Rock and ROLLER!

OK, yes it has been too long since I updated this blog, but I have to start backwards. We woke up this morning to discover Shane on his belly! He rolled for the first time!!! He was not screaming and I had to do a double take until I realized that he was on his belly He had been rolling to his side for a while, but he finally made it all of the way over!

Now, in terms of the rock portion of this blog title. Shane is learning to play air guitar! We were in the waiting room at the pediatricians office due to a rash that suddenly appeared - more on that later - and Dan discovered that Shane loves to play air guitar! He gets so happy and smiley. I am attaching a video, but you will not see the little devil smiling because he saw the camera. We tried several times, but he always stops smiling when the camera appears. In this video you can see him smiling for the first second and then he turns his head and sees me with the camera. I like to think that he realizes that playing air guitar is a bit embarrassing so he knows to act like he is not enjoying it. After all Dan and I saw the air guitar championship on Good Morning America and I sure hope Shane is not wearing tight gold pants and playing air guitar in it 20 years from now!

OK, now on to the last few weeks! We had a chance to get out to Linda and Bob's house for dinner! It was great to see them and Joey and Susie were so good with Shane! They had some awesome reptile hand puppets for Shane and he loves them! Dan really enjoyed hanging out with Joey and Susie because they could really play and joke around with him! Here are some pictures from the day!



Shane and I have been going to the Lap Sit class at the Joliet library with our new friend's Cathy and her adorable son Alex. After one class, we were able to have lunch at their house and the boys loved playing on the floor together. The photo of Alex reaching for Shane's ear reminds me of the picture of me and my cousin Melissa when we were babies and she was reaching for my ear. I am sorry I can't post that one, but some of you will remember it. Here are the pictures of Shane and his buddy Alex who is 4 months old.


We also spent a few days at the Plainfield pool before they closed for the season. They closed August 16th because they are staffed by college students. We wish we had found the baby pool there before because Shane loved it! Here is a picture when we arrived at the pool - Dan found a woman to take our picture so I rushed in to the water for a picture. A video of Shane having a blast in the pool follows the picture. He LOVES that pool. He must feel secure because he can touch the bottom of the pool.


My mom's birthday was the 19th of August and we celebrated the weekend before at my parent's condo. Shane was a bit overwhelmed by all of the people (he is becoming more and more attached to Dan and I) because my mom had my sister and her boyfriend Jason as well as her friend's Bertha and Ken and Lisa and Larry. The evening was a lot of fun and we spent some time hanging out. Larry even showed Jason a few things about ITunes.


Shane hung out with everyone and was adorable as ever! Here he is with my dad and mom. He loves Grandma and Grandpa!



Here he is with Bertha and Ken. They had a little barking dog for him which he LOVES! Nothing makes Shane smile like that barking dog! They did a great job at soothing him when he was fussing! They can babysit him any time!


Here he is with Lisa and Larry. They gave my mom a picture for the kitchen that Shane was fascinated by!

Shane also spent some time with his Aunt Jorie and Jason. They can't wait to babysit for Shane!


Here are the rest of the pictures from the day! Happy birthday, Mom!


Shane has spent a lot of time hanging out with his daddy and looking cute! He has become a total daddy's boy and will be very sad when Dan goes back to work in September! Mommy does not play air guitar!




On the cereal front, we are making lots of progress. In fact, I was all set to buy him oatmeal cereal and then a crazy rash appeared all over his body. The doctors initially thought it was an allergy so I am sure glad that I didn't try the oatmeal cereal and assume he was allergic to it. After determining that we had not changed anything in his diet or environment, it was decided that he had a mild virus. Apparently they are usually accompanied by a fever and he has not had one of those. His perfect skin is rash free again and I will be buying that oatmeal cereal soon. Here is a picture of Shane in his big boy highchair eating cereal! Grandma Carolyn came over for the day on Thursday and she got a chance to feed him his cereal! He finished it all for her!!!!!


