A special Moment

A couple of days before Christmas Tanner got out his special box of Christmas books and read them to Cooper. It was such a special feeling watching them. It was also neat looking back at the special messages written on the books from family to Tanner dating back to his first Christmas, treasured, these books are to us and wonderful to share with Cooper!

Tanners new additions!

Tanners collection of Nutcrackers has grown this year!He now has close to 60! This one is from Grammie Jeanie!

To be cont.. with posts from Christmas Eve and Christmas!

Gingerbread Junction at the Lodge..

We went here the night of the "Santa" visit... I haven't had a chance to post yet. We go every year and there are some great gingerbread houses, one year Tanners class at school entered, it is a great way to get in the holiday spirit...

This is kinda funny... Cooper decided to "blow" the diaper when we were walking through it and another Dad holding his baby just gave Buck a knowing look and laugh.. he knew the sound well too I guess!!

The lights were very pretty outside the Lodge too, this is a fun tradition~!

Christmas 2009 Part 1!

With limited amount of time on the computer that Boss will allow me ( Cooper not Bucky HA!)

I have decided that this will be a Christmas post series! We had a wonderful time with alot of fond memories having our sweet baby at Christmas time, it's been 13 years since we celebrated with a new baby! Thank you to all our family and friends for thinking of us this year.. we love you!

Look to the side at all the pics I will be posting...

Coop's hollering now... so I will post later!

The Marcher....

Well Cooper has been doing the cutest thing.. when he is really excited and laying down he marches his legs so fast! Its way cute!

He also smiles alot more now with his winking eye and wrinkled up nose its adorable!~ He also converses to us in different ways, he "talks" more to Bucky and is more intense with him..

He is so sweet and we see more and more his great personality shining through!

We had a pizza party tonight for the end of the season of Tanners basketball team and Tanner got 1st place for amount of rebounds for the team.. 64! Yay Tanner!

Wrestling will be starting after this Christmas break with Buckys coaching the team..

I am excited for that.. it will be good for Tanner to learn from him as well as the other boys~

A Visit with Santa Claus!

Cooper met Santa Claus for the very first time last night and he really loved him! Tanner being a seasoned veteran of Santa lap sitting showed him the ropes while sitting on this "special" Santas lap. We then joined "Grandpa" and Grandma Reynolds to go to the Sunriver Lodge and look at the lights and the gingerbread houses and had dinner, it was really fun. Thank you to Santa Claus and Mrs Claus.. for making Coopers first visit with Santa a special one!

Coopers Two Months Old!

Cooper has passed two months! I am late as usual but he turned two months old on the 4th of Dec! He is now 11 lbs! He smiles so cute wrinkling up his nose and twinkling his eyes right along with his smile, he is goo ing and gaaing too, and we love it!

This is a cute shirt in the pic from Auntie Jen, Uncle Chris and Alex when I first learned I was pregnant with him!

We have been watching lots of Tanners basketball games and trying to stay warm in this cold weather, it was 3 degrees today at Tanners game, brrr.... we still braved it...

Nursing has gotten much better too, I have been able to get rid of the shield for good and its going well now..

Cooper is fitting right in with the family, he is such a gift to us!!

THANKSGIVING!

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving! First off Bucky got an idea to make a pie bakeoff to take to my parents for dinner as well as some appetizers so we had a really fun time cooking wednesday afternoon and Thanksgiving morning.. we made stuffed mushrooms and Nanas shrimp mold, Buck made a berry tart ( with homemade crust!) Tanner made a pumpkin pie and I ( well honestly Bucky and I) made a apple pie with streusel topping.

We all dressed up nicely and matched because when we got to my parents they had arranged a photographer to come take our photos ( cant wait to see all the pictures!)..

The table was decorated very pretty with a fall tablecloth and a cornucopia centerpiece.

The boys watched some football. The turkey and the whole dinner turned out wonderful!

Grandma Janet made a great sweet potato dish I specially requested! It was a fun time. Everyone helped hang out with "The Boss" in intervals so we could eat, do dishes etc.. it was a nice relaxing time. I liked watching Jody their old cat "groom" Tan and Buckys head and hair it was funny! Too bad Cooper cant eat real food yet, he missed out on a great dinner! The best part was tonight was leftovers!

Nephew Alexander turns 1 !

Alex turned one this week! I can't even believe it! Seems like yesterday Jen told me she was pregnant and I was so happy as I knew this addition to her life was something that would complete her happiness and boy was I right!

Alex is a precious and active little boy and Jen loves being his Mother. I love that he makes her so happy! I wish we lived closer as Alex had a one year birthday celebration this past weekend and it was put together so nice we would have so wanted to be there... Alex is Tanners only cousin on my side, and my only siblings only child to date..
Alex holds a special place in my heart evn though you are so far away.

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY ALEXANDER!! WE LOVE YOU!!

Tanner loves Cooper

Its been really neat watching Tanner and Coopers relationship blossom. Coop is facinated with Tanner and watches him so intently as he walks across the room moving his head to strange angles so as to not take his eyes off of him, more so than he watches us. He is really intrested in him. We also have seen Tanner want to hold him more and he even was able to get Coop asleep on his chest the other day. It makes my heart feel so happy watching them together.

