Erika and Brent

It has been forever!

2010-06-25T19:49:00.004-05:00

The above photo was taken May 14, 2010.

Hello friends and family,

We have MAJORLY been slacking in the blog department!

It's hard to believe that our little bean, Grahm, is turning one in about a month. Sophia is just over three. It seems like the time is just flying by and the kids are growing fast. Before we know it, we'll have two teenagers on our hands. Oy!

Life is really good.

Grahm is a teething, mobile tot. He crawls, stands and cruises, and we predict that he'll be walking at around the age of 1. He is a very determined and outspoken little guy (yes, we know that is possible, even though he doesn't talk!). We think he has a fairly strong personality, just like his sidekick sister. On the topic of sisters... Sophia is a smart, sassy girlfriend... I like to say she's three going on 13!! She had a fabulous first year at nursery school (Bolton Hill Nursery). It was a great staff and the place was very artsy. Her best friend there was Emily. Now that it's summer, she has started camp (St. Casimir). The great thing about camp is how close it is to our house: two blocks away! This past year, Sophia has been wayyy into princesses. We can thank ourselves for that, since we dressed her as a princess for Halloween, and she willingly "accepted." I wonder what next year's theme/obsession will be?

We've really been enjoying the area where we live. But, we've decided that we need more space, so our house has been for sale for about a month now. We're not sure where we are going (Canton versus Towson), but that's OK since we don't have any bites on the house yet! Whether we choose to rent or buy next, we've decided that a garage is at the top of our priority list. We need a place to store all of the big stuff we've accumulated: trikes, wagon, scooter, strollers and more strollers... you know where I am going with this!!

We'll try not to let another year go by before we write again!

With love,
Erika (& Brent too!)

Welcome, Grahm Patrick Pfister!

2010-01-30T18:57:00.006-06:00

We're thrilled to announce that our son, Grahm, was born on July 28, 2009. He weighed 7lbs 8oz and was 20.25 inches. We are thoroughly enjoying every minute with him! Sophia is a wonderful and loving big sister.

Summer Fun!

2009-06-14T12:04:00.008-05:00

Hello everyone,

As usual, we've been slacking on updating the blog. It's not that we don't love you and want to share with you.

We are enjoying summer and keeping busy. Sophia is getting to be so grown up. She's speaking in sentences now and is just about potty trained! We've taken her to the beach in Delaware a couple of times this summer. She loves splashing in the water and building sandcastles with dad. (Actually, he builds the sandcastles and she smashes them.) She has the cutest swimsuits thanks to her spoiling grandparents. But, the very moment she steps out onto the sand, OFF comes her suit! What is it about toddlers and the beach?

Brent and I took a fabulous trip to Cabo, Mexico in May. What a paradise! The resort where we stayed, Esperanza, was to die for.

We are in high gear getting ready for Baby #2. In less than two months, our little guy will be here!! Our due date is August 3rd and we are scheduled to be induced on July 29th. We haven't picked out a name yet but are working on it. Brent is putting together the nursery, and then I'll do the decorating. It has been an undertaking, as we've had to empty the room which was previously full of office supplies and furniture. Soon, we plan to paint a light blue color.

On our next post, you should be hearing baby news!!!!

