say 'Uncle Doug'. Whew....
September 21, 2008 - Eric and I had a nice and relaxing day, which was great after our busy day yesterday. Eric also came down with his first cold of the season, so he was drippy all day. Then after dinner we hear someone at the door and- Surprise! Dave and Uncle Doug came home early from their backpacking trip. They got rained out and completely soaked, so decided to come home early.
September 20, 2008 - Last night Dave went and picked up Uncle Doug at the airport, and this morning they left for a 4-day backpacking trip. Meanwhile, Jen and Eric headed East to the ranch for a cousin's get-together. Eric did very well with the long car ride, but didn't get to do much exploring outside as the weather was cold and very windy. It was a good, fun day and nice to see family.
September 18, 2008 - This morning I took Eric to his first official 'class'. I signed him up for a crafts/play/singing activity (with Mommy). He seemed to have a lot of fun, especially playing with the play-doh and all of the construction truck toys.
September 16, 2008 - Eric had his first haircut this morning. He cried the entire time and had to sit in my lap. He looks like such a little boy now with his new do. Here's a couple of pictures, plus a before and after video. Video: First Haircut
September 14, 2008 - Silly boy...
September 10, 2008 - Dave and Eric met Pops at PIR this evening and had a great time watching all of the cars. Jen had bunco at our house tonight, so the boys needed to get out and it sounds like they had a really fun time. Eric got all excited every time a new car came by.
September 8, 2008 - Here's a cute picture of Eric and his unusually crazy hair.
August 28-September 2, 2008 - We headed down to the Bay Area for the long weekend. This was Eric's third plane flight since May. It's been a busy summer! We got together with some of Jen's friends, went to a friend's wedding, and stayed with Grandma and Grandpa. Eric seemed to have a great time with them. Jen and Dave got a night out, for the wedding, and Eric had fun with G&G. It sounded like he especially had fun playing in the backyard and showing all of the sprinkler heads to Grandpa. On Labor Day we went into San Francisco and Eric had fun watching the sea lions and all of the boats at Pier 39. It was a gorgeous day- over 80 degrees!
After we got home, just before dinner Eric fell and split his lip for the first time. I'm sure it won't be the last time...
August 27, 2008 - For the last week or two Eric has really enjoyed talking on the phone, particularly with Nana and Grandma. Here's a cute video of Eric talking with Grandma. Talking on the Phone
August 25, 2008 - Eric's fourth eye tooth has now popped through. This is tooth #16.
August 24, 2008 - I think the picture pretty much explains it all....
August 23, 2008 - This afternoon we had our annual playgroup picnic at our house. The kids had a lot of fun swinging on Eric's swing and playing with his rockbox (we put rocks instead of sand in his sand/water table).
August 21, 2008 - Today is Jen and Dave's 9th wedding anniversary. Nana came over and watched Eric for the evening so we could have a nice dinner out.
August 20, 2008 - Tonight Eric and Daddy had some fun playing. All Eric wanted to do was try on Daddy's socks, and then they had fun playing with an empty laundry basket.
August 19, 2008 - Jen and Eric surprised Dave at his office by delivering a huge birthday balloon. Today is his actual birthday...
August 17, 2008 - We celebrated Dave's 32nd birthday this evening. Jen and Dave were able to get out and see a movie this afternoon, and then we went out to dinner. Happy Birthday Daddy!
August 15, 2008 - A cute picture of some pool time with daddy. We took a couple of cute videos, too, including one of Eric playing with the hose, but I don't want to put naked boy videos on the internet.
August 10, 2008 - We headed up to Vancouver to celebrate Pops' birthday, which was a couple of days ago. Happy Birthday Pops!
August 9, 2008 - Two peas in a pod...here they are studying the music together. Notice that they're both wearing jeans and gray Mickey t-shirts. Cute :)
August 3, 2008 - Before bath tonight Eric peed in his potty for the third time. Yea!!
August 2, 2008 - This morning we headed up to Vancouver for a Mustang show and then spent the afternoon and evening with Nana and Pops.
August 1, 2008 - Today was the Intel family get-together and Eric had a great time walking all around and getting VERY dirty. He also had fun playing in the bounce house.