Cooper is smiling more and more and vocalizing with his " ahhh goo's" he says. He also sometimes wrinkles his nose to one side when he smiles and he smiles with his eyes just like Tanner does.. he laughed at Bucky this morning before falling asleep. We are so blessed with our two boys and very thankful for them.

I have been reading to Cooper and his first book read to him was " A lot of Otters" from the Hansons and I read the book " My Mommy and Me" the other day too a gift from Aunt Jen and Uncle Chris and Cousin Alex...he likes to look at the pictures, still not really into toys yet, would prefer to look at the flames in the fireplace or the falling snow out the window, we love seeing him get more curious with each day. Buckys been leading "workout time" with him on his tummy to strengthen his muscles and his motor skills, they enjoy there time and I enjoy my nap during it!

Placental Biopsy Results

.. Well I went to my 6 week OB check yesterday and they gave me the results of the placenta biopsy.. yu may have remembered it was very small so my doctor sent it off..also the cord was very thin and had some twists in it.

What I can say is I am so thankful to God that Cooper is here with us. Part of the placenta had Necrosis?(sp?), what that means was it was dead. As well as very small and the cord was attached to it incorrectly. He said alot of this happened when it was first formed but that some could have to do with my increase in blood pressure in the last couple weeks as well. He also said I had very low amniotic fluid and had the meconium too. He couldnt say alot for liability but did say the OB doctors I was going to in The Dalles in the last month should have caught it.

You also may remember my repeated requests for ultrasounds and blood flow checks that were denied, also the fact that the fundal height went from being ahead two weeks to dropping a week behind then staying at that point for 2 more weeks was a good indication of a problem. I am angry because I knew that something was off yet I was ignored. The OB doctor said many babies in these conditions die in the womb, I am so thankful for my little Cooper and even though his womb conditions were probably not good for weeks or longer that he fought thru it and decided to come out 3 weeks early.. We love our precious Coop!

Coopers 6 Week Check..

.. He gained 3lbs 2 3/4 0z since his 2 week check! He now is weighing in at 9lbs 7 3/4 oz!

He is really making up for his weight stall! He is 22 inches long and head circumference is at the 25%.. his weight is 25 percentile and height is 50 percentile..

He had vaccinations 3 shots in the legs poor guy and an oral one.. he looked at me like "how could you do this to me mommy".. broke my heart... it was awful!

He is still feeling a little "off" from them, but he's a trooper! Hes been getting more vocal and smiled some big ones at Daddy O today! We love our little Monchie!

** Note his onesie.. we call him THE BOSS!!

Big Brother Tan helps with First Diaper!

November 11th TanMan helped change Coop for the first time!~ Welcome to the first change of many to come Tanner!!

WELCOME RIVER!!

Its been hard to get online .. but I wanted to welcome the newest cousin to our family..
Welcome Baby River Anthony Luis born November 9th.. 8 lbs 4 oz- Congratulations Elizabeth and Anthony!! Cant wait to hear all about it and can't wait to meet River either!! XOXOX

Cooper Smiles...

Cooper gave us his first big smiles on Nov.9th! It was hard to catch with the camera so heres a little of the smile! ( cant fix the red eye either!).. BUT its adorable! He has been really vocalizing alot the last week and gave Daddy a bunch of smiles this morning.. he is getting bigger before our eyes and its fun to watch him starting to develop his own personality!

Cooper Jareds One Month Old!

I cannot believe a month has gone by already! Wow! He is so sweet and I marvel daily how beautiful and special he is and thank God for giving me a second chance to be a mother.

We love him so much and he is such a great addition to our family, we never knew what we were missing until we had him. Bucky and I spend so much time just gazing at him and looking upon his beautiful face. We have had alot of special memories and moments this past month. Cooper we love you and are so glad you are here with us precious baby!

TANNERS A TEENAGER!

Well it has finally come. My baby I guess isnt a baby anymor but in fact a TEENAGER!

Tanner turned 13 Nov.2. 2009!

We celebrated the Day before on Sun Nov 1st we took 4 friends of his to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in Bend last minute and then to Pizza at Pappys afterwards.

Grandpa and Grandma joined us too! It was fun! Cooper didnt wake during the movie so it was a relaxing stress free time ( I was worried about taking him into the movie)... we had alot of fun!

Family sent money so he has preordered his game Call of Duty 6 Prestige Edition he has been waiting for to come out Nov 10th.

On Tans bday we had nachos, cake and opened some presents after school and basketball practice. Happy Birthday Tanner, we love you so much and are so proud of you!

HALLOWEEN! BOO!

Halloween was fun, luckily not too cold.. we went down to the Village Mall in Sunriver where Tanner met up with some friends and we strolled around... it was fun to see some friends down there. We ended up "hanging" at Grandpa and Grandmas office for quite a spell while Tanner hung out and fed and changed you... Happy First Halloween little Dragon!

Big Bro Tanner was a creepy looking clown... it was fun to have my boys together on one of Moms favorite holidays!

Daddy O carved a special Coop pumpkin and Tan as always carved his own!

Coopers "Firsts"

I just wanted to write a few "firsts" we have had here!

10/19... first doctor appt... 2 week check/ circumcision :( ouchie!

10/20... First sucked thumb

10/20... First Football game.. North Lake watched Big bro Tan kick butt!

10/21... First home bath in tub! You like it!

