Merry Christmas!

We hope you and your family have a wonderful and safe Christmas! We are starting our own Christmas traditions this year since we have a new little person in the house...we always said we would when we had kiddos. Enjoy the time with your loved ones this Christmas season!

"The best Christmas of all is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in one another."
-Unknown

Praying for a fast recovery

Accidents will happen....and they say what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. That said, Billy Gerard should be immortal after this weekend. Billy, Cameron's cousin, was in a terrible car wreck over the weekend. He broke his neck, back, arm, and has several other injuries. Good news is...he is in good spirits and in good hands. Wanted to post this to ask for prayers and thoughts while Billy is in recovery.

Sledding Fun

Although we didn't have much snow on the ground, the temperature was good enough to take Dane out for his first sledding experience this weekend! He didn't really react to any of it, his expression didn't really change during the festivities. He did eat some snow and crawled around in it a bit, but we were back in for a nap before he got too cold.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Baby Manipulator!

We've hit a crossroads with our sweet, innocent baby boy! He's a little manipulator! It's frightening to know that at such a young age they already know how to get what they want. We've been sooooo fortunate to have had the best sleeping child since early on. Dane was sleeping through the night by 12 weeks and did absolutely wonderful until he hit about 8.5 months old. I think the night waking started with his eczema and then his ear infection, but it's continued to his 10 month birthday and Cameron and I are done with sleepless nights. I NEVER thought I would have to let my child cry it out and I never WANTED to let my child cry it out, but that is where we are at...no other options. The sound of him crying truly is like torture for me...it takes every ounce of my being not to go into his room and comfort him. We've exhausted every recommendation from the "experts" that write books about how to get your baby to sleep through the night without letting them cry. We've tried everything we know to do...added 2 night lights to his room because he might be afraid of the dark, added more "white" noise because he might hear us, rocked him for hours upon hours for him to fall asleep in my arms and wake as soon as his little head hits his crib. We've finally figured out the problem...he's old enough to know exactly what he's doing and he's crying at night for attention. We know that for 8.5 months he would occasionally wake up through the night, but he didn't cry...he just went back to sleep. Now he knows that someone is going to come and get him. So we've made the incredibly hard decision (after much counseling from friends & family) to let him cry. We don't let him cry really hard like he's in need of something, but we have found that as long as he's just crying for attention he doesn't cry for more than 3 minutes before giving up. If he cries for more than 5 minutes, we go to him. I don't think I would have been comfortable letting him cry it out at an earlier age, but he's pushing a year old and I need sleep too!

Wow...the things we learn as first time parents! I knew that parenting wasn't going to be easy, but I didn't expect to have a great sleeper in the beginning and a horrible sleeper toward that one year mark! I was so naive in thinking that I would never have to let my child cry...so many of my friends have told me to let him cry it out, it's time, he's old enough, blah blah blah and for some reason I thought that I would be above that option. It's a hard decision to reach and one that I don't take lightly...like I said, I've had counseling from my mom and sister and they had to assure me that I was not emotionally wrecking this little being. So for all the phone calls and for all the advice...I thank you my friends & family for helping me get to this point. I truly believe that sleepFUL nights are in the near future because each night seems to be getting better!

We've done 2 nights of this method and the first night he woke up about 5 times and I had to go in twice because he went over our max of 5 minutes. Last night he didn't make one peep!! I don't think that one night has trained him, but wouldn't it be awesome if it did??? I was very relieved that he didn't wake last night, but this morning when Cameron got up I asked him to go make sure Dane was breathing! Hopefully tonight goes as well as last night did!

Happy 10 Months Dane!!

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At 10 months our little man has certainly turned into quite a big boy...
- feeds himself finger foods (nothing with utensils)
- holds his own bottle
- claps his hands
- says momma, dadda, baba, gaga
- loves his green toy puppy "Scout"
- loves cheese
- loves to eat off our plates
- thinks everything is a push toy
- "cruises" around everything & along walls and doors (has been for 2 months)
- can stand for a second without holding onto anything
- can "finger walk" pretty well but sometimes gets excited and leans way forward
- loves to push toys around on the hardwood floor
- gets into EVERYTHING
- keeps me on my toes
- lights up when daddy gets home from work
- has the best giggle in the whole world
- gets up on his knees, holds his hands up over his head & bounces
- does the "crab walk"...on his hands with his butt in the air and his legs straight

Christmas Season Has Begun...

