A Few of My Favorite Things

Sydney has become quite a chatterbox lately, and while that would drive some moms crazy, I kind of love it! Here are just a few of the funny things she has said in the past two days that I don't want to forget...

"Don't cry, Bud-dy! I comin'!" (as she ran to the stairs when Henry woke from his nap)

"Merry Pincess!" (to a lady in a public restroom, after I told her to say Merry Christmas)

"I go work- Servpo!" (after she picked up her purse and told me she was leaving and I asked where she was going)

"Hey Daddy! I comin'!" (this morning, when I told her Rob was still home when she woke up, as she took off running away from me)

"C'mown Care-Care!" (Come on, Caroline, to her best friend)

"I luh lu, Henry!" (unprompted I love you to her brother)

"I poopoo potty!" (to me, after she did just that by herself! Our girl is potty trained!!!!!)

"A buh-die, Mommy!" (A boogie, as she offers me one on the tip of her finger)

"Daddy HOME!" (every day, with more enthusiasm & excitement than I can type)

"I luh Mommy!" (I love Mommy, to Henry)

A letter to Sydney on her Second Birthday

Dear Syd,
Happy Birthday, Sweet Baby Girl! While I call you that quite a lot, you certainly are not much of a baby anymore. I am daily amazed at how smart, how polite, how BIG you are lately! Everyone told me when you were born to savor every minute because time would fly by, and they were so right. It's like you were just born yesterday, and I woke up and today you're two! I wish I could freeze time, because there are so many things about you right now that I want to hang on to forever.

You're still a tiny little firecracker; good things come in small packages. I think you probably weigh 23 or 24 pounds now, and you're about 32" tall. You wear mostly 12-18 month clothes and size 4 shoes. You wear size 4 diapers- just at night! (Potty training is going well; I'm really proud of you!) Your vocabulary is very good, with the normal toddler articulation hiccups- "Hen-wy" (Henry) "Pins-pess" (princess) You also have your own way of saying a few other things that Daddy & I just love... "Mawndaddy" (C'mon Daddy- his favorite) "SONOO" (Sonic) "Skoo" (school) "Care-care" & "Lis-lis" (your friends Caroline & Lizzie) "Bapples & sea-bup" (waffles & syrup- your favorite breakfast)

There is just so much that I love about you, that I never want to forget about this time in your life... the way you think you're supposed to be on your knees to brush your teeth, because that's what Mommy always does... the way you say your ABC's, and say "bubba-ex!" for W-X, and always say it excitedly... the way you "sing" along with us to "You are My Sunshine" before you go to bed, only saying the last word of every line... that when I tell you to talk you louder, you just raise your pitch and talk squeaky at the same soft volume... that you say, "Hold you" when you want to be held... that you sometimes call out for Daddy, and if he doesn't answer you switch to "Rob!" or "Babe!" (for the record, he doesn't answer because he couldn't hear you, not because he's ignoring you)... the way you play with potholders and say "Hot-hot-hot!" all the time

I try really hard not to compare you to other kids your age, but of course, Daddy & I think you're a genius! You know and can identify all of the ABC's and you can count to twelve. You can spot a Servpro symbol or Sonic from a mile away. You know where on the interstate we get off to go home, and where we get off to go to Daddy's office. You go to preschool one day a week and LOVE it!
You know when you're ready to go to bed, and you never fuss to stay up; you willingly say "Night-night" and turn and head upstairs eagerly, and you sleep until 7-8 in the morning (thank you!). You love to help put away the clean silverware from the dishwasher and you love to sweep. You love to climb and jump and slide.

We celebrated your birthday today with a special party at the Monkey's Treehouse. Friends from church, your school class, and our neighborhood came to celebrate with you! I wish we had gotten a picture of the group, but you were too busy playing. You had a blast at your party, and that was exactly the point! It was really fun, though, showing you the pictures later- you knew everyone's name, and were excited to see them again on the computer screen.

