Dane - Five Months

Mommy got a new toy for Christmas (kinda), so this month's photo was especially fun to take!  And look at the results - I am thrilled! 
And, for all you empathizing parents of tinies out there, I am happy to have proof that my baby doesn't ALWAYS scream and cry during "tummy time!"  :)

Sweet Dane is really getting fun.  He is very interactive and VERY happy.  Just look at him and his face lights up.  He smiles with his eyes, which Mommy just loves.  He is trying to sit up, working his little abs every day.  He also opens his mouth very wide when he sees the bottle.  He reaches out and grabs it with fervor, as if we never feed him.  I think you can see the contrary.  What a delight he is!

Dane - Four Months

Well, everybody - Here we are!  Dane is four months old!
It's hard to believe that I already have a deck of photos for him and can watch as he has changed and grown.  He is quite the talker these days, and has a STRONG GRIP!  He especially likes to hold onto his sleeve when I'm changing his clothes, and MY sleeve when I'm changing his diaper!  This does NOT make the process faster.  :)

Here is the latest installment in the story of Dane:

Have a great day!

A Fine Day For A Ride

Jacob got a new toy today - a little powered motorcycle from Grandpa Dan.  He LOVES it!  Daddy and Mommy particularly like it because it looks like a Harley.  The stickers on it say Wild Child - how funny!
At first he didn't really understand how to make it work, and managed a few near-misses with the neighbors' cars, etc.  But after awhile, he could steer really well, even navigating correctly when we would say, "Go left!" or "Steer right!".  I was impressed.
Here are some pictures of Jacob on his new "mumm".  Hopefully we'll get a chance to also post the video of him riding for the first time.

Thanks, Grandpa Dan!

Oops!  Ran into the rocks!

Do you see the "Back Off" sticker?!?!

Halloween 2009

All who know me know that I don't get into Halloween much.  However... the part that I do like about Halloween is yummy goodies and cute kids in costumes! 

Today Jakey and I made owl cookies.  We had a lot of fun, and Jakey LOVED putting the sprinkles on.  Mommy had quite a time convincing him NOT to eat all of the pieces before we got them together!  :)

After naptime, Jacob and Dane donned their costumes and got their first taste of trick-or-treating.  Jacob was a biker and Dane was a cowboy.  We went just to a few houses around ours, and one at the end of the street.  Jacob didn't quite get it, though, because at one house he tried to give candy to the people who live there!  It was hilarious. 

Please enjoy these photos of the day:

Sweet Moments...

Jacob has a little "lovey" blankie that he calls his mimi.  We don't know how he came up with that, but that's what he calls it.  Sometimes we play with him and snatch his mimi away and pretend it is ours.  He always says, "MY mimi!"  Some time ago, we started to then grab him, after a "MY mimi" and say, "Yes, that's your mimi, but YOU are MY mimi!"  Most of the time these days, its Daddy who plays this game.

So I came home from work (this is my second week back after maternity leave) and proceeded to sit on the couch beside Jacob as he watched "Melmo".  This has become routine for us all, now that we head off to work and daycare early in the morning.  Jacob scooted over to me and snuggled in.  Then I heard him say, "You're MY mimi."  MY HEART MELTED...  It was as good as if he'd said, "I love you."  Maybe better.  I love this little boy.

Dane - Three Months

Again - The time has come to take the monthly photo, and I CANNOT believe how quickly time passes. 

Dane is now three months old, and an absolutely SWEET baby boy.  He is quite smiley, and almost always happy (except for when he's in his car seat...).  He loves to talk to us, and sometimes makes these crazy noises that sound like a bird!  His big eyes and mass of dark hair get him noticed wherever we go.  He has taken well to daycare, now that Mommy and Daddy are both at work again (though we just HATE leaving him and big brother!).  Everyone there comments on what a happy guy he is!  Here is his three-month picture:

[ overheard ]

[Jakey] "Mommy! Dane ky-ing!  Oh, noooo!"


[Jakey] "A-haff, Mommy, a-haff!"
[Mommy] "Yes, Jakey, you tore your bread in half!  Great job!"

[Jakey] "Dinosaurs, Mommy!"

[Jakey] "Mommy - Chorge, hohme, cows?"
[Mommy] "Yes, George is at home with his cows."
[Jakey] "Cows eat?"
[Mommy] "No, they're sleeping right now."

[Mommy] "Eat some more eggs, please, Jakey."
[Jakey] (After putting a bite in his mouth) "Aaaaahhhh." (Shows me the food in his mouth)
[Jakey] "Mommy - Aaaahhhhhh." (Wants me to show him what's in MY mouth!)

[Jakey] "Waahn, two, fee, four, sixteen!"


And, just for fun:

Cutest Buns on the Block

As some of you may know, we have begun using cloth diapers for Dane.
(We thought about doing it with Jake when he was tiny, but I didn't know much
about cloth diaper options back then, and the daycare won't do it, so we didn't get
very far.) I have a handful of "pocket-style" cloth diapers from the attempt on Jakey,
and now also have a full stash of "prefold" diapers (like our parents used on us when
we were little) and a few covers to go over the top. Here is our current setup:


We're using baby washcloths for wipes (so everything goes into the wash, instead of picking
out wipes to throw in the trash) and a homemade wipes solution, in the green spray bottle.
We are liking the cloth diapers for their environmental friendliness, their lack of chemicals,
and the cost savings over disposables (I got set up with the prefolds and covers for a little over $60).
But, by far, the best part about cloth diapering is the CUTE diaper covers that are available!
Here is a photo of the diaper cover that arrived at our house this week:

I purchased this cover on Etsy, the online store for buying and selling handmade items,
from a store called Olive Jane Designs. It's actually a more expensive cover, in the scheme
of things, but it was so cute I had to have it. :)

And now, Dane has the cutest buns on the block! Take a look:

See, doesn't he look happy? (I'm SURE its because of his cute buns...)