On Friday my parents came over to babysit Shane while Dan and I went to a movie (no pictures). I really wanted to see The Time Traveler;s Wife" but did not think it was that great. Oh well, Dan gets the next pick so I am sure I will not like that one either!
Enjoy your week! I will update more frequently!
Oh, I almost forgot - Shane can hold his own bottle for a little while. He drops it after a few minutes, but he is getting there. Here is a picture!

5 Months!!!!

Well, make that 5 months and 1 day! I meant to post this on the 10th, but I obviously did not! The week has been really busy and I am finding it hard to find time to blog with all of the fun that summer has to offer! It is almost impossible for me to believe that my baby is already 5 months old! Our first call of the day on Shane's 5 month birthday was from Aunt Joan wishing him a great day! We are so lucky to have her!!!!! She shared with us that Shane's cousin Eric became a master chess player at only 15! We are really proud of him and hope he can teach Shane one day!
The time is really flying by now! Shane is doing so many new things! He is starting to pass objects back and forth and reach for things he wants! Unfortunately he often wants what he can't have - the flowers Dan bought me today, my drink, his dirty diaper - you get the point! He is also laughing a ton! He loves music and songs and especially enjoys "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "The Wheels on the Bus" He gets so excited when we get to the part of Itsy Bitsy Spider that goes "... and dried up all the rain" since I rub his belly at that part. He opens his mouth into a huge anticipatory smile right before we get there and it is so cute! He also likes it when we do silly things like say Boo, bop ourselves on the head, etc. However, he is not an easy laugher and what gets him cracking up, yes he actually cracks up, one day or one moment, does not elicit any response the next day or moment. He truly keeps us on our toes! I will get some video of this up for my next entry.
Yesterday we bravely went for his 5 month pictures! If you regularly read the blog you know why this was brave of us. You see, our happy baby refuses to smile at pictures. Last month had me barking like a dog in order to get a smile and this month was worse! I decided to bring along the big guns - Dan - who can always get a smile. I should say almost always! We got plenty of smiles from the photographer who was laughing hysterically at our antics, but not from Shane. Shane just starred at us like we had 12 heads. Frankly, he looked like he was humiliated to have us as parents! I can't imagine why he wouldn't smile. I was singing the Wheels on the bus and bobbing my head like a nut, Dan was leaving and entering the room while squeaking, "Hi Shane!", I shook his lovie at him while dancing so hard that the lovie no longer rattles, and Dan even started singing "Apple Bottem Jeans" (not sure if that is the correct song title, but if you know the song - you should know it from my psuedo title.) Thank goodness that we were not being videotaped! I spun around so much, I was actually really dizzy! Shane barely smiled at all and the pictures are not very good. Oh well! When he looks back at his childhood photos he will think he was one unhappy kid based on his professional pictures!
I have proof, though. He does smile! He also votes democratic!

In other exciting news - cereal is still not too popular, but it is getting a little better. No pictures this time. He now tries to grab the spoon which can be dangerous - think flying cereal! I think we get him clean and then I find it in his ear or at the back of his neck!
We went swimming last week with Grandma Carolyn! He loved her pool and loved spending the day with her! She loves to tell him that he is her favorite!!!! Just kidding! I know she loves all of her grandchildren equally! Here are the photos from her pool! We can't wait to come back! After swimming we went back to their condo and had dinner with Grandpa Bob! It was a great day!



On Friday I went to Jorie's school to help her get ready for the year and Shane and Daddy hung out for the day! They had a great time and it was fun for me to be in a school again, if only for a day!
On Sunday Dan's friend Rob cam over for dinner! He got a chance to meet Shane and it was great to catch up with him! Shane loves meeting his Dad's friends! Here is a picture of Rob and Shane! Thankfully, Shane is too young to understand Rob's stories about Dan's past! We will need to buy him some ear plugs and learn to talk in code when Shane is older. For example, the stories of underage partying will need to become stories of teenage volunteering at the old age home! You get my point!

