Suzanne C Hansen

What?! It's been how long?? How time flies.

2010-09-03T09:57:00.001-07:00

WOW!! I thought it had been just a couple of months since I had updated. HA!! It's been 12!! We are doing well as a family. Caraline is growing quickly and is too smart for her own good. I guess I should start this out in more of an update mode.

Kyle is still working for the Las Vegas Sun as a reporter. He works Tuesday - Saturday. He enjoys what he does but is always looking for a better job that would give him the opportunity to focus more on his passions than what he is assigned. He has been working there for just over 2 years.

I am still working for the St Rose Dominican Hospitals. I am a float pool nurse (same as before). I typically work 2 days a week and spend the rest of my time with Caraline.

Yup . . . same old same old. . . except for Caraline.

Caraline is growing quickly and changing day by day. When she was a couple of months old, her Pediatrician and her Cardiologist were concerned because she was so long and skinny. She wasn't gaining weight as fast as they would like, and quickly plummeted to less than 0.05% on the weight charts. She was getting taller and her head was staying on it's "curve", but her weight just wasn't up to par. As her Mom, and a nurse, I felt like she was getting plenty to eat and her diapers were how they should be, but I knew she looked really skinny. So we started keeping track of everything she was eating and details about her diapers. We saw several specialists to try to figure out what was wrong. Caraline was developing normally, but was really skinny. Finally, just before her 1st birthday, we were able to see a geneticist who told us Caraline has a connective tissue disorder. This explained her hyper-flexibility and why she wasn't gaining enough weight even though she was eating plenty and then some. It takes twice as much energy for Caraline to move due to the hyper-stretching of her tendons and ligaments. This has not slowed our little girl down. Caraline hasn't stopped moving since the day she was born!! We have been teaching her sign language. Her first clear sign was please, followed by more and then food. So her favorite thing to say now is "more food please!" She has been lots of fun and keeps us on our toes!! (See pictures and slide show below.)

My first dress at 1 month old.

My favorite napping place :)

3 months old napping with Great Grandma Hansen

This is going to be a GREAT day!!

Uncle Sam has LOTS of hats. This is my first one.

Say CHEESE!!!

My first marshmallow. . .

yes the whole thing fit in my mouth.

Practicing to win chubby bunny :)

My first Christmas. . . wonder what is inside??

Oreos?!? What oreos?!? I'm not sure I've ever had one.

Dear cousin Adam, you may be 1/2 my age and twice my weight, but I can still pick you up!!

Razzleberry pie anyone??

My favorite chew toy!!! I've got it mastered Mom.

Now just wait for the teeth and I'll have a reason to use it!

HA!! You told me the lion was going to eat me.

Well, I'll show him who's boss around here!!

The shopping cart says I should be at least 15 lbs to sit like this.

It's going to take me a long time to get there at this rate.

You think this hat makes me look bigger than I am?

Track meet with the with my second family, the Odells.

This looks like it's going to be a close race. RUN FASTER!!

Really!?! That's quite interesting. Tell me more.

Trip to Yosemite. It was cold and raining, but

I was snug as a bug in a rug, and didn't get wet.

We wondered why we kept getting funny looks.

Do I look like a Yosemite Ranger??

Look out Smokey the Bear. . . someday I'll be you!!

HA HA!!! Dad, I got to the front seat first.

I'll drive the rest of the way to Grandma and Grandpa Hansen's.

Raggedy Ann will help me.

My first Easter egg hunt. Dad is holding

the basket that they say is for the rest of the

eggs. . . I'm good with just this one.

Nap time with Dad.

Nap time with Grandpa Crook after his surgery.

We took a lot of naps together that trip.

I made breakfast in bed for Dad for his birthday.

We ate it together in the bed.

Then I helped Mom wash the sheets.

Next time we'll eat in the bathtub!

1st Birthday Cake

Now what am I supposed to do??

Isn't this what I was supposed to do with my birthday cake?!?

Kisses anyone??

My first sucker. . . and I'm sure not my last :)

Keeping busy!!

2009-08-26T15:23:00.001-07:00

Life has been good and I've been busy with Caraline, so I haven't taken the time to update. . . see the picture for yourself. . . she's growing fast and keeping both Kyle and I busy. If you look close at the picture Caraline's shirt says, "Daddy makes me smile." Kyle has just finished feeding and burping her in this picture and she is filling her pants while sitting on his leg, which made us all smile. Someone passed him the diapers and wipes just after his Uncle took this picture.
For anyone who may be interested we will be blessing Caraline September 6, 2009 at our ward here in Henderson, Nevada. If you are interested in coming let me know and I can give more details. . . I can't believe she is 8 weeks/2 months old today!! How time flies!!

The New Addition!!

