What We're Thankful For...

Family & Friends
Health & Happiness...
& everything that our life is blessed with!

This year for Thanksgiving, the girls (plus Steve) walked the Brown's Point Turkey Trot while the other boys competed in thier traditional mud bowl. For some of us... it was our 2nd time walking it... for others it was a 1st... and it was fun! I was lucky enough to get s low census day (I didn't have to work) so I was able to participate in what has become a great tradition.

Caitlyn enjoyed being all bundled up in the crisp fall weather.

Afterwards, we ate a wonderfully prepared Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Cindy's and enjoyed the holiday while being thankful for the many things that we all have in our lives... Then Ash, Caitlyn and I went to his parents house (we must have been over-loaded with tryptophan cause we forgot to take a picture) and enjoyed more food and good company.
What a great holiday!

A Girly Date

Thanks to Tiffany and Avery... We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the Spaghetti Factory! Afterwards, the girls played on the toy at the mall. I bought Caitlyn some new jeans for the date (which, I swear, fit her perfectly when we left the house) but when we got to playing... her pants kept dropping to her knees. We took a break to buy some new pants and she threw a huge fit in the middle of the mall. She threw herself backwards on the ground and hit her head hard on the tile floor. You would have thought there was another mall shooting the way she screamed. After she calmed down and we got some new pants, we took the girls back to the play area and they had a blast. It sure was fun watching them run and play with all the other children. Tiffany and I were both tired after just watching them run around. What a fun and very tiring afternoon.

Here's the girls after lunch... you should have seen Tiffany and I chasing around them in the gazebo with our cameras in hand waiting to get the perfect picture of them hugging!
Avery and Caitlyn playing on one of the toys... and wait for it...
a shot of poor Caitlyn's behind! Her pants wouldn't stay up. Size 12 months are like capris on her and 18 months pants fall around her knees. What's a mom to do?!?
Here she is... loving the toys! She went to bed at 6:45pm last night and today after I got home from work... I found a 4th tooth has popped out of her little pink gums.

Maybe the cause for the tantrum?!?!
Thanks Tiffany and Avery for a wonderful afternoon out on the town!

Teeth & The Tub

Caitlyn has grown quite fond of her baby tooth brush now that she has teeth! She is fascinated with my toothbrush and simply can't get enough of brushing her teeth!

Also, in the bath, she has learned to wash her body and her hair... All I have to do is say, "Caitlyn, please wash your hair" and she dips her hands under water to get them wet and then scrubs her hair. While she does this, I sing to her a song that my dad used to sing to us (I think it's from the Wizard of Oz)...

Scrub, scrub, scrub,

Scrub, scrub, scrub,

and a couple of la tee da's,

it's time to wash the world away..

in the merry old Land of Oz!

She gets very serious. I stop singing when she stops scrubbing... and sometimes she gets a kick just out of that. She'll start to wash her hair then quickly remove her hands from her head and laugh so loud because I didn't get to finish the song. She cracks me up!

(These bathtub pictures look boring. They were taken at the end of her bath when all the bubbles were gone and all of her toys had drifted to the right of her at the end of the tub).

These pics were taken last week. Caitlyn had just woken up and I got her out of her crib. I put her down and grabbed a load of laundry. In the meantime I found Caitlyn in the study. I swear these pics are not posed... she just kept on working on the computer while I snapped away!
She can type very fast!
One last pose for the camera!

11.21.80

Husband,

Highschool Sweetheart,

Handsome,

Heaven Sent,

Hot Lips,

Humourous,

Happy-go-Lucky.

I love EVERYTHING about you!

Hope your day is wonderful because you totally deserve it!

Happy Birthday, Hubby!

I Almost Forgot...

While I was in Cali., Caitlyn's doctor called me and gave me outstanding news...
ALL OF HER TEST RESULTS WERE NEGATIVE!
I was walking on the beach when they called and just started crying (happy tears of course). Ash was close to a break in his conference and he came running outside to us and gave Caitlyn and me the biggest hug ever! So, now we just have to keep an eye on what might be making her bum turn red... which she hasn't had in a very long time! Our prayers have been answered! Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers too!

A Much Needed Vacation!

We returned yesterday from sunny San Diego. The trip was amazingly perfect. We traveled there for a conference Ashley attended...it was our 2nd time attending this particular conference. We went last year too during the same week in November, except unlike last year's weather (cloudy, misty and in the high 50's)... this year it was hot sunny and in the 80's!!! I absolutely LOVED the trip and the weather! Ash's conference was really only for one full day and then a couple hours on Friday so we had plenty of time to relax and vacation as a family.

