Dennis wants to say...

I LOVE YOU! to...
Nonnie & Pappa
Grandma Robyn & Grandpa Ron
G G June

watch the video for his message:

Thanksgiving and Beyond

Here is my big boy- 3 months old now!- standing all by himself- with one hand for balance.

We went to Minnesota for Thanksgiving. Dennis had so much fun getting to meet some of his relatives for the first time. And as always, he loved being with grandma & grandpa. Here he is with his mom, grandma and great-grandma.Here is Dennis with his new cousin, Jory

Working MOM

I went back to work a week ago Friday. It was so great... the students couldn't wait for me to return... the sub couldn't wait for me to return... and let's be honest, I was excited too! I work at Metro High School- the #1 school in Missouri and 22nd (or something) in the nation- my kids are brilliant and I love them. I missed their sassiness, spontineaty, energy, and drive to do whatever they had to in order to get a good grade. The only thing about going back to work that I wasn't excited about was leaving Dennis. I was very blessed to have a friend who I trust very much offer to watch him, making it easier to return to work. The first couple of days were great. Then the routine set in... Dennis would wake up, I would feed him, then we would go. Dennis would enjoy his morning playing with his new best friend, watching baby einstein, and exploring the world while I was at work. I would pick him up after school was out, feed him again and he would crash... until dinner and then crash again for the night. I was missing out on his life, a reality that I have to get used to. With our financial situation, I have to work... and I love my job... But, I love my baby. It's a no win situation. Today (Saturday) I have a whole day full of surprises! I finally see the improvements that Dennis has been making all week long. He can spit up tons, and his strength and alertness are so much more. I love this boy.

About a week ago, I noticed Dennis's belly button was looking wierd (see below), we called the doctor and found out that he has a hernia that is pushing out his belly button. Luckily, its not painful and the internet doctor said that it is really common in premiees and usually goes away on its own. So, for now, Dennis looks funny under his shirt. Thank goodness its winter. :)

Here are a couple of pictures of my handsome little one.

Enjoy this video.

Privacy

We are going to make our blog private- Please leave a comment with your email address if you want to continue to see updates on our family. :) Thanks!

For the love of.... frisbee

Ryan took a hard one playing ultimate on Saturday. He was playing defense and got in the way of a wild follow through. About 15 minutes after the hit, his vision had gotten so bad that he was only able to see light and dark... nothing else. Never having such an extreme hit in the eye before and knowing all of the worst-case scenarios from medical school, I took him to the ER. He spent the whole afternoon there and found out that he had an infra-orbital fracture. For those non medical people like myself, that means he got a fracture in the bone that surrounds the eyeball. Because there is an open communication between his nasal sinuses and orbit, he's on a lot of drugs to keep it from getting infected and to reduce pain. Poor boy.

I'm just glad that it was an innocent attack. We had a friend who got jumped walking home from school last year and got a shiner like Ryan's. I feel much better about our story.

all smiles

On Holloween, Dennis showed us his smile. And, he discovered his hands.

FLORIDA

Dennis and I went to visit my parents is Florida for a couple of days. Dennis was such a good traveler. We flew down there and drove back with grandma Robyn and grandpa Ron.

We did a little shopping...
He enjoyed the sunsets with grandpa.
took a couple of good naps... We thought he was so cute... we had to do a little photo shoot. Here are a couple of them.

This is as close as we got to the water. It was quite cold there and Dennis is a little young still to enjoy the water.

We celebrated Holloween! Dennis was a good sport and wore his costume all day long. He also had a pumpkin hat that was adorable.

We were practicing rolling over onto our stomach and back again with a little help from gram.

Don't you just love that face! I can't get enough of it.

We are now back in St. Louis working on finishing a room in the basement.