-I tasted the formula and it is gross. I tasted the vegetables and they are all good.

-One day I accidentally put vanilla coffee creamer into my grape nuts. Just a tablespoon maybe? Anyway, I  stopped filled the rest up with milk and ate it. It was okay. I wouldn’t do it again and I don’t recommend it.

-I cut a snip of his hair off to know it has already happened so there isn’t anything holding back for his first real hair cut.

-I left the house dressed in a shirt with a huge green stain on it. I just briefly tried to clean it off and I put on a little cardigan over it and left. It may have been barf (or even poop?). All I know is that I didn’t want to be late.

-We let him sleep in our bed every single night.

-I love that his eyes are blue. But at first I was sad that they aren’t hazel like Kurt’s and mine.

1. Sometimes I look back on my university/college classes and I am sad for people who didn’t go to university. Granted, my experience was not a typical one; but it was mine and I embrace the memories. It took me about 8 years all told and 3 schools. I took about 120+ units that were totally unnecessary for graduation. That is excessive considering many people who sprint through college (read: graduate in 4 years) have a few extra units (like less than 20 maybe).  These excess units were largely in part due to transferring schools and even more due to changing my major well past my junior year. I took classes like jewelry making, modern dance, interior design and tons of French classes (that sadly went to waste meaning not toward a degree).  I even took a few classes with Kurt! I took a class next door to Kurt, too. I also took funky classes that I actually hated and quit right off the bat: puppetry (day 1 and I was over that), history of African Americans, loads of math classes, and few others. Some classes I tried really hard an other I skated through. Once, I took a class that made my high school MUN look like the actual UN and therefore, I went to that class approximately 5 times in the semester and got a B (not too shabby). Anyway, I landed in Communication Studies and I adored it. I loved being a student. I would love to be a student again (I will).

2. Last night a cold caller from my Alma mater called and tried to wring money out of me for the school. They call regularly. Kurt got his call on Monday night. The random kid who calls always does small talk first then goes in for the real reason why they call us – the donation. Well, last night, I chatted with the guy for real. I asked him questions about his classes and assignments in those classes. He told me about his English teacher who let them read graphic novels for a paper. He told me about his theater class, which he said they, “acted like kids, playing games all day.” Yes, that does sound like actors, ha. I gave him tips about what classes to take and we talked about professors. Then when it was time, he asked me for the money. I told him maybe next time. It was a funny 26 minute phone call. Kurt and I had a laugh afterward because I made a single-serving phone pal. GO BEACH!

3. Cable TV is going away effective Thursday of this week. This will change how we watch tv. When Kurt and I were first married, we didn’t have cable tv for the first year and a half… we didn’t miss it (much) then. We have Kurt’s high tech solutions and we won’t miss out on the good stuff. I mean I am not going Amish over here. Please. Really?

4. During the writing of this blog post, I had to enter the “HTML” mode TWICE to clear out a weird formatting  issue and to fix a picture. Kurt will be so proud. (I have learned SO much from that magnificent man.)

5. The issue of going back to work for my former employer arose. They called me and asked me to come back. Seeing as I have several restrictions (like not being able to work in the day, needing to be flexible with when etc) and they are more than flexible and accommodating to all of them. So, given Peter’s sitch, we gotta pray about that one a little more.

6. If your body is in good health meaning your organs work, you can move yourself around, and you have breath….. Please, do not take this for granted. If you haven’t seen a doctor in years, go see one. Not to look for something bad but just to have a trained professional agree that you are in good health. Once you are cleared by the doctor, get out and take advantage of your healthy body. Three 10 minute walks a day add up. That is a trip downstairs or a further away parking spot or a walk around the block. Sometimes I think I can’t exercise unless I get my shoes and sportsbra on. Fact: that is incorrect.

7. If you have stress…eliminate it. This is a super neat article about eliminating stress. Life does not just happen to you. Life is shaped by your attitude, perspective, and priorities. You are free to change those anytime you want.

9. I made the difficult decision to change my life in order to refocus my priorities. I have slowed down. I quit my job to care for Peter and I am so happy I did. At first, I thought it was it was like, well, you just exchange one stress factor for another; meaning stress of commute, stress at job and so on versus the stress of one income, stress of caring 24/7 for a baby,the stress of ‘what do I do now?’ Now, I realize that the money of the job is nice but in the grand scheme of things, I am beyond happy, actually the word thrilled might describe it…that I can be with my little boy. I know technically right now, he won’t remember it. But I sure remember it…and I cherish it and I look forward to caring for him in new different ways everyday. And yeah, we do  not have tons of extra money but we have what we need. We are learning lessons all the time about contentedness and we are continually blessed.

10. Tuesday 2 Feb 2010’s Blessings List: Kurt’s job, Kurt’s PTO, Peter’s right kidney (no need for surgery right now), Peter’s Doctor, the lab tech, the X-ray techs, the CT techs, the RN’s who helped us so kindly, the Doctor’s assistant who stayed late, iphones for texting updates to family, the 405 for not being too trafficky, the Pei Wei for making awesome take away food, Bill Murray for Groundhog’s Day to make us laugh after a long day, a surgeon and hospital who can provide Peter with great care for his upcoming surgery, a sweet little baby boy who will not remember any of this stuff and gets poked one minute and is laughing the next. The prayers of our parents, our siblings, extended family, friends and people we don’t even know. And finally, God for being good, all the time.