Love,
Er, Brent and Sophia

Sophia's in Charge

2009-01-17T14:23:00.005-06:00

Since its been such long time between posts, I thought I would spend some time catching you up on Sophia. She may not be two yet, but Erika and I are already experience the highs and lows of the terrible twos.
Sophia's becoming a lot more independent. She insists on doing most task herself by proclaiming, "No, Sisi do it!" (BTW, she has also cutely named herself Sisi - pronounced see-see). It is common to hear this exclamation when we are eating dinner, putting her in the car seat, brushing her teeth, folding the laundry, going up the steps, putting on her coat ... you get the picture.
Sophia is also in the process of potty training. We are happy to say she is consistently using the potty a couple of times a day, mostly if we ask her if she has to go. Her favorite part is washing her hands afterwards. We bought her a little step stool that helps her get up to the sink. We aren't done until Sophia is allowed to turn off the water. With luck, she will be out of diapers by her birthday.
One milestone we could have waited longer to reach is keeping her in her crib. Recently Sophia figured out how to climb out. My first reaction was pride, but that was quickly replaced by fear when I remembered how steep our steps are. We are now very careful to always lock the gate at her bedroom door, so that we can at least keep her contained in her room. Today, she decided that she wasn't ready for a nap, so she climbed out and started playing with her toys. I checked on her and was satisfied that she was OK. Fifteen minutes later I was not as happy. She had dumped out half of her dresser, scattered her barrettes across the carpet, and most frustratingly smeared baby oil on her hands, face and hair. After a long clean up, I finally coaxed her into taking a nap only after bribing her with chocolate milk.
On the topic of sleeping, Sophia has recently stretched her bedtime to 10pm. In fact, occasionally, we will hear her babbling in her bed as late as 11. Personally, I like having her up later, so I can spend more time with her. It wasn't too long ago that she went to bed around 7pm. Erika is more mixed. By 8pm she is ready for some down time, especially since Sophia is still waking up around 7am. The upside for Er is that Sophia is now taking monster naps in the afternoon, which gives Er a lot of time to get some work done and/or take a much needed nap.

And Erika needs her rest. We recently found out that we are expecting another little one early in August. Sophia doesn't realize it yet, but she is about to get some company.

Our Trip to Sanibel

2008-09-03T12:55:00.003-05:00

Hello all,

And so we "meet" again. How is your summer? We miss you.

We have some photos to share with you of our recent trip to Sanibel Island (over Labor Day). We had a great time! You can view the photos here. Watch out! There are a lot of them.

Things are good in our neck of the woods, generally speaking. Brent has taken on some new responsibilities at Black & Decker recently. He is still on the Outdoor Product Team and is now handling string trimmers, shear/shrubbers, and the new tiller and gardening trend. Gardening, anyone?

As for me, I am super busy right now both with Sophia and work. In September and October things pick up for me and I travel to schools, within a defined region. I give thanks and more thanks to my mom for her tireless help with watching Sophia.

Guess who enrolled in music class for this fall? And guess who turned one and a half on Labor Day? Can you believe it? She's the love of our life!

Enjoy the end of summer!

Love,

Er, Brent & Sophia

Summer Fun!

2008-07-13T15:56:00.010-05:00

Hello all,

Once again we apologize that it has taken us forever to write! We hope you are having as nice of a summer as we are.

Sophia is starting to talk now (exciting!) -- as of mid July, she has a vocabulary of 10ish words, and adds on average one a day. She has managed to keep us busy as ever, running after her and making sure to fulfill her many requests (we never knew a 1+ year old could be this bossy!).

Brent is enjoying his continued work as Product Manager at Black & Decker. Despite the hard year that the company is having, he really enjoys his day-to-day responsibilities and interaction with his colleagues. I am still serving in a part-time capacity as Campus Relations Manager for CET.

We are enjoying life in Baltimore. Brent is especially fond of the city. I like it, but am not (yet) in love with it here.

This summer, we have made several short trips to Bethany Beach. We have a couple more lined up in late July and early August. It's always a great, relaxing time there!

Click here to see our recent pool and beach photos. (The pool ones were taken in Potomac and the beach ones at Bethany.)

We hope that you are doing well and look forward to writing again soon.

With love,

Er, Brent and Sophia

Happy 1st Birthday, Sophia!

2008-04-08T13:04:00.014-05:00

Hello Everyone,

We apologize that it has been a while since we've written. An update is long overdue, we know!

Everything here is well -- we are busy as ever. Sophia is a whopping thirteen months old now. We had a great time celebrating her 1st and her grandma's 60th (same day!) on March 1st -- their birthday weekend. Finally, we have a few birthday photos to share... enjoy!

As for Sophia's development, well, she is a ball of personality and energy, really. The girl cannot sit still, and she is fast as lightning (she now runs, not walks). In no time, her dad will be having her running line drills and suicides... training for every sport imaginable. Poor girl. Wait... poor parents! For our one year old is the biggest boss in our house. How can it be?!