10/27... First saw snow, looking out the window with Daddy O

11/1... First movie.. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in 3-D for Tans 13th bday.. you didnte even wake up for it, but you were there!

Coopers Birth Story

Well I am going to try to start this.. hes asleep dont know how far I will get!

I awoke at 2:30 am Sunday Oct 4th with what I thought were cramps, I thought I was dreaming so went back to sleep. Woke with more.. so around 3:30 I woke up Bucky and told him I "may" be in labor. I laid in bed a little longer around 3:45 I told him no I am pretty sure it is "IT" . So we got up to see that it was snowing outside, first snow that was sticking of the year and also come to find out later in the papers "most snow for Bend on this date ever... broke records. Bucky and Tanner had been deer hunting until 7pm the night before( glad they didnt decide to camp!).. I was only 37 weeks 4 days... So Bucky woke up Tanner and said "ready to get up.. " and Tan thought they were going hunting.. he said " no we are going into Bend, Moms having the baby" and man did Tanner get going fast! I called the OB and he said to hurry as my labor started getting intense and contractions were maybe 3-4 min apart... we raced out of the house. Then started the scary drive into Bend in the snowstorm! A nearly 1 hr drive.. well at least 45 min!

I got to the hospital at 5:30 ..they out me in a room and checked me and I was 6cm dialated! They could not draw my blood( my stupid veins) to get the okay for an epidural for SO LONG! They finally got it and got me in a room... My blood pressure was really high..

I was getting in some serious pain. The anesthesiologist finally came in maybe 40 min later( I almost didnt get one) at this point I was at 9.. he had a hard time inserting the catheter...

I did real good..until this point.. then I was not so sure I could do it- he finally got it in. The doctor came in( I was lucky my Doctor was on call) and he said " your a 10 ready to have this baby".. that was about 6:45 am... so he broke my water and realized we had meconium in the amniotic fluid.. so they told me to begin pushing.. I pushed for about 12 pushes and out he came at 7:06 am! We were lucky we made it in time to the hospital.. !They wanted him not to scream so they could suction the meconium first but he did scream.. I didnt get to hold him right away as they took him over to the table to suction him out and stuff.. and Bucky cut the cord. Tanner was present for the birth as well, and that was very special to have him with us! At one point when I thought I was going to die( at that time I wasnt sure! , I told them both I loved them! I continued to have BP problems... My doctor told me that Coopers placenta was only 1/3 of the normal size and the cord was thinner and twisted in a couple spots.. that could be why he decided to come early!! When he came out I was shocked at how small he was.. I was sure I was having a huge baby! He was so tiny, but so, so beautiful.. just a tiny amount of spun gold hair and a beautiful little face that reminded me of both my huband and Tanner.

We had a few other " complications" his sugar was low so we had to supplement with some formula feedings and he had to be poked in the foot over and over.. it went up the next day.. then we found out he was jaundiced and had to stay under the billi lights. That was torture.

Night two of our hopital stay they had him in that little incubator in our room under the lights where he wore eye protection and was only in a diaper, no swaddling for his poor newborn startle reflexes.. we could put our hands in there to soothe but could only take him out to feed him. It was toturous on Bucky and I. Hearing him scream and trying so hard to soothe him.

The next next night night 3 they gave us a billi blanket so we could hold him.. that was better.I hadnt slept in 3 days and was beyond insomnia..I couldnt sleep . I am still having alot of trouble with it. They out me on BP and pulse medications.Coopers thyroid was also slighty high but has since come down.

We were finally released the next day with Norco coming out to install lights at home for us.

He had to be under them 2 more nights but the ones at home he liked much better.

I was VERY thankful that my Dad and Stepmom could take care of Tanner for us during this time. It would have been so hard without their help, we are very grateful for it! Also for them picking up needed items we had to have!

I want to say thank you for the flowers in the hospital to Jen and Mom and Amy ( and the sleepers/goodies/diapers) and to Diana and Rob for the beautiful basket

Hospital visitors: Grandma and Grandpa Reynolds.. Amy Ringering

We had a bit of a rough start.. and add to it some latching /milk supply issues we are still working on.. but I have to say he is the most precious little baby and we are so blessed to have him in out lives

A special THANK YOU to my husband.. Bucky I couldnt have made it through these past weeks with out you... thank you for all you do for me and the family... we love you!

COOPER JARED HANSON IS HERE!

Cooper Jared Hanson is finally here! He was born October 4th at 7:06 am.. weighing 6 lbs 3 oz, 19 inches long!

I know its been awhile( nearly 3 weeks!) Lots of updating to do including his birth story.. but wanted to post this at least.. we are so in love with him! He is precious and doing well!

Isn't This the Cutest Thing?

.. We received a baby gift today from some friends of mine... A RAIDERS DIAPER CAKE!

Very clever! It has a Raiders onesie, bib, pacifier and pacifier attachement.. little washclothes rolled up like lollipops and bath products and of course diapers!... it was so cute and you guessed right

Bucky really liked it!!

37 Weeks.. OB Appt

IT'S OCTOBER!!! BABY MONTH AS BUCKY CALLED IT!!

Okay.. I am just HUGE this picture is proof! Bucky took it at 37 weeks- 1 day, last Thursday Oct.1- Tanner has his second football game on Thurs against Echo, he played really well, they lost but he did some mean guarding and tackling! And he got a try at quarterback too!

