August at Grandma's

It was hot in Riverside topping out at 104 degrees!  Here are Erik and I cooling off in Papa's community pool.  Thank you Papa.  Of course Erik had to swim with a ball in each hand.

The next day we decided to play in a bucket of water.  Erik had fun splashing his ball and getting muddy.

The last couple of times at Grandma's we haven't taken a picture.  Obviously Erik wasn't really in the mood today either.

Erik falls asleep at lunch

Erik is not fond of taking naps however when he is tired he crashes.  So after a busy morning of playing and a full tummy he has been falling asleep at lunch!

Play date with Grace at Fashion Island

Grace is one of Erik's girlfriends.  She is everything a boy could dream of - cute, fun, smart and a great dancer.  Here they are dancing together at Fashion Island.

Here is a quick pose in their strollers. Notice Erik has his bear in one hand and his cell phone in the other.

Cool Dudes on the Vespa

Erik likes sitting on daddy's Vespa.  I mean who doesn't?  It looks cool and has buttons to push.  Today he and daddy struck a perfect pose.

Erik loves the water! Beach in the AM, Pool in the PM

Sundays are the best day of the week because they are our family day!  Since Erik decided last weekend that he loves the water, we decided to walk to the beach in the morning.  Today daddy ventured in the water with Erik.

Here is a cute video of daddy & Erik.

After lunch and a short nap, we were invited to the pool to play with our friends Kristin, Jim and McKenna.  A few months ago Erik tried swimming lessons and screamed and cried the entire 20 minute lesson.  We tried a second lesson & Erik cried the moment we walked into the building where the lesson was taught.  So we took a break...

And in true Erik form, when he was ready, he made the decision in his own time and know he loves the water.  I'm so glad we have learned not to push him and let him go at his own pace.

What a great smile and a happy boy!

Of course he has to have a ball in his hand,

Here's a cute photo of Jim, McKenna and Erik.  McKenna just turned 3 and has been swimming for over a year.  She is a great inspiration for Erik.

Here is a cute video of Erik who is a very strong kicker and the little Mermaid McKenna!

We Have a Soccer Player

This weekend we went to our local park at the beach called Heisler Park and daddy & Erik played a little soccer.

Erik Rides the Vespa

At our new home on Jasmine, Frank parks the Vespa right outside the front door.  Erik has been admiring it for some time and today he finally got to sit on it.

I'm number one!

Vroom vroom!

Erik Eats With a Fork

Over the last couple of months Erik has been mastering finger food.  Today was the first time he attempted feeding himself with a fork.  He is not a big fan of vegetables so I have so I mix in yogurt or fruit.  Today he was eating carrots and broccoli with yogurt mixed in.  

A little messy but pretty good for the first attempt!

Erik's new jumping game on daddy

Daddy affectionately calls this the "butt hammer"

Fifteen Month Dr. Appointment - April 30, 2012

Erik turned 15 months in April.  On April 30, I took him in for his 15 month check up.  He measured out at 32 inches and weighed in at 29 lbs!  That means he has grown nearly 13 inches and just under 21 lbs in his short life.

These numbers also put him close to the 90th percentile in both height and weight!  Both of the numbers might not be entirely accurate. He is not very tolerant of being stretched out on the table to be measured. He also hates taking his clothes of to be weighed and the weight does include the weight of his favorite stuffed bear we appropriately call - Blue Bear.  He held it with a death grip during the weigh in so his records appropriately reflect 29 lbs (with bear).

We also discovered that he had a bad ear infection and throat infection.  So good news and bad news.  He didn't have to get his shots but we have to go back in 10 days for recheck and shots.

Here is Erik and Blue Bear.

Erik loves his bears!

Grandma's House April 27, 2012

Erik loves going to Grandma's House in Riverside.  Erik and I try to go to my mom's once a month and spend the night so we get lots of quality time with Grandma.  We have able to make it almost every month since September 2010 when he started sleeping through the night a little more consistently.

Erik always has to have something in each hand no matter what he is doing - running, crawling up stairs, you get the idea.  When he plays outside, Erik has a fascination for sticks right now & since Grandma has a big back yard with some giant trees there are lots of sticks for him to play with.

Since he still puts most things in his mouth, we try to give him other things to play with.  Grandma has a lot of left over toys from her grand daughters Natalie and Olivia so some of Erik's toys are pink and girlie.  His favorites are a baton and a kid size broom.  We think it help's him stay sensitive.

 

Erik also likes Grandma's spinners

Not the best photo but you can see some of Erik's teeth.  He has 4 upper and 4 lower.

Cute one of Erik looking up at Grandma.  Notice a shovel in each hand.

Digging in the dirt is always fun!

Erik has the best smile!

OC Irvine Park - April 22, 2012

On April 22, 2012 our family went to Irvine Park for the first time.  We had a great day with our first visit to the zoo and a picnic in the park afterwards.  Erik even agreed to wear his hat most of the day & even sat down on the blanket for lunch.  Now that he can eat finger foods it makes a picnic so much fun!

Erik loves sticks when he plays outside.  One in each hand is his preference! 

We visited the petting zoo.  Erik was a little shy at first but then warmed up and got brave enough to even get down on the ground and touch a few goats.

Why Stinky Feet Adventures?

One of our nicknames for Erik is stinky feet.  Why?  Obviously because he has stinky feet!  As he grows older it only gets worse.  Each day when we give him a bath we take of his socks and peehew!  So out of that grew the name stinky feet!

Stinky is a bit of a theme in our house with Erik.  When Erik drank formula, we called this "milk" stinky milk.  Why?  Well it stunk!  Especially when it got old or came back up.  His formula of choice was Nutrimagen which has an unmistakeable odor which only gets more putrid for age.

He no longer drinks stinky milk but he does have stinky feet.

Stinky Feet Adventures

Better Late then Never

Erik just turned 14 months this week and I am finally starting his memory blog.  Better late then never, right?  Time takes on a whole new meaning when you have a child.  I think I blinked and a year flew by!

The primary purpose of this blog is to preserve memories, thoughts & videos for our son Erik.  It is also a way for family and friends to keep up with the latest adventures of Erik, or as we affectionately call him Stinky Feet!

I have so many thoughts and ideas on what I want to share & I wish I had started months ago.  So I will start with where we are now and add in archives of the past when I have a chance.

Erik Plays Basketball - He Shoots and Scores (sometimes)

One of Erik's favorite games is basketball.  At 14 months he is pretty good at it.  In this video he shoots and he ...

In this video Erik is quite proud of his baskets and daddy is his best cheerleader!

Erik Up Close in His First Car, A Cozy Coupe

Grandma gave Erik a special gift for his birthday - his very own car called a cozy coupe.  We keep it in the living room and push him around.  He loves it!  He especially loves going over what we call - rough terrain - which is the stone hearth under the fireplace.  Here is a video up close.  Daddy positioned the video right in front of his face for up close look at his smiles!

Erik Walks and Plays Soccer

Erik started walking on his own this week and already he knows how to kick the soccer ball!  He and daddy have been practicing for months in anticipation for this day.  Daddy is always thinking - scholarship!

Video of Erik & Mommy stomping feet - January 9. 2010

I wanted to test the video upload for the blog so I chose this one.

Erik loves to sit on the step between the dining and living rooms in our house and stomp his feet.  This is a video of him when he was just under a year old with me stomping his feet.