Getting Ready for Our First Halloween

We are excited about our first Halloween with our little buddy. We know he will probably sleep through my parent's famous Halloween dinner and possibly stay at my parents house with Dave as I go Trick or Treating with my mom, sisters, neices, and nephew, but we are still excited and looking forward to the day.

Yes, Halloween is only one day, but our little man has 3 Halloween onesies. He wore one of my favorite ones today. We had our usual before school photo shoot.

What a cutie!!

Many people laugh at this, but yes we do take a picture EVERY morning before we leave. I am thinking in this picture Dane is trying to tell me he may be a little bored by these photo shoots.

One of my first prize possessions! When I picked Dane up from the sitter's house today she gave me this little ghost made from his foot. I love it!

Good Luck Aunt Katie

Aunt Katie is getting ready to head to New York this weekend to run the New York City Marathon. We were hoping to be boarding a plane with her, but this was a hard weekend for many family members to leave town so we will cheer from afar.

Dane will be ready for a vacation soon, so let's pick another fun city for your next marathon and we will be on the sidelines cheering!

The Weekends Go So Fast!

The weekends go faster than ever now. They just don't seem long enough for me to hold and play with Dane as much as I want to. My sister made the comment this weekend that she doesn't think she has ever heard someone talk to their baby as much as I do, telling him that he is the cutest boy I have ever seen.

Saturday I had my first offical Girls Day/Night Out. Dave had class so Grandma Evelsizer came down to hang out with Dane for a few hours. It turned out that she only had to "babysit" for about a half hour or so because I left later than expected and Dave got home earlier than expected. She got here about eleven and left about six so regardless of how long she actually had to babysit she still got in plenty of Dane time. Also while she was here I got to get a couple of things done.

I got home about 11:00 after a day at the winery and evening out with the girls. Dane, of course, then woke up at 3:00 am and instead of putting himself back to sleep like he usually does he cried for a bit. I went in and scooped him up for some cuddle time. Times have changed because as tired as I was rocking and cuddling with Dane at 3:00 am was wonderful! (However, it is not something I want to do EVERY night)

I can not believe how much Dane changes these days! He will sit in his bouncey seat and just coo, laugh, and talk. I love to listen to him. He is quite a happy baby.

I sit in front of Dane while he is in his seat and talk to him. I can tell him all about my day or what we are going to do and he just sits and smiles and coos at me like he really understands me.

Now that he is noticing so much more he seems to be wondering what the heck the camera is. I can usually snap a picture or two, but then he just starts to stare at the camera a little bit.

During the week I am up and ready before Dane (well on MOST days). On weekends I put him in his swing, turn on Cartoon Network, and then get my shower and get ready. On most days when I get out of the shower he is sound asleep. However, these naps that used to last 2 hours or more are now about 30 minutes. Baby Einstein DVDs were on his Christmas list...sometimes the Cartoon Network has some pretty weird cartoons on.

Oh how I love him! A little obsessed??? Well maybe.

Dane is Three Months Old!

My sweet baby boy is 3 months old today! I can't even believe it!

Three Months-What is Dane doing now?

*Wearing 0-3 month clothes. I need to start moving in the 3-6 month sleepers, his toes are getting awfully close to the ends.

*Switched from Huggies to Pampers. When we switched brands we bought size 2 diapers!

*Eats 6 oz, 5 times a day!

*Sleeps from 8:30 p.m., sometimes 8:00, until 6:00 am.

*Long morning nap has kind of faded. Usually has a short morning nap and a long midday nap with a little cat nap either before or after dinner.

*Still a VERY noisy sleeper

*Loves to play on activity mat or lay on a blanket and kick his legs and wave his arms.

*Loves his pack and play with the music and mobile

*Sits in his bumbo seat and eats dinner with Mommy and Daddy

*Smiles the biggest smile when he looks in the mirror and sees that adorable baby boy looking back at him

*Giggling and cooing like crazy...the best sound ever

*Enjoys tummy time and pushes up and looks around, tries to roll over, but not quite there

*Loves bath time

*Great car rider!

*Spent his first night away from us at Aunt Amy and Uncle Darnel's house

*Loves lights and music

*Loves the colors on the computer screen saver and the TV



Dane has made us so happy and brings us so much joy each day. We love him more everyday!



Oh how he has changed:

Leaving hospital, July 23, 2009

One month, August 21, 2009

Dane two months old

Dane 3 months old!

My sister, Katie, enjoys taking pictures and does a great job. She took Dane's three month pictures and did an amazing job! Dane recently discovered his hands and tongue so they were difficult to control, but she still got some adorable pictures!

Tummy time and looking around.

Folding his hands!