I turned 35 on Wednesday so I can "officially" be given the title Advanced Maternal Age they have me at at the doctors office! Oh well, age is just a number right?

On Fri Oct 2.. ( It was Nanas bday, I miss her!) I had my OB appt in The Dalles, Bucky went with me. Mostly the same ol same ol... they said the baby could come any day, or weeks from now,but his head is down.. WAY down! My BP was up again at the appt... 140/94, so the doctor advised us to get a home monitor, which we did. We came to Bend afterwards as it is opening of deer hunting season today! Thats where the boys are.. but decided to stay closer to home than originally planned with the BP issues and just the baby could come whenever he chooses!.. I am nervous but also excited for them, I cannot believe my BABY is old enough to be out in the woods with a rifle hunting deer with Dad.. Bucky must feel elated. He has been waiting a long time for this!

So I am just taking it easy this weekend... resting and not doing much as they recommended I do. Oh my gosh, as I am sitting here typing this I just looked out the window and its snowing. Lightly falling but sheesh, seems early for snow!

My Special Boy...

Tanner and I have always shared a very special bond. He has always been my one and only child for nearly 13 years. I really never thought I would have another baby after it had been so long, especially not another son, I think its why I had hoped for a girl, even though deep down I wanted another boy, so I wouldnt feel the need to compare or feel I have replaced in any way my first son.I have struggled with emotions during this pregnancy in regard to that. I am excited and in love already with the new one, but I also have times of doubt, fear, and guilt that come as well. I know Tanner is so excited to be a big brother. We are so excited for this new addition to our family. When I found the below story, I related to it so much I just wanted to add it here...

...As I walk along holding your 2-year-old hand, basking in the glow of our magical relationship. Suddenly I feel a kick from within, as if to remind me that our time alone is limited. And I wonder: how could I ever love another child as I love you?Then he is born, and I watch you. I watch the pain you feel at having to share me as you've never shared me before.I hear you telling me in your own way, "Please love only me". And I hear myself telling you in mine, "I can't", knowing, in fact, that I never can again.You cry. I cry with you. I almost see our new baby as an intruder on the precious relationship we once shared. A relationship we can never quite have again.But then, barely noticing, I find myself attached to that new being, and feeling almost guilty. I'm afraid to let you see me enjoying him—as though I am betraying you.But then I notice your resentment change, first to curiosity, then to protectiveness, finally to genuine affection.More days pass, and we are settling into a new routine. The memory of days with just the two of us is fading fast.But something else is replacing those wonderful times we shared, just we two. There are new times – only now, we are three. I watch the love between you grow, the way you look at each other, touch each other.I watch how he adores you — as I have for so long. I see how excited you are by each of his new accomplishments. And I begin to realize that I haven't taken something from you, I've given something to you. I notice that I am no longer afraid to share my love openly with both of you.I find that my love for each of you is as different as you are, but equally strong. And my question is finally answered, to my amazement. Yes, I can love another child as much as I love you—only differently.And although I realize that you may have to share my time, I now know you'll never share my love. There's enough of that for both of you – you each have your own supply.I love you—-both. And I thank you both for blessing my life. —Author Unknown

36 Weeks

I was 36 weeks yesterday.. 27 days until my longest given due date.. yikes! Lots to do still! I went in for my OB appt today.. I wont give all the huge list of details.. I was 50% effaced, barely dialted on the outside of the cervix not on the inside.. My urine was fine, I had lost a pound since last week.. babys HB good.. my blood pressure however was up some 145/88.. they like it to be 140/80 and no higher when you are pregnant. Also my fundal height ( uterus measurement) was now measuring a week behind?? Hmm.. so one thing could be leaking fluid.

I did tell them I have had some extra wetness than usual TMI.. so they decided to send me over to Labor and Delivery to do a test to make sure there was no leaking amniotic fluid.. so they hooked me up to the monitors.. and while I was doing the fluid test they decided to do a NST

( non stress test) on the baby.. and started monitoring my BP.. which was not so good. While I was in there it was about 150/100 for about 2.5 hrs.. The fluid test came back negative which was good. The baby did real well on the NST test.. it measures how his heartrate reacts to his movements.. it should rise with kicks and it did.. I was also having alot of contractions measuring about 8 minutes apart. They werent totally consistant although I had at least 10 good ones while I was there.. and smaller ones in between..I was thinking they were going to end up keeping me overnight but my BP did drop to 143/93 so they decided to let me go home. I am just supposed to take it as easy as possible.

The nurses were really nice and helpful. It wasnt the most fun though being hooked up and having to lay totally still on my back that long! But thats alright, least I know the bamboozle is doing good ( Buckys name for the baby)...!!

And speaking of names.. we are working on it!

Our New Niece Lacee Anne Hanson!

Congratulations to Laurel , Treviner, Chase and Grant on the birth of Lacee Anne Hanson!
We are so excited for your family! She is so precious and Bucky and I and Tanner are so glad to have a new niece/cousin! Cant wait to meet her!

Lacee Anne was born Saturday Sept 19th at 5:07pm, 7lbs 6 oz, 19 inches long!

OB APPT , SCHOOL, and GRAMPS

This pic is from the first day of school this past Tues.