We found ourselves constantly comparing what it was like last year to travel with Caitlyn to this year and imagining what it'll be like next year (we stayed in the same hotel on the beach both times and ate at a lot of the same places). It was interesting because one night we went to a restaurant we remembered liking a lot last year (Caitlyn was 3 months then and slept in her car seat inside her stroller)... this year we took turns enjoying the food while the other was chasing Caitlyn around the restaurant... around the lobby, around the Internet bar, around the lobby again, and back into the restaurant.

I also made a big deal about getting a crib in our room for Caitlyn to sleep in i called twice to make sure it would be there... we got there...and it was ready for her... and when it was time to go to sleep for her, she would just stand up and look at us from across the room with eyes that said, "hey mom and dad... what are you doing over there, I'm stuck in this thing but ready to play!" So we learned that each night she would just run herself ragged all through our room until she crawled up on the bed with us and teetered out... then we'd gently transfer her back to the crib. (It was so nice last night just setting her in her own crib in her own room as she just rolled over and went peacefully asleep).

Each afternoon for her nap we would walk down to the ocean and walk and walk until Caitlyn fell fast asleep in her stroller. We would then sit next to some beautiful trees in the shade and I would read while she'd sleep, then when she was awake again we'd play in the grass for a long time! I could definitely get used to a life like that!

We enjoyed the pool, the beach, great food, great company, the lamp district, and lots of much needed rest and relaxation! Last year we went to the San Diego Zoo and this year we were planning to go there or Sea World, but decided that it was way too hot (88 degrees) on both the days we thinking about going, so we went to the pool instead. I don't think Caitlyn minded a bit though... She LOVES to swim! She loves it so much that one time when we were resting on the pool chairs, she high tailed it away from us and ran straight into the pool! I swear she even did a little jump off the edge :) Ash jumped up and into the water before Caitlyn even realized what she had done and was totally surprised by her own courageousness!

The vacation was just what we needed... to get away from everything that Washington entails (especially flooding weather). As Caitlyn and I walked on the ocean front I had found that old pep in my step, that I swear pregnancy had taken out of me, had returned. I swear to you... I was smiling and almost skipping as the sun shone and the birds sang! Who knows if it was really only the vacation or maybe my 2nd trimester energy came back to me... or both... but I LOVED it!

Caitlyn with her own luggage (gifted to her by my friend Kum). She got to have the pacifier a lot this trip... she now has 3 fully visibly teeth!

This is her enjoying the water front after one of her naps!

We went to starbucks too and I found that she isn't into hot chocolate yet!

Caitlyn running on the water front. I really just love this little outfit...

the skirt was still too big on her, but it's darn cute!

We hung out with our friends Tobi and Xian, we had a blast. We did lunch, the beach, dinner, and we went to Ghirradelli's for a wonderful sundae dessert. It was so festive in there with peppermint chocolates and Christmas music! I loved it! I know I have been getting a lot of requests to NOT put collages on the blog, but I'm pregnant and in a bathing suit... so i don't particularly want you to be able to click on the picture to make me look gigantic :) I love the middle picture in this collage cause this is what Caitlyn looks like after a day at the pool with sunscrean all an her hair! Beautiful!

Under the Weather

Yep... I'm sick for the 4th day in a row and I called to work for two of those days... at my work you need a note from a doc if you've been sick for three days so here I am still sick and getting ready for work cause I didn't feel it necessary to make a doctors appointment for a cold. I woke up this morning at 3:30am and just lied in bed not able to go back to sleep cause my nose was running onto my pillow and I was sure that my head would explode any second. Being pregnant and all I can't really take anything good for my cold so this cold is taking a longer time than usual to just go away.
Thanks Grandma Riggs for watching Caitlyn yesterday so I could rest. I got to sleep in til 8:30am (that's late for me now a days). I can only pray for a great day at work!
I swear that after this post... I will not use my blog to vent about my days. Also... I haven't heard anything back about Caitlyn's lab results yet. I'll keep yuns posted!

Birthdays!!!

Happy Birthday to my favorite brother... JON!!!

You are an amazing brother and Uncle! We love you tons!

See you this weekend!
Happy 1st Birthday Avery Jeanne

You are also an amazing little baby girl.

I know you will be a great big sister!

I hope you guys both have a very special day!

