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Wed, Nov 23, 2005 9:39 AM
Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers (friends...family...stalkers..)!

Thanksgiving Day 5 years ago was the first holiday I spent with Dora and her family. And I still married her! :-) I am so thankful for her, as I always have been, but this year she has given me the greatest gift in Arden.

Today is my grandma's birthday. She would have been 80 years old. She will definitely be in my thoughts the next couple of days, as Thanksgiving was always "her" holiday. My most vivid memories of holidays take me back to Modesto, they will always stay with me.

It's amazing to think what can change in a year's time, isn't it?

I hope you all enjoy your families and friends. We've been told Arden will spend the day watching football with Nonno and her uncle. My dad already started her this past weekend on college football.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love, Erin

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Tue, Nov 22, 2005 9:33 AM
Hi all....

So I'm a "mom" of two today again.... Charlie has come for the day... let me just tell you, this is the first 5 minutes I have had to breath and well....Arden finally went to sleep for her morning nap just in time for Charlie to start wiggling awake....

I don't know how to describe the amount of respect I have for mothers of twins. Charlie and Arden are a month apart and the only blessing is at least they can't move on their own yet! Anyhow brings back memories for me.

Growing up I used to watch my cousins who were 15 months apart all the time and that was just HELL on earth. I mean one was mobile and the other was a highly needy newborn. I don't think either one got to enjoy enough one on one ever....and looking back I don't remember enjoying their babyhood very much and I loved these girls. It has made me a firm believer in keeping some years between babies so each child gets to be a baby.

Now watching Charlie and Arden makes me worry about daycare even more. I mean if I feel that neither Charlie or Arden gets enough attention and there is one of me for two of them then how will daycare with 2 people for 7-8 babies of the same age give Arden enough attention?

Sigh.... okay I have got to go tend to the mini dictators.....

Dora

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Fri, Nov 18, 2005 7:12 AM
It's so early and I've already been at work for an hour. Arden's Grandma Joanne and Grandpa Dave are here and I'm working super early so I can leave early in the afternoon to go see them.

We met them for dinner last night in Boston. Proud to say that our little screamer did tremendously well in the car -- a few bouts of crying but lots of peace and sleep too. Phew!! She just doesn't like stop and go traffic...if only I had that helicopter! Or maybe we should get a police siren...

She was fantastic in the restaurant. She can be a little weird between 4 & 7 but was so happy to just sit and stare at everything (while chowing on a bottle, of course). LOVES my mother. Was just talking and talking to her. So cute. My dad didn't even hug D or I, just walked up and took Arden. Ah, we rate so high these days. Heh.

We're heading to meet them again later this afternoon. Their visit is a short one so we're trying to see them as much as possible, even with my new job presenting some challenges to time off.

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week. And, the true sign of Christmas started yesterday. 103.3 in Boston is now playing all Christmas music, all the time. I think D has just died and gone to heaven.

Hope everyone is fabulous and has a great weekend!

Erin (ps: We'll get some new pics this weekend and get them onto the site!!)

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Tue, Nov 15, 2005 9:15 AM

Dear Arden,

Why must you hate your carseat? You are so incredibly perfect in every way, and yet this one thing you despise to new heights. The saddest part about it is how much you love new places, and yet to get there we must listen to you scream as if we are pulling out your toenails.

We thought this new seat would make you feel better. My goodness my darling, you chose it yourself!! You sat there, smiling at us from it in the store...and yet in the car you still screech like a banshee. If it is 4pm and we are driving home, I know you want to be asleep. It is okay to fall asleep in the car. We promise that the moment we are able we will lay you flat out. Unfortunately, as we have discussed, we cannot just set you in the cargo area of the car and let you ride there. It's just not safe, and we love you and want to protect you. Hence our inhumanely forcing you to stay in that wretched contraption that confines your wiggly body.

My sweet girl, please give it another chance. And make sure to share your toys nicely with Charlie today, even though you whined at me when I said you had to.

Love,
Mommy

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Mon, Nov 7, 2005 3:42 PM
At least as our house continues to fall apart around our ears, we can take solace in the fact that we have a great baby.

The little poppet went down at 9pm last night and slept until 6:30. :-) She loves, loves, loves her crib. Knock wood, we had no trouble moving her there. She just loves to spread out completely, the bassinet was cramping her sleep style.

I think the mommies are now used to her being in her own room too. And I think Grandma and Grandpa are happy their purchase is being used for more than a holder of clothes :-).

So there is a website (findyourtown.com, i think) that tells you the ideal place for you to live. Both Dora and I got lots of Oregon (and some Arkansas for her and Louisiana for me!!). I was completely amused by the results, and definitely agree on the results. If only our marriage would be recognized in Oregon, we'd be golden.

This mommy has a meeting tonight, and won't be home till late, therefore won't be seeing Arden till tomorrow morning. Chances are good she'll be sleeping when I get home. At least she was up for me to smother her with kisses this morning. She really, really is the best thing in the entire world. Really.

