Brinson Elizabeth Katherine Zaldivar

Outside in November

2011-11-13T19:46:00.000-06:00

Being able to have beautiful days like this a just priceless.

Look at the speed and fun this child is having on her tricycle.

Halloween

2011-10-31T22:38:00.000-05:00

Brinson was so funny this year. She knew exactly who she wanted to be.

"Tangled" aka Rapunsel

When it came time to pick out the costume, the hair is a major component. And she picked....well shoot just look.

Dominos with the Grandparents

2011-10-23T11:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you just capture moments that are just special. This was one of those times.

Arizona trip

2011-10-14T18:32:00.000-05:00

My cousin Jennifer was getting married and we decided to make it a family trip out of the visit. So we tacked on a few days after the wedding to stay in Sedona and visit a few sites like the Grand Canyon.

The last time I went to the Grand Canyon it was sort of the trip from hell. What could go wrong did! And of course traveling in the car for a million hours with 2 small boys beating the heck out of each other...and arguing about the line...."don't cross the line" "I saw you one my side"....etc. You get the idea.

Our trip was much more subdued. Brinson was a real trooper. Did great in the car and even though having a fever much of the trip, she really did not complain. Brinson used Mommy's iPad and her MobiGO....so really she was very distracted.

In Phoenix (wedding location), we had a little family reunion. It was really nice to get everyone together.

Scott's perfect spiral. Funny joke, because Jennifer could throw a better spiral than he could.

Riding on the train at the park where my cousin got married

Learning to roll down the hill

While also in Arizona we explored the Desert Arboretum.

The Monarch Butterfly exhibit was really neat.

Then we went to Sedona. And explored the Red Rock park.

And there she is playing the MobiGo!

On the way

Yes that is snow. We were up in the mountains in Arizona...

At the Grand Canyon

Captured in airport

My 2 favorite girls

2011-09-17T20:11:00.001-05:00

I had to add this one, I just happened to catch her smiling.

The Marley Encounter

2011-09-17T20:09:00.000-05:00

Here she is walking in.....shy, but like she owns the place. During the summer they do these encounters 2 times a day 7 days a week. So this was not her first rodeo.

BTW that is Lisa's foot. I think the green paint is still there where her toenail was standing on Lisa's sandal.

Look what Marley made for us.

Tricycle and Plasma car

2011-09-17T20:04:00.000-05:00

Texting while driving is illegal, but is singing while driving?

Brinson and Shoes

2011-09-17T19:57:00.001-05:00

I asked Brinson you wanna go outside and play, she said "Yes, let me get my shoes". I just decided to see what takes so long. This day was really no different than any other day. I took a few random shots as she picked through her shoes. Pretty much just like her mom....can't make up her mind and takes too long.

Cell phone pics from Moody Gardens

2011-08-16T10:47:00.005-05:00

Here are some random cell phone pics. Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera charger, so it died partly into the second day.

Nap time

Tough girl

Safari girl

Dinner Saturday at hotel

Who is that masked butterfly?

Loving on her new Dora doll

On the Colonel Paddlewheel

It was hot, hot, hot!!!

Palm Beach Waterpark

Ned (in red hat) and B at top of pic

Vampire teeth smile

Hotel pool (water was ice cold!)

Lunch at The Spot on seawall blvd before heading home

Galveston Moody Gardens 2011

2011-08-16T09:40:00.014-05:00

We took a mini vacation to Galveston this past weekend. We stayed at the Moody Gardens Hotel and explored the Gardens. Brinson had a lot of fun. It was pretty hot, but at least we were inside/outside. We did the Rainforest pyramid, Aquarium pyramid, Penguin Encounter, Dinos Alive, 3D Bugs on IMAX, 4D Dora adventure, Colonel Paddlewheel boat, Bones exhibit at Discovery museum, and Palm Beach waterpark. A lot of stuff to do in 2 1/2 days but we managed to do it! And a few things we even managed to do twice. We got home yesterday in time for Brinson's first day of school today. It was really nice. I'm glad we did it, even if it was a flogging...lol

I am going to make a separate post with my cell phone pics, I couldn't get them organized well to put them in this post.

Time to start the day!! Wakey wakey!

Brinson was ecstatic to see Dora walking around at breakfast, her lil face just lit up!

Hugs for Dora

Waving bye bye to Dora

Inside the hotel lobby

Posing like Dora

Gettin ready!

Entrance

Safari girl playing with the river otter

He was really cute and very playful

Looking at a butterfly on the bottom of the bench

Closer view

She loved walking thru the ropes

Playin in the water (yuck)

Playing in the air vent, Wheeeeee!

Carrion flower, smells like something dead

Birdy

Lizard

Monkeys!

The 3 Musketeers lol

Ready for fun!

Exercising at the Bones Exhibit

Coloring a skull

And one!

And two!

Life size Operation game

Grrrrrrr!

Dinos Alive

She was all happy when we entered....

Then the dino roared....lol

She went to touch this one's face, and right before she got to it, it roared, and she freaked lol!

No, mommy! I don't want to touch it

At least there was no crying!!

Rainforest pyramid (I think)

My Favorite Fish!!! Yellow headed Jawfish

Seahorse in center of pic

Another seahorse

Watching the fish/sharks/turtles with Daddy

Aquarium pyramid

Feeling coral

Boy, what a system!

Swimming like a shark

In the shark cage with Mommy

This was dinner last night at Cheddars.....exhausted!

