Birthday Week Part 1

I've said it once and I will say it a million times more, I have been STRUGGLING with the fact that my little baby is ONE!!  I think the majority of the struggle has been that the year truly went by so fast and the fact that SO much in our life has changed in such a short period of time!

But, like anyone else, I do not have the power to stop the clock, so bring on birthday week!  A few weeks prior to Jameson's party, I was in a panic due to the fact that Luke had to work the entire week leading up to the party and I could not figure out how I was going to get everything ready for Saturday's birthday extravaganza (starting at noon) if we would not arrive in Onalaska until late Friday night.  Well, enter into the picture the BEST dad in the world and my stress was washed away!  My dad drove out to Sioux Falls Tuesday afternoon and spent the night with J and I (Luke had to work).  Wednesday morning the three of us got up and headed back to Wisconsin.

The remainder of the week consisted of a little play and A LOT of party prep!  

Wednesday night was "craft night" at the Marson household!  I had the wild idea to make pretty much all of the party decorations (great idea, but not when you live 5 hours away from the party location).  So I made all of the decorations here in Sioux Falls, but still had to assemble all of them once I was in Onalaska.  I have to send a HUGE shout out to my mom and Kaylin Holthaus for helping me assemble everything!  You guys helped me so much!!  Not to mention is was such a fun night together :-)

My favorite craft of the evening!

(Welcome sign)

Thursday Jameson and I took a short break from party planning and headed up to Winona to have lunch with Luke's dad and step-mom.  It was so great to see them and get a little extra time together before the craziness of party day.  Thank you Mike and Carol for the delicious lunch!!

Outside of Signatures (Winona)

 
Friday was a day of "last minute" errands.  We had all the crafts done but needed to run around Onalaska/La Crosse picking up all the remanding food, decorations, and party supplies before Luke, Mal and Brenda arrived Friday evening.

Grandpa Jeff and Jameson

Nana Marson took Jameson on a 

Dumbo ride while I did some last minute grocery shopping

Honestly, I have to say, going into Friday evening I thought we had just a few "last minute" things to accomplish and then we could all get a good nights rest... Boy, I was way off!  Thank goodness I had my mom, Mal and Brenda on hand to help me!  Although the amount of work was kind of a lot, we sure had a great time putting the remaining touches on the party!

I am going to follow this blog with party pictures and decoration pictures, but I wanted to end this one by saying the ENTIRE week/weekend was perfect!  I truly could not have pulled this party off without the help of my wonderful parents, Kaylin, Mal, Brenda, and my amazing husband!  Also a shout out to Jean and Carol for providing the delicious fruit and veggie trays!

A Year in Pictures

Well, it's official

WE HAVE A 1 YEAR OLD!

We love you Jameson!

Birthday Boy!  

This was the smile he gave me right away this morning

(the sticker pictures will be taken later today)

Looking Back

I am having a hard time believing that it has already been a year since my tummy looked like this! 

This picture was taken on Friday, July 22nd, 2011 which was my official last day of work.

Looking back a year, I can't even remember or imagine life without "Mr. Man".  BUT, with that said,  I still can't believe Jameson will be a YEAR old TOMORROW!!  Truly, time has just been flying by and I can't believe we have a toddler on our hands.  Life is such a journey that has so many twists and turns.  

If I were to TRY and guess what my life would be like one year after Jameson's birth, there is absolutely NO WAY I could have pictured this.... South Dakota, Stay-at-home mommy, selling our first home, renting a town home...  Absolutely NO WAY!  But, in the end, I wouldn't trade it for the world. (even all the hard times)  

I have an amazing husband and son!

Jameson - Mommy and Daddy love you with all our hearts!  You truly are a blessing and our little miracle man.  You make each and everyday special and we look forward to watching you grow up!  

The second I saw you it was 

Love at First Sight!  

CHANGE

***Ok... So, this is a post that I have been working on for a while and I want to put a warning out there to anyone reading... I feel this is pretty "deep" and it's not the happy-go-lucky post I usually write...  So, if you are looking for a fun-filled Hansen Family Homepage post, just give me a day or two and our fun family times will be right back at ya!***

As time closes in on Jameson's first birthday (I still can't believe it's been a year) I have been thinking... A LOT...  and trying to do some reflecting on the last 12 months and everything that has gone on in such a short period of time.

CHANGE...  The definition of our life over the last year.  I sit and reflect on the word CHANGE and can finally say... It is OK!  CHANGE really can be a good thing... You may not realize or even believe it at first or for a long period of time, but it will all be OK in the end.  That statement has taken me quit sometime to figure out (haha maybe a... YEAR!)