On Saturday evening Cameron & I went to a friend's Christmas party...cocktail attire required. So, Cameron wore jeans! :) Anyway, we had a fun time at the Dargis party until ONE GLASS of Christmas punch snuck up on me!! I know that I'm a light weight since Dane was born, but I truly only had one glass and I was in a haze and just wanted to go home and go to bed...not sure what was in that stuff but I'm staying away from it in the future! It wasn't a very late night for us, but it was kind of fun to get a dressed up and go out. Thank you Tim & Teresa for staying with Dane (again)!

Nine Month Check Up

I know, I know...Dane's almost 10 months old but the doctor couldn't get him in until now. At Dane's 9 month "well" visit we found out that his growing has finally slowed down a bit (Doc said he could be burning lots of calories because he's motorin' everywhere). His stats this time:
weight 21 lbs, 10 oz.....50-75%
(only 1 lb, 10 oz heavier than his 6 month visit)
length 29 inches.........50-75%

He was falling in the 90th percentile for height & weight before so he really has slowed down! Our pediatrician also said that between 9 months and 18 months they are not growing at as fast of a pace as they are the first 9 months of their lives and we'll probably see a drop in his eating between now and a year.

We've had a really rough 6 weeks of sleeping with this one. We know he has eczema but didn't know how bad it was until we took him in this past Monday to check for an ear infection. They gave us an antibiotic for his ear and a cortisteroid cream for his eczema...WHAT A DIFFERENCE!! We've been using the cream since Monday and Dane is once again sleeping through the night! Poor babe was really uncomfortable because of his itchy skin and was waking anywhere from 3 to 6 times per night. Thankfully he is back to his normal little self!

It's Cold Outside...

Dane says "Bundle Up!"

Santa Baby

Yesterday we were all feeling up to some Christmas shopping, so off we went to Northbrook Court. We just happened to notice that there was absolutely no line for pictures with Santa and although Dane was dressed like a gym teacher, we decided it was the right time to put him on Santa's lap. We thought for sure he would cry, but he actually did great. No smile from the little man and he kind of looked like a deer in headlights, but at least there were no tears!

Thank you all for your advice and comments from my last post. After much discussion this weekend, Barley & Roscoe are staying! This is their home and they are very much part of the family and even though they make me a bit crazy sometimes, I love them and can't bare to part with them. I mean...Cameron does the same thing and I'm keeping him! :) I know things will get easier as Dane and any future children get older...we just have to hang on until then and hope that Barley & Roscoe love us enough to put up with our neglectfulness for the time being. After all, that is what FAMILY is all about - take the good with the bad and hope for a lot of great memories in between. These two have given us that - good & bad and a lot of great memories.

Barley & Roscoe

Because this blog is a journal for me, as well as an update of what's going on in our world I am using it to purge my soul. I've done it before (just see "To Leave Him" a couple posts back). Therefore I feel this is the best place to go to lay my feelings out there to be judged by anyone who reads our blog!

Barley & Roscoe...Awww...say the names and it brings a smile to my face. As I stood in the shower this morning with tears streaming down my face, trying to make a very tough decision all I could see was their sweet faces, tongues hangin' and tails a waggin'! I LOVE these two, as if they were children of mine. They both gave me something to baby and take care of during the years we longed for a baby of our own. They truly do make me happy, they make Cameron happy and they make Dane laugh deep belly laughs that no one else can. To even think of giving them up truly makes me cry. It's been discussed and I can't even get through the discussion without breaking down as they are very much a part of our family & our lives.

Which brings me to the reason for this post...it's been increasingly harder to deal with two rambunctious, active dogs with a little being in the house. I know I'm not being fair to them...they want to play and bark and run and they no longer have full freedom to do that here. Whenever we go out of town and return to pick them up at the dog sitter, the happiness on their faces is obvious. They no longer have that same happiness when they are home. It tears my heart out to discuss giving them up, but that is where we're at. I just can't help but feel our home would be more peaceful without them here. And I can't help but think they would be happier elsewhere.

