Is It Just Me?

Is it just me, or is Dane one the cutest babies you have ever seen?

Baby Einstein

Dane loves his Baby Einstein! He is 3 Months 3 weeks old here.

My Amazing Friends!

I wasn't going to put up a tree this year because it would be too much of a hassle and I didn't have any decorations. Three co-workers insisted I have one, so they went out and bought me shatter-proof bulbs, brought over a prel-lit tree, and set it all up for me. They even got Dane a "Baby's First Christmas" ornament! I feel so blessed to have such amazing people in my life! I am very happy they did this, and their generosity and thoughtfulness will not be forgotten! I will always remember Dane's first Christmas as being special and have a great story to tell him about his ornament :-) Thanks Lana, Heather, and Susan!

Letter to Dane

Hi Dane,

You are getting soooo big! You are almost 4 months old and have doubled your birth weight! You are doing some new and exciting things too:

About a week ago (15 weeks old), I noticed you can see me from far away. When I am standing in the kitchen and you are in the living room in your exersaucer, I can see you watching me. The first time I saw you watching me, it was a wonderful feeling to know that your eyes are getting better and stronger and to realize that you are interested in seeing everything I do.

Which brings me to the next topic: Eating. Yesterday I was eating a salad and you watched my every move. You would watch me use my fork to stab the lettuce and watch me raise it to my mouth and stick it in. You then were so interested to see me chew it up. I offered you some, but you didn’t want any. You just wanted to watch me.

Also, about a week ago, you started fake coughing. At first, I was alarmed thinking you might be getting sick or your breathing was acting up. But now I realize you do it for fun, especially when I am changing your diaper. Grandma Roe thinks you have learned how to make a new sound, so you are doing it a lot, and I would have to agree.

You still haven’t rolled over but are getting close. (I admit though that I don’t give you a lot of alone time on the floor to practice because I am often holding you and playing with you, or you are in your exersaucer.) You are able to lift your legs and twist them to the side, but your back still lies flat on the floor. I will try to give you more time on your playmate so you can practice.

Last, you like to chew on your fingers a lot! You don’t suck your thumb yet, but definitely are interested in sticking your whole fist or a few fingers in your mouth. I almost wish you would start to suck your thumb so you wouldn’t be so dependent on your pacifier to go to sleep, but I won’t push it since I know it is a hard habit to stop once you start.

Well you are going to wake up from your nap soon, so I need to get going. I love you with all my heart! XOXOXO

Love,
Mommy

Dane Update

I took him to the doctor today because so many people were telling me his breathing sounded raspy, rattling, or like he had phlegm. Well, the doctor listened to his lungs and listened to him while he drank a bottle, and he said he is OK :-) His breathing passages are small right now and it is nothing to worry about. He is very healthy by his obvious weight gain, does not appear to gasp for breath, is happy, and has no runny nose or eyes. I also asked about the possibility of him having asthma (I have it), but he said asthma doesn't usually show up until around the age of 2.
So if you see Dane, just know that he is a noisy little breather :) No worries!

Is This Normal?

I am putting this video on here so people can hear what Dane sounds like. He has always breathed like this, so I just thought it was normal for him. Now that many people are commenting to me about it, I am getting concerned. (When I mentioned it to his doctor last month, he said it was normal for babies to grunt, but I don't think this is grunting.) You can hear the congestion more towards the end.

Jumperoo

3 months or 14 weeks

Hi Daddy

Hi Daddy,

Well you have been gone for only two days now, but I already miss you. Just before my bedtime, mommy plays me your videos of the books you read to me. My favorite is Goodnight Moon. I love to just stare at you on the computer screen and listen to your voice. Sometimes I wonder how you got inside mommy's computer, but I am done trying to figure that one out, hee hee. As you can see from the video below, mommy is trying to keep busy by making me laugh. She is so silly! Oh, Mommy is calling for me, so I need to go now. I miss you and love you very much!

Love, Dane

P.S. Friday, while at Grandma Roe's, I pooped my pants so bad, Grandma had to give me a bath in her sink. I thought it was really funny! I bet you wish you could have been there to see the look on her face :-)

Alek's Speech

Here is Alek's Speech at the Send Off Ceremony last night. He once again received a standing ovation. We are all so very proud of him and love him very much!