Update on B's vision

2011-08-10T21:28:00.003-05:00

Brinson saw Dr. Coats yesterday for a 3 month checkup. We got good news and some surprisingly bad news also. The good news is that her vision has improved a bit since her last visit. The bad news is that she's legally blind in her left eye. Now, while Ned and I knew she had the amblyopia, neither of us knew just how bad her vision was. We knew she had bad vision, but were under the impression that it was corrected somewhat with glasses. They said it's obviously from the prematurity, her retina just didn't develop properly in that eye. Her CORRECTED vision (with glasses) is 20/40 in her right eye and 5/300 in her left. I was trying so hard to not cry in the doc office. When they tell you "if her vision doesn't worsen she might be able to drive a car when she's older" and "they have an eye clinic where they can help her with eye exercises" and "she can have a form from the state for when she goes to school to have her sit in the front of the classroom, have large print books, and possibly a tutor to help her learn" that was a lot to digest.
We are going back to patching her eye daily. We are starting off at 2 hrs/day and working our way up to 6hrs/day. She did really well today with 3 hrs. This may or may not help her bad eye, but it's the only thing we can do at this point. She's a real trooper and understands why we have to do it. So far she likes playing "pirate" with Mommy.
She goes back to the doc in October for another assessment. And we won't know for sure where her vision stabilizes until she reaches puberty. All we can hope for is that it gets better and doesn't worsen (which is also a possibility).
Send your prayers this way please.

Lil Picasso

2011-08-06T21:43:00.001-05:00

Misc Brinson

2011-08-06T21:40:00.001-05:00

Circus 2011

2011-08-06T21:22:00.005-05:00

Brinson got to see her first Barnum & Bailey Circus last month. The whole family went with the exception of Grandfather. We thought he would be in Trinidad, but it ended up he was here...It was alot of fun, just a little long for adults..lol We got to see the animals for a few mins before the circus started. I think B could've cared less..lol
By her reaction, I'd say she liked the trapeze act the best. She made it through about 2/3 and then passed out. I'm just glad we got to expose her to it. Hopefully next year she'll get more out of it.

Walkin in with Grampa

Group photo

Watchin the elephants with Daddy

Beginning

Eatin a hot dog...she LOVES that hat!

This was about midway

Silly clowns

Only in Texas..lol

This was at the end, unfortunately my battery died right after this shot.

Sticker girl

2011-08-06T21:11:00.004-05:00

Okay, it's been a long time since we've posted anything! Life gets busy and we don't always get the time to post. Our best friends, the Baldwins, moved to California mid July and we were very sad to see them go but wish them the best! I had a really nice weekend in Vegas with Ned in mid July as well. Man, I love that city! We are taking a lil mini vacation to Galveston next week before B starts back to school. In September, B has her tonsillectomy scheduled. Will be so glad to get that over with. I'm hoping we will have much less sickness this winter than last. Then in October Ned's cousin Jenn is getting married so we are flying out for that in Arizona. We decided to expose B to the southwest so we are taking some extra days to go to the Grand Canyon and toodle around Sedona/Flagstaff. Then in November we are spending Thanksgiving in Indiana. Should be alot of fun as we will have a new member to the Tatman family!!! And somewhere after that we hope to head out to Cali to visit the Baldwins. I really miss them.

Ok, so back to the posting...

This kiddo loves stickers. When she's quiet in the backseat, this is what she is usually up to.

Last visit with Baldwins at their house

2011-07-09T18:24:00.000-05:00

Our last visit with the Baldwins before the headed to California (permantly). It was a good visit, but also sad, because likely we would not see them for a while.

Zachary and Brinson played, and we all had great conversation about what was to come. Stephen showed me a mock of his business card and Kim shared all worries her about the transfer.

It is sad to see them go.

Jamaica!!!!

2011-06-25T16:36:00.023-05:00

We just got back yesterday after 7 blissful days in Montego Bay, Jamaica. It was our first
"family" vacation and the first vacation period in over 4 years. We stayed at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort which had a Waterpark which we took advantage of everyday.
Everything went well, it's just a flogging traveling with a child. Meme went with us too and we all had alot of fun. The Jamaicans are so very friendly and I don't think I saw a frown the entire time we were there.
Brinson had gotten sick right before vacation with her tonsils/ears. The flight went fine, however we did end up taking her to the doc after our first night there. They gave her some serious cough meds and she was much better quickly.
Of course we took a ton of pics, and I'm sure Ned will be posting the ones he took fairly soon. My videos will come a bit later, I need to lighten them up. They were taken at night when B was dancing!
Can't wait to see where we go next year!!!

**We had to drop Meme off at the airport this morning to go back to Indiana. It was especially hard for me because she has been here for a long time, and it's always hard to see her leave.

On a sad note, 4 days before we left for vacation we had to put down our 14 year old cat Jade. I'm just glad I got to be with her, and she didn't die while we were gone. She was the first cat Ned and I got back in 1997. So as if I didn't need this vacation bad enough....

Finally made it to Jamaica yay!

View from our room

Mango tree just out of reach from our deck...damn!

Another view from the balcony

Outdoor lounging

Beautiful lights (note Ned and B walking)

Pool and courtyard

Almost to the beach.....Ned and B were hurrying

Seaside Grill

Ocean!!!!

More ocean views

Eating lunch...man we were hot..and starving

Ned and B

Testing out the water

Therrre's Meme

Someone who had mad skills had done these earlier in the day

View of hotel from their dock

Squint and you can see Ned, B and Meme

Having so much fun

In the pool with Meme

Waterpark and Lazy River

Relaxing on those inner tubes were great. There was a huge slide there, Ned took all those pics.

Great current too! You really moved!

Our Waterpark cabana

Back to the beach

Center of photo farrrrrr away in distance...Ned returning from diving

One of the beach cabanas we rented

Those guys running the sailboats were crazy, mon!

Our sweet and very special friend Tricia! She took such good care of us and pampered us beyond belief. Respect, mon! Love ya girl

This is "Swiper". Brinson kept calling out to him when we were in the cabana. LOL!

Little friend

This is Julian and his band. They played every night we were there. Wait till you see all the pics of Brinson dancing! She loooooved the music and we had to tear her away every night.

