10.30.2007

He's Finally Here!!!

Well to start off this is actually Brad and this is my first attempt ever in my life to post a blog. So I hope I don't screw things up too bad.

Well Andrew James Hanson was born at 7:27 PM on Tuesday, October 30th at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, CA. He weighed in at 8 lbs. 12 oz. and was 20 inches long. Definitely the smallest of the 3 babies so far, and that made things move rather quickly.

Well here is a play by play of how I saw things happen. I am sure that Shari will have her own version but she can correct that at a later date. Here goes.

We arrived at the hospital at approximately 12:15 in the afternoon. After getting Shari checked in and familiar with the room they began her on her IV and Pitosin or however the heck you spell it. At this point she was still only dilated to a 2. She continued to have contractions but nothing too serious. At about 4:30 Dr. Braithwaite came in and broke her water to hopefully get things going. At this point she was still only dilated to a 2. Our nurse all along said that she wanted this baby to come between 7 and 7:30 PM which is when she was ending her shift. Obviously with this time table that did not seem to be the case and Shari's doctor even came by and said that based on all the numbers he would guess we would see this baby around 10 or 11. The contractions began getting stronger, longer and a lot closer together and at about 6:30 Shari asked for the epidural. The soonest they could get the anesthesiologist in was when the new one showed up for his shift at 7 PM. So he came in at 7 and got her epidural going and he wrapped that up at about 7:15 PM. At this point Shari was laying on her side and looked like she was in a lot of pain and apparently said something to her new nurse. I then asked the nurse what was going on and she said that Shari was feeling a lot of pressure and was wanting to push. She checked Shari and this point, and I am guessing she had to be at a 10 cause she immediately called for help from another nurse and got Dr. Clayton in there rather quickly. Once the Dr. got there it was a matter of 3 or 4 pushes and no more than 5 to 7 minutes and Andrew was here. Our schedule was so out of whack and he came so much quicker than we anticipated that Shari's mom who is here from China for this didn't even make it to the hospital in time.



I am sure that I left things out, but I hopefully got enough information in here for everyone. Shari and Andrew are doing great. He looks amazingly healthy. As one of the nurses put it, "He looks perfectly cooked!" We are very grateful for this new little miracle. If anybody would like to visit her or give her a call, I know she would love it. Just send an e-mail to her e-mail and I will be checking it and will get you her phone number or room number.

10.29.2007

Golden Compass - FYI

I'm sure most of you have seen previews for this movie, or have heard about somewhere. My sister sent me this link to snopes.com with more info. I too thought it looked like kind of a cool movie until I read this...very disappointing in my opinion!

Click here for the full story: GOLDEN COMPASS

Pumpkin Patch 2007

Reaching Toward The Savior

I receive these kinds of quotes every day, called "LDS Gems" -- and wanted to share this one with you.

"Seeking [the] fruit of righteousness, it is no wonder that we. . stretch with longing and adoration toward the Savior, for we know He extends 'the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him'(Mosiah 29:20). Because this glorious promise is true, where else would we look, where else would we reach, where else would we come but to Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, the Lamb of God, our Messiah?

"I know that 'the Son of Righteousness arise[s] with healing in his wings' (3 Nephi 25:2) . . . for each one of us. He would guide and bless and gather us--if we will choose to come unto Him. May we do so every day of our lives."

(Anne C. Pingree, "To Look, Reach, and Come unto Christ," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 115)

10.28.2007

Trunk-or-Treat 2007

Last night was our annual tri-ward Trunk-or-Treat...the kids had a blast!

Here are a few pics...





10.26.2007

5 Things Tag

My sis-in-law Sara tagged me...so here ya go!

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
(I was 19!!!)

1. Loading/unloading baggage & cargo at the airport in Houston.
2. Living at my parents' house in Houston
3. Going to college
4. Travelling alot b/c I worked for an airline
5. Wondering what in the world I should do with my life!!!!

