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 Re: upcoming birth blog
#176042
07/02/05 03:49 PM
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Joined: Feb 2004
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Masaki
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Thanks for reminding me that I haven't done an update in a while. :) We're continuing to have problems with the milk supply - it's just refusing to come in all that well. Marika's latch is partially to blame - she tends not to stay on the areola and tends to slip off and go onto the nipple which decreases the effectiveness of the suck and doesn't help promote letdown. Amanda and I had a rough night a few nights ago where she wouldn't be satisfied no matter what we did and essentially kept us up all night fussing. It's one of the few episodes where I can recall Amanda close to crying.
Things are slightly better now ... she's not as fussy any more though nose congestion has set in with a vengeance. We're dosing her with nasal saline drops to try to keep her nasal passages clear. Still putting her on the breast, supplement feeding her with formula, and pumping to try to promote more letdown.
Masaki
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176043
07/02/05 03:54 PM
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ITravelNow
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Masaki and Amanda...hopefully Marika will soon adjust and Amanda's milk will letdown.
You have the best intentions and I hope they are rewarded. It's one of the most wonderful things you can do for Marika...but sometimes it's not easy. Hope you're hanging in there.
Margo
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176044
07/02/05 05:48 PM
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MarnaLou
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Amanda and Masaki, we've all been at the crying point with our babies, it's okay to cry!!
I am sorry the feeding situation has been a frustration for all three of you. It is admirable that you are sticking with breastfeeding and giving it every chance. It's great you have a consultant to talk to. I hope it all settles down soon. It's about time your family caught a break.
MarnaLou
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176045
07/02/05 08:25 PM
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petlover
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It's one of the few episodes where I can recall Amanda close to crying Oh Masaki, this brings back such memories and I think it's normal for new parents. I'm sure MANY of us have been there. We're all behind you and Amanda....we just need Marika to get with the program. Hang in there!!
Marcie 
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176046
07/03/05 04:49 PM
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 6,244
Masaki
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Thanks for the good wishes. We're continuing to work on it. Hopefully soon?? Marika has turned into quite the fussbucket - likes being carried and gets very upset when put down. We've resorted to carrying her around in a Baby Bjorn to keep her happy (see blog pic). Developmental books say that babies don't develop the capacity for self-soothing until around 2-4 months of age so the old adage of "let them cry" doesn't hold until then (trust us, we'd love to be able to do so). And we're getting a ton of well-meaning but ultimately frustrating advice from both sets of parents. Despite all this, we're doing reasonably well. :)
Masaki
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176047
07/03/05 06:26 PM
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Pam
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You do whatever it takes. Have you figured out how to position her in the Baby Bjorn while you stretch out in the recliner? Andy can actually sleep in the recliner with a baby on his chest; he's done it with all three, and now that they have a double rocker/recliner, he's done it with all three at the same time. Sarah, for some reason, still isn't always down all night, and many mornings Sonja finds Andy asleep on the couch with Sarah curled up on top of him. If he hears her first, he knows that it's easier for him to get back to sleep than it is for Sonja.
Masaki, I admire you so much for going through this side-by-side with Amanda. I know she's told you how much it means to her.
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176048
07/04/05 09:37 AM
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Masaki
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Thanks Pam. I think last night we may have made a slight breakthrough - I think she might have a slt amount of GERD (gastroesophageal reflux or heartburn). Thus, when you put her down, her milk refluxes up into her chest and makes her uncomfortable. When you pick her up, gravity pulls down the milk back into the stomach and she feels better.
Case in point - after coming up with the idea last night, we decided to put her to bed in her car seat instead. This holds her upper torso up at about a 30 degree angle. Tada! Slept for 6 hours without fussing.
Much happier and comfortable baby. Much happier and comfortable parents too.
Did I mention that our oinker is taking around 3+ ounces of milk per feeding?
Pam - we haven't quite figure out how to lie down with her in the Baby Bjorn. We may need to continue playing with all the straps to make that work. :)
Masaki
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176049
07/04/05 12:26 PM
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Denise
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Just playing catch up on this thread. Sorry to hear of the difficulties you are all going through. Hopefully, everything will adjust very soon for Marika, Amanda and you.
Hang in there. I think there are many parents on this board who can relate to each and everything you are going through. We've all gotten through. It just takes lots of time and patience. Hugs to you all!
Denise
Retired and loving it!
