Hands, photo by Harold Davis.

Phyllis was kangaroo holding Katie Rose, and I thought their hands together made such a great contrast of sizes that I snapped away.

Katie has come such a long way, and grown so much, but comparing mother-and-daughter hands reminds me she is still pretty small. Yesterday she gained two ounces and she is gaining quickly on four pounds. We’re starting to hear talk around the NICU that is promising: maybe Katie will be ready to move out of her isolette and into a basinette soon. Maybe the hospital will schedule a medical meeting in a couple of weeks to start thinking about discharge plans…it all seems like a dream.

Speaking of dreams, here’s a digital photographer’s surreal and dissonant moment: Last night I couldn’t sleep. So I made a cup of chamomille tea and turned on the network and computers. At 4AM I was working on the photo of Katie and Phyllis holding hands. There were no major exposure issues.

But I did find that Phyllis’s hands needed some work, and I knew she would never forgive me if I posted the photo without giving her a digital manicure. So there I was, sipping tea, smoothing cuticles, fixing dry skin, and rounding nails. Katie’s hand doesn’t need this kind of treatment, yet.