Hannah's Diary: Hannah's a BIG sister!!

I have been working on this post for a little over a month now because time gets away from me, but better late than never!!

Hannah would like to introduce you to her little brother Joseph Edward!! He was born on May 17th at 7:47am, weighing 7lbs 15 oz and 21 in. Hannah's first reaction to Joseph's picture that my mom had shown her was, "Nena, you can have that baby!'' But that quickly changed once she saw him. Every morning since we have been home she runs in saying, "Where is Baby Joseph? Good morning, Baby Joseph!" She loves to help take care of him, and can even be a little TO helpful at times;)

I have to say I was pretty nervous about Joseph's health after everything we have gone through so I did get some lab tests done (per my request) to check him out and so far he is a completely healthy baby boy! He was a little jaundice at birth and for a few days my mind was racing but getting the labs done had calmed my nerves! It was hard to take him to the lab as I was having major flashbacks from when I first took Hannah. It was like deja vu especially since the lab tech was the same one that drew Hannah's blood when I got the call that something was seriously wrong. It's a feeling I never wanted to experience again, but I knew I had to do this to put our minds at ease. Now that we have reached the eight week mark and he is as pale as the rest of us, the worry has completely left my mind! Even though I still get nervous something might pop up at anytime, I am just trying to take it day by day and enjoy how blessed we are right now that everyone is here and HEALTHY!

Hannah's two year check up in May went great and we don't need to go back for an office visit for a whole year! She will continue to get her monthly labs (which is routine), but all in all they are very happy with her progress. She continues to go up on the growth curve and her lab values remain stable. She is as spunky and busy as ever. We are so happy that with each day we feel that we can treat her like any normal 2 (almost 3!) year old and the only thing to worry about at this time is trying to get her to use the big girl potty before she heads off to preschool this fall! Obviously our experience has a constant place in our hearts and mind, but it is nice to feel like we can live a "normal" and everyday life.

This summer has been a world wind of events because not only did our family grow, Jacob graduated from preschool! He will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. Where does the time go?!? He also is in love with his new baby brother.

We are all adjusting well and enjoying our summer. We are trying to stay busy enough to keep the kids content and not totally ruling the house ;) While driving in the car the other night with Greg and the three kids, I felt very blessed. Looking at the three of them, I just wanted to pause that moment and live in it for awhile because it made me feel so fortunate that Jacob is turning out to be such a wonderful boy and big brother, Hannah is doing phenomenal, and Joseph is here and healthy. I think Joseph's arrival is exactly what our family needed, and I continue to thank God everyday for the gifts he has given us thus far.....

Have a wonderful and safe rest of the summer!