Philadelphia
Simon's surgery went fine - most fortunately, his underlying health is good, and the day after surgery, he was trying to get up. He wants to play, and has made it for 5 minutes or so of playing. We have Hannah this weekend because I brought her back yesterday. I'm taking her back tomorrow, and she's going to spend some time with some of Ellen's friends. It would be too boring for her to hang out at the hospital, even if it was allowed for the older kids to hang out at the hospital. For me, all the driving, half lost, trying to find parking, etc., is wildly stressful. I'm glad to be able to get there and to be able to help Ellen, but going to Philadelphia (which strikes me as a smelly, disorganized and disintegrating town) is not a vacation.

But, I have Hannah "all to myself" as I think of it. She's turning into a little girl - talking about her friends and who is best friend with who, etc. I bought her a dress for church because she forgot to pack one, and it was "anything that's purple." She and Paul are great friends. This morning, we went for a walk in the neighborhood (there's a walking trail through the woods in back of a nearby subdivision) and then went to the library and a park. The two just played and played. Now, they're each reading. So far, so good. It will be interesting to see what her reaction is to my planned dinner - corn bread and beans.