In case anyone was wondering what life is like with two kids...these pictures sum it up.

This picture is my favorite. Addie splayed out and on a phone.  Xander upset, Jaron trying to comfort him, and I'm trying to give him the pacifier. This pretty accurate.

Even still, life is good. I do have to tell you a story though about mine and Xander's first Sunday back at church. We were running late, of course, and with my sleep deprived mind I took a wrong turn to church. Note that our church is only about 7 minutes away, very straightforward route, and we have driven there almost even Sunday for over a year. As we are rushing into church I see my reflection in the glass doors and I realize that I am wearing my bright blue flip flops instead of my nice flats I was planning on wearing (see above picture). Xander's only pacifier we brought was one of Addie's old ones, bright pink, and size 6 months. And when we got home I discovered that I had worn my garment top on backwards all morning.

So needless to say I am still getting used to having to kids and figuring out how to balance everything. Life is crazy, but life is good. We have two beautiful children and we love being a family of four.

Introducing Alexander Jay Hansen!!

Born Sunday, July 9, 2017

6:20am

7 lbs 7 oz

19 inches

We are so in love! He is a perfect little boy! He has dark blue eyes and red wavy hair. He smiles when you brush his cheek. He loves to cuddle. He loves his food. In the first three weeks of life he gained a pound a week. He quickly outgrew newborn size and most 0-3 months and is in 3 month clothing! Growing boy! He is going to eat us out of house and home before he is even a teenager.

Addie loves her little brother so much. I am impressed and proud of how well she handled this big change in her life. She is so gentle with him. She gets worried when he cries. She is a pro at bringing me diapers and wipes and giving him his pacifier. She loves to give him hugs and kisses and to beep his nose. She is such a good big sister. 

Pre-term contractions. That's what we discovered I have yesterday. Not pre-term labor, just pre-term contractions. The difference is that with labor you are dilating and progressing, but with pre-term contractions you have labor level contractions without the dilating.

It started at about midnight Saturday morning. I woke up with intense contractions two minutes apart. Intense as in I could't talk through them and I definitely couldn't walk. I waited until 3:15 to wake up Jaron, both to see if they would go away and so he could get some sleep. I wanted to wait until 4 but the pain was so intense I really needed to get to the hospital. Our neighbor Greg, who is a hero, hung out here while Addie was asleep until my dad could take over.

So off to hospital we went and was checked into triage. I was only 2cm dilated when we arrived. An hour later it was the same. Two hours later still the same. Each time the nurse came in she commented on how strong my contractions were and how impossibly regular they were- every two minutes on the nose. They ended up keeping me there for six hours in that horrible little triage room because they really wanted to rule out that I in labor, which I guess I wasn't because baby isn't here. I was given the option of narcotic pain meds, which would keep me there another 3 hours to be monitored, or sent home with sleep medicine. I chose home with sleep meds. I was desperate to get off that horrible horrible bed.

Contractions continued, every two minutes, labor level pain. I had more pain with these contractions than I ever did with Addie because I got the epidural as soon as I was admitted with her. I couldn't walk, couldn't talk, could hardly even breathe. The medicine helped me to sleep after we got home, and I am so grateful. But when I woke up, contractions were still happening. And then again this morning, still having very painful contractions. I haven't been put on bed rest per say, but I have been told to take it easy as possible, more to prevent unnecessary pain then anything. My dear husband has been enforcing this and I have to admit it really helps to not move. My whole body aches and is sore, and then the contractions just keep coming and coming.

I'm shy of 37 weeks (full term) by three days. If contractions like these continue until I am finally term they told me they may just say I'm finally in labor and help things move along quicker. The doctor also told me that he would induce me anything after 37 weeks if I wanted, and at the time I declined for the sake of the baby. But now...if these continue I am going to take him up on it. I am in so much pain and don't think I could continue this much longer.

But this post isn't all about how miserable I am. Saturday was also Addie's 2 year old birthday party with my family- her birthday was on Wednesday. We are the parents of a two year old now!! My family still came to help celebrate her so Addie still got her day even though her mommy slept through the whole party.

