Another something new...

Shutterfly is doing something different with their site now, and I'm not so sure I like it yet. I'll get it figured out, though. One thing that I do like is that they now offer an address where you can see all of our pictures, divided into albums. So, for those of you who are still addicted to H&H, the link to all of their pictures is http://harrisoncrew.shutterfly.com. You can bookmark that or make it a "favorite", and you can always find our pics! I haven't uploaded any new pics lately, but I hope to in the next few days.

New video clips

I uploaded a couple of new video clips from today. One is of Hank walking. He's just started, so he still looks like a drunk, old man. The other clip is from right before bedtime. A typical scene in our house: Hank's got a toy. Hayden steals the toy. Hank chases Hayden. Somebody gets hurt. Hayden was fine, though.... She's really tough and didn't even cry. The video clip links are on the right-hand side of the page. Enjoy!

Help us save babies from Premature Birth

Did you know that premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death in the first month of life? It affects 1,305 babies a day in the United States, and Mississippi leads the nation in premature births with 1 out of every 6 births being pre-term. Those who survive may have lifelong health problems. And premature births are on the rise -- up to 27% since 1981.

Hayden & Hank were born 14 weeks early and spent as many weeks in the NICU. Both of them received the benefits of March of Dimes research. Hayden received indomethicin (a drug researched by MOD) to help close an open valve in her heart. And Both Hayden & Hank received surfactant, a substance discovered by MOD research to prohibit premature lungs from collapsing after birth. If it weren't for the research of the March of Dimes, we may never have brought our children home.

That is why I am asking you to support me in March of Dimes WalkAmerica. Because premature birth can happen to any pregnant woman. In nearly half the cases (including mine), the causes are unknown. The March of Dimes is leading the way to find answers by supporting research into the causes of premature birth. I am joining the fight, and so can you.

Your support helps fund:
-Research into stress and other factors that may trigger preterm labor.
-Programs to educate pregnant women to recognize the warning signs of preterm labor.
-Tools to help health care providers find better ways to detect women who may be at risk for preterm labor.

Please join in and help fight prematurity. Visit my March of Dimes webpage at http://www.walkamerica.org/harrisonfamily and sponsor me in the Walk that saves babies! And please pass it on... You can even email this post to your friends and co-workers by clicking the little envelope below this post.

Thank You!

Welcome to our new home on the web!

The blogging world is really catching on, and being the computer dork that I am, I couldn't let it pass me by. Plus, the kids are getting older, and soon the domain "babiesonline" won't really fit the bill. They need something more mature... HA! So, here's where you can find us now. The other site will remain up for a while, I guess for as long as they let it stay up, but I won't be updating there anymore. If this site doesn't work out, then I can always go back there, but for now, this is our new home!

Something great about this site is you can comment on each post, unlike the old guestbook at the other site. Don't worry, I already have all of your old guestbook remarks saved for the kids' scrapbooks, so they aren't going anywhere. To post a comment, just click the word "comments" after this post. A box will pop up, and you will click "post a comment". Another window will open and you can type in your comment. You should also click the button for "Other" (unless you, too, have a blog - in which case you'll click "blogger"). Fill in the blank for your name (please, no anonymous comments), and click Publish Your Comment. Done! Feel free to let me know what you like and don't like about the new site, and if you have any ideas to make it better, do tell!

You'll also notice that I've added videos to the site (on the right-hand side), and you can also go back and read the updates from when H&H were first born by clicking the month links under Archives. I've also posted some new pictures in the Jun - Jul photo gallery.

Not much new is going on at our house, yet there's always something new. Strange? Yes! Basically, the norm at our house is somebody doing something for the first time each day. Hank is taking more and more steps each day, but he usually has to be enticed by something. Hayden is learning new words and is beginning to copy us when we try to get her to say things. "Where's Hank?" and "Where's Hayden?" are big games right now, along with Pat-A-Cake and giving people "five" (or sometimes "ten")!

Thanks for still checking in with us. I'm hoping this site will work better for us, and I might start posting updates more often, so check back soon!

Stupid computers...

I just wrote a big update, and then it got deleted. I'm frustrated now, so this one will be short. Hank took his first steps last night! We were so excited. The play pen that Grandma Harrison got H&H has really helped Hank tremendously. He is able to hold on to the sides and walk around, so he has really improved his balance. Hayden can say "nite-nite" now, and a few other things. Last night, Jay stripped all of her clothes off and told her to go get in the bathtub. She pranced herself right down the hall, into the bathroom, and tried to climb in the tub. We had no idea that she knew what "bathtub" meant! Everything is going great around here, and we're having tons of fun. I'll try to put some new pictures up in the next few days.