In other areas of life, we are continuing to enjoy a settled life in Baltimore. The wealth of kids, dogs and young families nearby to us is especially nice. We can't wait for it to get warmer out so we can go for walks along the harbor, like the good old days.

Brent is enjoying his new position, as of around March, at Black & Decker, and has been doing his fair share of traveling for work lately. Speaking of traveling, the two of us (Brent and I) will be going on our long-awaited trip to Switzerland and France at the end of April. We can't wait! Sophia's grandparents on both sides and also her extra special Aunt Danielle will be caring for her while we are on vacation. I know we will have the most fabulous time but at the same time can't fathom leaving our little muffin cake behind for eight whole days!!

We hope that you are doing well, and look forward to writing again soon.

With love,
Erika, Brent and Sophia

PS - Above photo taken April 4th!

Our Big Walker!

2008-02-01T14:48:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone!

Exciting news here... Sophia is officially our big walker! She has been taking a step or two for the past month, but a few days ago, on January 30th, she took about fifteen or twenty steps. I did a double-take, I was so surprised! And now, all she wants to do is walk. In another week or two, we suspect that crawling will be history.

Here is a link to a recent video of Sophia walking. Our Little Miss Frankenstein:) Enjoy!

Love,
Erika and Brent

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-28T19:37:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! I am writing from sunny Sanibel Island, Florida, where Sophia and I are spending a few days post-Christmas. Brent is back in Baltimore. He had to return to do some work and to knock off a few house projects (of which there are many).

We had a really wonderful Christmas in Hamilton where we were visiting Brent's family. It was great to see everyone! Phyllis and Terry totally outdid themselves with the Christmas decorations this year (and every year). Their house looked unbelievable!!

Sophia had a very merry first Christmas. She LOVED her new toys. She got spoiled rotten, with things and with attention. In the "things" department, she got books, videos, stuffed animals, blocks, a train that sings and moves, a noah's arc, toy animals, ornaments with her picture and name on them, a toy basket, a green sofa chair that says "Sophia" and is just her size, and much more. We are overwhelmed with everyone's thought and generosity.

Brent, Sophia and I will be celebrating New Years together in the DC/Baltimore area, and look forward to a 2008 filled with happiness, joy and laughter.

Wishing all of our friends and family love, peace and good health in 2008 and beyond. We miss you!

Erika, Brent and Sophia

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-20T13:51:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends and Family,

It's amazing to think that Thanksgiving is already here. I don't know about Brent, but I personally can't decide if this year has zoomed by, or if it has been an eternity, only because we have gone through more rites of passage than I can count in a very short time span (a lifetime for many!).

Anyway, everything is going well here. We are settled into Baltimore. But don't be fooled! When I say "settled," I don't mean that every little (or big) thing has been put in its place! We have what seems like a never ending to-do list. We are constantly hanging and fixing things, running errands, changing diapers, working, meeting new people. Our little family is all in one place, though, so in that sense, we are very settled!

What about the VIP of the family, you ask? Well, nothing has changed there. Sophia, our pride and joy, continues to run the show! She is approaching nine months now. I know, it's crazy. Sometimes, I have to pinch myself. She has two, soon to be three teeth (two on the bottom and one coming in on the top) and is cruising all over the place. She stands (holding on with at least one hand), ducks under, crawls over, wiggles through. The girl is determined, I'm telling ya. She WILL get to where she wants to go. Point blank. Period.

It has been super fun to see all of Sophia's personality shine through lately. She's much more interactive now. She giggles, and yes, unfortunately, also complains a whole lot more. One of her new tricks within the past month has been to wave byebye to people (when we coax her on). It's one of the most adorable things we've seen!

This Thanksgiving, we will be spending time at Erika's family's house in Potomac. Sophia will be joining us for her first Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks to Phyllis, she has an adorable Thanksgiving bib that she will sport. We are all looking forward to good company and a delicious meal (Sophia will be gobbling up Turkey and Sweet Potatoes, but from a jar, of course!).