The amazing Zootopia cake that Jaron made for Addie. Zootopia is Addie's favorite movie. I wish we had been able to capture Addie's grin when she first saw it. She was so excited.

Addie's gift from us was a princess bell dress, which we gave to her on her actual birthday which is why I'm in the picture.

Blowing out the candles on the bunny cake. Look at that smile!

Very grateful to my family that they were able to come up early and watch Addie. But also that the were able to give Addie a birthday party that I really wanted her to have, but couldn't personally give her. I hear that she was all smiles and giggles. We sure love Adelynn and are so so grateful that she is part of our family. 

We went to the zoo on Monday and Addie loved it. In fact, loved is putting it lightly. She is such a fan of animals. We put a pioneer bonnet on her to keep the sun out of her eyes, and I think it was quite ingenious. It was Jaron's idea. She looked absolutely darling and because it was tied on she couldn't take it off. 

He favorite part was the "horsies!" The carousel was the highlight of the trip. She smiled the biggest grin the whole time. After we left the zoo that is all she could talk about, for days actually. Everytime we told her we were going somewhere (store, swimming, playground, etc) she asked if we could go see the horsies too. 

We went berry picking a few weeks ago. Addie was her silly self of course.

Our spoils: black raspberries, raspberries, and tart cherries. Addie ate an entire pint of black raspberries by herself. We know this because we handed her one to keep her occupied for a few minutes while Jaron and I finished picking. Very quickly Addie was back pulling on our legs holding up the empty pint asking for more. Our daughter is a berry lover!

Jaron is our master chef and he made some unimaginably tasty things with everything we picked.

Fresh strawberry pie, also made with strawberries we picked several weeks ago.

Fresh berry tart. Oh my goodness, one of the tastiest things I have every had in my entire life. He made almond frangipane to go on the bottom, which is basically a very thick almond custard. And then he layered the berries on top and smothered it all with a glaze he made. My mouth is watering again just from looking at the picture.

Cherry pie. Beautiful isn't it? I am not a fan of cherries so I can't personally vouch for it's taste, but we had our neighbors Greg and Kristen over and them plus Jaron were raving about it so I think it held up to Jaron's normal standard.

Can't help but post this one. We went to Stake and Shake and Addie was given this darling little hat and a bus to decorate. Isn't she just so cute?

Addie is a fan of corn on the cob, just like her parents. It took her a long time to figure out how to eat it (she wanted eat it like a hot dog) but once she got it she can't get enough. She chose the corn over the boiled egg and berries on her plate! And you know Addie loves berries!!

Pictures!! At the end of spring break we took a quick family trip to Niagra Falls. Very cold, but bright and sunny. We had the place to ourselves and we loved it. 

I think that Addie looks like a little baby bandit here.

She loves to push her own stroller. Really, its just as effective as having her in the stroller. 

We got Addie a maple syrup lollipop. I think we discovered her favorite candy. It had two ingredients: pure maple syrup and sugar. Yep, that's an Addie candy.  

In our hotel. The lack of toys did not discourage her at all: the cubby that probably was supposed to hold a microwave became Addie's cave. I love her toes poking out.

Photo taken today when we picked up Jaron from school. We got there a few minutes early and surprised him with a frosty. Addie loves to run around on the grounds and this ledge here along the building is her favorite place to sit.

And finally, some Addie loves.

Update on us: We are doing well. Mostly healthy. Jaron has been bogged down with the flu this week, but thus far Addie has had only minor symptoms and I have escaped it completely. I'm really hoping its an east coast bug that I've already had before. Fingers crossed that I won't get it! Pregnancy is going well. Baby boy loves to wiggle, but nothing like his sister did. 

