Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe?

Camping!

2011-09-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

Wow, we haven't updated in a while... Shows how busy our life has been! We've done a bit of camping over the past two weeks and I thought I'd share our pictures. Eliza had a blast and is a pretty great camping baby. We didn't bring any toys with us and she was content running around playing with pine cones, rocks, sticks and just about anything else she could find. Rachel and I had a great time too!Our first camping trip this year was three weeks ago and we went to a campground on the Mokelumne River for Joey's (Rachel's brother) 30th birthday. The campground is seriously in the middle of nowhere:
View Larger MapWe had quite an adventure finding it, as did most of the other people we were camping with, but we ended up having a great time.

Our second trip, was to the Eastern side of the Mendocino National Forest. The East side isn't really the side that people go to because it's supposedly not as nice looking as the West side, but we found it to be very beautiful. We stayed at a campsite that was a short walk to the river. Eliza had so much fun throwing rocks into the water! She picked up a rock and said her usual, "Dat!", and I said, "that's a rock", so now she calls them "a rock". So cute. We went camping with our friends Lydia and Adam and we all had a lot of fun exploring the different areas.Slappy chasing the ducks Playing with sugar packets at the only place to get breakfast in townEliza telling ghost stories

Trip to Denver

2011-06-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

We got back from a weekend trip to Denver for Mark's management group seminar. We had a great time and a pretty easy flight there.

Once we were there, we met up with our friends Chris & Kylee and their kids. Eliza was very excited to see her birth friend Bob who was born the day after her.

Eliza made a best friend- Alex:

The weekend was fun. Good friends, good food, a nice hotel. The flight home was awful... seriously awful, but we learned some traveling with baby lessons. Don't travel with a baby-

My child is a HAM!

2011-06-23T16:36:00.000-07:00

RIP Sassy "Potato Pig" Hanses 1997-2011

2011-06-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

1997-2011

Sassy "Potato Pig" Hanses was 14.5 years old. She was 11 when we began fostering her. We saw that she was morbidly obese, unable to walk and missing a ton of fur. We adopted her with the caveat that we could not afford medical bills, and that if we moved back to California, we couldn't take her with us. MABBR agreed and we took her into our house. The first year was good, she loved our dogs and they loved her. She began getting comfortable and old in her new home and promptly lost weight. She began getting weekly walks down the street and back and a very strict healthy diet. Soon she was running around the house like a puppy jumping up on people. With this new found energy came some dog aggression. After multiple scuffles with Slappy and Pokey, we decided to keep Potato separated. She lived in her own apartment for the remainder of her life.

We had no idea that dog would give us 3.5 good years. We thought we had 4-5 months with her MAX. Dogs are amazing creatures and man is not evolved enough to see the worth of such a devoted pet.

Sassy was the nicest dog that has ever lived on this earth. To this day, I have never known a dog that loved a petting more than Sassy. She smiled with her entire body and waggled at you whenever you approached. She was also one of the most stubborn dogs I have ever known. She climbed over a baby gate that was 3 ft. high. She headbutted the baby gates to get them down, just so she could lay down on the couch with the other dogs.

We loved our Potato. Its been a long time coming for her, but she is at peace now. We knew that she was ready to go, and she gave us her blessing.

If anyone wants to donate in Sassy's honor to MABBR, we would love to know that her passing can save another life.

We love you Sassy, you're amazing!

Family Portraits

2011-06-01T22:48:00.000-07:00

My cousin's beautiful wife Nikki Marshall took some family portraits of us. They are utterly amazing. Eliza just smiled the whole time because she loves Auntie Nikki so much. Having a photographer that your toddler is comfortable with is essential.

My very favorite picture

New website!

2011-05-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

I forgot- Mark's website is up and ready www.hanseschiropractic.com

His clinic is located at 841 Arnold Drive Suite D, Martinez, CA 94553.

He is thinking that July 1 will be his grand opening!

Updates!

2011-05-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

Mark's clinic is absolutely beautiful. He has worked so tremendously hard on it. I cannot believe how fast this has come together! He is in the process of finishing up the paint and getting his xray installed and then he can open for business!!!

Here are the walls with primer on them!

Happy 1st Birthday Eliza Dema!

2011-04-18T04:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Eliza,

One year ago today you came into our lives. I had never seen your little face, or held your little hand. I wasn’t expecting you to be early because everyone told me to expect you late. You were born on a Sunday morning at 4am. I went to work that Friday before your birth feeling huge, bloated and tired. I was determined to work until the end because I didn’t want to lay around the house feeling huge. I showed up for work and my students took great care of me. If I dropped something or needed something, they waited on me hand and foot. My ankles were swollen to the point that I could only wear crocs and it was very hard for me to walk any sort of distances. That night your dad and I relaxed at home and I kept my legs elevated. The next morning we woke up early (I had trouble sleeping because of how big I was) and I felt a pop. It was a strange pop, but it felt just like my birth instructor said it would feel. I thought “that felt like my water breaking” but I didn’t feel any water so I just laid in bed. Your dad was in the shower and I was going to hop in after him, so I laid in bed waiting. When I could tell he was almost done, I sat up and I felt wetness. I went to stand and it gushed out. Needless to say I soaked a comforter, the sheets, your dad’s robe and I ran into the bathroom with a towel between my legs and I said “HONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” and he said “what?” and I said “my water just broke”- and he jumped out and had a crazy look of panic. I said “I feel fine, I am going to get in the shower and hopefully this will stop” and needless to say, it didn’t. When your water breaks, it breaks and doesn’t stop. Your body keeps making more water, and you keep on leaking.

Your dad asked me what to do. I told him to call the midwife and your grandma Hope. We had to go down to the birth center because I was Strep Type B positive and needed an antibiotic injection. I felt fine. I kept expecting to start feeling contractions and go into labor, but I didn’t. Honestly Eliza, I was feeling 100% fine, and it was making people nervous. By the time your grandma arrived from California, your mom still hadn’t gone into labor. We had taken the dogs for a walk, gone to the grocery store, gotten 3 injections of antibiotics, and then the dreaded “if you don’t progress by tomorrow at 7am, we have to transfer you to a hospital. I am so sorry, but its policy” I was terrified of birthing in a hospital, and I would have had you on the side of the road in a ditch before I let you be born into a hospital, so I did what I had to… Castor Oil. I drank 6 oz. of castor oil. I won’t go into details, but needless to say your grandma and your dad are assholes for laughing at me. That was still the single worst part of giving birth.