We miss and love you, and feel lucky to have such caring, generous, spirited people like you in our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,
Erika, Brent and Sophia

PS - The above picture of Brent and Sophia was taken on Nov. 11th.

Sophia's First Halloween

2007-10-28T19:22:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!

It seems like it has been ages since we've written! So sorry. The time has been flying.

So we last wrote when Sophia started crawling over a month ago at the beach. That was a milestone! But get this. She is now standing, cruising and getting teeth! Yes, you heard right. Our little cupcake is becoming a mobile, teething toddler. She has two bottom teeth and thanks to her crawling and standing skills we are having to watch her like hawks (not like we didn't before!). She is into absolutely everything. For example, she is my little helper in the kitchen -- whenever I step foot in there, you-know-who is sure to follow. Sophia loves using the tall, skinny, unstable trashcan as her crutch so she can stand up, and then both she and the trashcan proceed to topple over. She is always astonished at the trash that has fallen out and what she has done. Also, I keep a stack of recipes on the shelf in the kitchen. I think she finds the recipes to be quite delicious. She devours every crumb of them -- the paper, that is!!

This weekend, Brent's sister, Danielle was in town visiting us in Baltimore. We had a good time! The weather started out rocky but quickly improved. Today, on Sunday, October 28th, the three of us (Brent, Danielle and I) took Sophia to the nearby "square" for our neighborhood's first ever infant costume parade. And let me tell you, the kids were decked out. From sweet peas to peacocks to monkeys and mountain lions, they were adorable! Our little munchkin was a duckling. We first bought her a ballerina cat costume which didn't end up working out so well. When we previewed the costume, most wondered what the heck it was! Then, we bought her a cow costume. But it was a little too snug. Finally, at 3:30pm on the day of the 4pm halloween parade, Brent and Danielle made a last minute trip to the nearby Baby Gap (I love that place) and decided that the duck costume there was most fitting. Plus, as far as costumes, it was about all they had left! After all the hassle of finding the "perfect" costume, we're pleased. We think that Sophia is the cutest little duckling ever. And that is coming from her very proud mama and papa ducks.

We will write again soon (this time, we promise!).

Love,

Erika, Brent and Sophia

Sophia on the Move

2007-09-23T20:21:00.000-05:00

We spent the last weekend of the summer enjoying the beautiful weather at the beach. Josh joined us as we celebrated the end of summer. There was sun, surf, sand and Sophia. Our little girl stole the show with her wondrous feats. Early Saturday morning, inspired by the crashing waves, she shattered the crawling barrier, much to our chagrin. Check out a snippet from her milestone.

Over the next two days, she repeatedly showed off her new trick. Now the fun begins - we have a mobile tot on our hands. Her new found freedom just made our job a lot more interesting.

Our New House!

2007-08-22T20:10:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,

As you probably know, we moved to Baltimore this June. Finally, we've taken some photos of our new house and neighborhood. It took us a little while to get settled in since we've had so many things going on! We are really enjoying getting to know our new place, though. It seems there are a lot of young people and families around, so that's a plus.

To see pictures of our new home and neighborhood, click here.

We will write again soon.

Love,
Erika, Brent and Sophia

Our Little Big Eater!

2007-08-17T08:18:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone,

It has been a little while since we last wrote. As usual, things have been busy! Brent started work a couple of weeks ago (in mid July, to be exact). He is getting settled in with his job which will be taking him to Florida and Charlotte in the next month. I started part-time work doing marketing for CET and am really enjoying it. We are getting settled into our new home in Baltimore. It is super nice living just a couple of blocks from the harbor. Sometimes, when I am taking walks by the water, I feel like I am away on vacation! We are just now beginning to meet people in our area and are looking forward to developing friendships here. I have joined a group called Stroller Strides as well as a weekly playgroup in our neighborhood. I have found that to be a good way to meet people. Finally, Sophia is doing GREAT and she is truly a joy to be around. She is one of the happiest babies we have seen, we think! She loves when we talk and sing to her. Among her favorite songs and rhymes which she clearly recognizes are "Hoky Poky" and "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" and "Hickory Dickory Dock." Keep those in your memory bank in case you see Sophia soon... when she is upset (which is not often), they almost always calm her down! The big news with Sophia as of lately is that she has started eating rice cereal!!!!! It is the cutest thing! She gets it all over her face and tries to get her hands in it. She cannot wait for more!

