Easter Time is Cousin Time

Growing up, I had 3 cousins that we would celebrate Easter with every year. Mostly we decorated and hunted for eggs at my Grandma Shirley's house in Stayton, Oregon. It started out innocently enough as we picked a theme for the eggs that year and grew to mischief as we aged. It was less about decorating and more about hucking eggs (Travis, Mark) and bemoaning our NEED for the sacred candy that we were advised to give up for Lent (Bekki, Merritt, Jill, and I).

Here we are as a family. First cousins on this side!

Wow. If Only the Pregnancy Had Gone This Quickly.

Alden is forty weeks old today. That means he has been OUT as long as he was IN. At this time last year, I was totally fuh-reaking out that the baby room was not complete and that our home was so very, very, very dirty. Now, I am elated to have a little boy crawling around on our floors, climbing up his nursery room steps, eating toast sticks while squealing his own theme song. "Yi! Yee! Yah-gah!"
Happy forty week birthday, Newnie.

Seattle Aquarium = Fun Times

Dorks.

This is a face that Alden has perfected. "Oooooh." or "Wha?"

I don't get out much.
And this is why.

Springtime

We've been a little missing lately but, in the next slew of posts, I will get you all caught up. These date back to March 19th, the day before my pony princess birthday. The eve of the first day of spring, too. Alden loves him up some grass.

Ok. I'll Get Right On That. Not.

I have been a sponge when it comes to reading information from a variety of sources about tips, tricks, and trends in baby raising. I shop for my information just like I shop from groceries... select the best brand for me, try different ingredients, experiment with new recipes, etc. Until now, I've been pretty open to everything. But, the most recent issue of "American Baby" magazine (April 2010) had this little tip that made me not just roll my eyes but throw the magazine right into the recycling bin. Take a listen, shall we?

Title: Protect Baby Teeth
Subtitle: Feeding baby during the night?
Article: "One her pearly whites start coming in, gently swab the inside of her mouth with a damp washcloth or dental wipe before putting her back to sleep, advises Michael Ignelzi, D.D.S., Ph.D., a spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. When milk sugar lingers in the mouth, it can cause severe tooth decay, and baby teeth may need to be crowned or removed as a result."

That advise, while important to follow DURING THE DAY, ain't gonna fly in THIS nighttime ritual. No, I won't let Alden's teeth rot in his adorable face but I am not on board with brushing up his pearly whites at 3 friggin' a to the m, ok? Mama is sleepy. Baby is sleepy. Period.

Pure of Heart, We Are Not

I cannot be trusted to pick out an appropriate outfit for a visit to the dentist much less for being a guest to my cousin's wedding in May. In Louisiana. In a Catholic Church. So, I entrusted Dustin to do it for me this past Saturday. He sent me a series of picture messages from numerous stores in downtown Seattle which I then vetoed or asked for more detail. Exasperated, he called an described a strapless, dusty red pinstripe number that seemed, to both of us, perfect. My mother reminded me that the Catholic faith is modest and may discourage bare shoulders in the church. Not to be thrown off course, Dustin asked, "So, I suppose I should take back the vagina hat I bought you."

Celebrity Love or Hate Game

On the t.v. show "Will and Grace" the main characters would play a game where one would name a celebrity and, without wiggle room, waffling, or explanation, the other would claim their love or hatred for them. Because I am lonely and have no one to play this with, I post my list now.
Halle Barry = hate
Rob Lowe = love
Anne Heche = hate
Jeff Bridges = looooove
Anne Hathaway = hate
January Jones = love

Never Too Late

So what if Easter was last Sunday? What matters is that Alden is cute and wearing bunny ears.

Muhammad Baby

Little Alden getting ready for his first swim at the YMCA. As usual, dude took to it like he'd seen it all before. I was more nervous than he was. We bobbed along in the water, surrounded by big kids who splashed and yelled, and he remained content and in control. Me? I was a fluttery mess of anxiety and excitement.

Moving On Up

Now that it is official that Dustin, Alden, Y'all and I are moving BACK to Seattle later this summer, I fondly post this old email that we mailed out to friends and family nearly 2 years ago.
May 2008
Greetings to each of you in our friend and family circles! We trust that this email finds you happy, healthy, and enjoying this "spring" (I know for a fact it was snowing in Montana not long ago) that is upon us. As flowers prepare to bloom and bears emerge from hibernation, Dustin and I must also answer the call of the wild and move. Well, to be most accurate, we are choosing (with great excitement) to move to Grants Pass, Oregon. We have purchased our first home there and are eagerly anticipating the projects that this incurs. While we have been happy here in San Diego (what's not to love with sun, sand, and surf?) we are ready to own a humble place to call our investment. Grants Pass has a great deal to offer as the housing market across (most) the nation is in a low and the time for us to buy is right. We have purchased a home that is indeed a fixer-upper but we expect to do just that and sell it later when the time is, again, just right. I know that this may seem shocking to some of you who know how happy and successful we have been in larger cites (Seattle and San Diego namely) but, as we are able to live most anyplace near an airport for our work, it seems a good fit to live nearer to accessible nature, family, and familiarity. This is an especially endearing project as Dustin and I have never, in all 11 years of our relationship, owned a big ticket item as a team. We eagerly anticipate working side-by-side, discussing (to no end, I'm sure) the possibilities and outcomes of every project, and completing things as Team Hardin. I so hope to have guests to come stay with us in our new/old town in our new/old home. Our new address is 522 S.E. "M" St. Grants Pass, OR 97526 Our thanks to each of you for your support and encouragement! Now, back to work!!!

Babies Are the New Black

For the new spring line at the Hardin household, please watch Frosting as she takes her nearly 8 month old baby, Alden, out for a nice stroll through a Seattle market.

Light weight, portable, and relatively waterproof, babies are the new accessory for the season. Ladies, come and get one for yourselves. You deserve it.

Jack Attack

You know you are friends when you let the other guy crawl over you.

Watch Yer Toes