Fun Addie story? She is in a toddler bed and likes get out and fall asleep in front of her door. We think she is trying to see through the crack under the door. I've stopped trying to fight it; pick your battles. At least she's sleeping. Well, also by the door was the trash can that holds all her diapers. I guess she was a little bored one day this week during nap time and got into a poopy diaper. She smeared it all over the carpet and herself. The worst part? It was dried when she woke up. So she had gotten into it before her nap and then slept for an hour and a half covered in poop!!! Poor Addie knew she was in trouble without me saying anything. She wouldn't even look at me. She got a bath and a good scrub down. The carpet was cleaned. She got a good talking to from mom and dad - for about an hour afterward she kept saying "poopoo no-no" and shaking her head. I think she got the message. We now keep the trash can outside of her room. It was one of those mommy moments where I probably should have taken a picture for later but all I could think about was that my baby was covered in poop and how on earth am I going to clean her? 

Another story about Addie getting into something she shouldn't...she learned how to turn the stove on without us knowing. The other day she turned on an element just as we were sitting down for lunch. After the prayer the fire alarm goes off. We check the kitchen and left on the stove was a pan of cookies now very black. I'm just glad we were home and caught it all before it was worse. We were sure it was Addie, but as I was cooking dinner that night she came and did it again right in front of me: yep, she takes full credit. We immediately ordered covers for the knobs and our kitchen is baby proof once again. For now.

Jaron's parents left yesterday, and we miss them. Addie has walked around the house several times today calling for them. She has't been noticeable upset (like crying) but she is acting up, which I think is her way of expressing her sadness.

We loved having them here. We are so grateful that Adelynn has such a good relationship with them and has been able to maintain it even though we are far apart. She loved waking up to them in her room, taking their hands and leading them around the house, and just saying "mamaw" and "papa". Facetime and skype are life savers now that we are apart again. And we are really sorry that we got both of them sick. They got here just in time to when Addie was probably a little contagious. We thought she wasn't, but they both got sick soon after they got here. Poor guys. You are troopers.

For news on our recent illness, I got another call from Addie's doctor the other day. Apparently she had both rotavirus AND norovirus at the same time. She also had an ear infection and was prescribed an antibiotic that wreaks havoc on little tummies. Knowing all this in hindsight it is no wonder that her little body couldn't handle it all. We are grateful for modern medicine that kept our little girl alive and well.

Today she is totally sickness free. Running around, begging to "play" (playground), eating everything we put in front of her, and downing fluids like the milk lover she is. We sure love our girl <3

We are doing better. Jaron and I are over the sickness and it never got as severe as Addie's. Addie is doing a lot better. Her appetite is slowly coming back and the last time she threw up was on Sunday. Fingers crossed it stays that way! She is still having constant diarrhea but is keeping in enough fluids that I'm not worried about her being dehydrated. Her doctor was concerned that she might have something nastier than a simple virus because of how long it has lasted (going on 9 days). Her culture came back positive for rotavirus and negative for all parasites and bacterial infections, though I really didn't think it was any of those. Just have to let it run it's course and make sure she doesn't get dehydrated. We sure had some scary days last week with her getting dehydrated; we are so grateful she is willingly drinking again!

My mother and sister who came up to help, my mom twice, were absolute angels. I don't think we could have done it without them! And we only have one kid! I shudder to think what this would have been like with multiple kids. I'm sure my time will come. We received a lot of help and lots of offers to help, and I hope someday we will jump to help others when they are in the position we were in. Even just knowing there were people I could call on if I needed it made things easier.

Jaron's parents come in town tomorrow for a week long visit- planned many months ago before we got sick. Hopefully Addie is passed the contagious stage and won't get them sick! But I think Addie will be totally well any day now. She has her personality back and the diarrhea episodes are a little less each day. And thank goodness she is sleeping through the night again!

Thanks to everyone again for all the help and support. I am so glad for family close and for visiting teachers and friends from Relief Society. We are so grateful that the church will always be there everywhere we go.

After a too long hiatus, I am finally returning to the blogging scene, hopefully for good. Rather than updating you on everything since I last wrote, I'm just going to do this week. And what a week it was.

We have been plagued by the stomach flu since Monday, Adelynn especially. Won't keep anything down, constant diarrhea, refusing all fluids and foods of any sort. Tuesday we took her into urgent care for dehydration. They decided that she wasn't too severely dehydrated but discovered that she had an ear infection. Nice to have that on top of the tummy stuff huh? Because she just had an ear infection three weeks ago they prescribed a stronger antibiotic and anti-nausea medicine in pill form.