11:59pm Sunday, July 24, 2011 - Did I really just wet the bed in my sleep... Man, I am three days away from being 40 week pregnant, can't sleep, HOT, HUGE, everything on my body is either so swollen its the size of a house or so sore it's to the point I don't even know if it's attached to my body anymore...  Seriously, what has my life come to?!?!  And, the man of my dreams is literally snoring away in dream-land to my left and I am laying here, wet and in misery...  WAIT!  Pee... NO... OH MY GOSH!  MY WATER JUST BROKE!  Thank heavens I didn't wet my pants, but READY, SET, GO!  IT'S BABY TIME!

Oh yes, that was only the beginning of what was to come.  After 17 hours of labor (5 1/2 of them pushing) we had a beautiful 9lb 6oz baby boy!  In an ambulance... on his way to the Children's hospital NICU (without mommy and daddy) in St. Paul and a mommy and daddy sitting with WIDE eyes trying to figure out what just happened, but still in Woodbury...  Yes, baby is on his way to St. Paul and WE WERE IN WOODBURY!  That does not make sense...

Anyways, I am not trying to go on with a sob story, but to continue with the meaning of this post... CHANGE!  I knew my life would change July 25th, but I surely did not think it would start like that.  Well, let me quickly say that J is just fine...  He spent the first week of life in the NICU, but all is well!  He is a happy, healthily (almost) 26lb boy!

Again, CHANGE...  Ready or not, mommy hood was in full force!  That first week may have taken this mommy and daddy by surprise, but looking back now, it was just a small piece of what was to come and what we had to get use to.  I thought, Ok, I handled a pretty stressful birth, I can handle anything with a newborn.  No problem... right?  Well, just five short weeks later, Jameson may have been the center of our world, but the world around the three of us was in an up-roar!  Movers in and out of the house, our first family house in a disarray, the nursery that I spent MONTHS planning and decorating in boxes and everything was about to change... AGAIN...  Yes, let's just toss a move to South Dakota on top of just having a baby...  No problem... Right?  Thank heavens our house sold in 4 short days, but I do believe that was something I was actually praying would not happen.  Truthfully, I was not ready to give up Woodbury and I didn't realize how hard it would be until we were almost 5 hours away... In a rental... In a new home... With a newborn...  No one around us we knew...  Wow!

CHANGE... I was planning on going back to work after my 12 weeks of maternity leave...  NOPE... Toss in stay-at-home mom duties and there I was.  Don't get me wrong, I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be home with J, but that was not how I pictured my life.  I wanted to work... I wanted to have a career... But (yes here it is again) CHANGE was what I had to adapt to.  Again, I wouldn't change it for the world, and let me say, being in a brand new area not knowing anyone, there was no way I would have felt comfortable dropping Jameson off at a daycare center or home...

Call me weird, but one of the hardest parts of this last year was leaving our team of doctors/nurses in Woodbury.  I absolutely LOVE Dr. Sheehy and her team.  They got me... they got Luke... They got US!  She was there for it all.  She was the first doctor I actually trusted and she knew it from the beginning.  I met doctor Sheehy shortly after Luke left for Afghanistan and she immediately connected with me and figured me out.  There was no way I was going to let anyone else deliver our children, take care of me... take care of my family other than Dr. Sheehy...  CHANGE...  We are now almost 5 hours away and let me tell you, this has been one of the hardest things to let go.  We did our "milestone" follow ups through out the year back in MN, but it has taken me almost 11.5 month to find a doctor here for Jameson.  

Ok, Ok... I know you are wanting a point to this post and you want me to wrap this up...
Personally, it has been a very rough road.  I think admitting that has been such a struggle in my life because I know what I have is very special and I am very fortunate for what I got.  I have had SO many people tell me I should not complain because I am home with my son... I should not complain because my husband is doing what he loves... I should not complain because we decided to have a child right after Luke returned home from Afghanistan and we really didn't know what the future held for us.  And I took every ones word for it... When I would complain I felt guilty.  I felt bad for not being happy for what I had.  And truthfully I started getting angry because I wasn't happy and couldn't figure out why.