Once I had that oil down, the labor started almost immediately. I had a few contractions and they were fine. I actually laughed through them in the beginning. I started to feel really strong contractions around 11pm, and your dad decided it was time to take me in for a shot of antibiotics and to see the midwife. Rachel, your midwife, said that we should plan on staying. I got there, and the contractions were increasing rapidly. I jumped into the water birth tub and tried to relax. I dilated from a 3 to a 9 in less than an hour. Transition hit me hard. I had a contraction last for about a minute, then another hit on top of the other one. I would have about 5-10 hit at once giving me a 2 minute break in between. At one point I couldn’t handle the water splashing me, so I got out and labored on the floor on my hands and knees. I was coerced up on the bed and I was able to rest my head on a birth ball. During this, your dad gave me sips of Gatorade and wiped my face. The nurse Megan was telling me that I was doing a good job, but I was frustrated because you were nowhere near. I remember the urge to push happened and I couldn’t control it. It took all of my energy to push. Eliza, I pushed for over 2 hours. Had I birthed in a hospital, they would have ordered me to have a c-section because they limit the time they allow you to push. You were born 2 hours and 15 minutes after I started pushing. I felt you coming and Rachel told me to give you a push. Your head came out and I got so excited I pushed for as long and as hard as I could until you came out and landed in Rachel’s arms. I remember collapsing on the bed and asking if you were a girl. I rolled over and they stuck this tiny, wet, sticky little thing on my lap. I still can’t believe that was you. I looked at your dad, and he was teary. We just sat with you and took it all in. The moment you came out, my body went back to normal and I felt great. We cuddled together in that bed as a family for an hour uninterrupted. Your dad leaned down and kissed you. We let your umbilical cord stop pulsing and turn white. Your dad proudly cut the cord. You nursed about 20 minutes into life, and never looked back. You were a true champion and fighter. We did this together. I can’t imagine having to do things according to other people’s rules and regulations. I can’t imagine someone telling me that I wasn’t doing it right. I can’t imagine someone standing by and waiting to put drugs in to my system to make you come out faster, or to take away part of that experience. I remember being in the midst of transition and being uncomfortable and thinking “I can’t imagine someone taking me right now and offering to jab me in the spine with a needle to get rid of this” – I wanted you to have the most natural, amazing, pain-free birth that you could possibly have. This was your birth, and your day. We we’re put on this earth to support each other and to be as one at those moments. If it wasn’t supposed to be intense and uncomfortable, then it wouldn’t be. Eliza, I would do it all over again for you 100x. You had no monitors, no ivs, no nurses rushing to prick you with injections or measure you before you and I got to bond. You came into this world and sat immediately upon my chest. We sat there to love each other as long as we wanted.

This year has been a tremendous year for us as a family. You have been all over the place, and seen many different things. You spent a horrible month away from your daddy, and I am so sorry for that. It will never happen again, I promise. You are truly the greatest thing that life has ever given me. Your smiling face, your amazing demeanor, the fact that you look like your dad are a few of the amazing things about you.

A year ago today, you became a person and I became a mother. I will never stop being your mother, and I will never stop loving you. I will continue to sacrifice for you, advocate for you, and do things that others don’t agree with for you. I make choices for you because I feel they are best, and though others may not agree, honestly, I don’t give a damn. You got your first adjustment at just hours old. You never had an ear infection in your first year of life. You are such a healthy and happy little girl. I truly hope that when you have children, you get a pleasant birth experience, no forced vaccinations and people telling you that you’re irresponsible for the choices you make. I have a feeling you’ll be fighting the same fight, but I hope that my choices open some doors for you to make your own decisions.

I love you so much. Thank you so much for being you! Happy birthday!

Dr. Hanses adjusting 2 day old Eliza!

2011-04-11T10:10:00.001-07:00

DSC00403, a photo by Rachel and Mark H. on Flickr.

Here is a picture that I love. Dr. Hanses adjusting his two day old daughter!

I can't believe this was almost a year ago!

Donate to help babies!

2011-04-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

We are walking in solidarity with parents who had to deliver babies early and lean on the support of hospitals and amazing doctors. We are so fortunate that Eliza was born healthy and on time. We walk to support those who were not so lucky!

You may need to sit down- This is adorable!

2011-03-30T11:27:00.000-07:00

Eliza Barking:

More barking:

Last but not least, my favorite:

Eliza the ham!

2011-03-29T09:55:00.001-07:00

, a photo by Rachel and Mark H. on Flickr.

Eliza updates. Her birthday is coming up!!!!!!!!!! Holy cow. We're celebrating on the 17th at my mom's house. Eliza's grandma Nancy will be in town to celebrate.

She can now bark, meow and moo. We're working on quack, but its slow going. She likes to click her tounge and sing along to whatever song is in her head. She has started rockin' out to music and has the one legged jig down. She sort of dances like her daddy!

She has been super fussy the past few days. We think more teeth are coming in. She had a slight fever last night 99, but it was gone by this morning and she was in a great mood. She isn't eating very well either.

Normally though, this baby is a hog. We sort of skipped the cereals and purees because she didn't want them and we're following "baby led weaning" where you let the baby tell you what they want. We just hand her what we're eating and she eats it. Its pretty simple. Last night she shared my chicken burrito. She also loves citrus. She has been eating oranges off the tree at my brother's house. She is still nursing like a little pig. She loves it. I hope that food starts to become her #1 source of food and I can become #2 and slowly phase out, but we'll see what she wants.

She is doing really well at her daycare. Things are good there.

My new job is going really well. I am happy, and that is important.

Thats all for now!

Eliza the happy and smiley little gal!

2011-03-15T14:31:00.001-07:00

a photo by Rachel and Mark H. on Flickr.

Eliza updates!

She is now talking. She can say "dog" "mama" "dada" and she can bark. It sounds more like "ahh ahha" but she does it. She can also wave bye bye. She points to parts of the face if you say them. Nose is her favorite. She can point out the cat and dog in her favorite book. She is also turning book pages front and back when she reads with you. She climbs down and sometimes will sit in front of the book shelf and read by herself for up to an hour!

She is learning how to pet the dogs. I can say "pat Slappy" and she pats her, then I say "rub slappy" and she rubs her. I am working on high five, but she doesnt slap, she just sticks her hand up to yours.

Her birthday is about a month away and we're super excited. We're planning it at my mom's but if the weather is nice, we'll move it to the park. Lots of people are planning to come!

She is so much fun!

A lovely San Francisco day!

2011-02-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

The family took a drive to see the beautiful Baker Beach in SF. The sky was clear, the ocean was beautiful and we loved playing in the sand!

This is a perfect picture- poor Eliza had the sun in her eyes, but its cute nonetheless!

Mark got an iPhone

2011-02-17T10:26:00.000-08:00

And he has fun with the photo capabilities!

Is it bad to compare?

2011-02-10T14:41:00.000-08:00

Park date with cousin Ava Rose picture heavy

2011-02-10T14:19:00.000-08:00

It was 77 degrees and sunny, so we took full advantage!

Eliza met some friends:

I don't know why, but this picture reminds me of a picture we have of slappy

Eliza is a food maniac!

2011-02-10T14:10:00.000-08:00

Eliza has just recently started showing interest in foods. We have decided to just forgo the cereals and purees, because she doesn't really like them. We're doing a more "baby led weaning" style by feeding her chunks of food. She has started loving food. We give her blueberries, peas, butternut squash french fries (I cut it like french fries and bake it with some olive oil), whole grain breads, banana, etc. All whole, and all just handed to her. She has recently started eating chicken. Now that she has 4 teeth, she is really eating well. She loves mexican chicken and can even handle heat. I gave her some food that was a little to spicy and she looked at me funny, but continued to eat it.

Eliza's first taste of chicken:

This is just cute:

Good news!

2011-01-27T13:12:00.000-08:00

Mark passed his jurisprudence test! This is the last thing he needed to do before getting licensed in California.

YAY!

For your viewing pleasure- Eliza!

Eliza had a nice weekend!

2011-01-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

Here are some cute pictures of her trip to Grant's first birthday party!

Daddy/Nugget day take 2

2011-01-21T21:34:00.000-08:00

Daddy and Eliza went to Barnes and Nobel to look at books and then to a play place. These are the pictures that were sent to me at work!

Learning to climb stairs at B&N:

Eliza in the parking lot of B&N refusing to get in her car seat in the cutest possible way!

At the play place:

Eliza's new game!

2011-01-21T21:29:00.000-08:00

Eliza loves Sassy. She also loves food. Sassy loves food.

