Big Day

Ok, maybe there was nothing earth shattering about our day yesterday, but I felt like I should document it. Sydney is growing up SO FAST and yesterday she seemed very big all of a sudden.
First of all, after her morning nap, she walked down the stairs with me, holding on to the wall and my hand. Syd usually does really well going up and down the stairs, but we've always encouraged her to scoot down on her booty or slide down on her tummy. I guess her legs weren't long enough before now either! Boy, did she look like a big girl walking down with me.
When she got dressed after she woke up from her morning nap, the only thing she lacked was a bow in her hair. We came downstairs, and there was a bow on the coffee table. As soon as she saw it, Syd went and grabbed it and brought it to me, holding it to her head. Yay!! I was so proud!! (I know, this is a silly thing to get excited over, but I love that in spite of her tomboy-ish attitude toward climbing, she's still a girly girl)
Later in the afternoon, we took a short trip to Target to pick up a few things. I guess with her sitting in the cart I was able to see her from a different angle. While she was playing telephone with a pair of sunglasses we had picked up for her in the dollar section, she opened her mouth wide as she said loudly into the glasses, "HI!" I happened to notice a new tooth-- a molar back in the back on her right side. I figured she'd been teething (she's been biting a lot, and drooling like crazy), but I had found another new tooth on Tuesday and assumed that was it. Standing there in the middle of the store, I reached my index finger into her mouth and felt a few more tiny prongs above the molar too! What in the world?! Two molars in one day??  No wonder she's been trying to chew everything!
As if that wasn't enough in one day, while she was playing before her afternoon nap I was sitting on the couch checking my email. She came over to me, tugging at her diaper. My nose let me know it was time to change her! I asked, "Do you need a new diaper?" Syd's reply? She walked back over to her play area, picked up a diaper out of the basket, and sat down on the floor where I usually change her! I knew she didn't like being dirty, but that was definitely the first time she came to "tell" me she was ready to be changed. 
Who is this big girl, and what happened to my tiny baby? Someone told me just yesterday that Sydney will seem even bigger come September when we bring a new baby home. I'm prepared for that, but I'm afraid my girl isn't waiting around!

Wordless Wednesday

This is Syd & her friend Caroline last week at Bounce-U.

They have been friends since before they were born. =)

(Syd is 3 weeks older, Caro has 300x as much hair)

Tough Lessons

It's rough being 16-months old. Just ask poor Sydney. She's learned a few hard lessons this past week; fortunately, none of them appeared to have slowed her down a bit!!

A sampling of what she's learned in the school of hard knocks:

Push-behind walking toys with wheels are not good for standing on. They may tip over backward, dumping the stander onto the floor.

Carpet burns.

Bounce houses are good for bouncing. Not for walking.

Teeth hurt when they're coming in.

Refried beans are not a good finger food.

Friends who crawl can pull you down easier than you can pick them up.

Our poor baby currently has the carpet burned nose, a busted lip (from a different spill), a rash on her chin from drooling (due to teething), and a scraped leg. She seriously, though, is no worse for the wear! Every now & then she might shed  a few tears when she falls, but she usually just stands up and looks around as if she's thinking, "How in the world did that happen?" and goes right back to whatever she was doing! Even Evil Knievel had a few scrapes & bruises too, right?

March 17 - Sixteen Months

Oh, Syd! Time is passing so quickly, and all of a sudden you seem so big! You are so much fun, and Daddy and I can't get enough of you. Everyone has been asking this week if you've had a hard time adjusting to Daylight Savings Time; to be honest, it's Daddy & I who have had trouble, not you! We love hanging out with you, and haven't put you to bed before 8:30 once this week (normally you go to bed between 7-7:30!). The up-side of that, for me, is that you've been taking extra long naps during the day!

Taken today, 3/17

- My precious tiny girl, you're growing! We just finally had to get you some 12 month pajamas today. You wear 6-12 month and 12-18 month clothes now. All the brands are different, and summer clothes seem to have a little more room. You have no idea you're so small though- your spirit is HUGE!!