5 things on my "to-do" list today:

1. Take Jakob and Kai to preschool
2. Drop off treats for the people I visit teach
3. Attempt to get the baby room more organized
4. Make a schedule of what my kids do for my mom (or whoever watches them while I'm in the hospital!)
5. Work on making the posters for December's HFPE

5 snacks I enjoy:

1. Fresh fruit
2. Graham crackers and milk
3. String cheese (or any kind of cheese for that matter!)
4. Cheetos
5. Pretzels

5 songs I know the lyrics to:

1. Two Step - Dave Matthews Band
2. Friends in Low Places - Garth Brooks
3. I Am A Child Of God - all verses (and a ton of other primary songs!)
4. Ants Marching - DMB
5. Popular - Wicked Soundtrack

5 things I would do if I was a millionaire:

1. Pay off all debts
2. Buy a new car - Expedition XL or Suburban/Yukon XL
3. Contribute a large amount to my kids' college/mission funds
4. Invest
5. Buy a house

5 bad habits:

1. Short/hot temper
2. Sometimes too outspoken
3. Procrastinating
4. Letting my house get too messy
5. Being lazy

5 things I'd never wear again:

1. Neon colors
2. Stretch pants
3. Tight-rolled jeans
4. short shorts
5. Overalls

5 things I like to do:

1. Read
2. Blog (and read blogs!)
3. Watch movies
4. Swim or go to the beach
5. Learn new recipes

5 favorite toys:

1. Computer (now)
2. TiVo (now)
3. Jam Ball (as a child)
4. Nintendo (then AND now!)

10.25.2007

Jane Austen Lovers - FYI

COMING SOON: THE COMPLETE JANE AUSTEN

Looking ahead into 2008, Masterpiece Theater on PBS suggests you flag January 13th in your datebook. That's when "The Complete Jane Austen" begins airing on Sunday nights, with new presentations of Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park and Sense and Sensibility. The lineup also includes Emma, the acclaimed film starring Kate Beckinsale (and the best version of Emma in my opinion!), and Pride and Prejudice, the Emmy award-winning miniseries that made Colin Firth a heartthrob. Miss Austen Regrets, a true story based on Jane Austen's own letters and diaries, will also be a part of the four-month marathon.

I think that living in a house full of testosterone entitles me to a four-month marathon of Jane Austen romance stories...don't you????

Looking forward to January...

10.24.2007

The end is in sight...

Well, so much for delivering at 39 weeks. My doc never should have mentioned that he'd induce a week early if he wasn't serious. SHEESH. Ok, so I'm over it. Now I know that if I don't at least deliver in the next few days, I'm scheduled to be induced on Tuesday, October 30th at 11am. So, of course I've known that there would be an end to this pregnancy, but it's nice to know the date it will end! :) Unfortunately I am pretty much guaranteed to miss out on Halloween stuff. But, if I'm still pregnant on Saturday then I guess I can enjoy seeing my kids dressed up at our annual tri-ward Trunk-or-Treat. So, today I've been trying to just keep living life...and not thinking about how disappointed I am that I'm having this baby early. Well, I guess it gives me time to finish up some of the random things that need to be done. Plus, since I'm still pregnant I get to go to my Book Club tonight and talk about Twilight with everyone! YAY! That will be really fun. My mom arrived yesterday from China...so she is trying to get over jetlag, but I guess it's a good thing I haven't already had the baby, because by next week her body should be adjusted and she'll feel more able to help out. I'm glad she's here and I am really glad that it's almost over. I'm just DONE. But, I guess he's nice and cozy in there and doesn't intend on making is debut any time soon. Why is my womb so dang comfortable??? Ha ha. Just kidding. :)

10.22.2007

Fall 2008?????

So, I finished Eclipse this morning...and was left feeling very frustrated knowing that book #4 Breaking Dawn won't be out until next year...if that. AHHHHHH. I hate waiting.

However, I was very excited to see that Stephenie Meyer is also working on another version of Twilight written from Edward's perspective. Click here to check out chapter 1 of Midnight Sun.

For more info about the Twilight series or the author, go to: http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/

10.20.2007

Just a little obsessed...

This month's pick for my book club is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I had heard alot about it and also had a few people tell me that they thought I would love it and should read it sometime. Well, I just figured it would have to wait until I had time. So, I was naturally really excited when I heard we'd be reading it this month.



