Well...it has been awhile since we updated this blog...sorry about that! Let me catch you up on what life with Dean has been like. Feed him, change him, play with him, put him down for a nap...repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat...you get the idea! He is a great baby and is now sleeping 7+ hours at night! We have to give him iron drops twice a day because he is anemic, but that is common in preemies and he should outgrow it in a few months. He has really started smiling a lot now. He smiles at us and at his toys when he is playing. His grins are so sweet. It is nice that he can finally interact with us some.

This picture of Dean is funny because we took about 156389 pictures and only this one turned out! It still didn't capture his chubbiness!

Dean's latest trick...poop explosions! He loves to sit in his swing and poop. His carseat is another favorite place. The other day we were out running errands and Dean was being a good boy and sleeping in his carseat. John had gone inside his favorite place, Guitar Center, to get a whatchamahula and also dream about what else he couldn't live without. Meanwhile, I sat in the car with Dean and tried to enjoy a quiet, relaxing moment. Right on cue, Dean woke up and quickly expressed that he was sick of sitting in his seat! I crawled into the back seat and unbuckled him. After picking him up and snuggling with him, he begin to calm down. About that time I felt something that was wet and sticky on my arm. A quick glance down confirmed my suspicions...Dean had leaked out of his diaper again. This wasn't a mere spot on his outfit this time. It was much more serious! As I looked back and forth from Dean to myself, I realized that the laws of compounding also apply to poop. It was multiplying right before my eyes and before I knew it, it seemed he was covered from head to toe and I would be soon if I didn't do something! My eyes began a frantic scan of the situation and I tried to stop my racing mind and form a sane thought. I began speaking out loud to myself, "ok...it's ok...alright...let's see here...ok...what should I do first...alright...I can do this...". Dean was calm and happy to be out of his seat. I grabed a blanket and wrapped him up to minimize the damage. I considered setting him back in his seat so I could start cleaning, but when I moved that direction, I noticed a large watery yellow spot in the carseat. "WHOA...great...alright...let's find a wipe...ok...yes...I need a wipe...alright" A one handed dig through the diaper bag produced no wipes. "what?...the wipes are in here, I never take them out...they are in here somewhere...ok...here we go". I lay Dean across my lap (wrapped in his blanket) and notice a huge streak across my shirt. No time to think about this...I have wipes to find. Now a two handed dig through the diaper bag...still no wipes. Somewhere in the back of my mind I remember seeing a dirty diaper folded up neatly and sitting on top of the small wipe dispencer that I so desperately need. Oh yes. It was on the end table next to the chair in the living room. My sweet husband had fed and changed Dean in the early morning while I slept. Not wanting to wake me by changing Dean in our room, he grabbed the wipes out of the diaper bag. I couldn't be too upset because the extra hours of sleep were great, but I'm not sure the tradeoff was worth it. "ok...no wipes...alright...I can do this...what can I use?" By this time every surface that my eyes fell on was hit. I have no idea how that happens, but it was like some invisible force was coating every inch of whatever was in that back seat. I managed to find a bottle of water and a bib...that was the best I could do. I slowly wiped every part of Dean that wasn't wrapped in the blanket and then moved on to myself. John finally emerged from the store with arms full of goodies. His joyful spirits were quickly crushed when he opened the back door to load his loot. "We've got to go home!" I blurted out. "We're having a major crisis!". So, Dean got shoved back in his carseat, without regard to the spot he left in it and still wrapped in the blanket. We sped home and then put him straight in the bathtub, right after I grabbed the box of wipes and returned them to the diaper bag!

This was Dean's first day at church. He wore his shirt from Uncle Ben R & Katherine that says "I'm with the band". The band loved it and had a great time hanging out with him inbetween services. As you can see, it wore him out!