12 YEARS!

Yesterday Jason and I celebrated our 12th anniversary. (I use the word celebrate loosely, as it was a Sunday and we have a 10 day old infant). Nevertheless, it was a great day to remember how truly, madly, in love we were and how good we have still have it!
I love you Jason!

1 Week Old

I'm not sure if it is because Emmett is my last baby but I am so loving every minute with him! I am somewhat hesitant to gush on and on about him, for fear that I'll jinx what we've got going on, but I can't help myself. Emmett has the sweetest, most calm and pleasant demeanor I could have hoped for. He is also proving to be a farily decent sleeper going 5-6 hours at a stretch. People have said, and I have found it to be true, that having a baby at this time of year is wondeful. The season is already such a happy time that it only seems natural to add more joy with a newborn!
Having a baby also teaches many important life lessons. Here are a few "lessons learned" in the last 7 days.

1) There are few things that melt a heart like a smile from a sleeping baby. If we could all be content with so little.

2) There is nothing like a Gramma to delight and bring joy to your children. (Not to mention bringing joy to Jason and I in the form of - dinner, clean laundry, entertaining the siblings and chauffering a healing Mommy.)

3) It isn't wise to try on your pre-maternity jeans 6 days after delivering. Just don't do it.

4) It is wise to stay in the hospital for as long as they allow if you have children at home. By the time I went home, I was in a much better place, mentally and physically by staying that extra day.

5) It is true that your heart does grow with each new addition to the family. There is more love to share when you thought it impossible to love any other children more than those you already have.

6) Going to sleep on your back is a wonderful way to sleep! I have missed it so.

Deliciousness

I was given the option of staying in the hospital until tomorrow or going home today. Maybe it's because I have another 3 children at home but for the first time I opted to stay in the hospital another day. So far I've watched two movies, snuggled endlessly with Emmett and updated his baby book. It has been heavenly.

Since I have a few minutes, I am posting a couple of yummy pictures for your viewing pleasure. I am determined to hold this little guy as much as I can, for as long as I can because I know that this time will be over all too soon.

The sunken-in chin cracks me up. I remember Jason and I both looking at each other when Jackson was born and each asking if the other thought the chin was normal for a newborn.

Oh I love those binky pictures! He is such sweet little snuggler, I can't stand it!

Here he is in his going home outfit, testing out the carseat. Too bad you can't see just how adorable this kimono wrap is.

EMMETT ANDERSON HANSEN

I have found that whenever I ask (or don't ask) for peoples' opinions regarding our baby name choices, there are strong feelings. Some of you preferred our other names but in the end, Jason truly loved Emmett, and I came to appreciate that he really connected with that name.

So there is no going back now, our 4th child is Emmett Anderson Hansen. I would ask a favor though. Perhaps you can reference this in the future and remind Jason that I don't always get my way!

The Story...in it's unedited, non-Reader's Digest version!

On December 10th we posed as a family of 5 for the last time. This is a tradition of ours and the pictures have been fun to look back each time we welcomed a new addition to the family. Can you tell how excited the kids were to meet their brother?

Another tradition of ours is taking the final pregnancy picture by the crib just before departing for the hospital. This shot was taken at 4:30 am on December 11th, which explains why I was having a difficult time coming up with a genuine smile!

This smile was all real though because by 5:45 am I was all hooked up and awaiting the anesthesiologist. The epidural was interesting this time for sure. Although it was a relatively easy insertion, the first epidural only numbed from my toes to the top of my thighs. Totally counter intuitive I know, but the doctor said that it happens sometimes. To try and fix the situation they first gave me a second dose of anesthetic through the epidural. This suceeded in furthering numbing my toes and climbed only a little higher to the bottom of my pelivs which was definitely not high enough for surgery! In the end, they had to take the epidural out and replace it with a new one ,in a higher position. That time it worked like a charm and we were off to the OR.

At 7:44am Chase arrived into this world with a healthy set of lungs. Jason was even able to video tape his entrance, which was very exciting as we'd been told that by friends that they no longer allowed the videotaping of deliveries. Emmett weighed in at exactly my predicted weight of 7lbs 6oz and handily winning the bet to Jason's predicted weight of 8lb 12oz and the OB's guess of 7lb 12oz.

