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)...

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

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!