On Monday we set up the pool that Colleen and Liam left for Shane and Kristine and Connor came over for a dip! Actually, I should correct that. Shane and Dan and Connor went in the pool, which we filled with the freezing hose. They looked really cold so Kristine and I chose to skip the dip. Can you tell how cold Dan is in the pictures? He is a true trooper to get in the pool!





Today, Shane and I went to the class at the library with Cathy and Alex again! I meant to bring my camera and will next time! Alex is a cutie and both boys love the class! We went for another walk afterward! It is great to meet more mommies with kids Shane's age! Obviously, the library is rubbing off on my brilliant baby - look at what he did this morning! Thankfully, he already likes to read more than his daddy!

Florida, beaches, picnics, and summer fun!

Well, it is official - Shane has had his first airplane flight, his first vacation, and his first dip in the ocean! Florida was beautiful and Shane had a great time meeting his Uncle Jack and Aunt Tina! They spoiled him rotten with love and attention - not to mention the bag full of outfits Aunt Tina had waiting for him, the two lovies she got for Shane (one can be in the wash while one is being used), and the adorable monkey that hangs from Shane's car seat that Uncle Jack got for Shane at the zoo! However, the main reason for our visit was for Shane to meet his Great Aunt and Great Uncle. I grew up very close to my Great Aunts and Uncle and I did not have that many! Shane is blessed to have many Great Aunts and Uncles who adore him! He has his Aunt Joan on my side and on Dan's side he has Uncle Jack and Aunt Tina, Uncle Jerry and Aunt Geri, Uncle George and Aunt Marilyn, Aunt Bernadette, Aunt Margaret, and Aunt Sue. Almost everyone lives here, except for Uncle Jack and Aunt Tina in Florida and Uncle George and Aunt Marilyn in Arizona. We wanted Shane to have a chance to meet and bond with his out of town family so we planned the Florida trip. Dan and I are hoping we can make it out to Arizona soon!
Here is a photo of Shane with his Uncle Jack and Aunt Tina.

While in Florida we spent a lot of time swimming in Jack and Tina's pool - which was BEAUTIFUL!!! The water was warm and Shane loved it! They even had a rubber ducky that shane loved to watch floating around the pool.





Jack and Tina were AMAZING hosts! I felt like I was at Tina's cooking school! She prepared gourmet lunches and dinners every day and I watched and learned! I am making her salad already and will soon be making her filets! She is so fast and fun to watch in the kitchen! I got tons of ideas from her! Tina's good friend and neighbor, Michele, also made us delicious desserts and homemade lasagna! We were so spoiled! Jack and Tina also took us all around Naples and it is beautiful! On Tuesday we went to Marco Island and then spent time hanging out in the pool. On Wednesday we went to the Naples zoo which is small and allows for unique animal viewing! The primates all live on islands and they won't cross the water so no cages, gates or fences are used. You see the primates via boat. Here we are waiting to get on the boat! Look how cute Shane and his Uncle Jack look together! I am also including a picture of a lion laying right at the edge of his enclosure so you can see how intimate the zoo is!




On Thursday Aunt Tina watched Shane and Uncle Jack took Dan and I out on a boat. He is a member of a boat club and treated us to a day on the water! It was beautiful! He taught us the rules of the sea and showed us how the other half live!

Dan said he would buy me that house for my birthday! :-)
After the boat trip, Jack took us to his favorite place for a delicious burger, The Dock. It was yummy! It also allowed beautiful views of the water! Here is a photo of Dan and Jack at The Dock.

Meanwhile, back at the house, Tina and Shane spent a fun day together!