Here we are in our first family photo, blissfully happy together! So far Drew has proven to be neither like Jason or myself but seems to take after Mary Poppins -as he's practically perfect in every way! He took to nursing like a champion, is sleeping 4 hours at a stretch and has even declared his love for the binky!

We think that he has continued with the Hansen tradition of looking exactly like his siblings too. Sometimes I see more of one child or the other but you can easily tell which family he belongs to.

Jackson and Kate did amazingly well at school toughing out the long day until they could finally meet their little brother. Chase is one super lucky boy to have so many people that already love him.

Ava did great with our friend, Angela, today. She slept tuntil 8:30 am, helped stamp Angela's Christmas cards and was spoiled with a "hot lunch" at our favorite lunch spot, The Grove. Even with all of her fun times, she was beyond excited to meet her brother, Quinn.

Here we are, now as a family of 6. Mom is looking a lot more tired/drugged but is unequivocally ecstatic!

It's Baby Time

In 11 hours we'll be at the hospital being prepped for c-section #4! On Monday, my OB's father died. We got a call from his office saying that we'd have to have a different doctor perform the surgery and that they'd had to change my c-section time from 11am to 7am to accomdate his schedule. That translated into us having to leave for the hospital at 4:30am in order to be prepped and ready for surgery. It made me pretty nervous at first because plans had been made for the kids and everything had to be revamped but I am so grateful to good friends for stepping in and even coming to the house at 4:30am! I also had a phone conference with the new doctor and feel a lot more comfortable with him too.
Everyone in our family is ecstatic and jittery as we prepare to meet our newest addition. You can almost feel the electricity in the air. In an effort to focus some of the excitement, the kids are making cards for him right now. Now I just have to pack my bag and try to get some sleep (not likely).
Next post, cute pictures of our little man!

Lovies

Ava has always been quite attached to her lovie. She has, infact, had 3 of them and was never the wiser until this summer. I tried to pull a switcharoo because her lovie was getting so dingy, tattered and generally germy in appearance. When I gave her the new soft, beautiful lovie she hugged it for a moment and them promptly put it on the ground. She then looked at me and said, "I no want clean lovie. I want yucky lovie". She found her yuckie lovie later that day and refuses to give it up. I have tried putting both of them in her bed, carrying both around but somehow her clean lovie ends up under her bed, on the floor or stuffed in the closet and the yucky lovie is held tightly in her little fist and snuggled up against her face.
Let's hope we never "lose" yuckie lovie!

Belly Shots

There you go! After putting it off for as long as I could, I am finally posting a few belly shots. These pictures were taken today, 11 days before D-Day. Now perhaps our familes can kindly stop the threats?

Bless Jason for being the camera man and putting up with me. The photo shoot ordeal went something like this, he'd take a picture and then I'd look at it commenting that there is no way I was that big. I would then insist that he try again. Alas, after 20 or so pictures and angles, I came to the realization that I really do have that big of a belly and that just maybe, I am not "all belly" as people keep telling me. (Big liars!)

It is a bittersweet feeling as the pregnancy comes to an end. I am so excited to meet this little guy but sad to know that this is it and I won't ever be pregnant again. After tonight, I am also sad because the photo shoot made me realize how many hours are ahead of me at the gym! :)

Happy Thanksgiving

Our family continued the Thanksgiving tradition, for the fourth year, with celebrating with friends in Suwanee, GA. The a few of the kids commented (and we agree) that Thanksgiving is so much more fun when surrounded by lots of family and friends. The weather for the ocassion was Atlanta perfect (translation - sunny and mid 60's). The gorgeous weather did make me a little bit sad that I wasn't running with my friends in the Atlanta half marathon this year though. It was a great day to run, unlike last year when it poured on us. Alas, we'll see what next year brings.

The festivities began with the ever popular Turkey Shoot. Jackson and Kate really loved nailing their Dad with paintballs and even Ava got in on the action this year, going back for multiple turns. After the Turkey Shoot, the kids played with each other, the Dad's perused the ads and the Mom's feverishly worked to get the meal ready. Allison said that she believes we are getting closer and closer to perfecting the meal and I have to agree with her. All I need is Grandma Whittier's cranberry frozen dish recipe and then the dinner really would be perfect!

