"I Gotta Boo Boo JCC and it's All Because of You"

Hannah had her second visit to the ER last Friday, after a babysitting session at the JCC went awry and Hannah dislocated her left elbow and sprained her left wrist... How does that happen in a room with nothing but sofas, half a dozen kids, and two adult supervisors? No one, of course, saw anything or could share any color on how Hannah's accident happened. I have deleted many lines of anger and frustration from this blog entry and will try and stay on point.

Hannah met some wonderful nurses and doctors at the emergency room, and after lots of crying and fighting, eventually let them care for her, albeit cautiously. She hated being made to lie down while getting x-rays taken of her wrist, and was infuriated that Daddy was in on that episode (Mommy's pregnant belly precluded her from staying in the room)... Daddy was not allowed to come near her for the rest of the night.

Nurse Nell really took care of Hannah and always had a friendly smile, a timely entrance with some stickers or a popsicle, and even an entire library of children's cartoons and television shows for Hannah to watch and calm herself with... Hannah's dislocated "Nursemaid's elbow" was diagnosed pretty quickly (it's very common for kids this age based on the development level of their joints) and "popped" back into place quickly by the Doctor when we finally got to see her, but that just changed the focal point of pain from her elbow to her apparently sprained wrist. Once we could get Hannah to overcome her fear of moving her arm, they finally let us leave (4 hours from start to finish, although the children's ER at 3800 California was wonderfully unbusy on this Friday afternoon/evening).

It has been two nights and two days since our hospital visit, and Hannah is still using her right arm and hand for everything, letting her dominant left arm hang limp, and being very careful not to bump her boo-boo. We have been coaxing her to take her medicine - we switched from children's Tylenot (acetaminophen) to children's Advil (ibuprofen) which made a huge difference. After the first dose though, Hannah has stubbornly refused to take any more because of the bad taste. Kristina wisely switched from the cup to an eye dropper, reading that most taste buds are on the tip of the tongue and a dropper helps get the medicine past the 'first line of defense'... that and a little ice cream treat has helped us keep the medicine coming when Hannah seems to need it.

17 Months: Jumping Jack Flash

Hannah turned 17 months old, so it's time again for a status update on all the things she's been up to lately. First of all, she continues to be her cheery self most of the time. She loves smiling at each and every stranger we pass by on the street, and loves to "bother" all the patrons of her favorite coffee shop (Martha Bros. on Clement) where Claudia always gives her a big smile and a treat. In fact, she's a little bit too friendly, especially with other little kids, whom she won't hesitate to go up and hug, usually much to their chagrin. I'm never sure if I should be apologetic to the parents for her unrequited love, but they are usually the ones apologizing when their toddlers, who are much more shy and don't like having their personal space invaded (rightfully so! where does she think she is - Europe??), give Hannah a chilly reception. But she just can't help it - so affectionate, giving out kisses to everyone, including her dolls, rubber bath toys, and even pictures in her books and other inanimate objects.

Speaking of books, Hannah is as vocal as ever and has added all kinds of new words and phrases to her vocabulary. Thanks to Memaw and Bapa's constant refrain of "How 'bout that?!" - Hannah's new favorite phrase is just that. "How-bow-da?" Whenever she's asked where something is, including Where's Hannah?, she replies with the sweetest little high pitch at the end, "IunNo...?", as if she really does not know. She knows her Memaw and Bapa live in "'Cago," which she now always says after she mentions their names. When handing us her trash, she always says, "Ja-Joo" (or Thank You). And in games of chase, she loves to growl "I got you!" (this sounds just like it is), even when it's really us chasing and catching her. Her all-time favorite book lately has been Maisy's Amazing Book of Words, which definitely has had a hand in her vocabulary development. She will try to repeat back to you just about any word you ask her to (some come out better than others), but can point out practically every item in this book by name. And she really loves to point out each item, when come across, on the other pages where it can be found, as she frantically flips back to the back cover or page where she knows it also resides. If you don't have this book, get it! Oh, and her two new favorite animal sounds? "Goggle goggle," "Cock-a-do-do," and "Wakka-wakka" (ok, so that last one is her Fozzy Bear imitation, but it still counts as an animal sound, right?).

Besides talking and "reading," one of her other favorite activities is creating "Artwork," which she can now safely perform in the bathtub thanks to these little messy drippy crayons. As the pictures show, she takes her punk artwork very seriously...















Dancing and hiding/peek-a-boo remain consistent favorites as well. She loves peeking around any corner, barely catching your eye, or her own in the mirror!








And whenever she gets the chance, she loves JUMPING! She'll stand there in position and do the countdown before she makes the leap (although her countdown is more like "Two-two-two" vs. 1-2-3..) As we've always suspected, she is definitely going to be a thrill-seeker kinda girl. Scary....

Last but not least, she is sleeping. Not always quite as much as we'd like her too, but she seems to have transitioned to the one-a-day nap on most days, and makes it through the night half the time, maybe? Every week is different, so it's hard to say really. There is certainly the occasional "night terror" (usually around 10/11pm), and also the occasional 3/4am bottle-call. As for waking up to face the day, well, some days are better than others...

Day 7 - Rotavirus

It all started last Wednesday... Seemed like a relatively harmless little case of the runs. They say it often accompanies new teeth, and #5 is finally making its way through on the lower level...

But when Hannah just sat there in the bathtub, looking very forlorn, not a single splash or word, 5 days later, we knew something was seriously wrong. So a trip to the clinic later, the Dr. annointed it most likely Rotavirus. The problem with severe diarrhea is dehydration - which was the likely culprit behind her general listlessness and look of pure defeat - and she detests Pedialyte no matter how much we dilute it. Today, however, she finally regained her appetite (the anti-diarrheal B.R.A.T. diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) gets VERY old very fast... which led to little eating at all... we estimate she lost about a pound). Her diapers are still a total disaster, and much pain and crying is involved in every instance, but she's toughing it out, and risking food intake anyway - which we're taking as a very good sign! That, and the spinning in circles which has resumed this evening...

Get well soon, Hannah! We've been missing you!!
XOXOX
mom & dad