Two Months and Two Years

We have reached a monumental point! We now have a two MONTH old boy - AND - a two YEAR old boy! Dane turned 2 months old this week, and Jake's 2 year birthday was on the 16th. (Pictures from the farm still to come...)

These sure are sweet days, especially as Mommy is getting to spend them with her two sweet boys.

Take a look -

Jacob, at two years old:


Dane, at two months old:


Fun on the playmat:

Trying to get the perfect shot for the two months, two years blog post...
Uh, not what Mommy was looking for (do you see Dane ready to punch Jacob?)...

Now, Jacob is really more interested in the camera than in his brother...


Ah! That's it! That's what Mommy wanted! :)

Happy Fall, everyone!

Jacob turns 2!

Believe it or not, Jacob turned 2 today! It is astounding how fast the time has gone. Everyone tells you that, but experiencing the phenomenon just baffles me.

We had a fun day. The Sharps came to play and have lunch. At dinner we sang Happy Birthday to Jacob and gave him his present from Gary's "Aunt" Geri and "Uncle" Harry. Jacob liked our song so much that he started singing, too. "Happy to me..." OH. SO. CUTE!

This weekend we'll go to Grandma Merry and Grandpa John's house to celebrate Jacob's birthday with our family, and his friend Aaron's, too! Aaron will be 2 next week, also, and the Sharps have become family to us. It will be fun!

Until then, enjoy these photos from today, and a couple of Jacob entertaining Dane earlier in the week. Such a good big brother!

Happy Birthday to Jacob!


Blowing out the candles:

Opening his presents:



Having fun with baby Dane:

It's Football Season!

Thought I'd post a pic of our cute little Bears fans. (Daddy has *nothing* to do with that! Right!)

The poor dears - I hope last night's game is not indicative of the kind of season we'll be having here in Chicago. We didn't pay big bucks for Jay Cutler for nothing!

(Listen to me - I sound like I'm married to a sports fan or something!) :)

Here they are!



Dane's outfit has a cute hat that Mommy found irresistible,
so here's another picture of him:



Go Bears!!!!

Dane - One Month

Yes, already!
I can't believe it, either!

And Then There Were Four...

If you haven't yet heard - Baby Dane has finally arrived!

He was born on Wednesday, July 29, 2009, at 9:01 am,
weighing 7 lbs and 15 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long.

But that is only the very end of the story...

I have struggled to write this blog post, because I couldn't decide what
to put in it. There is so much to tell, so many details that have significance to us.
But without writing a novel, it may not all make sense to anyone else. :)
So, I have decided to write a detailed account of Dane's birth story to be published
at a later date. But for now, the Cliff Notes:

Tuesday evening, the night before, I noticed there was something going on. I had no idea
how long things would take, so I called Sarah (my doula/friend/photographer/etc.) and
Becky (babysitter for Jacob) to give them a heads-up that it could be happening soon.
We all went to bed, wondering what the next day would bring. Around 3:30 or 4am, I woke
up with contractions strong enough to keep me awake for good. I putzed around the house,
tidying up and gathering things for the hospital that hadn't already been packed. At 5:30, I
decided it was time to call in reinforcements. I called Sarah to ask her to come, and then
called Becky.
I attempted to wake up Gary and tried to find more ways to cope with the strengthening contractions. At 6:30, Sarah arrived and we called the midwife to let her know things were progressing. She said to keep her in the loop and to let her know when we left for the hospital.
Thank heaven she was already there when we finally did leave. Becky arrived at 7 to occupy Jacob. By that time, contractions were getting pretty serious. Sarah and Gary were a great support to me as I labored with this baby. I didn't want to get to the hospital too early, so we stayed at home until no one thought it was a good idea anymore. :) Around 8:30 we decided to leave, and Gary RUSHED me to the hospital (only a good 3 blocks away, but I think I must have had 5 contractions during that time!) We screeched into the parking lot and someone from the ER helped us navigate some lesser-used hallways (and maybe even a shortcut) to labor and delivery, though it did take us probably 10 minutes to get there, as I kept making them stop when I had a contraction to let me get out of the wheelchair. During one of these contractions, in a dark hallway in the bowels of the hospital, my water broke. I was so surprised, as were Gary and the ER lady! A minute later we arrived in the birthing room. The midwife walked in and asked to check how far I had dilated. "Oh! - There's the head!" she said. Another contraction started, and I exclaimed with GREAT surprise, "Oh! - I'm pushing!" They quickly got me on the table, and in two more pushes, Baby Dane was born. I looked up at the clock and said, "Hey - He was born at 9:01!" After all, I was the only one facing the clock. :) And with that, we welcomed our new, precious son into the world. It was an awesome moment.

So, from the time we pulled up at the hospital until little Dane was born, it was about 16 minutes, total. We certainly gave the labor and delivery nurses a shock. That was probably the most excitement they had seen in awhile! We both felt great, and decided to go home the next day. Dane had to deal with a little bit of Jaundice, since he and I have different blood types, but that was quickly resolved. He is a happy, content little snuggler, who has already stolen our hearts. Even big brother Jacob loves him. Please enjoy these photos.





As I mentioned, Sarah was there to snap photos, as well as help me through the process.
She has created slideshows of Dane, both from that day, and a week later.

Photos from the hospital: http://imagesbysharp.com/extra/birthingDane/

Photos from his newborn session: http://imagesbysharp.com/extra/Dane/

Here are a couple of teasers, compliments of Sharp Images Custom Photography: