19 months / 20 weeks pregnant

I haven't updated about the "little" things in our life for a little while so I thought I would update!
Dane is just over 19 months old and is a very active kid who never seems to tire out. He has 11 teeth and I believe is working on some more. He has become such a sponge, soaking up everything we do and say so he can mimic us later. We've had our bouts with tantrums and tough days, but he truly continues to be a very laid back, easy kiddo. He is actually putting together phrases now and he attempts to say some very difficult words (which is pretty hysterical). Some of his favorites are:
"Are you?" (where are you?)
"Nigh Night"
"Hi Dadda / Mama"
"jump jump"
Dane is very quick to reprimand the dogs for barking "No no no doggies" and usually says "yeah" to everything except sometimes nigh night and almost always to naps...we get a very firm "no" on the nap thing, although he is still taking one a day. Favorite toy still seems to be any type of ball, although his big tonka dump truck comes in a close second. We are pretty sure he's destined to be a hoarder because he packs as much as he can in his dump truck or his little arms to walk around the house. There are many things I've learned since becoming a parent that before actually being a parent I was kind of against. TV for instance...I didn't think we would log many hours watching tv and I am glad to say that we actually don't but I love the 30 minutes of quiet I get when I turn on his precious "Little Bear". I swore my child would not live on hot dogs, but when you have one that has trouble gaining weight you feed them whatever they'll eat. He loves fruit, pretty much any kind but the vegetables continue to be a challenge. He eats pasta like a champ, hotdogs are a favorite and the only vegetables I can get in him are from the morning star farms veggie patties. So that is Dane @ 19 months in a nutshell. He's awesome...the light of our lives and we can't wait to see him interact with the next Hatten installment.

Speaking of...we find out on Saturday what this little nugget is (as long as he / she cooperates and opens those legs). I'm still feeling boy but I waiver on this quite often so I really don't have a clue. I would so gladly take either, truly. I know people think you need one of each and I would love to add a girl to this family, however I also love the idea of Dane having a little brother. And...let's be honest - girls scare me a bit. There are so many more scary things to think about with a girl!

Fall Festivities

This weekend was full of fall festivities! On Saturday we went to Apple Holler...it's an apple orchard in Wisconsin that has all sorts of other activities (hayride, corn maze, kids playland, petting farm, etc.). We were able to pick about 25 lbs of apples, went on a hayride and Dane had a blast playing in the kids playland. On Sunday we went to Didier Farms to get our pumpkins along with apple cider and pumpkin donuts...yummo!! Dane also got to go down the big slide with Cameron and took a pony ride! I love fall and am so excited that it is here! I am most excited about all the pumpkin treats to be had! Below is a video of our weekend, along with Dane's new habit (walking in my shoes although the video is pretty low quality).

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

First Big Scare

Yesterday afternoon Cameron and I spent about 4 hours in the ER due to Dane's spill down about 10 stairs. I've never been so scared in my life and it all happened so fast, I'm not 100% sure what happened! I was right next to him because we don't let him go up and down the stairs by himself when all of a sudden he just started to fall and I couldn't do anything but watch. Thankfully he is fine - a little scratch / rug burn next to his eye and a little bruise / scratch on his thigh. We were more worried about a head injury. They attempted a CAT scan, however he was freaking out so bad they never managed to get one. The Dr. told us what to watch for, but they weren't concerned by the time we left because he didn't have any swelling and he didn't have any symptoms of a concussion. We didn't have to wake him up through the night or anything, just a quick follow up visit to our pediatrician this morning. He was running around like his crazy little self when we were waiting at the ER so we were pretty sure he was fine!

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Dave Matthews Concert

On Saturday night we went with our friends Luke & Nicole to the Dave Matthews concert at Wrigley Field. Wrigley just started hosting concerts again a few years ago and they typically only have one per summer so we try to go. It unexpectedly ended up being a very late night so a huge thank you to Teresa for being so patient in waiting for us to get home!

Week in Leesburg

Cameron left for Las Vegas on Monday, September 13th for a work trip and Dane & I took the chance to get away to visit my family in Indiana. As I said the last time we were visiting, Dane would likely master driving all the Zehring motorized toys on our next visit. Well...he did. Mastered might be a bit of an overstatement, however he can drive the gator, jeep and little tractor. Here is a very low quality video clip of him driving the gator in circles.

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The weather was perfect and we spent our days with Andon & Presley outside playing. We got to see everyone and it helped to have uncle Brian, uncle Jeff and Gpa Dennis around to play with Dane since he was missing his Dad so much. I'm just not as much fun as Cameron and uncle Brian and uncle Jeff rough house with him like Cameron does. Thankfully after a long week of being a single parent, Cameron returned! Thank you Zehrings for putting up with us for a week!

What have we been up to?

Popsicles after dinner::Sitting at the counter like a big boy:Napping: Bears game wore me out!Playing at the park!

NYC / Jersey Shore Round 5

We spent another great long weekend in NYC & the Jersey Shore. We have figured that NYC must love us because they never want to let us go!! We were supposed to arrive in Chicago at 2:04pm Monday afternoon but didn't actually get back until 5:30pm Tuesday! We had an amazing trip that was unfortunately capped off by a very long Monday at LaGuardia Airport. Dane was a total trooper and I think was more patient about the entire situation than I was! Thankfully, United Airlines put us up in a nearby hotel for Monday night and also offered us extra miles and a free plane ticket due to the inconvenience. We managed to avoid Hurricane Earl, however Friday at the shore was very gusty, a bit rainy and the waves were rockin'! That was the worst it got. Dane fell absolutely in love with the ocean and beach but unfortunately he has absolutely no fear of water and would have run straight into the crashing waves if we hadn't formed a blockade!! We spent 2 great days at the shore, Saturday was gorgeous and sunny. We also got to have an adult night out in Brooklyn while the McGinnis nanny stayed with the kiddos and also spent an amazing afternoon at Yankee stadium! Thank you McGinnis crew for putting up with us for so long and we can't wait until the next vacation with you!

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Presley's 2nd Birthday Party!

This past weekend we went to Leesburg to celebrate Presley's 2nd birthday! It was fun catching up with the family, but there is never enough time to see everyone! We did accomplish one major milestone...Dane can now "drive" the kid's gator. Actually watching where he's going will have to be mastered on the next trip but he knows how to make it go!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com