9 months

Nine months ago we met our daughter. She was placed in Kevin's arms and she studied him... very interested in this new face. I hovered, watching with teary eyes. Then she stuck her hand in his mouth, and everyone laughed. She didn't cry, didn't seem scared, and just seemed to go with the flow and wanted to explore the new surroundings and faces. The grieving came later that night in the hotel room. I don't think any of us slept more than an hour at a time that night.

We've passed another mark this month, as well. Hannah has now been with us longer than she was at St. Lucy's. She was a little over eleven months old when we brought her home, but as a preemie weighing only 2.6 pounds at birth... she spent her first two and a half months of life in a hospital.

I took this photograph while Kevin was tossing Hannah in the air Saturday night. The photograph is not cropped. That's what I caught in my lens.

Our new speech therapist called and scheduled Hannah's first appointment for next Tuesday at our home. Yippie skippy! I'm so thankful that she's starting to think that repeating back words and sounds is fun. Tonight's attempted words were "Go Dog Go!" as we cheered and clapped for Sedona as she raced through the house. Still waiting to hear from the physical therapist.

Happy nine months, little bug. We love you so much.