After dinner, the Dad's tore the kids away from the Wii and everyone threw frisbees, played b-ball and rode the Green Machine (remember that?). We ended the evening with yummy pies and sitting around the firepit outside visiting together. It really was a wonderful day!

A Boy and His Dog

Jackson turned 9 on the 23rd and got a dog for the event. We fostered "Benny" for a few weeks and have decided that he's the one for us. Jackson is leaning toward changing his name to Max and we think that it will stick. Max is very good natured -translation- he let's Ava play with his ears, crawl on him and in general torture him without even seeming bothered.

The first few days were kind of rough as we figured each other out but now Max is fitting in quite well with our family. Jackson is every bit as good of a pet owner as we'd hoped. If anything he is a Nervous Nellie, doting on him too much. We'll see if it lasts.

I Passed!!!

Every 6 years I have to retake my board exams (and pass) to keep my certification as a PA. Not that I was pushing it or anything, but my license was set to expire on the 31st of December and I took my boards last Monday. It seemed that nobody else was worried but I was definitely nervous about the outcome. That anxiety probably came as a result of being totally unprepared for the test. Let's see, I mostly felt unprepared because my total study time was around 2 hours. Now, I am not lazy but just stretched to the max and I truly had to extra time to fit in studying. This drastically contrasts the last time I took the boards as I was fresh out of school and additionally I studied all day for 2 weeks straight.

Lucky for my patients, I guess I've learned a thing or two and haven't forgotten much over the past 6 years working in the Emergency Room, because I passed without a problem. Whoo-Hoo!!!

Halloween Fun

As usual, a good time was had by all on Halloween. I love, love, love decorating for this holiday and had such fun planning for the big night. Unfortunately, Ava was truly terrified of half of our decorations though, so we had a lot less spooky effects this year. There were several rooms in our house that she hasn't walked through in a month even with all of the accomodations.

On Halloween night, some friends came over for chili, cornbread and yummy treats and then the Dad's and kids hit the neighborhoods. I'd say it was a success in the kids eyes as Jackson had to stop back home once to empty his bag before heading out for more goods! Kate and Ava didn't last quite as long but they had loot o' plenty. I expect they'll eat it up for 2 days and then grow tired of it like they usually do. Then I'll toss the rest! Here are a few photos of the cuteness.

Jackson (and every other 9 year old boy) chose to dress up as Indiana Jones.

Kate elected to be a cheerleader but when asked if she wanted to start doing cheerleading she said, "No, I do gymnastics". Way to go, girl! :)

Ava originally wanted to be a ghost but due to the lack of creativity/time on her Mom's part, she was talked into being a princess which equally thrilled her

Big Girl Bed

Although Miss Ava is well over 3 years old, until last night she still slept in her crib. She did so because like her siblings she did not attempt to climb out even once she knew that she was able. In preparation for the baby and the girls sharing a room though, we decided it was time for her to make the transition. We picked out matching sheets and"birdie" blankets which made the girls both very excited and set things up yesterday. This was what I saw when I arrived after the show. Made me tear up that she is so big!

WICKED AWESOME

My Fall Festival Co-Chair, Angela, and I treated ourselves to this amazing production as a congratulations on another successful festival. (We are going to have to do this every year) Despite husbands being out of town, a Cheetah girl concert (more to come), soccer practice carpool, and the night before Halloween, we made it happen and are so glad that we did.
I'd heard a lot of great things about this producation and was certainly not disappointed! The playwrite cleverly tied in all of the elements from the Wizard of Oz while explaining the "wicked" witch's story. If you have a chance, go and see the show. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Trailer

I'm really not a groupie, but...

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the Twilight series books to the point of basically forcing them upon my friends. That being said, I haven't elevated myself to the status of groupie - book signings, Twilight Mom groups, etc. Until today, I would see those Twilight movie countdown tickers on people's blogs and think, "Really?" I was lukewarm (at best) about the movie because nobody, and I mean nobody, can duplicate the Edward that I have going on in my head! Well, idealized Edward or not I was hooked after watching this trailer! Add me to the list of those counting down the days until this movie is released! What do you think?

