Showing posts with label Laura Vukasinovic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laura Vukasinovic. Show all posts

Friday, November 01, 2013

Happy 29th Birthday, Jeremy Vukasinovic - November 2, 2013


Jeremy is my "baby" - all 6'4" of him.  He weighed in at birth at over 8 and a 
half pounds and I was able to deliver him without too much trouble, believe it
or not!!  He remained bald headed for a full year but many times, especially
in later years, he has sported the most wonderful curls, one batch going to
Locks for Love.

I can't seem to find any of his baby pictures here with me in India so I'll show
you some of his more recent ones.


This has always been a favorite of mine...with Alex, two years older,
at the Golden Gate Bridge


Jeremy has never lived very far from home.  He spent three years at the College
of San Mateo where he got an associates degree in Liberal Arts and his A.S.
in Fire Technology.  He always wanted to be a firefighter.  He went from San 
Mateo to Cal Poly, 250 miles away, in the beautiful area of San Luis Obispo.
There he got a degree in kinesiology.  From there he became employed in the
semiconductor field and, now, for the past two years, he's been at Genentech in
South San Francisco.  I'm afraid that job may take him away since he is being
considered for a new position outside the Bay area.  When I expressed my 
dismay at "losing" him, he laughed and reminded me that I am often seven
thousand miles away in India.


Here, on a cruise, big ( ?  brother, Shawn, is trying to teach him smooth moves


With his beer at the Locks for Lover hairdresser


I think this may well have been Jeremy's shortest haircut
ever - at brother, Alex's wedding...Shawn, big brother, sadly,
was in Germany with the Air Force and had to miss the occassion


Of all my sons, Shawn and Jeremy seem to have developed my love of 
travel.  Much of Shawn's has been compliments of Uncle Sam, via the Air
Force, but Jeremy has already seen much of Europe and Argentina ( as a 
college employee of a pharmaceutical company ) and he speaks Spanish
better than many natives.  He has a real sense of adventure and he likes
good food and wine.  He, unlike me, is very much health oriented and has
worked hard to help me develop healthier habits.


This is Jeremy and his Cal Poly buddy, Daniel...I'm 
posting this for Eileen Dryer who always puts up 
firefighter pics...I think he would have looked good
in a calendar


Jeremy is quite an achiever and he likes to remind his brothers - both of 
whom stretched college years out to over a decade - that he managed to 
graduate by the age of 24 ( making the Dean's list, no less ).  He's done
very well in the corporate world though he still would like to be a firefighter!


Mom with the three best sons any mother could have - 
Shawn ( the shorty ), Alex, and Jeremy


Jeremy with his other mother, Elmira Lopez - she came to us when
Alex and Jeremy were infants - I wanted someone who was monolingual 
Spanish so they grew up fluent in another language - and she was family to us -
and a lifesaver to me with my crazy call schedule - and what a terrific cook!!!



The all night Harper Ann vigil ( post epidural )


Mommy and baby are doing fine!!!  Proud papa and uncles


UNCLE Jeremy meets niece, Harper Ann Vukasinovic - I think it 
was love at first sight


Already, Jeremy has his niece checking out San Francisco's bridges


There is no question, I owe this young man a lot.  First of all, he almost single handedly 
moved me from my four bedroom home when I decided to come to India.  He made 
about a hundred trips to the dump, broke down furniture, loaded things into storage, and
kept me focused so I finally got to India, after changing two airline reservations.  He's
been the one to check my mail, send my medications when it's refill time, visit me in
the hospital and help me when I need it.  He's drawn the short end of the straw, poor kid,
with Alex two hours away in West Sacramento and Shawn playing Air Force.  I've
had an occasional lecture ( much needed ) from him, as well.

All this he did, after having undergone shoulder surgery at the end of his Division 1 Cal
Poly decathlon career!!!  In fact, his research into a surgeon, saved me having to do it 
and Dr. Belzer was the one who did my shoulder replacement!  Sadly, he just had
shoulder surgery again a few months ago.

So, baby boy, though I am often seven thousand miles from home, it will be very
sad for me, WHEN I AM HOME, not to have you there.  It's not that I need you to
haul things for me and all that, I love being able to enjoy a bottle of wine with you and
to have dinner from time to time.  I am well aware I'm getting on in years so, even
our brief rendevous are really precious to me.  I am prouder of you than you will
ever know and, though, I probably don't say it often enough, I am eternally grateful
for your kindnesses to me.  You are a fine young man and the lady that finally gets
to share your life, on a permanent basis, will be one lucky girl.

On this, your 29th birthday, I am so glad that you were born...and that my labor 
wasn't so bad at all.  I love you so much.

Mom







Tuesday, August 27, 2013

.Happy 31st Birthday to My Middle Son, Alexander Vukasinovic - August 27, 2013


It hardly seems possible that another year has passed and your birthday - the 31st - has 
arrived.  This has been quite a momentous year in your life.  On April 14, 2013, your 
two brothers, Shawn and Jeremy, and I ( plus several other interested parties ) were
at the Sutter Hospital Birthing Center in Roseville, CA, to welcome the arrival of my
first grandchild, the most precious Harper Ann Vukasinovic, weighing in at 8 lbs.  That
wasn't an overwhelming surprise as you weighed 8 lbs, 9 oz when you were born.
Laura was a real trooper and I was so thrilled to have a girl in a family of so many
males ( thank you for contributing the appropriate chromosone! ).


