What's Happening with the Hansen's

I get my good looks from my Daddy

Everyone keeps saying that Avery looks like her daddy....and if you check out the baby picutres below there is definitely no arguing that. :)

Alex's baby pictures

in the hospital

2 weeks old

Renee's baby pictures
in the hospital

4 weeks old

She sure does smell good...

Other than smelling her about 20 times a day, Hank doesn't seem to notice Avery too much. He is still getting LOTS of attention - especially from Dad. Avery doesn't seem to notice Hank too much either. He can bark 2 feet from her and she doesn't even flinch.

We Love Bath Time

Avery absolutely LOVED her first bath at home. Hank even tried to get in on the action by climbing into the bathtub.

Great Parents...make even better Grandarents

Welcome Home Avery!

We were able to leave the hospital on Sunday around 11:30am. Alex and I were both very anxious to get home to see Hank and to sleep in our own bed. My friend Catherine and our parents were busy that morning decorating the outside of our house to welcome Avery home. Our Moms also had lunch (and cake) waiting for us when we arrived, which we appreciated very much. Erika and Keller were there for a visit as well. We were so thankful that our family was able to be here with us during this exciting time and extremely grateful for all of the help they provided.

It's a GIRL!!!! - Avery Alexa Hansen

After 2 1/2 hours of pushing, Avery Alexa Hansen made her grand entrance into the world at 3:36pm on Friday February 22, 2008. She weighed 8lbs even and was 21in long. Alex and I couldn't be more in love with our beautiful baby girl!!

It's go time....

At our appointment this afternoon there still hadn't been much change - 2cm dilated and 80% effaced - so Dr. Besse said it looks like we are going to have to be induced. Otherwise this baby seems perfectly content to stay put until spring. After checking the hospital schedule we were left with 2 options - being induced tomorrow (22nd) or waiting until next Wed (27th). So tomorrow it is!! We will be at the hospital bright and early at 7:15 to get things started - which you all know will be a challenge for me. :)
Alex and I spent our last night without baby having dinner at one of our favorite restaurants and then coming home to spend some extra quality time with Hank. We are both extremely excited - and of course, I am starting to get a bit nervous. The bags are all packed and loaded in the car. And as soon as I post this message, hopefully we can both get one last good night of sleep.
We plan on posting an update and some pictures as soon as possible tomorrow - but I am not making any promises. Thanks again to you all for the prayers and good wishes.

Due Date - Come and Gone

Well, it doesn't look like this baby is going to make an appearance today. At our doctors appt on Friday there was still no change to report. Our next appt is on Thursday the 21st and our regular doctor, Dr. Besse, will be back that day (he has been in Hawaii for 2 weeks) so I am actually hoping that we hold out until then. I am still feeling really good - and definitely still getting bigger!

The Nursery Is Ready

At our doctors appt yesterday there was no change since last week - still dilated to 1cm and 75% effaced. Dr. Besse will be out of town until the 21st, so if anything happens before then one of his partners will be taking care of us.
Our bags are packed, the carseat base installed, and the nursery is 100% ready. We plan on spending the rest of the weekend stocking up on groceries and getting the house cleaned up.

Look at those Chubby Cheeks!!!

We had another ultrasound on Wednesday b/c Dr. Besse wanted to make sure that the baby is positioned head down - and he/she definately is, so we are good to go. Our last ultrasound was in week 23, so it was exciting to see how much bigger the baby has gotten during the last 15 weeks. According to the ultrasound measurements the baby is already 7lbs 5oz!!
At our Dr. appt on Friday we found out that I am dilated to 1cm. Although that doesn't mean too much at this point it's nice to know that things are progressing.

The Stroller Saga Ends...

My Mom & Dad had always planned on buying us our stroller & carseat system for the baby shower, but my Mom ran into a little snag when she went to actually purchase it from Target. They had clearanced it out and were unable to locate one at any of the Target stores in the Tri-State area. Well, let's just say I got a "tad bit" emotional about the situation (and yes, I am blaming that on the hormones). But luckily, Alex's Aunt Rhonda lives in Dallas where there is a plethura of Targets. After sitting on hold for what seemed like hours, I finally tracked one down at a Target store near their home in Plano and Rhonda was so kind as to pick it up and have it shipped to us here in Omaha. We can't thank her enough for going out of her way to help us out. I also can't thank my Mom enough for putting up with my strange emotional attachment to this specific stroller. :)

Blue or Pink - Which one will it be???

Alex and I went shopping this weekend and bought a blue outfit and a pink outfit for the baby to come home in. Now we just need to get the bag packed and we will be all ready to go.

More Belly Pics - Week 37

Pregnant Neighbors

My next door neighbor, Sarah, is due 5 weeks after I am and she had a baby shower today. They are having a little girl.

Cousin Cosmo Comes to Visit

Erika brought Cosmo down to stay with us for a few days while she was out of town. Hank LOVES when his cousin Cosmo comes to visit.

Baby Shower

My friends Catherine and Michelle threw me a baby shower this weekend. Michelle ended up not being able to be there for the shower b/c her daughter had a dance recital, but she came down the night before to drop stuff off at Catherine's and we were able to go to dinner.
The shower was so nice - Catherine did a great job! She even got me an adorable turtle cake. We got so many nice gifts and can't wait until our little one arrives so we can put them all to good use.