let's begin at the...

well, i actually feel very modern with my very first blog. for some silly reason, the phrase "let's begin at the very beginning" from sound of music is in my head, but i think we'll skip that idea and just try to cover the past week. jake was in the hospital last sunday night (1/28/07) through tuesday due to a bad stomach bug. he had gotten dehydrated and it took a couple of days until he could hold food down. he is back to himself, although still not eating all four meals by mouth. he is mainly receiving formula through his G-tube. the stomach bug worked its way through the rest of the family (grace and i were left pretty much unscathed, but no one else). we received tons of help this past week from family and friends and were reminded of how truly fortunate we are!

today, i sent jake back to school and tried to face the long list of "To Do's", but since evan only slept for an hour total and was clingy at times, not much got done. evan has cut two more teeth this week, bringing the grand total to six teeth. he recently learned to clap and gets so happy and proud every time he does it. he also started repeating syllables ("mamama") and has pulled himself to standing a few times. he loves playing with a ball or the wheels on jake's wheelchair. he's lots of fun. lily continues to be a parrot and restates most of what you say. it's pretty cute. she also loves to do everything grace does which includes being DRAMATIC. the other week, i went to put evan in his crib for a nap, and after i walked into his room, lily walked out of his closet, saying: "GiGi (gracie's nickname) made me sad." for whatever reason, she often goes off and pouts when she gets mad, although half the time i don't even notice she's gone. i don't quite know what the payoff is for her. gracie is a good big sister and for the most part likes to play with lily. grace was a big help around the house today. it's nice when they get to an age where they can help.

well, pat's sister, ann, and her family have visited us lots in recent months, which means i have lots of WONDERFUL PICTURES!! so i think i'll stop my narrative and try to figure out how i get photos on the blog. i love spending (more like wasting) time on the computer and hope to update this often. i do still need to learn how to download pictures from the camera though. pat suggested that i call this blogspot "the hinckley chaos chronicles." i didn't do that, but i'm sure you'll read lots of craziness here (good thing neither of us have any political aspirations). there's never a dull moment with four kids and me at the helm!