Hannah Claus

Instead of visiting family for Christmas this year, we had family come and visit us in Iowa. Nathan's parents were brave enough to drive the long road out from Utah and spend the Holidays with us.

Our Christmas day was spent sleeping in, talking with family on the phone, opening gifts, having dinner with Nathan's parents and some friends, and playing games.

I was so preoccupied with making sure that dinner preparations were going according to schedule, and trying to feed Hannah in between all the festivities that the only pictures I took of the ENTIRE DAY were of Hannah in her cute little Santa outfit (thank you Grandma Culmer), and of Kronk enjoying some wrapping paper. I didn't get any pictures of my table or Christmas dinner, Nathan's parents, our friends, or of our little Culmer family. UGH! Oh well...there is nothing I can do about it now.

One of the best gifts that I received was that Hannah went 5 hours without needing to be fed early Christmas morning and let me sleep a little longer than normal! I couldn't believe that she went that long between feedings! Thanks sweetie...Mommy really appreciated that.

Mom's visit

Nathan, Hannah, and I just returned from dropping my mom off at the airport. She was kind to enough take time out of her busy schedule and help us with the arrival of Hannah. We feel a deep sense of gratitude for her selfless service during this time. She was so helpful with meals, cleaning, diaper changing, nighttime duty, help with nursing, running errands, etc. There is a part of me that wants to think that my mom will have no idea how much her coming out to Iowa meant to us...but then again she probably does know as she was once in the same situation over 30 years ago. Thanks mom for everything! We will miss you terribly.

On a different note, one thing that we did while my mom was here was a 3 generation photo shoot. I had the prompting to take advantage of some coupons and get some professional portraits done. I am so glad that I heeded that prompting as I now have some special moments captured forever.

More Hannah

I (Nathan) wanted to share a couple more pictures about Hannah with you all. She has been growing like crazy and I can't believe how quickly she is changing. It makes me want to soak up all I can of every moment with her (though a little less so when she is screaming during diaper changes--her least favorite part of the day).

So here are a few things:
This video was taken the day after Hannah was born (Dec. 8th) in the hospital. It isn't spectacular, but it's kind of cute.

Also, when she was just finishing lunch today, her fingers were interlocked together in the cutest way that made her look so solemn. However, by the time I got the camera, she had pulled them apart. So we still took a couple shots. With as fast as they change at this stage, you want to take all the pictures you can:

It's as though she's saying: "You want me to put my fingers back like they were?! That was a complete accident. C'mon Dad--I'm 5 days old!"

I like this one of Rachel holding Hannah, followed by a close up on Hannah's face:

This last one is just before her first car ride ever in her car seat from the hospital to home.

She's so small in that seat! It didn't really feel like she was in there, but I'm sure that will change.

Also, doesn't Rachel look great in this picture?

Kronk and the Intruder

Nathan here: I've had a request or two to know about Kronk's reaction to Hannah coming home. When we first came through the door, he was happy to see the new stuff we brought in because that meant he got to do some exploring. Then he looked inside the car seat. Something was different. Someone was in there--someone little! someone who smelled different. This was not acceptable, but since he knows he isn't in charge, he couldn't do much about it. Kronk has never taken very quickly to newcomers and he never has known how to act around children, but he can usually wait it out. The problem is that this stranger isn't leaving. For a while, Kronk was at DEFCON 3--wary and defensive. His solution? Maintain a safe distance. He rarely gets into his cubby hole except on the coldest nights (even then he usually chooses his hammock) and yet that is where he has spent most of his resting time these last three days. Don't get me wrong, he's acting cool about it (what cat wouldn't), but it is clear that he doesn't know what to do.

He has slowly and cautiously approached Hannah from time to time while she was sleeping and caught a sniff or two. He has calmed down some, but is definitely still on alert--probably still at DEFCON 4. When he gets surprised, he takes off like a shot instead of protesting and eventually getting out of your way--not your typical Kronk behavior.

He has discovered certain benefits to having this stranger here, however. Even though he has much less personal space and he retreats further into it, there are new hiding and resting places to explore and utilize. As you can see, underneath the changing table is an early favorite:

Another is underneath the crib, because it's obscured by the dust ruffle that Rachel's sister kindly gave to Hannah. It reaches to the floor and if you brush close to it every once in a while, you'll feel his paw reaching out to catch you. It's one of his favorite ways to play.

As time has passed, he appears to be adjusting to his demotion rather well. We love him and still give him attention (he is still needy), but he is still unsure of how he is to act. I'm sure that curiosity, and eventually familiarity will win out and he'll become accustomed to having Hannah as a full time roommate soon.

2010 goals -- ACCOMPLISHED!

Rachel here...back and blogging. Thank you Nathan for taking the time and blogging about sweet little Hannah.