There is so much I could say about you. You are the most amazing girl, Syd. Daddy & I think we are the luckiest people in the world to have you for a daughter- we love you more than you'll ever know!
Love, love, love,
Mommy

November 8 - Two Months

Henry, I can hardly believe how fast you're growing! I know that every baby is different, and I didn't expect him to be just like Sydney, but wow!! Syd stayed little for so long, and Henry definitely is not. He had a very obvious growth spurt at 7 weeks (36 hours of nothing but eating/sleeping every 1.5-2 hours) where he was like the Incredible Hulk- he went to bed wearing pajamas that fit, and woke up with his toes nearly busting out the seams!!

- Henry now weighs 12 lbs, 3 oz (75%) and is 23.25" long (75%). He wears 3-6 or 6 month clothes and size 1 diapers (although we're on our last pack and he'll be moving into 2s within the week). I'm a little sad that his 0-6 month socks are too small already!
- He's beginning to hold his head up more and more.
- He sleeps 8-9 hours at night and intermittently during the day. I wish we could get into a better daily routine, but it's so hard to do. We're working on it!
- I hate to put this out there, but man, he is a gassy guy!! Stinky, but so, so sweet in every other way.
- There is no baby anywhere who is more loved by his big sister. Nope.

Henry is here!!

Both of my kids have literally had to be "drug" out of me. Sydney's due date came and went without a single labor pain, so I was induced the next day. Henry's eviction notice was served a little early. His estimated weight at my 36 week ultrasound was 8 lbs, 6 oz. That was not a projected birth weight-- that was his weight 4 weeks before his due date! I had suspected all along that my due date was incorrect, and after that appointment my doctor finally acknowledged that maybe they had miscalculated. Anyway, my OB willingly scheduled an induction for 39 weeks, and I checked into Baptist Hospital at midnight on September 7.

I've heard that "pitocin labor" is harder than spontaneous labor, but it hasn't been bad for me either time. My epidural was PERFECT! The nurses were fantastic and though Henry took his sweet time, he finally joined us and we are completely over the moon!

Henry Cole Dixon made his grand entrance on September 8, 2011, at 4:10 pm. He tipped the scales at 9 lbs, 9 oz. and was 20" long. We already knew that Sydney loved him before she laid eyes on him, but we were still thrilled to see how much she adores he baby brother now that she can touch him! We are so, so thankful for our sweet boy!

first photo

meeting "Sissy" for the first time

Wordless Wednesday- The first day of Preschool!

Wordless Wednesday

Kids Say the Sweetest Things

I had another check-up at the OB today. At my doctor's invitation and suggestion, we've brought Sydney along to most of these visits, so she's grown quite familiar with the office and all the nurses and staff there- who LOVE her, by the way! (And yes, I said We. Rob has been just as diligent with baby #2 as he was with baby #1 about going to all my appointments with me. One of the many things I love about him.) Anyway...
Today, while we were in the waiting room, Sydney kept saying something that sounded a lot like happy, but we weren't sure. She's never really said that before, and it didn't quite make sense. We had no idea where that word came from or what had prompted it, but she said it over and over while were were in the waiting room, and more while were in the doctor's office.
I heard it a few more times from her this afternoon, but I still didn't know for sure what she was trying to say. Rob worked late tonight, so it was just us girls for dinner. It has become part of Sydney's mealtime routine to check out my belly and talk to her brother when she's done eating, before she gets up from her highchair (where she sits eye-level with my bellybutton when I'm standing in front of her). Often times, she'll try to reach for my belly before I've had a chance to wash her hands, so I have to carefully maneuver around to make sure I don't end up with hand prints around my midsection every day! Tonight, as Syd reached out for her brother. like she always does, she said it again. Happy! 'Is she really saying happy?' I wondered to myself.
"Can you say 'baby'?" BAH-BEE!
"Can you say 'brother'?" BUH-DAH!
"Can you say 'Henry'?" HAP-PY!!!
"CAN YOU SAY 'HENRY'?" HAP-PY!!!
***You need to know- Sydney has never said, or even attempted to say "Henry" before today! Usually when we ask her "Can you say...?" and throw out a new, more difficult word, she answers simply, "Yeah." It's pretty funny, actually!
I was ecstatic- for several reasons!
1- She's finally trying to say her brother's name
2- She's calling him "Happy" (I mean, come on- does it get any cuter than that?!)
3- I finally figured out what she'd been saying all day
4- Oh my word, did she figure out on her own that we were at the doctor's office to check on Henry? My daughter's a genius!
You can imagine how "happy" this mommy's heart is tonight! I hope little brother lives up to his nickname. And I'm totally ok with her calling him "Happy" for the rest of her life!

Wordless Wednesday

Operation: Toddler Bed

Wow!
I honestly didn't know what to expect when we moved Sydney to a "big girl bed", but I was afraid. She's just a little too bold for her own good sometimes. She has proved me wrong, though, and has done SO well! (Granted, she's only been in it for one night and one naptime, but so far, so good!)
We made the big switch yesterday during naptime. We put her down for her nap in the pack'n'play in our bonus room so we could move furniture in her bedroom. We took out the crib, dresser, and recliner, and replaced them with a toddler bed and a different chair. We made the bed up with her same sheets & dust ruffle, and even put the bumper on it since she loves to sleep snuggled in the corner. It was a big decision for Rob & I whether or not to let Syd keep her pacifiers in the new bed. Eventually, we agreed that since she only has it (them) in the bed, they might actually help her stay there since she knows that's the only time she gets her "ba-ba". We also debated whether to put a temporary rail on the open side. We had already bought the rail, and even put it together and put it on the bed, before we decided that it would be too tempting for her to climb over it to get out of the bed, and that just meant she would have a little bit further distance down to the floor. We knew that the rail wasn't a good, permanent solution, so we figured why not let her just learn to sleep there without falling out, and if she did, it wasn't a far enough fall to hurt her.
When she woke up from her nap, we got her paci's and blanket out of the pack'n'play and told her to go put them back in her bed. She seemed a little surprised that her bed was missing a side, but she went right up to it, and didn't hesitate to climb right on up. She went up and down a few times while we cheered her on and talked about how big she would be sleeping in that bed.
Then came bedtime- night one. Rob and I both went upstairs with Syd to put her to bed. We went through her normal bedtime routine; the only difference was that she was already in the bed instead of one of our laps in the rocking chair. We sat on the floor beside her bed and sang a few songs and prayed with her. Once we were done, she sat up and watched us walk out of the room and shut the door. Of course, we grabbed the monitor to watch and see what she did next. At first, she looked around for a minute or two, seemingly contemplating the fact that she could get up, obviously debating whether or not that was a good idea. Curiousity got the best of her, and she slowly crept out of the bed and went over to her bookshelf, grabbed a book, and carried it back to the bed. Then she got another book! For nearly 15 minutes, we watched and laughed as she went back and forth between the bookshelf and the bed, sometimes pausing to get back in the bed and flip a few pages before getting up again to get another. I wanted to go in and tell her that it was time to sleep, but Rob wanted us to wait. "The darkness will stop her soon." And it did! She finally settled down and found a comfortable place among all the books and blankets and went to sleep.
When Rob & I went up to bed shortly after 10:30, he went to put up a baby gate in her doorway so that we could open the door. While he was adjusting the gate, he heard a loud THUD! He opened the door, and there was Syd- laying on the floor, looking up and trying to figure out what was going on. He rushed to her and scooped her up, and she was back asleep before he sat down in the chair with her. Poor thing! I hated that she fell out, and was so glad that Rob was able to immediately go to her as soon as it happened.
We still weren't sure what she would do in the morning, and couldn't wait to find out. I heard her moving around 7:00. I flipped on the monitor and watched her get up and go to the door, although she didn't say anything. (In the crib, she usually laid there and talked quietly to herself and sang while she woke up slowly). She went back to her bed and lay back down. Seriously?! We didn't hear anything else out of her until I went to get her up around 7:40 for church. She was sitting up in the corner of the bed, paci in her mouth, flipping the pages of a book. I could hardly believe my eyes!!
We really didn't know what to expect with this transition, but it was definitely easier than we thought it would be! I can only hope now that it continues after the novelty wears off!!

* edited 7/25 to add...
She is doing great!! Bedtimes have been easier than naptimes, but it's been fabulous. I'm especially proud of her naptimes-- both yesterday and today, she cried when I put her down and tried to follow me out. BUT- after I closed the door, even though she continued to cry for another minute or two (not long at all), she turned around and put herself back to bed. I can't believe how big she suddenly seems...

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday- Ultimate Fighting Champ!

Wordless Wednesday

Ahhh... Weekends

I don't get it. We don't have kids in school (and don't operate on a Aug-May calendar), but somehow the pace of life always still seems to pick up in the summer. As it is, we've got something on our calendar every weekend in July (and have for a while now), and I'm still trying to figure out if I can squeeze in one more trip to New Orleans sometime in the middle of it all! June has been much of the same busy-ness.
Fortunately, though, we managed to end up with an empty weekend these past two days. I don't know how it happened, really, but I'm so thankful for it. Rob, Sydney & I have enjoyed relaxing and playing together. I love these "mundane" days when we get to spend QUALITY time as a family!

Yesterday morning, Rob went to Kentucky to have breakfast at Cracker Barrel (really, he went to play in a golf tournament that was rained out, so they ate and turned around and came home!), so Syd and I ventured out into the rain in Nashville to meet some friends at the Monkey's Treehouse (an indoor playground). She never ceases to amaze me with her tenacity and courage! She climbed right up the steps to the "big" treehouse to find the tunnel slide- which she went down at least two dozen times! She also checked out every baby in the place who was smaller than her, dominated the small toys in the toddler area, and hammed it up on the stage in the theater corner. I love to see how confident our tiny girl is, especially around other kids- I'm convinced that she has no clue she's such a little thing, walking around in her 6-12 month shoes! Joy, joy, joy watching that girl...

We got home just a few minutes after Rob did and had lunch with him, and had a good 45 minutes to play before naptime. The three of us sat around in the living room, laughing, as Syd showed off her skills that she's learning in gymnastics and practiced jumping off the ottoman as if it was the side of the pool. All that playing was the prelude to a four-hour nap for Sydney (hallelujah!), which was more than enough time for me to run a few errands and catch a nap myself. While Rob and I were both taking care of random things downstairs yesterday evening, we noticed Syd chilling in her miniature recliner, sippy cup of milk in hand, intently watching the US Open- talk about a proud moment for Rob!

We grilled out one of Rob's favorite meals for a special "Daddy's Weekend" dinner, and devoured a quarter of a watermelon for dessert. I kept thinking to myself, "This is what summer is supposed to feel like!"
Syd had fun waking Rob up this morning to give him his Father's Day gifts- she loves climbing on our bed! After church, we met Rob's family for a Father's Day lunch. When she woke up from her nap, or rather- when we got her up after she didn't nap, we went outside and blew bubbles, visited with some neighbors, and watched Syd play in her little pool in the backyard.

It wasn't anything fancy, but these are the days I never want to forget.

Wordless Wednesday

Comic Relief

* Yes, I'm going to completely ignore the fact that I haven't posted in almost two months! My goal is to post every day this week in an attempt to catch up. This is my accountability. We'll see how it goes!

Sydney has totally adopted the "lazy, hazy days of summer" attitude, and I love her all the more for it! Granted, she's been staying up a little later than usual with the longer daylight hours, but it's been becoming a trend for her to sleep 8p-8a, or even 8:30 sometimes. She's not really a morning person and it takes her a while to really wake up. She usually starts stirring, which we can hear through the monitor, and then talks to herself or sings for a few minutes before she calls for us. We're all happy with this situation.
Saturday morning, Rob and I woke up in a somber mood. We had plans to attend a memorial service that afternoon for a friend from church. We didn't know Emmett well, but we'd been deeply affected by his battle with cancer over the past year, and our entire church family was hurting with his family. I'd told Rob of his passing a few days before, but he didn't read the blog until Friday night, and he had been up late with a heavy heart. We laid in bed talking for a while, and prayed together while Sydney went through her usual morning routine. Even though she wasn't calling for us yet, Rob and I were both ready to see our girl so I got up to go get her.
As I turned the corner to go to her room, I could see her sitting up, but she was playing with a doll or something and she didn't see me coming. I walked into her room and startled her. Now, I never really watched "Hee-Haw", but I remember there was a character (or characters) on that show who used to pop straight up out of a cornfield or something. In that same way, Sydney shot to her feet in her crib to see what was going on- eyes wide open and TWO pacifiers in her mouth, side-by-side. I completely lost it and burst into loud laughter! Syd obviously didn't know what was so funny and started smiling at me, reaching out towards me; it was then that I noticed two MORE pacis in her little hand. I cracked up! We're down to only giving her a paci, or "ba-ba", in the bed, and our little addict is apparently soaking up every minute she can get her fix!
Rob heard us through the monitor, and of course was anxious to hear what was so funny. It was exactly what we needed to break up the seriousness of the morning. We were able to snap out of the gloom and enjoy some family time over waffles. The memorial service was of course painfully sad, but also a beautiful, hopeful celebration of the life of a man who loved Jesus and loved people. We did not grieve as those without hope (1 Thes. 4:13); we worshipped God as we were reminded not to take a moment of this life He gives us for granted.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Fingerpainting Fiasco

So, I attempted fingerpainting with Sydney for the first time today- Not necessarily my smartest move! I learned an important lesson, though. If she's going to be doing something that requires assistance and I want to take pictures, GET HELP! It seemed like such a sweet idea to get Sydney's handprints for her Sunday School teachers' appreciation letters and birthday cards for Rob's and my moms.

It all started out beautifully. It was a gorgeous afternoon, and I knew there was a potential for a big mess, so it seemed logical to take this plan outside to the patio. I put a smock on Syd and neatly arranged a few small dabs of paint on a plate for her. Syd delicately stuck her fingers into the paint, and I proudly snapped away.

"This is perfect," I thought. Then our sweet, picturesque afternoon quickly began to unravel...

It all started downhill when Sydney decided the fingerpaint looked tasty. Blondie suddenly looked like Shrek! "Oh no, Baby! Don't EAT the paint! Get your fingers out of your mouth!" I was trying to carefully balance my camera on my back while I grabbed one of the two damp papertowels I had brought outside with us (only two?!? Haha, that was ambitious, Jess!).
"No, no, Pumpkin, don't touch your bow!"
"Uh-uh, Syd, don't rub your eyes, Baby!"
While I was trying to grab Syd and not drop the camera, a neighbor's dog decided to come down a few doors and see what all the commotion was about (we don't have fences in our backyards).
"Pup-pup!!!!"
"NOOOO- Syd, don't touch the puppy!"
Frantically, I looked up and saw the dogs owner standing on her patio watching this whole mess go down as she chatted away on the phone.
I yelled down to her that she was going to have to come get him herself because by this time Syd and I were both covered in fingerpaint and I couldn't help wrangle the dog.  She did come rescue the puppy, but not before he got a purple streak down his blonde back!
Maybe I should have sacrificed the camera for the sake of documenting our afternoon, but it's too late to think about now. Oh well, I did get one shot of the end results...

The dog got it WAY worse!!

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Mother's Day!

Hippity, Hoppity, Happy Easter!

I love Easter- it's always such a refreshing time for, and I love setting aside time for a few days to think on Jesus' resurrection and how much God loves us... I'm so thankful! We went to our church's Good Friday service (always an incredible blessing) and of course the Easter service. Such a great weekend!

