Happy Birthday Eric

Today is Eric's 13th birthday.  We have been celebrating it all week since we had his friend party last week before said friends went on their summer vacations. So today we had his favorite family meal of fettucine and he asked for homemade brownies for dessert.  We didn't have any candles and since we don't go grocery shopping on the Sabbath Day, we went without.  Bruce, our 3 year old, looked at the pan of brownies and said, 'Put the candles on.'  I then said, "We don't have any."  After about 5 seconds of serious thought he says, "Let's just eat it."  It was adorable and hilarious and gave everyone at the table a giggle and somehow it made the avoidance of candles not as big of a deal. 

Eric is a good boy.  He is entering teenage years with some trepidation and isn't as trusting of a soul as he once was.  His nickname is EJ, but I often call him Jo-Eric.  It is a combination of Joseph's name and his.  He loves food.  He has several friends who come over to be with him.  He is in a phase of teasing, which is really annoying to the rest of us.  Today as I was getting ready to prepare his brownies I took out the 2 sticks of butter.  When I put the rest of the butter back in the fridge, I turned back to the counter to pick that butter back up and it was gone.  I was beginning to think I'd gone crazy when I saw Eric over near the sink and I realized he was being a stinker and he was guilty of hiding my butter from me.  This is the type of things he's doing these days.  He gets these type of ideas from watching a prankster on youtube.  I don't like him watching that prankster so I don't let him watch it anymore.  He got a tablet for his birthday from Jared and I. 

We love Eric.  We are so happy he is in our home.  He was born at 17:59, weighed 8lbs 4oz, was 19 inches, with red hair.  He was the biggest baby in the nursery the night he was born.  The 2000 July had record breaking heat with the most days over 100 degrees.  His due date was originally July 22nd according to the ultrasound I had done, but according to my own thoughts and feelings, I thought he would be born on July 16th.  I remember being huge and miserable, so when his delivery came, I was so excited.  He was my second baby that I delivered unmedicated and Eric's delivery was a violent one.  As I was pushing him out, my midwife noticed his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck 3 times.  As my midwife was working to unwrap the cord, I was pushing with all of my might.  He 'blasted' out of me with amniotic fluid flying everywhere, especially all over Jared, who was standing right next to the bed.  My midwife stealthily avoided it.  I made a rather large scream and looked down at our new little bundle of joy.  His face was purple from being bruised at the quick descent into the world but he cried immediately.  It's amazing how fast the last 13 years have gone.