Monday, January 31, 2011

Saturday

Saturday morning we went up to spend the day in Kirkwood. Aunt Tammy and Baby Joe were in town. Soon after we got to Mama and Papa's house Aunt Kara and Claire came over.

Papa's hands were full with all those babies!
All of the girls went shopping. We loaded up in Aunt Kara's minivan...three carseats and 4 adults!
Claire and Dane wanted to hold hands walking to the car.
We went to Target and Aunt Kara put Claire and Dane in one of the big double carts.
They loved it!
We met Aunt Amy and Delaney at the mall for lunch and a little shopping while Trey was at a birthday party. Mama found some great deals at the mall so each of the grandkids got a little present! Dane got a winter coat for next year!
We went back and hung out at Mama and Papa's house. Delaney and Trey came over and Dane had a ball running around with them. He also laid on the mat with Joe for a bit. We headed out right about bedtime and Dane was asleep in no time.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Snow, Sick, and Sleep

I really have no idea who reads my blog. I started it because I thought it would be a great way to document all of the events, big or small, that happen with our little family. I was getting further and further behind in scrapbooking, which made it less and less enjoyable. Blogging seemed to capture more of the everyday memories and at the close of each year I can have it made into a book with just the click of a button, one for me to keep and one for Dane if I wish. I hoped that some family and friends would enjoy it as well, but I am really not sure who all does.

However, today I received an email from a friend, "I love your 365 project pictures of Dane on your blog, but I miss your updates of the little events in your family's day."

Well, today may have been the wrong day to ask, but......

SNOW:
We have had a ton of snow days......6 as of today. I always love the first few, but after that I just want to get back to school, teach my kids, and look forward to summer vacation. When I have reached my limit of snow days and start to dread that early morning or late night phone call I remind myself that at least I have Dane to snuggle up and play with on those cold, snowy days. We have played, sang, napped, and eaten far to many chocolate chip cookies and cupcakes. My stock of cake mixes and brownie mixes for last minute gathering invites has dwindled.

SICK:
Last Thursday's snow day turned out to be a snow/sick day for Dane. He got up and ate breakfast and started to play. He was running through the kitchen when he sort of spit up some milk. I just thought he was being a little wild after eating, so I cleaned it up and back to playing we went. At naptime I took him to our room so I could snuggle with him and catch up on some DVR'd shows. I noticed that he seemed a little sweaty, so I uncovered him a little and he slept on. He slept a good two and a half hours. When he woke up he reached for me and was coughing, then he got sick. It wasn't too bad and by this point I had forgotten about the morning episode, so we got some water and all was well......until about 2 am. I heard Dane on the monitor crying. I flipped on the video and he was laying down crying. I watched for a minute, assuming that he would fall back to sleep. He then sat up and got sick in his bed. When I walked in to his room the poor guy was sitting in bed pointing to where he got sick saying, "uh oh momma, uh oh." Dave got up with me and we cleaned him and the bed up and got us all settled back in bed. We laid low for the rest of our snow days.

Sleep
1) Dane's Sleep: Dane's bed time routine takes all of maybe 2 minutes. We would take him in his room, turn on music, turn on his vaporizer, give him a blanket and a monkey, lay him down, and walk out. Within minutes I can hear him lightly snoring on the monitor. Well that was until about a week ago. Dane started crying when we laid him down. He would stand up in his crib and cry. One night he cried for 20 minutes. We couldn't figure out what the problem was. We thought maybe he was too wound up when we were putting him to bed or he didn't need to go to bed as early anymore (7:30 p.m.). We tried having Dave read him books and rock him for a minute in his room. He would be dozing in Dave's arms and the minute Dave walked out of his bedroom he was up screaming. Well, somehow we figured it out. Dave took him to bed last night and he laid down fine. Dave kept moving slowly towards the door and Dane would poke his head up every few minutes to check to see what was going on. Dave made it to the bedroom door and Dane was still laying down. The second Dave closed the door Dane popped up screaming. Dave opened the door and Dane stopped. So we kept the door opened a crack and Dane went to sleep right away. Tonight I put him to bed, left the door opened a crack and he is sleeping soundly. Don't know why all of a sudden he doesn't want the door closed, but we will do it.