2009-07-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

Four weeks ago today, Caraline Gwen Hansen made her debut!! I've been busy and have not made it a priority to update my blog with the details. After much harassment from friends and family, I decided to give up a nap while Caraline is sleeping to share details.
During the last week of June, each morning when I would wake up around 4:30 in the morning for a trip to the bathroom, I would notice I was having contractions, go back to bed, and by the time I got up around 7:00 or 8:00 they had stopped. June 30, this was not the case. The contractions were noticed around 4:30 am, I went back to bed, and when I got up around 7:30 I was still having them. The contractions continued through the morning. I had a Doctor's appointment at 1:30, but when the contractions were 3-5 minutes apart and lasting 45-90 seconds at 11:30, I called the Doctor's office and told them I would not be coming to my appointment, but would be headed to the hospital in the next couple of hours. The contractions continued like this for hours, but I was able to talk through them and they were not very painful, more just feeling of by belly becoming very tight and my hip joints stiffening. I even sent Kyle for a Jamba Juice and shopped the ads. I even contemplated mowing the lawn to try to speed things up.
As you can see in this picture, I had finally "popped out". In the the last three weeks of my pregnancy, Caraline decided she wanted more room to move, so I had to go buy some maternity clothes and got some AMAZING stretch marks!!
Contractions continued all day. I was still doing things around the house, getting a little anxious for this little one to come, but feeling pretty good. Around 7 pm I noticed that I was having to go to the bathroom more often and each time a contraction came I would "dribble". So questioning if my water had broken, we headed to the hospital, which is just over two miles from our house.
We checked in and the nurse checked me. My water had not broken, but she was surprised that I was dilated to a 6 and 50% effaced. Her comment was that I was too calm for that. They put me on the monitors and were surprised at the strength of my contractions for my demeanor. So the text messages started being sent to let everyone know we were actually at the hospital and this baby was coming.
The nurses informed me that my doctor had ordered an epidural, and asked if I wanted it right away or if I wanted to wait. I told them I didn't want an epidural. We discussed the pros and cons, and I told them that at that point in time I wanted to deliver this little girl as natural as possible, but I would let them know if I changed my mind. Labor continued uneventful and pretty much the same until about 3:00 am when I was moving from the chair next to the bed back to the bed and my water broke. Then the contractions became very strong and very intense and painful. At this point Kyle came over to my bedside to coach me with breathing (which I wouldn't have been able to do without him in my face helping!!) I knew this little one was going to come pretty quickly. The nurses called the doctor, but Caraline beat him there by 45 minutes!! When I got to the point that I felt like I needed to push, I told them, the nurse and Kyle told me not to, but Caraline came anyway! I couldn't stop my body from pushing her out. Two contractions after I felt like I needed to push she came very quickly. . . and wow does she have a set of lungs!! Caraline was born at 4:04 am July 1, 2009. She weighed 7 lb 12 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. Kyle is excited because she has curly hair. At birth there was no way to say which of us she looks like, except that she has a dimple in her chin like her mom, and Grandma Hansen says she has long skinny arms and legs like Kyle did.

This picture is after they cleaned her up and were weighing her.

This is Kyle next to the crib, checking Caraline and trying to decide if he should go bug mom again and see how she is doing. . .she's got a great nurse at her bedside!!
This is the cake the hospital gave us to celebrate her "birth"day.
In the warmer after the first bath.
Notice the baby LoJack on her ankle to prevent anyone from
kidnapping her. Her scream would deter them.
She has an amazing set of lungs!!
36 hours after labor started Mom and Baby finally get a nap.
The happy family just before our first dinner as a family.
Yes, we are all as tired as we look!!
Our first evening at home and Caraline
just wants to cuddle with Mom!
Three weeks after birth Caraline still likes to cuddle for naps!!

We stayed at the hospital till around noon the day after Caraline was born and couldn't wait to get home!! The following Monday, Grandma Hansen and Aunt Rachel came and stayed for a week. This is Grandma Hansen's 1st grandbaby. They left July 13, leaving us to get through Caraline withdrawals from Grandma holding her all the time. July 19 we made a daring trip to Salt Lake City for my youngest sister's wedding. Caraline did great on the 8 hour drive, but struggled a bit the first night we were there, waking up every hour wanting to eat or be comforted. Possibly a growth spurt? We've made trips to the dog park, the grocery store, the library, the mall, the park, Great-grandpa Hansen's house, and mowed the lawn together.
This precious little girl has brought much change to our lives and lots of laughs and joy!! Her expressions are priceless. I think my favorite is her wink/I'm not asleep face. (There are pictures of many of these at the link below.) Her dislike of being swaddled, but love of being cuddled and her "frog" legs keep us smiling. Check out more pictures by clicking on this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/hansen.suz/CaralineGwenHansen?authkey=Gv1sRgCOun0cKf562IYQ&feat=directlink
Check out Caraline's own personal blog by clicking this link :
http://caralinehansen.blogspot.com/

Been toooo long!!

2009-06-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I updated my blog. Life has been busy. . . but that's no excuse. We made a trip to San Jose, CA for a friend's wedding and to see the family mid-March. Mid-April we made a quick trip to Salt Lake City, UT for my Dad's birthday and to see some friends we haven't seen for a while. May has been filled with work, trying to get things ready for this little girl that is coming to our lives, fulfilling church responsibilities, taking prenatal classes, and adjusting to pregnant life.
In the last month I have had hip pain which has slowed down my brisk walk quite a bit and as you can see from the pictures below, our little girl thinks she needs to be pushing up and not out, thus making it more difficult for me to breathe. About a week ago when I was at the gym for a swim, one of the lifeguards whom I've chatted with because she guards often when I'm there, came over and asked if I was okay. She had noticed that I wasn't swimming as hard as I used to and was taking longer breaks between sets. I told her I was pregnant and that my baby was starting to make it hard to breathe. She asked how far along I was and when I told her almost 9 months (because technically if you do the math 40 weeks = 10 months, but we don't say we are pregnant for 10 months. . . just nine and today technically starts my 9th month of being pregnant.) The lifeguard gave me this big bug eyed look and said, "I want to swim that well and look that good when I get pregnant!" As you can see from the pictures below, I'm showing but hardly. These pictures were also taken today.

The bump in the middle of my belly is not my belly button. It is the tie from the scrub pants I am wearing. The butt of the scrubs are also really saggy. The scrubs have to be big to fit up over my belly and not just fall off when I tie them on my belly! I finally had to break down in the last couple of weeks and buy a pair of maternity pants and some maternity shirts to wear when I go out into public, but for now around the house I've been wearing my long shirts and scrub pants. It KILLS ME!! how expensive maternity clothes are and I had the hardest time finding maternity pants that were long enough and maternity shirts that actually fit. Plus I'm probably only going to be wearing them for about 6 weeks.
Kyle designed the nursery and has done an amazing job picking colors and getting the painting done. We were lucky enough to have someone give us a crib, and I found most the rest of the furniture that we needed on Craigs list (for those who don't know. . . Craigs list is a form of on-line classifieds.) We are almost done, and when we are, I will take you on a video tour, but for now these pictures will have to do. We decided we wanted to do a jungle theme, but it has turned into more of just an animal theme. Here you can see the general color scheme. The ceiling is very very light blue.