Sittin and dancin with Meme

One night they had a magic show for the kids

Silly magician and his "victim" lol

Flower child

My island girl

On one of Ned's dives, they speared a Lionfish and the chef cooked it up for lunch

Even Brinson liked it

Just chillin

Utterly pooped

Local flora

Tile inlays at the entrance to the spa

More inlays

Something was always going on

More flora

What you don't see is right after this pic was taken, our lovely child knocked over two of those HUGE baskets...lol It was an I Love Lucy moment for sure.

At Luna di Mare restaurant

B was ill that night (think it was her meds)

Spoon girl!

Loving the hibiscus

Yummm Smells good Mommy

Island gerl fer sure!

Sailboats and a big tube/raft/thingie...was like a trampoline on water

More sailboats

There were 30 mph winds on this day and the sailing dudes were rockin it. He's sideways!

Closer view

More sailin pics...i just loved watchin those guys

Cabana by the ocean

So peaceful

Ned and B going back to the room

Front of hotel

Mammoth coconut palms!!!

Another huge palm

Those apparently are "palm seeds" (no pun intended)

The brown blob in the center is a huge ants nest waaaaaaay up in the tree.

Me!

Meme and B with one of the hotel employees (Meme kept telling B the guy was a policeman and she better behave)

Shops at the airport

Lovin da Marley mon!

That place had awesome clothes for kids

Yeah, I'd say Brinson had a great vacation!!!!!!

March Randomness

2011-06-10T21:17:00.002-05:00

Dance Class

2011-06-05T09:34:00.001-05:00

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Swimming on Memorial Day

2011-06-05T09:25:00.003-05:00

Brinson & I got an invite by the Kirk's so we took advantage. Thanks for having us.

Nana's bday gift

2011-04-03T23:01:00.003-05:00

Thanks to craft ideas from friends, Brinson made this for Nana for her bday today. We painted the board white, and the bluebonnet petals are her thumbprints. She did all the painting on the front with her fingers, and Mommy did the back. Nana loved it!

Hey it's Jamaica,mon!

2011-04-03T22:57:00.002-05:00

Oh Lordy, I laughed and laughed at this. They are so silly.

Brinson singing with Adele

2011-04-03T22:45:00.002-05:00

She moved her chair to the tv, and got her mic all by herself! So cute!

Brinson, Daddy and Marshmellow...oh my

2011-03-18T18:52:00.001-05:00

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Blueberry pancakes

2011-03-13T15:16:00.003-05:00

Brinson helped Daddy make blueberry pancakes this morning. They were yummy!

Playing Dress Up

2011-03-12T23:18:00.003-06:00

Brinson did this ALL on her own. I was cleaning up the kitchen, and I hear "Mommy, tutu" coming from the hall. I grabbed my camera and started shooting! Get ready to laugh, she's just precious. (What I didn't get however was a lil later she put on even more clothing. I swear she looked like a bag lady)

Off the topic a bit, B has a sleep study at Texas Children's tomorrow night. Only one of us is allowed to stay with her AND no electrical powered devices will be allowed...wtf. I had to dig thru the bookshelves today to find an actual PAPERBACK to take tomorrow. They will be placing all these electrodes on her to monitor breathing, heart rate, etc. Oh yeah, and once you get into the room you CANNOT leave till 7am. Does this seem like any fun yet?
And yet they expect her to "sleep normally". Right. I may take the camera just for grins, to see if I can get a funny shot or two.

Dinner and a shake

2011-03-12T23:13:00.002-06:00

We had dinner tonight at 59 Diner. Brinson loved the jukebox, she was obsessed with it. I still had my camera in my purse from the bday party earlier in the day. I managed to get some cute shots of her and Ned.

Showing her the music

Shhhhh! Secrets!

Ned helping her drink the milkshake

I love this picture!

New shades

2011-03-12T23:11:00.003-06:00

Lydia's 3rd birthday party

2011-03-12T22:50:00.005-06:00

The past 3 Saturdays have all been busy with parties! Today it was Lydia's turn! She is turning 3 also! It was a lot of fun. We were so happy to have been invited.
We ate, played, sang, ate some more and left exhausted! I took alot of pointers from Allison which we will implement next year. :)

Lydia and Allison

Peek a boo...Lydia and B inside

It was a beautiful day

"Heyyy Kim"

Birthday girl on the slide...Wes labored alot getting the playard done and the mulch and landscaping. It really looked great.

Pro rock wall climber

Cake!!

The Baldwins

Look at that ham!

Time to blow out the candles

"You really want me to wear this?!?"

Gifts!!

Lookie there....My bag matched her shirt perfectly!

My sweethearts

Bug Infestation!!

2011-03-12T22:34:00.005-06:00

This month at B's school, they are learning all about bugs. I watched her paint bugs last Tues and now we have managed to make everyone in the family one! B picked out the paper color, the paint color, the eyes, how many antennae, how many legs. I was just the manpower!
Meme took hers home before I could get a pic of it!

St. Patty's day a lil early

2011-03-10T15:38:00.002-06:00

Since spring break is next week, today was St. Patty's Day at B's school. She's our lucky charm!

Brinson's 3rd birthday party!!!

2011-03-08T18:55:00.015-06:00

This past Saturday we had Brinson's 3rd birthday party. We were a little concerned when we woke up to rain. Rainy, cold...I was mortified. I hadn't prepared for 35+ people INDOORS. Thank Heaven by 3pm the weather was nice so the kiddos and adults could play outside. We had an awesome time. Brinson made out like a bandit again with all her birthday loot! I cannot believe she is 3!!!!
We had some new faces this year for the party. NICU podmate Morgan Manley came with her folks, B's classmates Lilyana and Megan came with their parents, Ned's co-worker Shawn Kirk and his family, our dear friends The Hardy's with their daughter Isa, and also someone very special to us, Megan Johnson who brought her daughter Ella. Megan was my Labor and Delivery nurse at Women's hospital. She was with us when we delivered Cooper and Brinson. She did our mold of Cooper's hand and footprints. She will always have a special place in our hearts.
And next year, I'm thinking...party somewhere other than home. :)

Before the crowd arrived

We even decorated Midian's cage

Daddy and the birthday girl

Minnie Mouse

Family

Me holding Zachary and Kim holding Brinson

Munchies!