Four Generations

Roger Roe, Edna Roe, Holly Roe Willson, Dane Willson (11 Weeks)

My Little Tiger

Here is Dane in his Halloween costume. We didn't take him out anywhere or pass out candy b/c of all the germs going around, but it was still cute to see him all dressed up for the occasion.

Video: Daddy and Dane

This is the way the lady, gentleman, and cowboy ride to the store, well, according to Daddy.

Video: Bathtime Fun at 2 Months

Dane likes baths a lot now! Usually he is all smiles, but he was being shy for the camera.

8 Week Pictures

Aren't I cute!

New York Pictures

Back from New York

Dane, Dad, Mom, and I made it back safely from visiting Amy and Adam in Lafayette, New York. Dane was very good and made his mommy proud! It was very nice to see both Amy and Adam! We went kayaking, hiking, and sight seeing and also went to the Apple Festival just down the road from her house. The time went by so fast, and I really had a lot of fun! The funniest moment of the trip was when dad watched Dane while us girls went kayaking. Here are some videos to explain what happened :-)

Happiest Baby On The Block

Video: 6 weeks today & full of smiles

Dane is 6 weeks today, and he is the happiest baby on the block! I have him on a new schedule of Sleep, Eat, Play. He rarely fusses now because I know what he wants at each stage of the routine. Yay!

Video: Smiles - 4 weeks old

Video: Relaxin with Mommy - 3 weeks old

Dane is 3.5 weeks old here. I weighed him on my bathroom scale, and he is at least 10 pounds now. Wow! He likes to sit next to me and stare at me or the big colorful picture hanging above the couch :)

Video - Labor Day Weekend

Luke, Lex, Mary, and Dane at 2 weeks old.

Labor Day Weekend

Matt (Alek's brother), Angie, Luke, Lex, and Liam came up to the Sault to visit us this weekend. On Saturday, we had tons of fun at the Chippewa County Fair. We saw lots of barn animals and the boys enjoyed a few of the carnival rides. Luke said he liked the motorcycle ride best, and he even popped a few wheelies on it. Dane came along too for his first real outing, and he was very good for us! Later that night, we went back to the fair to watch the big trucks go through the mud runs. It was very exciting to hear their loud engines push them through the mud as it splattered everywhere! On Sunday, we went out to my parent's cabin. The boys did a little fishing off the dock and then we sat around the campfire and made smores. Yum!

Video: Bath Time

Amy, I had mom tape this for you so you can see what he is like at two weeks old:

I really dread bath time because Dane fusses and cries through it. I am trying different ways of doing it (trial and error is my motto for everything with Dane). Here is a video of me using a baby bath tub. The tub is a bit awkward to use right now, because he is still so small and slides down. So until he gets a bit bigger, I think I prefer just setting a towel in the sink and putting a little water in it and then laying him on the towel. I have also taken a bath with him, and he seemed to love that, but I can't do that every time :-)




Here is another video of mom rocking Dane.

Dane

My friend, Shari Robertson, took two pictures: one of my pregnant belly and one of Dane. She then put them together. I will treasure this picture forever!






Andrea Donmyer was my midwife. She was by my side throughout the entire labor and delivery. She made me feel very comfortable and relaxed, and I couldn't have asked for a better person to deliver my baby boy!








Mary and Dane with the blanket Mary crocheted.








Video of Dane in his swing. This is a life savor!

Happy Birthday Dane Marshall Willson

Yay! Dane was born early Wednesday morning on August 19. I started having contractions Monday afternoon after a doctor's appointment, and they were 10-20 minutes apart all of Monday night. Tuesday, they began to get closer, and we finally went to the hospital around 3:00pm, when they were 5 minutes apart. I was able to use the birthing tub when I dilated to 4cm, and it felt soooo good! Then when I got out, I was dilated around 5-6cm, so my midwife broke my water, I got an intrathecal injection (like an epideral), and then I received pitocin to speed up the labor. The pain of the contractions was tremendous and like nothing I had felt before, but I had a great team of people there to coach and support me: Alek, my mom, Alek's mom, two nurses and my midwife. Shortly after midnight, I was ready to push and delivered my healthy baby boy at 12:39 am. He weighed 8.1 pounds and was 20.5 inches long. Here are some pictures and videos:

Thursday I came home to find this beautiful bouquet of flowers on the table from Alek. I love him so much!

No Baby Yet...