I must admit, it took me a little to get into it...but a lot of that had to do with the fact that I could never sit down to read more than a few paragraphs at a time without being interrupted. BUT, once I got into it, I could not put it down! Then once I finished it, I could not wait to get my hands on the second book in the series, New Moon.



In an effort to save some money, I spent some time checking online, but the thought of waiting for it to be shipped was driving me crazy. I needed it NOW. So, when Brad called me from Costco on Tuesday evening to ask if we needed anything, I asked him to look for it. Well, they didn't have it, but they did have the third book, Eclipse, (for something like $10.50 and it is $18.99 elsewhere) so he asked if I wanted it. OF COURSE! But what was I going to do? I couldn't read that yet...I still desperately wanted to get my hands on #2.



So, later we went to Target...and I thought that maybe, just maybe I'd get lucky and they'd have it there. (Target doesn't really have the best selection of books...so I didn't have my hopes up TOO high.) Well, lo and behold, they had ONE copy. (on sale for like $16 or something) I snatched it up and was so excited to continue reading when we got home.

Well of course I'm finished with that, and already half way done with #3...mainly because it's easy "young adult" fiction, but also because I LOVE the story! It's great fun.

It has been a long time since I've been this "obsessed" (as Brad likes to call it) with a book/series. I'm also grateful for the timing...because I know with baby #3 just around the corner, this just wouldn't be possible.

What books have sucked you in? I'd love to know!

10.17.2007

Still nothing yet...

I'm dilated 1 cm and 50 % effaced.

No talk of inducing me yet.

Doc wants to see me next week -- to strip my membranes.

(That just sounds SO pleasant, doesn't it?)

I've never had that done...so I have no idea what to expect.

We're keeping our fingers crossed that I will just go into labor so we can meet this kid already!!!!!

10.15.2007

Curiosity

I took an online ink-blot test today...I've never taken one, and was curious. (How fitting!) Here are the results:

"Shari, your subconscious mind is driven most by Curiosity

You are full of questions about life, people, and your own potential. You spend more time than others imagining the possibilities for your life — and you're open to things others are too afraid to consider. You have an almost physical need to know and do more. It's only through new experiences that you feel a greater understanding of yourself and the world. You also have a rebellious streak that shows up when you feel unable to truly influence the world or circumstances around you. Your appetite for novel experiences also shows an openness others don't have, but wish they did. Your psyche is very rich; the more you learn about it, the more you will understand who you really are."

10.11.2007

It's a hat/treat bucket!

Yesterday I bought these cute little Halloween treat buckets at Target. First of all, I was really excited because they resemble the ones from Pottery Barn Kids that I had been eyeing online for a few days, on sale for $7.99 from $12.99. Well, at Target they were $7.99 and very cute and I didn't have to wait for them to be shipped, or pay for shipping! So I went for it. Well, my kids apparently decided to turn them into funny hats...and they were being quite cute, so here are a few pictures for you to enjoy...my little pumpkin head boy and spider head boy...

10.08.2007

Nothing yet...

I saw my doctor today, and kind of expected him to check me since he's been saying all along that he wants me to deliver at 39 weeks. Well, nope. No check. He said he'd check next week and then we'd go from there. He jokingly said, "So just show up next week and be dilated to 7cm and we'll head over to the hospital." HA! Yeah right. If I could pick a day to have this baby, it would probably be the 23rd. I don't know why. But I know that I don't get to pick the day...so I should just stop thinking about it and go on with my life! The baby will come when he is ready.

10.07.2007

Check it out!

Bright and early yesterday morning, my sister-in-law Evaly came over for a photo shoot of Joshy. (We never took him in for his 2 yr portraits) Click on the link below to see a preview of some of the shots...He's getting so big!

http://photographybyevaly.blogspot.com/

Thanks Evaly! They are so cute and we can't wait to see more!

10.04.2007

Creeeeeeepy!

