Where Has the Time Gone?

The hardest thing about updating the blog after four months of procrastination is figuring out where to start. But I've been chastised from several quarters for not updating, so here goes:

I'll start with the excuses. We, and most of the family and friends, are now on facebook, so everyone out there gets regular Hannah updates from either me or my Mom. So it's easy to forget that those of you who have not joined the cult of facebook (you should . . . it's easy, safe, and fun) haven't gotten a Hannah update since Easter. Add to that the fact that Hannah is no longer a preemie, and despite the fact that she is the most perfect and wonderful little girl in our eyes, she's really just another baby, no different than all the other babies in your lives.

. . . OK, maybe a little different

Carla and I took a cruise around Canada in late May, from Montreal to Nova Scotia, then to Boston, and we left Hannah at Camp Grandma. We had just enough internet access on the ship to get daily updates and pictures from Mom, so it wasn't too painful to leave Hannah behind for 10 days. Knowing how much fun Hannah, Mom, and Aunt Rena were having kept us from worrying about Hannah, except for the possibility that she might not ever want to go back home with us.

Hannah and her birthday twin Carter at his 2nd birthday party.

Hannah celebrated her second birthday July 15th with two informal parties (not everybody could make it to the first one, so we had another). We got to see a lot of very good friends we hadn't seen in a long time, and even the famous Carter Cates dropped in. We had Carter, Hannah, and Ashley all playing together on the floor together, and I've been waiting a long time for that.

Winding down toward the end of Hannah's birthday party (thanks for taking pics, Sidney (sorry for the nested parens, but I need to point out that I'm referring to Sidney whom I work with, not Sydney who is my mom, so I am not accused of misspelling my own mom's name)).

We went to the Medical Center of Plano NICU reunion this month, and got to see some of Hannah's doctors, nurses, and fellow patients. Not a day goes by that I don't think about all the people responsible for keeping Carla and Hannah alive, and all the little things they did that allowed Hannah to emerge from extreme prematurity unscathed. So those reunions mean a lot to us, even if it's just to let the staff there see how well Hannah's doing, and to say "Thanks for this. You are heroes every day you walk into work. "

Taken at Hannah's 2nd NICU reunion . . . she was ready to get back down and explore.

We've enrolled Hannah in preschool starting in September, for about five hours, two days a week. We're not particularly concerned about the "school" aspect, but just want her to be around other children enough to get socialized. Most of our friends had children a decade or more ago, when they were "supposed to", so Hannah doesn't have many opportunities to socialize. Hannah is always entranced by new environments and people, so she's going to have a great time.

Chillin' on the back porch

Hannah is getting taller, smarter, and cuter every day. She loves to laugh, dance, read, and hug (not necessarily all at the same time, that would be a little creepy). She has lots of words but isn't particularly concerned with pronunciation or sentences yet. There's one word that she uses all the time that we can't figure out. It sounds like "abeeyah". If any of you know what she's talking about, please let us know. I'm pretty sure she's not asking for a beer, but I can't rule out anything she may have learned while Uncle Jon was babysitting.

With Grandma Hall

She's also now aware of what the word "No" means. While she doesn't want me to know she knows, I can see it in her eyes. We're going to have to get rid of the safety gates, because she now considers them a challenge. She'll pretend to not notice them, so you'll drop your guard, and then when you open the gate a few inches to pass through, she'll dart 20 feet from across the room and slide through before you can react, like a prisoner who's been planning her escape for years, waiting for just the right moment. So we'll just bite the bullet and Hannah-proof (i.e.; clean out) a few more rooms, and expand her range.

So, maybe now that I've broken the ice of blog silence, I'll be able to update a little more often. Probably about once a month. But I'd encourage all of you to join facebook . . . you'll likely link up with people you've wanted to get in touch with for years anyway. It's really like having a blog of your own, but it's as easy as checking and sending email. If you need help getting started, or want a quick intro to how it works, just let me know. I'd be glad to help.




I almost forgot . . . Hannah's got a new music video out. Click here to view it directly (best quality) if you don't see a video player box below.