Happy Belated Birthday Kyson

It's hard to believe that our little boy is already 2 years old. His birthday was on April 27, but we ended up having 2 parties (not on his birthday) because Kris' parents were sick and we didn't want to leave them out. At his first party with my family, he had a hard time with my sister and her family. He's at that "stranger danger" stage and hid behind his chair most of the party. Fortunately, he came out to open his presents. At the second party with Kris' family, he was afraid of his birthday cake, or at least the candle on it. Blake and Avery, his cousins, blew his candle out for him.

Last year he couldn't eat his birthday cake because of his eating problems, this year, he just refused to eat it. He wanted to eat it while walking around and we wouldn't let him. So he got angry and didn't eat anything. . . until everyone left.

Everyone was so nice and generous with Kyson. Thank you for the support. He got a new tricycle and some other wonderful things he can enjoy. He even got some new clothes that we really enjoy. he's growing too fast.

It Sucks to be Sick!

After our fantastic adventures in California, we had the opportunity to come down with the flu. Kyson started it, and it has spread like wildfire. The morning we were leaving San Diego, Kyson woke up at 2:30am throwing up. This continued every 10 minutes for 5 hours. He slowly started throwing up every 20 minutes, then every 30 minutes, then 45, and eventually staggered to occasionally. He threw up just as we were about to take off in the plane, and it was apparent he was just plain miserable! As soon as we landed, we took him to the Instacare. They said, "If he keeps throwing up tonight, bring him back." He threw up once during the night, but that is where the vomiting ended. . . at least for Kyson.

After the Instacare, we picked up some food and I ate. I threw it up, but thought it was because I waited too long to eat, being pregnant and all. That night it continued, and throughout the next day. I was throwing up every 30 minutes and lost 7 lbs in 36 hours. I eventually called my doctor to ask if I should do anything. They told me to go to Emergency. We took Kyson to Kris' parents on the way to the hospital and he ended up needing to spend the next few days with them. In Emergency, I had to be given 4 liters of fluid through IVs to get out of severe dehydration. The baby is fine, but it scared us when they couldn't fid a heartbeat for some time. The next day, I continued to throw up, but it was much less, and I began to move past the bug.

At the hospital, Kris started not feeling too well. His sickness affected the basement rather than the attic, though. He missed the entire week of work because he felt so weak.

Our saga began Saturday morning, we missed Easter, we both missed work, we missed Kyson from Sunday to Wednesday, and then the worst news hit - Carol, Kris' mom started throwing up on Wednesday morning. She's still sick and today is her birthday. We feel awful about her getting sick from helping us.

San Diego

Last week, our family had the opportunity to go to San Diego. Some time ago, we had decided we should plan a fun trip just before Kyson's 2nd birthday. The reason being, he can fly for free and would have free admissions to most places. We used our points from our credit card and were able to fly free as well. The reason we decided on San Diego was because of all the animals there. Kyson is a huge animal fan.

We started our trip off visiting the Midway museum. It is a battleship that was used during WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. It was amazing how big the ship was. It would take someone 3-4 hours to look at every room in that ship. While it is huge, all the rooms are extremely small and the hall ways very narrow. I can't imagine living on that ship for 6 months at a time. It sounds like torture.

While the first activity was for the adults, we went straight to kid stuff by the next morning. Wild Animal Park is a place that is run by the San Diego Zoo. It has all sorts of animals that roam free in one area and a tram takes you to see them. They had great shows, and a wonderful petting zoo. Believe it or not, Kyson's favorite part was the carousel. He made me ride it 7 times in a row. He would have gone more, but we were ready to leave.
The next day was Legoland. According to their website it says that there is so much to do for the entire family. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Families with children under 5, really shouldn't waste their money. There were a handful of rides Kyson could ride, and that was it. It also closed really early. The best part of Legoland was an aquarium that they had next door. Kyson loved all the "fishies." They had one huge tank full of sharks and stingrays and it gave you the feeling like you were surrounded by the sea life. It wasn't as good as Sea World, but Kyson seemed to enjoy it.

Sea World did seem to be the highlight of everyone's trip. That was most people's favorite. I didn't take many pictures, but Kyson enjoyed it a lot. The shows at Sea World were amazing. Kyson is so sensitive to animals that at first, he was getting angry, thinking that the trainers were hurting the animals. After we reassured him that the animals were having fun, he settled down and seemed to really enjoy it.