Chewing on his hands! I can hear him slurping at night while he sucks on them.

Cutest little face!

Big smile!

The Best Job in the World

Most people know that I absolutely LOVE teaching!

I must admit I LOVE my other job even more. However with this new job the pay is a lot less, well it sure doesn't pay any bills. I will never be able to get excited about a raise. There are no personal days or sick days to take. The hours are a lot longer and include nights, weekends, and holidays! Sometimes there are not even regular bathroom breaks or meal breaks.

However, the person I report to is incredibly cute and can make me feel soooooooooo good with just a smile.

One of my favorite parts of the job is when I get to snuggle with a freshly bathed and lotioned little boy in footy pajamas!

The Weekend with Family

Saturday and Sunday were fun times with family and Dane got lots of love from his mama, papa, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

My brother's birthday was Friday and my dad's birthday was Saturday. We decided to have birthday lunch on Saturday at 1:00. It was perfect because it was chilly and cloudy, perfect day to spend inside with family. Dave didn't think he would make it. He was supposed to have class all day, but they got cut loose at 11:30, so he called me and headed up. Mom had soup and sandwiches for lunch and carrot cake and Carmel apple pie for dessert.

Dane hung out with Uncle Darnel for a bit and watched some football.

The Birthday Boys!


Blowing out the candles!

After lunch the guys watched football and the girls decided to use mom's cricut machine to make some Halloween decorations. We cut the kids' names out and put them on pumpkins for decoration for their bedrooms.

It was a great, relaxing day. Dave had to work Sunday so he headed out in the evening and Dane and I spent the night at Mama and Papa's again.

Dane obviously feels very comfortable at Mama and Papa's house because he slept until 6:00 again on Sunday morning. After he ate he sat in his bouncy seat and loved watching Nickelodeon on Mama's and Papa's big screen while I got ready for church.

Knock on wood, we have made it through every church service so far without having to get up and take Dane out. We go to the contemporary service, so there is a band and big screens which they flash pictures and words to the hymns up on. Dane either sleeps through church or looks around and listens to the music...he loves music. The highlight of Dane's trip to church is always when we go with Uncle Darnel and Aunt Amy to pick their kids up from Sunday School. When they see Dane they get so excited!

After church we headed back to Mama's and Papa's to change and get ready for a fun day at Forest Park. Mama and Papa are members of Forest Park Forever and they invited all their grandchildren to join them at the members appreciation day at Forest Park. It was absolutely beautiful out. There were pony rides, crafts, a fishing game, music, and food.

This is what Dane spent most of his time at the park doing.....sleeping in his stroller.

Dane did wake up for some of the carriage ride around Forest Park.

We had a lot of fun with Mama, Papa, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I am looking forward to next year when he might be able to enjoy a pony ride.

It was a busy weekend and we were tired, but excited to get home and hang out with Dave.

A Friday Off School

Since we had Parent-Teacher Conferences Thursday night we didn't have school on Friday. It was soon discovered that Aunt Amy, Taylor, Delaney, Trey, and Aunt Katie were also off school. We decided to tell Mama, Aunt Kara, and Claire to keep day open as well and a fall outing was planned. (These outings have been frequently referred to as Girls Day Out, but we have lovingly welcomed Trey and Dane into our group. Right now they love it, but in several years I wonder if they will opt out of the trips that include shopping??)

Dane was already in St. Louis with Aunt Amy so I headed up early Friday morning. The weather could have been better, but I was excited anyway. We met at Aunt Amy's house and headed out to Chesterfield to the Pumpkin Patch.

Dane in his pumpkin patch attire!

Mommy and Dane before heading out!

Well like I said, the weather could have been better. It was chilly and drizzly. Dane was bundled up so much I bet most people thought I was just carrying around a big blanket. We checked out some pumpkins and the petting zoo, but even the older kids just wanted to head out. We managed to snap a couple of cute pictures.

Dane and Claire

We are going to have to have a lot of patience for our Christmas picture. Trying to get 5 cousins all looking the same way, at the same time, and smiling.....not quite there yet.

We wanted a hot lunch so we headed to Chesterfield Valley for Red Robin for lunch. I am always amazed at how well Dane usually does in restaurants. He eats at 10:00 and 2:00 everyday so when we are eating lunch it is usually naptime for him. It is perfect because he stays in his carseat and I can cover him up and let him sleep while I try to keep him out of too much people traffic. Friday was no exception....he slept and was perfect.

Friday was Uncle TJ's birthday so we were going to his house for a party Friday night. I was taking broccoli, rice, and cheese casserole so Dane and I grabbed the ingredients and headed to Aunt Katie's for a little hang out time while I made up my dish. Aunt Katie and Dane had some snuggle time while I cooked.

We met Daddy and headed to Uncle TJ's and Aunt Ashley's for the birthday party. As usual at 8:00 Dane could take no more and was ready for bed. Daddy feed him a bottle and he fell asleep.

We headed back to Mama and Papa's house to stay the night and Dane cried for about two minutes, before he was sleeping soundly in Mama's "Baby Room." He must have enjoyed the day because he slept until 6:00 the next morning.

Spending the Night with the Frost Family

Back in August when I looked over my school calendar I realized that I would have Parent-Teacher Conferences on a Thursday evening and Dave would have night class. When I mentioned this to my sister, Amy, she immediately said she would check her calendar and within minutes I got a text message saying that she would watch Dane for us.

So Wednesday evening I packed up my little boy for his night away. It was our first night without Dane. I said goodbye to him when I dropped him off at Sue's in the morning. School dismissed at 1:00 and conferences started at 1:30. As I walked back into the school after taking my kids to the bus I thought there was no way I would make it until Friday morning when I got to see Dane again. Dave picked Dane up from Sue's after work and met Amy at the church in Bloomsdale so she could take him back to Kirkwood for the night. It did help that Sue sent me a picture of Dane about 3:30 and then Dave sent me a picture of Dane after he picked him up from Sue's.

Since Amy is an amazing mother I was not worried about Dane at all.....I just missed him. I sent a couple of text messages, but tried not to bother Amy with phone calls. I knew he was in good hands.

Conferences were busy and soon it was 8:00 and many teachers were headed out for some stress relief. With Dave at class and Dane in Kirkwood I joined them. I tried to enjoy my time out and think about the fact that I would sleep uninterrupted and could sleep past 5:00 on Friday morning. I got home about 11:00 and since it was such a long day I fell right asleep. I did sleep past 5, but at 6:00 am my eyes popped open and I wanted to see my baby boy.

I was up and headed out the door by 7:15 am. When I got to Kirkwood the Frost Family was still thoroughly enjoying Dane. I was so happy to see my baby boy.

I asked how things went and Amy said, "Great." Dane slept all night in a pack and play for the first time so I was a little worried about how he would do. Amy said he got up once at 3:45, but went back to sleep in 10 minutes. Dane was then up at his usual 5:30 AM....I think that was the hardest part for Amy.


It is sometimes a fight to see who gets to cuddle with Dane....Aunt Amy or Trey?
Dane with the Frost Cousins. He got PLENTY of attention.

Thanks guys! I know Dane had fun and got plenty of lovin! I am sure he will enjoy many more sleepovers.

Our Mornings

You can just ask my sister Katie, I have carefully planned and thought out our morning routine. I discussed it with my mom, my sisters, girls at work, and Dave in order to make our mornings happy for everyone involved. I hope I don't jinx myself, but it has actually gone very well. Dave and I both get up at 4:30 in order to get ourselves ready for work and have breakfast before Dane wakes at hopefully 6:00 and not before.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am an ironing maniac. I iron absolutely everything! I hate being wrinkled! So when I wake up Dane at 6:00 I have my hair and makeup done, jewelry on, and am dressed in my dress pants and heels with my ROBE on. I feed and dress him and we are usually finished by 6:30. I know my mom will hate this, but I then lay him on my bed and he is entertained by the light and ceiling fan while I strip off my robe and throw on my top. For the record, I am literally two feet away from him while he lays on the bed. I know this is about to end since he is starting to move more everyday, but for now that is what works!
The problem is that he is usually so smiley and happy that just about everyday I am tempted to call in sick and stay home and play!

Dane staring at the light and ceiling fan!
He starts to get really excited and starts to laugh and kick his little legs!

Weekend Wrap Up!

Girls at the winery...enjoyed beautiful weather, music, wine, and people watching.

Saturday I had a girl's day at the winery planned with my mom and sisters and Dave had class. Dane was going to go to Jesika's for the afternoon. When I pulled up to drop him off at Jesika's her three girls were standing there waiting for him. They were sooo excited to babysit. When I left Jesika was sitting on the couch holding him and her girls were surrounding her. Dave said when he got there to pick him up Sam, Jesika's oldest, was sitting on the couch holding him. They said he was great and they can't wait to babysit again!
When my mom and sisters pulled up to drop me off after our winery trip they all jump out of the car, leaving me to get locked in the back, and run in to see who got to hold Dane first. Dane laid on the floor and showed them how much he loves his activity mat as he smiled and kicked his legs.


Saturday night mommy and daddy played with Dane on the floor. He is really pushing up and looking around when laying on his tummy.

