Flashback - Memorial Weekend

We made a trip back to Leesburg for Memorial weekend. Dane got to spend lots of quality time with cousins Andon & Presley! We went out on the lake on Sunday and had some sleepy babes! The rest of the weekend was really just low key, hanging out and eating tons! See pics below...

Sleeping Babes:Love the Sun Hat:Andon shaving already!:Dane's a true laker:

"Blow-Out" is my new middle name!

Hi Everyone! My name is Dane Paul Hatten but my parents now lovingly refer to me as Dane "Blow-Out" Hatten! Apparently I thought it was so much fun to do on the plane rides to and from LA that I have continued this disgusting behavior over the past couple weeks! Four times this week in fact! Yippee for me! Last evening when my mom was running errands, I thought it would be fun to give Dad a triple whammy! I blew out the front, back and leg holes of my diaper! Pretty amazing, don't you think? Mom came home just in time to watch me pee on my changing table while dad was trying to figure out what to do with my messy clothes!

A Conversation...

...between a father & son. The son has quite a bit to say!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Holiday Weekend

Here's hoping you all have a safe, happy holiday weekend! We're heading back to Leesburg to visit family!

Congratulations McGinnis Family!

Our dear friends Julee & JB just welcomed their 2nd daughter yesterday...Jayla Teagan joins big sis Jacee in the McGinnis house! This is the couple we visit every summer on the Jersey shore. Congratulations Julee, JB & Jacee on your exciting addition! We can't wait to meet her!

Forgot to mention...

We felt the earthquake on Sunday evening around 8:30pm in CA!! It was kind of cool. Had it been any worse and / or things started falling off their shelves and walls I probably would have been pretty freaked out, but as it was - their house just vibrated!

2009 Press International:
LOS ANGELES, May 18 (UPI) -- Seismologists say they are concerned the 4.7-magnitude earthquake that shook the Los Angeles area may have erupted along the Newport-Inglewood fault.

The U.S. Geological Survey said details regarding Sunday's quake appear to be consistent with activity at the fault line, which experts have predicted could be responsible for a large earthquake one day, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

"The initial focal mechanism is consistent with a slip on the Newport-Inglewood fault, which was the source of the damaging 1933 Long Beach earthquake," the agency said in a statement. "Two of the early aftershocks, however, are west of the Newport-Inglewood fault trend. Later aftershocks will help to define the fault plane that ruptured."

The fault runs from the coastline of Orange County, Calif., to West Los Angeles and is thought to be capable of creating an earthquake in a 7-magnitude range, the Times said.

Sunday's quake was centered near Lennox, a community east of the Los Angeles International Airport. The Geological Survey said the quake originated 8.4 miles below the earth's surface.

Trip to LA

Our trip to LA was a lot of fun...it was nice to get out of this mediocre weather and head somewhere warm, even if only for a long weekend. On Friday we just went to the wine bar in Rob & Shannan's neighborhood for a couple hours. We tried to put Dane down at 6pm (8pm Chicago time) so he would stay on his normal schedule but he wasn't having it. He was wide awake and happy and didn't end up going to bed until about 7:40 (over an hour & a half past his normal bedtime). Oh well, he never acted like he was overtired. On Saturday we went to Malibu for lunch and then went shopping on Rodeo Drive. Cameron got pooped on at lunch...pretty amusing! On Sunday we went to an outdoor shopping area called the Grove and walked around for a couple hours. Spent some $$ on getting Dane some LA style clothes...little Hollywood stud! Then, Shannan & I got surprised with a one hour massage each - wonderful hubbies thought we needed to be pampered! It was a very fun, relaxing trip and Dane proved to be a great traveller aside from his anal pyrotechnics!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Let Me Tell You A Story...

