Dane's 6 Month Check up

Today we had Dane's 6 month check up...the boy shot up! His stats came in at:
20.15 lbs / 75-90 percentile
28.5 inches / 95 percentile
45 cm head / 75 percentile

Previously he fell in the 75-90 percentile for height and weight, so he really grew alot taller since his 4 month visit. He got 3 shots today - was only supposed to get 2 again, but she recommended the flu shot as well. He did pretty well...each time she stuck him again, the wimpering got worse and on the 3rd turned to crying. He was actually much more peeved about them cleaning out his ears! Everything else looks healthy! Still no teeth! He's had teething symptoms for about 2 months now and I keep waiting for something to pop through, but the doctor confirmed that nothing is brewing in that mouth yet!

Here We Go Again....

Elvis, JFK and now Michael...you knew it was going to happen.

Presley's First Birthday

This past weekend we travelled back to Leesburg for Miss Priss's first birthday! Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate with Janel's plan for an outdoor luau theme...it was rainy and cold, didn't even hit 70 on Saturday! It felt like October, so they moved the party inside. I think all the kiddos had fun anyway. Presley didn't dive into her cake like we all imagined she would and she didn't seem to like having the frosting on her hands, she kept flipping it everywhere but she did manage to get some in her mouth (and in her hair). Dane had a great time army crawling all over the place...there were lots of kids there and he was quite amused just watching all of them. Plus he loved the party balloons. Andon continues to do really well and started preschool again last week. Last year he had a really tough time transitioning into the classroom...took a long time for Brian to be able to leave him there. This year, Andon told Janel to leave the first time she dropped him off. He's trying things he would never try at home (apple juice) and has new phrases and words each time we come home to visit.

Chi-town Weekend

Our weekend started a bit early with a Cubbies game on Friday! We went with Cameron's childhood friend Steve and his wife Jillian...little did we know that the Cubs were going to spank the Pirates 17-2. Steve and Jillian will be celebrating 11 years of wedded bliss next Saturday and Jillian surprised Steve by posting it under the scoreboard at Wrigley! Jeremy Piven sang the 7th inning stretch and we got to see him heading to the press box with what appeared to be horrendous bed-head. Many of you may know him as "Cheese" from the movie Old School or "Ari Gold" in the tv show Entourage.


On Saturday we packed up and went back into the city for an overnight with Dane. We met up for lunch with friends of ours from Carmel, IN (who just had their 2nd son in July) and also friends that are moving back from CA in September (they were here house hunting).

Dane very badly wanted to get ahold of Colton:

Motherhood

WARNING: this post is kind of long, sorry I babble....
Now that I've been a mother for 6 months, I have so much I want to say I just don't know where to begin. First of all - it's been the most blessed, amazing experience of my life. It's more than I ever thought it could be and waiting for 3 years for it to happen has made it so much sweeter to me! Growing up, all I really ever wanted to be was a mom. Facing the possibility of not ever becoming a mom was the 2nd hardest thing I've ever had to endure (the first being Andon's diagnosis). I knew that adoption was always an option, however being matched with an infant isn't guaranteed. Even if we were only blessed with one biological child I really wanted to experience being pregnant and delivering a baby (as crazy as that sounds). Thankfully God's plan for our family was bigger than I ever expected and look how blessed we are! I guess God doesn't give you the desire to be something and not fulfill it somehow...like I said, all I ever wanted to be was a mom. I'm loving every minute I am blessed to be home raising our baby and I know how fortunate I am to be in this position.

Now onto the fun stuff....
Dane is sitting up really well and he's army crawling too. He can scoot his way pretty much anywhere he wants and that makes me entirely nervous about when he's full on crawling! He loves to eat and eats all his fruits and veggies without issue. He pretty much inhales it and we have to shovel it into his mouth very quickly or he gets frustrated with us. Much to my disappointment, he does say dadda and daddy although I don't think he really knows what he's saying! He's been sleeping through the night since he was about 11 weeks old, with an occasional rough night. He generally goes down between 7 & 8pm depending on how tired he is or when he woke from his last nap and usually sleeps until 7am. Sometimes he wakes at 6am, but he takes a bottle and goes back down until 7:30 or 8am. I know...I'm lucky! We've said numerous times that Dane is either going to make us crazy when he's in highschool or our next child will be a monster! There's no way we can be lucky enough to get 2 easy kiddos...is there?? I will gladly take it if it happens that way! Now, for your viewing pleasure I've put together a video of everything Dane is up to these days...

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

Some Recent Faves...

I keep trying to put together a post with video of Dane eating solids and it just hasn't happened yet! I still have to download the video and transfer it to a program that blogger recognizes. Anyway, I will get it up one of these days. In the meantime, here are some of my recent faves of Dane and us. He's growing so fast and can sit like a big boy pretty well. Still a bit wobbly and we have to make sure he's surrounded by pillows, but I can honestly say after hearing it for so long...they do grow up way too fast.

Playing with Mommy:With Daddy at the lake:With Roscoe:Sitting like a BIG boy:At the Lake:

7 Years Ago...

...Cameron & I were preparing for the biggest day of our lives - our wedding day! I was nervously trying to choke down some breakfast and get my hair / makeup done with my bridesmaids and Cameron & his groomsmen went to pick up tuxes and to Hooters for lunch! I remember all the funny stories that I heard about after that day, not having a clue that any chaos was happening on our perfect day. Happy 7 years to a great husband & father, my best friend and true soul mate! I wouldn't want to be sharing this ride with anyone else!

Congratulations Kammerer Family!

Congratulations to my cousin Kurt and his wife Priscilla who added a second son to their family yesterday. Jude became a big brother to Jentzen James!

I also stole "Life Lessons" from my friend Karin's blog because I really like what it had to say...hope you all enjoy it too!

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio:
"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written." My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood... But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."