Not Quite Starving for Attention

Playing with a washrag

Carla's parents drove in this weekend and my mom stowed away in their back seat. Add Cat and Jon to the mix, and you get a couple days where Hannah's feet rarely touched the floor. It's obvious that Hannah thrives on all the attention and interaction, and she always seems happier and more grown up in the days after we have visitors. Of course, it could just be that they leave behind piles of new toys, books, and clothes.

Looking out the window

Snoozing in Grandma's arms

Leaning out the window to make sure that's not a pot plant Mom and Dad are growing in the back yard.

At the park

We took Hannah down to the park for a stroll tonight. She watched the ducks and bikes and joggers, and examined the wooden bench and concrete. I stopped short of letting her crawl around, because everything she finds on the ground goes into her mouth, and, as I mentioned, there were ducks about.

The sunflower hat above was handmade by Grandma Hall. My fault that it's turned up Gilligan-style in the photo. It looks better turned down, but I just have to be able to see those eyes all the time.

For another video clip (5MB) of Hannah, this time giggling, click here.

Big Day for Carter!

Many of you have been following the story of Hannah's birthday twin, Carter. Born on the same day over a year ago, they both wound up in the same NICU. Carter developed an intestinal problem, which led to liver problems, which caused the family to relocate to Boston for treatment, and eventually Carter underwent an emergency transplantation of most of his digestive system back in May. He's been in the hospital for most of his life, the past few months recovering from the transplant.

Carter

Well, if things went as planned today, Carter and his amazing parents left the hospital and moved into an apartment in Boston, where they will adjust to life outside the hospital and prepare for the journey back to Texas. To say we've been looking forward to this day would be a vast understatement. Our next goal is for Carter to get back home to Texas and get settled in enough to have visitors. One little girl visitor, in particular. Can't wait for them to meet.




Hannah's been inventing little games for herself lately. One dinnertime game involves biting the spoon after each mouthful and not letting go. Click here to see some video (8MB) of that game.




Another favorite game is Hide-From-Daddy, which you can witness by clicking here. I edited out me saying "Peekaboo!" and "I see you!" every time she rounds the corner, because it was really loud, since I was holding the camera . . . but mostly because I sound like a complete moron whenever I talk to Hannah. She must think I'm impaired in some way, and is just entertaining me to be charitable.

Dad

A year ago yesterday, my father passed away, after years of declining health. He never got to meet Hannah . . . he was in a hospital in Wisconsin when she was born, trying to recover from the surgery that we hoped would give him back some mobility. He never did get back on his feet, and was gone a month later. I'm thankful that he lived long enough to hear that Hannah would survive, but regret almost every day that he's not around to see what a wonderful little girl she's become.




I have a slideshow running on the living room PC that has become an obsession for Hannah. It shows pictures of family, friends, vacations, pets and other animals, lots of pictures of Hannah, and of course pictures of Dad. She'll watch it for minutes at a time, squealing when she sees pictures of herself, her mom, or her favorite toys. When she bumps the mouse or keyboard and the screensaver disappears, she'll fuss and whine until the pictures come back. She'll eventually associate the faces in those photos with the faces that she sees when we visit or have visitors. And I look forward to the day she notices that one of those faces is one she's never seen in person, and I can start telling her all about Grandpa Minor: his garden, his fondness for dogs and children, and his heart so big that, even while he lay fading away, he worried most about his new granddaughter and her brother, struggling for a foothold on life a thousand miles away.

My cousin Greg sent us a photo today of Dad's grave up in Iron River. It was a small gesture, but one that was hugely comforting at this sad anniversary. The stones behind Dad's are those of my Uncle Jack (Dad's brother and Greg's father) and Aunt Judy, and my Dad's parents.



On a brighter note . . . I caught Hannah kissing the baby in the mirror the other day. Can't say I blame her; that baby in the mirror is awfully cute. Probably tastes a bit like Windex, though.

Toe-Biting Roomba

I was sitting at the computer the other day, minding my own business, when Hannah wandered up and bit my toe. That's the extent of our excitement these days, just the typical problems of keeping a newly mobile infant out of trouble. She's not happy unless she's pulling herself up to peek out a window, or over a chair or end table.

Anything on the floor is a baby magnet, and we've learned that if she's crawling around with one hand in a fist, it means she's found a scrap of paper or bug. As long as we pry those things out of her little hands often enough, she pretty much keeps the floors clean.

I've also started putting random baby-safe objects, like cups, rolls of tape, empty soda boxes, on the floor for her to find and play with, to keep her from exploring more dangerous options like outlets, computer wires, and cabinets. I sometimes feel like a fighter pilot, ejecting chaff and flares to distract the BB-391 missile on my tail.

Aunt Cat and Uncle Jon found an appropriate onesie for Hannah at the outlet mall the other day:

We filled up the wading pool and inflatable crab last week to let Hannah splash around a bit outside. She was also fascinated by the weeds growing up between the bricks in the patio, and she learned what a garden hose tastes like.

Be sure to check out Carter, Ashley, and Avery's blogs for updates on Hannah's friends.

I just noticed, when poking around in the subscriber's list, that several of you (most of my immediate family) who I thought were getting automatic email updates when the blog was updated, were actually not. I've reset those addresses so you'll get these updates by email from now on. Anyone else who is reading this on the web and would prefer to get an email anytime there is a new post (so you don't have to keep checking for updates), just click here and send a blank email to subscribe. It's safe and easy to cancel if you need to.