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176050
07/05/05 03:33 PM
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Masaki
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Thanks Denise. Every day is a new day - wish I could say that we're falling into some kind of routine but not even close. :)
Masaki
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176051
07/06/05 06:09 AM
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Nancyp
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Amanda and Masaki, Marika is so, so cute. Keep posting the wonderful pictures. Nancy
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176052
07/06/05 02:57 PM
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Masaki
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176053
07/06/05 06:21 PM
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Joined: Jan 1970
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KarenS
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Masaki wrote: Thanks Pam. I think last night we may have made a slight breakthrough - I think she might have a slt amount of GERD (gastroesophageal reflux or heartburn). Give her an Alka Seltzer. Mind you, I have no children and this advice comes from the girl who told you to have Marika use a straw. If you and Amanda need any more advice, you have my number.
Karen
Live long and prosper
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176054
07/06/05 07:16 PM
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southernlady
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176055
07/07/05 04:42 AM
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cruisinfanatic
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Oh gosh, so sorry to hear you are having a rough time.
My daughter who had the baby in March....little Matthew has the same problem, acid reflux, and she even quit breast feeding (which was fine with Juli, she said she felt free) but at 4 months, he is still having an issue. We babysat the kids one evening a couple of weeks ago, and for the first time we really saw it, Matthew cried from just after 8pm until the 10pm feeding and nothing we did helped much - we just took turns walking and rocking him - he definitely likes the walking better, as you said Masaki, I think the gravity helps the discomfort - thank heaven Kate was already in bed and asleep, it was a very long two hours.
Good luck - I'm sure things will get better soon. Keep the faith Amanda, it all works out eventually. :hug:
JoAnn 
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176056
07/07/05 05:26 PM
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Masaki
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Thanks JoAnn. We've made some changes in positioning and it seems to really have made some difference (interestingly enough, a medical search online shows that studies are mixed on whether there's any benefit in elevating the head of bed for preventing GERD in children less than 6 months of age). Guess it just proves that doctors don't know everything, huh? ;)
Karen - actually, we don't have your phone #. How are we going to call Dr. Karen if we don't have your number?? :D
Masaki
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176057
07/07/05 05:45 PM
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MarnaLou
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Masaki wrote: Guess it just proves that doctors don't know everything, huh? Maybe it just means that Marika didn't read the studies. :)
MarnaLou
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176058
07/07/05 05:52 PM
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Denise
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Masaki, I'm sure Karen would offer to make a housecall! Hope Marika's GERD is soon a thing of the past!
Dr.'s don't know everything? I've been to many who act as if they do! :D
Denise
Retired and loving it!
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176059
07/07/05 06:25 PM
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petlover
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Masaki & Amanda, OK, this may not come across as welcome advice to two doctors but when my youngest Jill was a baby, I had lots of insane moments. She didn't sleep well at all and between taking care of her and my 3 year old Gina, I was a walking zombi! The best purchase I ever made was to buy one of those wind-up swings. I would cushion her with pillows inside the sit-up swing since she was too young to sit by herself. I would put Jill in it and wind it up to the max (15 minutes). This would often do the trick putting her to sleep and giving me a chance to jump and out of the shower.
Sometimes I remember dozing off for 15 minutes while she would swing away. It would re-charge my batteries to make it through another day!
Not exactly medical advice...LOL.
Marcie
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176060
07/07/05 07:09 PM
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Betty
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Marcie
I also loved The Swing. I found it to be a life saver while trying to cook dinner. Night night baby - if only for 15 minutes.
M & A - it might be worth a try - or are they considered dangerous now? So many things I did and/ or used are now considered relics or unsafe.
Betty
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176061
07/07/05 08:43 PM
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Mrs. Masaki
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Thanks for everyone's well wishes and suggestions. I've been too brain dead to log on recently. :)
Luckily, no more brink of tears for me. Still hanging in there with the breastfeeding. We see the lactation consultant tomorrow.
We were thinking about buying a bouncer but our carseat can rock so we've decided to hold off on that purchase. Swings are still okay, it's the walkers that are no-nos now. Luckily, it's been easier to put her down lately (knock on wood).
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176062
07/09/05 03:54 PM
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ITravelNow
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Just saw the latest photos....she is a darling!
Margo
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176063
07/09/05 06:49 PM
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Claudia
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can you post the link again to Little beautiful Fish ( here) it is somewhere in my favorites, but ..
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176064
07/09/05 10:49 PM
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Joined: Feb 2004
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Masaki
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The link is on the first page of this thread. It's www.splashblog.com/marika Masaki
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176065
07/10/05 05:05 AM
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ITravelNow
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I put Marika's link on my toolbar...that way I can take a look every once in a while! So keep those photos coming!
Margo
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176066
07/10/05 07:59 AM
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Posts: 7,646
ChatKat...
