Hannah and I!

When I'm in Texas I try to spend a day with each grandchild.  Yesterday was my day with Hannah.  It's up to the teenager to determine where we go and what we do.........for Hannah it was shopping.  She had a gift card from Christmas that she wanted to spend.  Off we went with an itinerary of stores and then, lunch at Hannah's favorite restaurant, Red Lobster.

At the first store she found a darling dress and a cute reddish-orange blouse to wear with jeans and her cowboy boots.  I was impressed with the fact that she found two really special things within her budget.

By this time, it was lunchtime and we headed across the freeway to Red Lobster.  Hannah is a no drama kid. She knows what she wants and in a mild mannered way asks for it.  So, she ordered the appetizer immediately.  Again I was impressed with her sense of herself.  These are the things you notice when it is one on one.

She mentioned that she was happy that her favorite waiter was there.  I immediately thought it must be a 20 year old good looking guy - Hannah is 15.  But, no Darrell came to the table even though we weren't in his  table section.  He greeted Hannah and her sweet smile beamed from ear to ear.  He said he was glad to see her and that she and her family were his favorite customers.  I was touched.  Darrell is a middle aged black man with a beautiful smile also.  He later came over to tell us goodbye at the end of our meal.  My opinion of Red Lobster went up 100%.

The great conversations you can have with a grandchild alone are priceless.  She is glad she's NOT going to a Valentine Dance.  Yes, she has a friend who is a boy, but, doesn't consider it a big deal.  She's glad she doesn't have to wear makeup.  But, most of all, she was worried about her friend Haley who is in FFA.  Haley has raised a pig for a year and yesterday, as Hannah said, Jimmy was going away forever.  She was worried about how Haley would feel.

That's Hannah.  She doesn't talk about things much, but she feels deeply about people.  Her parents are to be commended for raising such a loving, kind teenager who doesn't act like those spoiled kids you see on TV.

Hannah is a "special needs" girl with Fragile X Syndrome.  That means she wasn't born with an x chromosome.  Her twin brother Andrew also was born without an x chromosome.  It is the leading cause of retardation in boys.  Hannah luckily  has her own X chromosome so her needs are not evident.  She is mainstreamed in school along with some special need classes.

I'm honored to have all the grandchildren I have.  Each is special in their own way.  Hannah is very special.

Hannah was ready to come home after lunch and a few more stops.  I was glad.  I too was ready.  We had a great day.  Special memories.