We will write again soon and love and miss you.

Erika

We're Married!!

2007-07-19T12:22:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,

Great news -- our wedding photos are finally here!! To take a look at the photos, just go to www.collages.net and use the following login information:

username: erika
password: 12673

We hope you enjoy the photos as much as we did!

Love,
Erika

On June 18th Erika wrote...

Hi everyone,

This past weekend, June 16th, was filled with lots of excitement -- Brent and I got married!! Sophia was the guest of honor, of course. Our ceremony and reception took place at my parent's home in Potomac, Maryland. It was an outdoor, evening wedding poolside and in a big tent. Fortunately, the weather was beautiful -- in the low 80's -- and everything went super smoothly and as planned. It was like a fairytale. We had a wonderful time!!! I am so happy to be starting a life and family together. We will definitely share photos of the wedding as soon as we get our hands on some, so check back soon!

Love,
Erika

Our Trip to Sanibel

2007-07-08T21:37:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone,

It has been a very busy but exciting past month! As you probably know, Brent and I got married on June 16th at my parent's house in Potomac. We had the most wonderful and memorable time! We are still waiting on the photographer's photos but will share them with you as soon as we have them.

After our wedding, we went to Charlottesville, Virginia for another wedding and then set out for our "honeymoon" to Sanibel Island, Florida (with little Sophia, of course). The trip to Sanibel was a great getaway and very relaxing. We stayed at my family's condo overlooking the water. It was very hot weather so we got in some good pool and beach time. Sophia absolutely loved the pool; we took her in for her first time on our trip. She splashed around and then acted shocked every time droplets of water touched her face!

We were able to capture some good kodak moments on our trip and are posting them here.

Following Sanibel, we moved into our new home in Baltimore and started unpacking. We still have unpacking to do but the house is coming together and we are thrilled to finally be getting settled together and in one place!

It is now the second week in July and we are in Ohio where we attended a wedding (it is the summer of weddings) and are now visiting Brent's family which has been nice.

We'll write again soon!

Love,
Erika

Sophia's First Beach Trip

2007-05-30T22:07:00.001-05:00

We took Sophia on her first trip to the beach in mid May. We stayed at Erika's family's beach house in Bethany (Delaware). While the weather wasn't so hot (it didn't rain but was somewhat overcast and chilly), it was a getaway and we had a great time. Sophia was an angel! She played on her activity mat in the house (what would we do without it? She especially loves the blinking and singing Mr. Star). We also hit the main drag and took her for a short walk on the beach. The highlight for Sophia seemed to be the waves.

Click here to see our beach and pool photos from May. Gotta love the little duck bathing suit!!

Congratulations, Brent!

2007-05-21T12:14:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday, May 20th, Brent graduated from UVA's Darden School of Business. It was a wonderful weekend! Phyllis, Terry, Sophia and I were there to celebrate. Below are a few photos. Enjoy!

Sophia's week with Dad

2007-05-17T14:20:00.000-05:00

This week brings a new development - Erika returned to work, albeit, on a one week assignment to train her successor. Therefore, I am having a lot of "daddy" time with Sophia. Actually, Sophia is sitting on my lap as I type this entry.