While I was looking for some things I needed at a craft store, Kyle found these cool animals, which we decided to put around the room. We decided they needed to be stuck to the wall with magnets or Velcro so they can be rearranged and played with by either little or big hands. We opted for velcro, but when I saw Kyle with places for them in the closet, I asked why. He looked at me with this childish grin and said something to the effect of, "Didn't you ever play in the closet??" Between the two of us I'm excited to see the creative encouragement that comes out of us and reflects in our daughter :)I've been sitting too long while posting this and our daughter is wiggling all over. . . a sign I need to get up and moving or she's going to start digging with knees and elbows :)

Mamma said there'd be days like this!!!

2009-04-17T09:02:00.001-07:00

There have been many days like this lately. . . Long list of to dos and half of them marked off but the house looks like I've been curled up reading a book all day and ignoring it. This has been one of my favorite comics recently.

My Daughter!!

2009-03-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

I can totally see this being my daughter :)

Baby smiles!!

2009-03-18T17:39:00.000-07:00

I've been surfing the Internet looking for baby coupons and freebies when I came across this website that made me laugh!! It is great for new dads, moms and babysitter wannabes. It even has videos on how to change a diaper, how to bathe a baby, how to burp a baby, how to feed a baby, how to dress a baby, and even how to place a baby properly in a stroller!!

We have quite a bit of dirt in our back yard, and the other day, when Casey was scratching he was shaking off a cloud of dust. So, because the dogs come in the house and I didn't want half the back yard's dirt in the house, I decided to give Casey and Koko a bath, in the bathtub. Yes, I dared the adventure again!! This time Koko was being the funny one trying to avoid the water and at the same time not touch Casey who was wet. She voluntarily went and got in the tub when I told her to, but once there decided she didn't want to be wet. Casey on the other hand, followed Koko into the tub and sat and let me wash him. Seriously no wiggling, no playing, no fighting, just sat on his rear while I sprayed him down and soaped him, and then wouldn't get up off his rear when I was ready to wash it!! I'm sure they are giving me good practice for my children!! During the wrestling match/water fight I could feel the baby moving quite a bit. It almost felt like she was trying to get out to join the fun, which wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. All in due time little girl, there will be plenty of opportunity once you are big enough!!
She has been really active the last week, moving, poking, and kicking. All usually when I'm trying to sit still or fall asleep. The other night I could have sworn there was more than one in there for all the jabbing and rubbing I could feel. I LOVE IT!!! My dad was teasing me and told me the reason I can feel her so much is because she is trying to sign to me. Too bad tactile sign language doesn't work so well with the feeling I have on the inside of my uterus!
I finally am starting to show. . . a tiny bit. I have a bump that looks more like I've gained a little weight (which I've actually lost not gained) than that I am almost 6 months pregnant. I am still wearing all my "normal" clothes.

(Yes these are self phots!!)

Another month with lots of adventures!!

2009-03-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

It seems as if it were only last week that I updated, and it's been a month!! How time flies!!
This last month has been a busy one, mostly because I was working two jobs. Part time at the job I have had since we moved here to Las Vegas, and part time at the new one that I have been hoping will be a better job. The old job had some things I didn't like that were becoming more and more disagreeable and leaving me feeling more like slave labor and less like a nurse. We had accepted a relocation reimbursement and sign on bonus that we wanted to make sure the new job would be better, before deciding to pay it back. So I went to part time at the old job and started at another hospital Per Diem. I started at St Rose Dominican Hospitals, Catholic Health Care West, as a float pool nurse mid January. Basically I tell them when I am available, and they call me that day between 5:00 and 5:30 am to let me know which of the three hospitals and which floor they need me on. By mid February I knew I was in a better place, and February 19 was my last day at the old hospital. So for about a month I was working four 12 hour shifts a week. Now I'm back to whatever my body will tolerate through the rest of the pregnancy. Nice thing is I only have to work two shifts a month to stay on the payroll and can call as late as the night before to pick up shifts.
Just after that job transition. . . the weekend after, Kyle and I headed to San Diego to spend the weekend for his cousin's wedding. While we were driving down to San Diego, I thought my stomach was not agreeing with something I ate. It felt like it was churning, but I wasn't feeling like I was going to throw up or have diarrhea, which has happened off and on pretty often since I became pregnant and more often when I am in the car for long periods of time. Odd thing was the churning feeling would start about a half hour after I would sit down in the car and stop when I got up. I finally realized I was feeling our little girl move for the first time. What an odd way, but well, all I have to say is she's like her mom. . . When I sit for more than 30 minutes, she starts wiggling and gets more and more aggressive the longer I remain sitting. I'm not one that does very good sitting still for more than a half hour. Good thing I do a lot of walking at work, or I would be in big trouble!!
NOTE. . . Through the rest of this update there are darker brown underlined words referring to different things. . . if you don't already know, if you click on these words they will take you to the website referred to.
As I have been registering for baby necessities at Target, Babies R Us, and Walmart, I have been comparing items on-line to try to find what will fit our little girl's needs with the highest quality and lowest price, I have found some really cool websites. One shows very graphic pictures of what the fetus looks like during fetal development and describes week by week what is happening with the baby as it develops. There is another website that shows how big mom's belly is on average through the pregnancy. Though I am almost 6 months pregnant, I am only showing about as much as the 3 to 4 month pictures demonstrate. I am still wearing all my own clothes and only occasionally after eating have to unbutton my pants. Another website has fun animations of different medical procedures that may happen through pregnancy, ie. ultrasound, epidural, c-section, amniocentesis, etc. which has been fun to share with my students from the Deaf School in California who have been emailing lots of questions about pregnancy and medical procedures. I know I am learning through all of this. Over the last 10 years as a nurse, OB/GYN has been the one aspect of nursing I haven't spent much time involved with or learning, studying, or working. I know alot about the baby aspect, but the pregnancy side has been a fun adventure :)
While we were in San Diego, we took the opportunity to go to the Wild Animal Park before the wedding. After walking up and down the hilly paths for a couple of hours my hips were letting me know they needed a break. Which has been another fairly recent pregnancy experience. The following are some of the animals we saw and how close we were able to get with them in open habitat space.