Erin

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Sun, Nov 6, 2005 7:00 PM
Hip Hip Horay for Nonno!

Nonno came over last night to see Arden (who was of course asleep when he arrived) so Nonno had to settle for the role of father and father-in-law while we waited for the princess to crack an eye open....

While he waited he put his handyman's cap on and fixed our ancient refrigerator, now Erin and I were moaning about having to replace it because we'd like it to hold out until we remodel the kitchen in a few years, plus it is a big model and to replace it will be expensive and frankly, we're used to the size of the darn thing. Now the issue with the old piece of metal was it was leaking non-stop inside and I was putting towels and everything else inside to collect the water and only keeping foods we'd use immediately in it.

Nonno walks in, pulls it apart, finds 40 years of gunk in the tubing and some frozen (thanks to the leaking) valve thingy and today??? I have a perfectly working fridge. Now I wasn't planning on cooking because, like I said we don't keep much food on hand and I was days late with grocery shopping...but my Dad who had worked in the factory all day and now was at my house working should have food....so I remembered that I had a box of wheat spaghetti, the minimum pound and a half of sauce...AND some ground turkey...add in my last two onions and some seasonings....and instant meal! So I cook and serve my Dad and Erin and start cleaning the pans ( I hate eating while pans are waiting) when I feel wet feet...usually this means the milk bar is leaking....so I look down and notice that the cabinet under the sink is leaking...

So you all must have guessed it... another pipe has gone in "this old house".

Now tell me my dad isn't handy..... He fixed the pipe (temporarily, it was worn right through with age and it was a copper pipe). That man saved us the price of a new fridge and a plumber visit all for the price of a plate of spaghetti. Now this works for me!

Then he entertained Arden for an hour while she was her cheerful stinky-pants self until she decided she wanted to eat when she demonstrated to Nonno her power of YELL.

That is right, Arden likes to YELL when she wants to eat and I'm not holding her and someone else is. It is the funniest damn thing I have ever witnessed. She isn't crying...she just gets this pathetic expression and yells...and keeps yelling until I fetch her...if she sees me she'll make solid eye contact and toss in a smidge of crying to get her point accross. Then when I pick her up she'll throw herself to the side, mouth open, eating her hand or anything else she can reach....If I'm holding her she will just suddenly toss herself into the nursing position.

Of course it is that type of dedication that gets one to 14 pounds at 9 weeks old.

Dora

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Thu, Nov 3, 2005 3:59 PM
Never again.

I am never ever going to her doctor appointments alone when there are shots involved. There she was laughing and smiling at all of us, enjoying her nekkid little self...when

WHAM WHAM WHAM...

She jumped a mile and was so upset she wouldn't nurse after... I had to wait in the office for a good 10 minutes until she calmed down, then I had to nurse her and then shove her into the car which we all knows she just "loves".

Or hates with such passion that she makes the christian right look unzealous.....my ears will never be the same.

Neither will my nerves....

Other than that she is 90th % in height, weight and head.....

:-D Dora

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Tue, Nov 1, 2005 12:00 PM
NOVEMBER?????

I can't believe that it is almost time for Thanksgiving!

Anyhow, I'm at home with a cranky baby today...Arden has her first cold and boy is she just miserable with it. But Arden miserable is many people's babies on a good day so I'm not going to bitch too much about it :-)

So yesterday was Halloween and we turned Arden into a flower and her future hubby Charlie was a bee...my mother felt that it was rather xrated, but I thought it was just precious. Unfortunately I can't say our first Halloween was a hit since she started with the cold yesterday and had zero tolerance for anything other than nursing....so most of our pictures are either Arden with a scowl or Arden outright pissed off.

She is so active these days, laughing, smiling...she loves to play on her play mat and in her boppy.... hits all the toys and squeals and laughs while trying to take out a stuffed toy or two.

Last night was also a HUGE night for me...Arden slept in her crib in her own room. She is used to being put down in all sorts of places to sleep...middle of people's couches or chairs, beds...her stroller, so she wasn't fazed by it...but I felt like she was just SO FAR AWAY. I think she liked the extra room. Sigh...I feel like time is just slipping by and she is growing so quickly.

Arden also went to her very first formal event...Her Mommy (Erin) co-chaired the HRC dinner and it went smashingly. The people were beautiful and the dinner entertaining. My sister came so we had a personal nanny for Arden.

I have to just say Arden was a perfect angel in all ways. The jumbo-trons facinated her and she just sat from 7-11:15pm staring at the stage and the trons. She let Vicki Shaw the nights comedic relief hold her and Vicki worked Arden into her act! It was just great.

Arden looked like a princess and I'll be posting pictures momentarily....

OH! It also snowed hard all day Saturday and I took a few photos to mark the moment of her first snowfall.....

So much more...but this is long enough!

Dora

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