Poor KC......

KC has been such a good trooper with Daniel these days and as you can see, Daniel just loves her so.

Even though she has become very tolerant of all the noisy toys we now have, she still does need to get use to some of them. (I know this seems mean but it was so freaking funny I had to take a video of it).

The Next Evil Kevil

Watch out Evil Kevil - Here comes Daniel.....

(No worries - we were right there with him as he was doing his stunt.)

And he even waves to his fans.....

Sliding Into Second....

What else is one to do when it is 9 degrees outside.....

What I Think of the
Cold Weather....

The Power of Clearance Items and Going Out of Business Stores - Update with Video

As I am always in a search to find things to keep Daniel busy during the winter months, especially with the recent single digit temperatures and the every-other-day of snowfall that we have been having here on the East Coast, I recently purchased plastic balls on clearance from Target for Daniel. Now I can't take credit for this idea since I read it in Parent's Magazine, but, I filled our pool with them and let Daniel jump round in them this past weekend. As you can see, he was a happy little duck.

Now as fate would have it, our Kay-Be-Toys is finally closing its doors and everything is 80% off. Again, we can't take credit for this idea since Vicky "I Spyed" it the other day and told us about it. Knowing better, I should never have let Mike go into the store by himself to look for additional balls since he came out with this.....

Though it bearly fits in our living room, Daniel apparently loves it. At least it helps burn off some of that crazy "boy energy."

My friend D requested a video of the jumper in action. So here it is....D listen carefully to what Daniel is saying.....and you have to laugh at how well Daniel is listening these days.....

Daniel and Kira......Update

Though we always wanted our kids to get along, I think we might have a "problem" later in life......

"The Dancer and Her Audience"

"The Chase"

"The Kiss"

Daniel Hits the Slopes

After our exciting Sunday morning (See "Thank God for the Oh Crap Bag Once Again) and needing a change of scenery, we took Daniel over to our local ski slope for his first "skiing experience" with our good friend Mike. Mike is an excellent skier and asked us to come over to introduce Daniel to skiing. Daniel enjoyed his first trips down the mountain. Mike got him on the "Magic Carpet", on the chairlift and down the mountain. All the while Daniel just took it all in and did not care we weren't there. Here are a couple of pictures of the little man "skiing"

Thank God For The Oh Crap Bag Once Again!!

Not wanting to be too long winded here but I need to give some background for this post.

Right before we were ready to be discharged from the NICU, the nurse we had at the time said "If anything happens to that G-Tube I am going to scream." Needless to say that night Daniel's G-Tube fell out and we had to call the surgeon to put it back in. Since then we have never had to replace it ourselves since we have always just ask the Drs. in Cincinnati to check it and replace it if necessary.

Fast forward to this past Thursday. Daniel and I are at his weekly feeding appointment, which he did great at, and we were visited by their dietitian to go over Daniel's calorie intake since he dropped some weight at his 18-month check-up. During the meeting the dietitian said to me "you don't flush the G-Tube after every feeding and haven't had any problems?." Of which I said "No, and I had no idea I was supposed to, So don't jinx me."

As fate would have it (and you know where this story is going), this morning, Daniel was climbing on and off our bed having a ball. I went into the other room to get new pants for him since the ones I had on him were too short and Mike calls out "Mommy, come here." Thinking he was just calling me to show me something Daniel was doing, he instead showed me his stomach and the G-Tube had fallen out. As panic struck both of us, we scrambled to find it and thankfully it was all in one piece and still inflated. Mind you I had taken the extra, and only, G-Tube out of the "Oh Crap Bag" with us to go the Midwest just case and left it in the basket with his limited medical supplies now. As the excitement unfolded, I had to think were the hell I put the G-Tube and luckily my brain engaged and ran upstairs with the tube. Daniel, who apparently realized something was "missing" patted his stomach and laid on the bed without making a fuss allowing me to put the new G-Tube in. All I could think of was that the track the tube goes it is well established and he is not crying and just do it quickly. Thankfully all went well and and so far so good. The new tube's in and appears to be working. I guess the good news is that at least we know we can do it and it's not that hard. What a way to start a Sunday morning and once again, there is never a dull moment in the Duker Household.

What A Difference A Year Makes!

This time last year we were on our second day of driving to Cincinnati for Daniel's evaluation and wondering what was in store for the little man! We could never have imagined how one evaluation could change our lives forever. It just does not seem possible that it has been a year already and how much has changed. Thank you to everyone who supported us all of last year through your friendship, love and prayers, and your VERY generous financial support. Daniel is where he is today because of all of you. We truly can not thank you enough and would not have gotten this far without you.

THANK YOU!!!

Old Mac Daniel On the Farm....

We were very fortunate and were able to visit Mike's Aunt and Uncle, as well as, his cousin's farms while we were visiting the Midwest. Both have incredible farms and it was a fantastic opportunity for all of us to experience. It was great to be able to share the day with this side of Mike's family and we were very touched that they gave up their Friday and spent it with us. Daniel had an awesome time and enjoyed being around the farm animals (everything from chickens to pigs to a baby calf who was only three days old at the time) and riding in a tractor for the first time. Daniel even got the opportunity to see a cow up close and personal as Mike thought it would be "a good idea" to place Daniel in the feeding trough as the cow was eating. Needless to say, the cow was pissed and "politely" asked Daniel to leave. Yes, I could have killed him. All and all it was a great visit and we can't thank the Neisen's enough for the wonderful memories they gave us.


Here are a few photos from our trip to the farm....

"I am Ready for My Tractor Ride Now"

"Swinging at Aunt Judy's and Uncle Glen's"


"Right In the Coop with the Chickens"



"Hey Chickens Are You Coming Out?"

A Sunset in January in the Mid-West

Somewhere Over the Rainbow....

A good time was had. Our visit to the Midwest was awesome and filled with fabulous memories. Daniel did awesome on the plane and fell asleep coming and going. (A good thing since I was sweating it and really was not sure how his ears would do.) Daniel warmed up to everyone (eventually) and charmed everyone in his path. So far, so good on the cold front but that could be due to the fact that we have had him outside every chance we could get. The week was filled with many laughs and we were able to see extended family members, which was awesome. (See post entitled "Old Mac Daniel on the Farm for more details). Here are some photos and videos from our trip. Enjoy!

"My New Furry Friends....Duke and Orson"

"Hanging with Aunt Lori and Duke"

"Enjoying a Nice December Day with My Cousins"

"Peek-A-Boo in the Park"

"Daniel and Aunt Angie at the Zoo by the Kangaroos"

Which By The Way Roam Free!!

"Yeah, A Petting Zoo Too"
These Sheep Roam Free Too!!

"And Of Course I Needed to Feed the Goat My Finger!!"

And finally, a cute video of Daniel on a Gator which was perfect precursor to our trip to Aunt Judy's and Uncle Glen's farm.

Happy New Year - A Little Late - AGAIN...

Happy New Year!!

Given Daniel's blond hair I tried to dress him up like "Baby New Year" for a cute post. However, he really was not in to it. (As you can see....)

We hope that 2009 is a wonderful and safe year for everyone. Sorry that this post is a bit late but we were enjoying a week away with Mike's family. I will post more in the next few days from our trip which was fabulous!!! But for now..here's to a peaceful and uneventful New Year!!