Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'.....

Danae is 16 weeks old this week. Last Wednesday and Thursday nights, she decided to wake up at 3 am (she has been sleeping through the night for over a month now!). She was starving when she woke up, so we started putting cerial in her bottle and then proceeded to feeding her cerial from a spoon. She is so cute when she eats from the spoon...well, tries to eat from the spoon. She start licking it to get the cerial off!
On Monday she rolled over for the first time! I can't believe how excited I got. I called Michael...but wait...had she rolled over earlier and Nanny Judy just didn't tell me so I would think if was her first time? So next phone call was to Judy...nope, apparently she came close to rolling over earlier that day, but didn't quite make it. So, Danae waited for me to get home before she rolled over! (at least that's what I'm going to let myself believe). The look on her face when she rolled over was priceless...she had a look of "what just happened!"

Easing the Pain of an Old Friend

I sit here holding back the tears (I'm not doing a very good job of holding them back) as I reminise in the pictures of Miller. Wednesday I made the decision to ease Miller's pain and send him to chase lizards for eternity. Back in November he was diagnosed with bone cancer. I put him on "hospise" and did what I could to manage his pain. He dwindled from near 100 lbs to 70 lbs. His leg just looked incredibly painful with how swollen the cancer had made it. He had lost the joy Miller always had and I couldn't even get him to wag his tail....I knew it was time to let him go.

Of course Miller didn't make it any easier by chasing a cat off the deck when we walked out the door...don't know where he mustered up the energy or strength.

I adopted Miller when he was 8 weeks old. This eternally happy dog was such a joy to have around, not really knowing his true size he always wanted to be in your lap or lay by your side. He made it almost to twelve years old. Five years ago we adopted Nala...who immediately took to being Millers best friend and shadow. She has been having a difficult time not having Miller to lay next to, perhaps her and Tukir will become better friends. Tukir seems to be doing fine, but I wouldn't expect anything else from him.


Here Miller is around 2 years old and lying with at 6 week old kitten I was bottle feeding after she had been brought into the Humane Society at 3 weeks old with no mother.

Tukir and Miller have been pals almost since day one. Here they are both under a year old and playing tug-o-war with the leash.

Hard to believe the near 100 lb dog was once so small!

Follow the Yellow Brick Rail

We took Amtrak for the first time to Kansas over the weekend to see Michael's family for his Grandma Georgie's 80th birthday party. Danae got to meet all of her cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and Fluff (on Michael's side). There are several pictures, although, I didn't get a few key pictures I wanted, everyone was getting so many pictures taken since there were so many family members there that it was hard to get in any specific ones I had in mind...like one with Danae and Grandma Georgie.

All of Grandma's immediate grandchildren...Michael, Carrie, Annie, Christina, Lindsay, Michele & Candice.

Michael and his dear sisters...always the comedian

In the Valentine dress Gramie bought for her

Grandma's children: Marilyn, Jan and Virgil

The great grandkids: Koebe, Danae, Eden, Easton, Brittney, Carson, Bryson and Jarren

Grandma and Grandpa Luebbers

Grandpa Jake

Danae did so well on the train there and back. If I had a dollar for every time someone said "she is being so good" we could have at least had a free meal!

So, how does driving the Kansas route compare to taking it by rail? Here is my list of notes:

Some pros to taking the train rather than car:

Don't have to keep the driver awake (we hope)

Don't have to say "stay in YOUR lane Michael"

No road construction

Don't have to worry about wheather conditions (for the most part)

Can get up and move around and still be traveling

Can eat a nice meal while still traveling

Can hold Danae when she gets fussy

Can change the diaper while still traveling

Play games together

Some cons to taking the train rather than the car:

Don't have to smell the B.O. of the man behind you everytime he moves around

Don't flash your "girls" to the person who opens the bathroom door while I'm pumping because the lock jiggled open (not once...but twice)

Don't have to listen to the "gangsta" behind us talk to his 'home girls' on the phone

14 Weeks

I pledge allegiance to the flag.... Danae really enjoyed this Bumbo seat my friend Ahna brought over. She loves to sit up and this seat lets her do just that! ....so...I got one just for her!

She is checking herself out in the mirror...yep, your beautiful!

Pepper hasn't wanted much to do with Danae, but she sat & watched her for an hour one day...I think it was the bright sun's reflection off of Danae's mirror...she is hypnotized by those things.

The giggle is right around the corner. Right now it is more like a growl/giggle...it still just melts me!

Her first cowgirl boots!....won't be her last!

Daddy makes her giggle best! ...so what are her milestones? She sleeps 8 - 9 hours at night, most of the time, and has been for several weeks!! She smiles so big and giggles/coos/growls. She puts her pacifier back in her mouth. She's crawling everywhere....ok....not quite....but she is doing so well!

College

I discovered this website where you can save money for college for yourself, childen, etc... A percentage of purchases you make is routed to your account on this website...and it will grow over time. If you do any shopping online (birthday's, Christmas, whatever...) there is a good chance the company is associated with UPromise and you will get a percentage back from your purchase. Same with groceries, register your grocery club card and when you purchase participating products at the store you will get money in your account!

It is free to sign up and I think it is such a great way to get money back on what you are already buying. Click on the UPromise icon to the left and sign up! Seriously, this is too easy not to do...that is why I'm sharing it with you. (also, family and friends who aren't saving for themselves can sign up and save for you!)

week 13

Well, I've been back to work for a little over a week and still am not quite into the full swing of things. I miss Danae every day and just can't hug and kiss her enough when I get home. Yesterday she was in a great mood when I got home and she was all smiles for me and even did a half giggle...it melted my heart!

Danae met Danae last Saturday. Big Danae is a student and friend from the high school. She was so excited when she learned I was pregnant and you should have seen her reaction when she learned we were naming our baby Danae (and she was even more excited that her due date was the day before her birthday).
Danae is pictured here with her little buddy Jack, who is my friend Ahna's baby. Jack is six months old and the whole time I was taking thier pictures he was blowing raspberries. Its those little things I just love right now...I'm sure some people think I'm nuts. I always told myself I wouldn't be one of those people who always pulls out a picture of their baby to show people...I lied to myself. Many people ask me how my baby is doing and I whip out that cell phone and show them the picture I have on it or some I even send to my blog or even sit down with them for a moment and pull it up on the computer to show them. I have joined the world of mommies in love and proud of their babies...perhaps everyone else doesn't enjoy it as much as I do, but they entertain me by looking at the pictures, smiling, gasping and saying "how adorable!" :)