We spent Monday and Tuesday running around DC and Bethesda on miscellaneous errands related to the wedding, graduation or the new house. One of the more time consuming tasks - looking for a tie for the wedding - took us to practically every men's clothing store in the area. When I found a tie I liked, I would show it to Sophia. We had a system. She stuck out her tongue if she approved, and grunted when she disapproved. Sophia is a tough critic because by the end of Tuesday we only had three options. After all our hard work, we decided to treat ourselves and stopped into Lia's (a new neighborhood eatery) for happy hour. A few beers, a burger and a bottle later Erika stopped in on her way home from the office to join us.
Yesterday, Sophia and I spent the better part of the day at the Esposito's house. Erika's mom got to enjoy some much needed Sophia time while I bummed around, moving between the couch and the porch with laptop in tow as I snacked on green Jello that Mrs. Esposito made me for my birthday.
Today, Sophia and I went downtown to visit Erika for lunch, followed by a trip to her office, so her coworkers could see Sophia. The trip involved taking the subway, which was a first for Sophia. Like always, she was as happy as could be to take a trip. Once she gets moving in her stroller, she is all smiles.
Tomorrow morning we head to Charlottesville for graduation weekend - thus ending my brief stint as Mr. Mom. Next week she goes back to her normal routine (no more AM Sportscenter, no more CNBC, and most likely no more happy hour!). Erika will be back home as we wrap up final wedding details and prep for our move. Also, next week we close on the house, so soon we will have a new address. In the mean time, I have to thank my little girl for her angelic behavior. Sophia has been excellent all week. Even though she strongly prefers nursing, she took her bottle with little fuss. We read a lot of books - for those that remember, we read "Sweet Pickles" stories. After falling asleep around 10pm, she routinely sleeps 8+ hours a night, and even lets daddy sleep in until 9. Sophia makes parenting look real easy.

Sophia at Two Months!

2007-04-29T21:37:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,

We hope that all is well and are thinking of you.

Here, April was the month of smiles! Sophia is a happy baby. And that makes us very happy parents! You can check out new photos of Sophia here.

Brent and I have another update to share, and for once in a long while, no, it doesn't pertain to the baby! We just recently bought a place to live in Baltimore! In light of Brent's new job at Black & Decker which he will begin in July, we will be relocating. Our new rowhome is in an area of downtown Baltimore called Canton. We will be living just two blocks from restaurants and stores (including Outback Steakhouse, one of our favorites!) and four short blocks from the harbor. Our settlement date is May 30th. We'll be welcoming visitors in Baltimore and are looking forward to this new chapter.

We love and miss you!

Erika

Watch Sophia Grow (on video)

2007-04-09T08:38:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter!

We wanted to share a video of Sophia that we took last week (she has just passed the one month threshold).
As you can see from the size of her cheeks, she definitely is not missing many meals.

See the video at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjspzp4FQZA

A few other notes of interest to prove Sophia is the best baby EVER:

Sophia is a world class sleeper - it is rare that she gets up more than once a night (around 4am). She then gets back up around 7:00, goes through her feeding routine again before taking a nap.
Last week, she slept through the night (admittedly, she had been up most of the day and was very tired)
She is a great traveler, having been to Baltimore three times for house hunting in addition to driving to Charlottesville, which is 2-1/2 hours each way. She sleeps through the whole ride each time.
She is happy to take a bottle, so Er doesn't always have to feed her. That also give me a chance to feed her, which I love.
Sophia does not mind being passed around a room full of strangers.
Very exciting news: Sophia is just starting to smile for Erika!
Lastly, it was recently Easter. Here is a photo of her in a "Easter basket." (Her complexion is not quite as rosy as the photo - all the pink is skewing the coloring)

Sophia at Five Weeks

2007-04-05T19:25:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! Everything is continuing to go well with the baby. We took Sophia for a check-up and she weighed 9lbs 3oz at five weeks (she was born at 6lbs11oz so she is a champion milk drinker!). At one month old, Sophia went on her first road trip. I took her to Charlottesville for a few days to visit her dad who is finishing up school there. Fortunately, the trip went smoothly. Sophia slept the whole way there and back! While in Charlottesville, many of Brent's friends had the chance to meet the baby. It was great to see everyone! Here are a couple of pictures from our trip...