July 30, 2008 - Dave taught Eric how to blow on his hot food tonight. It is so cute to watch!
July 19-26, 2008 - We got on another airplane (our third, Eric's second trip of the summer) and headed to Indiana for a week to see all of Dave's extended family. Grandma and Grandpa were also there. Eric got to meet one of his great-grandma's for the first time and was able to see his other a couple of times. We were able to get some nice 4-generation pictures on this trip. We stayed with Uncle Chuck (who Eric shares a birthday with) and Aunt Mary Beth and Eric just loved playing outside. No matter where we went, he seemed to be able to find lots of rocks to play with. We went to the zoo in Ft. Wayne one day and Eric enjoyed petting some of the animals in the petting zoo. The last picture is Eric playing with Dave's cousin Courtney. While we were having dinner at Great-Grandma's one night Eric just couldn't get enough of Courtney. It was really cute :) Also, Eric's third eye tooth started popping through while we were gone (tooth #15).
Videos: Petting a Baby Chick and Counting with Grandma
July 15-16, 2008 - Here's a couple of cute pictures from the last few days. We gave Eric our old cell phones to play with after we just got new ones.
July 11, 2008 - Jen's cousin Clinton stopped by for a visit this afternoon. We spent some time hanging out in the backyard, during which Eric discovered the hose. He watered my plants REALLY well, and was even drinking from the hose. Tonight, before bath, we had Eric sit on his potty for the second time and he used it! He peed in the potty! We won't officially start potty training for at least another 6 months, but in the meantime he can start to learn the concepts.
July 8, 2008 - Doug left at lunchtime today, after spending the morning playing with and reading to Eric. This afternoon after nap Eric played in the backyard in the pool- totally naked. So cute! He's also learned to use a handhold to get himself up and down the step in the backyard. This evening Dave made various animal noises and Eric brought him the animal. He knows his animal sounds!
July 7, 2008 - This morning Eric, Doug and Jen went to the park (Dave worked in the a.m.) and Doug taught Eric how to kick a ball!
July 6, 2008 - Uncle Doug arrived this afternoon for a visit. Eric took to him very quickly, and soon became the favorite person to bring books to for reading. And on a funny note...this evening during bath Eric saw himself pee in the bathtub for the first time and just giggled hysterically, it was so funny to him :)
July 4, 2008 - Dave took Grandma to the airport early this morning, and then Nana, Pops and cousin Zach came over later to watch our neighborhood 4th of July parade. Eric, Jen and Zach walked/rode in the parade while Dave, Nana and Pops watched. After a brunch out, we spent the rest of the day at home readjusting to our normal schedule, not even watching any fireworks. We were just happy that Eric managed to sleep through all the noise :)
June 26-July 3, 2008 - Dave and I had a wonderful time in Kauai. It was very, very relaxing- and so nice to have all of our meals uninterrupted :) We explored all over the island, went snorkeling several mornings and even slept in. Dave went snorkeling 1.5 days, during which Jen enjoyed lazing by the pool and reading books.
Eric seems to have had a great time with Grandma while we were gone. Grandma taught him several new things while we were gone, including stacking six blocks and saying 'timber!' when Eric knocks them down, how to point to objects and count them (well, the adult does the counting :), and what 'Grandma treats' are. Grandma also had the pleasure of reading every single book of his at least 10 times (if not in one day!). Eric is really enjoying his books these days. We think he especially enjoyed the one-on-one time with Grandma while we were gone. He certainly seemed bigger to us upon our return, and he even got a new tooth (upper right eye tooth).
June 24, 2008 - This morning we picked Grandma up at the airport. She is here for a nice long visit, and will be taking care of Eric for a week while Dave and Jen go to Kauai :) Eric will have a fun week being spoiled by Grandma and Dave and Jen will have a relaxing week in the sun and water. More updates after we get home!
June 20, 2008 - Tonight at dinner we gave Eric corn on the cob for the first time and it was so cute to watch :) After dinner, he and Dave were playing and Eric pushed a car on the floor to Dave for the first time! We've been trying to teach him how to push cars, and it seems that he finally figured it out.