Now I know I've unfairly judged dog owners in the past for giving up their precious pooches just because a little one arrived. I always thought "how could they??" but here I am, just another one in the bunch considering the same thing. So...judge me for this - go ahead - I deserve it! But also leave a comment to help me figure this jumbled mess out in my head. If I cry whenever we consider giving them up, am I really ready to give them up? Am I being unfair to these lovable creatures? What to do, what to do!!

Music In A Box

Once swimming was over, we decided to enroll Dane in a fun music "class" because he loves music. We want to keep him in one "class" per 6 week session just to have something to look forward to each week and so he can interact with others since he's home with me all day. Music in a box is really fun for him...he LOVES it! The teacher sings and reads books to rhythm and they get to play with bells and colored scarves and the best part...bubbles. I haven't yet downloaded Thanksgiving pictures, so hopefully I will get those up shortly. Until then...I present Music in a box:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope these add a chuckle to your day!

To Leave Him...

Now that I have your attention, I'm talking about Dane! :) I'm having a very difficult time with our current situation and thought my mommy blogger buddies might have some magical advice for me! We booked a 3 day trip to Mexico with our friends Luke & Nicole. They have a son 10 weeks younger than Dane and we thought that we could make the decision later as to whether we would take the boys or not. We've made the decision not to take the boys partly due to the likelihood of them getting sick from the plane, but also because Dane just went on a trip and it took him a few days to adjust to his new surroundings and I don't want to put him through that again so soon. Believe me, when I think of sleeping in for 3 days and not having any responsiblity for 3 days...it sounds pretty appealing. However, I am with this child every day and have been for his entire existence. Every. Single. Day. I am so afraid I'm going to miss him like crazy! I know it's good for Cameron & I to have nights away from Dane and I know it's good for Dane to have nights away from us, however I didn't think I would have to make this decision until Dane was older. I know that might sound crazy, but I just never thought about leaving him except for once a year in April for Cameron's company trip because I don't have a choice - no kids allowed on that trip.

I'm not an idiot, I know other people can take care of Dane. There is no question about that, but I also know it's not the same for him. No matter who it is...grandmas, aunts, uncles, grandpas - no one is mom except mom. Also, separation anxiety is kicking into high gear for him right now. Many friends of ours say it's easier to leave them at Dane's age than when they're a little older and more aware. Am I being crazy? Cameron thinks so, but I know there is a major difference between being a father & being a mother and what we're comfortable with. I mean...I couldn't even leave him at the daycare center on vacation and it was literally 10 steps away from our room! Am I neurotic or was it this hard for every mother to leave their child overnight for the first time? Does it get easier?

We are not going until after Christmas, so he will be almost 11 months old. Guess it's hard no matter what!

Best Friends

Our dog Roscoe is 100% lover and it's so funny to watch Dane & him play now that Dane is getting older. Barley is pretty indifferent to the little being in our house, he gives Dane a passing lick every now & then but Roscoe just relishes the attention that Dane gives him. We captured a "moment" between the two of them and wanted to share (turn up your volume)...

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Lizards

Yes, lizards...I neglected to share one hilarious story about our trip. There were little lizards everywhere (gecko type)...scattered into the bushes when you walked around and all over our patio. Julee was in the kitchen one day and a lizard ran out from under the trash. She screamed and it ran into our room that was right next to the kitchen. We didn't see it again until one morning VERY early Dane woke up and refused to go back to sleep. I put him in bed with Cameron & I to let him roll around and wear himself out. I turned on the light to put some li'l teethers on Dane's gums in case that's what was keeping him up and when I looked at his crib, the lizard was just sitting there on the railing. Cameron caught the lizard and flushed it down the toilet (please don't tell PETA). Such a gross thought that the lizard might have been sleeping with our baby!

