At 30 Wks Already an Athlete-in-training

Just like the soon-to-be older Sis is and was...

Yet (s)he looks so peaceful here, just lounging around....

Hannah Picasso

Hannah's portfolio from her summer art class at the SF Children's Art Center at Fort Mason.
Looks like she was in her Blue Period.

Yo Baby!

Hannah, I did something today I thought I would never do. I drove to four different supermarkets in San Francisco - during the after-work rush hour - to look for a particular brand of yogurt that you love. Yo Baby yogurt, made and packaged by Stonyfield Farm. Hannah, you do not just love Yo Baby, you refuse to eat yogurt from any other brand or any other container. Yo Baby doesn't have any seeds, and it is smooth and creamy. AND Yo Baby yogurt has a picture of a happy baby playing with a leaf on its outside. Hannah, even If you see another container, you are lightning-quick to protest or throw a tantrum, and you absolutely refuse to eat any impostor-brand yogurt. Hannah, you love to eat Yo Baby yogurt every day. It is part of your routine. I think it has become an extension of your trust in me that I will provide you with Yo Baby yogurt at every meal. How crazy is that?!?!?

At the first supermarket, I did admittedly spend a few precarious minutes contemplating going home with a substitute brand of yogurt, but then, Hannah, I imagined how you would react, and I realized that I was on the verge of committing heresy. It is amazing, yo, how this little tiny individual serving size yogurt has taken total control over my ability to think for myself... Yo Baby is your favorite Hannah, and I sure am glad that you have lots of it in the 'fridge right now.

I know that I have REAL priority problems when I passively watch myself actively driving to four different supermarkets in my gas guzzling jeep in the middle of rush hour, spending easily $15 in gas and 60 minutes of time, just to seek out this normally easy to purchase staple. I know, as I am racing from Safeway on 7th & Cabrillo, then over to Cal-Mart on California & Laurel, then down to Molly Stone's on Fillmore & Steiner, and finally, in a last desperate, frazzled, frenzied effort to stomach the eternal-parking-lot-traffic-jam-HELL-that-is-the-Whole-Foods on California & Franklin... I KNOW that this is ridiculous behavior and I know I need to seek help. Help finding Yo Baby yogurt, that is!
What other products hold such power? Well, if there is one other brand that has us totally wrapped around its finger, it is your favorite mac n' cheese brand, Kraft Velveeta shells & cheese. Hannah, you probably love this as much as you love Yo Baby. In this case, Mom and I agree with you. Velveeta shells & cheese is DELICIOUS! Let's eat!

Pot O' Gold

"I did it!!!"
Awesome!

"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.

I love Boppa, Chicago and the U.S.A.

"The Star-Spangled Banner"
Our country's national anthem,
comes from a poem called "Defence of Fort McHenry,"
a poem written in 1814 by a 35-year-old lawyer named Francis Scott Key.

I think Boppa will like knowing that you have this picture of him and you together with the flag of the United States of America.

The Children's Mural at Old Orchard

Mommy and Memaw love to shop at the local outdoor mall - Old Orchard - which has plenty of activities for kids. There is a train to ride and a park designed in the shape of a giant dragon to run around, over, under and through, and a great big koi pond filled with HUGE koi. This together would make O.O. fun, but above and beyond these attractions, Hannah got an opportunity to paint a mural! What a great idea! Sponsored by the organizers of the local Art Fair that happened to be hosted the day we went, three wooden door-sized frames were converted into a massive three-faced plywood canvas and left standing in the middle of the walk-way, inviting any and all little artists to take part. Layer upon layer of vibrant colors and kids were swirling around the giant canvas. This mural was a constant buzzing of little painters dipping, swishing, dripping, wiping and waving... what a wonderful explosion of perpetual painting, and cool thing to be a part of! Pottery Barn Kids was especially happy when we walked in to wash Hannah's green hands afterward in their pristine bathroom....

Centennial Pool

The public pool in Wilmette that Mommy grew up with has been completely transformed into a Great America/Waterworld extravaganza. Three pools, from kiddie, to bigger kiddie, to adult - with various straight and twisty-twirly slides, fountains, you-name-it. Enough to keep the whole family busy for a day - and well worth the out-of-town entrance price of $13.75 per person (2 and under free).

Quick to try out this newfound toy - a water slide -

Hannah charged up the stairs and down the slide
over and over and over AND over again...
And like any self-respecting woman of her time,
she brought a very cute wardrobe change to make the day perfect.

Ice cream and cheesy-fries with Grandma Alice after a swim
made a perfect ending to a perfect summer morning!

Sharing is fun, see?