Abuelo, Uncle Mike, and B

I took this one!!!

"Need a lift?!?"

Look at that masterpiece

Aunt Heather and B

The Tolberts and Jim Manley

Me with Megan

Zachary- King of the Hill

Dava and Stephen

B scaling the rock wall

Eric Hardy and Isa, Uncle Mike and Heather

B's classmate Megan and her mom Marie

B's classmate Lilyana and her parents along with Z and Kim

B and Megan

B and Ella

Wes and Lydia Tolbert, Kristi, Katelyn, Mckenna and Z

Isabella Hardy, Look at that smile!

Playin a lil ball

Dy and Mckenna

Eric, Ned, Heather, and Audra Hardy

Uncle Mike and Nana

Notice the Kirks and Chad Poeck (Dava's hubby) using our fine new front lawn furniture.

Meme chatting with the kiddos

Time for gifts!!

Opening her gift from Maddie Kirk. It was so cute, Maddie handmade B some artwork!!

How's this for names....left to right, Momo, Michele (Kirk), Megan and Marie!!!

Momo and Audra

The Manleys

Time for cake!

Wooot...she blew out her candle!

Momo

Meme

Nana

Grandfather

Dy and B

Dy, Meme and B on her new tricycle from Meme

Lots of schtuff!

After the party, the Baldwins hung out with us and had dinner. Do the kids look pooped?

My lil Monkey. I love you.

Happy Birthday to our angel

2011-03-03T09:12:00.002-06:00

3 years ago we said good-bye to Cooper. Rest in peace our sweet little angel.

Z-man's 3rd birthday party!

2011-02-28T22:05:00.005-06:00

This past Saturday the 26th was Zachary Baldwin's 3rd birthday party. I cannot believe it has already been 3 years! We got to see old friends, and meet some new ones too. The weather held out and there was an awesome breeze.

Good fun, Good food, and Good friends...what more could you ask for?!?

The birthday boy

The Rahmans (Sami, Laura, Noah and Maya)

Z's Daddy made his awesome birthday cake....again!

Z loves his Toy Story!

Lydia Tolbert

There's B messing with her hat!

Cutting the cake. Look at skinny minnie there! Kim's lost a bunch of weight.

Looking good girlie!! We are proud of her!

Family and friends

Gamma Marla with the birthday boy

Marianna Krancher and her lil one Niko

Marla had Z and B riding with her.

Time to open gifts!!

"Hmmm....which one to open??"

The Krancher family (their other son Zakary is at the top of the rock wall,

and there's Lydia and Brinson

And even more presents!!!

Rodeo Days 2011

2011-02-24T21:35:00.006-06:00

Today was Rodeo Day at Brinson's school. The kids had fun. They played games like "putting beans in a pot", hay bales, stick ponies, etc. Afterwards, they came in and had hot dogs. We sang songs and danced. It was a good time!!!! Brinson loves her cowboy hats!
I'll tell you what wasn't fun tonight. Bathing Brinson with two scraped knees and a blister from her boots. She was not a happy camper.

"Yeeee-haw!"

Up front with Mrs. Campbell

Putting beans in the "fire"

Sitting next to her friend Carter

Waiting her turn

Horseshoes

Cowgirl

2011-02-23T23:15:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow is Rodeo Day at B's school, so we had a dry run today. Poor thing, her boots are apparently too big so they came off alot. But hey, that's the price a girl has to pay to look awesome!!!!

"Ack! This hat won't sit right Mom"

I love this pic

"How bout this pose? This ok?"

"Yee-haw!"

First haircut!

2011-02-23T22:45:00.006-06:00

I know, I know...Just how many pictures can you take of a kid's haircut? Alot if it's her first one!!!!!
I decided on the fly yesterday to go get B's hair cut. Thanks to my stylist at TGF, Celina for doing a good job! Brinson was so good, and so patient. She kept telling them to turn the music "Louder". It was really funny. The only thing she wasn't crazy about was when they sprayed her hair with the cold water from the bottle. Other than that she was awesome.

"You're gonna do what?"

"Hey this is not cool"

"Gee I better be still, otherwise who knows what this lady will do to me."

"Nah, I'm not really happy with that length, can you take off more?"

"Wooooweeee I have bang-age!"

"Color? No, no color!"

"Yeah, blow it dry up like that, with a curl..."

"Hey! What the...?"

"Whew, glad that's done...thought they were gonna kill me in there."

To me she looks so much older in this pic.

Ned's 40th birthday

2011-02-23T22:21:00.003-06:00

This past Saturday we had an informal birthday party for Daddy! He turned the big 4-0! We spent the afternoon at Dave and Busters bowling and playing games. Sadly the Baldwins couldn't make it because poor lil Z-man was running a fever. All is well now. He's on meds and is on the mend!

Abuelo, Aunt KD and Nana

Daddy and Grampa showing B how it's done

Ouch!

Uncle Mike and Daddy catching up

Tres Leches cake! Cappuccino flavored even!

And ah-one!

And ah-two....Ta Dah!

Birthday Boy

Meme trying out a ball...she managed to bowl even though her back hurt...Crazy!

Mommy attempting to bowl....

Update

2011-02-23T22:16:00.004-06:00

I know it's been a long time since we've posted. We've all been fighting sickness since before Christmas. It's been a rough holiday season this year. We were told that Brinson would be sick during her first year of school, but oh boy. They were NOT kidding. In the past month, she's had bronchitis, viral rash, pneumonia, and bronchitis again which she is currently taking medication for.
Last week Brinson had her evaluation at the school district to see if she qualified for more services since the ECI program sees her until she's three. I am very happy to report that she totally did NOT qualify AND is at a 4 yr old level for most of the cognitive stuff. She was saying things in there to the teacher that I didn't even know she knew. She is just talking up a storm and mimicking. As a matter of fact just today she was walking around the house saying "Mommy says (pause) Brinson Come here Come here!" She is making longer sentences and it's like a switch was flipped. Cindy (speech therapy) saw her for the last time this week. So now we are done with all therapies! Yay!!!!

