Baby Cason

I'm just stating the obvious here, but, this is only my second posting. But I do have a good reason. I wanted to wait until the baby was here to be able to jot down some thoughts.

So, a week late and very much to our shear anxiety, on Thursday, November 27, 2008 Rebecca gave birth to a cute baby boy. Yes I know, how could he be mine if he's so darn cute? I had the same question, then saw all the hair on his back and thought, "That's my boy!" He is darling. I need to stop using those "fluffy" adjectives (I'm use to talking about my girls). He is manly, stout, and handsome...borderline grizzly and tough! He's great. Many have asked, "are you so glad it's a boy!" And honestly, and I think this is mutal between Rebecca and I, we have been waiting so long for number 3 in our home, we were exstatic just to have a strong, healthy baby. How fitting that he came on Thanksgiving, too! Don't let me depreciate the fact that we are excited to have a boy, though. That's like an added bonus to the blessing! As the nerdy engineer I am, I can best explain it using an equation:

healthy baby = awesome
healthy baby boy = awesome+1

Some already know this, but Rebecca and I don't find out the sex of our babies. I think that's more me than Rebecca. But I love the surprise! So, that means we have to go into the hospital with two names - boy and girl. Unfortunately, as has been the case with the other two also, we could not agree on names. So, instead of going to the hospital with two names...we went with zero! We did have our book of 60,000+ names, though! I tell you what, those things are worthless. Who is going to name their kid Abu or Naem or Quint? I mean really, about 55,000 of the names are toss-outs. The book was no help to us. But, there was a name that Rebecca said a few minutes after he was born that I really liked. I thought she liked it too...but then she began to doubt. Apparently, a neighbor friend had mentioned they liked the same name. So, that name was out. Rebecca didn't like any of my thanksgiving names like Squanto or John Smith either, so we were at an impasse. I was so frustrated around noon on Friday that Rebecca sent me away to the movies. Of course, she sent me with the agenda to find a name while watching the movie. I went to see the new Bond movie...no help at all, but a good flick! I went back to the hospital determined to use the neighbor friends name. My mind was made up, he was my boy, and that's all there was to it! Oh, and I took ammunition with me...some "outside" food. The outside food was good, my plan - not so good. We got into a "spirited" discussion that turned into a throw out any name on our mind. Not bad names aimed at each other, baby names. It was a heated brainstorming session. Then, Rebecca said it, "Cason". I stopped in my tracks, "Cason, mmm...that's not bad. In fact, that's pretty cool! Cason, I like it!". And we were done! 20 hours after he came into the world, finally, Cason Nicholas Hansen had a name. It's funny how names seem to fit, too. I looked at his face and yep, he is Cason.

I was nervous to have a boy. A boy is so different. I mean...there's circumcision! Our delivery doctor, Dr. Sherman, barely made it to our room in time to deliver Cason. She had been over in the ER getting her pinkie stitched up. She had cut off the tip doing Thanksgiving dinner. Not the person I wanted to circumcise my boy! Luckily, she was "off duty" when circumcision time came. Instead, it was a meticulous, well-organized, spanish gentleman - everything went great...I mean, all things considering!

Four days later, we're trying to get back into the swing of things as best as possible. The girls love their new baby brother. Rebecca is doing great. She's excited to be down 15 lbs. from Thursday, when most of us are up 15 lbs! She looks great. She's a beautiful, wonderful mom and wife. She did so good during the delivery. She didn't want the epidural (sp?) again. She didn't have one with Kalee, our first, but she did with the second, Alana. So, Rebecca definately knew the bitter from the sweet before making the decision. She is a trooper! And like I said, she did so good. This may sound funny, but the best word to describe her is disciplined. Just like when she trained for and ran her marathon...she is so mentally sharp. When she wants something, she prepares and when the time come, she focuses so well on the end goal. She's amazing! John 16:21 is fitting of her ordeal:

"A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world."

It was a long road, and I understand not as long as others may have to travel, but it was a long road for us and we are so grateful Cason is here.