Map of the park

Elephants (Is one feeding the other or playing dentist?)

Giraffes (some of my favorites.
I love how graceful they are even thought they seem so awkward.)

Lion

His Pride (Lionesses and Cubs)

Cheetah (who would
look away every time I snapped the photo!)

Ruffled Lemur (These guys would hold still
and as you tried to snap a photo they would take off!!
There are actually two in this photo.)

Warthog (As ugly as Pumba,
but didn't seem to smell as Disney portrays.)

The wild things I'm related to :) can you see
the tail on the light blue one?? L-R Linda (mom in law),
Trek, Sam, Kelsey, Brandon

Rachel (far left) and Kyle (right) snuck into the shot. Only heaven
knows what animal Bryce (dad in law) is chasing
More Photos

We spent half the day at the park and then headed to the Hotel to change and go to the sealing at the San Diego Temple. It was a beautiful day to spend outside!!

Yankee Doodle isn't coming to town. . .but our little girl is!!

2009-02-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

Today was our official ultrasound. . . we are having a girl!!! Just one :) We are excited!! Kyle couldn't wait for the appointment to finish to tell EVERYONE!! After the ultrasound, I went to the bathroom, and half the people in his address book knew before I was done. I dropped Kyle off at work, went to the store and ran into a couple of the girls he works with and they already knew because he had posted it on Facebook!! We are both excited to have her here. Next task, pick a name :) Too bad for Kyle. . . It's not a boy so he can't try for Yankee Doodle any more! We are due July 4, 2009 so Kyle's still rooting for a patriotic name. Any suggestions??

I am feeling much better. I haven't thrown up in a week, but now I have an insatiable appetite!! If it keeps up, I will easily gain back the 25 pounds I lost at the beginning of the pregnancy!

Our first ultrasound

2009-01-15T18:35:00.000-08:00

Today I went for my 16 week checkup with the doctor. While he was doing the fundus check (where he presses his fingers into my belly to feel where the top of my uterus, the fundus, is) he had a funny expression on his face. He then asked me, "Are you sure of the date of your last menstrual period?" I said, "Yes". "Did you say multiples run in your family?" "Yes." "We need to do a quick ultrasound. Your fundus is where it should be at 20 weeks not 16." So off I went to the waiting room to wait for the ultrasound tech to have a quick break. While in the waiting room I called Kyle and told him what was going on. He informed me he was on his way over. (My doctor's office is across the street from where Kyle works.) I was called in to see the ultrasound tech just as Kyle got in the building, but she didn't have time to wait for him to come up to the 3rd floor. She did a quick ultrasound and said, "Sorry I'm so rushed!" Handed me a piece of paper and showed me where I needed to wait for the doctor. When I looked at the paper I realized I had a picture of our baby in my hand! The doctor came out a couple of minutes later, looked at my chart, and came up and said, "I was wrong. Just one baby, and you are right at 16 weeks according to the baby's measurements." We had a brief conversation about what could cause my uterus to be how it is and set an appointment for next month for the "real" look at the baby's anatomy (heart, brain, lungs, etc.) and find out the baby's sex if the baby will cooperate. I walked out into the waiting room, handed Kyle the ultrasound, pointed out the baby's parts, and shared what the doctor told me. As we walked out of the building Kyle turned and said, "I'm glad we are not having twins." When I dropped him back at work he was excited to take the pictures of our baby with him to show off.
Looking at the top image you can see the baby lying on it's back with knees and great big belly sticking up in the air with it's little arm down the side of the body. The bottom image is a face on shot. You can see the outline of the skull and it's knees.

I am excited for this new little one that will be joining our family!! We are starting to look for furniture and baby supplies. Wow!! They can be expensive!! If you know of anyone getting rid of some or selling some let us know. . . if we can't use them, I have a couple of friends in the area that are looking for baby stuff too.

A chance to post details has finally been found!!

2009-01-09T17:58:00.000-08:00

We have been blessed tremendously in the last 6 months!! A great job for Kyle, a new dog, an awesome house, a baby on the way, and a better job for me!!

Kyle is working for LasVegasSun.com as an online editor and for the Home News covering hyper-local news. Kyle really likes his job because he gets to do a bit of everything. His primary job is editorial work and loading the stories and work of others on-line. He also has covered and written stories, taken photos for stories, and done some video work. (Click on the blue word stories and video to see samples of his work.) We live about a half a mile from his work, so quite often he enjoys walking to work. One of my favorite things about his job, is that I have RARELY heard him complain about it. Usually he comes home with stories of the work he is doing, or his awesome co-workers.

As I have shared in the past, after moving to Las Vegas we adopted a second dog, a Yellow Labrador Retriever, and named him Casey. Casey was a lot of work, especially at first. After a couple of months with us he is much better at following commands, behaving, and not jumping up on us. He still has his moments, but he is a quick learn. Koko, our Australian Shepherd is a great teacher!!

Also as previously shared, we bought a house and I think we are almost settled in. We are enjoying our home, and though we have found a few dead scorpions upstairs, we can't find much to complain about. (Really I think the scorpion idea has become more of a topic of conversation than a concern.)