Yesterday I had my OB appt... Baby's HB was 135...he is head down still, real low. I am measuring 36 weeks by fundal height...They said this baby may just come by the 10th of Oct... we shall see...I talked with the doctor about the contractions and stuff and he said it was normal, unless a regular pattern of 5 min apart for an hour occurs, and the cramping is likely due to all the pressure on my pelvis. My BP was good, 115/80. I go back again next week and will most likely have a internal exam at that point.. fun .... fun!

The office in The Dalles has my official due date as Oct.18th from their records, the office in Bend has Oct.22... who knows? Then with measuring ahead, not sure what that means really either. I hope I get another ultrasound maybe at my next appointment. Maybe that can clear some of the mystery. The baby has the hiccups right now while I am typing this.. so wierd.

School has started here in Arlington... TanMan is trying to make the best of it, football practice started too.. he has long days 7:55 school starts and football hasnt gotten out until like 6:15- then theres the homework.. poor kid. In some good news about it Bucky has been helping coach and now is "Coach Hanson" I think that will be a very good thing for Tanner!

Today is Grandpa Dinks birthday, he would have been 95 today. I miss him so much and Nana.

It's real hard for me to think that this baby will never get to experience the love that they shared so much with Tanner. He was blessed to have been able to know his great grandparents.

I do get sad when I know this one will not get the chance to know them. Tanner was there Little Man.

34 Weeks Today....

34 weeks today! Wow... the time is fast approaching! I am still measuring a week to 10 days ahead.. well I guess we'll find that out for sure tomorrow at my appt. I had a little scare last night. I walked alot late yesterday afternoon to Tanners football practice and uphill to the practice field and back home. By the time we were walking home Bucky was "assisting" me as the contractions were starting to hurt some. When I came home I also started having cramping real low and they were pretty close together. I was scared! I laid down and drank alot of water and they did go away after a couple hours. I only have a few today. I am sure they are the Braxton Hicks ones.. but I dont want to wait around too long to find out! We'll see what they say tomorrow! I am still not quite ready and hope this baby boy stays baking in there at least another 3 to 4 weeks...

Baby Shower Caldera Springs

Sunday Sept. 6th my parents threw me a baby shower at Caldera Springs in Sunriver! It was a family shower so husbands and kids were invited too! It was very fun and nice, and a beautiful spot for a shower. They worked hard on it to make it nice for me THANK YOU BOTH!! And a big thank you to Cheryl and Dick too for helping so much. iIt was nice to have such dear friends in attendance!

My friend Amy helped with the games and they were fun too, it was funny to see people with there noses in the diapers trying to figure out which "type" of dirty diaper it was!

The theme was stork with blue and white and yellow.. the cake was stork and very yummy chocolate with a creamy filling. The " diaper cake" had a stuffed stork perched on top... the favors were so cute wrapped like little candies..
We had great food, Dad BBQed hamburgers and kielbasas.. and we had great salads to go with it, fruit salads, pasta pesto, potato.. it was a wonderful lunch!

It was pretty cold and windy so that made it a little more difficult.. but we managed at least NO RAIN ... ( course it was beautiful the next day.. thats Central Oregon for you!) We opened gifts inside.. thank you to everyone for the gifts for the baby..!!
Then the kids all swam( brrr...) afterwards for awhile.. It was a great day!
I want to give a special THANK YOU to my stepmom Janet for all her hard work to make this shower special for all of us.... we had a wonderful time and it means alot to us that you threw it for us! You did a great job!

33 Weeks!

Thirty three weeks! The countdown has begun... 48 days until the official due date , 38 days until the date I am measuring. I had a doctor appt last Friday and all was well.. nothing really new to report. One more 2 week appt ( so in 1 week now) then I think we go to 1 week appts unless maybe I am counting wrong! Baby is moving around all kinds of crazy and I can feel him in my ribs all the time and he squishes way up high in a ball and it feels so strange.
I have had alot of Braxton Hicks contractions the past couple days..

In other news... Tanner passed his Hunters Safety course.. and now can legally hunt with Bucky this season.That is exciting for them. I will post a couple pictures of Bucky and him shooting his 16 gauge shotgun, I think they may go dove hunting this weekend on Saturday. On Sunday, is my baby shower in Bend. I am excited for it. It's getting close. I feel the need to " nest" but not sure where this bird is going to start nesting yet.. time will tell soon. I am getting more and more excited to meet our new son. This holiday season will be very special. A new baby for Christmas this year ( and I thought all the puppies were exciting!)

31 Weeks Today

Today marks 31 weeks into the pregnancy. All is going well. I had an OB appt yesterday and the doctor said I am measuring right at about spot on with a fundal height of 31. The babys HB was about 154. He said he appears to be head down at this point but still can do some flipping around.

I asked about getting an ultrasound to check things but he said at this point I may not be having anymore.. that kinda bummed me out as I like to check on stuff. My Bp was okay, 130/80 I will want to watch the lower number some. He also told me that my weight gain from now on really will affect babys size so to be more careful with it..( that pleased me as well!!)

Buckys at a training in Minnesota for 12 days so we have been missing him alot. We came to Bend to be at our other house. My friend Amy took these pictures I am posting of me today.

I am feeling pretty huge about now... feeling what I think are braxton hicks contractions. I am trying to really take it easy as I do not want early labor especially with Bucky not here!

