Loopiepalooza 2009
Gisela
Loopie-pa- WHAT, you ask? Loopiepalooza. 2009, to be exact. Or 2nd annual.


Let me explain. Back in 2006, after I had Nicholas I joined some internet forums and 'loops' that were dedicated to boys clothing...specifically Gymboree and Janie and Jack brands. These loops were used to buy and sell our used clothing and talk about our kids. Soon some of us decided to just start a little group where we could discuss our lives outside of our kids. I mean, we were all people with lives BEFORE we became mommies! So, that started sometime in 2007. Anyway, last spring (March 2008, to be specific) a group of 10 of us got together and met up in Houston, Texas for a long weekend. We ate, shopped, ate, talked, and in case I didn't mention it- we ate some more! That was the first Loopiepalooza.


Well, this year, we did it again. However, we had 18 ladies this time. Again, we met in Houston from a Thursday until Sunday. Ladies drove and flew in from all corners of the country! Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Washington, California, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia, and of course, Pennsylvania. A great time was had by all. Again...we spent our time eating, shopping, eating, talking, and eating some more! This group of ladies are AMAZING. We have a wide age group, come from various backgrounds, but our bond of friendship is one I am blessed to have.



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House of Ill
Gisela
Who sent the germs to my house?!?! Well, please take them back- we've had enough!!!



Last Monday night I arrived home from my vacation to Texas. (I promise to post about that next week!) Tuesday was Erik's birthday, Wednesday was a day to just kinda catch up on everything, Thursday I had to take Nicholas to preschool and run Erik to the doctor for his 12 month WBV, and then Friday was Nicholas' Halloween party at school. Then since Halloween was on Saturday I took the boys to Sesame Place for some trick-or-treating and some special quality time with mommy. On the ride home both boys fell asleep, which wasn't too odd, but then Nicholas continued to lay on the couch once we were home. He said he was tired and didn't feel well. After a trip to get more Motrin and a new thermometer I come home and discover he's got a fever close to 103. After a nap he felt better and his temperature went back to normal, so he did get dressed for trick-or-treating. He only hit half the block before he was ready to come home. UH OH...you KNOW if a three year old tells you he doesn't want to ToT that something is up. Fast forward to Monday morning...a trip to the doctor revealed strep throat. After about 48 hours on the antibiotics he was feeling much better.



And then comes hit number two. Today right before lunch I was changing Erik's diaper and he felt warm. Slight fever and a rash all over his abdomen, chest, and back. He's had some loose stools for a few days, which didn't bother me, but now the fever and rash had be calling the doctor. No strep for him, just a virus. However tonight he woke up after about 2 hours sleep and was just crying. He layed down with Ken and then he vomited. I felt bad for Ken, but in a way I was glad it wasn't me...I don't deal well with puke!



So, in the past week I've been to the pediatrician three times. I think I've met my quota for the season. Tomorrow I will be investing in some more Lysol and disinfecting this house!!!

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Twelve Months aka- ONE YEAR!
Gisela
A year has come and gone, and how fast it has passed! A year ago today, at 5:10 PM I gave birth to Erik Joseph, via emergency cesarean section. At first look it seemed that Erik was a clone of his big brother, but today we see he has developed his own look, and personality!


Erik has been a great sleeper since day one. He slept through the night (seven hours) at one month old. Today he sleeps eleven or twelve hours at night and naps two or three times a day. He really enjoys his sleep!


Erik now has eight teeth- four on top, four on bottom. He uses those teeth to feed his growing appetite. While he is not a picky eater he certainly prefers meats over vegetables.


While pregnant with Erik his nickname was 'Pumpkin,' but now Chatterbox might be more appropriate. He has quite the impressive vocabulary- around 15 words. He even has 2, two-word phrases- "Hi, Dad!" and "Touch that." He babbles plenty still, and I love to listen to it!

Erik not only walks, but he runs and climbs! I have a feeling that he will be my escape artist! I guess it is because he has his big brother to catch up with! I really enjoy watching the two of them interact. You can already see the bond between them, and that they are the best of friends!

It has been an amazing year watching Erik grow and learn. I look forward to all the years ahead! Happy birthday, Erik! Mommy loves you!



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Erik's Party and More!
Gisela
We celebrated Erik's first birthday party this past Saturday with family and friends! Despite some yucky weather (cold, rainy, & windy) we all had a good time! Erik was loving having everyone over (Nicholas was a bit overwhelmed at his first birthday party) and spent most of the day walking around and playing with the other kids. He did not make much a mess of his cake...mommy was a bit sad about that! He got some great gifts and has been enjoying his new toys quite a bit! Hopefully I can post pictures soon!

In other news, I'm headed to Texas on Wednesday! A much needed mommy vacation! I can't wait to hang out with friends, eat lots of good food, and maybe catch up on some sleep!
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Eleven Months
Gisela
I can't believe how quickly the past eleven months have flown by. This past month Erik has just grown by leaps and bounds! He is now walking. Not 100% of the time, but he can easily walk across the room without assistance. He has six teeth now- three on top, three on bottom. His vocabulary is pretty impressive (to me at least)- he says mama, dada, cat, dog, glasses (as in sunglasses), up, yes, what, and 'lis' which is in reference to Nicholas. He definitely has a sense of humor and a devilish streak in his personality. Oh, and he has a head full of hair that is starting to curl at the end. Nicholas' did the same thing, but as soon as we cut it the curls never came back. Oh, Erik is also still an excellent sleeper. Twelve to thirteen hours at night and 2-3 naps a day! Some days he sleeps as much as a newborn!

Now we are preparing for his big birthday celebration in a few weeks. It has been an amazing eleven months so far!