Uh Oh, this guy is ready to swim!

Peter’s first walk along the beach was amazing. We could not have chosen a more beautiful day to be there for his first time. Perfect weather (kinda goes without saying).

He was so relaxed that he fell right to sleep. Zzz, zzz, zzz.

Someday we’ll go back and touch the sand, play, watch the doggies, watch the surfers…etc. But not in the winter.

Also, not until I get a little more relaxed with the cleanup involved with that deal. I mean, as it was the stroller got a full cleaning.

Driving with Mommy and Daddy to the DMV in San Clemente for an adventure! Because everyone loves going to the DMV, right? It is one of the best birthday presents the government offers.

(The sunburst is a bonus to show that God is always with us. And it wasn’t a fluke, I have like 25 more pics just like it.)

Show ‘em off cowboy, we told Peter.

Here he is tending to his cow. Cousin Katie and Cousin Janice will be so proud!

Yeah so, Bubbleboy was loving being inside his rainproof thing. It came with his stroller (Pram, if you will – and you should) as did a mosquito/bug net.

For any reader who thinks it looks like he was in danger. Fear not: it is designed for a perfect fit onto the stroller, breath-ability and accessibility (zippers, air-holes).

Anyway, he loved the rainstorms. Well, minus tornado day. That day he was like a baby-barometer (as my Mom aptly put it) and sensed the craziness. Probably overstimulated by the weather channel’s beep of the emergency alerts. So I switched off the TV. Plus Sally was a bit like, “What’s that beeping?” So instead, I got the weather channel app and followed the storm like that. [We can kick it 2010 style over here foolio, I gots ta keep it real.]

When the sun came out again on Friday, we looked out like a pair of moles blinking and grimacing at that crazy thing. But this is the beach and we see sun 362 days a year. (Sorry East Coast suckers).

So hey we bought him some shades, y’all. Buckle up for the cuteness.

Kurt and I could not wait to get them on him, so we took pictures in the car in the parking lot (disclaimer #1: car was parked – hence him not in car seat, etc).

disclaimer #2: Please ignore the fact that he had his (tiny-don’t-fit-much-anymore) jammies on in public (part of the reason for the trip to Target).

Yay, Saturday!

(Dang it for being blurry…but it adds to the charm, n’est pas?)

Okay, okay here’s another.

He’s got a personality that is easy-going and fun. How neat is it that he is ticklish? He loves to laugh and smile. He chats alot. And I believe that he sings too.

About 6.5 months old and he is such a joy and a delight to me and Daddy-o.

Then I came home and did this:

and this:

and this:

The instructions weren’t on the wrapper for Kurt to take to work, so this too:

I do not know why I abbreviated towel.

The pictures are of poor quality because it was late, I used my iPhone and the light of the fridge. I wanted to photograph this scene in case it never happens again.

Most of us have obsessions and/or compulsions but are not OCD. (I know I certainly do.)

I am just well-organized and I have a label-maker.

As a bonus: Here’s a clip from an old SNL.

It is already 17 January 2010. Where has the time gone? Well, easy answer there… First, New Years. Then birthdays like boom, boom, boom. It goes — Me (Becky, 31), Baby P (6 months), and my Mom (Sharon, age withheld). Followed by our 4th Wedding Anniversary. Since today is the third Sunday of January, today is the Golden Globes.
So, to recap, the entire first half of January is covered in parties and celebrations galore.

My b-day was fun. Kurt let me sleep in (AKA took care of Peter), he made me breakfast, I got a professional massage (which resulted in crazy pain later that day and the next), and it was capped off with a family party. The family party included my first foray into pâte-à-choux, Crème caramel, and pastry cream to make Croque-en-Bouche (sometimes referred to as croquembouche). My very first attempt at this dessert tasted good but that is all I can say. It did not go together as hoped. It was a little less beautiful and I didn’t quite get the right steps on the cream so it was like pastry sauce, not cream.

For those following his (non-kidney related) progress; Peter recently made some remarkable leaps in his strength, motor skills and cuteness. He sits up, stands strong, rolls over, scoots, holds his bottle and eats solids. It is amazing to watch him grow and change daily. I cannot imagine any job being more rewarding than being his mother/caregiver. On that note, I signed up for MOPS (“Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers”) It should be also noted: it is ‘pre’-school, as in ‘before’ school, not ‘preschool’. I have very few preconceived notions about it. I am hopeful for a good experience, to meet some cool ladies and have it be a chill thing. I am going to try to let my guard down to these women in the hopes to make some friends and have some fun for a few hours once a week. No big whoop.

I will write more later. To keep this SMART, I gotta keep do it smaller, and more efficiently time-wise.

PEACE out, yo.

