We have tried to get Chloe excited about having a baby sister. Whenever she saw her baby cousin, we'd remind her that mommy was having a baby just like her. She was totally on board for having a little sister. Still, she didn't quite get the idea of a baby when she first saw Fiona. She was all smiles, but then with a puzzled expression, she asked Jared, "Daddy is she not walking yet?" She tried to wave to her and told her Grandma, "Grams, she isn't saying hi back." Unfortunately, I think she expected to have a 3 year old baby sister. She is not disappointed though. She is absolutely enamored with Fiona. I don't believe that I have heard her real voice for almost a month now, as it raises 3 octaves whenever she sees her sister. "Ooooh, Baby Fiona... She's so cutie!" I hope it stays this way.
The First Meeting
The Arrival
I have probably been the only woman on earth who was not anxious to have her baby. I was terrified (and still am) of having 2 kids, so I was very patiently awaiting my due date.
I found out 3 days before my due date that my dad would be leaving on a business trip to New York on my due date. I was mistakenly under the impression that he would not be returning for 2 months. Frantic, I called up my doctor first thing Monday morning, asking to be induced the same day. Somehow, the stars aligned, and they said I could just go into the hospital at any time. Of course, after getting my doctors permission and such, I found out that it would not be 2 months, but rather 2 weeks that my dad would be gone. But it was too late, I had gotten my sights set on having the baby that day.
January 24th
We got to the hospital around 11 am. They hooked me up to the Oxytocin at noon. Around 2:30 the nurse informed me that a doctor would be by at 3 to break my water. 3 o'clock came and went. Finally at 6:30, the doctor came in and broke my water. I asked the nurse when she might be checking on me again. She said in a few hours, but that she would be back at 7 to up the Oxytocin. I kept feeling a lot of pressure on my pelvis right around 7. I asked Jared if I should press the call button. He said I should just wait until she came back. She showed up at 7:15. Sure enough, we were ready to go. She called in my doctor, and at 7:49 Fiona Drew Hansen was born.
Fiona weighed 8 lbs 4 oz. She was 19 1/2 inches long. She had a good amount of dark hair, though nothing compared to the mop that Chloe was born with. She screamed good and loud for the first 5 minutes. Even after bringing her home, she has not cried as loud as she did then. She is a sweet little baby, who is a wonderful addition to our family.
New Years
We spent New Years Eve with the Hansens. We played games and did some karaoke too. As usual with the holidays, we had way too much junk food.
As for our resolutions, Jared's is the same from last year. I would like to lose all the baby weight before my family reunion this June. We'll see how both turn out.
Christmas
We were able to celebrate Christmas this year with both of our families. We spent the Christmas Eve at Jared's parent's house and then went over to mine for Christmas afternoon. We had delicious food and enjoyed being around both families.
Christmas was more about the necessities for us this year. We got Chloe a duckie humidifier.
As usual, the Grandmas rocked the house! I was thrilled to get diapers from my mom for the new baby. She also got Chloe a Polly Pocket roller coaster set.
Grandma Hansen gave Chloe an Abby Caddaby baby doll. I had been trying to find one of these for the longest time and she somehow did in time for Christmas too. Chloe loves it!
We were pretty lucky this year. All Chloe asked Santa for was matching jammies for her and Dolly and a blue racecar (Hot Wheels). I am a little terrified of what she'll ask for next year considering how low key she was this year.
The Snowman
Jared and Chloe love playing in the snow together. This year, we didn't really have a lot of great snow days, but they made the most of it.
In less than an hour, they had built this snowman. When Jared asked Chloe what they should call him, she told him it was Frosty. It almost seemed as though there was no other option. She talked for weeks afterward about how she and Daddy had built a snowman, and how he fell down (melted) the next day.
Can you tell that she is holding his hand? Too cute!
Holiday Projects
Another year, another round of making myself crazy trying to come up with new and unique gift ideas.
PJs were a must this year! Jared got some U of U red pants and some green Kermit the Frog ones. Chloe kept asking Santa to bring some matching pjs for Dolly, so that she could sleep in her bed.
The theme for the Hansen gift exchange this year was movies. I made a huge "movie blanket" for Jared's brother's family. They have 7 kids. The blanket ended up measuring 77 x 113 inches.
I also made Jared some new rice heating pads in the new Jazz logo and Batman.
For my sister and her husband, I made matching BYU slippers. Since they both went on their mission to the Netherlands, I found this pattern for a clog style.
I had a lot of other ideas and plans that I wanted to execute this year, but (using the pregnant excuse again) I quickly ran out of steam. Still, I am fairly happy with how the rest turned out.
Halloween
This year we went low key in our Halloween celebrations. My aunts were in town, so we did a little family get-together. We didn't attend any other parties this year or go trick-or-treating because Chloe came down with a cold. I was pregnant and Jared wasn't interested in dressing up, so Chloe was the only one really decked out.
My Dad made up a nickname for Chloe a little while ago that stuck and became the inspiration for her costume this year. Chloe loves to drink. She can down a full sippy-cup in 30 seconds or less, so he started calling her Aquagirl. I made it in blue, her favorite color, and with a duckie insignia on the chest. She loved the idea of the costume, but just like any little kid, she got tired of wearing it after 5 minutes.
Chloe's Birthday Party
We waited until my parents were back from Holland to celebrate Chloe's birthday with family and friends. I didn't realize when I invited all our family and friends, how loud all the kids would be. I think in the beginning Chloe was a little intimidated by all of them, but in the end, she was sad when all of them left.
She had a duckie-themed party. We set out all of her rubber duckies on our ledge in the kitchen.
I made her a blue (of course) duckie cake, with balloons on the side. If you know any of Chloe's trademark phrases, you know that "Balloons make her happy."
Her cousins were really excited to try to help her blow out the candles on the cake.
Each of the kids got a little goodie bag, attached to a balloon, with some candies and a mini rubber duckie inside. Everyone seemed to have a good time, but I think the next time we have that many kids for a party, we're doing it in a larger space!
Chloe's Birthday
She started out the day asking for pancakes and eggs which (like a normal 3 year old) she refused to eat once it was made.
She really wanted her outfit to match Dolly.
She got a haircut from Aunt Becca and then we headed to lunch at Chick-Fil-A, our birthday tradition with her.
The playplace at Chick-Fil-A was a little crowded, so we headed to the park to let her play.
She spent the rest of the day watching Backyardigans. I made her a birthday cupcake with blue frosting, her favorite color. She had a great time, and wore herself out, which was great for us!!!
Catching Up
SOOOO much that I need to put on the blog!!!
For those of you who have not heard yet, we had our second girl. Fiona Drew Hansen was born January 24, 2011. She weighed 8 lbs 4 oz and measured 19 1/2 inches long. She is a sweet little baby who sleeps a lot, but also takes up a lot of my time and energy. (I.E. My excuse for not posting anything in a while!)
More to come...