Video:
Corn on the Cob
June 19, 2008 - Jen had a mom's night out with moms from Eric's playgroup. We enjoyed a fun Moroccan dinner with a belly dancer and then walked to a chocolate shop afterwards. A nice evening out...
June 18, 2008 - After Eric's nap we drove up to PIR for the weekly gathering of classic cars and met up with Nana and Pops. Eric really enjoyed walking all around the grass and especially liked getting close to the tires.
June 16-17, 2008 - We had some interior painting done the past couple of days- the entry and area with the stairs. Eric seemed to do fine and enjoyed watching the guys paint. He was even fine when we had to move the furniture around make his play area much, much smaller. Jen is very happy the area is painted and it looks so nice now.
June 15, 2008 - Dave celebrated his second Father's Day today and was able to get some garage time in to work on the Mustang. After Eric's nap we headed up to Vancouver to the Robley's for a BBQ. Here's also a cute picture of Eric playing and completely surrounded by his toys.
June 13, 2008 - We received the CD of pictures that the Disney photographers took. Enjoy!
June 12, 2008 - Today we went for a walk around the block where Eric did not hold onto a finger the entire time. He enjoyed veering off the sidewalk and going exploring- how things are going to change now that he can walk on his own! :)
June 10, 2008 - Eric started walking today!! Yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here's a cute video of him just walking around upstairs, which he did for about half an hour straight before lunch today. He still gets frustrated because he can't stand up on his own yet- he needs to hold onto something in order to get up. We're so proud of him :) Unfortunately, Dave is in Arizona today and tomorrow so he won't see it in person until tomorrow night. Video: He's Walking!!!
June 9, 2008 - UPDATE: Thank you for your patience while we updated the site. We hope you enjoy the pictures, especially from our trip to Florida. We plan to post some more Disney pictures after we get the CD of pictures the Disney photographers took. Keep checking back for updates!
June 5, 2008 - Eric had his 18-month check-up this morning and all is well. He really hasn't gained much weight (23.5 lb.) and grew only .75 inch (31.25 inches); both of these numbers are in the 20-25th percentile. The doctor was not really concerned that he hadn't gained weight. We had Eric walk a little for the doctor and she thinks he is doing just fine, that he just needs to gain the confidence and keep practicing.
Ironically, by this evening Eric began taking steps on his own, without us encouraging him. Yea!!! He stood next to furniture or the wall and ventured toward either Jen or some furniture, without us prodding him to do so. It's exciting to see this progress :)
As for Eric's other progress, he loves talking and jabbering, but he has only a couple of recognizable words. He has many expressions and sounds, though, so we are able to communicate. He loves being outside and loves playing with his Daddy. His 13th tooth is beginning to come in, although Jen isn't able to check very often. He loves books, whether it be flipping through one on his own, having one of us read to him, or emptying and refilling the library basket :)
May 24-June 2, 2008 - Disney World After a busy week of preparing, we left for Orlando on a red-eye the night of Saturday, May 24. Eric had his own seat on the plane and did pretty well, considering he slept only about 1.5-2 hours on the flight there. We arrived in Orlando Sunday morning and Dave was happily surprised upon discovering that our rental car was a new, bright red Ford Mustang. I kept telling him that we wouldn't get all of the stuff to fit, but he crammed every inch of the car and we were able to get everything to fit. A miracle. Luckily, our hotel room was ready when we got to the hotel. After food, a long nap, and a trip to the grocery store we finally went into the Magic Kingdom and had an enjoyable evening in the park.
Our hotel- you can see the monorail line on the left side.
Our first stop Monday morning was to stand in line to see Mickey and Minnie. We were nervous that Eric would be scared by them (as he was with Santa), but he did great and enjoyed seeing the characters. We spent all day Monday in the Magic Kingdom and Eric even went on many rides with us, including the Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, the Tea Cup ride and Pirates. He did great on all of them. The only rides he couldn't do were the roller-coasters that had a height requirement. Later in the day we went to a play area where water was shooting from the ground, and Eric took his first steps on his own. He was so excited to go and play with the water, he just took off, for maybe ten steps. Here's a cute video of Eric Playing In The Water (sorry, but you'll need to turn your head).