Eliza + Food = Happy Sassy and Happy Eliza

Hey Sassy, do you like banana?

Here, have some!

Why thank you Eliza, I think I will!

And we all lived happily ever after!

The end!

Um... SUPER PROUD!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-01-18T13:41:00.000-08:00

Some posed pictures I took because I knew I would miss KC!

2011-01-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

I knew the moment that Ava Rose was born that we would end up back here in the Bay. I felt really sentimental about my beloved Kansas City before we left and we took a ton of pictures on our dog walks. We were so lucky to live in the coolest neighborhood of the coolest area of KC, in the coolest house ever! Here are some pictures of what we looked at every day-

I miss you kansas city!

Eliza and her Potato Pig

2011-01-12T14:32:00.001-08:00

IMG_1947
Originally uploaded by Rachel and Mark H.

Eliza loves to harass Sassy in her crate. Sassy doesn't seem to care, but Eliza always goes over to the crate. We have since taken the crate down and put up a baby gate so that Sassy can be more free range, and she ignores Eliza for the most part. When Eliza eats, she throws food down for Sassy and they have fun

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-01-06T11:21:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011 Everyone!

We have a lot going on this year but first, some good news: Our house in KC is rented! Thank god! Three nursing students asked for an 18 month lease! We're very happy about this. Perhaps after 18 months of renting, we can put a little money into it and sell it. We love that house so much!

Mark is still working on details, but he may have a part-time teaching gig up his sleeve, more to come on that later!

We're very happy in our new condo. Our heating bill in KC averaged around $400 a month in the winter for gas/electricity. Here in CA its $77! We're very pleased about that.

The dogs are doing well. Its been so rainy here that they have been stuck in doors a lot. We try to get them out as much as possible, but its hard with the baby. Rain + Baby = Sad dogs.

Eliza took her first trip away from us this week. She went with Joey, Rachelle, Jenny and Ava to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. It was the furthest and longest Eliza had ever been away from me. I worried about her, not because of my family, but just the sheer fact that she was far away. I knew she had a blast, but its hard to let your little girl go. She came home extra late, so I went from about 7:30am-6:50pm without seeing her. Almost 12 hours. It was rough. She was in a good mood and was very happy. We're so glad to have family around so Eliza can benefit from being raise by many loving people! Here are some pictures!

SO LONG 2010!!! Here comes the year of US!

2010-12-30T13:51:00.001-08:00

2010

January: We knew that Eliza was coming in 4 short months and we really didn’t know what we were going to do at that rate. We had planned on staying in Kansas City, and little did we know, that we had just met some of the most incredible people on earth (Kylee & Chris, Rachel & Casey). We thought that if I could find a job, we would be able to set up shop in KC and stay for good. We still had our foster dog Abbie (Abigator, aka Gator) and we loved her a lot. She reminded me of a young Slappy.

February: Really nothing happened that was worth noting. We were in the baby preparing phase. We had gotten her bedroom all set up. She ended up never sleeping in it once! She still hasn’t spent a night in her crib, though she will use it soon, and she will use it as a toddler bed!

March: Abbie got adopted and I got bigger and bigger! Notice how little we did this year compared to last? I was not in the mood to leave the house in the ice and snow!

April: On April 18th, our beautiful and amazing daughter Elizabeth Dema was born. I labored for 6.5 hours, and had a completely natural, drug-free birth in a birth center that used to be a college. Eliza came out alert, happy and perfectly healthy. We spent the first hour of her life curled up in bed as a family, with zero interruptions. I am so thankful to the lovely midwives (Rachel and Mountain) and our nurse Megan who treated me with respect and dignity and allowed my body to do what it was made to do. My life is changed, not just by the birth of my daughter, but by the empowerment I was given by my support team, and knowing what I am capable of. I will do what I can to show other women that they are strong enough to do it themselves!
Our little Eliza came home 6.5 hours after her entry into this world and we both recovered quickly in our own bed with my mom taking great care of us. I think my mom held Eliza more than I did after she was born. I needed the rest! I can’t imagine recovering without my mom’s help. She cooked organic chickens down into super healthy soups, brought me different fishes and proteins based on my body’s need and I recovered very fast.

Poor Mark had his boards the weekend after Eliza was born, and he passed them! He deserves a medal for that one!
After Eliza was born (a week early!!!) I had to finish up a few assignments for my Master’s degree. I ended up turning them in and graduating in May. I almost walked in my grad ceremony, but I decided it would be more fun to lay in my bed and recover. Glad I did!
Mark stepped right in as a father, and was an amazing one at that. He made sure we knew how tired he was, but he still went to school every day and finished his homework on time. He missed one day of board reviews in the whole month of April.
The dogs were instantly in love. Okay, Pokey could careless, but Slappy loved her from the moment she first saw her. She has been Eliza’s best friend ever since. One of Eliza’s first intentional movements was to pet Slappy when she was about 3 months old.

May: May was pretty uneventful. I was on Maternity leave and we were learning how to be parents. Eliza was such a great baby, she made it easy, though I was dying to get back to work.

June: I went back to work full time. I was very sad to leave my girl, but I really needed the freedom. I give a lot of credit to the stay at home moms because it isn’t easy!

Eliza made this Mr. Magoo face when she slept. She doesn’t do it anymore. I miss it!

We took Eliza to the lake for the first time with the dogs. She really loved being outside. She just stared across the lake and took in all of the natural beauty of Missouri. I hope that we can raise her to have a deep love for the area she was born. I love Missouri with all of my heart, and if I can show her how great it is, I hope she falls in love too.

July: I turned 30. Holy crap. We spent a lot of time with friends.
We loved our neighborhood this summer. I think we both knew that we were going to end up back in California. I never took a single day for granted.
a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/runaroundrachel/4778461545/" title="IMG_0189 by Rachel and Mark H., on Flickr">
Ava Rose Cooper was born on July 17th. Happy and healthy. She is such a strong and amazing little girl. We’re so lucky to be back home with her!

August:
My sweet, amazing, smart, handsome, kind and wonderful husband graduated!

We went out on the Leatherman’s boat for one of the most memorable days of 2010. Good times, good friends and sweet babies all born within 7 days of each other!

We had an amazing BBQ that our friends Chet and Aubrey catered. They are so amazing, and did such a great job. We had KC BBQ, good friends, music, and the night went on and on. That night was truly one of the most memorable and fun nights of my entire life. We feel so blessed to have so many great friends. Leaving you was the hardest thing I have ever done. Not a day goes by that we don’t talk about how much we miss you all!
http://dogspotkc.blogspot.com/2010/08/mark-and-mitchells-bbq-catered-by-chet.html

September: We traveled back to California to visit. Having Eliza around our families and seeing how much support we were missing out on, really made us want to come home. We decided to move.
October: This was one of the worst months of my life. Being away from Mark for almost 30 days was so hard. Thankfully my parents let us stay with them. We really struggled to get through it, but we are so blessed to be back together.

November: Mark came home! My brother Mickey married his beautiful wife Allie and Eliza took her first vacation to Lake Tahoe.
December: Only good things to come for us!

Looking forward to 2011! This will be our year!!!!!!!!!!!

Eliza's first Christmas!

2010-12-29T13:28:00.000-08:00

Eliza had a really great Christmas! She was completely spoiled and loved every minute of it.

Mark and I were terrible and gave her most of the things we bought for her ahead of time.

She got lots of music stuff, books, toys and other great things!

Eliza rockin' her tutu on Christmas Eve

Eliza being a total ham

Eliza's first crawl!