We are pregnant and expecting on July 4, 2009. Kyle's parents are excited to tell people that they will have a grand baby and not just grand dogs =) I would occasionally get sick during my first trimester, but basically felt as if I wasn't pregnant. The first few weeks of the second trimester have been a little more difficult. I have found my stomach is sensitive to some of Kyle's favorite foods (garlic, melted cheese, Togos, greasy foods), and I have had days where nothing will stay down. All in all I'm doing well and Kyle says I'm starting to show.

Job wise for me has been a bit of a roller coaster. We were blessed for me to find a job very quickly, which offered a generous sign on bonus and relocation reimbursement, which was an awesome blessing at the time. The job seemed great at first, but the more time I have spent at this particular hospital, the more I realize they are about the money and not the patients and staff. (The patients are taken care of and get better, I've just seen better care at most of the other hospitals I have worked in the past.) Nurses at this hospital have been laid off and nurse to patient ratios have been climbing. I've watched as nurses are burning out, they are more frequently calling in sick, and rarely have I seen the hospital find appropriate coverage for sick calls. They say they call the agencies to get additional coverage, but I have never seen an agency nurse working in this hospital. I just don't feel like I'm in a place where I can give the care to patients that I want to give and I know they deserve. So I started looking for something that will make me feel like a nurse and that I am giving the patients I am caring for the best care. I start orientation next week for a Per Diem float pool position working for another hospital, while working part time where I am, until we see how things go. The new position pays more money, has more flexible scheduling, is closer to home, the hospital has set nurse patient ratios which seem appropriate, and seems like it will work better with our lives once the baby comes. Only time will tell.

All in all we are doing well, we are greatly blessed, and don't have much of anything to complain about. There are days I wish we had the cockroaches back, because with two dogs there is a lot of poop to be scooped, but chasing the cockroaches back out the door. . . .I'll keep what I've got!!

Update to the maiden name/middle name drama

2009-01-09T16:16:00.000-08:00

The week before Christmas I decided to take another chance trying to register my car and see how things panned out with the maiden/middle name drama. I had contacted California to get my name updated on my registration, but had not seen the new registration. I decided to take my chances and went to a different DMV. I walked in, got in line, and waited. When it was my turn to go up to the customer service representative, I handed her the required paperwork, my drivers license, my California license plates, and my California registration. I then asked her if she needed to see my marriage license or my social security card to verify the name change since California had not sent me an updated registration. She said that would be a good idea, took them verified the name and birth date, and as an after thought said, "Since your drivers license has Suzanne Hansen on it, I can go ahead and put that name on your Nevada registration." She then finished the paperwork and handed me my Nevada license plates and registration.
So much for hard fast rules that can't be flexible and not taking names from social security cards :)
As I was leaving I told the woman that I had been told I couldn't have my maiden name as my middle name in Nevada, even though I had it legally changed with the Social Security department, and asked if she knew why. She told me there was a law or ordinace passed a year or so ago that only last names can be changed in Nevada and the only middle name that can be accepted is the middle name listed on a birth certificate.
Moral of the story is . . . if you don't give your daughter a middle name with the idea that her maiden name will become her middle name. . . don't let her move to Nevada or it can't happen!!

Exciting News!!

2009-01-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

Kyle and I informed family and close friends around Thanksgiving and are now making a formal announcement to everyone we know, WE ARE PREGNANT!!! Our baby is due July 4, 2009 and Kyle has it in his head that we should name the little one Yankee Doodle. I am sure that won't happen!! Name suggestions are welcome :) The holidays and transitioning from one job to another have kept me very busy. I'm posting this quick note. . . with details to come in the near future!!

Thanksgiving fun

2008-12-01T11:22:00.000-08:00

Kyle's parents, two brothers, sister, my sister with her husband and four kids, Grandpa and his wife Ann came over for Thanksgiving. We spent the morning finishing up preparation and cooking and ate around 4 pm. It was fun to have everyone here. Brenda, my sister, and family came in from St George, where they had been visiting her in-laws for a week. Kyle's family drove in from San Jose CA that morning and stayed till Sunday morning. I love having people here!!! Why I love the chaos for a period of time, I'm not sure, but I enjoy it.
The day after Thanksgiving we headed out to do some exploring and shopping mid morning (I don't like the chaos of the shopping rush). The girls headed one way and the boys another. We met up later and ended up finding light fixtures for the house (the ones that were here were UGLY!!!) In the process we also found two chairs for the living room. We ended up spending more money than we planned, because we had just planned on buying light fixtures, but it was all things we needed.
I worked Saturday at the hospital 7am to 7pm, so Kyle took the family and showed them sights around town. They aren't gamblers, so they explored some of the shows in the Casinos and explored the cactus garden decorated for Christmas. They also helped start decorating our house for Christmas and did a great job!!
All in all it was a great Holiday. I'm just kicking myself for not breaking out the camera.

It's been too long!!!

2008-11-17T13:38:00.000-08:00

So I posted last almost a month and a half ago. . . we had just found out we got the house that we fell in love with and had put an offer on. So every spare moment from then till now has been spent packing, moving, unpacking, shopping for furniture, getting settled, working and sleeping. Grandpa Hansen has been a tremendous help in doing little this and thats to help us get to where we are. We moved in October 18th, and I can't believe it's been a month!!!
People have been asking what the house looks like. . .well here are some pictures. . .but please remember we are still unpacking and finding places for everything. We still have a few more pieces of furniture to buy, and pictures that we haven't put up on the walls yet. Our house has lots of funky angles that make it hard to get good pictures of the rooms, so I did the best I could!!

Our house from the street.
The back yard.
(This photo was taken when the previous owners were still here.)

Another view of the back yard.

This is the stairway leading upstairs,
just after you enter the front door.

The living room, across from the stairs shown above.

The kitchen

The Family room, just off the kitchen.

The dining room as seen from a glimpse
from the kitchen photo and across from the Living room.

AND NOW FOR UPSTAIRS. . . .