Dave's conference started on Tuesday and ran through Friday. Jen and Eric would go ahead and go someplace in the morning, and then Dave would call when he was done and catch up with us. One morning we spent at the pool, which was a nice break. We spent these days primarily exploring Epcot and the Animal Kingdom parks. Eric really enjoyed seeing the animals at Animal Kingdom, and we all enjoyed the numerous trees and shade there. It was very hot and humid the entire time, uncomfortable, but expected. Eric had probably the greatest fun meeting many of the characters, and many had a good time playing with him.
By the end of the week we could see how over stimulated Eric had become. By dinner time he was typically refusing to eat, and was especially fussy if our dinner location was noisy. He practically lived off of Cheerios and fruit during our entire stay. He rarely drank any water (turns out he didn't like the taste), so we pushed the fruit and he did seem to enjoy eating apple slices all afternoon. He definitely snacked a lot. We pretty much stayed on West Coast time (at least Eric and Jen). Eric wouldn't wake until at least 9:30am, and usually didn't get to bed until anywhere between 10pm and midnight.
On Saturday we headed out to the coast in hopes of seeing the shuttle launch. We ended up on the beach and, although we weren't super close, still had a pretty good view of the launch. Dave was able to capture some pretty good shots with his camera. Many of these below are zoomed in from the original picture. All Eric wanted to do while we waited was to go in the water, so, unprepared as we were, we let him play in the water and get completely covered in sand and salt water. He wasn't a happy camper afterwards and during the drive home, but was much happier when we made it back to the hotel. Surprisingly, we were able to get in for dinner at Chef Mickey's, a buffet dinner with the characters in our hotel. Eric just loved having the characters come visit us at our table and got excited every time one came within view.
Chef Mickey's movies: Eric Meeting Pluto Eric Meeting Minnie Eric Meeting Mickey
We spent our last day doing some shopping in Downtown Disney and then back in the Magic Kingdom for our last evening. We got up bright and early Monday morning in order to catch our 8am flight. Eric slept the first half, and then spent the second half climbing all over us and his car seat. If nothing else, the car seat was good for sleeping and climbing.
May 17, 2008 - This morning Jen had a band function, so Dave and Eric spent the morning exploring the neighborhood garage sale. First, though, they walked around the entire block. Eric stopped only a couple times; otherwise he was fine as long as he was holding onto Daddy's finger.
May 16, 2008 - This week we've had some really nice weather and after naps Eric has enjoyed walking outside. He walks just great and holds on to only one of our fingers while walking. He really enjoys getting out and exploring. Today was really hot (high 90's), but in the morning we went to the zoo with a playgroup buddy and mommy and saw the new dinosaur exhibit. Eric enjoyed the dinosaurs, even when the life size T-Rex roared.
May 13, 2008 - Today Eric started saying 'Ah' after taking a drink of water. So cute! This morning the nurse came by for a final visit with Eric to check his development. He is still behind on the gross motor development, mainly since he isn't really walking yet, but she wasn't too concerned about it. The general consensus seems to be that he is slowly making improvements and is just taking his time learning to walk.
May 11, 2008 - We celebrated Mother's Day today by going out for brunch with the Robley's. Eric had fun trying a bunch of different foods, but particularly enjoyed eating a bunch of tomatoes. We had Eric practice walking from Mommy to Daddy and he could walk a good 10-15 steps when encouraged to do so. Yea!!
May 3-5, 2008 - Grandma came up for a quick weekend visit with Eric. We were able to make it to the zoo on a nice morning and she watched Eric one night so that Jen and Dave could have an evening out :)
April 27-29, 2008 - We ventured to the coast for a couple of days and stayed in Cannon Beach. A good caption for the third picture is 'Here, Daddy, I found something on the ground'. :)
April 25, 2008 - Eric and Jen went with Nana to a home and garden show, and here Eric is enjoying his very first elephant ear. He loved it!
April 20/24, 2008 - Eric has discovered a little cubby area that is just his size. So cute!
April 19, 2008 - Nana and Pops came over for dinner tonight, and Nana had fun playing with Eric.
April 18, 2008 - Here's a cute Eric and Daddy picture.