2010-12-29T12:57:00.001-08:00

I can't believe we got this on video!!!

She is now crawling all around the house and getting into things like the dog dish and water bowl. We're laughing at her and frantically trying to get baby gates up!

Santa!

2010-12-22T16:10:00.000-08:00

She didn't cry... but she wasn't pleased!

This kid smiles even when she is upset!

Eliza had a good night last night!

2010-12-22T15:46:00.000-08:00

She took a bath!

Then she read a book with daddy!

New teeth pic!

2010-12-22T14:14:00.000-08:00

Tearing into a baby Mum Mum!

The ham!

Daddy's girl

And last but not least!

Dear Eliza

2010-12-15T08:30:00.002-08:00

Please, for the love of God, sleep tonight.

Thank you!

Love,

Your mom

While mommy is at work, nugget and daddy are up to no good!

2010-12-14T09:39:00.000-08:00

These are the pictures that Mark sends me while I am at work. I love them so much, I wanted to share!

Why yes, that is Eliza balancing on a potty sitting on top of a chiropractic table. What else would you expect?

To quote my mom: "Eliza always comes over mismatched, wearing whatever Mark found on the ground". In this case she'll just stay in her nighty all day.

I love their shenanigans. Most dads don't get the opportunity to spend this much time with their children. I am so happy to get a little glimpse into their day!

Santa and Christmas Trees!

2010-12-06T10:50:00.000-08:00

This weekend we had a lot of firsts for Eliza and one second. She drew her first picture on Saturday. She got her second tooth yesterday 12/5/2010. She went to visit Santa on Sunday, and we went and got a Christmas tree after.

Drawing:

Straight to the mouth:

Teeth:

Santa:

She didn't hate Santa, but she certainly didn't love him either. She faked a smile until she couldn't hold it anymore. She almost cried and kept reaching out for me. I felt terrible standing there saying "yay!" while she reached for me urgently. Needless to say she stayed on his lap for about 45 seconds. I give her credit though, she isn't screaming!

Christmas Tree Shopping:

Cutest picture ever:

Other fun stuff from last week/end:

Eliza got to spend lots of time with Ava on Friday. She even tried to share her persimmon with her. Pretty cute!

Thursday night we went to Petaluma to see Dr. Michelle at her holiday party. Eliza dressed up and walked all around the room smiling at people!

Eliza and her best friend:

Adorable picture of Ava and Eliza at Mickey & Allie's wedding!

2010-12-02T11:57:00.001-08:00

Rockin' out with her music table!

2010-12-02T11:49:00.001-08:00

Crawling is overrated!

2010-12-02T11:45:00.000-08:00

Shame this is blurry!

WHATS UP!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eliza & Family updates

2010-12-01T12:38:00.000-08:00

Not a whole lot of updates. Eliza got her first tooth. Its a sharp little thing. Its pretty cute, but you really can't see it unless you're very close to her mouth. She is still not crawling, but she loves to walk around holding my hands, so I have a feeling she may just skip the crawling phase and move right into walking. She loves to stand at her toys and pet the dogs, so her balance is pretty good.

Mark gets his diploma on the 10th. Once he gets it, we can start the process of his licensing and formation of his business. So far he really hasn't been able to do much. He is in the process of getting a part-time job to help out with our finances.

The dogs are doing well. Slappy is enjoying being back out in Martinez and celebrated by getting two ticks that Mark had to remove. He was very pleased, and a little grossed out.

All in all, we're happy to be home, but we miss Kansas City a lot!

TEETH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-11-23T13:00:00.003-08:00

Mark saw two lines today. I have only seen one on the bottom. She has been crying more lately and I know its from pain. She got her baltic amber teething necklace in the mail yesterday and we put it on her immediately.

Wish us luck... teething sucks!

I bought Eliza a Christmas dress...

2010-11-19T15:24:00.000-08:00

Be ready for some cuteness!

Eliza updates

2010-11-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

Eliza LOVES music. She has been banging on drums for the past month. She hears music and bangs on things. Mark gave her these maracas yesterday and she knew exactly what to do with them.

She is now waving at people when she sees them. She is also clapping. She has started reaching out to get picked up.

She is also teething. It sucks, and she still hasn't cut a tooth, but she is sure drooling, crying and sneezing!

No crawling yet. She gets on all 4's and rocks.

Playing catch up!

2010-11-17T14:43:00.000-08:00

So much has happened lately.

First, Mickey got married last weekend. We all drove up to Tahoe for a lovely ceremony on a boat on Lake Tahoe. It was perfect and the weather couldn't have cooperated any better. The sunset at the wedding was amazing!

We had fun!

The babies were amazing!

We also moved into our new place. Its small and we have too much stuff. The next week is dedicated to purging, donating and moving things to our storage unit. Rough!

Sorry we have been MIA for so long!!!

2010-10-30T16:24:00.000-07:00

We're back! Happy halloween!

Its been a whirlwind trip back here to Martinez. Mark is still in Missouri packing up our house and getting a few loose ends tied up so we can rent the house out.

We found a place here in Martinez. Its clean and nice. We're very excited to move in and they're very nice about our dog (even Slappy!).

I started working for the Contra Costa County Law Library as extra help. Its been fun. I will technically be the "branch librarian" for the Pittsburg, CA branch once I get on full-time in November! I am super excited. I can't believe I got this job. I have read that unemployment in CA is realistically at around 22% and I just waltz into a job. I feel very blessed.

Mark may have found a location for his practice. Its near the Virginia Hills Safeway. He is excited, and the space is almost totally built out the way he wanted it. He will have to do some modifications, but in the end, it will be perfect. He won't open up there for a while though, so hopefully the location stays open!

That's about all I have got- Ill try to be better about updating this once Mark gets back here and we have more free time!

Our trip home!

2010-10-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

You all know how much I love documenting our road trips!!!

We're going to attempt to drive and drive. Hopefully we can do two 15-hour days, or perhaps drive three 10 hour days. We'll see what Eliza lets us do!

We have also decided to go through Colorado since I have never seen the state. I am very interested in seeing Denver and the Colorado Rockies. We drove through Wyoming last time.

View Larger Map

YAY!

2010-10-05T06:57:00.001-07:00

IMG_1008
Originally uploaded by Rachel and Mark H.

She can hit the keys to make the noise, then she looks at me, and I yell "YAY!!!!!!!!" and she smiles and does it again... I love this kid :)

Dear Kansas City, Thank you, I love you, Goodbye!

2010-09-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

I am not getting into any big details because things are still being worked out, but as of today, Mark, Eliza and I are moving home. We will likely be there by November 1st.

First food: Avocado!

2010-08-24T10:53:00.001-07:00

Eliza has been showing a serious interest in food lately. I have been letting her suck on things like cantaloupe and other non-allergy fruits.

We decided to give her a little taste of avocado. We mashed it up and Mark put some on the tip of his finger. She devoured it. She struggled with the concept of chewing and swallowing, so about half of it ended up on her shirt, but she really liked the flavor!

4 Months is a huge difference!

2010-08-18T19:42:00.000-07:00

Ardun and Eliza

and now...

Ava, Ardun and Eliza

I would like to formally introduce Dr. Mark Alan Hanses, Chiropractor

2010-08-15T16:45:00.001-07:00

Mark graduated yesterday with his Doctor of Chiropractic.

We're beyond proud.

Mark's grandma Betty (Elizabeth- Eliza's namesake) , Aunt Marilyn, Cousin Nate, sister Lisa and Mom and Dad were all in town for the festivities.

Mark received a research award and was presented with a plaque.