No baby yet. I think I will go over my due date, which is next Monday, the 10th, because I feel really good and he hasn't dropped yet. Alek and I have been going to the gym a couple times a week on his lunch hour. I go on the treadmill for 30-40 minutes, which is about 2.5 miles at my pace. One guy told Alek to bring his catcher's mitt in case the baby falls out when I am walking. LOL! It must be a sight to see - a big pregnant woman, ready to pop any day, walking briskly on a treadmill while pumping her arms.

I do know though, that if I don't have him by the 21st, I will be induced. So that means in less than 18 days, I will have my baby boy in my arms :-)

Today I went out to Aunt Shirley's and Uncle Al's house, and she took me for a ride on their new golf cart. It was really fun to motor around in it, and I must say that she is very good at navigating :-)

Maternity Pictures

My friend from work, Shari Robertson, took maternity pictures of my yesterday. She did a wonderful job, and I am having a hard time picking out my favorites :-)

If you double click on the picture, it will enlarge the slideshow and you can then click on "full screen" to see them better.

Front Yard Project

While Bob, Mary, and Nik were here last week, they tackled the front yard retaining wall. They were only here for a few days, so the project is not completely finished yet. We still have to put up a couple more layers of brick, add dirt, and of course plant some greenery.

Belly Growth

Lamaze

Tonight Alek and I went to our first Lamaze class. It meets every Tuesday night this month for 2 hours. Tonight's class went over the basics of pregnancy and how to do a few stretches to relieve discomfort. Alek acted like it was torture, but I think deep down, he knows it will be useful for him to be more aware :-) We also got a few good laughs out of it, and it was fun to do something different with him.

This week I am 35 weeks. Dane is moving an awful lot, especially whenever I sit. I have learned that if I get up and walk around, or if I stand and sway from side to side, it helps to settle him down. He also gets the hiccups a lot too, which can be a bit annoying (he has them at least 3 times a day), but I was told it means he is strong, healthy, and full of energy. Yay! Also, for the past few weeks, I was having a lot of heartburn and could barely sleep from it. So at my last doctor visit, my midwife gave me a prescription for it, and I now feel much better! Thank goodness! Overall, I feel pretty fortunate to have such a good pregnancy with little complaints.

Here is an update on what is going on with Dane:

Your baby weighs about 5.5 pounds and will continue to gain about half a pound per week until you deliver. He or she stretches out to 20.25 inches as it approaches full term. Stem cells in the bone marrow continue to produce red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets to maintain a healthy immune system, but there is not really any development remaining for arms, legs, brain or organs. Your baby will simply continue to grow in size as it readies for its big debut.

Playing Tourists in the Sault

Amy and Adam are visiting from New York so we played tourists today. First, we went to the Soo Locks, then to the Edison Electric Plant, and last to the old historical houses on Water Street. (Alek is in Montreal with his family for a reunion. I could not go due to the long drive and being pregnant.)

Check out these baby spiders I found just outside our door. I can't believe how many there were! I walk in and out of that door everyday, and I swear they were not there the day before. Very weird! I felt bad killing them, but I couldn't have all those spiders getting in the house. Yuck!

8 Month Update

Today I am 8 months (32 weeks) pregnant. Only 8 more weeks to go. Wow! With school being out, I have been pretty bored and often think it would be nice to have Dane now, when I have nothing to do all day. But then I remember that this is my last summer to myself and to enjoy the peace and quiet while I can :-) To keep busy, I have planted a ton of flowers in the front and back yards and planted a vegetable garden. Now I need another project to work on, so I am thinking about scrap booking or working on my baby blanket that I started in high school and never finished.

A couple of days ago, I was watering my flowers out front, and Dane kicked really hard and turned sideways in my belly. I thought to myself how I liked knowing he was safe inside my belly, and I didn't have to worry about him because he was with me. Then I realized how soon he would be off on his own, exploring the world, and I would probably be worried sick about him all the time. I remembered my mom telling me a long time ago (when I was a wild and crazy teenager) that when I am mother one day, I will know what it is like to worry about my children, and I feel that day has come. So, I am going to treasure these last few weeks of security of knowing my baby boy is safe and sound in my belly, where I can feeling him kicking and turning on a daily basis :-)

Dane's Baby Room

School Baby Shower

Some girls at work threw a baby shower for Allison and me. Allison is 6 months pregnant and I am 7 months. We both got adorable gifts and a visa gift card. With the money, I purchased a jogger/car seat and a fold-up stroller. I am very thankful to work with such generous, thoughtful, and caring staff!