Then 2004 was pretty good because we got engaged. I graduated from CSULB in 2005, pretty darn good year.

Looking at it, 2006 was an excellent because we got married!

We were thrilled in 2007 to travel to Europe, and Kurt graduated from CSULB and then in 2008 we cruised to Alaska.

Without a doubt, 2009 was the BEST year (so far) because we had our son, Peter.

2009:

I started the year out about 3 months pregnant. Feeling better and safer to tell everyone in the world… That was a tough time because in July 2008 I had a miscarriage. (A horrible experience that was just terrible – If you, the reader needs to talk to someone about this subject, I’m glad to talk about it with you). So anyway, Yay, I was pregnant and my little baby was thriving!

I turned 30. Kurt and I went to the San Diego Zoo and saw the Pandas (my favorite!). My family threw me a wicked fun party. I got 30 balloons. I got a “Redbook” magazine from Christie (my hilarious Sister-in-law) because they are for 30 year olds. I ate a delicious cake that my adoring Mother made for me. I got diamond earrings. My co-workers threw me a fun work party and a not work party, too.

We bought a stroller, crib, baby bedding, clothing, all that jazz for a little baby boy. We named him just as soon as we knew it was a boy! At Easter time, I was more than halfway completed with my pregnancy. Excitement was building at our house! The nesting was in full swing. Kurt and I really started to go out and do things that you don’t do with a little baby. One things we did was go to the beach every weekend. We played in the sand and even played paddle ball. Kurt and my last “big  time” date was a Melting Pot dinner. We bought a fun game called Bananagrams. I became obsessed with it for a little while.

We had dinner with Matt and his fiancée Jessica just after they became engaged. Then later in the year, we went to their wedding where Kurt served as a groomsman. My co-worker/friend Carly got married. We threw her a wedding shower. What a fun time of life. I love weddings.

Our darling niece turned 4. We bought her balloons for her princess party. One balloon was a big mylar “4″ and it was bigger than her! That was in June so I was huge and ready to deliver in July (just 29 days later).

My Mom and I went to see André Rieu in concert at the Nokia Live Theatre in LA. We were excited to be there because that is the American Idol Finale venue. André and friends did not disappoint as usual.

I actually purchased and wore in public a pregnancy bathing suit. I wanted to experience being in a pool while pregnant. Since it was the summer and I was so pregnant, the water was amazing. It helped me relieve swelling and back pain. I left work on the last Friday in June. I got to babysit my niece the next Monday. We had so much fun together, me giantly pregnant and her cute as can be. She enjoyed watching our Roomba eat the floor dirt.

We enjoyed the 4th of July with our walk down to the beach for the fireworks. We rested over that weekend. Then Monday 6 July we went to the OB/GYN and he said I was ready. By 7pm while Kurt and I were at Mimi’s Café and my contractions were building. Luckily, our Doc was on call that night. We arrived at the hospital at 12 Midnight. We drove down PCH on a full moon over the ocean. So  gorgeous. I was scared it was a false alarm. Then we waited for the doctor he arrived at 12:11pm. Our baby was born at 12:18pm 7 July 2009. Not bad for 12 hours of work at the hospital. Our lives changed forever, for the better. Our baby is superb.

I quit my job to be a stay at home Mom. I love it. It is a great career with so much room for advancement. I am my own boss but I don’t get t0 set my own hours. As I gain experience I am developing a deeper level of satisfaction and love for the field.

So many firsts since July. First smile, laugh, roll, standing. grabbing, rice cereal, sweet potatoes, carrots, and on and on. He has been to church, Disneyland, Grandma Farley’s house, Uncle Blair and Aunt Christie’s on New Years Eve, Harbor House on Kurt’s b-day, sat on Santa’s lap, saw the homecoming game at HBHS, loved meeting Aunt Vonnie and his cousins at d-land. He wore a moustache, a raindeer costume, Doctor’s scrubs, a hospital gown, a skeleton outfit, lots of argyle socks, his first Osh Kosh B’Gosh overalls, a tam o’ shanter, a baseball hat, his first Mickey Mouse hat, and lots of impomptu hats made of toys (silly daddy). He has felt the pain of a catheter, the prick of many needles, the taste of daily antibiotics, the ultrasound wand and its warm gelly. He’s been as far as East to Orange, South to San Clemente, and North to West Los Angeles to visit UCLA.  He is growing very  quickly and nobody will be surprised to know he is very tall. He is very nearly 6 months old but he still has bright blue eyes. We are thinking they might just stay blue…we will see.

The New Year, 2010, offers us hope. But that hope exists every morning. It is through the Lord, our Saviour. This song comes to mind. It’s a very old song from when I was little…but my memory cannot forget songs.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases
His mercies never come to an end
They are new every morning
New every morning.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord.
Great is Thy faithfulness.

“This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the Lord.”—Lamentations 3:21-26

From our house to yours, we wish you a year full of lovingkindness, healing, health and righteous priorities. May you be stretched out of your comfort zones and seek to find something beyond yourself.

See all these pictures and more on our continuously updated Flickr page.