At the beginning of the year I had set 2 personal goals:

Goal #1--Read the entire Old Testament cover to cover.
I have studied the Old Testament before, but I have never actually read the entire book. Back in 2006 I had read about two-thirds of the Old Testament, but I never finished and I have always regretted it. This year though I was determined!

Goal #2--Read each monthly issue of the Church's magazine, the Ensign, cover to cover.
My dear friend Cylynn was the inspiration for me on this goal. I have always had a copy of the Ensign in my home and have thumbed through them occasionally, but I have never read each month's issue thoroughly.

I would like to officially announce I have finished my goals! I finished reading the Old Testament on November 3rd, and I just finished reading the December 2010 Ensign this morning!

I must say that completing these goals has made me grow in ways that I could have never imagined. I have noticed more peace and happiness in my life, my home, and those that I have interacted with. Now I just need to come up with my goals for 2011. One of them will probably be to read the New Testament cover to cover, as I have never done that before.

Old Testament picture courtesy of Google images

A Burrito in a Donut

So Hannah has been a pretty good girl today--keeping with her long-standing tradition of crying only when cold, not swaddled, or hungry. We thought we'd take a couple more pictures and share them, though.

She likes to be wrapped up tight in her blankets (what newborn doesn't right?) and so we wanted to be sure that we know how to swaddle them. The nurses showed us and I (Nathan) have been practicing the 'burrito roll' on her. That's one service I can provide--there are some jobs I just don't have the proper tools for.

She also likes to sleep in Rachel's Boppy while swaddled so we have a couple pictures of our little burrito in her donut. I'm including a couple close-ups of her face because I like how cozy she looks when she's wrapped up like that.

On a completely unrelated note, I'm trying to figure something out. We all know and understand that it is not uncommon for expecting mothers to have cravings for food that are not traditionally in their diet, but what about new fathers? I'm wondering if there is some transfer for odd dietary choices from expecting mothers to new fathers. Yesterday for breakfast I wanted Chinese--and got it for dinner. Though that one was rather fortuitous. This evening for dinner I wanted sushi and cheesecake. I don't like sushi. Has this happened to anyone else?

Hannah's Story--by Dad

When Rachel woke up yesterday, she started feeling contractions and began tracking them. By about 7 pm they had progressed and intensified enough that we called the hospital and let them know what was going on. By 9 pm, contractions were intense and every 2-3 minutes. We hurried in.

Here we are just before we left for the hospital.

When we got there, Rachel needed to wait a little longer, so they had us do so. Rachel wasn't the most comfortable, but she bore it well. What she really wanted was an epidural. A few hours and another room later, she was ready for it.

Here she was when she got the news.

At about this same time, Rachel was dilating quickly and the new room we were in transformed like an Autobot confronting a Decepticon. Some of the gadgets that came to the fore were pretty cool.

Here are some of the cooler gadgets and funnier items of notice:

Left to Right: Welcome board, the contraction/baby pulse/mommy pulse tracker, and the (small) fry warmer.

Upon entering the world, Hannah immediately began to express her discontent with her arrival in such an unwelcoming place.

She expressed outrage,

boredom,

and contempt,

(Yes that is poop--her first poop as a matter of fact, but what else can you really do to express contempt when you're less than two hours old?)

While the service in this newer establishment was not up to her discerning tastes, she was persuaded to stay once she had the opportunity to eat and warm up in peace. Once this occurred, she calmed right down and rested. She has been a good child so far and has had quite a day. So far, she has:

• Charmed her parents without even trying
• Had several meals (She wasted no time on this one. It was like a barnacle to a whale--she knew what she wanted and how to get it.)
• Pooped a lot (dad being the primary target)
• Had her first diaper changes
• Had her first bath
• Slept a lot
• Learned that she likes to be swaddled and warm
• Been a real sweetheart and a very good baby
• Told us when she was hungry or cold
• Sucked her pacifier, thumb, finger, side of her hand, and the nurses finger
• Entertained multiple guests

Here are some more shots we took today for your perusal and for the sake of embarrassing her when she brings home that first date in approximately 16 years.

Rachel, Hannah and Hannah's first nurse, Laura (who

was wonderful, by the way) holding her first footprint.

Hannah with her first pediatrician:

Hannah resting in Mom's arms while the two of them

enjoy a little quiet time together (Rachel was a real trooper, by the way):

Hannah and Dad exploring the new, although temporary digs.

Rachel reading while Hannah had one of her meals, or as we like to call it: The Feed n' Read

Dinner.

The happy family.

The happy family 70's style.

Funny story. Because the hospital will provide food for mothers, but not fathers, I called a good friend of mine who knew my favorite Chinese restaurant in the area and he was kind enough to bring me something so that I could have dinner as well (thanks Dan!). He also happened to bring a couple fortune cookies for us. When I opened and ate my fortune cookie (I kid you not), this is what it said:

All in all, it has been an exhausting, but wonderful day. In the quiet moments, I have reflected on the wonder and surreality of it all and felt a great love in my heart. I could not ask for a better fortune than the one given me at random from a Chinese restaurant. I look forward to the journey. Welcome to the world, Hannah. I love you.