...about a baby boy named Dane. Dane's parents decided to take him on a trip when he was 3 months old to LA to visit his friend Finley and her parents. On the way there, Dane decided to take the biggest poo of his young life. Of course, the plane didn't have a changing table in the bathroom and it was all up his back. So his mom asked the flight attendant where she could change him. The only option was in the very back of the plane where the flight attendants store their carts right next to the door where it's very LOUD and very COLD. Let me tell you - baby boy wasn't happy at all with the changing facilities and he let his mom know it! Aside from that situation, Dane didn't make a peep on the flight out to LA! Apparently vacationing screws up Dane's regular patterns and he didn't poo again until the flight home on Monday! Once again, he blew out of his diaper...thankfully this plane had a changing table in the bathroom. UNBELIEVABLE! And all this from a baby who had only blown out one other time...guess the pressure on the plane didn't work with his little body! Aside from that, Dane was a great flyer! He truly didn't make a peep on the way to LA, except for in the cold, loud back of the plane. He was a bit fussy when we were descending into Chicago, but it didn't last long and it was more whiny than actually crying. Several women commented on how great he did on the flight when we were deboarding and the flight attendants loved him!

Anyway...thought you might get a kick out of this story. Pictures and trip details to come soon!

Heading to LA!

One thing that we always agreed on when we were blessed with a child was that we would still travel because it's something we love to do! So, we're heading off on our first plane ride adventure with a 3 month old. Our friends Rob & Shannan live in LA and had a baby girl the day after Dane was born. We figured since they are on a similar schedule as we are it would be a great first trip to take. We're planning a pretty low key trip since the babes will be in bed in the early evening. Especially ours...we're going to try to keep him on Chicago time even though there is a 2 hour difference which means his 8pm bedtime will be 6pm in CA. Guess that means momma will be getting up with him between 4 & 5am out there, but I think it will be worth it to keep him on his normal routine! I will just carry a pot of coffee around with me! Anyway, here's hoping he does well on the plane and doesn't drive the other passengers crazy with crying. He's generally a very good baby, so hopefully that continues on an airplane. We will have stories and lots of pictures to share when we return on Monday! Have a great weekend!

I have a 3 month old!

WHAT?!?! When did that happen? I cannot believe how fast the time has gone since Dane's birth. He continues to be such a blessing and is more & more active as time goes by...I feel like my little baby is already gone and in his place is this big boy infant!

According to babycenter: "Even though your baby has been able to recognize you since he was just a few days old, he may now be able to show it. About half of babies this age begin to exhibit an obvious recognition of their parents." I think that is pretty exciting! He continues to giggle, smile & squeal with delight and he's a chatterbox...a loud one at that! He's been rolling onto his side for a few weeks now and he's rolled onto his stomach once. He bats and grabs at toys and sets off their noises. He loves to just lay on the couch and flail his arms and legs 1,000 miles a minute! He continues to be a great sleeper and technically sleeps through the night because he sleeps for an 8 hour shift (goes down at 8pm, wakes at 4am to eat and then he's up at 6am or 6:30am for good). He definitely understands the difference between Cameron & my roles in his life - he wants me for comfort and Cameron can get him to giggle and squeal much more than I can! He's outgrowing clothes like crazy because of his height. He's wearing mostly 6 month clothes, some 6-9 month because the 0-3 month or 3-6 month stuff is just too short for him. All of this still seems a bit surreal because we waited so long for it to happen! Maybe one of these days I will truly believe that we have this beautiful, precious gift!

Bath Time:Funny Face:

K's Surrogacy Journey

Remember quite a few months back when I mentioned my friend "K" who was about to become a surrogate? I wanted to share that she delivered a healthy baby boy on Friday, May 8th. What a selfless gift! "K" - I'm amazed at what you've just done...like you said - you completed a family! Congratulations to all of you! You have so much to be proud of! To read her entire story, please visit her blog: http://theirbunmyovenourdream.blogspot.com/ (sorry I can't link to it, it's not working).