HA!

2010-08-15T16:44:00.002-07:00

Mark and Mitchell's BBQ! Catered by Chet!

2010-08-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo round up of the party! It went late and we had a great time!

Tough guys and their babies!

Auntie Suzanne and Uncle Matt

Chet the BBQ master

Jen and Olivia

Mitchell enjoys the BBQ

The January's and everyone in the kitchen

Katie and E

The band

Bradley Babies!

Potato Pig after!

2010-08-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

As you recall, the potato pig before was something large and in charge.

Here she is almost two years later, spry as an 8 year old, all her fur grew back, she can walk and run, she jumps up on people (we discourage this, but what can you do? Its like yelling at your grandma), and she is generally very happy. We have to stop her from jumping off her bed and hurting herself. She has also been known to jump off the deck.

Ta-da!!!!!!!

Awesome little bit about our family!

2010-08-11T12:52:00.002-07:00

http://www.gamedogguardian.com/help-people-help-dogs/owner-profiles/rachel-mark

Check it out! Great website!

HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! er Potato Pig!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-04T13:50:00.001-07:00

This is Sassy 6 months after we adopted her. She had already lost 20 lbs at this point...

Ill post a pic of her later today.... WOW... WOW.... WOW!

Blonde or Brunette?

2010-08-01T18:29:00.002-07:00

What do you think looks better on Eliza?

or

Ha!

Eliza's first boat ride!

2010-08-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our good friends Chris, Kylee and baby Bob invited us out on their boat. We met up with them and Casey, Rachel, Finley and baby Scarlet. We ended up spending the entire day out on the water, the babies were amazing!

Eliza seemed to enjoy the constant movement of the boat and took a few short naps.

Eliza and Mommy

Eliza and Daddy

And the ham of the day, Finley. She was adorable and a really good sport. I think she ate an entire large bag of sun chips!

We got home and had to check the baby a few times. She was out like trout.

So was her sun burned daddy

Another amazing thing from my neighborhood!

2010-07-20T04:53:00.002-07:00

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/08/architecture-survey-slideshow-201008?currentPage=18

From Vanity Fair:

"Architecture’s Modern Marvels
When V.F. asked 52 experts to choose the five most important works of architecture created since 1980, they named a staggering 132 different structures. Here are the top 21, in order of popularity. "

The building is on the left.

Ava and Poppa

2010-07-18T12:30:00.001-07:00

Ava and Gramma Hope

2010-07-18T12:28:00.002-07:00

I will post one soon of Jenny and baby Ava, I just want to find one where she isn't in her hospital bed :)

Ava and Daddy Joey!

2010-07-18T11:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world Ava Rose Cooper!

2010-07-18T07:55:00.001-07:00

Eliza would like to formally introduce her new cousin:

Ava Rose Cooper
Born at July 17th, 2010 at 9:09 PM at Kaiser in Walnut Creek, CA!
7lbs. 3oz. (just like Eliza!) and 19 3/4"

Eliza is thrilled to have a female cousin to grow up with! Pictures on the way!

Eliza's first big BBQ!

2010-07-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

Our friend Christie took a sabbatical in Hawaii for a few months and returned to a huge bbq. It was tons of fun. Eliza got to meet a lot of people for the first time.

Taya holding Eliza

Missy talking to Eliza:

Kill kill kill (our old volley ball team)

Wherever we go, volleyball follows:

The baby sayin' "YEAHHHHH, PARTY"

Last but not least, the best picture ever with Christie and Dustin:

Eliza's first rock concert!

2010-07-11T13:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were invited out to see our friend Anthony (of www.gamedogguardian.com) and his band play. They're the Green Goddamnits and they play a lot of old rock and roll. We brought Eliza, and she was a little over stimulated. We brought her home after 3 songs, but she still seemed to respond well to the live music.

The family:

Her reaction:

The Gulf Spill breaks my heart...

2010-07-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

The gulf disaster happened the day after baby E was born. I know how long its been going, because she will be 12 weeks tomorrow.

Thanks PBS for not letting us forget what BP is responsible for!

Walk to the Nelson Atkins

2010-07-10T08:46:00.001-07:00

Our favorite part of living in Kansas City is our proximity to things like the Nelson Atkins. We're planning on taking Eliza here to see all of the amazing art and exhibits once she is old enough to not sleep through the experience.

We had fun with the dogs yesterday taking a stroll through some of the fun art pieces!

Slappy got in trouble for eating the grass under the shuttle cock. It set off some sort of alarm. Oops!

The best part is that she started licking the statue when I was trying to take this picture. Gross!

We took a family picture in the reflection!

The baby loves the art!

I love my baby!

Waiting... waiting... waiting!!!!

2010-07-09T10:47:00.001-07:00

I am going to be an auntie and Eliza will be a big cousin! I am so excited to find out what the gender and name of my new niece/nephew will be!

I miss you guys!!!!!!!!

She was due Monday... its just a waiting game now!

Eliza is so animated!

2010-07-05T16:54:00.000-07:00

Mark was taking pictures, I was trying to make her smile!

I had to post all of them in order. I couldn't leave any of them out!

30 Frickin' Years Old!

2010-07-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

Even when I was young, 30 seemed like the golden age. You’re practically done at that point, you just sit back and relax. I have always been focused, but my goal was a doctorate by age 30. I had pictured myself sitting in a small house with a rescued pit bull. Never did I expect to be where I am today.

I blame my husband. He tricked me into falling in love with him and starting a family! I couldn’t be happier.

What have I accomplished?

I finished law school.

Why not throw in a master’s degree too.

I had Eliza naturally...

I married the absolute best, brightest, amazing, sweet, charming and handsome man in the entire world. The very soon to be doctor Mark!

We rescued and rehabilitated a pit bull named Slappy. I found a black lab mix in the street, adopted her and named her Pokey.

We successfully fostered over 40 homeless dogs in our home until they were adopted!

We bought this kick ass house and partially renovated it. The rest is waiting for a dual income!

I moved half way across the country to experience something new and different.

I have been to Europe and Asia.

My husband and I have traveled through so many states and have seen so many amazing things in this great country!
Sun Studios:
Painted Desert:

Omaha:

Florida:

I have been a cheerleader for my husband’s trek through chiropractic school. I cant wait until he finishes!

I am dying to find out what is next. 30 is going to open a million doors. I worked hard to get here, now is my chance to enjoy it…

Rachel Jr.?

2010-07-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

I was holding E yesterday, and she was being a little fussy. I tried to make her smile by talking all stupid to her, to no avail. Apparently it worked wonders on Slappy, who proceeded to bark at me. The second Slappy started barking E got this big grin on her face.

E and I are the only two people on this earth who enjoy the sound of Slappy barking... LOVE!

A parenting conundrum...

2010-07-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

I was upstairs doing something while E was downstairs in her bouncer. The tv was on because I was watching it earlier. I hadn't noticed that Springer had come on and when I walked in the room, E was watching it.

I know babies aren't supposed to watch tv at all during the first year of their life. We really want to encourage that, but we like to watch tv ourselves.

Should I turn her away from the tv when we watch? Should I just leave it off while she is awake?

I can't believe my baby was watching Jerry Springer... Mom FAIL!

Eliza is learning how to play!

2010-07-01T12:26:00.001-07:00

Eliza loves to play and grab at toys. Its amazing how fast they develop!

How do you manage 3 dogs and an infant?