Hurricane McHattenis - Vacation Details

We arrived to Turks on Monday, November 2nd and checked into the hotel. We were supposed to get an upgrade due to Julee & JB using an Amex credit card, however we were put in adjoining standard guest rooms. Not the best living situation for 3 kiddos and 4 adults, especially since Dane continues to pull himself up on everything and try to walk (everything was tile floor...something that can make a parent with a wobbly baby a tad bit nervous). With that said, we made due for a couple days before we went to try again for an upgrade. With sad faces and 3 kids, we begged for a better situation and thankfully...we got it! The new room made all the difference in the world - a bedroom on each end with a connecting living room / kitchen.

Most days we just hung out by the pool or on rare occasions, on the beach. The water was the most amazing turquoise I've ever seen and very warm. I don't typically go into the ocean (anyone seen shark week on the Discovery channel??) but this water was so pretty that I had to, plus it was so clear you could see everything. Cameron & JB did some snorkeling one day and saw a turtle, which seemed to be the highlight. Every night we went to dinner at the resort and typically went to the main stage for different Sesame Street shows. Dane even liked the shows. Then we went back to put the kids down. Julee & I usually followed the kids to bed pretty quickly which meant Cameron & JB went out shortly after we went to bed on a few nights. Julee & I left the kids with their fathers on Friday night and had a fun evening out - karaoke and dancing (there were several bars on property as well as a night club).

All in all - it was a great trip. Definitely different travelling with a child than without...it's not 100% vacation because you're still "working" just being a parent. I think we would absolutely go back to this resort when our youngest is 4 or 5 and can take advantage of all the fun things they offer kids...that would definitely make it a vacation for kids & parents. Dane loved the pool, however the poor kid got heat rash the first day there and was generally covered in calamine lotion (as you can see in the pictures below). Enjoy the show & the amazing rendition of "Picture" as sung by our friends at karaoke:

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Turks & Caicos, Part 1 - Description

Many people have asked...where / what is Turks & Caicos. It is an island chain down south of FL, kind of next to the Bahamas. We stayed on the island of Turks in Provenciales at the Beaches Resort. We booked it because we knew it was a family friendly resort, however we had no idea what all it offered. They have a full on daycare center on the property as well as day camps for kids ages 2-8 and they also have "tween" and teen activities every day. We tried one day to drop Dane off at the daycare for just an hour so we could get moved into a new room and get organized, but I couldn't leave him. He was crying and I let it go for about 5 minutes before I marched in and took him away from the lady. She tried to tell me he would be just fine, but I'm a neurotic first time parent that just can't stand to see him cry. However, I was proud of myself for utilizing the babysitting service one evening (although we put Dane to sleep before they came and were only gone for a couple hours).

On Sunday evening (our last night there), the four adults of our group went out to karaoke at one of the bars on the resort property. It was nice to get out for a short time and take advantage of the babysitters the resort offered. The resort also had around 15 restaurants ranging from barefoot beach hut to upscale adults only. There were at least 5 pools on property and the entire resort stretched in front of an awesome beach. Julee and I did take advantage of one girls night out on Friday. Most of the days we just hung out by the pool and ate. a lot. It was definitely not as easy to lay out for hours (like I normally would on vacation) with an 8 month old, but Cameron was really good about giving me pool time everyday and I got some color.

I haven't uploaded our pictures yet, but here is one the McGinnis' sent us. We were watching a Sesame Street stage show:

We're Baaaack!

After a great 7 days of vacation, we are back in IL with reality smacking us in the face every step of the way! We had a great time and Dane has continued to be an awesome flyer. Several people commented on how well he did on the plane. We have lots of pictures to share, but right now I am BURIED in laundry. Until I have the chance to officially post about our vacation I would like to say that I highly recommend the Beaches Resort in Turks & Caicos for families. Dane was a bit too young to take advantage of all they offer for the kiddos, but if your kids are 4 or 5 through 12 - TAKE THEM. They partner with Sesame Street so there are characters walking around all day and they have day camps for ages 2-8 where they get to go exploring with Elmo or making pizzas with Bert & Ernie...tons of fun stuff for kids and a break for parents. Anyway, back to my mounds of dirty clothes right now. Will share about our trip very soon!

