Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Hannah is Six!

Hannah's Birth Announcement

My little Hannah "Bee" is having a birthday! It does not seem possible that this journey with my youngest began six years ago today! Her birth produced a series of events which would change my life forever, not the least of which is having Hannah in our lives.

"Baby Hannah"

Hannah was a sweet, quiet baby. She was very good during her first few weeks of life, which we spent with my mother because I had a rough time of it after her cesarean birth. After we came home, Hannah bonded with Sam, who cared for her so tenderly when he wasn't in school. She grew and developed very normally, and her siblings all loved her very much. She was a Daddy's girl, too, especially enjoying time with her daddy when he got in from work every day. To this day, she and Sarah greet their dad at the door every day with "Daddy, Daddy!"

"Hannah and Daddy"

"Hannah's First Birthday"

As Hannah grew, she was a serious child. She warmed to strangers very slowly, sometimes putting her Bible class teachers through about 6 or 8 weeks of her icy cold stare before warming and cracking a smile. Her deep-set brown eyes added to her mysterious persona!

"Hannah's Second Birthday" (with sister, Sarah)

When Hannah started to develop her own personality, it became apparent that we were going to have a little tigress on our hands. She was much more temperamental than her older sister. Little fits were not uncommon. Sam was the best at quieting her moments of frustration. Their bond has endured through the years, and she still idolizes him.

"Hannah and Sam"


"Hannah's Fourth Birthday"

Hannah proved to be multi-faceted. She is artistic, kind-hearted, comical, creative, and prone to lead. She is domestic, and she takes great joy in bringing order to disorder! She is competitive, yet she is kind and loves to see others excel as well. She loves games, group activities, and seeing beautiful sites.
"Hannah at Five, 2008"

I love her compassion. She is often the one who comes to me and asks if she can do something special for me. I love to see her putting others first, which she does with such joy! When she gets angry, she usually goes off by herself, and in a while, she will return and seek reconciliation with us. Her emotions run deep. She is always laughing, those dimples deep and precious. And when she cries, it is heart-breaking, because it comes from the depth of her soul.

"A letter to her grandmother"

At age 6, she is just learning to read and write. She's doing all this a little later than her siblings, but Hannah will not be hurried. She works at her own pace, and when she really is ready to accomplish something, she will not be deterred. She's a lefty, like her sister Sarah, her grandfather Ron, and her great-grandfather R. R. She is enjoying her kindergarten year and is eager to learn new things every day.

Having Hannah changed my life. My body will never be the same, but more importantly, my heart is forever altered by having her in my life. I would gladly go through all the pain again just to experience life with my little Hannah "Bee!" She is my baby, my sweetheart, my precious lover-of-life. She has the potential to be the most like me; it will be very interesting to see what roads she takes. I am sure that if God grants her life into adulthood that she will do great things! Happy 6th Birthday, Hannah Faith!
"Hannah and her siblings"

"My beautiful brown-eyed girl"


"Hannah at Easter, 2009"



"Dolling up for a party, 2009"


"I'm talkin' 'bout My Girl!"