What a decade!!

Rachel Ann Hansen

11 April 1997

11:31 p.m.

7 lb. 15 oz.

What a joy it has been to have Rachel around the last 10 years. I think we'll keep her a while longer.

The timing could not have been more perfect for Rachel to arrive. Jared graduated from Northwestern the previous December and we headed west to his new job at Disney.

We arrived in Los Angeles the first week of January and lived in Burbank for 2 months while I looked for a home up in Valencia.

We packed up our apartment in Burbank on February 28, 1997. As we were leaving the North Hollywood Shootout was taking place just a few miles from our apartment. I remember listening to the radio on the way up to Valencia and being glad were leaving the Burbank/Hollywood area--fun to sight see...not to live.

So as to not bore you too much...we got settled in our new home and a month and a half later our 1st baby arrived! What a treat that was!

I remember that morning well. I was watching TV on my bed and finishing up a cross-stitching project and my hips and thighs started to ache. I had spoken with my mom on the phone earlier that morning and she had mentioned that her labor had been in her back. Not having had a baby before I started to wonder if this was it. I called the doctor. They concurred...so I called Jared and told him he should probably come home. It was a Friday, so he was happy to leave early.

Anyway...we finally headed to the hospital. They didn't want to admit me because they didn't think I was progressed enough (this has been a pattern with the other 3 as well) but there was plenty of room and a nice nurse said I could stay. 8 hours later she was here.

We did not find out if we were having a boy or a girl, and I had always felt like I would have a lot of boys, so I was so happy when she finally arrived and I knew I had at least 1 girl to speak of!

Jared and I had both come up with our favorite names...mine was Lydia Rebecca (a close second was Ellison Adams) and Jared had picked Rachel Ann. I remember when they handed her to me looking at her and saying to Jared--she's not a Lydia. So Rachel Ann it was! As you can see she has always had the same color hair--just not much of it to begin with.

Thank you to those of you who endured this dialogue. Being the poor recorder that I am, I have never written down anything about this day. So here's a start. I'll post my favorite things about Rachel--10 years later--this afternoon.