Picture of the Week

He likes his bananas!

Downward Facing Dane

Dane's been scooting all around (time to baby proof!). He loves getting up on all fours and "bullfrogging" from one side of the room to the other. He puts his hands out, hops, and moves his hands forward. We are not sure whether this constitutes crawling per se, but this is how he moves and it's adorable.

But now he does this thing that baffles us. He assumes the position -up on hands and knees- and then puts his little butt in the air and pushes up to hands and feet! He's doing baby yoga - the downward facing dog. Now I committed myself to the cause of getting a picture of this, because it is definitely something to see. I tried for many days and have deleted many failed attempts from my camera. Finally, I have captured the elusive photo. These are both mid-move shots, but it gives you an idea of what we're watching lately.

Toy Tunnel

For Christmas, J-pa gave Dane this really cool tunnel toy made by Baby Einstein. It's got colorful life-like and cartoon pictures on the bottom, mesh on the side and toys hanging from the top. He can crawl from one end to the other, play peek-a-boo with us through the mesh, grab at the pictures and bat at the toys. It's great at engaging and entertaining Dane, and it keeps the dogs out. Well, so far anyway!

Dane was recently playing in his tunnel while we were in the kitchen doing dishes. When I checked on him, this is what I found.

Apparently he wanted to chew on the toy hanging from the top, and he managed to flip the tunnel on its side.

"Got it!"

Spotlight On: New Books!

Dane was gifted 37 new books for Christmas. Soft books, board books, noise books, picture books, story books - such a range in every way. Dane likes to read, but we think he likes to hold the books and grab at the pictures much more than he enjoys the story. With a New Year's Resolution to read to Dane every day, these will certainly be put to use. These are our favorites so far.* The first one pictured is from Dane's cousin, one Ben Parker. He gave Dane a delightful little soft book. A simple rhyme on jazzy fabric with splendid teething corners and a handle. This one Dane "reads" his self and totes along from place to place.

* The next one is from Nana and Papaw, a cute Dane-sized "My Peter Rabbit Cloth Book". Thank God that this is a washer machine friendly book (tag says hand wash - psshh!), because it spends more time in Dane's mouth than on the bookshelf. Pretty pictures on bright cloth makes this one a hit.

* The third book is from Uncle Brian, Aunt Jeannie and cousin Sophie. The 105 Bible stories are so cute and the artwork is very cool. This is one of those books we love to read from, so I know our family will enjoy it for years to come.

* Dane was given the classic "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" from his Gramps and Granny K. They were so thoughtful that they included the monkey finger puppets to go along with the reading of this book (It's like they've done this whole baby thing before). They also gave Dane "... Sitting in a Tree", which we will get to.

* "Five Cheeky Monkeys" is an adorable big board book with fun shaped pages and a sound button. You press the button when cued, and it makes the monkeys chatter to each other. The illustrations are precious and the rhyming tale helps teach counting. Thanks to the Spicer cousins for this one!

* Aunt Jenny gave Dane "Is There Really a Human Race?", by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell. We'll have to get this writing team's whole collection, because this book is awesome. There are so many small verses that pack powerful messages in this book, like to create and be fair and learn from your mistakes and try your best and love. One day Dane will love this book for more than grasping at pictures and chewing on corners.

* The last of our favorites is from us, called "I am the Biggest Thing in the Ocean" and it follows a boastful giant squid around the ocean as he proudly lists the sea life that he's bigger than. He loses his smile for a second when a whale eats him, until he looks around and happily tells the reader "I am the biggest thing in this whale!". Cute story with great brilliant pictures.

Lucky Dane got so many fantastic books, which are always a sure winner in our house. Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful reads.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Another good weekend for us. We spent most of it packing up things Dane has outgrown (didn't we just do that?...), cleaning up (what's the point?) and fixing things. When we bought our house, the doorbell did not work and this weekend Danny fixed it. We have lived in our house for almost three years now. =)

We played with Christmas toys, spent time outside, and relaxed. Jackie got to read some -and no, not Dr. Seuss- and even got a nap herself! Danny got to go out and paint the town red with the guys. Dane got to do whatever he pleased, as usual. It isn't normal for such a productive weekend to leave us feeling so rested. Ready now for a busy week.

Picture of the Week

Definitely our favorite for the week. FYI, snow helps with teething.

Big Boy

Here's a pic to show you Dane's latest trick. He now stands while holding onto things. He isn't pulling himself up yet, but he always wants to stand. It's so hard to believe that soon enough Dane will be full-on walking. Our baby's such a big boy.

He Loves His Sippy Cup!

