Tummy Time

We had tummy time after I got home from work. He was so cute. I couldn't resist taking pictures and getting another clip of him talking and moving around. You can hear his nose is stuffed up and he sounds like a little piglet. It happens all the time. He hates it when we shoot saline up his nose to clear it out, but it has to be done. Unfortunately you can also hear me. It's kind of embarrassing to listen to what I sound like when I am talking to Dylan. So if you are thinking, "Does she realize how ridiculous she sounds?" the answer is yes, I am well aware. Oh, well. Dylan doesn't seem to mind. I am glad he lets me dress him up and play with him. Well, he couldn't stop me if he wanted to. *Muah ha ha ha ha*

Answer...

Well, what do ya know. Someone actually got it. (Congrats, Rod!) He's a doctor. That gave him an unfair advantage. So, yes, an acupuncturist came to Wash U the other day to do a presentation about cupping. Autrey volunteered to let her demonstrate this therapy on him, which uses a glass cup and a match to increase blood flow. His skin was sucked up after a vaccuum of air was created when the match went out. Delightful, I know. Don't worry. He says it doesn't hurt.

Any Guesses?

Can you figure out what happened to Autrey's back? I thought it was the result of a vigorous game of raquetball. I was wrong. Not even close. They aren't ginormous bug bites or chicken pox either. I don't think anyone will get it correct, but I am curious to hear your guesses. I'll give the answer after I read the comments from my loyal followers. It's not like one of those Magic Eye pictures. Crossing your eyes, furrowing your eyebrows and looking at it sideways doesn't help, but feel free to continue these techniques if you wish.

Dylan's Friend

Dylan has a special friend. He flashes the biggest grin every time he sees him. "I'm talkin' 'bout the man in the mirror. Oh, yeah..." It's true. His friend is his own reflection. So cute. But shhh, don't tell Dylan. The video is dark because it was taken right after his feeding at 5:30am, when he is the most smiley, and I hadn't turned on the main light yet. Oops. Obviously I don't function as well as he does before the sun shines.

Valentine's Day P. S. - I spent Valentine's weekend at home with my 2 favorite men. Autrey made a great chicken and shrimp alfredo and garlic bread to go with sparkling cider. We ate all of the chocolates I got Autrey for dessert while we watched a movie. Dylan woke up half way through so he joined our date night. I feel lucky to be loved this weekend and every other day of the year as well. Autrey, you are the greatest husband and father I could have ever dreamed of. I love you!

For those of you who are gagging, I apologize for the mushiness. It's Valentine's. What did you expect?

Remember this?

Remember when Dylan was a week old and he was swimming in this 0-3 month sleeper? Well, look at him now!

I must have blinked.

Vist from G-ma

My mom flew out to St. Louis to visit and help out for a week. Boy did she come at a good time. Autrey has been busy putting his resume together and sending it out to potential employers while finishing his last semester and I have been going 100 mph trying to balance teaching and taking care of Dylan on minimal sleep (I knew that sleeping post was going to jinx me). Not to mention report cards are due this week, again. It seems like I just finished doing grades for the first trimester while on bed rest after only being in the classroom 20 days. That's probably because I have only been back for 18 school days. Only 68 days left to teach and I still don't feel like I know the kids like I should. Yes, I have been counting down. Don't judge me. Anyway, mom has been a huge help taking care of Dylan and helping around the house. G-ma with her little snugglesaurus: Dylan is a very smiley baby. Mom recorded him smiling and cooing a lot while she was here, but as you can see I'm a little too slow to get a good still shot of it. I'm working on it. Mom had fun playing dress up. Here are some pictures of his fashion show. I love his facial expressions. Notice how he stares at his right hand:

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go:
Mom and Dylan joined me one night so I could stay late and finish work I couldn't take home:

His second time at church:

BYU baby:

The east coast got slammed with 30 inches of snow, causing mom's flight to get canceled on both Saturday and Sunday. I didn't mind. I love spending time with my mom. Autrey drove her to the airport this morning at 5:15. It's a good thing she had an early flight because the airport in Baltimore shut down again 2 hours after she landed due to 20 more inches of snow on the way. We didn't have near as much snow here, but today was a snow day and I got to stay home. Woo hoo!

Thanks, G-ma. We love you!

Super Bowl Superfan

Dylan got all dressed up in his football outfit to watch his first Super Bowl game. Autrey even let him hold the remote, something I don't ever get to do. Only boys are allowed to have the remote in our house. His favorite commercial was the funny one with the E*Trade babies, of course. He told me so. Smart baby, he is.Cheering for the Colts, specifically Peyton Manning and Austin Collie (Collie played for BYU while Autrey and I were there):

It's too bad the Saints won. I think it had something to do with the fact that our opening hymn at church today was "Press Forward, Saints."

Sleep, Glorious Sleep!

