Less = So Much More

Through a LOT of trial and error, hand-wringing and obsessive pinning of home organization solutions, I've determined that when things get super stressful around Team Hansen HQ, and by stressful I mean overwhelmingly messy and cluttery, what's best is a purge. Time and time again this has proven to be true. Stressed out about how many shoes we have? Start a donation pile and get them out the door. Easy.

Lucia's toys were threatening to take over her room, meaning she didn't have much of a place to put them, and though we would try to "encourage" her to put them away, she didn't really know where to put them. So one by one, we emptied her toy bins tonight, put three garbage bags full of long-overlooked and underplayed-with toys on the porch, and got out the label maker. Behold the results:




Forgive the weird lighting, we have this orange lamp that emits a super, uh, orange glow.

She helped us tidy up her room and now knows where all of her stuff goes. Progress indeed. Her dresser and Zsa Zsa Gabor wardrobe is next. 

The Most Awesome Vacation Ever

I'm a bit late in writing our Disney World recap, mostly because whoo-boy it's been a whopper of a week at the Team Hansen household. Lucia was sick for the first part of the trip, and Pete managed to pick up either the flu or some other dreaded flu-like (it was the flu, we're pretty sure).

It was pretty depressing to be at our house this week, with the general post-vacation letdown, plus at least six loads of laundry to do, plus preparing to have Lucia's birthday on a Wednesday, which meant the most insane to-do list ever. You guys know how I roll, which means I put wayyyy too much pressure on myself to make Lucia's birthday AMAZING despite, hello, spending a week in Disney World (!), because this was her REAL actual day-of birthday. We had planned on buying her a fancy bike from the local bike store, but then 1. they sold it, and 2. we realized it was silly to buy her a fancy bike as her first bike. What if she hates it and/or isn't that interested? Then what? So late Monday night, with Pete literally in bed with a 102 degree fever, I ran over to Target to get her new bike. Then to Trader Joe's to get cake mix to make three dozen cupcakes for her school classmates to celebrate her birthday.

Ok sorry, back to the Disney World recap. I have to start with one of the most amazing parts: our condo. While our apartment in Oakland is pretty nice, it's not particularly swanky, and cheapskates that we are, we've phased out "extra" appliances one by one as they've died in our house. This means no microwave or toaster, which is hilarious, I KNOW! that I'm starting the recap of DISNEY WORLD going on and on about the luxury of having a microwave, but peeps, it was pretty rad. Our condo was AMAZING and so fancy and nice and lovely. It was blazing hot and the humidity was 100000% in Florida, so having a place that was cool and lovely was just the greatest. We had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, so Lucia had her own room. It was magical. I got up early each day and had a cup of coffee and sat reading before starting the day. Bliss. Sidenote: I believe we'll be asking Santa for appliances this year.

Second most awesome part of the trip? The PDFs. I know! You're thinking EW annoying structure and uptight vacation. Friends, you couldn't be more wrong. My stepsis, a seasoned pro by now at WDW, said to get the Ultimate Guide to Disney World with Kids book, which I did and devoured, tagging pages furiously and making lists. In the back of the book they have these touring plans which tell you which rides to ride in what order to minimize waiting/walking times and maximize your time at the park. We knew from our Gilroy Gardens trip that we could easily get overwhelmed/lose sight of where we were/what was next. So I subscribed to TouringPlans.com and with that, was able to create custom PDFs for 1. the actual day we were going to be there, which incorporates historical park attendance info, 2. the fact we had a small kiddo with us and 3. wanted to minimize walking/waiting times. It comes up with a general plan, then you can move stuff around or add/delete certain rides. Then you click optimize and it tells you the order to visit. We made those for all our days, two for the Magic Kingdom, one for EPCOT and one for Animal Kingdom. I printed three copies for our reference and each day, we'd bring along our list and followed it pretty closely. We deviated a few times, which made me nervous because WE HAVE A PLAN, YO, but my mom told me to get a grip/lighten up, and let's just go ride Lucia's favorite, It's a Small World for the fourth time, Ok?

They were brilliant though. We never waited more than 15 minutes for any ride. One of the tricks in the book is to get to the park when it opens and leave around 1-2 p.m. for naps. Our first day we rode 6 rides in 2 hours. WHAT? It was awesome.

We were rained out Day 2 at the Magic Kingdom, which meant huddling under a pavillion eating our lunch standing up, and on Day 3 (which was our only day at Animal Kingdom), where we got pretty soaked in the rain just as we were leaving the park. Tuesday (Day 2) started with eating breakfast at the Cinderella Castle, and Lucia got all gussied up as Cinderella, complete with a new dress from my parents and magical light-up "glass" slippers. Too cute. I put her hair in a high bun and we put glitter hairspray on it and shimmer gel on her cheeks. It was really cute. Breakfast was pretty amazing. We ate at EPCOT's Norway Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, which was so awesome. Lucia got to participate in a "parade" with the princesses and carried a basket of flowers. It was ridiculously cute. We caught the fireworks two nights and the Electrical Parade once.

We were pretty blown away by the general atmosphere of the Disney parks. I admit, I was sort of mystified as to what the big deal was about Disney World. I now get it. Every single detail of the parks is so dialed in and geared to transport all visitors -- not just kids -- to a magic place of make believe. The parks are incredibly clean and every single employee, called "Cast Members," was beyond polite and courteous. One of the other tricks we learned was to go to Guest Services and get a Happy Birthday button, and Lucia's name was written on it. She wore it and literally every single employee who saw her said Happy Birthday Lucia ALL WEEK. It was amazing. They made her feel so special. Pete and I were transported to this magical place of wonder and amazement - I mean it seriously! and several times I thought, why do people vacation anywhere else?

My parents, of course, were amazing, and we couldn't stop thanking them every day for the memories and magic that happened each day. We were beyond grateful and still can't believe how awesome the week was.

Hat tip also to Kingdom Strollers, for the ease of renting a Double Bob stroller for the week. While the stroller was totally awesome, the rate ($70 for the whole week!) was super great and they delivered and picked up right to our hotel. Freaking awesome.

I think my favorite things of the week were: Finding Nemo the Musical (I cried), the Animal Kingdom safari, and the EPCOT World Showcase. Pete and I agreed that we could eat at the restaurants in EPCOT every night. First, Italy, then Morocco (shawarma, yum!), then France and Germany. The breakfast at the Castle was truly magical too.

After the fireworks ended the last night, we made our way down the lit-up Main Street in the Magic Kingdom and my mom and I just started bawling. So much magic, and so many awesome memories made. Thank you so much to my parents for making it possible. It was truly the most awesome vacation ever.

Birthday elation!!

I rated her elation as a 7.5 this morning, with 10 being pee-your-pants excited. She said it was awesome but I think it was hard to visualize an actual bike vs a box of parts. Pete is down for the count with an awful fever and virus, so we will have to wait a few days to put it together. Still, so fun!!

Four

Four years ago today, at 8:54 a.m., she came into this world after 33 hours of an unbearably long labor. She was strong-willed from the start, refusing to vacate the womb despite the extraordinary measures to encourage her. At the NICU, she would howl with cries until the nurses would elevate her, so she could see what was going on. Headstrong. Stubborn. From the start.

In the past year, she's grown leaps and bounds in countless ways. Aside from the ahem, stubbornness, her verbal skills have developed and she's extremely conversant, picking up new words constantly. I ask her all the time, where did you learn that word, I didn't know you knew it. Her empathy remains so extremely high; she's the first to tell her classmates when their parents arrive and exclaims, "YOU MUST BE SO EXCITED TO SEE YOUR MOMMY!" She says the sweetest things, like this morning when she squeezed my leg and told me quietly, I love you so much Mommy. I love you too kid, more than you'll ever know. 

Age three was not the easiest, but I'm happy to say we've found some helpful guides that she's responded to, which have helped all of us stay sane and level-headed. This morning, she was scowling at me and pointed her finger at me like she was going to urge me to do something. And I just busted out laughing at her, and she did the same. She's so funny. She picks up songs and sings constantly. She's still napping, believe it or not, daily for 1-2 hours (or 3 if we're in Disney World!) and chooses to eat fruit 99% of the time. 

When we realized with this current pregnancy that we'd have another whole kid at some point, another potential Lucia, Pete and I both beamed at each other. Because what could be better? She's enriched our lives beyond belief; our little being of light, as her name beholds. 

Happy Birthday Lucia. You are so very loved.

Last night! :(

We're headed to dinner then fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. So sad to see the week end, but what amazing memories.

Tons O Fun!

Lucia started feeling better Tuesday, thankfully. We've had such a great time. Today is our last day, :( We will provide a full recap when we get home. Here's some pictures to tide you over in the meanwhile.

The parade is starting!!

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"The parade is starting!! "

Magic Kingdom Day 1!

Day 1 was pretty awesome. We planned and plotted and utilized our book, an app and strategically timed PDFs to minimize wait and walking time. We got to ride at least 6 rides and see Mickey Mouse and the princesses at a show. Lucia was beyond excited. When her fever shot back up today, she wilted and slept on Mimi again. This afternoon we took 2 hour naps and at dinner she seemed so much better. It's time for her to have ibuprofen now and she's singing and in a great mood. We are hoping one more day of a solid nap and good night's rest will make a huge difference. It was a pretty great day besides!

Still Sickly

We hoped she'd make a full recovery by now but nope. Still sick. Poor girl. Here she's resting at dinner with Mimi. We gave her honey, lemon and hot water and chicken soup for dinner. Hoping she's better tomorrow.

