Given the excitement of the last several years, we decided to take our time in 2011 and really savor life.
We started the year in Manhattan, Lyric and I were surviving our Manhattan winter, relying on the kindness of less-pregnant women as Carlos was deep in crunch-time, finishing off the AAA video game: Homefront. The game was released and Carlos given plenty of time off just in time for the arrival of our second daughter, Story Jane on April 6th. Story Jane was born quickly and joyfully in a birthing center in Manhattan.
It just so happened, that Granpa Mike and Grandma Debbie Curran had arrived in town that very day and got to see their little grand baby fresh from the oven. It was a great blessing to have them with us.
Then, even more big news: at Story’s four week check-up it was found that there was something wrong with her eyes and Christin was sent directly to a pediatric ophthalmologist, revealing our tiny baby had cataracts in both of her eyes. Several visits to specialists and tense days followed revealed that, yes, she did have to have cataract surgery at six weeks of age, but that with the aid of contact lenses, vision therapy, and future surgeries, Story’s vision would develop.
We don’t know how well she will see when all is said and done, but she is, at eight months old, a big flirt, and loves to laugh at the antics of her big sister. I am confident that Story’s vision will be good enough for a full, normal life, though perhaps she will never be a fighter pilot. Either way, we are very grateful for all your prayers, for her current progress, and modern technology. Some of the techniques to help Story were only developed in the last few years.
By video game standards, Homefront was a hit, and work began on sequel before it even shipped. So, naturally, THQ decided to shut down KAOS Studios. Fortunately the game’s release brought many recruiters looking for someone as skilled and experienced as Carlos. He took a job with Havok, an Emmy-winning company that creates technology for movies, video games, and simulations. It was not long before we were leaving our Most Beloved New York City, and getting on a plane to San Francisco.
After spending a month in corporate housing, we ended up finding a big, sunny apartment in the famous Haight/Ashbury neighborhood. “Colorful” is an accurate word to describe it, full of old and new hippies and all that goes along with them. “The Haight” is situated midway between downtown (Carlos bikes to work with an army of other commuters along ‘the wiggle’) and Ocean Beach, and within walking distance of Golden Gate Park (similar to NYC’s Central Park), museums, gardens, and playgrounds (absolutely essential).
This year we began our homeschool journey with Lyric. We joined a homeschooling meet up and have been busy going on field trips and play dates with some of the Bay Area’s other young homeschoolers. Lyric loves to tell people she is homeschooled and is quite the bibliophile and is doing very well in her beginning reading. Extreme extrovert that she is, she makes friends wherever she goes, loves to entertain the masses, wakes up with a song in her heart and a dance in her feet. Needless to say, mom goes to bed tired every night.
The best word to describe our sweet Story Jane is “jovial”. Her ready smile melts hearts wherever she goes, and her calm, understated sweetness is the perfect juxtaposition to Lyric’s spicy fire. Carlos has finally figured out how to make her laugh until she screams (happily).
As for me, I’ve been busy mom-ing it up, making great (according to Carlos) dinners with this fresh California produce, strumming the ukulele, and I’ve even dusted off my novel manuscript… who knows? Maybe this will be the year I finish….
We’re just starting to settle (as much as we ever do) in San Francisco. Carlos’ new co-workers are great, and he never has to work over-time. We’ve found a great group of believers at Ikon Christian Community (which recently got a write-up in the New York Times about being a ‘hiptster’ friendly place). They have been very welcoming, especially to the first two regularly attending people under 21.
Lastly, in November, we got to bring both kids out of the country for the first time. We had the joy of celebrating the wedding of Christin’s sister, Caitlin, to a wonderful man, Victor Salas, in Xalapa, Mexico. We wish them much joy, and we know they will be great together.
As usual, there is no end to our adventure. We look forward to a quiet Christmas and New Year’s Eve, which we will probably spend at the beach.
Much love, joy, and peace to you, “for unto us, a Child is born.”
Carlos, Christin, Lyric, and Story Jane Curran