On a different note, Mom's back has been a real problem for her. She's been to the pain doctor here numerous times for injections. She's now having some testing done, and it looks like surgery is an ultimate solution.

Needless to say between all the issues, we've not had a chance to get out and do very much at all.

Cmon Spring!!!

Being silly with Mommie

2011-01-17T14:10:00.001-06:00

Holiday Season Pics

2011-01-15T14:29:00.006-06:00

Nana and Brinson matching aprons thanks to Aunt Barb or Nana Barb as Brinson would say.

My Sweetie and I

Barrel of Monkeys!!!

Nana Barb

Every year the chair just keeps shrinking

Nice Jacket....Grampa!

Best Gift of All!!!

Peek a boo from the pop tent Grandma (or MoMo) and Grandfather gave her

There is MoMo!

Meme with Brinson

Like that that smiley girl!

My Sweetheart

My 2 favorite girls!

My last post of 2010

2010-12-31T21:54:00.002-06:00

It has been a very stressful week. Brinson had been doing some coughing which steadily increased. We took her to the doc where they told us her lungs were tight and she was wheezing. She's been diagnosed with Reactive Airway Disease and has now been on oral steroids since weds and nebulizer treatments every 3 hours round the clock. This afternoon we went to every 4 hours. Her coughing seemed to get better but now seems about the same. We came very close to going to the ER on weds night because she was just coughing constantly. Scared the hell outta me. Meme started giving her ice chips and that broke up the cough and gave her a break. Then she woke up this morning with pus draining from her ear. I had some antibiotic drops on hand so started using them. Thank God she doesn't have fever (Knock on wood). Ned and I are wiped out.

Meme has been here since the 19th and has been having back pain. She also had fallen on the ice about 4 days prior to her trip. It got so bad today that she couldn't walk. I ended up taking her to the ER and they gave her a pain shot and took some xrays. She already has an appt with an orthopod this coming Weds, so we just need to get her pain under control till then. She's doing better now and has gotten some relief.

What a way to close out 2010!!

Bring on the New year!!!! I'm ready for 2011!!!!!

Zaldivar Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T20:00:00.008-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. I have the best family in the world! We got up Christmas morning and Brinson got to play with her gifts from Santa before we loaded up the car and headed to Nana and Grampa's house. It was just awesome seeing her reaction. She was so excited she didn't know what to do.
Our tradition is to eat breakfast with them and then start in on the stockings and gifts. It was a marathon event this year. I surprised Ned with a watch and an EZY Roller car and he totally suprised me with diamond earrings and my Kitchenaid mixer I really wanted!! My mom is so sneaky. She was supposed to just get a spa gift certificate for Ned and she got one for me also.
Dinner was ham and turkey so by the end of the night, we were full and completely wiped out! As you'll see in the following pics, even Brinson passed out after breakfast. Now we have to wait another year to do it all over again!!!! We missed Uncle Mike and Aunt KD, they went to North Carolina to visit her family for the holidays.

Christmas Eve

And the stockings were hung by the chimney....

Cookies for Santa and water for Rudolph (His nose turns the water red after he drinks)

Seeing her Dancing Dora for the first time

Wearing her pink tiara, isn't that just cute?!?

Santa brought her an easel!

Not sure about that doll

Taking a closer look

Meme's face is hilarious (Daddy's explaining the doll to Brinson)

There's Daddy!

Hey, no pics of me!

Pappy and Meme with Brinson at Nana's house

Opening gifts with Daddy

Peek-a-b00

Corporate America, watch out!

Reading one of her Diego books from Daddy

Nana opening up her new coffee maker

Hey whadya know, Meme got one too!! Suprise!

Meme, Grampa, B and Nana

Toooooo many OJ martinis!

Meme with her gifts

No, I'm not hinting at anything Meme lol!

Brinson's loot

Ned opening his watch from me

Grampa, Grandfather and Momo eating dessert with B

Yummy apple pie and ice cream

Cheers! Merry Christmas!

Grandfather showing off his custom egg carton labels (That I did, i might add!!)

Sharing eskimo kisses with Grampa

Brinson seeing her gifts from Santa for the first time.

Happy Holidays

2010-12-24T12:02:00.002-06:00

A step up from last year's pic where she was crying! Merry Christmas and Happy 2011 to everyone! Have a safe and fun holiday!

Festival of Lights 2010

2010-12-18T10:03:00.006-06:00

Another yearly tradition we have is a "Ladies Night Out". Kit suprises all of us with an outing/dinner. This year Brinson got to join us. We went to the Festival of Lights and Imagine Christmas Show dinner at Moody Gardens in Galveston.

Man, oh man, was it cold near the water! The breeze off the bay was so colllllllllllld.....we bundled Brinson up! She looked like a little eskimo.

After we did the light show, we had an awesome dinner and then a musical christmas show. One of the acts was a kite flying spectacle. One of the flyers looked familar to me. For those of you who watched America's Got Talent last season, you'll know who Connor Doran is. He was there flying his kite. It was beautiful.

Brinson had a total blast. She sang and danced. It was alot of fun! Thanks Nana!

Angels

Eskimo Brinson

Aunt Kd, Nana, and Brinson

Only in Texas...Santa on an inner tube...lol

Meerkats

The view across the Bay

Brrrrr!!!

Kissy fishies

I tried to get a pic of Brinson with Sponge Bob, but she was having none of it.

Ho-Ho-Ho!

In front of a gingerbread house

Lights everywhere!