Hurricane McHattenis

Today we are joining forces with the McGinnis family for 7 days of fun in the sun on the island of Turks & Caicos! We booked this vacation way back in January because I was preggers and so was Julee and we thought we should have something to look forward to! So...JB, Julee, Jacee (4 in November) and Jayla (5.5 months) will be meeting us in T&C. Dane has only been on a plane once (when he was 3 months old) and I think we all remember what happened! :) Hopefully that doesn't happen again, however I am concerned about his flying abilities since he's so mobile now...little man is NOT going to want to sit still for the 5 hour flight! Oh well...no turning back now...5 hours of misery is worth it for 7 days of beachin' it!

Babies don't need a vacation but I still see them at the beach. I'll go over to them and say, "What are you doing here, you've never worked a day in your life!"
- Stephen Wright

Trick or Treat!

Yesterday we took Dane trick or treating to a few houses in the neighborhood. He was (of course) a monkey. Poor kid has had everything monkey themed since before he was born all due to that amazing monkey mural on his wall. So, we stuck with it...besides I thought the costume would be warm in case it was cold outside (which it was). We had a few trick or treaters from the neighborhood come through, but not enough to get rid of all our candy. Same thing every year...I buy too much candy and then Cameron & I end up polishing off what's left, although this year there was much less left over than in year's past! Dane is a bit stiff in his costume because of the many layers underneath...After trick or treating, Cameron & I headed to a costume party. Our friends have had this party at their house for the past 10 years and there are always some hilarious costumes there. This year we decided to be Billy Mays and one of his many products - Mighty Mendit. Cameron was so authentic that Dane cried when he saw him. Cameron had to hide until we left for the party because Dane wasn't liking his costume at all!

Happy Halloween!

This morning as we were continuing to get our house "market ready", Cameron was scraping the remaining tint off our sliding glass door (long story...dogs scratched the tint so we had to remove it to make it look nice) and Dane decided to help. Look at the way they hold their heads and their bodies...like father, like son!

More Great News!!

Wonderful, amazing, terrific, super...all of the above!! Andon continues to defy the odds and is still cancer free!! He has been cancer free since last November and his latest scan showed that his scar tissue has continued to shrink. He will not have another scan for 6-8 months (that is the longest they've allowed between scans so far)! Thank you (once again) for continuing to pray for the Zehring family, we know that has made all the difference!

In this market?

Are we crazy? Maybe...we have decided to put our house on the market to see what happens. Our goal has always been to move into a different school district by the time our kids were in elementary school. We know we have a lot of time before that happens, however the town we're hoping to move to has been hit by the market just like everywhere else which means we can buy a house there for quite a bit cheaper than we could have 5 years ago. So...if our house sells, we'll move to Libertyville. We don't have to move right now, but we're hoping to. Nothing seems to be selling in our neighborhood at this time so we're hoping to be the lucky ones! The house is going up November 1st so this week we have to dig in and make it immaculate!

On another note, we spent the weekend with family from southern IL. Thank you Jamie & Marcia for making the long trip up to visit! We'll head your way next!

Mommy/Daddy & Me Swimming

We've been taking Dane to swimming classes on Tuesday evenings. Usually I am the one in the pool with him because Cameron can't get out of work and make it to the school by the time the class starts. He can watch from a viewing window when he gets there. This past Tuesday I asked the instructor if Cameron & I could swap once he got there, even if it was after the class started. So...Cameron finally got to join in on the fun in the pool instead of just viewing from the window! Dane seems to love the class and splashes around A LOT. The instructor has been having us blow in their face & dunk them under, but luckily Dane has saved me from doing that so far. For whatever reason, every time the dunking begins Dane starts crying and clinging to me like crazy...he apparently knows that mommy doesn't want to dunk him and is saving me from it. Anyway, one more week of swimming and then onto music class.

Football, Football, Football!

