Feed me...

Last night, I made the executive motherly decision that Oliver was ready to start "real" solids. We have been feeding him rice cereal with prune juice (yuck - it was to help his reflex and constipation) and the poor baby would sit at the dinner table with us while we eat our yummy dinners and he looked like he wanted some. Our pediatrician wanted us to wait until he's 6 months old, but that is 10 days away, so whateva! LOL.

So, I whipped him up a batch of fresh peas (pureed of course) and he wasn't so into them. He made a DISGUSTED face (see pic) and spit it out! HA. I was able to get a few spoonfuls in his mouth, but didn't want to push it. Miles was laughing at both Oliver and me - and I remember what an amazing eater Miles was (and is). He loved all of my homemade baby food! Well, Oliver will too! LOL.

Giggles

Oliver's first giggles at his brother. This is one of the reasons I had another baby! :)

Breast Cancer 3-Day

For many years, I have wanted to do the San Francisco Bay Area "Breast Cancer 3-day" and this year I will finally do it. On September 5- 7, I'll walk 60 miles over the course of three days with thousands of other women and men.

I've agreed to raise at least $2,200 in donations. I know I can raise even more than that, and have set my personal goal at $5,000. So I need your help.

I will be walking as part of a team called "Trisha's Trailblazers." Trisha is a 32-year old mother and wife who was recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer called Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC). While I don't know Trisha personally, she is a friend of a friend and I was touched by her story as we are close in age, we are both wives and mothers. I will walk to support Trisha in her fight against breast cancer. You can read about Trisha's story here: http://trishafaggiolly.blogspot.com/

I will also walk in honor of my mother-in-law, Margaret Lu, who is a breast cancer survivor, an incredible woman, a selfless mom, and a loving grandma to my two boys.

And, I will walk in honor/rememberance/support of all of the other women who have battled breast cancer.

According to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, more than 200,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and nearly 40,000 will die from the disease. That’s why I’m walking so far. To do something bold about breast cancer. I hope that you'll share this incredible adventure with me by supporting me in my fundraising efforts.

Click "Donate" on the image below. Thank you for your support!

Barking spider

In the spirit of Friday, I thought this would be a fun story to post, yet a bit embarrassing (for me). Derek asked me to post it ... and I thought, "What the heck!"

So, we went on our usual evening walk with Miles and Oliver last night and I farted (blush). It was louder than I thought it would be and Miles said "What was that?"

I said, "It was a barking spider. Do you see him? Whoops, there he goes!"

He said, "Where mommy? Where is the barking spider?" and he started looking everywhere for it.

I said, "He's gone home to eat dinner."

LOL - gotta love kids and barking spiders!

Such cuteness

Derek is at home with Oliver this week and he sent me this picture when I was at work. Needless to say, it put a HUGE smile on my face. Look at that cute tongue! Note the drool all over his t-shirt too! LOL. Poor little guy is drooling so much that he has a rash all over his face.

Coming out of the fog

Many of you have asked how things are going with Oliver and Miles and I have to say that I finally feel that we are coming out of the "new baby fog" and turning a corner. Oliver is consistently sleeping through the night, which as many of you know, is an amazing feat in the world of parenthood. (Last night he slept form 7:30pm - 6:30am and it was heaven! Many of you know that he was a horrible sleeper for the first 4 months of his life, so it's simply amazing that he's sleeping so much better now.) I also feel that I am able to "read" Oliver much better... it's not such a guessing game. He is also slowly becoming more tolerant of car rides these days and therefore it's so much easier to take him places. He just seems much more content these days... I guess he's turned a corner.

When I go to bed at night, I lay there thinking how much I love getting a good night of sleep and, more importantly, how much I love the three males in my life.  

My first week back

Well, I survived my first week back at work.

Going back on Monday was an interesting day and it was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. As I was driving into the office, I felt a mix of emotions... part of me was excited to see some old faces, not to mention that it was nice to be wearing something other than sweatpants and a T-shirt with spit up on it. But, another part of me felt like crying - knowing that my special time with Oliver at home had come to an end. We are also 99.9% sure that we are not having anymore kids, so it was kinda sad to say goodbye to my last maternity leave and everything that goes along with having a newborn. (I know... sooo dramatic! LOL)

Things got easier as the week went on and I think slowly it will start to feel normal again. My brain feels a bit out of shape and I am having a hard time focusing, but I think it will just take some time to get back into the swing of things.

I have a new manager, Jessica, who is AWESOME -- very supportive, organized, and she has two boys of her own, so she totally gets the need for work/life balance. I will also be working on the Creative Suite products, which should be a good change too.

A BIG THANK YOU to Hau-boo for watching Oliver this week. I know he is spoiled rotten by her and I wouldn't have it any other way. :) She great takes care of all of us and we are forever grateful.

Oliver is at home with Grandma Ramstetter next week, so he's going to get lots of hugs and kisses and she said she is going to bite those chubby cheeks. :)

Oliver is walking!!!

I hate to be one of those moms who constantly brag about their children, but this was too amazing to not write about!!!

This morning when we were getting ready, Miles was calling for me and Derek. We both went over to him and left Oliver playing on the floor. All of a sudden we heard footsteps and babbling and Oliver was walking towards us!!! We all sat there with our mouths wide open... I am still in shock! He's not even 5 months and he's walking! We are in for some real trouble with this little guy!








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