Guess who got 7 hours of sleep last night for the first time in months, ALL IN 1 STRETCH? Me!! Well, Dylan too. But ME!! He fell asleep at 10:30 and didn't wake up to feed again until 5:30. Hallelujah! Not too shabby, especially for turning 10 weeks old today. I may feel like a normal person soon if he keeps this up. I'm crossing my fingers I didn't just jinx myself by writing this...

Sweet dreams, little man.

Sugar Baby

Every year at Wash U they have Baby Day so the physical therapy students can practice their pediatric evaluations. This week the professors asked Autrey if he would bring Dylan in. Dylan spent the entire day with Autrey and earned $30 for making time in his schedule to come and help out. He is our little sugar baby. He has officially made more money than Autrey this year...haha. According to the tests Dylan is developing normally for his age, but the students were guessing he was a little bit younger because of his size.

After Baby Day, Autrey and Dylan met up with some school friends so they could see Dylan.

Dylan did very well and enjoyed his day with daddy. This is what they were doing when I got home from work:

Kristen just called and announced she is having a baby boy. It will be so fun for Dylan to have another playmate!

Birth Announcement

My last post was way too much talkie-talkie with no pictures. I am going to make up for it today. This is Dylan's birth announcement I designed and my dad created just before Christmas. I am basically technologically illiterate, but my dad is a computer genius and he offered to put it together for me. I am thrilled with how great it turned out. It helps that the subject matter is so adorable!

Working Mommy

This has been quite a week since my maternity leave ended and I went back to work last Wednesday, let me tell you. Very busy and very stressful, leaving me very tired. The situation has not changed much, so I’m going to quickly play catch up on the latest news while I am nursing--no pictures, sorry. I have learned how to prop Dylan on a pillow in my lap so I have my hands free to type while he eats. Oh yeah, I’m also watching NCIS as we speak since I’m stuck on the couch. Yes, my schedule has forced me to multi-task. Every morning I get up at 6 am and simultaneously nurse and pump before I get ready for work. During my half hour lunch break I eat, pump, check my emails, and listen to music in my classroom. This weekend I was grading papers while he was eating. Now if I could just learn how to sleep while I’m nursing I would be a happy, less haggard looking mommy. It’s not as easy as it sounds, even when you are exhausted. Believe me, I’ve tried many times. It will be nice when Dylan doesn’t have to eat every 2-4 hours and sleeps through the night. As tired as I am, I love having him too much to really complain. I know it could be much worse. First of all, my good friend, Kristi Heideman, comes to our apartment every day to watch Dylan. It’s fabulous, I know. She lives a half an hour away from me and my school. That means she saves me an hour commute in the morning and an hour in the afternoon without hauling him and all of his stuff out in the cold. Not only do I get a little bit more sleep, but she loves Dylan and takes great care of him. It makes it a little bit easier to go to work when I know my son is in good hands. Also, Autrey has been a lifesaver. He has been doing the grocery shopping and all the cooking. He has also been helping with Dylan and around the house so I can get things done and catch an occasional nap on the weekends. I am glad I only have to juggle teaching, parenting, housework, and, um, sleeping for 86 more school days. I can do it. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…

Other updates:

Dylan is starting to fill out into a little chunky monkey and has grown out of some of his preemie outfits. He is still wearing newborn diapers, but I think he will be ready for size 1 soon. Last Monday, Dylan had his 2 month doctor’s appointment. He was measured at 8 lbs. 9 oz. and 22 inches long. It’s funny to think that he is still half a pound less than Ashlyn was when she was born. He also got 3 shots and one oral vaccination. It was sad to watch, but he took them like a champ.

The day before I started working I went to the hospital for an IVP. After I fasted and my system was completely cleaned out…ewww…I was injected with dye and X-rayed so they could get a look at my kidney or kidneys, whichever the case may be. I still haven’t heard how many I have. No news is good news, right?

Well, baby boy is done eating. Off I go to change his diaper. Hopefully this time he doesn’t projectile poo on the wall or spray my face, again. The joys of little boys…

Christmas at Innsbrook

For Christmas this year, all of the Duke family flew to St. Louis to be with us. We stayed at a nice vacation rental house at Innsbrook, 45 minutes from our apartment. Autrey and I brought all of our decorations to make it more festive. Maggie and Tommy liked playing with them, especially the stuffed snowman and penguin. All 3 grankids looked so cute in the fun holiday outfits Mimi and Papa bought them to wear. This year the theme was "shoshies," which means horses in Maggie speak. The kids all got a shoshie to play with. Dylan also got some other toys and clothes. Autrey and I were given decorations, cook books, water bottles, a diaper bag, and a sweet camera. This camera has a button you push that automatically takes a picture when it detects a smile. I'm easily amused, I know. During the vacation, we went shopping and out to eat, celebrated Mona's birthday, watched movies and TV, slept in, played with the kids, and just hung out. Maggie and Tommy have become best buddies and love to play together. They wanted Dylan to join the fun. I'm sure he will be able to next year!