My First Mother's Day

Let me tell you...our baby Dane is a very advanced little guy! He already knows how to sign a card, make breakfast and put flowers in a vase (I'm pretty sure he had help)! On my very first mother's day I woke up at 7:19am to breakfast in bed complete with a mimosa (orange juice & champagne). Dane was even nice enough to make a plate for daddy! We then picked out clothes for Dane's 3 month photo shoot. At the time I booked it, I didn't realize it was Mother's day but I just wanted to get them taken care of so I didn't want to rebook it. Anyway, at 2pm the photographer came to our house to take pictures of our little man. I can't wait to get the proofs back - she did some really cute things and I can't wait to see how they turn out! He slept through the first half hour of pictures then we woke him up. Thankfully, he was his sweet little self but not as smiley as he usually is. I think she still got some great shots. After that Tim & Teresa came over for dinner...Cameron made all of it by himself. He wouldn't allow any help from us mothers!

My breakfast:Dane's little helper:

Happy Mother's Day!

Today means more to me than I ever imagined it would...especially since last Mother's day I wasn't sure I would ever be celebrating it as a mom. What a difference a year makes...little did I know that a short time after last Mother's day I would find out I was expecting a little miracle. Today I would like to give a huge shout out to all the moms! I never realized how hard it was to be a mom and I've only been one for almost 3 months - I'm pretty sure the hardest part is yet to come (teenage years)! Although difficult, being a mom is the most amazing experience and I'm so thankful for the wait we had to become parents - I believe that makes the end result even sweeter! Waking up every morning to a smiling, happy little guy waiting for you in his crib is the best feeling ever! I am also even more thankful for my mom now that I truly understand what she went through to raise me. For the extreme dedication, for the sleepless nights, for putting your children before yourself every day, for such unselfish giving, for all the hugs and kisses, for the fun times & the tears, to the most frustrating yet rewarding job you'll ever have...here's to all mothers!

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.
She never existed before.
The woman existed, but the mother, never.
A mother is something absolutely new."
- Rajneesh

Visiting Daddy at Work

So today my mommmy took me to visit my daddy at work. This gave my mommy the chance to play dress up with me. You see, I have tons of really cute clothes from all the nice people that my mommy & daddy know. Although I have nice things to wear mommy usually just has me in sweat pants and tee shirts because she thinks I am comfortable that way, plus sometimes stuff comes out of my diaper and she doesn't want me to ruin my nice clothes. The one time she tried to put me in something nice (Easter) I threw up all over myself. Anyway, today she took the opportunity to put me in this rockin' baby gap tee with a hawaiin print on it and cool navy blue cargo pants. She even put shoes on me! Don't I look snazzy? Of course, as soon as we got home she took me out of my nice outfit and put me pack in sweat pants!
XOXO - Baby Dane

My Christmas Present

I know it might seem strange that I am mentioning a Christmas present in May, but let me explain...my thoughtful husband bought me a series of Christmas gifts that went together like a puzzle. He thought that after 3 months of being cooped up with a baby, I would need a "me" day so my Christmas gift consisted of things like an airbrush tan certificate, gift certificates to a couple of my favorite stores, a starbucks gift card, a spa package, a dress, tickets to a broadway play...all things I was supposed to take an entire day to do. I couldn't stand the thought of being away from Dane for an ENTIRE day so we compromised - we had a really nice date in Chicago. We went to dinner at Sixteen...a fancy schmancy restaurant in the Trump hotel. Dinner was wonderful! Then we went to see Mary Poppins, a broadway play. Needless to say Cameron wasn't really into the play and was checking his cel phone for the Bulls score through most of it, but he was a good sport and went because of me. So...now I have a spa gift certificate and can go shopping at two of my favorite stores on another day, but I still got a night out with my hubby! Dane was in the loving hands of my mom and aunt Janel...thank you for coming to stay with our little man! Here are highlights from the weekend:

While we were away...
Dane:Presley:Andon:Our view from dinner: