The Hansens

The Hansens

Friday, September 18, 2009

A Work in Progress




Hey everyone! Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated! I'm amazed at how fast summer flew by! Believe me, I'm happy about it! There are some things I love about summer, but fall is definitely my favorite season!

We had a very busy summer! Between work, baseball, softball, concerts, and trips to the lake, we didn't have a lot of time to relax! Brent, Piper, and I were able to spend some great weekends at the lake with family and friends. We would've liked to get to the lake more, but it seems like things were always coming up. But we enjoyed the time we got to spend there. Piper loves to be around lots of people and to be on the boat, but she DOES NOT like the water! So far, she seems to be afraid of the water. We pushed her in a few times, and she swam really well, but got out immediately and wouldn't go near the water again! But, she is a golden retriever/lab mix, so we're hoping she grows out of that fear and next year is ready to swim! Brent and I were also able to enjoy several concerts this summer with friends...I'm so glad we enjoy the same kind of music, for the most part! :) This summer marked the first time I've played softball in 13 years. I played on a coed slow pitch team with some co-works and it was a blast! I actually played pretty well (considering softball has NEVER been my sport), and it was great getting to hang out with work friends outside of work! Brent had another successful baseball season. His team finished 3rd in the league, he pitched well, and as always, was a great hitter. To cap off the season, the Iowa Western League All-Stars won at Rosenblatt! Brent had a two-run triple to give them the lead!

As many of you know, we decided not to put our house on the market yet. There is a good reason for that. We had been saving up for a down payment on a nice big house, but then realized that we will need the money for more important things. We have made a few updates and improvements, and will continue to do so, but we will wait until the time is right to sell our house. Hopefully it will be soon!

Now onto the topic on everybody's minds...at least on mine! :) Our struggle to have a baby continues to be a work in progress. After multiple failed fertility treatment attempts with a nurse practitioner in my OB's office, it was decided that we should see a fertility specialist. So in the spring, we scheduled an appointment with Dr. Doherty, the best of the best in Omaha. We finally had our consultation last week. And, for the first time in a long time, I have hope. She seems very confident that she can help us. Not only that, we have a plan. We will do a few more tests (which I didn't think was possible!) next month, then we will start our treatment (thus the whole "saving our money" thing). I am hoping that, after 2+ years, a miscarriage, failed treatments, medications, numerous tests, frequent poking and prodding, and more frustration and disappointment than anyone will ever know, we will finally get our miracle! We could use all the positive thoughts and prayers we can get!

On a happy note, fall is finally here, and as usual, we will be busy busy! The best part of fall (besides the weather) is football season and tailgating!!! Brent has season tickets for Iowa State, and I have season tickets for KU. So between work and football, we have no free weekends until December! We already have two ISU games under our belts, and I am excited to head to my first KU game of the season next weekend...should be a great year for the Jayhawks!!! Work will also keep us both busy. Brent always has something that needs to be done at work...the work of a Director is never done! Lord knows I will be busy at work all fall and winter, thanks to the media and the swine flu! The last few weeks we have been ridiculously busy, and it's going to get worse before it gets better. For those of you with kids, if they have flu symptoms, don't go to the ER...trust me, we can't do anything for them! Rest, fluids, and Tylenol and/or Motrin to help with fever is pretty much all you can do! Also on the docket for fall is the arrival of Baby Roesler! My sister Lindsay is due October 16th, so she is down to one month! We are all excited for the baby to get here...I'm dying to know if it's a girl or a boy! Aunt Leslie is definitely ready! :)

October also brings my 30th birthday! My birthday is on a Friday, and the KU/ISU game is the following day, so we will be celebrating all weekend long in Lawrence. It should be a great time and I'm looking forward to spending the weekend with family and friends! I know a lot of people get depressed about turning 30, but I'm not...I've had a great life so far and have a lot to be thankful for! The only thing that bothers me about turning 30 is that I don't have any kids yet. I always thought I'd have AT LEAST one kid by now. I guess that just goes to show you that you can't plan everything. But hey, as far as I'm concerned, the best is yet to come!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Back to the drawing board!


Hello everyone! Wow, I can't believe summer is almost here. Memorial Day is just a couple of weeks away! This spring has flown by...the green grass and leaves on the trees have kind of snuck up on me! I guess time really flies when you are busy, and I know we will be staying busy this summer too!

Our latest news is that we are getting our house ready to put on the market! It is time for an upgrade. I like our house a lot...we have had a lot of happy times and milestones here. It was our first house, I graduated from nursing school while living here, Brent proposed to me here, we got married while living here, we brought Piper home here, we celebrated my pregnancy and mourned our miscarriage here. This house has seen it all! But we are running out of room in this house, and we don't even have kids yet! So, we have been busy with home improvement activities over the last couple of weeks. Our goal is to have the house on the market in the next two weeks...I'm excited but nervous! I really hope our house sells. It has some nice features that would make a good first time house for someone to buy! So hopefully we'll be moving soon! There are a few houses in west Omaha that I have my eye on, but we won't commit to buying anything until this house sells. If you know anyone looking, keep us in mind! :) And wish us luck!