April 17, 2008 - Eric is still coughing but seems to be feeling much better. Here's a cute video of him enjoying one of his many favorite fruits. Yummy Strawberry
April 16, 2008 - Eric woke up this morning coughing and breathing heavily. After taking him into the doctor it turns out that he has bronchialitis again. Apparently it is not uncommon for kids to deal with 2-3 bouts of it. :(
April 15, 2008 - This morning Jen took Eric to his first swimming class and Eric had a great time in the pool. Tonight he took his first bath in the big tub and he had a great time. As a side note, we've noticed that Eric is matching pictures on his blocks and when we read stories he is able to point to certain objects, such as in his nighttime book 'Goodnight Moon'. Also, here are a couple of videos from this evening of Eric using his walking toy. Walking Toy 1 Walking Toy 2
April 13, 2008 - Today we went up to Vancouver for cousin Gracie's first birthday party. During the party, we were able to trick Eric into taking a couple of steps on his own!
April 12, 2008 - This morning we headed to the tulip fields and it was such a beautiful day- in the 80's! We enjoyed looking at all the pretty flowers. After dinner we went for a walk and Eric enjoyed holding each of our hands while walking.
April 11, 2008 - Jen felt much better today so Dave was able to go into the office. Also, Eric started walking on his knees today- weird!
April 10, 2008 - Dave stayed home today to take care of Eric as Jen was still not feeling well.
April 9, 2008 - Today Jen came down with the stomach flu, like what Eric had. His lasted for only about 24 hours, so hopefully this will be a quick one as well.
April 4, 2008 - Eric finally caught his first stomach bug. He threw up several times last night, but thankfully finally fell back asleep around 2am. In the morning he was doing much better and ate some breakfast. We then went and picked up Dave at the airport. Eric did good during the day, and even ate like normal, but at dinner he got sick again. Hopefully this is the end of it.
April 3, 2008 - We went to the zoo with Nana and cousin Zachary today. Eric had fun seeing the animals and playing with Zachary.
April 1, 2008 - This morning we did a video call on the computer with Dave, and Eric enjoyed seeing Daddy. Later we went into my old office and had lunch with some friends. Eric had fun walking around the cubicles and looking at the colorful zoning maps. After his nap we went outside to practice walking and he did great!
March 31, 2008 - At dinner tonight Eric stacked several cubes of cheese, and then clapped for himself. So cute!
March 29, 2008 - Dave arrived safely in Israel today.
March 28, 2008 - Dave left this morning for a week in Israel. Eric cried and really didn't want to see him leave. After leaving the airport we did some shopping at Ikea and then headed up to Nana and Pops for the rest of the day, and Eric had fun with them.
March 25, 2008 - This morning we took the Prius in to a tire place and while we waited Eric had a lot of fun walking around playing with the tires. I guess the car genes are in him! At dinner tonight he ate spaghetti for the first time and did quite well eating with the spoon- here's a cute video: Yummy Spaghetti
March 23, 2008 - Today we celebrated Eric's second Easter, as well as he is 16 months old today. The Easter bunny visited last night and hid a bunch of plastic eggs. Eric seemed to enjoy the eggs when he happened to find one, but didn't really understand the concept of hunting for eggs. We had the Robley family over for Easter dinner and Eric looked so grown up in his sweater vest and collared shirt.
March 22, 2008 - Tonight we went out for Mexican food and Eric ate his first tortilla chip, and loved it. This afternoon we colored Easter eggs.
March 21, 2008 - Today we bought Eric's first pair of real shoes- he was so proud of them :) He also begged for some tomato we were cutting up for salad at dinner, and he ate it all up.
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March 20, 2008 - Another good day for Eric, though still coughing. We took him into the doctor for a follow-up appointment and his breathing is definitely better, although he will probably be coughing for a while.
March 19, 2008 - Eric woke up this morning a completely different kid from the day before. It probably helped that he got a good nights sleep. The coughing is still there, but the wheezing is gone, and he had an appetite and energy to play. Much better, especially compared to yesterday.
