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Saturday, December 31, 2011

A Post a Day to Try and Catch Up-Brady's 4 month old stats

Brady hit 4 months old on December19th.  I took him into the doctor to check a few things on the 15th but they wouldn't let us do his official 4 month checkup/immunizations a few days early.   We ended up having to schedule and re-schedule again so finally he got in yesterday(30th). Colton ended up taking him and forgot the pacifier and bottle but Brady did so well and only cried for a few seconds after his shots.  Lucky for daddy!

Yesterday:
Weight-15 Ibs. 11 oz. 50% (on the 15th, 4 days shy of 4 months he weighed 15 Ibs. on the $$$)
Length-26 1/4 in. 90%
Head Circumference-44.3 cm. 90%

His head circumference has earned him the nickname, "Chief Little Big Head." :)  And he is definitely the chief around here!

He also has several other nicknames...the child with many names:
-Dill Pickle (when he is ornery I ask him, "What's the deal, dill pickle?"
-Crabby Patty (also when he is pitchin' a fit)
-Chicken Nugget
-Baby Bird
-lil' muggle
and anything with "stink" attached to the end of it.  Heaven forbid we should call him Brady!

He is chattering, squeeling, smiling, using his fingers to grab things and pull them to his mouth, sits up with help but not alone quite yet, starts to arch his back when laying on the floor, and he used to roll from belly to back.  He did that at 9 weeks but he can't do it anymore.  My guess, his head is too big now! :)   He is so long (always 90th %) and flirts with the 70th percentile for weight...lot's of people have told me bigger babies sit up, roll over, crawl a little later since they have so much mass to try and move.  I love his little guts and keep begging him to stop getting so big, so I really am ok with his average development. It doesn't bother this momma in the slightest!

Friday, December 30, 2011

A Post a Day to Try 'n' Catch up-Brady's Christmas

Yes, we actually had a son. He really is here...you don't believe me?  I promise!  But wouldn't I post him on my blog if we really indeed had him???? hehehe...this little man is rockin' my world!  But he is getting better, thank goodness.  "They" always tell you it will get better, but you never believe them.  And then it does.

this round little head fits perfectly in this cute little hat! I love this round face!

another cute hat! our angry birdie!

This giraffe rattle is Brady's favorite toy.  Grandma called it his "raffy".  I think the name is sticking.  We bought him a play mat with toys hanging over head for Christmas, since just after Thanksgiving he figured out how to grab stuff.  The only problem is he can't pull the hanging toys to his mouth and they get stuck.  He gets mad and it is cute!  But his raffy he can suck on.  And boy does he knaw the nose of that raffy!  This boy LOVES to suck/chew/gum blankies, toys, burp rags, clothes, your shoulder, etc.


this is how Brady hangs out with dad and the uncles....gamin'!

uncle Kalen


uncle Kanden


and being so big with uncle Kaulan

This is our baby marshmellow.  Each year, our little family gets our hot chocolate on!  We take our warm beverage of choice, get bundled up, and go in search of a Christmas ornament that represents us/our year.  That way decades from now, our tree will tell our story.  We try to find someplace with lot's of lights and little shops and if we are lucky, Christmas music playing over some speakers.  This year we went to Gardner Village again.  Brady LOVED looking at the lights!  The Christmas Shoppe was open year round and had more ornaments than I have ever seen.  It was the best place to find an ornament, but it closed down :(.  We had fun though! It is such a neat place, I recommend you go there!

Gardner Village, lightin', lookin', ornament huntin', hot cocoain' :)

Brady's first tree and our first tree in our first owned home! Pretty special! My dad cut this down and brought this to us over Thanksgiving Break. He came to visit us all by himself, so he could visit Brady and have him all to himself and not have to share him with anyone! That ol' man is getting softer and softer!


Brady really started giggling and squealing on a consistant basis during my dad's visit.  This picture melts my heart.

who needs presents under the tree?