Tuesday night Jaron and I came down with the flu too. We didn't sleep all night because we were throwing up along with Addie. My angel mother came to our rescue on Wednesday and spent the day here cleaning, tending Addie, and made us her amazing chicken noodle soup. It seemed Addie was on the mend until that night. Starting at about 5pm she would either throw up or have diarrhea every thirty minutes. Despite our best efforts to prevent it with the prescription strength rash cream, because of the constant diarrhea she has a bleeding, weeping, open rash on her little bum that must hurt something terrible. We started a viscous cycle: throw up/diarrhea, which would require a bath for both me and Addie. He diarrhea, because of how liquidy it was would get all over both of us and the throw up is self explanatory. Taking off her diaper would make her scream. The moisture from the bath would make her scream. Then I would need to reapply the rash cream which would make her inconsolable for about 45 minutes. After she finally calmed down we would then repeat the entire cycle. This went on until about 1am. Addie was crying, I was crying, Jaron was crying, and no one was sleeping. Sometime about 2am we all fell asleep on our bed, sans sheets because they had been puked on. Addie and I sleeping in regular positions and poor Jaron trying to sleep at the foot of the bed because that was the only open spot. At about 4am Addie woke up and the cycle repeated again until we decided enough was enough and back to urgent care we went.

This time they took us a lot more seriously. I was mostly concerned about her getting off the antibiotic because, did you know it actually causes upset tummies? Especially empty ones? When they gave it to us they told us it was one of the worst for causing diarrhea in little ones. They told me to just give her yogurt and the probiotic would help. Do you remember me mentioning that she was refusing anything and everything to eat or drink? How was I supposed to have her eat yogurt? I did try though, I promise.  

Anyway, as soon as we were checked into urgent care, the doctor took one look at sad, limp, lifeless little Addie and sent us straight to the ER. At the emergency room we bipassed the line, which was nice, and were brought straight to a room where all these doctors and nurses prodded our little one while she just laid there glossy eyed. They decided to give the anti-nausea medicine one more time, and if that didn't work then she would be admitted for a few days until she was able to keep liquids down on her own. I was skeptical, but this time they didn't give it to her in pill form. They gave it in liquid form!! You know, the normal form of medicine you give little kids?! I don't know why they didn't do that in the first place. This time the medicine worked and she was able to keep down some apple juice, water, and a popsicle. She immediately perked up and started acting more like herself, her sick self but less lifeless.

They monitored her for a few hours but we eventually were able to go home. We are so glad Adelynn was able to avoid having to stay in the hospital for a few days. They are keeping her on the antibiotic (maybe doctors know something I don't) and aren't doing anything about the rash or diarrhea. She is still having it every thirty minutes to an hour, still explosive and leaking out of her diaper and still requiring baths. But she hasn't thrown up since we got home from the hospital. Still no appetite: she hasn't eaten anything besides 1 banana, several popcicles, and a small bowl of chicken noodle soup since Sunday.

My wonderful mother and sister are on there way here right now to take care of us. They are going to spend the night and take the night shift in case it's a bad night. They are also going to help clean and do some of the puke laundry. Oh, and did I mention that yesterday we got a 24 hour notice on our door for a surprise inspection from our management? HA! I thought that we should put a quarantine sign on our door, but Jaron opted for the more practical and called the office and let them know what's going on. They are still going to come, but at least they might have pitty on us- the house is an absolute mess and reeks of vomit and diarrhea.

My visiting teachers are bringing us dinner tomorrow, and Addie has had multiple blessings. Hopefully she is on the mend, Jaron and I can get over the illness too, and we can all sleep. I think that is what we need most right now: sleep.

Prayers are always welcome. Please send some our way. And if you have any extra size four diapers. We are going through them faster then I ever thought possible :)



In other, happier news, we are having a baby boy!! Due July 19th. The name will be Alexander Jay, Xander for short. Jay was Jaron's grandfather's name and Jaron's middle name. We are beyond excited for this new little one coming into our lives!