Lessons from Hannah: Part 1

Hannah is useful for many things. Most of them are fabulous. She can get a grumpy toddler to squeal with joy. She can make even the worst day better with one of her smiles. Watching her sleep may be one of the greatest pleasures ever. My arms are getting toned without doing formal exercises. (Okay, that one is just for me.) Other things are not bad, but I don't wake up and leap out of my bed for them. Diapers, diapers, and more diapers. The never ending parade of bottle washing. Wondering how she can spit up that much when I only put a small amount in. Some things are less than ideal. Stress. Bills. Worry. Fighting to get the meds in her that I know may help, but watching her gag makes me cringe. But even though we have just a few less ideal things that come with Hannah, she is perfect and I wouldn't trade her for anything. This journey we have been on has been quite an experience. But she has forced us to grow as a family and as a couple. She has taught me to be a nurturing mother and a fierce warrior all at the same time. She has taught us balance even in times of uncertainty. She has taught me a few other things too.

Lesson 1: Timing is everything. A good day for the Seger girls hangs in the balance each morning. Sleeping in and missing her first dose of meds is definitely not worth the havoc that the afternoon will bring. Never, ever miss the first dose.
Lesson 2: Don't trust anything without using your brain first. I realize that this is pretty common sense, but it is a very important lesson. I obviously needed to be reminded of it. Even if the monitor says that Hannah is desaturating, look, look, look at the baby first. Don't trust a doctor who doesn't even look at your baby. Trust the doctor who spends a half an hour on the phone with you at least twice a week, even if he doesn't have fancy credentials behind his name.
Lesson 3: Naked is good. There are few simpler joys than laying on the couch naked kicking your legs. Okay, maybe that is just Hannah's joy. But that brings us nicely to lesson number 4.
Lesson 4: KISS it baby. Yup. My high school English teacher, Ms. Small, would be proud I still use her principle-keep it simple silly. Yes, multitasking is a fabulous skill that many people, including me, find appealing and time saving. However, multitasking while dragging a pulse oximeter and an oxygen tube around is an invitation for disaster. A few people have told me that I have a super power. Relax, it runs in my family. Mine is lack of grace. I can trip over imaginary cracks in the floor, slip on a non-existent ice patch, or just fall while walking. So you can see how walking, with a cord, a tube, and baby while not focusing on the immediate need to stay upright could be dangerous for me. But what I have noticed is that while not keeping myself so ridiculously busy, I notice other things that I would have missed. Those things help me appreciate the simple joys that our world offers us. Sometimes we are too busy to see them. But sometimes we catch them. An elderly couple holding hands in the grocery store after fifty plus years of marriage. A smile from a kid who just got a cookie from the bakery lady. (Can you tell I was just at the grocery store? Hang with me here, I don't get out much.) Watching someone light up as they realize that someone noticed them and they do matter. Or someone else holding open a door for a solider and thanking them for their service. My goal is to see as many of them as possible and enjoy them to their fullest extent. Thank you my dearest Hannah. You have so much to teach us don't you?