Tanner has a football camp this week with the Three Rivers team so thats good, and went to watch some of the golf tournament Jeld Wen today with his Grandpa beforehand. Schools just around the corner so I am glad he can have some fun while we are here- this summer hasn't been the most exciting for him. But he is very excited about his new baby brother and cannot wait! I know he will make a great big brother!

29 WEEKS TODAY!!!!!!

Okay all is caught up on the blog and todays post is the accurate date Aug 5!

... Well I have been fighting this nasty cold for like 2 and a half weeks now!!! I am still coughing but finally nearing the end I think- Tan and Buck had very short like 2 days of it...There also has been a really hot heat wave that I hope is nearing the end finally!

We also have had some very big scares from little Alex this past week or so... I am glad he is home now and all the real big serious things have been ruled out- this has been a stressful week and a half for everyone, especially Jen!

I had my OB appt Aug 3rd- all is going well FHR 155, BP good, uterus measuring 30...
I only gained 1.5 lbs this last month WHEW!! My total gain is not pretty and I needed a reprieve! I now begin OB appts every 2 weeks. They still are thinking sometime between the 10th and 18th is more realistic than the 22nd of Oct due date but we'll see!!

Its getting closer and I am getting nervous.!

The baby moves alot right now and its fun to watch him from the outside rolll around. He also gets the hiccups alot... he likes to hang out really high like right under my ribs. We still dont have a for sure name picked out.. we are working on it!!!!!!

Todays Grandma Lilas birthday- Happy Birthday Grandma Lila- We love you!

Sunday July 19th...

.. Sunday we went to Cuesta Park for the Family Picnic portion of the reunion. We picked up sandwiches from High Street Market for us all and met Mom, Jen and Chris and Alex there..

It was pretty fun except not a huge turnout of people.. people were probably tired from the night befores excursions!!

We then went over to The Hansons to see the rest of the family and nieces and nephews that werent at the shower- we didnt have much time to visit with anyone this trip it was so rushed and with Gram needing the extra help there really just wasnt enough time to see everyone how we would have liked to. I was glad we had just seen the Hansons the month before in Idaho.

We had icecream sandwiches and just hung out and visited with all the kids.. it was really fun and enjoyable and relaxing!! Great to see everyone!! Love you guys!

Then we went back t0 Santa Maria and said our goodbyes to Jen and Chris and Alex...

we were all leaving the next day- pretty sad and hard to say goodbye. We never really got to spend the quality sissy time we wanted together, but nonetheless I am soooooo glad to have gotten to see them and spend time with Alex. It was hard to say goodbye to Gram too... I will be looking forward to planning our next visit together and I hope it to be SOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you again Jen for coming out.. it means more to me than you'll ever know.. I love you!

SLOHS 20th Class Reunion

We went straight from the shower to the reunion practically! Dad hung out with Tanner and watched Lulu for me... took Tanner to Hitching Post a family friends restaurant and then to Boomers to play a lil air hockey!

... The reunion was at Native Restaurant and Lounge in San Luis Obispo...

They all got some cute name tags with their senior pictures on them. It was cool that Bucky could see and reconnect with some old friends. I didnt get any pictures of us before as it was so rushed but he looked super handsome :) still hoping to get some others took!

They served light appetizers. I unfortunately started getting sick and throwing up at the place..

and even started having some contractions.. ( The doctors think it was the stress of the trip and all that went on just took a toll on me.. too much strain and not enough rest)- so about 10:30 pm Bucky and I left.. I still feel bad as this was something he was really looking forward to and it was cut short. He showed me once again, what a wonderful and loving and selfless husband he is with all he did for me and my family and the sacrifices he made to help others...

I love you babe!!!

** I am putting up an oldie from school till we get a better new reunion pic, look at that white blonde hair!

BABY SHOWER!!!!!!!!!!

First off I have to say THANK YOU! THANK YOU! to my big sister Jen for putting so much effort and planning to make sure I had a special baby shower! She came all the way out from N Carolina and spent so much time planning it... it turned out so wonderful and it means the world to me to of had such a nice baby shower!!!

I also want to say THANK YOU!!!!!!!! To my great sister in law Laurel for helping Jen!~ She helped to do all the games which turned out so cute and were really alot of fun!!! Thank you Laurel!

YOU GUYS ARE THE GREATEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The luncheon shower was held July 18th 2009 at 1:30 pm at the Cornerview Restaurant in San Luis Obispo..

In attendance were: Charla Hanson, and baby in belly!(he he), Jennifer Bennington- Alex Bennington ( Chris.. he was our master videographer and photographer!)Jeanie Reynolds, Linda Spreafico, Elizabeth Nicholson, Mary Robinson, Sheryl DeGroot, Clover Robinson, Kelly Hanson, Cassie Guillisane,Bonnie Bastian, Libby Hanson, Linda Jackson, Sandra Almaguer, Laurel Hanson, Mary Hysell, Nancy Poe and Lori Threlkel... a great group of gals I'd say!!!!!! I was blessed to have had so many wonderful friends and family join us to celebrate our new upcoming baby boy!!!! Thank you all for coming! Your attendance was so special to me!

We had a lovely lunch menu- that were all printed very nicely with entree choices that went from Butternut Squash Ravioli to Salmon Salad...and a few others in between! We were served bread and raspberry lemonade.. It was done very nice and the way the room was set up it looked great.. the invites, and the table centerpieces and my cake all coordinated- I really liked it!