There will be a new addition to the Putnam family this year. My sister Lindsay and her husband Chad are expecting! She is due mid-October. It was a surprise for the whole family, but a great surprise! I am excited to be an aunt. I'm already an aunt to Kaitlyn, Preston, and Kamryn, but it's different when it's my side of the family. And I know Mom and Dad are excited to finally be grandparents. It'll be great to have a baby around at all our family get togethers and holidays! So far Mom and baby are both healthy and doing well! We will be anxiously awaiting the arrival of Baby Roesler this fall!
Brent and I are hoping that we will be able to give Baby Roesler a little cousin in the near future. We took a few months off from fertility treatment, and big surprise, we had no luck trying to go "al naturale." So, we are back to the drawing board. We are trying a new medication this month, so we are hoping for better results! So, everyone keep your fingers and toes crossed for us! We could use all the luck and prayers we can get!
May kicks off a busy summer for us! I am about to wrap up my "month long concert tour." I went to Blue October in Lawrence in April, and we just got back from Kansas City today. Brent and I went down to see the Killers at Sandstone (the picture is of us tailgating before the concert) and met up with Lindsay and Roz, Zach and Kris, and my friends Jenny, Scott, and Kate. It was an amazing show, and it was fun to hang out with family and friends! Then on the 12th I am going to the Billy Joel/Elton John concert at the Qwest with Lindsey and Lynelle...I can't wait! My good friend Lane will be back from AZ this month too, so I'm hoping to have a lot of QT with my girls this month! Work has been ridiculously busy. I CANNOT wait for the whole swine flu thing to blow over. I'm so sick of hearing about it and every parent in Omaha thinking their child has it! :) Softball is in full swing...I had my first game last Tuesday, and surprisingly, I did pretty well! Apparently I missed my calling as a second baseman; I turned a great double play! Hitting...that's another story. I'm hoping it improves! :) Brent will start baseball in two weeks, which he is really looking forward to, as always. Between games all over SW Iowa and trips to the lake, our weekends will be pretty busy!
Hope all is well with everyone! Hopefully next time I update, it will be with good news about selling our house! Take care everyone!

Monday, April 20, 2009




Sweet little Piper (5 months)
In the pool in Mexico!

The newest addition to our family

Hello friends and family! I decided it was time to create a blog to keep people up to date with your favorite Hansens! :) People are always asking me, "What's new with you guys?" and usually my answer is: "Not much...we're pretty boring!" But the last few months have been pretty busy!

First of all, as most of you know, we added to our family. In December, we adopted our puppy Piper! She is a golden retriever/lab mix. She is now over 5 months old, and she's growing so fast! As the runt of the litter, she was tiny when we got her, and now she's 40 pounds! It has been a learning experience for all of us (especially me!) but it has been so much fun! I wasn't sure if I wanted a dog or not, but I can't imagine life without her now. She is so sweet and happy all the time. She is my little baby!

Work has kept Brent and me very busy! I have been working in the Emergency Department at Children's since September, and I love it! I think I have finally found my niche in nursing. I work 3 pm to 3 am (three shifts a week), which is actually better than it sounds...I love my shift! I love the variety and pace of my job, and I look forward to being challenged occasionally too. We are working on becoming a trauma center, and I can't wait until that happens! I also received my certification as a pediatric nurse (CPN) last fall. While I've been busy taking care of sick kids, Brent has been busy climbing the corporate ladder. He was recently promoted from a manager to Director at West Corporation! He is now the Director of the Spectrum division, and he is really excited about the new challenge. I am so proud of him!

As you all know, we've struggled to have a baby for almost two years now. We lost a baby last summer at 10 weeks, and we've had no success since then. We have been seeing a specialist, and we have done some fertility treatments. Unfortunately, at this point, we have had no luck. It has been very difficult and very frustrating (more than any of you will ever know), but we are not giving up easily! We would appreciate everyone's prayers and thoughts...and if you want to cross your fingers or toes too, that would be nice!

In an attempt to get away, relax, and not think about our fertility issues, we took a trip to Mexico at the beginning of March. It was amazing! We were gone for five nights, and it was just what we needed. It was great to get away from work, stress, and baby worries for a while...it was hard to come back! But we were glad to come home to Piper, who missed us! We soon found out we came home to a sick little puppy! Piper was having bloody diarrhea for weeks, and they kept telling us it was probably bacterial and putting her on different antibiotics. After no improvement and Piper getting more tired and weak, they finally agreed to do bloodwork and an x-ray and realized something more was going on. One of the vets (who is now OUR vet) decided he needed to do surgery to find out what was wrong. So, we had her spayed, and while he was in there, he "looked around" and found part of her bowel and some lymph nodes were swollen. They took biopsies, and we hoped for the best. We found out a week later that she basically has a severe food allergy...possibly to beef or wheat. So, she is now on a hypoallergenic diet, and she is doing so much better! It was quite a scare, but we are so grateful our sweet little girl is healthy and active again!

So...that is what's new with the Hansens in the last few months! With summer quickly approaching, we will be very busy. I am playing on a coed softball team with some coworkers...should be interesting, since I haven't played softball in 13 years! :) Brent will be busy as usual playing baseball for the Massena Red Sox, as well as playing for two slow pitch softball teams. On top of that, we will be spending all our free weekends at the lake of course! We are looking forward to a fun summer with Piper! Hope all is well with everyone!