It's pretty cool that "sippy cup" is a part of our household chatter these days. Dane's been fascinated with cups for as long as we can remember and he's finally mastered the sippy cup. He gets excited when he sees we're preparing one for him - it's the cutest thing - and then he relaxes and enjoys sipping and playing with it. It's probably his hottest toy right now.

I've managed to muster up a few pics of Dane and his beloved sippys.

First Snow!

The view from here.

Today our dear, sweet TJ turns the big 1-1. ELEVEN YEARS already! As our gift to him, we made it snow so that school would be cancelled. You're welcome, TJ. Now come get your birthday spankin's!

Our favorite pic of TJ and Dane.

And today was Dane's first snow! We were so excited when we brought Dingo out in his first snow, and Blue in hers. But Dane discovering snow was more exciting than we could have imagined. And there has never been a more perfect snow angel.

That's all you get. Gotta save something for PotW...

Where-We've-Been Wrap-Up

TDD has been down for maintenance... of Jackie's dad.

Dane's J-pa had a stroke last week, and our family has been keeping him company in the hospital and getting him situated back at home. He is recovering terrifically, and we are thankful for the wonderful outcome and all of your prayers and support.

We've missed keeping you in the loop but we're rested and ready to be back at blogging!

Picture of the Week

Getting cuter by the second.

Picture of the Week

More carrots, please.

sleepsick

Dane's ear infection brought some nasty side effects with it. He's congested, he's fussy and he's sleeping horribly. Last night he was up EVERY TWO HOURS. He's not been sick before, but he had his major gas issues and a couple teething spells. When he's not feeling well, we do whatever is possible to make him feel less miserable. He wakes up, comfort nurses for a few minutes, and goes back to sleep. The days are fine but the nights are killer. We're hoping he's feeling (and sleeping!) better soon.

Sitting Up to Sit-Ups

Dane grows so fast that it's hard to keep you current. Dane's been sitting supported since he was like 3 days old (slight exaggeration...), but we've only been celebrating him sitting by himself for a little while now. We were NOT expecting him to be pulling himself to a sitting position from laying down so quickly. He went from sitting up to sit-ups in the blink of an eye. I'll try to catch a video of it soon, but don't tell Dane or we'll just get him staring blankly at the camera!

Dane got a bunch of nifty gifts for Christmas that encourage him to spend more time on his tush. His latest fave is this cool musical stage. It's got piano keys that play songs, spotlights that flash colors, and a mirror so he can see just how dang cute he is shaking the microphone-shaped rattle. He spent nearly an hour sitting and singing today. Dane is not one to entertain himself so we're eternally grateful to Aunt Jenny and Fisher Price for Dane's toy and our "free" time!

For the Record

Dane had his 6 month check-up today. Here are his stats:

Height: 28 inches (90%)
Weight: 15 lb 4oz (20%)
Head Circumference: 42.25 cm (20%)

* Dane's growth spurt in height was so large from last visit that no one believed it. 3 different nurses measured him, resulting in 3 different measurements. Each measurer after the 28 inches mushed him up higher into the wall until Dane began crying from his squished head! I'd rather them record whatever number they like rather than smush my little boy any more, so I actually picked him up, without a word, mid-3rd measure. They last number recorded was 27.25 inches.
* It's funny because the doctors and nurses all talked about how big Dane's head was when he was born. Ever since his one month well-visit his head has measured small. This paired with his slenderness and length gives our baby the form of a Q-tip.
* His weight is lower than most 6 month olds, but breastfed babies are usually less chunky than those formula fed, and the doctor chalks a lot of it up to genes as well. Still, she wants Dane a little more round, and now that she's approved him getting more solids (he has reflux and digestive concerns), we think he'll put on weight. The doctor says he'll just never have the typical baby fat and that he is healthy just the same.
* NOT so healthy is our poor little guy's ear infection! He's been tugging on his ear for a few days now and we knew enough to ask them to check. He'll be on amoxicillin for a while and then we'll re-check him. As common and minimal a problem as it is, it just breaks our hearts that he's under the weather. Send your well wishes and prayers his way.
*As if Dane isn't dealing with enough, the doctor said he is cutting teeth. This is the same doctor that confirmed Dane was teething at 4 months and still no teeth, so I'll believe it when I see it!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Another weekend of play for us, so we threw some more of Dane's new toys into the mix. Here's some shots of Dan and Dane with a few.

And we finished introducing Dane to avocado, which he loved (don't let the picture fool you!).
There's a lot more toys and foods left to share with Dane, so we're hoping all the pictures don't get too boring!!!

Picture of the Week

Video Edition

Today Dane is 6 months old and what a wonderful 6 months it has been. We are so proud of how far our little baby has come and God has blessed our family immeasurably. The video below contains 26 pictures of Dane, one taken each week of his life. Watch him grow in a minute and a half.

Here comes our son