Unfortunately I only managed one picture inside at the dinner/show. It didn't come out so I only have the light show.

Elf Bake Shop party

2010-12-18T09:07:00.004-06:00

This past Thursday was Brinson's Xmas party at school. The parents had to wait patiently outside the classroom until our little elves came to get us. They had cute little aprons they had made along with baker chef's hats!!!

We made cookie recipe jars, ate pizza, and got to watch them sing Jingle Bells and I'm a little Snowman. She's doing better at school, just in time for a 2 week break lol.

When we got back after Thanksgiving break, we had to "reprogram" her. I had to pick her up early a few times because the teacher told me she just wouldn't stop crying. :( We had finally made it ALL day, BOTH days this past week. She loves the teachers and they adore her too.

Putting her in this classroom was one of the best things we've ever done for her. She is so much more social and verbal now.

One of the father's came up to me at the party and told me how precious Brinson was. He then told me how his daughter talks about her all the time at home. I think this is the same lil girl who says "Brinson, Brinson, Brinson, Brinson" when she comes to class. Soooooo cute! I'm seeing future playdates here!

They even covered the class window..lol

Look at our precious lil elf!

The room was decorated so sweet!

Holiday cookie jar station

Examining the table decorations

Looking at her ornament she made

Doing stickers with Daddy

The class tree!

Mrs. Campbell, one of her teachers

Mommy helping Brinson make the holiday cookie jar

Love this picture

Kiddos getting ready to sing, that's Brinson bending over

Brinson's in the striped pants, that's her little buddy in the foreground

First recital

2010-12-18T08:56:00.002-06:00

After going to see snow earlier in the day, Brinson had her first "dance recital". They sang and danced to a funkified version of Itsy Bitsy Spider. It was just awesome to see her, and it made me realize how much and how fast she's growing up. All of the family made it, with the exception of Uncle Mike who was out of the country on a business trip.

In typical Brinson fashion, when the song was over, she stood on the stage saying "More!" and doing the sign for it. Too funny!

She's behind the teacher, not sure if you can see her.

There she is on the right, they crawled out on stage at the beginning.

There she is at the end of the show, wanting "More!"

Snow!

2010-12-17T23:44:00.004-06:00

Last weekend we headed out to Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital where Nana works. They were having a winter party complete with snow! We tried to get more pictures with Santa, but B didn't want any part of that. She was pretty tired so our visit was short. She had alotta fun and so did we!

Teaching her how to throw

Brrrr, that's cold

"Don't eat the yellow snow!!"

They had cute decorations

Riding the train with Abuelo

That's as close to Santa as we got

Riding the train with Nana

Christmas on the Farm 2010

2010-12-17T23:20:00.004-06:00

Christmas on the Farm is quickly becoming a yearly tradition for us and the TBFC! Brinson got to see Santa and have her picture taken with him. There were no tears this year! I just mailed out the Xmas cards yesterday.

After pictures we went out to lunch with the Bookers and friends. It was really great to see everyone.

Before leaving the house.

Cutie pie!

Writing her letter to Santa.

Candy cane!

Cuddling with Dy

"Cheese!"

Showing Kristi her candy cane

I looove this face!

More letter writing.....her list is big this year lol :P

Wearing Valerie's sunglasses

With Daddy

Posing.....such a cutie pie

"Ta-dahhhh" with Katelyn

Playing in the corn

The ornament her and I made (that's her handprint)

Playin around

Singin to music on Valerie's phone

Dr. Gottesman 2010

2010-12-17T23:16:00.001-06:00

Last month I had my yearly visit to see Dr. Gottesman. It's the ritual now to take a picture of the two of them.

Isn't that cute how she's leaning in towards him? :)

Thanksgiving

2010-12-05T09:18:00.004-06:00

Thanksgiving was a small gathering with a small bird.

Brinson helping prepare the meal with Mommie and Momo

Yummy, Mac n Cheese

And this is how not to carry a stroller up the step

Not so serious meeting of the Grandpas!

Mommie and Brinson, good smiles

Aunt KD and a sleepy Brinson

So random

2010-12-02T18:26:00.005-06:00

Thanksgiving Feast at The Woods

2010-11-18T21:28:00.007-06:00

Today Ned and I went to the feast at Brinson's school. It was really cool getting to see her interact and also meeting the other parents. They had Chik Fil-A nuggets, carrots, bananas, grapes, pumpkin bread and juice for lunch. She did fairly well with her eating today. After lunch they sang two songs for us. Sooooo cute. I kept tearing up the whole time lmfao...

I will be posting videos later as soon as I figure out how to work the new program Ned installed.

Brinson loves school and we are so glad we enrolled her! We can tell a difference with her socially and she's talking more!!!!!

Outside the classroom

It was story time when I arrived today (Brinson has the yellow hair bow)

Her placemat she made...i love it!!!!

Playin in the kitchen

The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep!

Lunchtime! That's Dillon, her new friend on her left.

"I made this Mama"

A rarity...Brinson with a mouthful of food

Juice!

Singing

Her class all made their tee shirts!

Family pic! Thanks Mrs. Haynes for taking it!

Pictures at the local Pumpkin Patch.

2010-11-13T08:42:00.005-06:00

Coloring with Mommy

*see previous post about pumpkin carving to see what we did with the pumpkins

Meee-ooowww!!!

2010-11-13T08:40:00.000-06:00

Visiting the Baldwins

2010-11-06T08:53:00.003-05:00

Before Halloween we got the kidos together for a visit and to see them in their costumes.

Dewberry Farm

2010-11-06T08:07:00.005-05:00

The Baldwin's with Grandma and Zaldivar's with Abuelo went to Dewberry Farm a few weeks ago. It was a good visit....but bloody hot (really sunny with no breeze) for October. We took a tour of the place, visit to the pumpkin patch/alley, corn maze....had lunch and then pretty much left.

Also the Baldwins dropped by on their way back home.

