The rain gave me an excuse to stay cozy with the Duke. Grandma went out with aunt and uncle. Mommy, Duke and I shared the new couch. We listened to John Coltrane for a bit and then took a little nap. We watched some of Asia’s Tran Thien Thanh 2, but turned it off because the content is way too dramatic for us. I just laid next to him and watched him sleep while the rain was pouring outside. Each day passes by and I am more attached to this little guy.

I can’t believe a week has gone by already. I’ll be heading back to work this Monday. Just the thought of not seeing Duke for eight hours already makes me miss him. I won’t be the one who changes his diapers during the day. I won’t be the one who burps him after he’s fed. I won’t the one who wraps him up tightly. I won’t be the one who kisses those sweet cheeks.

But then again, he is the one who gives me the strengths to get up in the morning. He is the one who calms me down. He is the one who makes me feel responsible. He is the one who lifts me up when I am down. Just watching him and his mom curled up in bed put a quiet smile on my face. They are the loveliest and I can’t even imagine my life without them.

I apologize for the soppiness. I just can’t help expressing the joy. I am sure you all already feel me based on the responses you have been given me for the past week. You could have read any blog on the world wide web, but you choose to be here and share the happiness with me. By reading my thoughts, you allow me to pour my heart out, something I can’t really do in the real life. I sure appreciate that.

Thanks for all the swift comments and detailed emails regarding to jaundice. They make me feel much better knowing that it’s not so serious. Duke slept good last night. I did everything I could to keep him up during the day time. Night time paid off. He slept from three to six thirty in the morning next to his mommy’s breast. He did wake up at two and we enjoyed a bit of Bill Evans Trio. Evan’s His impressionistic touches on the piano are pure beauty. We will spend more time with him. I love those deep, lyrical, sensational voicing he had going on. A nurse complimented on Duke’s cute, long figures yesterday saying he’s going to be a pianist. I do hope so.

Duke was tested for jaundice today and he has a bilirubin level of 18.5. The doctor wanted to see him again tomorrow. Have any of you (the parents) experienced something like this with your child? Is it because of our Asian yellow skin or is it serious? I hope it’s the former, but please advise.

This blog has been all about my little precious lately. What can I say, he’s the focus of my life right now. Even though it has been a tired, sleepless week, the days have passed by quick. I am taking the rest of the week off as well to be with him and his mother. Last night, he woke up around three in the morning and didn’t want to go back to bed. My eyes were closing, but his were wide opened. I put him in his crib and he would cry. I didn’t want to wake his mom or his grandma up so I took him downstairs. I put on Charlie Parker and reclined on my sofa with him on my lap. We stared at each other for half an hour than fell aslepp for almost two hours. Parker’s virtuosity on the saxophone sounded like magic in the wee hour.

Happy birthday to Duke Ellington who would have turned 110 today, four days after our lil Duke. Four days have passed and Duke still cries at night, but has shown some improvement in his sleep. Both Dana and I are getting accustomed to his timing. Lucky for us, his grandmother takes over in the morning so we both could get some rest. His grandma has been a tremendous help and we deeply appreciate her presence.

Duke is getting tremendous love and in the past four days I have an opportunity to witness how unconditional a mother’s love is. She wakes up every time he cries to feed him. Sometimes he sucks on her hard that causes her pain, but she just let him as long as he could get his milk. I know she is still in pain from the delivery and how tired she is from lacking of sleep, yet I have not heard a word of complain from her. Last night after putting the little guy in his crib, I wanted to check with her on how she feels and all she said was, “The boy is cute.” When he gets older I will make sure that he knows all of this.

Yesterday we took him to the pediatric for the first time. He is doing well according to the pediatrician. The nurse put a thermometer up his butt. The first time he was doing fine, but the nurse couldn’t get the reading. She did it again and he gave something back to her. It was so hilarious.

Duke still woke up every one and a half hour last night. At 3:00 am, I took him downstairs so his mom could get some sleep. She who feeds him every two hours works the hardest among us. I held him in my arms for two hours and he didn’t go back to sleep. I haven’t slept much for the past three days; therefore, my head has been pounding. Yet, his gorgeous face and glowing eyes takes all the pounding away.

I tried to give him some “Quiet Nights” from Diana Krall, but he didn’t want to stay quiet. I had to take him back to Duke Ellington. From the whistle blows to the escaping-steam sounds to the speedy departure of the train sounds, he loved the “Ellington Effects.” I love listening to jazz with him and enjoy every moment we spend together.

Every time he cries, I put him closure to my heart and he would stop. I love the way he looks at me with one and a half opening eyes. One of the things Duke has changed me is that I shave more often now. Before he arrived, I wouldn’t shave for weeks, but know I have to so that I don’t have to poke him. I just can’t help kissing his smooth, fresh cheek, little hands and feet. They are just too adorable.

Thanks folks once again for all the love. I haven’t been very responsive to everyone, especially email, Facebook and Twitter, but I have read and appreciate your words.

Duke gets a shout-out in the GWSB News:

Donny Truong, GWSB’s web developer, and his wife, Dana, welcomed their first child—a son—on April 25. Trương Công Đạo weighed in at 7 pounds and 1 ounce. The jazz-loving parents have already nicknamed the baby “Duke,” after the District of Columbia’s own Duke Ellington. A happy Truong says his son’s birth and first cries were “like a personal video that plays over and over again in my head.“

Duke is enjoying Duke Ellington with his daddy now.

Truong Cong Dao aka Duke was born on Saturday, April 25th at 1:46 am. He’s 7lbs 1oz and 20″. Both Dana and Duke are doing great.

The laboring was quite an experience and I am so thankful to witness the joy and the pain of birth. Dana started contraction right after I picked her up from work, which was around 5:30pm. We drove home anyway because the contractions were minor. As I finished vacuum my car and got everything ready, Dana’s contractions increased. We called the doctor and he told us to come to the hospital right away.

Dana was already in tremendous pain by the time we checked in, which was around 8:00pm. I felt horrible that she had to bear all these pains and she was only 6cm dilated. The doctor recommended epidural to ease the pain. Dana looked at me and I couldn’t tell her what she should do. I felt her pain, but I was not the one in pain. So the only thing I could do was giving her my support. She agreed to it. After epidural, we waited for four more hours. Thankfully, Dana’s mother, sister and brother-in-law arrived around 9:30 to keep us companied. Around midnight, Dana was 9cm dilated. The doctor started to deliver, but his head hadn’t dropped yet. We waited for another forty-five minutes and if his head still not dropped, the doctor had to go with c-section. Fortunately, his head started to drop. It took a number of times, but Dana had done a great job of pushing him out.

The image of him coming out of her and those first loud cries were the moments that I will never forget. It’s like a personal video that plays over and over again in my head.