Big Day for Baby Elliott

Guess who is eating food now!  Little Elliott had his first taste of Rice cereal with us at dinner last night.  (I decided to try Earth's Best Organic, since there are no genetically engineered ingredients)

Let me tell you - this child was ready to eat!  He has been studying us using our utensils for weeks, and lately has been timing his own arm movements to act like he's putting something into his mouth at the same time we put our food into our mouths.

So it was no surprise last night when he started eating from the baby spoon almost immediately.  He loved it, and by the third spoonful was actually trying to take the spoon from me and put into his own mouth! 

Mom, I'm a pro already!

 The rest of the meal was quite messy as every time I put the spoon close to him he'd raise his fist to his mouth, knocking the spoon and the cereal everywhere in the process.  But boy, was he HAPPY!

When's the next meal??

Izaiah Wallis Update

Izaiah, after the accident

I am so excited and thrilled to share with you that I ran into Jacob Wallis and his son, Izaiah, at Costco today.  I blogged about him two years ago - here is a reminder of who this very special little boy is: Little Angel Izaiah Wallis

It was such a thrill for me to finally meet this little angel and catch up with his dad.  Izaiah was the picture of joy in his wheelchair as he waited for his Grama to load him into their specially designed van. 

And if that wasn't enough of a blessing, I also learned that there is a very big opportunity to continue to help this family right now.  They are one week away from moving into the house that they have been working on for so long.  SO many things have needed to be done for this house, renovations that I couldn't possibly think of in order to continue physically supporting and sustaining little Izaiah.

Jacob told me that they are hoping to round up volunteers this weekend to help finish preparing the house.  Drywall, tilework, and more is needed to get things ready for their move-in date, which in June 19.  Did you see tilework?  It just so happens we have a licensed tile contractor in our home..... :)  I am so thankful to God for giving our family this opportunity to serve this needy family.    Here is a link to a blog following the house prep:  http://passion4kids.wordpress.com/

Can you help the Wallis family too?  If you are in the area and can lend a hand it would be gratefully received.   The effort is being coordinated through Passion 4 Kids - http://www.passion4kids.com

But if you are far away, you can still help.  All of the medical bills, special equipment, round the clock nurses and more that the family needs are all paid for through fund raising and donations.  Would you consider donating to this family?  Pray about it and ask God what you should do - I have a feeling you'll feel the tug to contribute in some way. 

Here is the family's web site:  www.izaiahwallis.com

And if you are in the area, look for me in the brown Weekend of Service tshirt!

Summer is coming

Summer is coming and we at the Serrano house are finding all sorts of new ways to view summer activities.  Jason, now 3 1/2, will be continuing at his preschool, Vista Christian Pre School, but I might take him out one week for vacation bible school (aka VBS).  I have never done VBS, and have no idea what it is like yet, but judging by the flurry of activity from my Christian mom friends, it's apparently very popular.  I am learning more about it now.

Congratulations on becoming a licensed contractor!

Alberto is knee deep in work with his new business, J3 Services.  He passed the state exam to become a California licensed contractor earlier this year, and we have now begun efforts to get in touch with his old customers, collect testimonials, and get started on new projects.   He is also networking with a few general contractors in the San Diego area that are also beginning to send work his way.  Take a look at the J3 website when you can:  http://www.j3contractorservices.com

I am busy learning how to be a stay-at-home mom, even though I am still doing some contract consulting work.  More often than not, though, I find myself trying to remember what my routine should be.  Between laundry, housework, cooking and taking care of Elliott, it is a full-time job! 

And speaking of Elliott, he is (as always) AWESOME! :)  We had his 4 month check-up today, and I learned the following stats:


Such a happy boy!  Elliott on May 28, 2012

Age - 4 months, 3 days
Height - 26 inches (75-90 th percentile)
Weight - 16 lbs 6 oz (75 th percentile)
Head circumference - 41.5 cm (just below 50 th percentile)

Everyone remarks on how big he is, which is ironic since he was so little when he was born.  It has literally been in the last month that he has grown out of 3 month clothing and is now in 6 to 9 month clothing!!

His pediatrician says he is excellent in every way and couldn't be better.  He also recommended I start him on eating solids (starting with cereal of course).  What do you think?  I know that it's normal to start between 4 & 6 months, but I don't know if I am ready yet!  :)

Here are some lovely photos of our beautiful boys.  Some are better than others, as we had to buy a new and improved camera after I accidentally dropped ours on the pier in Oceanside.  I only went without a camera for a week and was still about to go stircrazy!  I guess I really am a technology junkie.



The Serrano Family - May 6, 2012

I believe this is the first full family photo we have taken. We are at the Carlsbad Street Fair in May.

Me and my boys on Mother's Day



Our friend Mimi turned us on to Dream Dinners - this is one of the meals: "Family Pizza Night".  The boys had so much fun making their own pizzas! April 21, 2012

What a big boy!  We are still amazed at how fast Jason is growing.  May 27, 2012

And speaking of technology, here is my new hobby - Pinterest!   Have you been on Pinterest yet?  It took me about a day to figure it out, but it is really fun to see all the cool ideas and images from people, and I have already benefitted from it by finding some amazing blogs on being a great housewife and mom, easy quilting tips and ideas and recipes to try for the family. 

We are enjoying our new home immensely, and have the friendliest and most considerate neighbors possible.  The multiple playgrounds around the neighborhood are going to be great for Elliott as he starts to be mobile.  I am looking forward to an awesome summertime with him!