On Friday, we asked if we could go to the beach as we wanted to get Shane into the Gulf of Mexico. We went to Tiger Tail Beach and it was beautiful! When we got to the beach it just looked OK - nothing special. Then we started to notice people wading across the water - this was not on the ocean - it was an inlet and it was about 30 feet wide. After about the 50th person waded across, I sent Dan to investigate. He came back and said that they were waist high in water and that it did not matter where they were going because we had a stroller. However, the curiosity got to Dan and he asked the man who was renting out cabanas what was over there. The man said, "The Gulf of Mexico!" He offered to watch our stroller and we nervously carried Shane across the water to a path on the other side. Once we walked about 20 yards up the path we found ourselves on a beautiful white sand beach! It was so nice! The water was 85 degrees and so nice! We took Shane in and he had a ball! We were so concerned with applying and reapplying his sun block that I forgot to get my back and shoulders and I burned nicely! Shane, on the other hand, stayed lilly white! After the beach we went back to Jack and Tina's and relaxed. We went out to dinner that night. Here is a video and pictures of our adventure!







We had an amazing time in Florida and already miss Jack and Tina! Shane would start smiling as soon as he heard Tina's voice! We love them and thank them for a wonderful time!
We arrived home just in time for the Greenfield family picnic on Sunday. It was so nice to see everyone and introduce Shane to more family! Let me begin with a funny story. We had just arrived at the picnic and I wanted the camera to take pictures. I could not find it so I looked around for Dan, found him, and approached him. I put my hand on his shoulder - no matter what Geri says, I did not grab him - and said, "Hon, where is the camera?" Now you are probably wondering what is so funny about that? Well, nothing if it was Dan, but it was his cousin John. He said, "Me?????" You tell me, is there a resemblance? I don't think so!

In other picnic news, Shane hung out with Bill, Colleen, and Liam who so kindly stayed in our house to watch Thunder while we were in Florida. We are so happy that they were here! Shane really loves them all, but is so good for Bill!



Dan and Shane dressed alike for the event. Dan's shirt said, "I'm with the best son in the world." and Shane's said, "I'm with the best dad in the world."

When Shane started to fuss it was Uncle Jerry to the rescue! He had some rocking moves that calmed Shane right down and eventually put him to sleep!

Shane also hung out with his cousins Joey, Jack, and Sarah! Jack just started his first teaching job at a charter school in Chicago! We are so proud of him!!!!



When he was not hanging out with his cousins, or trying to steal Uncle Bob's beer (I guess he is a true Greenfield), he hung out with Grandma and Grandpa!


You may be wondering about that beer story. I guess it needs a bit more explanation. You see, Shane recognizes his bottle and lets us know he wants it by reaching for it and opening his mouth. He tried to do the same to Uncle Bob's beer. Thankfully, Uncle Bob did not give it to him! Besides begging everyone for beer, Shane also hung out with his cousin Margie - John's wife when he isn't married to me!

He also met his cousin, who is only 2 weeks older than him. He is Dan's cousin Jim's son.

After some time hanging with kids his age, Shane was back to hanging with the adults. He spent time with Dan's cousins Cathy and Kathy!


Before Shane went home for the night, he spent some time with his cousin Pat, a Cubs fan, so Shane felt right at home!

When it was time to go, Shane was unhappy! He let Aunt Sue know that he was not done having fun yet!

Next year Shane will be running around the picnic! It was a wonderful day! I am so glad that Dan's mom arranges it every year! Everything was great! The weather was perfect, the food was yummy, and the people were great!
On Monday we met up with Kristine and Connor for lunch! I forgot my camera, but Connor is getting cuter by the minute!
On Tuesday, Shane and I went to a Lap-sit class at the Joliet library with my new friend Cathy and Shane's new friend Alex. It was a lot of fun and Shane loved the songs! After class, we went for a nice walk in the preserve behind the library! Then, we met up with our dear friend Debbie at Oak Brook! Debbie's dad is very ill and we were so glad that she was able to take the time to meet up with us! She is a great friend!

Today is another busy day for us! We are off to Grandma Carolyn and Grandpa Bob's for a swim in their pool! Shane is a true water lover! Tomorrow, I will go to Jorie's school (they went to year round and she went back yesterday) to help her out! That is it for now!