Next we played shower games... we played the memory game- Laurel passed around a cool train box full of goodies for the baby ( which I got to keep THANK YOU!) and everyone had only a few seconds to check it out then guess from memory what was in it... I think Lori won this one??? Am I right???

Then we played the OH SO FUN..( no it really was!) game of guess how LARGE my baby bump is with yarn... lets just say, some people were not so kind!! MOM! SHe guessed me like over 2-3 feet wider than I really was!! Actually alot of guests did- it was so funny to watch the guesses.. and Nancy guessed me just about exact!!!!! ** Thank you for the kindness!! HAHA!

Then we played the baby food game.. guessing which food each was( boy I blew that one!)

and Cassie won this one...

Then we also had a baby trivia game that had all sorts of fun questions that Clover won..

We visited and took pictures..then I opened presents- THANK YOU all for such wonderful gifts they will be so useful for the new baby and it has been so fun to look at all of them and imagine the baby in them...! Thank you also for the gifts that people sent that could not attend.

The shower lasted a good 3 hrs and was SUPER FUN!!! I was pooped afterwards. It had been such a long week so far.. and I had the reunion in an hour and a half to go to!! This is called burning the candle at both ends for sure!!

.. So I will have to put WAY more pictures up as soon as I get them.....

FRIDAY JULY 17th....

... We were at Grams most of the day.... Jen and Chris and Alex got Dad from the airport and came to Santa Maria.

One of Grams oldest friends Jean Denman came and brought a gift for the baby.. very cute sleepers and blankets.. so we opened a few presents so Gram could enjoy some of it- Aunt Jackie made a beautiful blue quilt and Aunt Jean made some great receiving blankets and sent $20 for the baby too and I had a very nice gift card from Jean Phillips across the street to Babies R Us.. so it was nice that Gram was able to take part..

Around 4 pm.. Bucky, Tanner and I went into SLO and went to Davids for a barbeque- we were a little late but we saw lots of old friends! It was cool, I think Bucky really enjoyed seeing some of them, it had been so long! Most of them had no idea I was pregnant again so it was pretty funny!

Tanner had fun hanging out with the "big guys" and they made him feel like part of the group so it was fun. My Mom came over and hung out with us for a bit too then we went to Music in The Mission it was already going for quite some time.. we met Elizabeth and Anthony there and Bucky and the guys came by.. but tonight is there "Meet and Greet " night so.... Iopted for Tanner and I to skip this part! We met Jen and Chris and Alex too then we went to Fosters Freeze for Icecream then out to Linda and Genes to hang out for awhile... it was great to see them too! Gene showed Tanner all his reloading equipment which he is really facinated by! It was fun ... we ended up having a pretty late night.

It was cool because Mom got to spend time with both her grandkids .. and I know that meant alot to her.

MEETING ALEX!

... On Thurs late morning Jen, Chris and Alex arrived in Santa Maria!!!!!

I was so excited... I had waited nearly 8 months for this!!!! Finally getting to hold Alex!

He was so much cuter than I even expected from the photos.. ! He is so sweet! His expressions are priceless and his smile just melts your heart! He is a beautiful baby and a really good and happy baby.. it was so special to watch my sister with him. Finally. Finally I see such happiness on her face when she is with her son. It makes me happy to see her so happy!

Jen looked great too.. and it was great to see Chris and there new little family!

Bucky and Tanner went in to San Luis for a little while to see Bucks friends- All his buddies were in town and it was great for him to spend some time with them especially after such troopers they had been helping me with Gram the past two days.. needed a breather.. so they saw Brandon and Glen and David and a few others and had pizza and I picked them up later...

Elizabeth and Anthony stopped by Grams and it was so great to see them!! Elizabeth looks so beautiful pregnant and it was fun to get some pregnant pics together!!!!!

*** I will update with more photos after I get them ordered from Snapfish from Jens acct..

Of course this is the week our camera decided not to cooperate!!***

Start of California Trip.....

Okay... Okay.... I know , I know. I have not blogged in TOO LONG. So I will catch up to date....
alot has happened! I will do this in segments... this is segment 1!!

Well we took vacation to go to San Luis Obispo CA to meet Alex and see all the family and for Buckys 20th class reunion and my baby shower!

We got in on Tues am.. July 14th- went out to McClintocks (YUM our favorite) for breakfast with my Mom.. it was great to see her! Then we fooled around went to Motherhood Maternity where Mom got me a couple outfits which was so cool, I needed some new stuff! We got Tanners haircut at Rays Barber shop which is where Bucky used to always get his done- great haircut and just fooled around before waiting for Grams dialysis to get done. We go to Santa Maria and she isnt home yet.. which is odd. I call and no answer on cell or home... went down to dialysis where they reluctantly gave me out the info that she was in the hospital! No one knew she went in that morning. She really gave us a scare- they released her the next day but she wasnt doing well at all- it was hard she had no strength in her legs to get around so it took alot of help( especially on Bucks part) to get her around and into bed- etc etc.. I wont go into all the details here. I am just glad now she is starting to feel better.. and has some health care at home- Jen helped when she came on Thurs and Dad flew in Friday to help. I am just glad we were able to help her and happened to be down to do so.. she did miss the shower which is really sad.. but I am glad for the time spent with her.

