Home Sweet Hannah

I'm back from overseas, and Hannah is a different girl than when I left her three weeks ago. She laughs and smiles more, is eating with gusto ("More squash, please!"), and sits upright by herself to play with her toys (although we usually leave the boppy around her, because when something gets her attention and she looks up quickly, she falls flat backwards and then looks up at us, asking "Why did you do that?"). She gained a pound while I was gone, up to over 17 pounds.



She's no longer content to lie on her back and play with dangling toys, and doesn't even like being confined to the bouncy. She prefers to sit up, so she can reach more toys. Last night, I put her to bed on her back and came back a few minutes later to find her rolled over, propped up on her arms, examining the layout and fabrics of the crib, with one foot sticking out through the slats.


She'll be crawling forward soon, though at the moment she still only has a reverse gear, and very little steering.

Carla's parents were here yesterday, stopping by on their way to Alaska for a month of one-week cruises, where Carla's dad lectures on the local culture and geography in return for free room and board (not too shabby a deal, on a cruise ship). So Jon and Cat took us all out for a birthday dinner at Brio's (my birthday was the 30th, Mom's was the 29th).

Hannah's NICU-mate Carter is recovering nicely from his multi-visceral transplant (stomach, intestines, spleen, pancreas, and liver). His parents will be walking next weekend in a benefit for other children needing transplants. If you'd like to donate, please check out the link at Carter's website.

I have so many great pictures of Hannah worth posting, it was hard to pick just a few. And Mom would kill me if I didn't include some that she took of me and Hannah. So look for a few more in the next few days, as well as a link to the rest of my travel photos.