So... here is the real point.  CHANGE has and will always be hard for me.  I get comfortable in something and I am content.  I like the way things are when life is in a routine.  CHANGING it up throws me for a loop and I tend to struggle.  Taking the time over the last month to reflect on the year (this was with Luke and I) has taught me so many things about myself and my relationship.  I am sharing this not to get people worried, mad, or think I want attention, but to understand that things a) don't happen as they are planned and b) admitting to the fact that you are not happy is OK!  I truly could not figure out why I was so sad, so mad... everything... when I had the world right in front of me.  All the CHANGE over the year really took a toll on me... on who I was as a person and a mom, and I couldn't admit that I wasn't happy with me.  I thought admitting to postpartum depression would make me a bad mom... Would make others think badly of me... but really, I feel SO much better now that I am figuring all this out because I was feeling bad that I wasn't enjoying my time at home.  (don't get me wrong, my boys are the light of my life, but deep down, I - personally- was struggling).  I feel like all my friends/family would judge me for not being happy or excited about what was going on in my life.  I was more worried about what others thought rather than dealing with the facts and the struggles with me.

Anyways, so there you have it.  CHANGE is dealt with in so many ways by everyone.  There are good CHANGES and bad CHANGES... CHANGES that are unexpected and CHANGES that are planned.  I want everyone to know that we are just fine on this end and by writing this, I just want all new moms to know that it is OK to struggle, to work through hard times and it is 110% OK to not always be a HAPPY MOM!  You are not a bad mom for thinking like that... You are not giving up on your child... your husband or significant other... You just need time to get through the hormonal change (WOW those things are crazy nuts!) and figure out what makes you happy!

I have the most amazing husband and son in the world, I want to be the best wife and mother to both of them.  Although I struggle with change, and everything going on in this crazy game called life, I feel so blessed to be where I am today and to have the love and support from my boys.    


   

Giggle Monster

Ok, I know I am his mom, but I could watch this video of Jameson giggling ALL DAY LONG!  I promise you, the only thing making him laugh is me flipping my hair from side to side! (don't worry, you can't see me in the video... just J!)

He is easily entertained!

That giggle melts my heart :-) 

Crazy Man!

So, we either have a football player on our hands or a gymnast!  Let me tell you, Mr. Man has no fear when it comes to getting to places/things he wants!  This video cracks me up just watching Jameson crawl all over Luke!  I hope you enjoy

A LOT of RnR

Oh and by RnR, I mean RUN and RUN some more!  There is truly no rest and relaxation in that statement!

Our fourth of July long weekend definitely did not consist of much rest or relaxing, but it was a lot of fun and we wouldn't have changed it at all!

Call us crazy, but we had the brilliant idea to leave for WI Tuesday night once Luke got off work.  So, 12:15 a.m. and we hit the road...  We "thought" that J would actually (possibly... prayed) sleep being as though it was the middle of the night, but that really was not the case the entire way... Now don't get me wrong, he slept for a while...  I would say he was awake at least 2 of the 4.5 hour drive back home.  Oh well...  He was in a great mood once we arrived to Nana and Gpa Marson's house so it worked out.

Wednesday was actually pretty productive and tons of fun (even though we were running on VERY little sleep - I slept 2 hours while Luke was at work Tuesday night and Luke took a 3 hour nap once we got to Ona).  To be perfectly honest, I was a little nervous how Wednesday was going to go because of the lack of sleep, but like I said, we were troopers and fun was had by all!  My brother was actually in town, so I think that also helped us keep going and survive with such little rest... We wanted to soak up as much time with him as possible since he was leaving the next day.

Anyways, my mom had made plans with her best friend to head out to their house and enjoy a relaxing afternoon by the pool!  Let me tell you, it was great to see everyone and hang out, but it was even more wonderful considering it was over 100 degrees outside!  A HUGE thank you goes out to Debbie and Jim for the wonderful hospitality and great pool party!  Such a great afternoon :-)

That evening, mom, Adam, Luke and I decided to brave the heat and head down to Riverfest to enjoy the fireworks.  (Gpa and Jameson were in bed)  I hadn't been to Riverfest in years, so although it was hot, it surly was nice to enjoy the fireworks like the good ol' days!  

It was back in the car for Luke and I on Thursday!  Adam, Luke and I headed to Milwaukee to enjoy an afternoon Brewer game.  Yes, call us crazy for going to an outdoor game in 100+ degree heat, but we had so much fun and made great memories!  Not to mention, Adam's best friend Bryan joined the fun, so it was great to see him and catch up as well.  Now, tailgating was not so much fun, but we did a "no-no" and decided to enjoy a couple cold beverages in the air conditioned car.  Although the Crew lost, we sure had a great time and it was so much fun to spend one more day with Adam.