Here you are in your baptismal photo...no 
one can see the gobs of gel I put on to tame
your cowlick!!!



Here you and Laura are on your May 10, 2010
wedding day - one of the happiest of my life.



At the birthing center with your brothers, Shawn Smith, 42,
( left ) and Jeremy Vukasinovic, 28 ( right ).  For once,
everyone has a smile.



And here you are, Dad, shortly after Harper Ann's arrival



This is one of my favorite photos of you, with Harper
slung over your shoulder, sound asleep.

While you are taking your own sweet time with finishing college - is the 
major now math with a minor in economics?  I can never keep up.  You may
well graduate, finally, with more credits than any student ever has accumulated!
But the end is in sight.  

I am so proud of the young man you are.  You and Laura already bought a home
( a year before you married ), you manage an incredibly difficult work schedule and
class, and you seem to have taken on fatherhood with great ease.  You manage 
your finances in a way I never could seem to do.

On this birthday, I am in India but I will be home for Harper's first birthday,
hopefully with her Christmas stocking complete.  From 7000 miles away, 
dearest Alex, I wish you all the best life can bring.  You are well on your way
to have it.

In fact, about the only complaint I have is that you don't get on skype enough so
I can visit with my granddaughter and two granddogs.  Otherwise, you are
one terrific son.

All my love and best wishes on this birthday and every day of your life. 

Mom

Sunday, March 31, 2013

A Most Exciting Day, Three Weeks Away - March 31, 2013


I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter.  Mine was spent alone, contemplating
my return to India and beginning to order medications/ necessities I will need, 
preparing my packing list - and trying not to get TOO excited about the next three 
weeks because - my FIRST grandbaby is due to make his/her debut the 21st of
April.  Since I am already 68-years-old, I think my three sons have failed me
miserably in providing me with grandchildren to spoil.  Thankfully, Alex, my 
middle son ( and the only one married ), at 30, is fulfilling this responsibility.
His beautiful wife, Laura, who is still as pretty as every in her final weeks of
pregnancy is still working but will take off the last two weeks before her due 
date.  Her baby baby shower was three weeks ago and that was so delightful,
held at her mom's house in Antelope, CA.  I'm going to post some pictures from
that special day.  I'd like to post the video I got from Alex a few days ago -
it was just hysterical - but I don't think Laura would appreciate having her gravid
belly shown to one and all.  All I can say, is I've never seen a baby move that
much in utero!!  Alex's comments were hysterical...."dude, that's freaky."  He 
told me he thought the baby was going to pop through her belly like a scene
from "Alien" - I wonder if there is anyone left who saw that movie.





Jeremy, my youngest son, drove up with me so he could visit with his brother.  We
went south to pick up Laura's grandmother and great aunt, then headed north 
for two hours to the Sacramento area.  There was still ground fog but not too 
much traffic on these older freeways ( I wanted my Indian friends to see our 
California roads ).  




The hills are still green from the winter rains.  In a couple of months, it will all
be "gold".




The yellow mustard was beautiful in bloom, along with all the flowering fruit and
nut trees.




I'm not sure what these trees are but the blossoms look like snow when they fall.




Here is the lady of the day, my lovely daughter-in-law, Laura Vukasinovic




Soon to make her or his debut is my first grand child




Presents for the baby are starting to arrive




Laura, with her great aunt, Patt




Laura and her mother, Christine Calhoun, who is also a nurse




Laura's "granny", Trudy and her friend




Wonder what the ladies are discussing?




Leah Serb




Mandy




More presents




Yummy food - we had a feast!




Enjoying lunch




Kristen Winterhalter, Lynn Hawkins, Mandy




Dawn Lockhart - who my oldest son, Shawn Smith, is lucky enough to be dating!




And here I am - soon to be "Nana" - though Alex tells me it will be "Grandma"




Laura's aunt Shirley




Lynn and Leah tied in a game and are drinking out of baby bottles for the tie breaker




Here's a better shot of Leah




Mama-to-be seems happy




I wish I could sit like that!!





What a sweet baby - and, of course, I remember no ones names!!!




The first of many presents!




Of course, being an elephant freak, this was one of my favorites!




I even wore my new elephant shoes for the first time!




So many gifts....




Ummm, can I read this writing?




Nice, a bathtub!




Here's Alex's present!




A little bit of everything...




"Let's party...my crib...2AM"




You're going to be using a lot of those!




A special blanket




Coming to an end




All smiles




Hugs




Paramedic buddies of Laura's





Forever friends




Mother, daughter, and grandbaby-to-be


It was a most wonderful day.  I will go up to visit Laura, Alex, my soon-to-arrive 
grandbaby and the granddogs for a couple of days this week.  I can hardly
wait to hold that little sweetheart in person....my shoulder is healing beautifully
and I should get the okay on April 9th when I see Dr. Belzer.


With Laura's permission:  You can post the "freaky" tummy video. I don't mind.