The Canon Digital Elph has been kept busy since the arrival of Numero Cinco last week. For a slideshow of all of the to-date photos of Jeffrey, try clicking here.

[slideshow of all Jeffrey pics]

We had quite the surprise late, very late Saturday night. Kathi unexpectedly started labor just before midnight, and just a few minutes later we were enroute to Prince William Hospital in nearby Manassas. The official time of birth for Numero Cinco was Sunday at 6:30 AM, May 18, 2008. Yesterday Kathi turned in the Form SS-5 (Application for a Social Security Number Card), meaning Numero Cinco actually has a name: Jeffrey David Hansen.

[click for all of the baby pics]

The original plan was for Kathi to report to the hospital Thursday, May 29. She had an appointment for an induced labor. This was two days before her due date, and fit her previous pregnancy experiences. She had never been early before. Kayleigh and Thomas both arrived overdue. Evelyn and Melanie also waited, and were induced.

Jeffrey had his own schedule. Kathi's water broke late Saturday evening. A very nice and helpful neighbor was summoned and stayed with our kids (all were sleeping). She was soon spelled by my cousin Kristin, who came out from Arlington. Our drive to the hospital should have been quick, but was held up by one very long train. No worries, however, as early Sunday morning is quiet in the labor and delivery ward. The anesthesiologist in short order got Kathi hooked up to an epidural. Things quickly calmed down, and I dozed off in a chair. I was awakened around 4am by labor pains. By 6am the progress was still slow, and the doctor was becoming concerned for the baby's wellbeing.

We headed to the nearby operating room for an unscheduled cesarean section. In a matter of minutes we had a crying baby boy. There were no serious complications, but Kathi would now be facing a lengthy recovery.

By Sunday afternoon Kathi had been moved to the maternity ward, and was comfortable enough to get some sleep. Now I switched to Mister Mom mode. First stop was home, to check on the kids. Lynne brought us some lunch. Then Kayleigh, Thomas and I were off to their piano recital. This even went ahead as scheduled, even without the recently hospitalized instructor. Afterward we all met up at the hospital to visit the newcomer.

[slideshow of hospital pics]

Monday through Thursday I hustled the older kids off to school, and trekked the little ones around to their various appointments. In the evenings we visited the hospital.

By Thursday Kathi was ready to come home, and I was ready to return to my day job.

Melanie recently celebrated her third birthday. Check out these photos from past birthday celebrations.

[more Melanie birthday photos]

Sunday, April 27th was the third anniversary of Melanie's birth. Her birthday celebration filled the entire weekend. The festivities started Friday afternoon with a short party at our house for several of her neighborhood friends.

[more Friday photos]

Saturday evening Lynne hosted a party for Melanie at her beautiful home in Oakton. Lynne treated us all with a delicious meal of grilled ribs and potato salad. Kristin and Laura provided entertainment, with some of Melanie's favorite activities: blowing bubbles, opening gifts, and tossing the ball to the pups.

[more Saturday photos]

Then Sunday our neighbors next door joined us for one last birthday party. We grilled fish on the backyard grill and enjoyed what was left of Melanie's big Costco birthday cake.

This past Friday Kayleigh, Thomas, Evelyn, and I went to the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Richmond International Raceway. The track is about a two-hour drive from our home in northern Virginia. I had memorized the directions before leaving, but this was hardly necessary, as we spotted the Goodyear Blimp cruising high above the track from at least twenty miles away. The iconic airship acted as our compass, guiding us right to the parking lots.

We entered the grandstand during the downtime between the end of the qualifying and the start of the main event, the Lipton 250. But there was plenty going on to keep our attention. Parachuters carried the Stars and Stripes down onto the track. A large military transport plane swooped low over the stands, followed by three large helicopters. A "Nashville recording star" sang God Bless America, an invocation was offered, and we sang the National Anthem. The drivers were introduced to the crowd.

By 7:30 it was finally it was time for those most famous words in racing: "Gentleman: start your engines!" All forty cars were in a tight pack as they streaked through turn one, and past where we were sitting, in the general admission seats high above turn two.

And that is when it first hit us: the noise, that is! I had warned the kids that it would be loud, but even I was surprised. This was more than loud, it was an ear-splitting roar.

I did have a hint earlier of what to expect. As we walked from the car park to the track I noticed that many other attendees sported over-the-ear headsets, like you might see on baggage-handlers at the airport. We also passed Boy Scouts who were raising money by selling foam earplugs. But now the race had started, and the Scouts were gone. Eventually we found a souvenir shop selling these simple foam hearing preservation devices. Finally we could settle into our seats and enjoy some actual racing.

Most fans have a particular driver or team that they cheer for. My only exposure to NASCAR has been during replays on Sportscenter. We could tell which cars were ahead by watching the leader board, but beyond that all we really did was watch for wrecks. And there were several. Three occurred in turn two, directly below us. None were serious. The re-starts were exciting as well, as all of the remaining cars were bunched together in a tight pack, each jockeying for position.

The rest of the action occurred on pit row, which we couldn't see from our discounted seats. After the race, when the noise had died down, we walked around to the front stretch and took a quick look.

Hometown hero Denny Hamlin captured the checkered flag, so many of the fans went home happy. For myself the highlights were the numerous wrecks, the re-starts, and just the spectacle of being outside on a beautiful night, in an enormous venue, with the speed, the roar, and the ground shaking beneath our seats.

I expect to be back. Next time we will have a bag full of snacks and foam earplugs firmly in place.