Dear Brady,

This Christmas rocked!  I have never enjoyed a Christmas so much as I have this year. It is more special with you here. Your dad and I just spent evenings playing with you, giving you baths, cuddling you to sleep, and then we would watch sappy Hallmark videos with pillows and blankets on the floor while you were upstairs sleeping.  We kept saying how we can't wait until you are a few years older and can watch them with us, all cuddled up next to us.  It will be a family sleepover holiday tradition for sure!  Having you as my baby helped me understand the story of the Nativity in a whole new way! Ahhhh man! Christmas is so much more fun with a kid!  I can't wait until you know and understand what all this fuss is about!  Next year, baby son, next year!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Spinal Muscular Atrophy-Colton's cousin baby Noah

Family and Friends...we have a cousin on Colton's side who's little boy has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Their little man just turned age 1 and must have a wheel chair in order to get around. He is the cutest thing and we love him to death! His first chair costs around $3000 or $4000 and then he will need a different one at age 2 that will cost roughly $35,000! Please donate to our little Noah. Any amount helps! To read more about their journey, see their blog http://oursmajourney.blogspot.com/. It also has a new video of Noah in his demo chair. They have to send back the demo in two weeks, so lets help get this little guy a permanent chair!  The donation site is http://www.everribbon.com/ribbon/view/1880

to read more about SMA, visit http://www.smafoundation.org/about-sma

This is Noah! I hope his mummy & daddy don't mind me stealing a picture of their cutie to share with all of you.


Cute Noah at the hospital for his surgery to have a feeding tube put in. :(

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Correction on the slideshow!

So  the password is 0819bradydye on bellababyphotography.com .  I put 0809 in the last post...which is my birthday not his! Silly me!  But in my  defense, here is what our Augusts now look like...

3rd-day we met AND day Colton proposed (a year later mind you!)
6th-our anniversary (again, another year after the proposal, just to clarify)
9th-my birthday
19th-our son's birthday
24th-my parent's anniversary
25th-my brother's birthday

!!!!!!

Monday, August 29, 2011

WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY! BRADY LEE DYE

Pictures are comin!  Until then, go to bellababyphotography.com and enter 0809bradydye as the password.  This is a SWEET little slideshow/photoshoot put to music at the hospital to debut this little guy! Hurry fast, it’s only up for 10 more days!  A BIG shoot out THANK YOU to Megan and Colten Bracken for the Utes blanket!  It came two days before the pictures and was the most perfect prop for our Utah Man sir!

Our lil' man was born on Friday, August 19, 2011! What an awesome day! He weighed 7 Ibs. 8 oz. and was 20.5 inches long (just like his mom on height, I think lol). I was started on pitocin at 12:20 and my water was broken around 1:00 pm. The contractions hit hard and fast, coming about every 1 1/2 minutes. By the time I requested my epidural, I was on a waiting list behind several other laboring mothers. The ode to mother nature was not fun! An hour and a half later I finally got some relief. Then I was stuck dilated at 9 1/2 cm for about 4 hours and that was the pits! I started pushing around 9:20 pm and had him at 11:21 pm.  I started to fatigue toward the end of pushing and my pushes were getting weaker and weaker.  I was severely swollen from all the pushing and had to have an episiotomy but that hasn't been too bad.  It was such a weird feeling when he came out!  Like he just suddenly slid out all slippery and was here! Lil' man hardly cried and was very alert and looking around at everyone right after his birth and for a long time! I've never seen his daddy look happier. :)

UTAH FIGHT SONG! for our sweet lil' Utah Man!
VERSE
I am a Utah man, sir, and I live across the green.
Our gang, it is the jolliest that you have ever seen.
Our coeds are the fairest and each one's a shining star.
Our yell, you hear it ringing through the mountains near and far.
CHORUS
Who am I, sir? A Utah man am I A Utah man, sir, and will be till I die; Ki!Yi!
We're up to snuff; we never bluff,
We're game for any fuss,
No other gang of college men
dare meet us in the muss.
So fill your lungs and sing it out and
shout it to the sky,
We'll fight for dear old Crimson,
for a Utah man am I.
VERSE
And when we prom the avenue, all lined up in a row,
And arm in arm and step in time as down the street we go.
No matter if a freshman green, or in a senior's gown,
The people all admit we are the warmest gang in town.
CHORUS
VERSE
We may not live forever on this jolly good old sphere,
But while we do we'll live a life of merriment and cheer,
And when our college days are o'er and night is drawing nigh,
With parting breath we'll sing that song:
"A Utah Man Am I".


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

You're INVITED to a baby shower!

Just thought I'd post this here to catch anyone who's email I don't have or doesn't have a facebook account.

Come celebrate Shay & Colton's lil' guy with us!

Hosted by GRANDMA BRADY & AUNT SUMMER

Open house style @ Shay's new house!

Saturday July 30th
2:00 to 4:00 pm
72 Montrose Lane
Saratoga Springs, UT 84043
Call or text if you get lost! It's easy to do around these parts! (970) 629-1417

The new parents are registered at babys r us and walmart, a money tree will be provided.

*If you received this and you are a guy, it is for your wife/significant female other! :) pass it along!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Colton's Birthday, helicopters, and rad birthday cake


Colton turned 27 this year!  I took him on a surprise helicopter ride at the Eagle Mountain Pony Express days.  This was after his big 6 hour long CFA exam the day before his birthday.  We got lost trying to find where to go and he was kinda ornery after the exam...on top of starving.  He thought I was taking him to the Clint Black concert, which I would've loved but this boy HATES country music.  After last year's cool birthday surprise (sailing, which I still haven't posted yet!) I'm surprised he doubted me!  Hope I don't run out of fun surprises any time soon!
 front seat of his birthday ride


 the carnival below
 Eagle Mountain community
 the carnival again
 Utah lake
 our helicopter for the evening
 birthday cake I made Colton, and a glimpse of my belly poking out at the bottom, oops!  I was pretty proud of this cake!
 Jett and Taelyn were very excited about Colton's birthday cake...he even let them blow out his candles for him!
The Birthday boy!  We had a BBQ for his birthday.  He chose bratwursts for his birthday dinner and toasted butter pecan cake for dessert.  We were joined by the Jones', the Woodlands, the Millers (minus Sam), and Natalie (VanTassle) and Thane ? (don't know last name).

27 Things About Colton (idea stolen from my friend Holly):
1. Miracle whip is probably his favorite food.  He eats it on bread with dinner frequently, like bread and butter only bread and miracle whip...lots and lots of miracle whip.
2. His favorite things are probably eating and sleeping.
3. He LOVES all football of any kind.
4. His #1 school is of course the University of Utah...thus, the reason behind the cake decorations.
5. He was a BIG baby, almost 10 pounds!  Sure hope our son is more like his mother in this department!
6. He liked cowboy stuff when he was little.  Which is surprising to me because he's pretty anti-cowboy these days!
7. He drools in his sleep.
8. He sings in the car, but only if it's just him and I.  Infact, knows the words to a Moulan Rouge song, it's even on one of his CDs not mine, and now I must learn the girl part of the song so I can't be outdone by my hubby!
9.One of his favorite disney movies is Sleeping Beauty.
10. He loves to debate/argue just for fun.
11. He hates vienna sausages...the only food I can think of that he strongly dislikes!
12. He drove all the way to Atlanta, Georgia without trading anyone and without stopping to sleep or rest!
13. He has worked on an oil rig twice now.
14. Bears were the thing he feared most as a little boy and he had "nightmares" about them. Now they are just called "dreams" because he beats them up! ;)
15. He eats very fast and is well known for his "Colton bites."  He doesn't chew his food very well still it just all goes down almost whole.
16. He loves kids and especially getting them into trouble and making them do stuff to anger their parents.
17.  His favorite pop is sprite.
18. He has a huge scar on his back from a wreck on a scooter when he was younger.
19. He doesn't like baseball and stopped playing when he was younger once the pitchers were throwing too fast and it made him nervous of getting hit.
20. He can do back flips while snowboarding.
21. (Are we to 27 yet? This is why I couldn't put this off for a later birthday, 27 things is tough!) He likes to watch Godzilla (the newer one) when he can't sleep at night.
22.  Some of his favorite movies are The Count of Monte Cristo, X-Men, Transformers, and Ironman.
23. He swam as a part of a team triathlon before.
24. He has invested/traded millions of dollars for his company already at 1 year of working for them.
25. He can change the brakes on my car now! Yippee for not paying mechanic fees!
26. He is a crazy sleeper! He gets all tangled in the covers! He used to flail and accidentally hit me in his sleep but somehow he's trained not to do that anymore! :)
27. He is the luckiest person I know! Especially when it comes to guessing answers on test/trivia questions.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

AVP

 AVP = Alien vs. Predator
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_vs._Predator_%28film%29

I have mentioned this movie a lot since we have been having ultra sounds and since my stomach never seems to stop growling/girgling.  Colton is really the one who mentions it in reference to our sweet little baby to be.  In case you don't have a clue about this totally boy movie, these predator dudes (robot-like things) hunt these alien guys as a rite of passage and all of humankind is stuck in the middle.  The plot is sub-par, the mucous/slobbers/green goo are a little (or a lot) over the top, the acting is horrible; but hey, it's got "decent graphics and fighting", or so I hear from the hubby.  Maybe it's just something us girls will never understand.