News at Last

Jason's biopsy results came back showing no evidence of lymphoma or sarcoidosis. Whoo-Hoo!!! What they have diagnosed him with is an orbital pseudotumor. They said that he has had some chronic inflammation in the eye which has fibrosed and is now afffecting the eye muscles. We don't know why there is inflammation in the first place but they are going to try a month long course of steroids and see if there is any improvement. It is unlikely that there will be but we are going to try it first and then go on to eye surgery if need be.
Jason has been referred to yet another specialist for the surgery. We hope that when we meet with him we get the same story. As you can imagine, we are very happy that the origin of Jason's problem isn't anything very scary and now we just want him to get back to seeing with both eyes! Stay tuned for more Hansen family oddities :)

9 Year Old!

I can NOT believe that our little boy is 9 years old today! A cute couple was sitting in front of us at church on Sunday about to have their first child. She was due on Oct 15, like Jackson was, and is overdue but patiently awaiting the arrival of her little one. (OK, so anyone who remembers us 9 years ago remembers that we weren't patiently waiting, but you get the point. )

After talking to them, Jason looked at me and said, "That was us 9 years ago". We then surveyed our clan and for a moment were awestruck with all that can happen in such a short period of time.

Time passes too swiftly for my taste and I hate change. Really. One thing that hasn't changed for me though, is how completely in love I am with this boy! From the moment I laid eyes on him I was so smitten. Here are a few things that I love about Jackson.

1) He is such a kind big brother who truly loves his sisters. I doubt there was ever a sweeter big brother.
2) He loves to snuggle with me and still asks me to lay down with him at bedtime.
3) He kisses my belly every time I leave.
4) He loves to learn and tries his best.
5) He has such a funny sense of humor and is easy to laugh.
6) He is a good friend. I love seeing the way he treats his peers.
7) Has a smile that melts my heart.
8) Is as tenderhearted as they come. He can sense our moods and gives a hug, smile or lends a hand when we need it.
9) Loves to be active and doesn't argue with my no video game rule :)
10) Will always be my firstborn boy and has a special place in my heart that can't be replaced.

I love you Jackson!!!! You make every day brighter because you are in the world!

Making Room...

Athought I wouldn't really call us hasty (we've been looking to buy a car since Ava was born) we went to look at a car Tuesday night and ended up driving it home 2 hours later! We have been scoping out prices on Toyota Sequoia's and Volvo XC90's for a long time and I happened across one Sequoia that was a steal. I am already loving the extra room in the back and being able to tote more friends to sports and playdates. I am also very happy to have one less thing on my "to do" list before our newest arrival makes his debute.

The new car experience was one of mixed reviews for our kids though. Jackson was so excited that he literally jumped up and down for joy at the lot. Ava cried the whole way home asking for her "little blue car" and Kate was somewhere in between. We were a little surprised that the girls felt so attached to our Escape but as we explained to Jackson, it is the only car they have ever known. We went back to the dealership yesterday to try and take a picture of them in the car but sadly, it was already off the lot.

Farewell to our trusty little car and hello to more space to welcome baby boy into the world!

Eye Biopsy

This past month has been trying to say the least! We kind of joked about Jason's eye but in truth, things weren't very funny. Jason continued to have double vision since it began and was referred from doctor to doctor. Bottom line was that the problem likely didn't come from the sinus infection but they didn't have a reason why. They gave us several very scary possibilities all of which made me cry one Friday. Then the last doctor that we met with said let's not speculate but instead recommended a biopsy of Jason's eye muscle and from the back of the eye where the inflammation was prominent. (Does anyone find it hilarious that they put this on Jason's head before surgery?)
Jason had this procedure exactly one week ago and we are still awaiting the results. Our hope is that the results will point to idiopathic (meaning they don't know why) and that it won't be one of those other scary diagnosis.
I would post an after photo of the surgery but it even made me a little squeamish and that is saying something! I'll keep you updated as more develops.