I received such a great box in the mail today! Big sissy Jen sent a box full of goodies for us for the baby!! ( I know shes been putting one together for Elizabeth too! :) ) She sent alot of Alex's newborn and 0-3 mo size clothes for us to use.. and did I say ALOT! I am really grateful and excited! And the pic above shows an adorable new outfit she sent for the baby- with a hedgehog design on the overalls, matching beenie and onesie and socks by Janie and Jack.. and her Boppy that she never used.. along with alot of other misc things for me.. incl a few cute maternity tops..
It was a great surprise and super cool to have the stuff for our baby.. thanks Aunt Jen..
Oh yeah and theres a couple presents for Buck and I but he isnt home yet.. so I havent opened them!

25 Week OB Appointment!

Well the appt went really well! My blood pressure was registering 119/78.

And I talked the doctor into doing an ultrasound for me! My cervical length is all good and closed as it should be, plenty of fluid around the baby, and the baby is measuring on the 65th percentile and weighs 1lb 15 oz. They said my estimated due date is more likely around 10/13 rather than 10/22.

I also had my 1 hr glucose tolerance test and I passed, barely , but I still passed. I had it with Tanner so I was pretty sure I would have it this time too.. but its still early so I really should watch the sugar more closely regardless.

I was worried because the blood draw is supposed to be taken 1hr, and the lab tech could not get my blood drawn- she dug and dug (ouch!) and finally got it 20 minutes after she should have so I hope it didnt affect the results, it was 132...

But the baby looks sooo cute in his picture , looks alot like Tanner to me!! I am relieved it went so well and very happy too!

24.5 Weeks and Fourth of July...

Well I am now 6 months along.. will be 25 weeks on Wednesday... this is the most current photograph. The baby's movements are now visible from the outside alot and they are getting stronger and stronger.. he is very active.

We went to our Sunriver house for the Fourth of July it was fun to be home... visited with my parents and went to the Frontier Days festival and then we got a bunch of fireworks and Bucky and Tanner proceeded to put on quite a show with a real big finale... it was a lot of fun!

I have my next appt Wednesday for a regular OB appt and then I go to the lab for the fun gestational diabetes test ( I am sooo looking forward to this one!!) I am getting excited for our trip to California and I finally will be getting to meet my little nephew Alex! Its a busy week but will be worth it when we are off to California next week!

Gardening....

... I have been so enjoying gardening this summer! We started a bunch of seeds. We started pumpkins, cucumbers- lemon and regular, zucchini, yellow squash, watermelons, green onions, radishes, beets, and lots of flowers- pansies and sunflowers...

It has been so rewarding watching them grow, we started them indoors and I have become attached!!

We also have tomatoes and peppers and tomatillos that we got in 4" and they have really grown-

We have veggies growing on the zucchini, squash, tomatoes and peppers..

It has been really fun for me!

Our 15 year Wedding Anniversary!

Today is Bucky and I's fifteen year wedding Anniversary! Wow time flies....

It was a beautiful day June 26 1994, the sun was shining and we were surrounded by all the people we loved the most .. it truly was one of the best days of my life...

We wrote this together for our invitation and it holds true,

"Today I will marry my best friend. The one I laugh with, love and forever share my life with".

This past fifteen years I have learned one very important thing. The importance of unconditional love. That is what we have, and that is what keeps us and our family strong.

Congrats to Elizabeth and Anthony!

I just wanted to say Congratulations to my cousins who found out they are expecting a baby BOY due this November~ we are so excited for you both!!

OB APPT 6/10/09

.. All seems to be going well. My uterus is maybe a little higher than 21 weeks but not by much.
Babys heartbeat sounds good. My BP was good 120/70- . I discussed my heart palpitations with the doctor and he told me that as long as they dont occur while exercising or mid day or accompany pain or shortness of breath it is okay. I feel them only at night when I am resting.

We will be doing my gestational diabetes test in 4 weeks, along with another thyroid test. He told me I should start eating as though I already have it as I will probably get it due to the fact I had it with Tanner .

I have already gained as much weight as I wanted to the whole pregnancy so that kind of bums me out. Bad choices I guess. So.... I am going to try to limit the weight gain ( without dieting obviously) so that I will be more healthy after I deliver as well as to avoid pregnancy problems such as high blood pressure. He told me the last 10 weeks of pregnancy I will gain 1 lb per week, so theres 10 more right there! I just need to make smarter choices.

The baby is a wiggle worm... pretty constant. Buck still hasnt felt it and it has me so annoyed!
I am like here now and he puts his hand there.. then the baby stops! Well all in good time I suppose.

Halfway Mark- 20 Weeks

Well, I am half way there! 20 weeks ( 21 on Wed). The baby is moving around and is so active I feel him all day long. I am definately getting bigger......

We went to Idaho for Grandma O's funeral this past week, it was very hard, we will miss her so much and I wish she would have gotten the chance to meet her new great grandson. It was nice though to see all the family. All of Tanners cousins on the Hanson side were present. All Buckys siblings except for Cody was there.

I will post some pictures along the side- Laurel and I are both pregnant within a couple few weeks of each other so we got a couple preggo shots together.

I loved seeing all the siblings and family in general and wish it was under happier times, we need to do it more often. Time sure flies by. Tanners out of school now for the summer and is real glad about it- there baseball team was undefeated for the season- with 6 home runs this season- way to go Tanner!