Laura and Mark's Page for Hannah


		Welcome to Hannah's Page

We have waited to have this baby for many years; we are way too excited.

This is Hannah at about three and a half months.

Brush your mouse over the picture.

Date

Description (click on small pictures to see larger ones)

2007

Feb 18

Hannah has said Mama and Dada, and she's also said Kunk (a word we use when we bump heads together), and a few other words, although the other ones may have been only once.

Jan 5

Hannah Update: She said her first word today. No, it was not mommy or daddy. It was Plop. Upon hearing Hannah say that for the first time, Laura realized how often she said it.

2006

Dupli-cate pics are added here so regular readers will not miss them. These will be deleted soon.

Added to May 22, but also added here temporarily

The Uncle Ben holds Hannah

Added to May 28, but also added here temporarily

Laura holds Hannah in her blanket

Added to June, but also added here temporarily

Laura after a huge Hannah eruption.

Dec

Hannah Update:

December 11 she began crawling and pulling up on things to stand
December 20 was when her first tooth was noticed.
December 21 was when her second tooth was noticed.
The week of December 17, she began extending her arm as her first tries at waving hello and goodbye. After Christmas it became more of a wave

Some Great Hannah Smiles

	Awesome

The busy little girl ends up in the Christmas decorations
	Great Christmas Pictures

	Hello Kitty Hannah
Hannah and Uncle Nate

Nov

Hannah Update: On November 13, she began the first stages of crawling... she could get around, but it was clumsy.

	Hannah enjoys playing on her music table. Maybe that's why she's trying to twist away from Daddy.
Hannah is really working this Avacado		She got into it and began sucking it like a bottle.
	At the park, Grandpa and Mimi are hard at work while Hannah has fun. Ranae takes Hannah down the slide.
This swing really engulfed Hannah

Oct

Hannah Update: On October 13, she was moving backwards, but it was not a real crawl.

We visited The Natchez Trace Parkway

Sep

Hannah Update:

September 1 was her first time on the beach and first time in a pool.
September 4, she was sitting up from a semi reclined position and she stayed in a sitting position well.
September 11, she began responding well to her name
September 28 she began clapping

We went with the Hales to Cocoa Beach! What a great time!
One day was cloudy, but we had a great time anyway. It was relaxing and beautiful. (OK, I like stormy days too.)
	The next day we went to both the beach and the pool. Hannah was ready and loved it all.

Cool sunglasses above Silliness below	Hannah LOVED the fountain! See video (3.3 MB)

It was Hannah's first time at the beach.



Playing at the end of a great day.

	Hannah looks up at Aunt Laura who has the bottle.
	We pointed the shower head up to let Hannah play with the fountain-like action. She loved it.
Hannah playing on the bed and with her feet

	First picture in our new apartment in Franklin
	Hannah sitting with Grandpa and Mimi

Aug

Hannah Update:
August 21 - she began reaching with both hands skillfully.
August 7 - reaching with one hand

Hannah with Gramma Baker
	Cousin Daniel knows how to entertain Hannah	Hannah sleeps on mom.
	Laura and Hannah on the water

Jul 30

Hannah shows her big smile.

Jul 26

We have a great video clip of Hannah laughing... She only started laughing this past Sunday, but this was even better. Her grandpa was throwing a plastic disk ("dish" to go under a potted plant) and letting it hit the ground. For some reason, Hannah thought that was hilarious. See the Video (10 megabytes)

Jul 23

Hannah Update: She began what we would call real laughing. They were short, but clearly , they were laughs. It's SO rewarding to see and hear.

Jul 20-22

Hannah found her feet a while ago. She's happily playing with her feet and her mommy.
Sometimes,	there's just	The sleepy girl with her head back
	too much cuteness.
Hannah in the tub, then after her rinse. She is beginning to enjoy baths. She often looks at us (and herself) in the mirror. Here, she found the camera in the mirror.

Jul 01

Hannah Update: She was with Mimi when she discovered her feet and began playing with them.

Jun

Hannah Update: June 21 - she slept through the night for the first time.

Brush your pointer over this photo; the change is very cute.
Here are the two photos separately; you can click on each to see a larger version.
A happy baby - a sad baby. She's cute either way. Thanks to Laura H. for comforting Hannah during this hour of distress. :-)
Hannah has some great expressions during certain daily activities, including bathing. Check out these facial expressions.
The little burrito is happy. To the right, the mother and baby take a well-deserved nap.
See some very cute videos of Hannah's vocalizations Vocalization 1 (about 4 seconds - about 7 megabytes (MB)) Vocalization 2 (about 3 seconds - strange sound - about 6MB) Vocalization 3 (about 4 seconds - 7MB) Vocalization 4 (about 10 seconds - about 18MB)

May 28

The Uncle Ben holds Hannah

May 22

Laura holds Hannah in her blanket

May 10

Laura after a huge Hannah eruption.