Daddy (Stephen) and Zachary being silly

It is a long hot walk through the maze and everyone gets tired eventually...

At the end the kids impatient and just keep going....

They had hundreds of pumpkins carved all in one room. Here is just a sample of their work. Pretty cool eh?

Inside time

Is still fun time

Outside time is fun too

First day of school!!!!!

2010-11-02T15:25:00.005-05:00

Today was a momentous occasion! It was Brinson's first day of school! We both did very well, neither of us cried. Ned and I walked her into the classroom and she made a bee line for the radio/cd player. Mrs. Haynes quickly led her to a table to put "Bugs in a jar". Ned and I went to the front to hand in paperwork, and on our way out we peeked into the room. She was coloring and having a great time. We even ran into Shauna her ISR teacher! She was dropping her two little ones off.

The only issue was when they tried to change her diaper, she freaked out about the latex gloves. Not sure what that's all about, I'm sure it has to do with doc offices, labs etc.

When I went to pick her up, she was ready to go but said she had fun. She says she wants to go back which is a good thing. She brought home her turkey she colored along with a paper turkey feather we have to decorate together.

I think this will be really good for her.

When we got home she told me she wanted to go ni ni. She slept from 130pm-515pm! And, I had to get her up!

Straight to the music

Mrs. Haynes (seated) and Mrs. Lesmeister

She has 3 teachers!

Putting bugs in a jar

At the end of class, Mrs. Lesmeister was calling her. They saw me thru the window.

I managed to get a pic with my cell phone

Her first coloring from school!!!!!

It's official, she even gets a tee shirt!

Chalk!

2010-11-02T15:15:00.002-05:00

This past weekend we broke out the sidewalk chalk. We had fun! Brinson ended up being covered in blue chalk and I realized just how bad my drawing skills are.

Outline of Brinson

My version of Dora and Boots. I was pretty impressed with my Boots.

Dora, not so much LOL!

Loving that shirt

Halloween Day

2010-11-02T15:13:00.002-05:00

Trick or Treating

2010-11-02T15:02:00.003-05:00

The friday before Halloween we took Brinson out to Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital for their Halloween carnival. Brinson got to meet some of Nana's co- workers and to see some really neat costumes. Ned has some more pictures on his camera so we should be posting more later.

Getting a balloon kitty

Swinging her Dora trick or treat bag

Playing Pluck a Duck

Picking out candy with Grampa

Getting a kitty painted on her hand

She's such a girlie girl. When given a choice for her cheek or hand for a painting, she chose hand...lol

Pumpkin carving

2010-11-02T14:36:00.004-05:00

Ned and I decided to carve pumpkins for Brinson this year. As I'm posting this the pumpkins are long gone.....they molded pretty quickly. She wasn't very interested in the process, she was happy to ride her plasmacar around the kitchen.

With her halloween headband

Hey I had good intentions.....

but got very frustrated and gave up on Dora.

Ned had more patience...and better carving equipment :P

Ned's vampire bat

My sad pumpkin...lol

Doesn't she look thrilled??

B and Z in their Halloween Costumes

2010-11-01T09:22:00.003-05:00

It is nearly impossible to catch these two together at the right moment! Brinson was tired, so no smiles. Zachary was all over the place! Getting them to both sit and look at the camera just didn't happen...at least not in my pics lol!

Outside time

2010-10-24T11:13:00.004-05:00

With Mommie out and about, Brinson and I had some fun time outside.

Mini Update

2010-10-21T22:20:00.003-05:00

Lots of great things have been going on since our last update. Brinson is doing great, she's talking more and getting steadier on her feet.

She continues to go to Broadway Babies dance class which she loves. They will be doing a recital at the end of the year. When I took her to class this past week, when we were leaving there were these little 5 yr olds dancing/tapping to "The Chipmunks Single Ladies". Brinson was so funny, she just couldn't figure it out.

Tonight we went to our first Tumbling Tots class. It totally kicked my ass lol. Very fast paced but Brinson was having a ball. I had originally planned to do this class every Fri morning, however, one of the teachers named Ariel really bonded with B. She, herself, was a preemie. She practically begged us to keep coming Thurs so for the time being we'll stick to it.

On November 2, Brinson starts school!!!!!!! I had been looking for a Mommy's Day Out program, but all were filled and had waiting lists. Some were booked up until next fall. Brinson's ISR teacher recommended the school her daughters go to. We checked it out and were very pleased. Even Cindy, B's speech therapist, had good things to say about Ms. Campbell the teacher. She will be going Tues and Thurs from 9-1. They follow a curriculum and the schedule is Aug-May. I truly think this will be awesome for her and Cindy says it should help her come out of her shell and to start talking more.

I cried when we got to the classroom. Thank God that Ned and Kit were with us. When we were leaving, Brinson threw her first real temper tantrum. I guess that's a good sign!!! Here's the website for the school The Woods Private School.

Last week we met the Baldwins, along with Gamma Marla out at Dewberry Farms. We had an awesome time, but missed the Rahmans who were there with us last year. Ned's working on the photos as well as pumpkin patch pics he took last night. We are going to attempt to carve 2 pumpkins this year....one will be Dora...stay tuned. That should be a funny picture.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL!

P.S. Our hot tub comes tomorrow, finally!!!

Discovery Green

2010-10-20T22:00:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago Brinson and I spent the day with the Baldwins at Discovery Green in downtown Houston. The kiddos had alot of fun! The adults did too!

Training

2010-10-06T22:14:00.006-05:00

Here are some shots of Brinson doing her ISR training with Shauna. It's a little difficult to tell what she's doing, except for the floating shots lol. We thought we might be done this week, but had a little setback with her reflux.

Look at that grin

Mom what are you doing there?