When I was on maternity leave Dane would take long morning naps. Just like clockwork he would fall asleep at 7:15 am and sleep until sometimes 10:00. Many mornings I would be bored waiting for him to wake up so we could take a walk. Of course he was also getting up one or two times a night. Well now Dane sleeps through the night, most of the time. He also LOVES to wake up about 5:00 or 5:30 AM to start his day!! Saturday he was up about 5:45...kind of late for him. He ate, played, and then slept about 30 minutes, long enough for me to shower. I planned to straighten the house up, but since he was up and I would be gone most of the day we played. Then when I had to get dressed and put on makeup to leave he was not very happy hanging out in his swing. He fell asleep in the car on the way to Jesika's. This morning he was up at 5:15. At nap time he slept for only about 30 minutes once again. The problem was today I was TIRED!! When I got out of bed at 5:30 I just thought to myself, you can lay down when Dane takes his morning nap. But today it just wasn't happening. He finally fell asleep about 9:00 for about an hour.......I slept as well.

When he got up from his nap we ate, got dressed, and got ready to head into Ste Gen football field to watch Gabe Greminger play football. He was in a great mood!
Dane did fall asleep on the way to Ste Gen and sleep through most of the game. He got up at 2:00 to eat, then fell back to sleep on the way home.

After an afternoon of football Dane and Daddy laid down to watch Nascar while mommy cooked and cleaned. They both ended up napping a bit!

Yahoo!! This week Mommy only has to work 4 days! I do have to work until 8:00 p.m. on Thursday night for Parent Teacher Conferences though. Since Dave has class Thursday night Dane will be heading up to Kirkwood to spend the night with Aunt Amy, Uncle Darnel, and the kids. As much as I will miss my little man I am looking forward to the night out after conferences with all the teachers AND sleeping past 5:00 AM Friday morning.

Something to Make Me Smile and Almost on a Roll

Today I taught an EXHAUSTING lesson on estimating to my class. Did you know that 136 is closest to 900?? I decided that we would put the lesson to rest for today and try fresh tomorrow......so frustrating when that happens. I gave them 10 minutes to review for their science test and as I sat down at my desk I noticed my phone flashing.

How great was it to see this adorable face? My babysitter sent me two pictures of Dane.

This is Dane with the babysitter's daughter, Amanda, and two of the other little ones that go to Sue's.

TOTALLY MADE MY DAY!

I have found that since being back to work I absolutely cherish my time with Dane from the time I get home until the time he goes to bed. Thank goodness for teaching, I can be at the sitter's about 3:30 to get him on most days! Once we get home we usually snuggle for a little bit, Dane needs a little cat nap to make it through til bedtime. We also play on his activity mat. I bought one and Aunt Kara and Claire gave us Claire's to use as well. Well quite honestly he doesn't get nearly as excited when he is on mine as he does when he is on Claire's. I love to watch him smile and coo at the lights. He gets so excited he starts kicking his little legs and waving his arms.

Tonight after playing on the activity mat for a bit we tried some tummy time. Usually Dane will lift his head and look around a bit. Tonight I couldn't believe it....he started pushing over and I had to grab the camera because I thought for sure he was on his way over. He would lay flat and then start heading over again. I guess it will just be a matter of time!

His legs were kicking so much little Max almost got it in the face!

Days with Daddy

Dave is off on Tuesdays and Wednesday so Dane stays home with him. Since I am now back to work, this week was the first week that Dave had Dane all day, both days. Tuesday was pretty laid back. Dave said this is the first Tuesday that he can remember in a long time that he has not had something going on. They pretty much just hung out all day. Around noon Grandma and Grandpa Evelsizer came down and they all went for a ride. Dave had class at 5:30 and I had a meeting so Grandma and Grandpa Evelsizer babysat Dane for the first time until I got home. When I walked in Dane was laying on the couch kicking his legs and smiling and cooing at Grandma.
Wednesday was a little busier. They had some errands to run, but Dave said Dane was great all day.

Dane took some good naps for Daddy.
When I walked in Dane was sleeping on his activity mat. Dave said he was playing and just fell asleep.

He was already to watch the Cardinals Game with Daddy.

Since the game started so late Dane didn't make it past the first inning when he was ready for a bottle and bed.

First Full Week Back to the Real World

This was our first week back to the real world. I was back at school, Dane was at Sue's, and Dave would have Dane on his own on his days off.


Dane was looking absolutely adorable in his new little hat on the way to daycare.

Bath time is much more of a routine now. First, it passes time on Tuesdays and Thursdays when Dave is at class until 10:00 p.m. and second, Dane has come to love the bath time. He smiles and kicks his legs the whole time.