2) Mommy's sleep- Dave moved to a dayshift (late morning- early evening) position at work in early November. The hours weren't the best, but midnights were getting to him. About a month after he moved to the shift the prison decided to shift the hours a bit. These new hours were a bit harder to handle. I pick Dane up from daycare and come home right after school, as long I don't have a meeting. We play, I make dinner, we eat, we play, I give Dane a bath, we read, then Daddy comes home and Dane goes to bed shortly after. I don't know if it is me, some new responsibilities I have take on, or my time management, but I need to figure it out. When Dane goes to sleep at 8:00 I take a shower and get our clothes ready for the next day. By this time it is usually almost 9:00. I then start the major activities for my evening....grade papers, clean, do laundry, make my lunch, work on various projects, and catch up on emails. Next thing I know it is 2:30 a.m. and I have an alarm that will be buzzing in 3 and a half hours. Need to work on this.................

It is a good thing I have this cute boy to keep me grounded.....

So, Erynn is probably thinking she doesn't want to hear about the latest happenings in our little life anymore for a while.......I promise the next post will be full of cute adventures of Dane.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

1.17.11-1.22.11

We put Joseph's swing on the table so Molly wouldn't lick on him while we made lunch. Two little ones wanted to check him out!
Back to daycare after a 3 day weekend is rough. Dane fell asleep on the way home. I knew he wouldn't sleep real long so I just laid him on blankets on the living room floor.

We were expecting snow by Thursday morning so I called Dave and asked him to run through Chester Walmart on his way home. One of the items we needed was milk for Dane. Dane loves milk and was so excited when Daddy pulled it out of the bag.

I really did not want a snow day, but since we did it was extra nice that Dave was home on Thursday and Friday as well. Dane and Dave did some coloring after naptime while I made dinner.

Dave and Dane playing with their Ste Gen stocking hats!

Dave is really going to hate this picture. He hates it when Dane plays with the pots and pans. I assure him I always wash them before I use them. This is one of Dane's favorite activities and honestly when I am trying to make dinner, open mail, and get settled after working all day sometimes it is the one thing that keeps Dane busy and happy.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Sweet Little 18 Month Old!

I just can't believe Dane is already 18 months old! We already had his 18 month Dr. appointment and when Dr. Andersen told me his next appointment would be for his 2 year old checkup I almost cried. 2 yrs old just sounds so old!

When I want to take his picture he will stand and say, "Cheese Momma".
Dane is a happy, busy, growing boy these days. He is growing a bit taller @ 32 inches (45%) and weighing in at 26 lbs (50%). He loves, loves, loves his daycare. When I tell him when are almost to Tracey's house he raises both hands up in the air and yells "Yay!" He just walks right in and starts his day with no problem. Thank goodness though he is always very excited to see me when I come pick him up. He has learned so much from Tracey. He does his sign language, plays games, helps pick up toys, and loves the other kids.


When we get home in the afternoons Dane just plays, plays, plays. He will watch TV for a bit, then build with legos. He will chase Max, then read books. I love watching him because everyday he seems to do something new. If any music comes on TV he stops what he is doing and dances.


Dane is communicating so well. He says quite a few words including, more (for food of course), Max, Momma, Dadda, dog, door, T (Tracey), Mama, Papa, ball, cheese, and choo choo. When he wants something he can't say he will grab our hand and lead us to it or point to it.


Dane is such a loving little boy. He gives Dave and I kisses and hugs constantly. When I say we are going bye bye he will chase Max trying to give him a hug goodbye.


Every stage with Dane is so much fun and it just keeps getting better. We can't believe how he is growing into a little boy. He is so smart, fun, and sweet and we love him so, so much!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

A Visit with Friends

On Friday, January 7th, (yes, I am behind) we were so lucky to be able to spend the day with good friends. Deanna and the boys were in Illinois for two weeks. We went to Tom's sister's house to see everyone and let the boys play.