Sophia at Three Weeks

2007-03-25T18:51:00.000-05:00

Thanks for checking back with us! Everything is going great. We are in love with Sophia! She has grown a whopping two inches since birth (she is now 21in.). She makes the cutest and most hilarious noises and facial expressions... from big frowns to all smiles, she's live entertainment day and night! Sophie has graduated from just nursing to taking bottles AND nursing. Yeah! She also loves her pacifier. (We don't know what we'd do without it. It's a lifesaver.) Lately, we've been on-the-go with the baby and have taken her to the mall, her mom's workplace, her great grandma Zapi's home, the doctor, and more. We've also been back and forth to Baltimore twice to check out new pads in preparation for our move this summer. While we haven't found a place to live yet, we've narrowed our search to rowhouses near the harbor and are making progress.

Check out our NEW photos of Sophia here! We'll write again soon.

With love,
Er & Brent

Sophia at Two Weeks

2007-03-16T13:16:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! Things here are great. Sophia is gaining weight and doing well. At her two week check-up, she weighed 7lbs3oz -- that is almost a pound more than she weighed when we left the hospital! The baby is sleeping better during the night which is making her parents very happy. She also met her grandparents and uncle Andy (on Brent's side) for the first time; they came into town from Ohio and Pittsburgh. That was exciting! Thanks to everyone for the very warm emails, cards, thoughts and gifts. We are very lucky to have so many to share in our joy.

Love,

Er and Brent

PS - For the latest photo album, check out our link "Our First Week With Sophia."

Our First Week With Sophia!

2007-03-10T17:19:00.000-06:00

Sophia is the miracle of our lives. And that says a lot given that she has totally deprived us of sleep since the day she was born! We had a great stay at Sibley Hospital March 1-3rd and then brought the baby home to my (Erika's) parents house in Potomac where we are spending a good part of our time. Sophia is thriving and doing well. She is so little and cute (OK, so we are very biased since she is our own!!). We love gazing into her eyes, holding her hands and touching her tiny toes. And they are tiny! Life with a baby is amazing and amazingly different. When we look at Sophie we are completely taken.

Enjoy these pictures of our first nine days with Sophia in the hospital and at home...!

Sophia Danielle Pfister

2007-03-02T08:24:00.000-06:00

At 2:04am on March 1, we welcomed Sophia into the world. She weighed in at 6lbs 11oz. Both she and Er are doing very well. Sophia is already allowed to sleep in the hospital room with us. She is very active, alert and engaged. Er is lively as well. She was up walking around this morning.

So what happened…
Erika started to feel weak, infrequent contractions around 10pm Tuesday night. We talked every two hours throughout the night, and Wednesday afternoon around 2pm we decided that it was time for me to head up to DC. Just my luck that the beltway (the freeway loop around DC was closed b/c a diesel carrier flipped at the intersection of two highways), so traffic was nuts. I finally arrived around 6pm, and we immediately left for the hospital, which is just a few miles away. Just before we arrived the delivery ward preformed three emergency c-sections, so it took them a while to get us to a room. Luckily, we had first class care (thank you to Dr. Reiter and the entire Sibley team). Once we got into the room around 7:45, the events unfolded quite quickly. Er received an epidural around 9:30, and the rest was relatively easy (says the father who did nothing). The "pushing" part of child birth only lasted 20min. I was with Er throughout, and the only word I can use to describe the experience is "awesome."

I am about as proud as a papa can feel.

Four Days & Counting...

2007-02-10T19:14:00.000-06:00

We really can't wait for March 3rd! We are SOO excited for the big day. Here are the latest photos of Erika pregnant...

This one was taken at 39 weeks (on February 23rd). Enjoy!

And this one was taken at 37 weeks (on February 10th).

Dreaming of Her

2007-02-05T19:51:00.000-06:00

Thanks for visiting our page to find out the latest Erika and Brent happenings! Life continues to be exciting with all sorts of kicks, twists and turns (literally).

First and foremost, we cannot wait to meet our baby!!! I think I dream of her every day and night. In less than a month, Brent and I will be proud parents of a baby girl. We are counting down the days until March 3rd. Each day that goes by brings us one step closer to seeing and holding her, and to looking into her eyes and touching her sweet face. Though we haven't even met her yet, we are sure that there can be no greater miracle than the one we have created and is about to touch our lives in such a profound, amazing way.