The office at the end of the hall (still in progress)

The other end of the office/library
(was two bedrooms that the previous tenants had
knocked down the wall between. Thank you
for saving us some work!)

The hall bathroom. . . yes the outhouse theme survives :)

The other bedroom/guest room/someday to be a nursery/
put stuff in it for now/next to the master bedroom room.
The master bed room
(it is bigger than this picture makes it look.)
The master bath with a walk in closet, a wall closet
and separate "toilet room" that you can't seen.
Koko and Casey patiently waiting in the hall
for me to finish this post :)
They are not allowed in any of the rooms upstairs except
our bedroom at night, so they have adopted
the blanket in preference to the hard wood floor.

It has been a grand adventure that we hope not to repeat in the next couple of years. I'm glad it's done. I'm glad we are getting settled.
Kyle is LOVING!!!! his job.
I love what I do for my job, but I'm not sure I see a long future in the hospital I am at. They are letting the economy influence how they take care of their employees, so we are being very understaffed even thought there are people wanting to work. I am a nurse to take care of patients and keep them safe while they get better, so I have put some feelers out to see if the staffing ratios are Las Vegas wide, or just something this hospital is doing to save a penny.

A bath. . .no . . . a pool party in the tub!!!!

2008-09-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

So, I just had an amusing adventure that I thought I should share :)
Casey and Koko are doing well together. It's been a lot of work training Casey, but Koko is a great help!!
Today is my day off from the hospital, filled with the typical laundry, cleaning, errands, and today's adventure. . . washing the dogs.
I started out with Koko, outside with the hose. I have been bathing her once a week since we came to Las Vegas this way, and she has handled it pretty well (she doesn't like to be wet, especially doesn't like to have her feet wet!!) So Koko, the hose, the soap, and Casey watching was the plan. The second Koko started getting wet, Casey thought he needed to be wet also, so he started jumping over Koko through the water from the hose. Well with a little tactic and body blocking (I knew my big butt would come in handy for somthing!!), Koko was bathed and clean. I thought Casey would be a "cake walk" since he loves water so much. HA! He likes water, but he doesn't like to be clean!!! I got him wet and he was fine, but the second the soap touched him he headed for the mud we had made in the grass with the hose water. So instead of being yellow he was quite brown and yellow streaked. After a couple more attempts, without much luck (Casey is as strong as I am and a spazz which adds to the challenge!), I decided to put his leash on and try the bath tub technique. Well Casey LOVES!!!! the bath tub!!! I was standing outside the tub trying to calm him down so I could get him clean. He wiggles way tooooooo much, so I stepped into the tub to try to hold him still between my knees. All I did was step in the tub and he calmed down. With both of us sopping wet and soapy, Koko (remember she doesn't like to be wet), became jealous and decided to come join us in the tub. A POOL PARTY IN THE BATH TUB!!!! I wish someone was here to have taken pictures!! At first I was getting frustrated with the whole situatioin, but then I just started playing with them. Yes I had a huge mess to clean up when we were done, but it was well worth it!! Maybe next time we just need to get a kiddie pool out in the back yard for the three of us. Then I won't have to mop up all the water and wash twice as many towels!!
Here's the clean product:

A lot going on. . . ALL GOOD!!!!

2008-09-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

The house that I posted about last week. . . WE GOT IT!!!! We will close October 10, 2008. Can I tell you how excited I am to have free time to do something other than look for houses??!!

Yesterday we adopted a dog, Casey. He is a two year old Yellow Labrador Retriever. Lots of energy. He and Koko get along GREAT!!! He learns quickly but has no discipline. Koko is doing a great job of sharing the rules of the house and teaching him some of the ropes. She is being VERY patient. We make her sit and wait before she comes into or go out of the house. She has been waiting 3-5 minutes at times for Casey to get it right. As far as the rest of the training, it will take much patience from Kyle and I.

Check out his blog. (His name before adoption was Richie.)

Isn't he handsome??

ASL Chef

2008-09-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

I'm out wandering the internet looking for a recipe for sour dough bread and I came across this website. Amateur chefs demonstrating how to make a variety of tasty things using ASL (American Sign Language) as a means of explaining. Most of them do a pretty good job. Check it out for yourself here.

Another house. . . another offer. . .

2008-09-14T14:31:00.000-07:00

So yesterday we spent about 4 hours looking at houses. I think we've seen every house in the area we want to live in, that is for sale!! A week and a half ago we put an offer on a house and were out bid. Yesterday we found another house that we feel we could make our home!! We put an offer on it and should know back by tomorrow (Monday) at 5 pm. It is on a circle so it is a "corner lot" but a reverse corner. . .tiny front yard HUGE back!!! Check out the pictures below (yes there is still someone living in it! The only house we have looked at that still has someone living in it. ALL the rest were bank owned!!) We are really excited and yet at the same time dread that we will be out bid again. Kyle and I are ready to be in our own place and unpack. We really don't want to look at any more houses!! Many of the bank owned have been empty for anywhere from 2 months to 3 years and need anywhere from carpet and paint to major repairs, which the banks sell them "as is". Repairs, painting, and carpet could be fun, but we are not sure we have the time, energy and finances to put into a major job. Many homes we have liked the floor plan, but they need more work than we are willing to do. This one is ready to move in, and in our price range!!

Work and other ramblings. . .

2008-09-12T19:31:00.001-07:00

I've been back in patient care for three weeks. Can I tell you how much I LOVE twelve hour shifts in comparison to eight?? Three days a week and I'm done!!
Las Vegas is about 5 years behind what we were doing in hospitals in California, so I feel like I've gone through a time warp!!

Last week we put an offer on a house and were out bid. We've looked at a lot of houses, it's hard to find something that gets both Kyle and I excited. I'll really like one and he says, "it's okay". He likes one and I imagine trying to clean it or take care of household chores and keep up with kids in it and say, "I could make it work". So all the time I am not at work is spent house hunting and trying to find something that we both will love. After getting so excited about the last one, it's hard to find anything that compares. Most of the houses are bank owned, so we are also weighing the pros and cons of fixing and replacing vs cost of house.

