After much harassment encouragement, I entered the blogosphere to document the delightful (or otherwise) and unexpected moments of my younger daughter's life. Hannah was born in 1998. She surprised us with her extra chromosome, and continues to surprise us with her humor, intellect and obstinacy. She takes our breath away. As my elder daughter once wrote, when Hannah was born, our family went from ordinary to extraordinary.

October 19, 2010

#19/31 Dance!

It's Tuesday. Hannah's favorite day. She's busy getting her chores done so we can finish up her schoolwork. She has a lot to do before we leave the house this afternoon. But she's working hard. And fast. Motivation is a wonderful thing!

She has her theater class at 4:30. That used to be her favorite activity.

But not any more.

Right after theater is over, she changes into her dance clothes. She gets so excited! Dance starts at 6:30, so we scurry to get some dinner out and get to the studio.

All of the girls in her class have had a year (or many more) years of dance. The class is fast-paced for a beginner. Her teacher has Hannah do everything the other dancers are doing, and helps her focus on learning some basic steps, but she doesn't expect any beginner to be able to do all the moves.

Hannah comes out of class feeling very successful. She loves it. Me too.

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About Me

The Cast of Characters!

Hannah, a girl who meets her challenges.

Hannah loves to read, swim, play soccer, spends LOTS of time creating art and takes bass guitar lessons. She keeps us all on our toes!

Chris, the excellent big brother.

I don't think there is a kinder brother in the world. He is 24 and is working on his PhD in Chemistry at UNC-Chapel Hill

Kate, the incredible big sister.

Kate is a veteran Peace Corps volunteer in Jordan. She is working as a Police Dispatcher and is studying for an MBA.

James, the Fearless Leader!

Don't let him fool you, he's actually a real estate executive who manages corporate properties. But he does a nice job with the lawn, dishes and laundry too! I'm not complaining!!

Beth, The Crazed Mudder.

After 21 years of homeschooling, I'm starting to show some side effects! I always said my degree in Psychology and Animal Behavior would be good for something! Besides annoying my children, I spend a good portion of my spare time researching Down syndrome metabolism and cognition. I also enjoy mentoring families who are new to Down syndrome or new to homeschooling.

A Beast

Hazel is Katie's dog. She is named after a character in "Watership Down". She is a Wheaten Terrier, the only kind of dog we can own because bunches of us are allergic. Hazel is very sweet, unless you are a puppy and you irritate her.

A Younger Beast

Bunsen belongs to Chris. He is playful little guy and a quick learner. He reminds us of his Uncle Nelson.