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Five years have passed, and it is now 1953. Three new babies have been added to the family, one born into it and two adopted. Have fun!

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The Gardner Family

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DH: Colin Mackenzie Gardner (b. 1899, age 54)
DW: Susanna Amity Gardiner Gardner (b. 1901, age 52)

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DD: Rose Amelia Gardiner Dawson (b. 1920, age 33)
-DH: Gilbert Alexander Dawson (b. 1919, age 34)
--DD: Susanna Judith Dawson "Suzie" (b. 1941, age 12) (SugarPlumFairy name, Wandering Moon nickname)
--DS: Cole James (b. 1946, age 7) (Evie)
--DD: Virginia Katharine Dawson "Ginny" (b. 1948, age 5) (AnnaMarie)
--ADD: (2)

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Rose and Gilbert both wanted another baby after Ginny turned three, but this time Rose, inspired by her own adoptive mother, talked to Gilbert about adopting a baby themselves. He was all for the idea, and they contacted an agency. Within months a beautiful little girl was placed with them. She was the child of an unwed young woman who had at first decided to keep her baby, but then had placed her up for adoption when her boyfriend left her the day after she was born. Rose and Gilbert were delighted to get her, as she is as sweet and darling as their own children. The mother had not given her a name, and Rose and Gilbert went with something long and feminine with a short nickname like their other daughters, and her MN honors Gilbert's mother Annabelle Joan, "Bells."

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DD: Violet Samantha Gardiner O'Day (b. 1922, age 31)
-DH: Gabriel Walter O'Day (b. 1922, age 31)
--DD: Lily Carmen O’Day (b. 1946, age 7) (Julia)
--DD: Jane Brigid O'Day (b. 1948, age 5) (SugarPlumFairy)
--ADD: (b. 1951, age 2)
--DS/DS: (nb)

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Violet, like Rose, had always thought about adopting a child in honor of her own adoption, but she had always believed that the right baby would find her somehow the way they all had found their mother. That happened when Jane was three, the same year Rose and Gilbert adopted their daughter. Violet and Gilbert were on vacation with their girls in Florida, and one day a friend they had made had to cancel plans because a friend of his had died. The man, a fisherman, had been killed in a storm, and the young woman was weak in health and hadn't survived the birth of their baby. It was so like Violet's story that they knew they had to adopt her. Her FN is between 50-100 for 1951 and her MN is after an author. Then, only two years after the adoption, Violet and Gabriel got a surprise when she gave birth to fraternal twin boys! They each have a name that honors their father, and the first boy has a name that is after a famous musician (any genre) and the second boy has a name honoring an author. With five children, Violet and Gabriel are considering their family complete for now.

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DD: Poppy Elizabeth Gardiner Renault (b. 1924, age 29)
-DH: David Jacques Renault (b. 1924, age 29)
--DD: Shoshannah Yvette Renault (b. 1946, age 7) (kbellweather)
--DD: Evangeline Isadora Renault (b. 1948, age 5) (SugarPlumFairy)
--DS: (1)

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The years after Evangeline's birth were very good for Poppy's career. As a dancer she was at the height of her skill, as good as she was ever going to be, garnering rave reviews and dancing very important roles. She enjoyed the top while she was there, reveling in dancing and her two little girls. Then, after her best season ever had come to an end, she made the choice to step back. She wanted another baby, probably her last. She knew that taking this time off and the effect of another baby on her body might end her career, so she decided to end it on that high note. She and David got pregnant quickly after she stopped using preventative measures, and she delivered a fat and healthy boy. As soon as she gave birth, Poppy began getting letters asking her when she would begin dancing again. She hasn't yet decided when--or if--she will go back, but definately not for some time. She has taken up singing in jazz clubs again, and she wants her son's MN to be after a jazz artist. She let David pick his FN, and he picked a name that was not at all popular or typical--perfect to go with their daughter's names (it is something in the bottom 50 of the top 1000 for the year 1953)

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DD: Iris Alexandra Gardner (b. 1934, age 19)
DD: Daisy Sarah Gardner (b 1936, age 17)
DS: Linden Edmund Gardner (b. 1937, age 16)