May 09

We first noticed Hannah smiling in mid-April and her ability to smile and show her excitement by movements is growing. She at times makes noises that go along with her excitement. Her smiles are usually because someone she recognizes is paying attention to her. She loves her uncle Ben and has smiled many times for him.

Hannah is doing more vocalizations also (cooing). She is also trying to suck her hand and has succeeded a few times. She will sometimes hold her passifier in her own mouth for short time periods. It's great to see her abilities grow.

May 07

Laura after a huge Hannah eruption.

May 05

Hannah had her two month doctors appointment today and she is 9 pounds 2 ounces (4.1 KG). She's now in the 25 percentile for her age. That's accelerating very quickly given that she started in the 3rd percentile.

May 02


The Rice family in their Duke / Fuqua shirts.	See a closeup of sleepy Hannah and her Class of 2034 shirt!
	Hannah in her carrier

Thanks for taking the pictures Ben.

Apr 28

For about a week, Hannah has been rewarding us with genuine smiles (not just the reflex type of smile). It's great to have her show that she enjoys us being around. A few times she has done this from about 10 feet away. We doubt that she can see details at that distance (infants are not supposed to be able to see far away). But it's enough for her to at least know it's a person that she's glad to see.

Another weight gain... she's now 8 pounds 9 ounces. This is only 5 ounces shy of doubling her birth weight. She's gaining at a rate that is faster than average.

Apr 22

Aunt KC holds Hannah

See the group on our news page

Apr 19

Hannah is now 8 pounds. I have more pictures, but no time to post. I'll do so soon.

Apr 16


The daughter and mother rest.	This is a common position and is just too cute.	Here, Hannah stretches and reminds me of Yoda.

Apr 15

Mom's birthday! Hannah and Mom have matching outfits


Hannah has many shots of her dressed in green! We love seeing her first smiles.

Laura, Hannah and Ranae visit Sarah P. Duke gardens.	Hannah and her "jazz hands." She often puts her hands like this. It's very cute.	Aunt Ranae and Hannah in the butterfly bench.

Apr 13


Hannah naps with Uncle Ben	Aunt Ranae holds Hannah	Hannah getting a new onesie.

Apr 10

Aunt Velena holds the young one.

Apr 09

Here's a closeup of Hannah's face.

Apr 05

Woo hoo!! Hannah is now 6 pounds 12.2 ounces! More later.

Apr 04


Just cute. That's all.	Hannah in the outfit that Aunt Dorothy gave to her.

Mar 29

Hannah in her Pooh outfit.

Mar 28

Yet another great milestone... Hannah was weighed today (same scale as below) and is 6 pounds and 0.8 ounces (that's 2.745 Kg)! This is awesome. She's growing very well.

Mar 21

We had a pediatric appointment for Hannah today and she weighted in at 5 pounds and 6 ounces (2.44 Kg)! We're very happy for this progress.

Mar 15

Hannah Update: Her umbilical cord stub fell off.

Mar 14

Preparing to go Home!
	The beautiful baby resting Hannah is prepared to leave the hospital for the first time
Home at Last!
	The family is home at last Mark changes Hannah... and is getting good at it
	The tired family prepares to take a rest and Hannah is placed in her bassinet for the first time. (Note to any that may be concerned: she always sleeps on her back; this was just a cute picture.)

Mar 13

	Dad and Mom become closer to Hannah and to each other every day.

Mar 12

	"Mimi" the proud grandmother feeds Hannah.
We were so glad that the Mohrs came to visit. Too bad Robert could not be here, but it was great to have Daniel, Mike and Sharon. We enjoyed the support and company.
	Mark loves to be the daddy and feed Hannah.
	The family watches Hannah

Mar 11

Mike, Sharon and Daniel are now in town to see us and we're very glad to have them here. Too bad Robert could not be here. We look forward to spending time with them tomorrow.

Bonding
Three generations are spending time together. If the personalities of Mimi (the grandmother) and Mom are any indication, Hannah will be a very silly and fun-loving girl.
	Laura and Mark are very proud parents.

~~~ MARCH FOUR ~~~
~~~ Hannah's Birthday ~~~

Mar
4 - 10

Our beautiful daughter was born on Saturday, March 4, at 11:04 AM, at a weight of 4 pounds and 15 ounces (2.245 Kg) and 18.5 inches. We are totally in love with her.

Happy birthday to Hannah Ranae Rice! We are so excited and SO in love!
	Here is Hannah and Laura within minutes after delivery. Wow, what a great "mother and child" moment.
The entire present family gathered around Laura and our baby Hannah.
	A tired Laura and Hannah continue bonding the next day. It is a beautiful sight.
	Hannah Ranae was named after Laura's sister, Ranae, who is holding Hannah in these pictures.
	Dad and Mom Lynn are the proud grandparents! They have helped us immeasurably over the last week.
Because Hannah is very small, she is having trouble voluntarily eating as much as she should, so, we are still (on March 10 - Friday) at Duke Medical Center with Hannah. We are using an NG tube (Nasogastric tube - or what one might call a nasal tube to her stomach). We feed her as much as she will eat, and then the rest is given through that tube. Fortunately, she is gaining weight, but we must be sure that it continues. We will do whatever gives Hannah the fastest progress toward a reliable appetite. While we hate to be away from home, we're doing well here . Luckily, Laura's parents are here to help, and they are going between our apartment and here. They bring meals and get things we need from our apartment.
In Pediatrics
On the third day we were moved to Pediatrics. While small, Hannah is full-term and that contributed to the decision concerning to what department she should be admitted.
	The staff welcomed Hannah with this sign. While we wish we were home, we are grateful to Duke's great staff.
	Mom feeds Hannah
	Dad is instructed how to do the tube feeding.
	Hannah gets in this pose frequently. It is way too cute.
The Lynn parents enjoy spending time with Hannah		Two very sleepy ladies

We offer a burrito and a drink to Hannah. RELAX, it's a JOKE!		Hannah checks out grandpa's shades.

Video of Hannah
Here is a video of Hannah sneezing. Be aware that it is large. (If you are using a "dial-up" it could take a long time to download/view.) Hannah Sneezing (large: 23 Megabytes)

Feb 20

*Hannah's Corner*
Laura finished the decorations for Hannah's corner		Thanks to Laura's friends at work, Hannah has a nice pack-n-play in which she will sleep.
	Laura decorated this hat and put up a ribbon clothesline on which she hung clothes that her mother wore as a baby. These made for very cute decorations.

Feb 18

	Hannah's corner with decorative baby clothing. Laura enjoys looking at the baby clothes
Laura looks at her growing belly
	We got a car seat in preparation. Yes, we're excited.
Here are a few more of Laura's outfits.

Laura's friends at work threw a baby shower on the 17th
	The table had cute toys and great food.
The "cake" to the right is made of diapers and baby decorations. What a great idea.

Feb 02

Here are pictures of Laura in maternity clothes.

Jan 30

The baby's name is Hannah Ranae. Ranae is in honor of Laura's sister, and we just both like the name Hannah.

All is well, but we had a scare this morning. We could feel a pulsing movement from Hannah. About every four seconds we felt a sharp movement, but few other movements, and the movements were different. It was frightening. My mind raced through very bad scenarios as we called the emergency phone number. We went to the Duke Medical Center emergency room where they hooked Laura up to a monitor, revealing that all is well. Her heartbeat was a normal 140-155 (properly accelerating after movements). The periodic movement was likely her first hiccups. She also shifted positions so things felt strange. It seems funny now, but it wasn't funny this morning. We are very relieved. She had more hiccups tonight, which were about 2 seconds apart.


This is a profile of Hannah's face.	Here is a 3D image in which you can see part of her face. The eye on the right side of the picture is visible. The left side of the picture is covered by a limb (likely her hand)

2005

Dec 25

We had a great time through our 10 day visit, seeing Laura's parents, my parents, Robbie and Ranae, Mike, Sharon, Robert and Daniel, and Dad Mohr. I wish we could see them more often.

Dec 20

She moves frequently and we can feel her each night. The flashlight shined into Laura's belly always seems to get movement from her.

Nov 21

Laura cooking: She's showing more and more. It's great to see the progress and feel the baby.

Sep 12

Our baby girl.
	Here's her foot!
Below is a 3D shot!	Baby with hand near mouth. The bottom one looks like she's sucking her thumb (which is common).

2D Video clip showing hyperactive child (14MB) 3D Video clip with the view being rotated (30MB)	If you have a high speed connection, and a bit of time, see these videos! (They are Large)
Here's a sonogram of her leg. More sonograms will be posted here, before Thanksgiving.

Sep 8

GREAT NEWS! The tests are in. The baby seems healthy and we are so happy. We also now know that it is a GIRL!

Sep 2

Laura and I were at the hospital for about 7 hours today... the testing took a long time. But we have several sonograms that I will post as soon as I can. I just don't have time now.

Aug 18

We are excited because we had a sonogram today and saw the baby! Click on it for an enlargement. The head is to the right with the face pointing up. In the middle, the baby is holding it's arm up. The feet are visible to the left. In the video, the arm(s) and the legs are very evident because this young one wiggled for much of the time that we were viewing.

The heart beat is 175 (normal) and it's 4.1 cm long.

Don't Miss This Video Clip!
Windows AVI Format | 3G2 Format (for video phones)
You will see the hand reaching down to the feet.
(It can be played with recent versions of RealOne and QuickTime)

July 14

What a great day! There are two lines on the pregnancy test that Laura took! She's pregnant! We are so very happy. We have waited a long time to do this because of school, but we wanted to have a baby in the second year. If our projections are right, our baby will be born in mid March. (March 15, at 11:28 PM - OK, we can't be that accurate)
	Mark went home early to decorate the apartment with flowers and balloons. Balloons were hung from the ceiling and helium balloons were rising from the floor. It couldn't happen to a better lady!