What's Dane Up to?

He's growing so fast that it's hard to keep us. For those of you trying, here's some of the things Dane's doing now.

• Cruising and Crawling - all over the place! He pulls up on the fireplace, doors, the tv, the baker's rack, the coffee table, and people. He gets around unbelievably fast and quickens when you tell him not to do something. Smart kid.
• Standing - he recently began standing without holding onto anything. Very briefly and very unstable-ly, but standing nonetheless. This is his latest trick.
• Sleeping through the night - Dane's been doing this again for a while now. He goes to bed at 8pm, wakes up to eat at 5ish and sleeps in until around 9. Naps are going well too.
• Eating table food - more and more. We've pretty much lifted all restrictions for people who see Dane or talk to us often enough to know what he's had and has not had yet. They eat up the freedom to feed Dane.
• Making noises - I joke that my day has become all about sounds; just a series of noises. Dane goes back and forth with you blowing raspberries, fake coughing, clicking, etc. Each noise had a very special place in Dane's heart, and while it's silly to admit, it's absolutely endearing to hear him coo, click and cough all day.

I'm sure there's more that's escaping my memory at this moment because he is just doing so much these days, but there's a quick update for you.

And I couldn't forget (maybe because he kept reminding me) that Tyler's birthday is today. He is now 6 years old. I tried to convince him we would skip his birthday this year, but he wasn't having it. He's trouble. He's loud and destructive and messy. He is a WILD THING. And if Dane turns out to be just a little like him, I'll know we've done something right.

Happy Birthday, Tyler. May your bubbles never spill and your Play-Do never dry.

Talk the Walk

We are very excited to share with you that we will be participating in the March of Dimes walk on April 25th. We'll push Dane in his stroller the 3.5 miles at 9 am that Saturday morning with the many other gatherers hoping to raise money for the organization that strives to help babies survive and thrive. Of course we believe in the cause (I mean, who doesn't?) and it will be great to help give back. So begins our fundraising and YOU can help us. You can give your tax deductible donation online through the following link by Paypal, credit or debit card; by check (made to March of Dimes); or cash. Give joyfully in celebration of the healthy babies in your life. Hey, if you're viewing this, I know you have AT LEAST ONE! ;)

Sponsor us:
http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?w=101041432&u=Jackie_Howard
Every little bit helps.

PLEASE remember to leave a comment on here or on the above link so we know who is contributing to our efforts. Thanks so much for your support.

Video of the Week of Videos

This is why we can't have nice things.

Week of Videos - Day 3

Well, Blogger has let us down again. I tried and tried to upload a video for today's post, but Blogger wouldn't have it. I apologize to our loyal readers who excitedly tuned in to see the latest TDD video. All I can say is that we'll have to owe you one. We'll try again later.

Finally cooperated! Only 16 hours later...

Here's one from a couple of months back, Dane flopping around in bed. Let the good times roll!

Week of Videos - Day 2

Back as promised. Today's short video is a couple of months old - as you will notice by Dane's lack of hair! He got this toy for Christmas and still loves it, although spends much less time in one sitting as he is crawling and cruising all over the place now. Warning: since it's not your kid, you might not find it so cute. So if you think you'll find it boring, don't watch!

Another Tooth?!

Yeah, it's supposed to be another video today, but we were surprised by a second tooth and that's just a little too exciting to ignore. We only noticed his first one less than a week ago! We've all been commenting on how you could see this one under the skin for a while now, and how we were sure that it would be the first one to cut through. So today I check his mouth and it's there! This one, the other bottom front, definitely just popped. I tried to get a picture of his teeth to show you, but that's like... well, like trying to get a picture of the inside of an infant's mouth. =)
Dane loooves brushing his teeth (that's right, teeth now) and we are just so proud of him. He is getting so big so fast and every day is something new.

Barring more teeth, videos continue tomorrow. =)

Week of Videos - Day 1

For your viewing pleasure we're presenting an entire week of videos of our handsome little Dane Thomas. Please do enjoy our first feature: Dane laughing, spitting grapes, blowing bubbles and screeching. All in a day's work.

Picture of the Week

A photo commemorating our little good luck charm's

first St. Patrick's Day.

A wee bit o'Irish, A way bit o'cute.

Got the Brush

Now that Dane's got his first tooth, we found it appropriate to break out the toothbrush and toothpaste. We've been wiping Dane's gums daily with cloths and were pretty excited to make the switch, although I suspect Dane was more excited. He did very well and took control immediately. And because no first experience is complete without pictures, here you go. Have to protect that pearly white.

FIRST TOOTH!

Yep. Dane has his first tooth. He's 8.5 months old and he's been teething for 4 months!!! It's his bottom right tooth, which ironically enough is not the one that has been showing through the gums for weeks now. He still has the other 3 tooth buds on bottom, and nothing going on up top.