March 18, 2008 - Last night Eric woke up at 4am screaming, coughing and wheezing. We all slept sporadically after that, until getting up around 8. Upon waking, all Eric wanted to do was fuss and scream, and try to breathe with his wheezing. He was also only happy with Dave. We were able to get him in to the doctor and they diagnosed him with bronchialitis- a virus that you can't really do much for. We got a prescription for an inhaler and gave it to him several times. Thankfully Dave's schedule was pretty open today and he was able to come with us to the doctors and be around the house all day. Eric was really unhappy most of the day, but did take a nap. It is so hard to listen to him wheezing and trying to get a good breath. We were able to get some food into him, but after a little bit he would usually have a coughing fit and that would be the end of the meal. Lots of short meals (attempted) today.
March 17, 2008 - Today Eric developed a cough along with his cold. Poor kid. But, that didn't stop him from standing some more! He stood twice today, both times for Jen, and both times for about 10 seconds :) Admittedly, he was distracted by the TV both times, but we know he can do it!
March 16 2008 - Eric came down with a runny nose and cold today. At lunch he ate all the noodles from some chicken noodle soup, and even sipped some broth from the spoon. He seems to be doing pretty good in spite of the cold.
March 14, 2008 - Eric stood again today, but only for a brief second. This is also our first official day without trying a bottle. Eric has refused a night-time bottle three out of the last four nights, so we're guessing it is time. He still won't drink milk from a sippy cup, so we'll be pushing the cheese and yogurt during mealtimes.
March 12, 2008 - While Jen was at bunco tonight, Eric decided to stand for the first time, all on his own and without holding onto anything! It was only for a few seconds, but Dave was still quite amazed. Eric was distracted with a toy in each hand and it took him a few seconds to realize what he was doing.
March 7, 2008 - Here are a couple of cute videos of Eric playing with Dave.
Construction Hat Stacking Blocks
March 4, 2008 - Last week we had Eric's 15-month pictures taken. Here are a few of them. To see all of the pictures go to: https://www.smilesbywire.com/home.asp?AC=LTPP0102107744JCP and enter a customer name of 'Jennifer Browning'. Enjoy!!
March 3, 2008 - Dave took lots of pictures tonight- here's a cute one. He discovered that Eric knows the word 'pig', after picking it out from his other toy animals.
March 1, 2008 - Nana and Pops came over this afternoon and we went out to dinner. Eric had a lot of fun laughing and playing with them. Today he also began 'pretend eating' with a bowl and his wooden spoon. Very cute!
February 29, 2008 - This morning we met up with one of our playgroups at the zoo. It was a nice sunny morning to be out with the animals.
February 28, 2008 - 15-Month Update: Eric had his 15-month check-up this morning. He now weighs in at 23 lbs., 11 oz. and is 30.5 inches tall. He is not walking yet, but loves cruising along the furniture and has mastered regular crawling- he is quite fast! No more army crawl. He is still picky about food textures, but pretty much feeds himself. He doesn't let us feed him much anymore. He talks and jabbers constantly, but we don't understand much of what he says. He does understand quite a bit of what we say, though. We can ask him to do things and he will actually do them! Eric wears size 18 clothes and seems to keep growing taller all the time.
February 24, 2008 - This morning Eric walked with Jen holding only one hand. Usually he's tightly holding on with both hands, so this is an improvement.
February 23, 2008 - Eric is 15 months old today! He has his check-up next week, so we'll post more stats after his appointment.
February 22, 2008 - We had playgroup at our house in the morning. After lunch I let Eric play with paper and crayons for the first time. It wasn't long before all he wanted to do was put the crayons in his mouth, so we'll wait a few weeks before trying again.
February 20, 2008 - Since we didn't have playgroup on Monday due to the holiday we met up with a couple of other mommies and toddlers at an 'indoor playground'. Eric was a bit hesitant at first, with all of the commotion, but eventually he ventured out and started crawling and exploring the toys. A cute little girl even kissed him on the head! After nap we went for a walk and went back up to the park and played on the swings. Here's a video of Eric on the swings. After dinner we went outside and enjoyed the lunar eclipse. Dave managed to capture a few pictures using his camera and telescope together.
February 19, 2008 - This morning I decided to officially start weaning Eric from the bottle and instead of his morning bottle gave him a sippy cup with milk. We'll see how this goes!