15 Month Check Up

Caitlyn had her check up today and did wonderfully! On the other hand, I did horribly (maybe still funny hormones... i don't know). She had to get 3 shots and I brought up that she still gets a red bum when she eats things with wheat flour in them. The doc was wondering about Celiac Disease on our last appointment and didn't wanna do tests yet... well today he DID. So we walked what seemed like miles (accross the parking lot) and waited for what seemed like hours (maybe 30 minutes) in a small lab to get her blood drawn. Now that she is big enough they actually had to do a little baby venapuncture (instead of poking her heel like they did when she was so tiny). Caitlyn sat on my lap and faced forward while I basically bear hugged her, and 2 lab technicians drew her blood. Seriously it took two of them cause Caitlyn was determined NOT to have her blood drawn. Luckily it was just one poke... lots of waiting while the vial filled SO SLOWLY... and we were done! Other than that Caitlyn did wonderfully... I scheduled her next appointment on a Wednesday that Ash is off and I work cause I HATE to hear her cry when she gets shots... it breaks my heart... and then I usually cry too :(

On the car ride home I thought I was ok so I called Ash to give him all the updates on our baby girl and started talking to him about Celiac Disease and then I lost it. I probably should have pulled over I was crying so hard. I KNOW that we don't even know if she has it, and I KNOW that it's not the worst thing for a child to have... but I want my little tiny baby Caitlyn to be healthy and happy and not have anything wrong with her EVER!!!

So I ask that all the bloggers and the blog readers out there say a little prayer for negative tests!

Other EXCITING updates about Caitlyn...

Loves to do the moves for "itsy bitsy spider" and hum along, Loves to lick her lips and stick her tongue out and she really likes it when you copy her. She loves to put her hands on her hand, one at time, until you follow along. If you are sitting on the ground she backs up into your lap and then sits down to cuddle. Flushes the toilet... waits and flushes again... and again. Walks between your legs back and forth... back and forth. Signs: more, hungry, and milk. Says dad, hi, down, no, and Ash (still not "mom"). Points to her ears when you say, “where’s your ears?” and the same for head and nose. She understands so much of what we say She is AMAZING!!!

Pregnancy Hormones or Not?!?

I picked up a shift today (on my weekend off in order to scrunch in all my hours before Ash, Caitlyn, and I leave for San Diego). The day started off wonderfully, I felt rested after with the extra hour of sleep… and then I found myself at work… with a run of very demanding patients. I received report and to my surprise I had 2 out of 5 patients that are very frequent fliers with us 2 total care patients, and 1 patient that is to be discharged to a skilled nursing facility that is not even close to being arranged yet, 2 of the patients were on contact isolation and 2 of the patients were on droplet isolation! For those of you who might not understand this… I know from this information… my day will be VERY busy!

Now of course I can’t give a whole lot of info because of the privacy laws… but after answering one of my patients call lights for the 100th time at noon today… he asked if any of his dilaudid, phenergan, Benadryl, or oxycontin were due because he was currently… in pain with nausea and itching… and in more pain all at the same time. Now… maybe the Erin RN from February of 2004 would have said with a smile, “oh yes sir, I’ll be right back after I check to see if any of those medications are due, and if they are, I will bring them right in!” (even though it would’ve been the 100th or so time I’ve been in your room today). But, instead, the 14 weeks pregnant Erin said… “You’re STILL not due for any of those medications and I haven’t peed AT ALL today and I have to go REALLY bad… so I am going to use the restroom NOW.” I then excused myself out of the room and used the restroom. I then found myself drawn to the cafeteria to get a side of macaroni which always looks and smells so good but makes my stomach hurt for hours after I eat it… I ate it…then my stomach hurt! Surprise… surprise!
Then later in the day the house supervisor found another one of my patients outside by the main entrance. The patient stated that she was “looking for a new boyfriend… one that would buy her a bigger ring” When I asked her to return to her room, she starts threatening me saying that she is going to call her lawyer because she hasn’t seen a doctor yet today. She continued to threaten me while the nurse in charge was on the phone with her doctor and after I had politely asked her to return to her room she continued the threatening and the yelling and I finally said, “ms. ‘So and so’, right now I am pregnant and I don’t have the patience to continue to tell you the same thing over and over again. We will let you know when we have new orders, please go back to your room.” Then she did and went to sleep for a while. Thank goodness!

I swear I don't usually express myself so matter of factly to my patient's, in fact... I'd say that i am usually pretty professional in my interactions with them... but today was DIFFERENT!

My day basically stunk, it was one thing after the other, I know it just sounds like I had 2 demanding patients but on top of that, I assessed all my patients, passed all my meds, fed two patients that could barely swallow, crushed meds, turned patients, helped other very new nurses, donned isolation gowns, masks, and gloves a gazillion times, joked with a few doctors, passed more meds, tried harder to get the patients to swallow the crushed meds, discharged a patient to a skilled nursing facility, noted STAT orders, shoved food in my face during a short break, peed ONCE…and now I am very tired, even with my extra hour of sleep… work drained the living daylights outta me!
I did get to come home and enjoy a wonderful Sunday Dinner with Ash and Caitlyn (even though I burnt the garlic bread... then cried) and then relaxed in a bath with Caitlyn.
Without them... I for sure would've gone crazy today!
I will now go to bed!