Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Helping Hannah

I am blessed times four. I have been "gifted" these four human lives to care for, influence, inspire and grow into capable, confident adults. It's a big responsibility. How often can a parent of 4 children claim them all to be perfectly healthy? I don't know the exact statistics, but I'm sure that it's at least 50/50 but probably even less than that. I am lucky. I am blessed.

I am challenged. Single parenting 4 children is no easy task, that's for damn sure. But I do like a good challenge, so it's not surprising that they're mine. I love them fiercely, sometimes they make liking them difficult, but my love for them is unchanging...forever.

Hannah is my "baby". She is the official "washbelly" which is a Jamaican term for the last born child, although Brett and I dubbed the twins the "washbellies" the moment we knew that we were having twins. Hannah was always giving me a challenge. She was the baby that sat up in my rib cage giving me extreme pain, making it impossible to eat some days and making it really hard to move...forget sleep! Hannah was born breech, vaginally. It took 21 minutes for my doctor to get a good enough grasp on her foot to pull her out of me. And when she finally got her out my doctor made some kind of comment about "this kid is gonna give you a run for your money!" 

Always. Her cries as an infant were the type that made you stop dead in your tracks and run to her. Luckily her twin sister was very laid back. In fact when Heather had to be put on the bili bed after birth Brett and I were both relieved that it was not Hannah. We knew that would have been a nightmare.

Hannah has always been her own little self. Doing things her way and be damned if you try to do otherwise. Well, now that she's in kindergarten, this is proving to be particularly challenging for everyone...myself, her teachers, her twin, my mother. This past weekend my little fearless wonder jumped off the roof to escape a time out (thanks to my dad, the window is now secured with a child safety lock!) and she has been in the process of disassembling her Pottery Barn loft bed for some time now. When asked to give up the tool she used she said..."I didn't need a tool. I used my hands." Speechless.

I made an appointment a few weeks ago for her to have an eval for behavior/personality issues with our pediatrician. Just so happens that appointment is today. I am anxious to get some help. I've done some research that indicates personality and behavior issues are a common issue with breech born children. Whatever we discover, I am committed to helping Hannah become the best little person that she can be. 

I will be sure to blog about our journey as it is always my goal to be able to help other people who may be facing similar situations in life. 

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