Being the self-diagnosed/professed arachniphobe (sp?) that I am...I was really freaked out last night when we pulled up to our garage and as it was going up I spotted a huge spider climbing up the door. (This time of year there are spiders EVERYWHERE here and it is my least favorite part of my favorite season!) So, already feeling a little creeped out, we get out of the car and are walking around to come inside when I spot another fairly large spider hanging upside down in it's web on one of our camping chairs. I put my arms out to block the boys from coming any closer in fear of it being a black widow, and sure enough I see the red spot. I told Brad (who was already at the front door) and he was like, "Get the kids away from it! Go the other way!" Well I guess the spider could sense all the fear/commotion going on and it hurried back up somewhere into the chair. So we quickly walked past, making sure not to bump into the chair and got inside where Joshy proclaimed, "We're safe!" Isn't it funny how a 2-year-old picks up on things like that?

As I was singing the boys to sleep, Brad went back outside to locate and identify the spider -- to kill it. Well, he found it back in it's web and sprayed it with some bug spray. Then this morning he found it dead on the ground and showed it to me. He said maybe it was a male black widow or just immature because it had a lot of brown on it. So we flushed it down the toilet and it was semi-forgotten about.

Well, you've heard me mention the problem with my kids playing with the dirt in the backyard before...and the huge mess they made the other day was still out there waiting to be cleaned up. So, since the weather was really nice today and there was a nice breeze, I decided I'd go clean up all the dirt, fix the fence and spray off the patio. While I was kneeling down by the fence, I noticed a small, white, spiky ball in the middle of a spider web. I immediately knew it was an egg sac and was creeped out BIG TIME all over again. Just imagining the hundreds of little spiders crawling out sent chills down the back of my neck. Well, right above that spider web, was one of my son's mini tonka trucks, just resting on that ledge of the fence. "Great," I think, "Joshy has been out here INCHES away from this thing!!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!" So then I grabbed the broom and started sweeping/swiping off all the spider webs I could find and smashing all of the egg sacs I could find (about 10-12). EWWWWWWWWWWWW!


This is the kind of sacrifice a mother makes to keep her kids safe! Doing something that absolutely grosses/creeps you out and that you are afraid of for the good of someone else, is definitely love. RIGHT? :)

So anyway, as soon as I was finished with that, I got online and looked up "spiky egg sacs" and found some answers. It is a "Brown Widow" not a black widow, but still dangerous. Check out this blog to see some pictures that someone else posted:

http://bugyou.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html That blogger lives in Tustin, which is like 10 minutes from where I live.

So...although I am SO glad it's finally OCTOBER and almost HALLOWEEN and my baby boy is almost due...I am not glad about all the spiders!!!!!! YUCK!

10.02.2007

Life isn't so bad after all...

When you're a hormonal, control-freak, type-a personality, pregnant woman...you tend to act a little crazy sometimes. Ok, well maybe not all women who fall into those categories act crazy, but I DO! I know I talked about the "beast" last week...well it started to rear it's ugly head again this morning.

I haven't had the most energy lately to get normal household tasks done, so on days like today when I wake up and actually have the energy and drive to get things done, I am a force to be reckoned with. Well, I had a list of things that needed to be done, one of which was preparing a soup for our HFPE night tonight. So, as I'm busily chopping onions, garlic, cilantro, etc. my boys are playing out in the backyard. I'm grateful that they are entertaining themselves outside while I do this, but also worried that they are making a HUGE mess with the dirt from the garden. Well, I had good reason to be worried. As I plugged in the crockpot and turned it on, Joshy comes around the corner with his big Tonka dump truck filled with dirt. I calmly asked him to take it back outside because I don't want the dirt in the house. As I watch him turn it around and push it back across the living room, I see that the truck and his shoes are covered with clods of wet dirt (not mud, but wet dirt...wet enough that it stuck to the wheels and his shoes).