 Bryan and Adam during our "tailgate party"

Heading into the game

After the game, we said our goodbyes to Adam and Bryan and Luke and I jumped BACK into the car and headed to Ona.  We had yet another busy day ahead of us Friday!

Bring on Friday... We were up and at em' bright and early so we could head to Winona to spend the morning with Luke's mom! (the 30 minute drive from  Ona to Winona seemed like a blink of the eye compared to the hours of driving we put in the previous days)  We hadn't seen Grandma Jean since Easter, so we were all very excited to get some quality time with her.  Play, play, play is exactly what J wanted to do as soon as we got to Winona.  He was all over the place from the moment we walked in... Or should I say from the moment he realized there was a dog in the house (yes, Mr. Man LOVES dogs, but what he doesn't know is a puppy is no where in the near future for this family - hahaha)  Grandma Jean was in heaven with her little man!  You know you have a special Grandma when she is crawling on the hardwood floors with your 11 month old and having the time of her life!  Love you Jean!  The four of us went for a lunch date to Jefferson's before we had to say our goodbyes and head over to see Luke's dad and step mom.  Thank you for a wonderful morning, Jean.  Like I said before, we were so excited to spend some quality time with you and can't wait to see you and Gundy next weekend for J's birthday party.  

Off to Luke's dad house we went for a quick visit.  Luke was spending the afternoon with his dad talking "business talk" so J and I made a fast stop before heading back to Ona for nap time.  Although our visit was short and sweet, it was great to see Mike and Carol :-)  We will see you both next weekend and can't wait to get some play time in with Grandma and Grandpa Hansen!!

After nap time, my dear friend Jenna, her husband Nate and their adorable daughter Ellie stopped by for a playdate!  So much fun!!!!!  J and Ellie (well they might not know this yet...) WILL BE prom dates in years to come, so they do need to get to know each other at a young age and understand the plans their mom's have for the two of them!  haha.  As you can see in the pictures, Ellie and J look about the same size, but foolish to the eye, Ellie is actually a year OLDER than J.  She is truly such a little peanut and doll.  So great to see you guys and watch our the little ones play.  (hope we can do that more often in Madison - hahaha)  

J's face is priceless in this picture!

Naturally J wanted EVERYTHING Ellie was playing with

Saturday... Saturday...  Truly, Saturday's event was the real reason for our trip home.  It was my ten year class reunion.  So many GREAT things have happened over the last ten years...  Its hard to believe life can take some many turns in such short periods of time.  

Saturday morning we got up and headed out to see Great-Grandma Marson.  That was one entertaining event!  Jameson was so into G-Gma's cat Isabella and G-Gma was so entertained by J!  It was such a funny chain reaction to witness.  

J chasing Isabella

G-Gma and J enjoying some snacks together

This pictures melts my heart!

After our morning visit, it was off to lunch and then some errands for J's up-coming 1st birthday party! 

Waiting for his food! 

Saturday evening was my reunion!  I just have to say THANK YOU to Drew Davis for putting the event together!  You did a great job.  It truly was great to see so many people I haven't seen in years and catch up on every one's life.  It's was also so fun to hear what everyone is up to these days and I have to honestly say, I was so interested in all the very successful people from our class.  I am proud to be apart of Ona's Class of 2002!  It melts my heart to hear all the stories of our classmates and where they are now.  

Just a quick side note...  The story that touched my heart the most was from Caitlin Callister (Caitlin... If you are reading this I hope you don't mind I put your name in here!)  But truly, you are an inspiration to all!  Caitlin decided to take a chance and applied for an inner city teaching position on the East coast.  She was offered the position, packed her bags and headed out east all by herself.  The part of her story that touched me so much was her passion for her job!  The entire time she was talking about what she was doing her eyes were so bright and the smile on her face NEVER faded!  When she mentioned the children she teaches you could tell her heart was wide open and she truly cared for each and everyone of the kids in her classroom.  Thank you for all you do for our youth Caitlin and I would be honored if my child would be so lucky to have such a passionate teacher like you some day!    

Unfortunately I didn't get many pictures at the reunion, but here are the couple I did end up capturing...

Luke and then headed off to a wedding party to celebrate Tristan and Mike's up-come nuptials in Napa!  Congrats you two!  We wish you a life time of happiness :-)  

Sunday was time to say goodbye and hit the road and head back to good ol' South Dakota!  Although the weekend was jam packed (like always) it was great to spend some time back in our hometowns and see so many wonderful friends and family!