Going to the San Diego Zoo after having been to the Wild Animal Park and Sea World, was quite a disappointment. All the paths were extremely narrow and steep. It wasn't built to cater a lot of people, or for small walking children, or older people who may have trouble walking. They had a lot of animals, but the shows were disappointing, the petting zoo closed way too early, and the layout is not friendly for people who are not familiar with the zoo. They had some adorable babies, like a giraffe, a gorilla, and an anteater.

And what trip to the coast is complete without going to the beach? We went a couple of times, but both times were too chilly for me to get in the water. My husband and father were the dare devils tackling the Pacific. Like when we went to the Atlantic ocean, Kyson loved it. At one point he was running in and out of the water and a big wave was coming so I had to rescue him before it knocked him down. He loved it. He also loved wearing his shades. Overall, the trip was a success. We were all tired when we got home, but it was a lot of fun.

Baby Hansen

Today we had our first doctor appointment for the baby. I did so well. For those of you who don't know, I have an extremely difficult time going to the "girl" doctor. I sob every time. This time, I didn't even cry. I got extremely nervous and had to breathe deeply, but I didn't freak out like normal.

The baby is great. Everything seems to be developing as planned, but the baby seems too big to go by my original due date. It has been moved up a week. My new due date is October 8.

Kyson's First Haircut

We decided since Kyson was beginning to look a little unkept with his hair getting so long, it was time for a haircut. My mother was afraid of us cutting off his blond, curly locks, but don't worry, the curls remained. I tried to get a good "before" shot, but he wouldn't cooperate, and he looks a little drunk instead. I promise you, that is not the case.

My sister, who cuts hair for a living, cut his hair before our vacation. Kyson wouldn't cooperate with anything. He sat on Kris' lap, but refused to wear a cape. He wouldn't let Jen touch his head and he pushed her away. Basically she said he was one of the toughest kids she'd ever had, until . . . she gave him a sucker. Things began to change after that.

In the end, he looks adorable, and all who have seen him with his new do love it.

I'm a Dinosaur

We're moving on from from our loss earlier this month, but since then, Kyson has been obsessed with dinosaurs. He watches a Sesame Street episode on dinosaurs nearly ever day and he likes to act like a dinosaur by bending over while he walks and growling. It's very cute.

We Miss Her Already

Komodo Hansen

July1, 1988 - March 8, 2009

For those of you who have met Komodo, you understand what a loss it is for our family. Komodo passed away peacefully while sleeping in the bathtub, as she frequently did. It was a relaxing time for her and it was enough to send her to heaven this time. Komodo has been a member of our family since 2001 and an important family member too. She has been with Kris and I for our entire married life, and she is our "first born."

When we first bought her, she was very sick. Her kidneys were shutting down, she had low blood count, and mites. She had a miserable time at the vet for a while working to improve her health, but she pulled through. A year or so after she came to our family, she produced eggs and she could not lay them. She had them surgically removed and she's had no health problems since. Many people were concerned about us having an iguana when I became pregnant with Kyson, worried that she would carry salmonella to him or me. We had her tested, and she did not carry salmonella. She was the smartest, and sweetest reptile you'd ever meet. The average age for iguanas is 13 years, and Komodo has pulled through those years of difficulty to live nearly 21 years.

The first time she met my grammy from New Hamp- shire, she liked her so much she ran and jumped on her head. Komodo isn't a small lizard. She's about 4 1/2 feet long and my grandma was such a good sport that she laughed it off and has since bragged about her to her friends at home. She always said, "I've never heard of anyone having such a pet!" This Christmas when my grammy came out for Christmas, the two of them looked at pictures together.

Komodo was a very well behaved little girl. She was potty trained and never messed up the house. She would scratch at the back door to go to the bathroom and would relieve herself outside - even when it was snowing. She would beg for bananas by standing on her hind legs and waving her hand. Because she loved bananas so much, Santa would put one in her stocking every year.

Since adding Kyson to our lives, the two of them have really gotten along well. Komodo was one of his first distinguishable words, "Bobo," which has now evolved to "Modo." When I found Komodo and brought her dowstairs, Kyson was petting her head, saying "Modo," and trying to talk to her. It broke my heart. That evening, Kyson chose to read the book about Lenny the Lizard which is about a lizard that looks like Komodo. Every time we read that story, he calls the lizard in the pictures Komodo. It was just another moment that reminded us she was gone.