- That huge spirit of yours is incredibly fearless. You are afraid of nothing (except the vacuum!), and aren't timid when it comes to trying new things. You love to climb and slide and swing- the higher the better! Our favorite playground has a toddler area, but I have a hard time keeping you there. You want to climb with the big kids, and you do- well. Just as impressive-- you're careful in your boldness, and while you're generally a daredevil, you're safe about it and pay attention to what you're doing rather than just hauling off with reckless abandon.

The whole video didn't post, but yes, you made it all the way up by yourself

- You're up to seven teeth! I just found the most recent one today. You love brushing your teeth, and you show them off when you smile big.

- Also impressive is your appetite, especially considering your size. There are days when you seem to eat very little, but you more than make up for those days on all the others. We recently gave you your first rice krispy treat, and I thought you were going to jump out of your skin you were so excited! You also really like pizza, chinese food, peanut butter, and grapes. You've also started asking for chicken (I think that's the only specific food sign you know).

- You really like coloring with markers. I think we're going to try finger painting soon. You play with your baby dolls all the time (and are such a sweet mommy to them). And of course, you LOVE playing outside.

- You run to the door when Daddy comes home. Every time the phone rings, you get excited and say over and over again, "Dad-dy! Dad-dy!" If I ask you, "Who loves you?", you smile shyly and whisper, "Dad-dy!" I think it's a safe bet to say you're absolutely a daddy's girl (and he is equally smitten with you!). I love the way you two delight in one another.

- You are a little obsessed with talking on the phone. Or the remote. Or a spoon. You hold all variety of objects up to your hear and say "HI!" If the phone is not close by when it rings, you run for it and bring it to me. Daddy thinks you go on "Hi" overload when you wake up because you haven't spoken in 12 hours. We usually hear "Hi" about a hundred times in the first ten minutes you're awake.

- We don't watch a lot of tv, but the one show you'll stop to watch is The Backyardigans. You dance when you hear the theme song coming on. (Of all the kids shows we've tried out, it's one of my favorites too)

- You know the hand motions to Patty-Cake, The Itsy-Bitsy Spider, This Little Light of Mine, and you're working on He's Got the Whole World In His Hands. Just yesterday, you started helping Lulu (your baby doll) play patty-cake too. Oh my goodness, it's so sweet...

- Nicknames we call you regularly: Syd, Sydapotamus, Love Bug, Pumpkin, Sweet Pea, Cutie Pie, Cutie Bug, Crazy, and Silly Goose (there may be more too, but that's all I can think of right now).

Sydney, you are one of the funniest, sweetest, most amazing people I know. I am so thankful every day that God chose me to be your mommy. I love you so much, Baby Girl!!!

love,   mommy

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Daddy-Daughter Day

I took the day off Saturday. Two girlfriends came in from out of town (two of my best girls from my years in the Czech Republic) for a day of eating, relaxing, talking, and general catching up. Which meant Rob was on duty all day. I had a fabulous day, and I'm pretty sure Sydney and Rob did too!

He started by getting Syd up and letting me sleep in while he made breakfast for all of us. Yum! While we girls were out at lunch, I received a picture on my phone from Rob...

"At lunch at Arby's"

My response was: "Pajamas? And no bow? Seriously?!" =) Rob defended himself by telling me that she was wearing jeans with her pj shirt. Well, that's much better! Haha!

That evening when I got home, I asked Rob about the rest of their day. He said they were going to Home Depot after lunch, but he changed his mind because it was raining and he wasn't sure how to get her out of the carseat without getting wet. I asked him what they ate for dinner, specifically Syd... "Buffalo chicken strips, chopped tomatoes, and half a biscuit with grape jelly." What?!

So, Daddy didn't dress her the way I would have. And he didn't feed her what I would have. But he loves her like crazy and they had a fun day! And who am I to complain-- he also cleaned up and caught up the laundry! I'm so thankful for such a great husband and father in Rob. And I think we're all looking forward to their next Daddy-Daughter day!

Wordless Wednesday- Edition: Chocolate Cake

(Has anyone else noticed that I seem to have a lot of pictures lately of Syd eating? I promise, we do more than that around here!)