2010-06-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

We have worked in rescue long enough to know that dogs are put in shelters for the same reasons over and over again:

1. We’re having a baby/ We had a baby and we don’t have TIME for the dog anymore
2. We’re moving and CAN’T bring the dog with us
3. We’re jerks… (okay, not a real reason, but that is how I interpret all the reasons).

I was a little worried about what our dogs would do once Eliza was born because they’re so used to being our focus and getting lots of walks. We decided to be proactive about the animals and start the baby preparation early. We didn’t have to do much because our girls are pretty well behaved, but we did take some pretty important steps

1. We waited until the dogs were a little older to have kids. Pokey is 5 ½ and Slappy will be 8 in August. Sassy is 13, going on 14, and very docile. Puppies are a lot of work, we know this. We worked hard with our two puppies to get them to become the dogs they are today, and they’re wonderful, sweet, mindful and happy.

2. We started the baby transition before the baby arrived. We started sleeping with no dogs in the bed with us, they weren’t thrilled, but by the time Eliza came around, the dogs were so used to having their own bedroom, that they didn’t even bother trying to steal my pillow.

3. We changed their walk routine. Before, the dogs were often taken to the park with long flexi-leads that gave them a lot of freedom to run and misbehave. We also took them to off-leash parks where they were allowed to go a little crazy. We knew that the dogs were not going to be able to do the things they had done previously, so we shortened their leashes and started making them trot next to us. This took a lot of work, but I did it while I was pregnant, and it helped me get my daily walk in. Slappy is very headstrong, and was very resistant to change, but eventually got the hang of it, and we started to enjoy our walks again. We also started walking them in areas with lots of dogs and people. Our dogs are generally good with other dogs and people, but the occasional freaky greyhound (we have a pack in our neighborhood) can freak a leashed dog out, so we got them around other dogs and people and started making it fun. This way, they won’t react when we encounter dogs while the baby is strapped to my chest.

4. SOFT NEW BEDS… enough said!

5. Lots of toys, chewies and treats that don’t resemble baby toys. I did catch Pokey with one of Eliza’s little toys, and she knew she was in trouble. So far, they have been wonderful. I am still worried about Sophie the giraffe though… that thing has “dog toy” written all over it!

6. Once the baby arrived, I make sure to get up every single morning and walk into the dogs room and give them each a good cuddle. They also get to cuddle with me while Mark holds Eliza and one more good cuddle before bed. I also pet them often. I don’t worry about dog hair getting on Eliza.

7. Don’t be freaky parents… let your dog interact with your baby. Slappy LOVES Eliza. Every once in a while Ill catch Pokey give E a little smooch on the leg. Even when Slappy gets a little overzealous with her kissing, we tell her “enough, good girl” and pet her. No scolding around the baby. All of their interactions with E have been positive.

8. In your bed! Best thing we ever taught Slappy. I can say “get in your bed” and she will run to her bed and sit down. It’s good for times when I need to walk out of the room for a minute and E is in her swing, or if we’re eating and Eliza is on the couch next to us. This takes a lot of work, but dear god, it’s worth it!

9. Dog days- My dogs get dog days. Slappy Saturday, Weasel Wednesdays… When we have time, or we reserve a weekend day or weeknight, we treat the dogs. This past weekend we took our first family road trip to the lake for some dog swimming! Don’t let the idea of having two dogs and a baby overwhelm you, or it will! We always include them in walks, or if we go get ice cream. Sheesh, sometime they get to go in the car just to drop something off.

Like Mark and I like to say- we all had to give up something to bring Eliza home. The dogs are no exception. They gave up walks, attention and sleeping in our bed. We gave up sleep, money and sleeping alone in our bed. Eliza gave up a lot too, and we’re all proud to be happy little family. Being a family is hard work, but it’s not hard enough to warrant giving up part of the family. My assumption is that if you give up your dog because you think it will make your life easier… you’re sorely mistaken. You need to make some changes within you, and then your life will improve. Until then, you can get rid of everything you want, but you will still be overwhelmed.

Family trip to the lake!

2010-06-26T18:57:00.001-07:00

Today we wanted to spoil the dogs by taking them to the lake for the first time since the baby was born. They have been so patient with us, and have accepted that they no longer get their daily walk. They're always well behaved when walk them and have the baby with us. We are so proud of our little girls (all three of them).

We left for the lake and we were a little worried that Pokey might jump over the seat into the backseat with the baby. She didn't and we were pleased.

The dogs had an amazing time:

Eliza seemed to enjoy being outside and just stayed awake and alert the entire time:

Eliza went into the lake for the very first time:

It was a lovely day, and our first official trip as a family!

DADDY PASSED HIS BOARDS!

2010-06-25T13:10:00.001-07:00

DSC00619
Originally uploaded by Rachel and Mark H.

I asked Mark to send me a reaction shot of himself so I could post it on here... he failed to do so... In his place- Eliza :)

Mark passed all of his boards. He did really well on them, and is now able to practice in all 50 states!

He is finished with classes, finished with the clinic... and he starts his internship on Monday.

Just think... Dr. Mark Alan Hanses in 7 weeks!

Only good things to come.

4 dogs are better than 1

2010-06-22T16:20:00.001-07:00

4 dogs are better than 1
Originally uploaded by Rachel and Mark H.

One of my very favorite pictures ever... Look at that Beanie smile :)

I cannot believe how fast she has changed!

2010-06-22T13:05:00.001-07:00

_MG_8562
Originally uploaded by Rachel and Mark H.

My little girl is already so much bigger than this! I am really enjoying how much she wiggles, chats, coos and smiles.

11 lbs 10 oz. last Friday... what a little chub!

Dear Family in Sterling Heights, MI

2010-06-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

http://www.gamedogguardian.com/help-people-help-dogs/racism-proxy

Please read this article and write to your city council. I am offended that such an ignorant racist is in a public office, I hope you are too.

:(

The Cloth Diaper Posting

2010-06-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

Since so many people are asking us about cloth diapering (since we do it full time), I thought I would write a post about it so everyone knows what we do, and how well it works!

First, I would like to say that the photo above is only one day of diapers for Miss E. It saddens my heart that if she were in disposables, that many diapers, PER DAY, would be thrown into a landfill, where they take over 500 years to break down. Environmental reasons aside, I hate the chemicals against my daughter's skin. She got a terrible diaper rash when we first brought her home because she was in disposables. I can't say she never has problems now, but she has never had anything more than a little tender redness.

Check out this test run on Pampers: http://www.zrecommends.com/detail/initial-results-of-our-pampers-dry-max-skin-testing-this-is-interesting/

Can you imagine what that does to a child's little tush?

*steps off soapbox*

We use primarily BumGenius 3.0 OS. http://www.kellyscloset.com/bumGenius-One-Size-Diapers_c_706.html We bought 24 of these. I like them because they will fit her until she grows out of diapers, and they're velcro which is easier to adjust than the snaps. These are also made in the USA, which is important to me.

We have 5 of the BG Organics. http://www.thanksmama.com/BumGenius_Organic_One_Size_Cloth_Diapers_Package_6_p/bmg-0013.htm I like these because they're organic and its cotton on her butt rather than synthetic material. These stain really easily and need to be sunned out. They also take FOREVER to dry in the sun. Its hard to deal with when its raining or winter.

We have 6 small fuzzi bunz. http://sweetpeascloth.com/item_51/FuzziBunz-Perfect-Size-Cloth-Diaper--Small.htm These are made in China, so I don't entirely trust the materials. They're cute, they fit well. We have had a couple leaks with these, but otherwise they're fine.