On Thursday nights we have a group of people come over from the ward for a one hour sign language class. It's really fun to have people sooooo excited!! This week I worked a 12 hour day and then came home and taught the class. I'm glad the students excitement rubbed off on me, because I was exhausted!!

Well my ramblings for now are done. . . until next time :)

A CROOK?!?! A middle name???

2008-08-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

So I had another interesting episode in life today!!

Did you know in the state of Nevada you can't use your maiden name as your middle name. . . even if you didn't have a middle name EVER??? Or if the name change happened in another state??
And by the way, why would you ever want the middle name Crook!?!?!

Today Kyle and I went to get our Nevada drivers licenses and cars registered and license plates. Kyle went in and there was quite a few people who arrived between the two of us, so Kyle was done before I even got called up. Kyle left to run errands, and I waited what seemed like forever. Luckily the woman in front of me had two boys 7 & 10 years old that I harassed to pass the time. Finally about 30 minutes later I was called up. I handed the woman my papers, and she started doing her thing with the computer, then suddenly she stood up, took my papers (California drivers license, social security card, marriage license, and birth certificate) and disappeared down a hallway, without even saying a word to me. About a minute later she came back having a discussion with another woman, and they came up and told me that I can't use my maiden name as my middle name.
I asked, "Even if I didn't have a middle name before I was married, and that is now my middle name legally. Look at my social security card."
"Mam, we don't take names from social security cards here."
"What about my California drivers license, my bank statement (which I brought in case they needed proof of address), and my marriage license?"
"MAM!! You can't use your maiden name as your middle name in Nevada!!!"
After more discussion and confusion, along with them trying to convince me to hyphenate my name to Crook-Hansen on my drivers license (which I was told was illegal to do with out a name change with a hyphen with the government when I got my social security card) I said, "Ok so put my name as Suzanne Hansen on my drivers license."
So they started filling out more information in the computer. A couple of minutes later the woman said, "Ms. Hansen, I can't register your car. Your California registration lists you as Suzanne Crook. You have no proof that you are Suzanne Crook." (California had my name changed in the system, but had never issued a new registration after my name change.)
My jaw dropped!!! What more did she want?? She had my birth certificate, my social security card, my marriage license, and picture ID (I had given her my ID from when I was teaching at the deaf school as a second form of picture ID during the previous discussion which had my name listed as Suzanne Crook).
The discussion ensued for about another 15-20 minutes. I was taken back to the supervisors office, a police officer and immigration officer were brought back, and I heard a very interesting discussion going on with the staff about why in the world anyone would want to have Crook as a middle name. Very irritated at this point, I stood up, walked to the doorway, interrupted their conversation and said, something to the effect of I can't see why anyone would want a name like Smith, Gomez, or Fox (Looking at their last names on the badges). It's what was given to me, and I've made something of it!! I like having a middle name for the first time in my life. I was then eyed by the police officer and sat back down. (We had already had a discussion with the police officer, because he thought it was some kind of a joke that they were having a problem with someone's name being Crook. I quickly clarified that it wasn't a joke.)
After a period of time and A LOT more detail to the story, along with phone calls from the supervisor of the supervisor to me after I had left the DMV . . . I now have a Nevada drivers license that states I am Suzanne Hansen, a Social Security Card and marriage license that say I am Suzanne Crook Hansen, and my car is still registered in California not Nevada. I have to contact California, pay to have my registration changed in California, and bring the paperwork back within the next 30 days or go to Reno and see a specific judge and get a letter stating that my name change is an exception in the state of Nevada and all my records can be listed as Suzanne Crook Hansen. If my plates on my car are not Nevada plates within 30 days of change of residence to Nevada, I can be fined $500. I've already been here 22 days!!
I DON'T GET IT!!! but no matter what Nevada says. . . I'll always be a Crook!!! (and as of March 30, 2007 a Hansen!!)
Why can you get married so easily in Nevada, but you can't have your maiden name as your middle name?? Am I the first person to have this problem??
And to think. . . the Journalist I am married to left right before all the action started!!! Once again action happening when I'm around and he misses it!! :)

Exciting News!! A new teacher!!

2008-08-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

So I just got a "News Flash" from several of my former students at California School for the Deaf Fremont, that there has been a new teacher hired to continue the Health Careers program!! I am excited for the students and yet at the same time wish it were me there teaching the program. I loved teaching. I didn't like the politics. I miss teaching. I miss the inquisitive minds. But I know where I am right now is best for my family and the future I have always dreamed of having!
When I left the school to go to Washington DC with Kyle for his job, I felt really bad that I had spent so much money for supplies that would just get put in a storage shed. I felt bad that I had built these kids up with hopes that I was now dashing because I was leaving. Setting up the program had been a lot of hard work, but the "ah ha" looks on the students faces when they learned something new was well worth it!! Students, after I left, had sent me emails telling me that they had covered the manikins in the beds with sheets, but they knew what was there and they knew what to do with it. I'm glad that the sheets can now come off, to teach these kids a better way of life, and even if they don't become health care professionals, at least they will be able to apply the information in becoming more educated and self sufficient people!! I hope my time there made an impact, and has made starting off easier for the new teacher to keep things rolling!!