 L to R: Alien, Predator, and of course, lot's of saliva...

How does this relate to our little guy?  The predators hunt the aliens for a rite of passage/for fun, as was mentioned.  The predators need a nice little hunting ground, a.k.a. earth, to raise their "ultimate" alien prey to hunt.  But where do humans come in? Well, you see, the queen Alien produces eggs.   The humans must be a host to propogate the alien species of course!  When these alien eggs hatch, they become these little alien "face huggers," second stage of development or something to that affect.  What face huggers do, is attach to human faces and insert future alien posterity down the mouths and into the stomachs of the humans.  The humans act as hosts to the species and don't know what is parasitically growing inside of them until......the aliens develop into the "chestburster" stage (third stage of alien development)...you can only image what that entails.  The aliens burst out of the humans, leaving them dead....quite graphic....quite boy movie.  Back to our child... Colton thinks this:

looks like a "chestburster."

Colton  thinks this:

 sounds like an alien

Colton thinks this:
looked like it was about to burst out of my human cavity last night! 

And I couldn't agree with him more!  For the last week Colton has been able to feel the baby move, but only when I cue him to when the kicks are happening.  Last night, we could SEE my belly moving and Colton didn't need any help feeling those kicks.  Even under a blanket my belly was wiggling all over the place!  It sure does feel like I have a little alien in there and it sure did look like it last night too!  Hopefully minus the goo/saliva and all the sacrificing of human life and such!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

our lil person is a lil............Mr.!!!!!!!

It's a boy! I am SO glad we found out!  It feels so much more personal and real to me now than it did before.  I secretly knew it would be a boy from a passed experience but you're always afraid to trust those kind of experiences and instincts.  Here is our little boy's first debute!


 His hand was by his face the whole time, sometimes both of them blocked his face.  I wonder if he will sleep with his hands by his face like mom....


The ultra-sound tech asked us what we thought we were having.  Before she told us, when Colton saw this screen, he thought, "It's definitely a boy!"


hands by his face again


Dad's smiley/chubby cheeks?! We will have to wait and see!


This little hand (the one not permanently by his face) waived to us a lot!


This one is my other little boy's favorite....Colton made yet another Alien vs. Predator comment when he saw this. :) silly boy!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

our little person!


To our dear little person,

We are so excited but so nervous about having you!  We don’t know if you are a boy or girl yet, and calling you just a baby doesn’t seem affectionate enough for how I feel about you.  I have started calling you my little person these last few weeks.  We can’t wait to find out if you are a boy or girl, it drives your dad nuts that he can’t know right now.
When we found out we were pregnant, your dad couldn’t sleep that night and he kept waking me up every few minutes to talk about you.  At first we thought you were coming in the beginning of August.  I was so glad that I wasn’t feeling very sick with you!   Little did I know, you were still too little to cause any of that yet!  When we went in for the 8 week appointment to listen to the heart beat, nothing was there and that gave us a scare!  Luckily, you were ok you were just 6 weeks old instead, and then the nausea set in about a week later.  I haven’t thrown up with you except for once when a man smelt so bad of smoke on the bus ride home from school.  But I sure have wanted to throw up all the time, day or night!  I also just want to sleep all the time.  Sometimes I go to bed as early as 8 or 8:30 at night.  Certain foods I love like milk, chocolate, and onions make me so sick right now.  I have heart burn with you whenever I eat anything!  If I drink water it even hurts! 
Why am I telling you all of this?  I guess it is to tell you that even with all of these changes to my body, I still can’t believe you are really in there!  I can’t believe that I am your mommy and sometimes my life doesn’t seem any different.  I can’t wait to feel you move; I think then it will dawn on me that you are really there.
There are days when thinking about you makes me so giddy inside.  I just smile and laugh out loud.  This is of course when no one else is around!  There is a hymn that explains this joyous feeling I have about you:
My life flows on in endless song:
Above earth's lamentation,
I catch the sweet, tho' far-off hymn
That hails a new creation.
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul--
How can I keep from singing?
What tho' my joys and comfort die?
The Lord my Saviour liveth;
What tho' the darkness gather round?
Songs in the night he giveth.
No storm can shake my inmost calm,
While to that refuge clinging;
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,
How can I keep from singing?
I lift my eyes; the cloud grows thin;
I see the blue above it;
And day by day this pathway smooths,
Since first I learned to love it.
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing;
All things are mine since I am his--
How can I keep from singing?