February 18, 2008 - Dave had the day off today (President's Day) and it was a warm (upper 50's) sunny day. We took a long walk in the afternoon after Eric's nap and went to the neighborhood park to use the swings and slide. Eric really enjoyed swinging, but we didn't have the camera with us.
February 15-17, 2008 - Grandma and Grandpa came up for a visit. We primarily stayed at home and they had a fun time playing with Eric. Look at the first picture- amazing how much Eric looks like Grandpa!
February 14, 2008 - In the morning we went to visit Jen's friend Crista and her new little one Myah. Eric had fun playing with Tyler (Myah's big brother). We then we to visit Nana at her school. Nana had a fun time showing Eric off.
February 13, 2008 - Today Eric began cruising along more flat, vertical surfaces. He's using the surface more for balancing than holding himself up.
February 12, 2008 - We just stayed home today, but here are some cute pictures. Yes, his shirt does say 'Little Peanut'. Dave spotted it when we were at a baby clothing store. Eric was also quite playful before bath, so here are a few videos. Little Tarzan Boy in the Mirror More Mirror Fun
February 11, 2008 - Every night for past six nights Eric has woken up in the middle of the night coughing, and he's really only coughing at night. Jen took him in to the pediatrician to get him checked out. He cried the entire time (seems it is only the nurse, doctor, vet and Santa that make him cry), but the doctor was able to hear him breath and his lungs are fine. So, just a cough. After his nap this afternoon we ventured outside for our first walk since early fall. It was partly sunny and in the low 50's- very nice.
February 10, 2008 - This morning Eric started walking, with assistance of course, a lot further than he ever had. Dave was inspired to try and it paid off! In the afternoon we headed up to Vancouver to celebrate Nana's birthday. After a dinner out we went back to their place for a semi-surprise dessert with family and friends. Here are pictures of Eric making funny faces, Eric and Grace playing at the window, and Nana will all three grandkids (Eric was tired and fussy, obviously).
February 9, 2008 - Day five of Eric going down for a nap on his own...and this time Dave did the prep. This evening we had the Pines over for a Raclette (Swiss) dinner. Here's a cute picture of the kids.
February 7, 2008 - Eric has started shaking his head 'no' when we say the word and is beginning to show that he knows what this means. Yikes... Today he also accidentally flushed the toilet for the first time and had a look of 'what did I do?' on his face. The last few nights Eric has been waking up coughing in the middle of the night and having a difficult time going back to sleep. After applying some Vicks, he finally went back to sleep.
February 6, 2008 - Day two of Eric going down for a nap on his own...yea!!
February 5, 2008 - Today Jen decided to start helping Eric go down for his nap without a bottle. Usually he falls asleep while drinking, and then we put him into the crib. After following a modified bedtime routine, Eric did fall asleep on his own after about only 10 minutes (and with minimal crying- only after he dropped his washcloth outside the crib). Yea!! However, 10 minutes later he woke up coughing and it took an hour to get him back to sleep. Progress on the front end, but we'll see how tomorrow goes.
February 3, 2008 - Today Eric pointed at Dave and said 'da-da' at the same time. Perhaps one day he'll recognize 'ma-ma'.
February 1, 2008 - Dave got up early this morning and headed into the office- but not to work. He had a group quarterly event and got to go skiing! It sounds like he had fun re-learning how to ski and mastering the buttercup run :) Eric was definitely feeling better today, but we played it safe and skipped playgroup. While at home we got to watch a cement truck pour for a new sidewalk section across the street. He also stacked three blocks!
January 31, 2008 - Eric finally started to feel a little bit better this afternoon. Yea!! We've really noticed how much Eric understands what we are saying. Over the last week or two he has started to bring us books for us to read to him. After he brings us his dinosaur book, often he'll go over and get one of his dinosaur puzzle pieces- not because we told him to, but because he know the word 'dinosaur'. He'll also follow directions (at least sometimes). If you say 'let's eat breakfast' or 'let's go change your diaper' he'll then head into that room.