Labor & Delivery

Not much else to say but the title... It's 10:45 PM CST and it doesn't look like this pregnancy is going to have any false starts. We'll keep you posted with news and pix as they come.

P.S. Regarding contractions: Rachel is "not a fan"

Last day of work

Yesterday was my last day of work!

It was a very strange experience. I've been doing dental assisting for 14 years and now it's on to a new job that will last a lifetime -- motherhood!

I did some number crunching the other day at the office for my time I spent working here in Iowa. Here is what I came up with (within the last 4 years):

I have worked over 7,300 hours
I have taken over 1,200 impressions

I have done over 1,100 study models

And I've probably done over 13,000 procedures in the last 4 years (over 1,000 of those procedures were working on new patients within the last 2 years)

I wish there was a way that I could calculate how many hours, impressions, models, and patients I've worked on during my entire 14 years of dental assisting. I wonder how big those numbers would be.

A visit by the fire department

Our Black Friday was a very interesting day.

Last night I went to bed around 7:30 pm because I was so exhausted from the days events: getting up at 3:00 am to go shopping on Black Friday, putting up Christmas decorations, and getting dinner ready for the missionaries.

About 9:00 pm Nathan came in and said "How are you feeling?" Thinking that was an odd question, I told him I feel fine and asked him what was wrong (am I in labor and just didn't know it). He told me that our carbon monoxide alarm did some weird beeping noises and went off. SCARY!!!

So Nathan called the fire department to check in and see what needed to happen next. The man told Nathan that they would be at our house shortly. Sure enough within 10 minutes the fire truck was parked outside our place and 3 firemen came in our house. They brought in their carbon monoxide detectors and were not getting any readings (sigh). After some discussion and inspection of our detector it was determined that it must have been a glitch, and encouraged us to look at replacing the detector.

The firemen informed us that there will be another man coming out from Mid-American energy to inspect our home (apparently they have carbon monoxide detectors that are more sensitive than the fire department's). Sure enough within a few minutes here came the Mid-American energy man. He came in our home and his detector looked exactly like a ghost trap from Ghostbusters. Nathan wanted to ask the man "do you have any ghosts in there Egon?"

Well he didn't have any ghosts, and he didn't get any carbon monoxide readings with his detector. Agreeing with the firemen, the man said it must have been a glitch and encouraged us to look at replacing the detector.

So the man went on his way, and I went back to bed. Crazy day!

Fire truck picture from Google images

Ghostbusters trap picture from Google images

Thanksgiving 2010

Gobble Gobble! Happy Thanksgiving!

For our Thanksgiving we went to the Iowa River Power Restaurant again, but this year we went with some friends.

We had LOTS of tasty food and we had a great view too.

We had the owner of the restaurant stop by our table to take a picture. Last year, she was dressed in a turkey costume that was, in our opinion, very fun and festive (see picture below). This year however she didn't wear the turkey outfit because apparently some of the customers did not like it--Scrooges. Nathan and I were very impressed that she remembered us from last year. She said that we were the one of two couples that loved her outfit last year.

After dinner Nathan and I went to go see the new Disney movie Tangled. It was a fun lighthearted movie and we enjoyed some good wholesome entertainment. After the movie we drove around the mall to see all the crazy people camped out in freezing weather. As we drove past Target, we saw this huge line of carts lined up outside the door and we just had to take the picture.

I shall finish the post with something my Grandma says every year: "Thanksgiving is gone and it didn't take long."

Showers

This post is more intended for my mom...but I welcome anyone who wants to read it.

On November 11, 2010 my co-workers and boss had a baby shower for me at the office. I was not able to take any pictures as is was a surprise and I didn't have my camera with me. Needless to say there was some very yummy food, and I got some great gifts (see picture below)!

On November 20, 2010 some friends here in Iowa threw a baby shower for me. My mom wanted LOTS of pictures taken (thanks Channa). So mom...here are a few pictures of the event:

Heading off to the shower.

Some pictures of the decorations.

The dessert table. I love the centerpiece. If you look at it closely you'll see the flowers/bows are hair clips. It was a genius idea (and it was suggested by a husband of one of my friends that was helping throw the shower. Thanks Jed)!

The food. All throughout the pregnancy I have been craving potato related things. So the girls had a baked potato bar and it was YUMMY!

Here is a picture of some of the friends that came to the shower. The reason why they are so focused on a sheet of paper is because they are playing a game.

And here is a picture of the gifts that I have received.

My heart was truly touched by the amount of time and effort that went into planning the shower and the gifts. I feel so blessed. Thank you to everyone who helped make this a memorable experience for me.