We have 3 of the GroBaby original OS. These are still getting washed enough and have leaked a bit. The lady who watches her said they need about 8-9 washes before they're absorbent, and then they're fine.

We use about 10-12 diapers a day right now because we like to keep her dry. We do diaper laundry every day just to keep the room smelling good. I don't like leaving filthy diapers in her bedroom for more than a day.

We use cloth wipes and a cloth wipe warmer. I highly recommend the wipe warmer because I use the cloth wipes for everything. http://www.diapers.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?productid=17853 The Prince Lionheart wipes are garbage, so don't buy more, they're falling apart. I like the homemade ones I bought from Etsy.

We use the California Baby diaper cream that works with cloth diapers. http://www.amazon.com/California-Baby-Diaper-Cream-2-2e9/dp/B000VOXH4G

I think that's it... if anyone has questions, let me know!

Eliza in a BG

Smiley happy baby!

2010-06-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

I love this face, and I'll miss it when she stops doing that:

Be still my heart...

2010-06-04T10:30:00.001-07:00

DSC00635
Originally uploaded by Rachel and Mark H.

She smiles all the time...

Her smiles make everything worthwhile.

Oh little Eliza...

2010-06-02T12:03:00.001-07:00

The 2nd true love of my life
Originally uploaded by Rachel and Mark H.

Dear Eliza,

I miss you so much today.

Love,

Your mom

200th Post, and of course its of Eliza!

2010-05-28T22:41:00.000-07:00

Eliza will be 6 weeks old on Sunday and I cannot believe I am going back to work on Tuesday. She has changed so much in the last few weeks and I am starting to figure her out, and at the same time I am completely perplexed.

She gets bored now! Weird, I have to show her things.

She stays awake for hours at a time, and I don't really know what to do with her.

She cries at night between the hours of 8-11 and I cannot calm her to save my life.

She goes like 5 days without pooping!!! Why???

I feel like a bad mom for being happy about going back to work. I think Ill be a better mom though because I will be much more engaging and ready to play with her all the time. Some days when I was home all day and night with her, I just wanted to hand her off and walk away. Mommy guilt sucks.

The worst thing ever... OUR CAMERA BROKE! The brand new camera we bought in January to prepare for her birth fell off my nightstand, in the case, and it broke the screen. LAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It isn't covered by the warranty and we cannot afford another camera... what to do?

Big Sister loves her baby!

2010-05-23T15:05:00.001-07:00

M4H00478
Originally uploaded by Rachel and Mark H.

Slappy is SO GOOD with Eliza. We just stood here watching this cuteness happen. Slappy is so gentle and so loving with her. Pokey tolerates her, but seems indifferent.

Three weeks went by quickly!

2010-05-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe little E is already 3 weeks old. It went really fast. We're tired and still getting used to this whole "being parents" thing. We're getting more comfortable going out but we still have to time it right so she sleeps the entire time.

We're ordering a bulk order of her cloth diapers soon so we can start doing it full time. Since we were unable to use the diaper service, we're depending on the cloth diapers we have already to sustain us until we're able to afford an order. They're expensive, but the good thing is that we can buy them once and never again... One size fits all BumGenius 3.0 diapers seem to fit her well, so we're going to order 24 and call it a day. They're adorable on too :)

Eliza had her first pediatrician appt and she had gained over a pound. They weighed her in at 8 lbs 6 oz. She varies in weight because I weighed her at a breastfeeding support group meeting and she was 8 lbs. 3oz. So either way, she has gained a ton! She is looking bigger to me each day. Obviously she is doing really well with her feeding. I just feed her whenever she shows signs of being hungry. Seems to work for both of us.

The dogs still adore her and Slappy has really taken to being a big sister dog. We weren't at all concerned about Slappy. She has a very maternal instinct.

Eliza took her first bottle and I felt entirely useless. I was a little sad, but its good that she is able to take a bottle. It will make it a lot easier for me to go back to work knowing that she is comfortable. She is still drinking mom's milk so its not like she is losing any of the nutrition!

Grandma and Grandpa Hanses we're in town to visit with Eliza this weekend. For some reason all of the pictures taken are on grandpa's camera, so we'll update this when we have some. Everyone had a nice weekend even though it was cold in KC! Auntie Rachelle will be here this weekend.

We're officially tired beyond belief. I can barely get myself out of bed on a good day, and the thought of going back to work this tired is daunting. At least I have an amazingly good baby.

Mark passed his part 2 & 3 boards and takes part 4 this weekend. Once that is all over, he coasts until graduation in August. I have one more paper to turn in and I will be done with my MLS degree. I am ready for our lives to start and this transition period to be over!

More pics are posted on Flickr if you're interested.

Eliza is a week and two days old!

2010-04-27T15:03:00.001-07:00

So far things have been going really well for us. She is pretty easy going and she sleeps a lot. Lately she has been waking a lot in the night and being fussy about going back down, but it gives me some time to spend with her alone, which is nice albeit exhausting.

We were able to have the 100% natural birth that we wanted. No drugs other than some antibiotics that I was required to take because I was a type B strep carrier. Eliza came out happy and very alert. We had her nursing from about 20 minutes into her life, and she has been a champ ever since. The birth center was amazing, and took great care of us. After she was born, Megan one of the RNs made us breakfast that we were able to eat in bed while they did the newborn screening in our room. She passed her hearing test perfectly and we declined all of the other things like the Hep B and vitamin K shots. We both took a short nap, I was able to get up and shower, and we were home exactly 6 hours and 30 minutes after she was born. It was so nice to be able to recover in my own bed with my mom cooking for me. My mom was able to come out on Saturday after my water broke. She was here for the birth and was able to care for our dogs while she was born. We came home and she got to meet her grandma for the first time. Having my mom here was a life saver and we could have never done it without her. Thanks mom!

I am feeling really good at this point. I felt great from the get go because I was un-medicated. Most women who have pain meds cant even walk for a while after the birth, and are groggy for days after. I didn't experience any of that. I also had a pretty easy recovery.

Eliza had her first play date with our friends Becky and David's son Ardun. He is about a week and a half older than her. We met Becky and David in our Bradley birth class and have become good friends.

Today we fed her, got her in her carrier and took her to lunch, Target, Costco and the post office. She was a champ the entire time and let us do everything we needed. We got her home and fed her, cleaned her diaper and took her for her first walk around the neighborhood with the dogs. She was great.

We were pretty convinced she looked a lot like me until we found a picture of Mark as an infant sleeping and its very obvious how much she looks like her dad too. She has his mouth and head shape. We're still not sure about the nose because both of our baby noses look almost exactly the same.

We posted a ton of pictures on our flickr account: www.flickr.com/runaroundrachel if you care to look at them.

Elizabeth Dema Hanses

2010-04-19T17:12:00.001-07:00

Glad we're not in a hospital!
Originally uploaded by Rachel and Mark H.

Born 4/18/2010

7lbs. 3 oz.

21" long.

We're in love!

Spring has sprung!

2010-04-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our yard is turning green. These pictures are from last weekend, and its 10x more beautiful this weekend. Maybe we'll take a walk and take pictures of all the glorious magnolias blooming and all of the colors KC offers us in the spring and summer!

Honeysuckle:

The "garden"

Topsy turvy take 2

This yard needs some grass!

The Abbi-gator got adopted!!!!!!!!!!

2010-03-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

Her new people drove straight here from Pittsburgh, PA to pick her up, turned around and drove straight home. Holy cow, they're great parents.

They are amazing people that Mark and I would gladly hang out with if they lived closer. They asked great questions, brought us an amazing gift and sent us a text message picture of Abbie on the road.

