Bittersweet Day

 Although May 16th is a special day in the Peters' household because of my Ben's birthday,

 it is also a bittersweet day for us. 

Ben is a twin. 

He came into this world with a sister named Hannah. 

She didn't stay with us for very long - just for 56 short months,

but she managed to change us for a lifetime.

Today marks her 11th birthday in heaven.

There is always a little bittersweet tug at my heart on May 16.

Happy birthday my little Hannah Banana.

Way Back Machine: Hannah, Part 2

One of the things about Hannah that was not easily realized in photos was just how small she was. 

Starting out at 4 pounds 3 ounces she didn't fill out this newborn sleeper. 

Her toes were just above where the leg cuffs started.

This picture was taken when she was about a week old. 

She was like a delicate porcelain doll. 

Being a "failure to thrive" child, she was never interested in eating.

We worked hard for every ounce that she gained.

Here, at 2 months, she actually looked pretty healthy at around 7 pounds.

She was gaining weight at a reasonable rate, although she never was able to come anywhere close to reaching the normal growth ranges.

Little did we know at the time, but Hannah had a rare congenital syndrome called Cockayne's Syndrome. 

Otherwise known as Cachetic Dwarfism.

It is a terminal form of dwarfism. 

If you know me, my family and my husband and his family and had to peg us for a syndrome, dwarfism would be about the last choice you would make. 

We are not a *ahem* small people.

But God packaged this sweet little girl in a tiny package and gave her to us to care for. 

It was a honor to care for her the short 4 1/2 years that she was with us.

A Trip in the Way Back Machine

Almost 16 years ago, back before digital cameras entered my life (hence the lousy pictures), I gave birth to my first babies. 

Son Ben entered this world exactly as planned - 7 lbs, 7 oz of beautiful baby.

Daughter Hannah was a surprise to everyone.  She was supposed to be the same size as Ben but she wasn't.  She was a svelt 4 lbs, 3 oz.  Beautiful, but teeny tiny. 

We were told that she needed time to catch up but that she should be just fine. 

She wasn't. 

Over the next 18 months or so we kept discovering new medical problems.

Through all of this she was a sweet cuddly baby who in her quiet way managed to steal everyone's hearts.

Here are my sweet babies when they were about a week old.

I was in a sleep-deprived happy haze at this point. 

Here our little porcelain doll was 1 day old.

She spent the first 6 days in the NICU because she had trouble regulating her body temperature.

We were so glad to get her home. 

I will occassionally be taking little trips back into the way back machine to document more on my sweet first daughter.  She has been gone from us for over eleven years now.  We miss her and think of her everyday.