SIGH
I grab the mini-vac to clean it up and as I look over at the sliding door, I see Jakob carrying part of the little fence I had put up around the garden. This is where I start to lose it. I walk over to the door, ask him "WHAT...ARE...YOU...DOING?" Uh-oh. There's the beast again. He looks at me with a look that tells me he KNOWS what he is doing is wrong. The dirt-filled dump truck never made it back outside, it was sitting on the doormat which was also covered with dirt, right inside the door. So, I tell both boys that they are to come inside and sit on the bottom step (our time-out spot). Of course there is a lot of screaming and crying and protesting...but THERE IS DIRT/MUD everywhere now and I am NOT happy that I have to clean it up. I'm thinking, "Is this seriously the price I have to pay just to have 10 minutes to get something done?" SHEESH. Ok, so I vacuum all of the dirt up, and then after I've done that, realize that I should have had them take their shoes off because now there is even more dirt in the house. So, I then have to clean that up AGAIN. All this anger and frustration is just eating my energy for the day...which makes me even angrier and more frustrated! My boys are looking sad and pathetic and afraid of their crazy mommy, and all I can think of is just getting everything ready to get out of the house and start my errands.
So, the shoes come off and are thrown on the front porch -- out of sight, out of mind. I know Joshy and if he could play with dirty shoes, or anything invovling dirt, he would. And he'd love making that mess. But what I wish he would understand is that I DO NOT love cleaning up that mess! He's 2. How can I honestly expect him to understand that?
So, I'm storming around getting everything ready to go while both boys remain on the step. Oh, wait, no, just Jakob remained on the step. Joshy went upstairs and shut himself in the bathroom. Jakob warns me that Joshy's probably sticking his hands in the toilet. To which I reply, "Oh well."
I get the diaper bag ready and grab what I need and head out to the car. Jakob starts to panic - "Wait, Mom!" Then I call to him to come get in the car. He looks very relieved and excited because today is Park Day. Then I say to him, "Stay in your seat. I am going to get Joshy." I walk back inside and can hear the bathroom door handle rattling. Joshy is stuck in the bathroom saying, "I can't do it Mom. Help, Mom, I can't do it Mom." So I open the door and to my surprise don't see any water anywhere. The toilet looks untouched (thank goodness) and the only bummer is that I can smell his stinky diaper. So, we change his diaper and head out to the car.
Once I have them both buckled in, I sit there for a moment with the A/C on full blast trying to cool off and clear my head. I feel terrible about how I yelled at them and how I handled the situation. I start to think, "These are my angels. They do not deserve to be treated like that. EVER."
So, I start to cry a little bit, and Jakob says, "Are you OK Mom?"
I reply, "No."
He says, "What's wrong?"
Joshy says, "You bonked your head?"
"I feel bad about yelling at you, " I say.
Joshy says again, "You got an owie? You bonked your head?"
Jakob answers, "No, Mommy feels bad for us because we were bad."
I say, "No, I feel bad because I lost control and yelled at you."
"It's OK Mom," says Jakob.
"No, it's not OK. It's not OK for me to yell at you and get so mad like that," I say.
"I'm sorry I was playing in the dirt and made a mess, " says Jakob.
"Thank you for saying your sorry. I'm sorry I yelled at you," I replied.
Then I turned around and looked at them and said, "I love you guys more than anything and I don't want you to be afraid of me because I'm scary when I get mad. I am so sorry."
Then Jakob, being the true angel he is, says, "Mom, let's say a good prayer before we go, to help you feel better and not be so sad."
To that I say, "Ok, that's a good idea," and think to myself, how did I ever get so lucky to have a sweet kid like this??????
Jakob proceeds to say a sweet, sincere prayer asking for me to be blessed to not be sad and to feel better and for he and Joshy not to be bad anymore.
That totally changed my mood and my attitude for the day. Thank goodness for children who are so sweet and innocent. I just need to work harder on remembering that and not focusing so much on all the stupid little naughty things they do.
I know I truly am blessed to have beautiful healthy boys, and wouldn't trade them for anything. I pray that I will be able to show them how much I love them and not lose control so much when they do things to make me mad.
Today was an eye opener...one that I needed desperately...
LIFE ISN'T SO BAD AFTER ALL...

10.01.2007

Sad, But True

Among the few unpleasant symptoms of pregnancy that I experience is loud snoring. So loud in fact that my husband (who can snore quite loudly at times himself) couldn't fall asleep last night, and ended up sleeping out on the couch.

HOW SAD IS THAT?

Well, I must say that even though I was snoring loudly, it wasn't loud enough to wake me up -- which I have done before.

This is one symptom that has accompanied each of my pregnancies...so I fear I will not escape it. Although I don't think I snore when I'm not pregnant, it is embarassing to picture myself sawing logs.