We've Got A Kicker

Little Baby Hansen was kicking like crazy on the screen today. It was absolutely incredible. At 9 weeks 4 days gestation, the baby is the size of a prune and yet astonishingly, on the grainy screen I could see its head, brain hemispheres, jawline, heart fluttering, arms wiggling and legs kicking like crazy. I cheered for the baby (we think it's a boy) and said GO Little Dude GO!! Due date is April 13. We continue to be elated. Lucia has informed us that she only wants a baby sister, and has already started talking to the baby, which is slightly awkward given the baby is currently located in my pelvis. She also announced this morning that her baby is already out of her tummy and she's feeding it milk with her breasts. Side note: Lucia's fascination with breastfeeding is riddled with irony, given the Herculean efforts I endured to try to get that kid on the breast. C'est la vie. 

A Series in Silly

So silly.

Little one

We went to the hospital today and are very happy to announce all is well with the little one. Yes, only one (1) and with a good heartbeat too. Estimated Time of Arrival: Early April. After a very long difficult time with many ups and downs, it is a true relief to see this finally happening. We hope all our friends (who are still trying) will get there soon also.

Pictures from Gilroy Gardens

At the entrance.

Riding the Carusel.

Another carusel, her favorite.

All aboard the train. 

The photo Lucia took of me. 

Test Drive

So our trip to Disney World is coming up quick, and thanks to our beloved guide book, they suggested going to a local amusement park and test driving sunblock, socks, shoes, hats, strollers, who tires out first (raises hand), etc. etc. So off we went today to Gilroy Gardens. We found a coupon so with our ticket price came all-you-can-eat BBQ, which is always a losing game with us, since our food allergies cancel out about half the food, but I digress. 

Off we went. Lucia wore a $6 comfy dress I found on the sale rack at Target, with a long-sleeve T-shirt over it. Apparently Gilroy has bizarro weather, as it was 46 this morning and 97 when we left this afternoon. Seriously. I wore new sandals to get 'em nice and broken in. 

On the way down, I realized I forgot my sunglasses, so we made a pit stop to Target and I ran in to get sunglasses for me and Lucia, bottles of water and maybe some peanut butter cookie Larabars for me. Maybe. I came out to the car with these for Lucia, and I don't think I've ever seen Pete so horrified. Dude, I said, they were only $1.78! He was not amused. 

We arrived, FINALLY, despite Lucia whining almost the whole way, I'm hungry. I'm thirsty. When are we going to be theeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeee? Off we go. I had packed a bag with a first-aid kit, plenty of snacks for us, a change of clothes, sunblock, hat, wipes, etc. etc. We paid and went in, but wait! We forgot the water! Pete made a dash back out to the car. THEN off we finally go. We headed to the carousel first. Lucia refused to ride on the horses, saying she was scared, so we rode on a bench the first time. Then she warmed up asked to get on a horse, and wanted me to get on a horse too. Fun! 

We rode a few more rides, then it was time for the BBQ. Which was kinda a disaster. I was grumpy hungry, so once I had my plate full and sat down there wasn't much distracting me, but then ALL THE BEES. TRYING TO GRAB MY CHICKEN. Bees! Everywhere! I looked around, and it seemed like everyone else was not affected by this! What the what. So we tried to finish our food, but it was just kind of a disaster. We figured out they wanted chicken so we left a chicken bone with some scraps on it further down on the empty table as bait to keep them occupado while we ate. It kinda worked. 

After "lunch" we decided to ride the train so we could see what else was in the park. Which was awesome and totally the highlight of the day, except for the fact that we could see we hadn't even seen a 1/4 of the park. So we started walking, and tried to get Lucia to sleep (no dice). We saw tons of cool stuff and Lucia played on the playground for forever as I broiled in the sun. We found an air-conditioned spot and cups of ice to help us cool down, but man it was hot. We found a waterfall area and hooboy was it refreshing. We surveyed what we still wanted to do and made a complete loop around the park. Lucia wanted to have her face painted, and I'm not sure why, but there was like ONE lady staffing the booth and pushy parents in front of us insisting on full-face painting (read: takes a zillion hours) but fine, we got it done. She got a unicorn on her cheek. Which Pete and I laughed about later, saying it looked like a dolphin with a pink wig on.

Pink-wigged dolphin picture to come

We headed home as we all reached maximum exhaustion, and she and I slept on the way home. Overall, we learned some good lessons today:

1. Lucia doesn't like our new minimally-toxic-as-possible-but-still-effective spray sunblock. Gah. 
2. Naps = mandatory. The plan for Disney World is to go back to the hotel everyday from 1-4 or 5 for naps and a swim. Sounds dreamy. 
3. Snacks = mandatory. 
4. Extra water = also mandatory
5. Having a game plan with a map and knowing where to go for the day = essential. 

Brains for dinner

Guess we have a zombie fan?