You always hear that if you're breastfeeding, "you'll know" when your baby pops his first tooth. But we discovered it today when playing peek-a-dane on the changing table. With a wide-open muppet smile, I notice a little slit on his gums. A curious swipe confirms it's a tooth, and from the feel, it isn't brand new. Jackie still hasn't noticed it when feeding Dane, but she's seen and heard about the horrors of biting.

He gets bigger and bigger everyday and each small thing is so exciting for us. We couldn't be more proud of our son. And if possible, his smile is even cuter now.

Weekend Wrap-Up

A weekend like most. We did hit the fantastic IKEA. If you haven't checked it out yet, do. Props to them for their exceptional level of kid-friendliness. That means... private baby care rooms complete with a nursing chair, changing table, toilet, and sink; FREE childcare for potty trained kiddos; delicious kids meals at their in-store restaurant; stroller buggies and free locker rentals in case you brought too much to carry (what, is this a new mom's thing?).

We hung out at the homestead and finally got around to hanging some pics of our handsome baby (only took us 8 months!). We were visited by an old (And now married) friend - Congrats, Mike! And Danny was lucky enough to sneak out for a movie. Dane and Jackie joined Jen, Cole, Katie and TJ for elementary school pizza - a Monday tradition long overdue. Many "ooooh"ed and several "aawwww"ed at Dane's undeniable adorableness. Somehow that never gets old. =)

The highlight of my weekend (and I do apologize if you've already heard it) was on Sunday. When I picked Dane up from our church's E-Kidz, I asked as parents always do how he was. "Oh, he was great. And so much fun...". This is the part when you go "Really? He wasn't any trouble?", knowing full well that had he been, they would lie to your face and say your toad was a prince, but enabling them to continue the compliment parade for your child. "No, no, he's a doll. I don't want to let him go. blahdy blahdy blah. He's just really rolly". Now, I keep Dane 24 hours a day with very few breaks. He goes for the toilet, the bookshelf, the fireplace, the dogs; in fact my day is spent in large part by pulling him off of things. I knew exactly what she meant by rolly. Or at least I thought I did. When I got him home I fed him and put him to nap. He was sporting a "Changed with Love" sticker, so I knew he had a fresh diaper. When I later go to change him I was hugely surprised at what I saw. Several moments of confusion preceded the realization that... his diaper was on backwards.

Ahhh. He is indeed very rolly.

Picture of the Week

A picture from the park this past weekend of Dane on the big boy slide. Look at that face; FINALLY, a picture of Dane that somewhat resembles Jackie!

AvocadOhMyGoodness

Avocado is one of the only suitable foods for an infant that has more calories and fat than breast milk (no Big Macs and Oreos yet). Meaning if Dane fills up on most foods, he'll take in less milk and therefore less fat. He's so freaking skinny as it is that we don't need him losing calories. But the boy can eat.
Soooo, being that avocado is so good for him (and being that he absolutely loves it), we'll give it to him every day. The only problem is that it costs so dang much! So when I found them for $0.95 each, I stocked up. Pushing the cart with Dane in his little buggy germ-protector, we got half a dozen comments and inquiries from interested patrons about our quantity of avocados. Dane loved the attention. Don’t worry, it’s as easy as wash, slice, mash and they freeze beautifully. Not that they’ll be around too long.

... There were 20 in all.

Weekend Wrap-Up

A smorgasbord of fun.

• Dinner with Gramps and Granny K: all-we-could-eat chicken and barbecue for the biggins and all Mommy-would-let-him-eat cornbread for Baby Dane (and man, can he eat it!).
• Daddy and Me story time at the library.
• A leisurely trip to the park for a long walk and a fast swing.
• A fabulous church service that Dane almost sat through peacefully (but he did great in E-Kidz and made a new best friend who fed him Cheerios on command).
• And a belated birthday bash with Sophie, Uncle Brian, Aunt Jeannie, Uncle Marcus, Aunt Trina, and Nana.

Here's a few pics just because.

Picture of the Week

Enjoying the snow from inside.

Journey to the center of the...Bathroom

Dane's Log, Day 245
9 am - Crawled around the house.

9:05 am - Crawled around the house again.

9:06 am - Stopped crawling, sat up. Maybe I'm hungry.

9:08 am - Followed dog into secret hiding area.

9:10 am - Discovered a white table, took a picture for documentation purposes.

9:15 am - This object is of no use to me. I'm not allowed to put my hands in it, put my face near it, and after several requests found that it won't feed me.

9:16 am - Crawled around the house again.

It was this kind of day...

Happy Birthday Nana!

So Dane's Nana is had a birthday this week (the 28th to be exact) and we thought what better way to celebrate than to share a few of our favorite pics of Dane and the birthday girl?! Enjoy the pics and your special day Mom/Cindy/Nana. =)