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Introduction
December 31, 2002
Michael - 27 Months
Madison - 33 Weeks
CHRISTMAS EVE DAY & NIGHT
Wow, what a way to start a day. I wake up and as I walk into the living room, I am hit brazen in the face by a wall of dog-poop smell. Poor Bob, he got an upset tummy in the early-morning and exploded all over his bed and the surrounding area in the study/playroom. Yuck. What a total mess! And if that weren't bad enough on Christmas Eve morning, I found ants all over the kid's closet floor (there is a crawlspace in their closet so the rain must have pushed the ants up into their room.) Another yuck. After I cleaned everything and placed aromatic candles everywhere, things brightened up. After all, it was Christmas Eve!
That late afternoon, after Bill got home from work, his mom, dad, and Papou (Bill's brother was at work) brought over some food and we had a feast. We opened our presents to each other and Michael had soo much fun opening, or least "helping" everyone open their gifts. The kids got some great clothes, books, and some Hot Wheels toys. (The kids got repeat toys & so-so clothes from the In-laws. I really wish that they would ask what kinds of toys the kids already have or at least go off the suggested Christmas wish-list I gave them. Oh, well, they will never change. I am left with stuff I won't use because they didn't even give me a gift-receipt for any of it. Frustrating.) After that we went to Mimi's Café and saw his brother hard at work waiting tables. We had dessert & coffee in his section so we could at least say hello and Merry Christmas Eve to him.
CHRISTMAS DAY
Magically, Santa Claus visited our house in the night! We had left him some See's chocolate & milk and it was all gone the next morning! Michael was very excited to open more presents and he loved his Buzz Lightyear & Woody dolls. Both he & Madison got lots of stuff from both Santa & us. We had a quick breakfast after unloading our stockings and then we got ready to go to my mom & brother's house for lunch. Once there we ate some yummy ham and other foods from Bristol Farms and then opened a gazillion more gifts! I got clothes, cosmetics, and money. Bill got an attaché, money, and a DVD trilogy. Michael got a Brio train set (train table arriving later) and more toys. Madison got a doll and Baby Lulu clothes. Soo much stuff - we are very blessed. After we got extremely tired from all the Christmas celebrations, we had to load up the kids in the car and head an hour inland to Yorba Linda to celebrate yet again. Once at Bill's parents house, we ate prime rib and opened MORE gifts! Unbelievable! Again, I have to say that we are extremely fortunate and blessed to have families that are financially stable and also very loving & giving. Oh - for my own account, I gave Bill a telescope and he gave me the Lord of the Rings CD, a sweater, & scarf. (Yes, I know many of you do not care to know what material things we give/get but I personally want to know for the future.) Christmas was exhausting to say the least (felt like we were run down by a truck!) and we were ever so happy to be warm & snuggly in our beds. With Madison between us…..
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF
Yes, it started a few days ago. Madison is now in our bed!!!! NO!!!!!! But it is true. I just couldn't take the lack of sleep anymore and her teeth are really bothering her to the point of needing constant comfort….so…I put her in bed with us so I could get some sleep and now, I am afraid, it is a habit that we will have to break. Didn't I say that I would never let her sleep with us?! Oh boy, what to do, what to do. I try and lay her in her porta-crib that is next to the bed after she seems asleep and less than 5 minutes later, she will roll over and search for me and then start to cry. She constantly wants to hold my hand when sleeping next to me too. Michael was the same way. It must be in the genes because I didn't start the habit with either one. They both just get comfort with hand-holding. Poor Bill, - if Michael has a nightmare and wants to sleep with us, then Bill goes to sleep on the couch because there isn't any room in our queen bed for four people. I really wish she would sleep in her own bed again. Any suggestions besides the Ferber approach? I did try a heating pad on her sheets before laying her down but it failed.
OUR LITTLE VAMPIRA
It seems as if Madison is going through so much at once. She is scooting allover the place. She is still a touch from crawling. She can pull herself almost completely up on things and she can lean over and reach stuff and then move back into a sitting position but seems to have some trouble just getting herself to move forward. She moves backward though. She is making new vocalizations AND her second lower tooth just broke through the gumline. She opens her mouth and grabs onto anything. She chews on all the toys, our clothes, our bodies, and her hands. Tylenol doesn't seem to be helping her crankiness that much, or else she is just hurting too much. She is "Miserable Madison" once again.
OUR FIVE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Saturday, the 28th marked our five-year wedding anniversary. Wow, it actually seems longer because having children makes me feel so much older in ways. Anyhoo ~ we didn't do much during the day but then dropped the kids off with my mom and her helper, Christine, so Bill & I could grab a nice dinner at the Admiral Risty in Rancho Palos Verdes. It is an old charming restaurant that has an excellent view of the ocean. We had cocktails, an appetizer, fish dinners, and coffee. The waiters surprised us (so much so that we almost jumped out of our seats) with a song and candle-lit dessert. It was really nice to get away for a few hours without the children. They had a great time too while we were gone. Madison was asleep in Christine's arms and Michael seemed very happy with a cookie in his hand & chocolate all over his mouth. Grandparents let their grandchildren do anything! - much to our chagrin!
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
I have four resolutions this year. Potty-train Michael, wean Madison from the breast, lose weight, and save money. Period.
NEW YEAR'S EVE DAY
Today, we took the kids and had lunch at the Rainforest Café in Downtown Disney. Michael was a little frightened by the animatronic gorillas yet fascinated by them at the same time. We brought some food for Madison and she also enjoyed a Biter Biscuit. (We started giving her Arrowroot cookies, Zwieback toast and Biter Biscuits and she seems to enjoy them. We also figured out that she does not like oatmeal at all. She would cry every time we gave it to her yet she gobbles up any other foods without protest.) Anyway, we had a nice outing at Downtown Disney and we are getting Greek food for dinner. We rented a movie and that is how we plan to ring in the New Year. With two small children and zero babysitters what else can one do?!
It will be Bill's 30th birthday tomorrow! Very exciting! Again, his folks are in Michigan, alas - no babysitters, so we will be celebrating with the kids. We plan on taking another couple and renting Harley motorcycles and driving to San Diego for a weekend but it will have to wait until Maddie is weaned off the breast. That future plan is Bill's birthday present and it should be a blast.
THIS PAST YEAR - 2002
We welcomed Madison Baldwin into our family, got her baptized and are enjoying our little girl immensely. Michael turned two and is a great joy as well. Sadly, our close friends, the Bovairds, took a job in Chicago and moved there. Good for them - bittersweet for us. And, the saddest of all is the passing of our beloved Yiayia Katina. As one "Katherine" enters into the world (Katherine is Madison's Christian name), one leaves the world. Eternal be her memory.
Well, I will write more next week. Have a Happy New Year!!!!
-Nicole, Michael, and Madison
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