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Summer is Coming to an End
Gisela
I can't believe it is September already? It seems the older I get, the faster time flies by! This weekend is Labor Day weekend, the unofficial end to summer. We will be going to a BBQ on Saturday and a crab feast on Sunday, so we'll be wrapping up this summer season with some good food and good friends.


We did not take any vacation this summer. Ken and I only made it down the shore for one weekend, but the boys did get to go a few times with Opa and Nana. We've just had lots going on! And this fall is looking busy as well- birthday parties (including Erik's FIRST birthday), bridal showers, weddings, and of course trips to the pumpkin patch. I love fall- it is by far my most favorite season. I love waking up to cool, crisp weather- throwing on a pair of jeans, a warm sweater, and comfy boots. I love the apples that are in season...eating warm, homemade apple pie (made by my husband, NOT me), delicious pumpkin pie (this one *I* make), and all the other delicious treats.


So, although summer is coming to an end I am looking forward to the changing colors and cooler weather that fall will bring. This week Mother Nature seems to have realized that September is here- we already have cooler temps that have allowed me to turn off the air conditioning and open my windows. It is WONDERFUL!


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Ten Months
Gisela
Well, ten months have come and passed! Erik is growing bigger every day! And I'm falling more and more in love with him every day!



As of his doctor's appointment last week he is 22 pounds 11 ounces and 30.25"- a BIG boy! In this past month he has gotten a new tooth (on Sunday the 23rd, his bottom right lateral incisor), he waves, he claps, will do SO BIG, and has a few times taken 1-2 steps. Despite these few steps he much rather crawl!



Erik is starting to enjoy more table foods and especially likes chicken and mixed vegetables. Oh, and courtesy of his older brother he has also sampled (and loved) french fries! He really likes almost every thing he's tried though, which is good...there are no picky eaters in this house!


Since I haven't shared any new pictures in awhile, here are a few of my cutie pie!

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Erik's 9 Month Well Baby Visit & Other Ramblings
Gisela
I know...I'm SUCH a slacker! I'm trying NOT to give up on my 365 blog, but it is getting harder and harder to maintain. I'm hoping that I can get a few hours of time to catch up on the past 6 weeks. I don't know if I've even taken pictures every day, but if not...I will figure something out!

Today was Erik's 9 month well baby visit. He's now 22 pounds 11 ounces and 30 1/4" long. BIG BOY INDEED! His 9 months stats are bigger than Nicholas', but Nicholas didn't grow much from 6 months to 9 months, and then from 9 months to a year he gained 4 pounds! So who knows how Erik will grow. He seems to be just steady, although he is 95 percentile for height and 85 percentile for weight.

This weekend is a busy weekend for us. Tomorrow my nephew Michael turns ONE! I can't believe it has been a year already! Saturday is our annual block party. They're calling for rain and flooding (ACK...no FUN!) but I hope it holds off. And then Sunday is Michael's first birthday party. And next week we have friends coming into town from Wisconsin so it will be a busy weekend next weekend as well!

Hopefully once summer is done I can dedicate more time to updating everything!



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So Busy!
Gisela
I'm here! I have not fallen off the face of the planet, I promise! Summer is just a busy time around here, and I have not updated my blog. (Even worse, I'm about a month behind updating my 365 blog! Maybe I'll work on that, too!) This summer has been full of birthday parties, bridal showers, baptisms, and a million other day-to-day activities!



Around here we have been SO busy that we've only made one trip down to the Jersey Shore as a family. This weekend Nicholas is down there with Opa & Nana, but the rest of us are here at home. Ken is taking our pool down, while I work on ebay listings, and Erik...well, he will hang out and do his Erik thing. Which lately, because he is teething, is not much more that eating and sleeping. He's not a terrible teether- he just wants to eat and sleep. So he's taking about three naps a day and sleeping 12 hours at night. I can't really complain!



So, as I mentioned, Ken is taking our pool down. You may ask...taking a pool down, in the middle of summer? Are you crazy? Well, yes, I am crazy- but for many other reasons! Anyway, we're taking our pool down because it takes up the entire backyard. Our yard is about the size of a postage stamp, or an above ground pool! Since we live in the city, and on a fairly busy street, it isn't safe for the boys to play out front. Not to mention our front yard is pretty much non-existant. The kids in the neighborhood play in the driveways and on the sidewalk, but there is no place for a swingset or play structure. So we are taking the pool down so we have a yard for the boys to play in. It is entirely fenced in, so it will be a safe place for them to play. I cannot wait!



Well, that is just a bit of what is going on here. We have a wedding next week, followed by a bridal shower, and the following weekend brings two block parties and a birthday party. I think our weekend calendar is booked through January!



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Nine Months
Gisela
Can I PLEASE stop time? We are creeping FAR too close to the one year mark, and I don't want my little man to turn one!

Ok, I suppose it won't be THAT horrible, but it does make me a tad bit sad!

So, this month has been full of new adventures. I have myself a climber. Erik climbs on E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G! Really, he is TOO smart. He moves boxes and books and anything else he can find so he can climb to where he shouldn't be. And on several occasions he has given mommy quite a scare! Of course, he just smiles and laughs as if it is no big deal!

He is not walking yet, but crawls faster than the speed of light (ok, maybe not THAT fast, but he is quick) and cruises all along the furniture with ease. He will stand alone and it looks as if he is contemplating taking a step, but at this point we have nothing.



Erik has a few words- Mama, Dada, and something that sounds like a cross between Baba and Bop. Often you just hear him babbling or squealing with delight. He is still very much a happy, laid-back guy.

Erik is also enjoying some new foods. He loves eating bits of fruit and veggies and also small ditalini pasta. I still laugh every time he takes a first bite of food though, because he makes a face as if it is the most disgusting thing ever, and then he proceeds to gobble it all up!

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