More from NICU reunion

2010-10-06T21:00:00.006-05:00

Here are some random pics from the NICU reunion. We had a great time! Brinson loved shopping in the "HEB" store as well as playing in the toddler room. Once we got upstairs, we never left lol. We met the Baldwins for dinner before the reunion at Southwells, which was one of our regularly visited restaurants when the kids were in the NICU. It was really cool being able to go there WITH the kiddos!

I was a little disappointed that alot of the nurses and docs that treated B were not at the reunion. We did get to see Cheryl, who was B's eye nurse. I didn't get to take a pic of them, it was so busy. It was great to get to chat with her a little bit!

Noah Rahman and his mom Laura

This is the only pic I got of B and Z together!

Zachary comin down the stairs

In the back of a pickup

Playin with Daddy

The giant Lite Brite

Say hi to Kim!

Goin down the slide, she couldn't get enough!

Shopping at the HEB

Will that be paper or plastic?

Beep Beep

Hey! Where you goin?!

Dinner at Southwells

Interesting story here...see below pic for more...

When we went upstairs to the toddler room, as soon as we went inside Brinson made a bee line for this little car. She was lookin at the little boy, she sat in the car etc. Most of the parents put their kids nametag on the back of their shirt so they wouldn't pull them off. When this little boy turned around I saw his name....Cooper.

More blogs and pics coming soon!

2010-10-06T10:01:00.004-05:00

I just got a new Mac which I am still learning to operate. For those of you who keep asking me when we're gonna post, I promise it will be soon. I have lots of videos also. Brinson is saying 3 word sentences and it's so awesome. Yesterday I asked her if she wanted some banana...her reply was "Mama, please, banana" . She also says "Mama(Dada), teetee (TV), please". And yesterday her new word...."No" and mind you, it's not just one no....it's "no,no,no,no,no" She's so much fun!

Dance class is going well, she sings with Miss Sarah and interacts with the other kids. ISR is going well too. Shauna told me we should be able to take a few quick videos sometime this week. Per ISR rules, we can't post them here, but will be doing them on the Flip.

We went to a general meeting with the School district last night. We obtained tons of information for the transition in March. For those of you who don't know, ECI stops seeing Brinson on her 3rd birthday. Any therapy she needs after will be either handled by the school district (free) or by a private therapist ($$$). This is assuming if she even qualifies for any therapy. Cindy seems to think by March she may possibly not need anything further.

We are still trying to wean off the Prevacid. She's down to 1/2 tsp daily. We tried over the weekend to take her completely off, but we weren't able. She had alot of belching, burping, farting etc. Nana said she also vomited a little bit on Sunday night. So last night I started her back on the med.

She goes back to the dentist next week. I'm happy to report that we are brushing twice daily. Okay let me rephrase that...MOM is brushing BRINSON'S teeth....I need to get her to help more!

I wanna be a cowgirl....

2010-09-25T11:06:00.001-05:00

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NICU reunion

2010-09-19T08:08:00.001-05:00

Here are some various photos from dinner and the children's museum.

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Move over Beyonce, B's lovin Selena Gomez!

2010-09-13T21:43:00.002-05:00

New words

2010-09-13T21:30:00.002-05:00

Juice

2010-09-13T21:28:00.002-05:00

This week

2010-09-08T21:49:00.002-05:00

It's been a steady week of activity! Yesterday Brinson started her Broadway Babies class and it's fun. It's alot like kindermusik with extra dancing around lol. We endured the pouring rain getting there and she absolutely loved it.
Today we said good bye to Meme till December. I know Brinson misses her like crazy already. She's been going thru the house all evening calling for her. Brinson also started her ISR training with Miss Shauna this pm. It was a little daunting seeing Brinson go under quite a few times, however, it's much better than drowning. She giggled thru much of it, and was not happy by the end. She did very well and didn't seem traumatized at all. Thank God!!

Birthday at Benihana's

2010-09-07T18:54:00.001-05:00

Lisa had a birthday yesterday. It was nice to share it with family and friends.

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A quick getaway for our 13th

2010-09-05T16:27:00.004-05:00

Lisa and I got to spend our 13th in Kemah. We had a grand time with Jetskis, great dinner at Perry's, Riding the bullet and other rides on the Boardwalk and then just lounging around the hotel pool.

The hotel made us some chocolate dipped strawberries

yummmmy with Champagne!

We started our journey riding jetskis near clear lake. Lisa and I had our own jetski to start than we shared. Ask Lisa, how she dumped us....pretty funny!!! ;)

See that GIANT wooden structure in the back.....well that is the Bullet (old school wood rollercoaster with a low cart (ie no back support)).

Giant Swing!

Riding the ferris wheel....very nice and slow ride.....for us old folk.

Enjoying the galveston hotel pool

2010-09-05T16:22:00.003-05:00

I came down to Galveston one night while the family was there.....that evening we hit the pool

Very sad news

2010-09-05T00:01:00.003-05:00

I am very sad to say that I heard today about the passing of my favorite comedian Robert Schimmel. Ned and I had the pleasure of seeing him in April of this year. Apparently he died from injuries sustained in a car accident on Aug 26. He was in a car that his 19 yr old daughter was driving, she swerved to avoid another car, and they rolled. She is still in the hospital. I just feel sick. This man beat cancer, only to die in a car accident. Life isn't fair sometimes. RIP Robert. You and your phenomenal humor will be sorely missed.

Froggie

2010-09-04T23:57:00.002-05:00

Talkin on the phone (and a lil update)

2010-09-04T23:44:00.003-05:00

This is hilarious. I figured out later that it's much easier if I just unplug the phone. She is talking up a storm now. Matter of fact, just today, she said "cheese" and "pappy". Wooohoooo!

Also, she was released from the dietician! Not sure if I've already posted that or not. She weighed 24lbs 10oz and 34 3/4 in long. We are sad to see Trina go, but I know we will keep in touch with her! So now we still have Cindy, our speech pathologist. Brinson starts ISR class next week as well as dance class! I enrolled her in Broadway Babies and in December she'll actually have a recital!