Hair Twirl

Ali does this new thing where she sucks on her right hand and twirls her hair with her left hand. Deb the Magician has been working diligently to get Ali's shoulder and neck muscles loose so Ali can start to experience all that's she's determined to do.

Before Ali got hurt, she used to twirl her hair into such a tangle that she'd screech and cry and make us come running into her room in a panic. What a character. That's why I call her "Funky Winkerbean." I thought I made that up, but apparently, it's a comic strip.

Ali also does some exploring with her mouth and tongue. She checking out one her favorite toys with her mouth. She's having a blast in this picture. Shrieking loudly and kicking her little feet so that she turns in half-circles.

One of our adoption protocols was an HIV test. But that's confidential, of course. We took Ali in last week to a local clinic to have this done, but the poor ladies working that lab were so intimidated by Ali and her condition that I didn't think they could pull it off. They broke into a cold sweat when they went looking for a vein to poke their needle in. I called it off telling them I'd figure something else out. They were relieved.

My sister, Jennifer, works in the emergency room at a hospital in a town about twenty miles from here. She greased the wheels at that hospital and arranged for Ali to go to their lab and have blood drawn by a couple of pediatric nurses who knew what they were doing and took charge of the situation. We were in and out of there lickety-split. Kudos to Jennifer and the staff at Redwood Memorial. Redwood Memorial is part of the St. Joseph health system. Read their story here. All of Ali's health care and recovery is being organized and managed through the St. Joseph network.

You'll notice Ali is covered with a blanket here. The mornings are getting chili. I know that if you're on the East Coast, you have no idea that it's autumn. But fall has fallen here in Northern California. As I type this, were having our first big rain storm of our rainy season. The charming and beautiful Susan keeps talking about picking up some flannel sheets. I hope that happens soon...

This is one incredible baby.