January 30, 2008 - Just as Eric was getting up this morning we lost power (and just as we turned the heat up so the house was still cold). We ate cold breakfasts then packed up lunch for Eric and headed out. After doing a bit of shopping we headed to Intel and had lunch with Dave. By the time we got home after lunch the power was back and the house was nice and warm.
January 29, 2008 - Now Eric's cold has come back, so he's both sneezing and coughing. Ay....
January 28, 2008 - We woke up to about 1/2 inch of snow this morning- it was so pretty. Dave made it in to work safely. Eric still isn't feeling good- fussy, won't eat much and is having trouble napping. Finally this afternoon Jen took him for a car ride just so he would take a nap. This is the first time we've had to resort to this measure.
January 27, 2008 - Eric's cold seems to have turned into an awful cough. Last night he woke up at 1:30am because he was coughing so much. After talking for two hours, he finally went back to sleep. He was pretty cranky today (sleep deprivation, sore throat), but had a lot of fun exploring the upstairs after Dave installed the baby gate at the top of the stairs. Now he has the living room, dining room, kitchen and hallway to play in.
After we put Eric to bed, Jen read about a coughing trick- if you put some Vicks rub on the soles of your feet and then put socks on it is supposed to stop the coughing and help you sleep. We were weary about this until a couple of minutes later when Jen received an email from a friend with the same tip. It was just too ironic, so Jen went and put Vicks on Eric's feet. Within just a couple of minutes his coughing had greatly subsided and after another 10 minutes he was asleep. Would highly recommend this!
January 25, 2008 - Today we pulled out his wood blocks for him to play with- one of several birthday/Christmas gifts we're saving to give to him throughout the year. Almost immediately he stacked two of the blocks- one on top of the other. This is a skill that a toddler of his age may or may not be able to do, so it was exciting to see.
January 24, 2008 - Eric has another cold, although it doesn't seem to be affecting him too much. He has recently begun playing peek-a-boo with us with his washcloth. It is fun when he initiates a game, and although he doesn't always cover his face and eyes completely, it is really cute. He has also started putting double mega-blocks together, not just the single ones.
At dinner tonight we let Eric eat yogurt with a spoon and he did a pretty good job, getting some in his mouth. He still made a mess, but certainly had fun doing it.
January 23, 2008 - For dinner tonight we gave Eric some mashed sweet potatoes and let Eric try eating with a spoon for the first time. Very messy, but he had a lot of fun. There's a picture below, and here's a cute video- Eric eating with a spoon for the first time.
January 20, 2008 - After a morning of sleeping in and enjoying breakfast in bed, we head back to Vancouver to pick up Eric. Overall, he did really well without Mommy and Daddy. It sounds like he had a lot of fun with Nana and Pops and seemed to sleep pretty well- the only negative being that he wouldn't drink a bottle. We hung out for a while and then the five of us went out to dinner to celebrate Jen's birthday (which was on the 18th).
January 19, 2008 - This morning we dropped Eric off at Nana and Pops and Dave and Jen had their first night away at Skamania Lodge (in the Columbia River Gorge). We enjoyed relaxing in the hot tub, hanging out in the main lodge room and having a nice peaceful dinner.
January 16, 2008 - Today the community health nurse came over for a visit, for Eric's one-year evaluation (since his due date was 1/4). She played with him and looked at various developmental milestones, including gross motor, social and fine motor. Overall, he is right on track with development for his corrected age, especially for social and fine motor. He's been slower on the gross motor development, but has continually been improving his skills so we have nothing to worry about.
January 15, 2008 - We think we've finally figured out how to add video to the website (thanks Rachel!). Here's a cute video of Eric and Dave drinking water. Eric hasn't been drinking his water before bed lately, so last night Dave got creative and Eric had a lot of fun. Eric and Daddy Drinking Water
January 6, 2008 - We've been working on baby-proofing the kitchen and today Eric had fun playing in it for a while. Here's another video... Eric Playing in Kitchen
January 5, 2008 - This afternoon we got together with our playgroup and had a group first birthday party for the kiddos. We had the party at a community center and used their gym for part of the time. The kids seemed to have a good time.
January 2, 2008 - Eric and Dave took Grandma and Grandpa to the airport this afternoon to return home.