What do you think?

I am no mind reader, but I am quite sure that he was saying, "get that camera out of my face!"

This picture made me feel a little bit like the paparazzi! Maybe I need to give this child a break from the big flash of the camera!

Katie and Dane hanging out together!

So, Dane's new thing is grabbing his feet...when he is on his back! This is another thing that to most of you may not seem like a big deal, but for us it is a very big deal! It means that his stomach muscles are getting nice and strong, as well as the fact that he is figuring out that if he pulls his legs up he can get to those sweet little piggies. Everytime we see him figuring out something new, we are so thankful because it means that he is making all kinds of new connections in his brain.

We had a busy Saturday, I worked then we went to my Dad & Brothers Bday party, then straight home for UFC fight night. We had a great time and Dane did well until everyone started yelling during a fight...which completely freaked him out. So, that will be the last time we have UFC at our house for a while or at least until RSV is over next spring.

How could you...

NOT ZURBER THOSE PIGGIES!!!

Sorry, I just love his little feet!!!

Pooped out

(Well...Daddy reads when he has to go poop, so we thought we would give it a try! Sorry too much info!???!)

We have spent the past couple of days trying to get our little guy to poop...and after two servings of prunes, lots of applesauce, and a good book we are all pooped out...literally! Thank goodness, he seemed to be in a lot of pain and would start to cry and squeez whatever was in reach...and let me tell you he has quite a grip! We are very spoiled with his laid back character, if he is fussy it's because he's hungry, tired, or poopy (or lack of poopy). Hopefully tomorrow he will be back to his normal easy going self!

We are working on strengthening his "core"...I know, sounds like Pilate's, but that's what we are working on for his trunk control so he can learn to sit up. He is doing a lot better with his hands and is grabbing at toys with both of his hands, though he favors his left more. His right side of his neck is still a little tight, so we continue to work on stretches and have to keep using his "zacky hand" when he is in his car seat or his bouncy chair because if we didn't have something next to his head...he would constantly have a head tilt. But overall he continues to keep chugging alone and amazes us everyday! I am so thankful for all the little things that I don't even think that I ever took time to notice with my other kiddos. Little, things like using his hands to try to put things in his mouth...I don't think that I ever thought twice about any developmental milestone with Gage or Katie, probably a good thing. If I knew then what I know now, I am sure that I would have thought that they both were going to have Cerebral Palsy or some other problem! But, on the good side...I don't take ANYTHING this child does for any less then a miracle...and what a blessing to witness a miracle everyday!

Holding hands...

I was emailing one of my sweet friends at work with some updated pictures of Dane, and I came across this little gem of a picture that Chad snapped with his phone just a week after Dane was born. " Wow", I thought...I stopped and took some time to look at this incredible picture. I remember at the time thinking how cool this picture was, the fact that Dane's entire hand was the size of Chads thumb nail... now I really appreciate this picture more than I can express in a blog. Now that Dane is home and is doing so well, it just takes a picture to really put things in perspective. I follow some other preemies on their own incredible journeys and all that I have read and seen keeps me constantly in awe of the handy work of God.

After countless attempts...it finally happened!

So, Daddy was the first one to get Dane to actually laugh! It was the cutest, sweetest, most precious, amazing (you get the picture) sound in the world! Of course I had the camera at arms distance so I snapped some photos of yet another milestone that this little man has hit! Hopefully we will not have to hold him like this every time we want to hear him laugh...at almost 17 lbs it may get old!

Dane had his first eye exam outside of the NICU, for those of you who aren't in the preemie world...even if preemies dodge the ROP bullet, they are still at extreme risk for having crossed eyes, near sightedness and lazy eye. We went to the doc yesterday and she said that his eyes look great and we don't have to go back for another year! Wow, another doctor crossed of the list! (until next year that is)

Just Peachy!

Well after a weekend of feeling achy, feverish, and generally crappy...I am feeling a lot better! I found a stash of some antibiotics...left over from one of my many bouts of mastitis so I don't know if that's why I am feeling better or if "it" has just run "it's" course! I was terrified that Dane would catch whatever I had, so I tried to keep away from him the best I could. He seems fine and I am praying that he doesn't get "it"...what ever "it" was!

Grandma Lynn got Dane a well needed high chair, it was nice to sit him in something that doesn't break your back to feed him in! I thought that we would celebrate his new chair with trying out some peaches for the first time, which he proceeded to spit out after every bite. This is the first thing we have given him that he doesn't seem to like. I am a bit surprised that he didn't like the peaches, especially after we found out that he didn't seem to mind peas and green beans...but Dane is full of surprises!

So I am feeling peachy, the new high chair is peachy, of course my little man is peachy...hmmm, everything is peachy except peaches them selves!

My little block head

Dane was doing his new favorite thing...climbing over his boppy. We had some blocks set up for him to look at, and apparently he thought that they made a nice pillow...because he stayed in that position for quite a while! We thought it was pretty cute and of course had the camera ready! Chad thinks that he was just trying to get in a comfy position to watch Sponge Bob with Katie, maybe so! He finally moved after a while revealing some nice indents on his cheek!

We celebrated Chad's birthday today, nothing to exciting, as our finances are tight. He worked this morning then spent the afternoon watching a DVD. I made his favorite spice cake and mushroom burgers for dinner. He did say that when he blew out his candles that he already got his wish...I am sure that it had something to do with ALL of his kiddos surrounding him on his bday. It was this time last year that I made him a another one of his favorite dinners (chicken fried steak...PaPa Ray style) when I noticed that nothing tasted right to me, I kept saying "this dinner tastes nasty"...only to find out in a couple days that I was prego! Chad's 35th year turned out to be a doozey!

2 weeks of breathing treatments

It has been two weeks since Dane started his breathing treatments, I have a feeling that he should have probably been on them sooner...but that just my Mommy opinion. He is still super loud sleeper, but while he is awake I can tell a big difference in his breathing. He doesn't seem to get so winded during play and isn't requiring quite so much sleep during the day. Not to mention that he looks like a handsome young fighter pilot with his breathing mask! We did get the firm talking to about RSV season from Dane's doc. Dane's lungs have zero reserve so we can't take any chances with him this winter, the doc said that if he got RSV it would put him back in the hospital and could potentially be fatal. Even healthy full term babies have died from RSV, so we are taking it very seriously. On the good side, since we live in AZ we will at least be able to go on walks, have a picnic on a blanket in the park, and of course we can go to Grandma and PapPap's house if they are healthy. Hopefully next winter his lungs will be strong enough that we won't have to be quite so protective...but if not he is definitely worth all the extra steps to keep him healthy!

Live long and prosper!!!

Okay, so Dane is feeling MUCH better from his shots and has also recovered from a night with out air conditioning (our air conditioner fan went out Friday night...it wasn't pretty) and apparently while spending the day at Grandma's house he has picked up the Vulcan (sp?) greeting of "live long and prosper".... Grandma is the only Trekkie in the family so she gets the credit for this picture!

Chad and I totally cracked up when I snapped this shot!!! Our little sci fi geek!