Last Friday, they put the NG tube in Hannah, as Janet wrote about earlier. It was traumatic, but probably more so for Mom and Dad than for Hannah. Not that she liked it, of course, but the tube itself doesn't seem to bother her. I have to admit, though, that I am pleased that she continues to take most of her food from a bottle rather than from the tube. We usually only put four or five ounces a day through the tube, but we hope it's enough to tip her over into gaining weight. We've noticed that when she averages 18 ounces a day, she gains, and when she average 16 ounces a day, she loses, so that seems to be the critical point.

I almost froze to death in Asheville. It didn't seem all that cold to begin with, but we wound up sitting on the sidewalk in 35 degree weather for 90 minutes or so, and the cold just kind of seeped in. It was well worth it--I had a really good visit with Caty, got to catch up on my ex-wife's medical challenges (if that sounds sarcastic, it's not; I really wanted to know), and got to see Jon march. He is so tall! He sports a beard now, too. As he marched by with his drum corps, he looked so serious and tough. I couldn't resist looming out of the crowd and shouting, "Go, Jon!" He tried not to, but he grinned. After the parade, he walked back down to where we were and hugged me. I was so impressed! When I was his age, I'm not sure I was confident enough to hug my dad in public. I wish I had been, and I'm glad he is that self-possessed. Caty is just so full of energy, and Amanda is so in charge of her own life down in Columbia. They've all turned out so well!

Back home, Zach impressed me with taking on the Christmas decorations. Here at the end of the semester, I'm so overcommitted that I just couldn't even think about the tree until after we turn in grades (next Friday), so Zach put the tree together and decorated it on his own. It's wonderful! And without being asked, he put away the dishes. He's really taking on responsibility.

Janet will have her cataract surgery tomorrow. That's what's been causing her the vision problems. They think it probably resulted from an injury she received over 30 years ago! The prognosis is good, because, as the doctor said several times, she's so young. I'll post an update about that, since she doesn't write a whole lot about herself.