We also took Sydney to a couple of Easter egg hunts in the days leading up to Easter weekend. The first one was at Rob's parents' church, and it was sort of a madhouse! We'd had freezing rain that week in Nashville, so they moved the hunt indoors. There were just so many people crammed into a not huge space, but it was still fun! I wasn't sure how Syd would do, but Rob and I agreed that we would just help her out and let her do her own thing (some parents were scrambling around picking up eggs for their kids; we just pointed and stayed close behind her!). She picked up 5 or 6 eggs and put them into her basket, and then she'd had enough, so we just walked around!

The second hunt was for our community, sponsored by a local church, at a favorite park. There were hundreds of kids there, however it was very well planned and sectioned off for different age groups. Syd did a little better the second time- until she found a stick, which was apparently way more exciting to her than a bunch of plastic eggs!! We laughed, and let her carry the stick around for a while before she put it into her basket. However, once she discovered there was candy in the eggs, she wanted to grab every egg in sight, including those already in other people's baskets!

She got a basket from the "Easter bunny", with a few small toys and things to play with and just a little bit of candy to share with Mommy & Daddy. We spent Easter afternoon in Gallatin with Rob's family, and Syd & her cousin Annabelle played on the porch in their diapers & bows for the longest time (how do I not have any pictures of that?!).

Wordless Wednesday

April 17 - Seventeen Months!

Call me crazy, but I'm LOVING toddlerhood! Sure, it has it's challenges, but it's SO MUCH FUN!! Sydney takes after her daddy, making me laugh all day long. She's got such a fun little personality- she's spunky and thoughtful and silly and sweet all wrapped up in one adorable package. So far, every stage has been my favorite, and it's still the case with this one.

Syd, you've been a busy girl. Here's what you've been up to...

- Oh, Pumpkin, you're still a TINY ball of energy! You're still not quite 20 lbs, although you have no idea- you think you're a giant! You wear size 9 or 12 month clothes, size 3 shoes, and size 3 diapers. You are also still a great sleeper- 11-12 hours at night and 2 good naps during the day.

- The first thing that always comes to mind about you is still "Fearless". You're willing to try anything, sometimes more than I'd like! You love to climb, and everything is a stool to help you get higher. Lately, you've been trying to move across furniture without getting down. As nervous as I am about you falling, I try letting you test your skills and know your own limitations. I absolutely love the look one your face right before you try something- anxiety and excitement and determination.

- You eat most everything, but your appetite has been coming and going lately. You love fruit, especially blueberries, waffles, Sonic slushes, ice, chicken, and tomatoes. You don't love scrambled eggs, and yogurt is hit or miss with you.

- I think maybe you've turned a corner and are starting to enjoy going to church (I pray this will continue!) The past two weeks have been great- you haven't cried or fussed at all when we've gone to your Sunday School class, and you've been happy when we've picked you up. Mommy has been ready for you to be used to your class.

- You LOVE babies! Whenever we're out and you see a stroller or baby carrier, you get so excited and want to see the baby up close. I'm praying that you'll be as excited about your new brother or sister in September! You're very sweet to your baby dolls, carrying them around and feeding them, even sharing your own snacks. In the last week, you've started rubbing Mommy's belly when we ask you, "Where's Mommy's baby?" I know you don't quite "get it" yet, but I still love that you're making some sort of connection. (For the record, puppy dogs get the same excited reaction!)

- You are talking a ton lately, both verbally and signing. I don't think I could list all your words here, but a few of your new ones: waffle, chicken, bubble, pancake, ice, Nana, Papaw, Pop, uh-oh, and I'm sure more that I can't think of. (We've been working on Dede's name too; usually when we ask if you can say it, you say "yeah."!)

- You're starting to recognize more people, both our friends and yours. The one friend I'm certain you know and are always happy to see is Caroline. Y'all both get excited when you're together, and love to hug each other and chase each other around the church lobby. When I ask if you want to talk to Nana & Papaw, you run to the computer.

Syd, your Daddy & I love you so much! You are the sweetest thing and we are so blessed to be your parents!

Love,   Mommy