Dane always enjoys playing with other kids.
The look on their faces...............
No wonder they were so excited! Dave took the boys downstairs to play a bit and obviously they were a little wilder than when they were upstairs with the moms.
Deanna, Luke, Brody, Dane, and me.
It was great to spend the day together. We look forward to being able to spend more time with them. I think back to vacations when it was Tom and Deanna and Dave and I. I have a feeling they will be quite different now!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

A Day with Cousins!

Aunt Tammy and Baby Joseph came to stay in Kirkwood for a few days. Monday I was off school so we went to Mama and Papa's house so Dane could hang with his cousins for the day.

Dane gave Joseph big hugs!
Dane loves Molly (Mama and Papa's dog) and he gave her some hugs as well.
Such a big boy!
Claire (23 months), Dane (18 months), and Joseph (7 weeks)
Trying to tickle Joseph so we can see him smile.
Cousins holding hands!
Dane had such a fun day with his cousins. Just wait until Joseph is up and about!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

365 Project-Jan. 12-16, 2011

When Dane woke up from his nap he got so excited when I said he could have a chocolate chip cookie for a snack.
Dane loves to play with his jackets, hats, and backpack. Sometimes he will add Mommy's or Daddy's shoes to the outfit.
Dane usually takes a bath in the main bathroom. Friday night I was hanging towels in my bathroom when he started pointing to our bathtub and calling, "momma." I asked if he wanted to take a bath in the big bathtub and he raised his arms up in the air and yelled, "YA!"
I do not know how many times a day my hand is held by these little fingers. Dane will come, grab my two fingers, and take him to wherever it is he wants me to go. So cute!
These past few days we have tried to move away from watching, "RuRu", (Rudolph). He seems to be happy with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse again. He does however, LOVE Merry Christmas Curious George. He will find Curious George on every page and point him out.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

1-09-11 to 1-11-11

It is a snow day and nap time which has allowed me to get a couple of things done!

I was finally able to play on Picnik, a photo editing site that I have messed about with a couple of times, but never really had time to do anything I liked. I was also able to upload a couple days worth of pictures to keep me on track for my 365 Project!

I made cookies and gave Dane one for a mid-morning snack. When I cleaned him up and got him out of the high chair he sobbed. He was pulling on his high chair and kept crying, "More, Momma." Poor guy!
It is a toss up which Dane loves to play with more, Daddy's hats or Daddy's shoes.

After breakfast this morning Dave went out to shovel snow so he have the driveway cleaned before he went to work. Dane watched him from the window the entire time. He would knock and wave and call, "Dadda."

Sunday, January 9, 2011

365 Project

For Dane's first year I took a picture every.single.day.

I still take a ton of pictures, but it isn't everyday like it used to be. Dane seems to be doing something new every day. I saw this project online and thought it was the perfect project me. I made it one of my new years resolutions...(yep, I am a little behind, still need to do my new years resolution post...if I post about them it helps keep me faithful).

The 365 Project is a photography project where you document a year of your life by taking a daily photograph. The goal is to help you capture the little day to day things that make your life so special and unique. You can read about it here http://365project.org/

I know I can definitely take a photo a day, but blogging everyday may sometimes be difficult. Therefore, here is my first week of photos.

1-1-11
New Years Snack with Delaney and Claire
1-2-11
Bathtime with Daddy using the bath crayons that Dane got in his stocking.
1-3-11
Gogurt for a snack...yum
1-4-11
Still asking to watch RuRu (Rudolph) everyday.
1-5-11
Checking out the new Nikes his mommy bought him.
1-6-11
Using his laptop
1-7-11
A wonderful visit with friends.
1-8-11
A surprise for mommy and daddy!
Dane made this at his babysitter's house.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Dane's Zhu Zhu Pet

Dane got a Zhu Zhu Pet from Tracey, his babysitter, for Christmas. He loves it. It keeps him quite entertained at night while I make dinner. When it moves he chases it.


Trying to catch it....
I saw this expression several times tonight and then I would have to go rescue the Zhu Zhu Pet from under the couch.
Once I got it out he would let it go again.