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Maskai,
To answer your question "All these sleeping pictues look alike?" I say, NO!
The July 9th has great composition. It's quite special. Could be clearer unless you used a filter on purpose. Very frame worthy, imho.
VOYAGER:
MC to FLL 11/07
MC/Dover 6/06
MARINER:
BCN / Ven 10/11
Alaska 2001|2006
Panama Canal 2003
NAV
Caribbean 11/06
Bermuda|New Eng/Canada 6/04
PG 5/05
OCEANIA
Nautica |Ist/Athens 6/07
Regatta|Baltics 6/08
Riviera 2013 Crossing -Istanbul to Miami
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176067
07/10/05 09:10 AM
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Claudia
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She is soooooooooo beautiful.
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176068
07/10/05 11:14 AM
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Masaki
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Thanks everyone! Kathy - the blurriness that you see in that picture is a limitation of my camera phone (it can't focus that close very well!). All these photos are being taken with the camera phone (since that's what allows me to upload them to the blog site quickly). I have another set of photos that are on the DSLR that I'll have to upload one of these days.
Masaki
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176069
07/10/05 11:45 AM
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gopack
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Amanda and Masaki,
It's been awhile since I checked your blog and I just want to say how darling Marika is! I hope things are starting to settle down now.
Ginny
August 2005 / RSSC Voyager / Baltic's
June 2004 / RSSC Mariner/ Alaska
March 2004 / RSSC Diamond/ Caribbean
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176070
07/10/05 12:21 PM
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Betty K
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Amanda and Masaki, I agree....Marika is a real doll baby! I look forward to seeing your photos. Betty 
Betty ![[Linked Image from i4.photobucket.com]](http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/bkoonin/Carnival%20Cruise%20%20-%202003/myoceanview.jpg)
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176071
07/10/05 03:21 PM
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ChatKat...
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Yes, Masaki, all tht photo work takes lots of time - something quite limited when sleep is the priority! MArika is adorable.
VOYAGER:
MC to FLL 11/07
MC/Dover 6/06
MARINER:
BCN / Ven 10/11
Alaska 2001|2006
Panama Canal 2003
NAV
Caribbean 11/06
Bermuda|New Eng/Canada 6/04
PG 5/05
OCEANIA
Nautica |Ist/Athens 6/07
Regatta|Baltics 6/08
Riviera 2013 Crossing -Istanbul to Miami
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176072
07/18/05 04:30 AM
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Nancyp
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Marika,
Happy "belated" one month old birthday!!
Nanct
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176073
07/18/05 10:11 AM
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Pam
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We should start seeing big smiles about now; can't wait! She's so sweet.
Is she prone to scratch herself, and that is why you keep her hands covered?
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176074
07/18/05 10:14 AM
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IUJawbreaker
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What a cutie!!! Glad things are going well!
Anthony
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176075
07/19/05 12:24 AM
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Masaki
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Thank you! Momentous day yesterday with her one month birthday. Apparently, it's a big thing in Chinese custom to celebrate her 1 month birthday (and her 2nd month as well). Amanda's folks are busy planning a big dinner with family to celebrate. I asked my mom if Japanese had a similar custom - as far as she knows, nothing until age 3. I guess we're more laid back. :)
Pam - she does tend to scratch herself and she has very POINTY fingernails (not big enough to cut though) so we keep her hands covered. She just broke out with small bumps all over - doesn't seem to bother her but it sure heck bothers us! We're busy moisturizing her and wondering if it's her new formula that's to blame (using Kirkland Infant Formula from Costco now - might need to go back to Similac after all).
Masaki
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176076
07/19/05 04:22 AM
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cruisinsince75
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Masaki, she is an absolute doll. Boy, has it been a whole month already?
Don
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176077
07/19/05 11:51 PM
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Masaki
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Don - amazing, isn't it?? It seems like yesterday that I was telling you about Amanda's tummy getting bigger ... :)
Masaki
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176078
07/20/05 01:05 PM
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joannapv
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Oh I loved your pictures - I think we all feel she is part of our families too!!!!
Joanna
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176079
07/20/05 03:34 PM
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Masaki
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You are ALL aunties and uncles. So, yes, you are part of the family. As she is part of yours. :)
Masaki
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176080
07/27/05 02:26 AM
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Pam
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Bumping this back up to point out that the last picture was 10 days ago.
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Re: upcoming birth blog
#176081
07/27/05 03:32 AM
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Denise
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Hard to believe Marika is a month old all ready! She's a beautiful little girl! Special wishes for her special celebration!
Denise
Retired and loving it!
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