In other exciting news (OK... maybe not quite as exciting as the baby!), Brent recently accepted a job offer at Black & Decker in Towson. So, after he graduates from Darden in May and summer gets underway, we will officially be moving to Baltimore. We don't know what area of the city we will be living in yet but will start our search in the next few months and are open to suggestions, so send them our way! We are excited to explore a new city and to live relatively closeby to friends and family many of whom are in the DC area.

Please check back with us soon as we expect to have big news (and new photos) shortly...!

Love,
Erika

Baby Showers!

2007-01-22T16:14:00.000-06:00

We've had three incredible baby showers!

Most recently, my colleagues hosted a baby shower for us at my (Erika's) office on February 9th. Thanks, CET, for a great party!

Click here to see photos of the February 9th baby shower!

Also, the Spear family hosted a baby shower for us in DC on January 20th. There were 38 guests. It was amazing. Thanks to Cindy, Alex and Geri for their extremely hard work.

Click here to see photos of the January 20th baby shower!

Finally, Brent's family hosted a baby shower for us in Ohio on December 30th. There were 47 guests and the theme was "Baby Time." Many thanks to Phyllis and Danielle Pfister.

Click here to see photos of the Dec. 30th baby shower!

Dear Brent and Baby

2006-12-24T12:53:00.000-06:00

I am so excited for all that we have in store for our family! It's hard to believe that we will have a crew of three come March. Pregnancy has been and continues to be an amazing journey -- it is wild to think that there is a little one growing in my belly and that we will have you to hold in our arms so soon. We have started receiving thoughtful and adorable baby gifts from friends and family. Every time I look at the tiny clothes we've received and will dress you up in, my heart leaps with excitement! Brent, thanks for your support and love throughout the pregnancy (and beyond). I had the most memorable time with you and our families in New York City last weekend. The proposal at Rockefeller Center was a huge surprise and you did an amazing job of putting the weekend together. I will remember our time in New York forever and always!

With love,
Erika

We're Engaged!!

2006-12-20T21:58:00.000-06:00

On December 16th, we got engaged in New York City. Brent proposed at the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, and both our families were in town to celebrate. It was a very memorable weekend. Thank you, Brent!

And now... the RING!

Belly Photos

2006-12-19T11:26:00.000-06:00

Here are some shots of Erika pregnant!

37 weeks (February 10, 2007)...

30 weeks (December 18, 2006)...

26 weeks (November 26, 2006)...

20 weeks (October 18, 2006)...

17 weeks (October 1, 2006)...

Ultrasound Photos

2006-12-18T14:44:00.000-06:00

We've had three ultrasounds -- one at 7 weeks, one at 12 weeks and one at 21.5 weeks! The ultrasounds were amazing. So exciting! Here are a few ultrasound photos from week 21.

Baby's Profile...

Baby's Leg...

It's a Girl!

2006-11-05T14:00:00.000-06:00

On October 26th, we found out by sonogram that we are having a baby girl. We are thrilled. Think pink!

With Great Joy

2006-11-05T09:57:00.000-06:00

Serendipitous Beginnings :: Springing to Life

Family and Friends,

With great joy, I would like to share exciting news - Erika and I recently learned that we will be welcoming our first child early this March. It is difficult for me to articulate how blessed I feel to have met someone as thoughtful, warm and graceful as Erika. I am selfishly hopeful that our baby will pull predominately from her gene pool. Knowing she is my partner gives me great confidence going forward. We have shared two wonderful years together, and we are very excited to be starting the next phase of our lives.

As you can imagine, this is an unexpected blessing. For us, spring will truly be one of new beginnings, as I graduate from Virginia in May, at which point the three of us will be moving to a new city and establishing our family’s collective identity.

Looking to our future, it is important to reflect on our foundations. Both Erika and I feel extremely fortunate to come from wonderful families. Their love and character has positively shaped our lives. We hope to emulate the fine example our parents have laid for us, and we know that their wisdom and support will be
perpetually present.

Thank you in advance for your warm wishes and prayers. Erika and I look forward to seeing you soon. We are planning to visit Hamilton during the Christmas season.

Best,
Brent