Four Generations

This Thanksgiving, Aerin's great-grandmother, Isabelle, finally got to meet her. It was wonderful to have 4 generations of women together. Maybe not so much for Andrew, though.

Aerin and Daddy

Progress

Aerin changes so quickly that I can hardly keep up with all of her new and emerging skills to report them. She has mastered the pincer grip with her right (hemangioma) hand, as you can see. She can even take a Cheerio out of your pincer grip, if you offer it to her that way. Any lingering fears I might have had about her use of that arm have evaporated.

While we were visiting our friends in Northern Virginia, Aerin discovered that she likes cars. Tristan and Aidan, four-year-old identical twins, were so generous about sharing their toys that they didn't even blink when Aerin went after their fleet. When we got home, I searched for pink cars, but they don't seem to have any in the stores. So I got Aerin a green VW bug (new model), a black Lamborghini, and a red pickup truck. I have pink cars on order. Aerin loves to push them around and crash them.

Aerin has developed her own trademark wave. She raises her left arm straight in the air, without bending the elbow, and kind of moves her hand back and forth a little bit. We went to the store the other day and she was waving at people right and left. I had also made the mistake of taking her out with a bow in her hair, so it took about 3 times as long to finish my shopping with all the people wanting to stop and coo at Aerin. I'm glad she brings joy to people, but sometimes I just want to do my shopping and leave the store in less than 2 hours.

In other news, Aerin won't leave me alone. She screams when I leave the room, which can be very frustrating. She's been extra clingly lately, always wanting to be held or to sit in my lap. I don't know how I got such a clingy child - I am one of the most indpendent people I know and always have been. C'est le vie.

Prematurity Awareness Month

November is Prematurity Awareness Month. Please visit the March of Dimes home page to learn more about their prematurity campaign or to see how you can help give all babies their nine months.

Update

Yesterday, Aerin interrupted the democratic process. We took her with us when we voted and the voting official in charge of helping people at the ballot tables (they really aren't booths) was so captivated by her that he completely ignored an elderly lady who was having trouble with the computerized ballot. Let's hope she uses her power for good.

Our trip went better than the last one, but Aerin is still not a good traveler. She did fine on the rides to and from D.C., but she was up from around 11:30 p.m. to about 4:00 a.m. She was also much fussier than usual. Part of the sleeping problem, I think, is that we didn't bring any music for her to listen to. She has an iHome in her room and I have the iPod set for 14 straight hours of music. We'll be bringing it if I ever work up the courage to take her on another trip. Still, it was wonderful to see our dear friends and their exceptionally cute children. Our hosts have 4-year-old identical twin boys and they are remarkable. You only have to tell them something once - it's amazing. They were so good around Aerin and never once tried to touch her or any of her things. Aerin was fascinated by them. Also in attendance was our other friends' 2.5-year-old daughter, who is always on the go. She loves musicals and it was so funny to see her singing and dancing. We dressed all of the kids up in their Halloween costumes, but we couldn't get them to pose together for a picture. Imagine that. There is a 1.5-year age difference between the kids and it's so interesting to see where they all are developmentally.

Lastly, we have some news. After much thought and prayer and discussion with our doctors, we have decided to postpone Aerin's surgery. I don't want her in the PICU during RSV season, especially when she is ineligible for Synagis. I am also not ready to have her in the hospital so close to the time when she was in the PICU with pneumonia last year. She'll have the surgery sometime in June. We're hoping she'll have more usable skin, so she doesn't have to have such a large graft. She'll also be bigger and stronger, not to mention how much more developed her immune system will be.

Anniversary

I have lots of news to post, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Today, Andrew and I (and Aerin) celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary.

Happy Halloween