Pictures of my time @ CSDF

New Ward

2008-08-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

Today was our first Sunday in our new ward.
Last week we went to church and arrived an hour early for Stake Conference, which we didn't know was happening, because we are new to the area. There was a family sitting behind us at Stake Conference with four or five children under the age of ten. I was sitting on the end of the row, so their kids kept coming around the end of the row and looking at me. Of coarse I started playing back with the kids and folding origami animals out of paper to give to them. As we were leaving the building after conference, I made a comment to Kyle that I hoped that family was in our new ward.
Sure enough when we went to church today, there they were!! The wife is an awesome woman that I chatted with for a few minutes, and hope to get to know better.
During Sunday school today, I made a comment about a translation of a phrase from Sign Language to English. As Relief Society started, I have several women all excited to meet me. As a few minutes went by, I realized the reason they were so excited to meet me or talk to me, is because there is a ten year old boy in primary who is deaf. His parents don't sign very well, so he doesn't really know what is going on. There has not been anyone to sign or interpret for him. There are a couple of people in the ward who have taken a class or two of sign language, but not enough to explain what the gospel subjects mean.
Kyle and I had/have been praying that Kyle would get a job and that we will find a home that would put us where the Lord needs us to build His kingdom. Is this an answer to part of that prayer? Where we are looking at houses wouldn't keep us in this ward very long. Something to ponder. . . .

I'm spending the rest of a beautiful Sunday afternoon harassing Kyle, writing letters, catching up in my journal, and very possibly taking a Sunday afternoon nap. Maybe I'll convince Kyle to go with me down the street to say hello to his Grandfather. Happy Sunday.

Orientation FINISHED!!!

2008-08-21T16:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a long but good week. Four eight hour days sitting in a chair for orientation and tests. . . not my cup of tea. I'm glad that part is done!! I start back into patient care on Monday!!!

So today during lunch I went to a local Cafe' to eat with some of the other new nurses and noticed a friend of mine from Utah who is Deaf. I ended up having lunch with him instead of the nurses. It was great to catch up! He told me about some new technology that is hopefully going to be available ASAP. . . I'm excited for it!!! Check out the website I found about it. . .

Opportunities to share my beliefs. . .

2008-08-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

Today during orientation at work I was chatting with another nurse who just moved here from New York. We were talking about where we were born and where we have traveled. . . I ran into the typical conversation of. . .
"So where were you born?"
"Salt Lake City"
"Really?!? So are you one of them?"
"One of what?"
"You know, one of them. . . one of the Mormons?"
"Yes I am!! Why do you ask?? Do you know other Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints??"
The conversation ensued with lots of questions. . . .
Through the course of the conversation I shared quite a few of the basics of our beliefs. During our lunch break I took her to the computer lab and showed her the Mormon.org website. As she was looking through it and asking questions, I ran into another awesome website about Jesus Christ (http://jesus.christ.org/index.php) not necessarily sanctioned by the church, but has some really amazing videos and photography! Go check it out!!

Our Latest Adventures!!!

2008-08-17T17:19:00.000-07:00

So a little update on our lives. . .
We arrived in Las Vegas with all of our stuff late Thursday August 7th. We unloaded the truck, and packed ourselves back in the car and headed to a Tilton (Kyle's mom's family) get together in St David AZ. As we entered AZ it started pouring rain, but we decided to stop by the south rim of the Grand Canyon anyway. As we arrived it stopped raining long enough for us to do some walking (on what they call "hiking trails" that are graded and paved) get some of the attached pictures and be on our way.
As we were leaving it started pouring again. We arrived around 1 am in St David, slept for a couple of hours and then headed off to the family festivities. We played with family for 2 days and headed back to Vegas early Monday morning.
We made it back to Las Vegas in one piece. Tired but ready for our new adventure!!!
I finally have enough of the essentials unpacked from the kitchen to be able to cook a meal. I have enough clothes unpacked that I can go to work or go out in the town wearing more than what everyone thinks people in Las Vegas wear all the time.
Kyle started work last Wednesday, at the LasVegasSun.com and is loving it!!!! He comes home with exciting things to tell me every day!!
I start orientation tomorrow and will been doing the typical 2 days of hospital orientation and 2 days of tests and paperwork prior to getting back into patient care. My job is basically the same thing I was doing before. I am a float nurse. I tell them when I am available and they tell me which of three hospitals they need me at and which floor. I will be staffed in the ER and ICUs first and then wherever they need me after that. They said I might even get the opportunity to get some time in the Life Flight choppers because they just had one person quit and one out on maternity. My job gave me a sign on bonus (A little more towards a down payment on a house!!!!) and is reimbursing us for our relocation fees!!!
Koko (our dog) is not sure what to think. It takes her 5-10 minutes in the evening to go out and do her business because she is so busy chasing cockroaches through the grass. (Las Vegas has HUGE cockroaches that come out of the ground and the cinder block walls at dusk. Everyone sprays the perimeter of the houses to keep the roaches outside.) The nice thing about the roaches is that Koko tends to poop in the evenings. By the time I get out to clean it up in the morning the roaches have already taken care of it for me!! Koko knows we have moved, but she is not sure what to think of everything. When she goes out in the back yard she keeps looking up in the tree for squirrels (I assume) She won't find any of those here it's too hot!!! When we get up it's around 80 degrees and gets hotter from there through the day. It usually is back down to about 80 when we go to bed around 10 pm. Koko and I plan on my first day off to head up toward Blue Diamond to see what hiking trails we can find where people tell me there are more trees and it's cooler :).
We have contacted a friend of a friend of mine who is a real estate agent to start looking at houses. We are excited to get into a place and settled permanently. We are looking down in the Henderson (south of Las Vegas, closer to Kyle's job).
Our current address is
1898 Balboa Ave
Las Vegas NV 89169

We are just using our cell phones for now. . . so no new phone # yet.

And that is our story for now :)

On my way to Washington D.C.

2007-09-01T10:59:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. . . and now I am on my way to Washington DC. Kyle, my husband has a position working for the Washington Post, so we are off on a grand adventure!! We decided to drive from California to Washington DC taking some time to do a bit of sightseeing on the way. We left August 28, 2007 and will arrive in DC September 4. Check out our route. I will be working as a travel nurse at Shady Grove Hospital in Rockville, Maryland. Check out the pictures that we have had time to download and caption so far.