We feel truly blessed that we knew and loved Abbie. She was a solid friend for me after Beanie died, and made me smile every morning with her gator bombs in bed (she jumped on top of me every morning for 2 straight months).

I cried after she left, but they were tears of happiness that she will know the love that we give to our two girls.

What a blessed weekend!

Melt!

2010-03-22T14:20:00.001-07:00

Melt!
Originally uploaded by Rachel and Mark H.

So its 54 and sunny today. Tomorrow is supposed to be 64 and sunny.... Weird weather here in KC... Im ready for our normal summer of hot hot hot and sunshine :)

Gator is almost adopted!

2010-03-21T08:47:00.001-07:00

Gator.
Originally uploaded by Rachel and Mark H.

We're waiting to hear the final word, but its possible that my little Gator could be going home to Pittsburgh, PA with an amazing couple this next weekend. They're planning to drive out to get her :)

YAY FOR GATOR!!!!!!!!!!!

Why won't winter end?!?!?!?!?!

2010-03-21T08:44:00.001-07:00

Snow in March.
Originally uploaded by Rachel and Mark H.

Kansas Citians are blessed with a pretty amazing midwestern winter. We have warm weather until late November, usually, and it starts warming up in the beginning of March, normally... We have between 4-10" of snowfall annually and its generally sunshine and blue skies getting us through the frigid temps of winter.

This winter we had NONE of that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its been cold, we have gotten 44.3" of snow. Its the 4th snowiest winter on record. ON RECORD!!!

#1. 1911/1912 with 67.0"
#2. 1959/1960 with 58.5"
#3. 1961/1962 with 55.0"

Yep... a co-worker of mine remembers the 1961 winter because it was the year he moved here to start teaching at Rockhurst. He said it was awful.

Just two days ago, I had all the windows in the house open, the dogs were out side lounging on the deck and Mark and I took multiple dog walks outside because it was over 60 degrees. Today its 33 and cloudy, with possible snow tomorrow!

SO SO SO OVER IT! Canada needs to take their damn winter back!

Our first child: Slappy

2010-03-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

We adopted Slappy from Reunion Rescue in May of 2003. We're going on 7 years of love with our little brindle girl, and I thought it would be a nice time to remember her first milestones with us, since she is going to be a big sister soon!

This is the second time I met Slappy. I went to visit her at the emergency vet after her spay opened up and she ended up eating part of her intestines and stomach. She required a lot of surgery to repair her. The end result was an alive dog, a fired shelter employee (who drove her to the emergency vet) and a huge ordeal with our rescue being banned from pulling from San Francisco Animal Care and Control... its a long story!

Slappy's first Christmas card:

Her first picture with Santa:

The first time she met her grandpa... who was hesitant to meet his pit bull granddaughter... it was love at first attack kiss!

First trip to the Lake:

First camping trip:

Her daily walk up on the road:

Three generations of Hanses:

Slappy and her BFF Biggie. I guarantee you they got in trouble for this one:

and this one:

Our first foster dog ever, the Dingo:

One of my favorite pictures ever:

Another favorite:

Slappy's favorite toy ever, her eel... Pokey killed it.

Slappy's first appearance in the PBRC calendar:

She used to love sitting in the sun on the grass and helping her dad work on the ford.

Slappy and her cousin Bella:

Slappy's first taste of Missouri snow... check out the look on her face!

One of the first pictures of Slappy and Pokey... I think they love each other:

So far Slappy has visited 13 states, been to beaches, lakes and bodies of water all over the US. We're proud of our little girl.

The floor... a compilation... what a mess!

2010-03-06T08:55:00.000-08:00

So here is a pictorial of what we went through with our bedroom floor. It started out as a kitchen, and had an ugly white vinyl flooring on top of this hideous brown flooring. There were 6 layers of flooring before we were able to even get to the bare wood. Also, there were huge nails every 4 inches from each other throughout the entire floor. We walked around with socks to get them snagged to figure out where the hidden nails were... it was gross!

Mark scraped the glue up by hand in the entire 10x10 room.

After 3 hours of Mark and his dad removing the previous 5 layers of hideous flooring:

This floor was filthy, stinky and probably full of asbestos.

Mark chipping away the old floor tiles before he has to scrape up the glue:

The beautiful wood with a top coat of disgusting old glue:

After soaking the glue in water for 30 minutes, Mark used that scraper attached to the pole to scrape up what he was able to of the glue to reveal a severely damaged wood floor:

The entire floor scraped:

First round of sanding:

Final sand:

Stain and poly:

Tada!

So... we're trying to teach Slappy how to use the treadmill...

2010-03-04T13:20:00.000-08:00

It isnt going very well because she is just too treat motivated.

Sorry its dark, and the room is an absolute mess. We're still trying to organize after moving our bedroom.

Oh Abbi-gator, why won't you get adopted?

2010-02-26T09:13:00.001-08:00

DSC00276
Originally uploaded by Rachel and Mark H.

I truly love this dog... I just wish the perfect home would swoop down and adopt her.

If you know anyone who wants a sweet little girl, she is available!

32 Weeks tomorrow!

2010-02-25T12:56:00.000-08:00

We're officially 32 weeks tomorrow. I have started visiting the midwives every two weeks now. So far everything looks great and very "boring."

Its been freezing cold here in Missouri and we're setting records for the most amount of snow they have seen since 1962... :( We also tied the record low yesterday for 9 degrees. The average temperature for yesterday was 46... which would be really nice about now.

We still have Abbie, our foster dog. Its a little discouraging that we have given the rescue about 7 months to find her a new foster home and we haven't heard anything about it. If you want a really sweet, cuddly little dog that is completely potty trained, let me know! I warn you she is a female pit bull which means she is a total brat, but we love her like our own.

Sassy is still going strong. She has a growth on her eye that doesnt seem to be giving her any pain. I am hesitant to take her in to have it looked at because she cannot survive a surgery and we're really just letting her live out her life until she is no longer comfortable. She seems pretty happy to me!

Mark takes his part 2 & 3 of his boards in March. Then he takes part 4 in May. We didnt really plan this stuff very well... but we'll get through it! He is very ready to be done with school and really enjoying his time in the student clinic. If anyone wants an adjustment, he is taking new patients!

Back to baby stuff:

We're getting so close its almost insane. We're starting to get things ready for her arrival. We are attempting to cloth diaper so we can avoid waste, landfills and cans full of stinky poop in our house. We received a really wonderful gift from a friend yesterday of 3 super nice cloth diapers. We have a few others that we found discounted online. My aunt also bought us a diaper service for a month after the baby is born so we don't even have to do our own laundry!

We had another friend loan us a ton of stuff that she had leftover from her little one who is now 2. She saved us a ton of money, and we're super grateful!

I have gained 25 lbs so far. Which sounds like a ton, but I really havent gained anywhere other than my belly. Here is to hoping it continues that way!

The floors are done!

2010-02-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

Well, the floors are finally done and I'm very happy with the way they turned out. Our bedroom is almost finished...I still need to install the door and caulk the baseboards.

Here's the floor in the bedroom:

The new guest room is full of crap so I'm not going to post any pictures, but here's a couple pictures of our bedroom fully furnished:

And here's a couple pictures of the baby's room:

1st Coat of Stain!

2010-01-12T07:38:00.001-08:00

Its lovely!

Sanding: BEFORE and AFTER!

2010-01-11T09:09:00.000-08:00

The difference is amazing!

Before the sander:

After the sander:

He is staining and polyurethane-ing today!