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.