This weekend was full of football fun for the Hattens! Cameron went to watch some highschool football on Friday evening - our friend Luke is the head coach of the Lakes football team in Lake Villa, IL. Congratulations to Luke on Friday's win and on making the playoffs! Saturday Dane attended his very first football game...our nine year old neighbor plays and we went to watch him. Dane & I only lasted outside for about 2 quarters...it was really nice when the sun was out, but of course right when we got to the game the sun went under and didn't come out again. So - Dane & I went back to hang out in the car while Cameron finished watching Brian's big win. Don't worry Mom...we had Dane super bundled!Meanwhile, in the car...On Sunday, Cameron had some of the guys over for chili, italian beef and you guessed it...FOOTBALL!! It was also Eric's 33rd birthday (Eric was the best man at our wedding)! Happy Birthday, Eric!!

Barley & Roscoe waiting for our guests:

Zombie Walkin' & Motor Boatin'

Just in time for Halloween, Dane decided to put together his own little dance...the Zombie Walk! Too bad the "Thriller" video was made in the 80's because Dane is a natural at Zombie walkin'!! I still cannot believe that at 8 months old he is doing this! I've been warned by a couple relatives that their kids were walking at 9 and 10 months...I think we're in for the same thing! Also Dane has been motor boating for quite some time...it all began when we started feeding him baby food. If he didn't like what he was eating, he would motor boat it all over me and himself as if to say "this is dog food, why would you feed me this junk??" Thankfully, he really liked most of the things we fed him (except peas) and the motor boating didn't occur too often with food in his mouth. He has continued the motor boat habit, although not for any reason other than he seems to like doing it! I've included another Dane video for your viewing pleasure with this post...you will witness his zombie walkin' and motor boatin' for yourself!

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The Sweetest Sound...

Dane is constantly saying momma, ma, mooooom and has been for a few weeks now. It's just now that I fully believe he knows what he's saying and it is music to my ears. Dadda has been replaced, much to Cameron's disappointment. Dane absolutely adores Cameron and follows him with his eyes as soon as Cameron walks through the door, but momma is much more common in his vocabulary than Dadda...

On a completely separate note - on October 29th, Andon will be having another wellness scan on his brain. We ask for your prayers that he continues to be cancer free! Thank you!!

Punkin at the Pumpkin Patch

We decided to take Dane to the pumpkin patch to get our fall decorations. He seemed pretty indifferent to the whole thing...just kind of looked around, but never really thought any of it was too exciting. However we did snap some cute pics of the little man.

8 seconds...I think I can:Dane looks like he ate something sour:

Dane's Dedication

Today we dedicated our first born to the Lord. This marks an important milestone for Dane and for us. Our church does the baby dedication a little differently than churches I've attended in the past...they do private dedications after the church service. So we first celebrated with a brunch and then we proceeded to the church for the dedication. We kept the invite list small, only including our immediate families. After the church service we headed back to our house for sandwiches and cake. Thanks to all who made the trip from IN, it meant the world to have you all here for such an important event! Warning: lots of pictures below from the day...didn't want to take the time to make a slideshow.

As part of the service, Cameron & I had to write a promise to Dane:
Dane,
We wished...we wanted...we waited. Then when He knew we were ready, we were gifted. We are so grateful for this gift and will make sure that you have the very best life we can provide. That is the promise.
We promise to be caring
We promise to be your parents first and your friends second
We promise to be teachers
We promise to be spiritual models
We promise to be good examples
We promise to be great listeners
We promise to be protective
We promise to be supportive
We promise to be laughing
We promise to be hugging
We promise to be present
We promise to be capable of letting go
We promise to be tolerant when you inherit your mother's taste in music
We promise to be sympathetic as you continue to look like your father
Most of all, we promise to love you everyday.

Crawling! Pulling Himself Up!

As of my last post many of you probably thought, he'll be pulling himself up very soon. Well...it has happened! This kid is so determined not to be a baby and it makes me very sad! Anyway, as of this past weekend he is fully pulling himself up into standing position on anything he can get a grip on...coffee table, couch, ottoman, crib. Twice since Sunday I've gone to get him from a nap and he's standing up in his crib laughing like he did something really great. He's also full on crawling. I'm 100% blaming the Zehring kids for his desire to be big...he watches them walking around, strutting their stuff and thinks "I can do that!". Anyway, see video footage below of our baby strutting his stuff!

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