I just want to sing when I think about you.  You really are a miracle, for more subtle reasons than the fact that you are a baby inside of me.  You see, I used to not want to be a mom at all.  This was because I didn’t think I would be any good at it.  I consider you a miracle because of what your Father in Heaven has done with my heart and how he has gently prepared me to be your mother. It took a long time for me to be brave enough to take this step and try for a baby.   I told your dad that that when I get scared about you that I will need him lots and lots to help me get through it.  I want to be the best mom you could ever ask for.
I got to see you a lot on Friday at the doctor's appointment.  You were moving around a ton!  I wish I could have felt it!  Your dad was so bummed that he wasn't there to see it and he asked all kinds of questions about what you were doing and what you looked like.  He is pretty excited to come with me to the doctor when we find out if you are a boy or a girl.
            You can’t comprehend how special you are to your dad already.  He has wanted you since the time we got married, and probably before even that.  He told me once that he couldn’t think of anything else in his life that would be a greater accomplishment than to live for his kids and how cool it would be to teach you things and to go to your events/activities and cheer you on.  He likes it when I send him emails at work that show him what new body parts and development you are making each week.  He will be a silly daddy that will make you laugh and I’m sure he will tease you lot’s and lot’s!  I know he can’t wait to play games with you in the backyard.  I can’t wait to see how he is around you and how he interacts with you.
            Your grandma Brady has also wanted you for so long!  She has been asking us for years when you would be here and why we haven’t gotten you here sooner.  She is going to want to spend so much time with you and she is already planning on saving all of her vacation time to spend with you.  She likes to cook and make crafts and things.  She has already made you a blanket and some bibs before we even knew you were coming.  She also likes music, a love that runs for generations on her side of the family.  I hope you get that love from her and from me.
I am also pretty excited to see my dad with you, and to see him transform into a grandpa.  Grandpa Brady really likes to hunt as well as to spend lot's of time in the mountains.  I hope he instills this love in you as he has me.  He has some lessons that are pretty important to learn, because people are forgetting them, and Grandpa Brady is one of the few people left who still knows these secrets.  I hope you will listen eagerly to what he has to teach you.  When you get big enough, I’m sure you will join us on family hunting and camping trips.
Your Brady uncles are pretty excited to have you around.  I’m sure they can’t wait to teach you all sorts of naughty things and can’t wait to see all the funny and cute things you will do.  Uncle Kaulan has been wishing you were here for about two or three years now.  I think he feels left out that he didn’t have a little brother or sister because he was the youngest.  Uncle’s Kalen and Kanden will also be so much fun for you and I think you will be such buddies with all three of your Brady uncles.
I guess I’m telling you all of this because I hope you know not only how excited I am for you to be here, and how excited your dad is for you, but there are so many people who can’t wait to meet you.  We wonder what you will look like, if you are a boy or girl, and what kind of personality you will have?  But we just want you to know that you are our little person, and we already love you so stinkin’ much!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Stuffed French Toast with Raspberry Syrup

Here's my health knowledge trying to compete with my good cooking and tastebud knowledge!
I modified this recipe by doing a raspberry syrup and swapping out some full fat items for reduced fat items.  I also cut back the sugar in order to make it my own. Oh yeah, we only use whole wheat bread at this house. It is still divine!  When I calculated the nutrition specs it is also pretty impressive! To get roughly one quarter of your calories and one quarter of your fat in a meal is awesome, plus it has tons of fiber and whole grains!  To make this more filling for men or even us active hungry chicks I would add some fruit and low fat yogurt to make a complete meal.  Men can even have a serving and a half in addition to the fruit and yogurt.  Enjoy!

Raspberry Syrup:
¼ cup sugar
2 TBS cornstarch
1 to 1 1/2 cups water (depends if you like it thick or runny)
2 cups frozen raspberries, thawed

Cream Cheese French Toast:
1 package reduced fat cream cheese, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
12 slices whole wheat bread
2 eggs
1 cup fat free milk

Syrup: combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan.  Whisk in water until smooth.  Add raspberries. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat and set aside.

French Toast: beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.  Spread over six slices of bread.  Top with remaining bread.  In a shallow bowl, mix egg and milk together.  Dip both sides of bread into mixture and allow mixture to drip off a little.  Coat a large skillet/griddle with cooking spray and toast both sides of bread.  Cut in half and serve with raspberry syrup.  Makes 6 servings.

Cal          gfat       g sfat     gcarb      g fiber     g protein
458         12.25     6              74.25     9.25        16.5