Happy 11-month Birthday Little One

Sydney turned 11 months old on April 28th.

Weight: around 20 pounds 

20# 6 oz was his maximum weight so far; although, his weight keeps dropping as he continues to demonstrate the skills of the Energizer Bunny.... keeps going and going... and going....

Height: around 27" tall (according to the charts in the kids department at Target)

SKILLS:

96/3/1 - Walking 96% of the time now. Running 3% of the time. Crawling 1% of the time.

Goes up stairs, but not down. 

Backs himself off of our bed and sometimes "sticks the landing". 

Waves bye-bye. 

Plays Peek-a-Boo.

Puts hats on/off people's heads.

Blows kisses - when he wants to.

Started CLIMBING on things to reach what he wants.

Brightens everyone's day with his bright eyes and smiley face.

FOLLOWS DIRECTIONS: 

Sydney, go get your shoes. 

Sydney, go get the phone. 

Sydney, go get your book.

TEETH: 6 - two lowers and four uppers

WORDS:

Mama

Dada

Eh (refers to Eddy-the-cat, either cat or any dog; Basically 4 legs + tail = Eh)

Eddy (refers to Eddy-the-cat, either cat or any dog; 4 legs + tail = Eddy. 

Grandpa Guard's dog Bishop= Eddy. Grandma & Grandpa Olson's dog Beamer= Eddy

Aaah (refers to our cat Otto)

Cat

Daah (Sometimes says "dog" when he sees one in a book.)

HI or Hi-ya (most commonly said while riding in the cart at the grocery store to anyone within earshot)

Hat 

Hot

Yeah (his version of YES)

Ack (usually says ACK and quickly puts it into his mouth. To him, must mean EAT IT QUICK; they're coming!)

Ahhh! (Often says after taking a drink - from a cup or from breast. Sometimes, he will point towards the cup on the table and say "AHHH!" to indicate that he wants a drink.)

Mmmm!

Yat (Points at things ALL THE TIME and says "THAT" to acknowledge item or express a WANT for it.)

Got it! (Most likely from us handing him something and asking him "You got it?")

Grandpa scheduled to come home

Grandpa Guard is doing well in the hospital. He is scheduled to go home tomorrow (Tuesday 4/20) so, we'll be there to pick him up and take him home. (We plan to stay at his house - with him - for at least a few days until we know that he's got his feet on the ground, unless doctors recommend that we stay longer.) We'll learn more tomorrow afternoon with his discharge instructions.

Grandpa will be coming home with a catheter because they discovered that (for some reason) his bladder is not emptying fully. Then, we'll take him in next week to have it removed. Other than that, he is doing very well, but will still needs plenty of rest to heal and recover.

Bishop will be excited to see him again. Although, he'll be disappointed that "that baby" is there, too.

Surgery updates

We arrrived at the hospital around 9:30 this morning to find Grandpa in good spirits. He was being shaved when we arrived. We must have interrupted the train of thought when the "barber" had to answer the door because we later noticed that much of Grandpa's left leg was missed. (Two nurses shaved it for him later and re-gowned him.)

Grandpa had three shots in the leg to help him relax. He said he was starting to feel a little loopy as we were all escorted from his room towards the surgery and waiting room.

We had gotten a report that the anesthesiologist had finished up and that Grandpa Lowell was stable. After that, we ventured to the cafeteria so that we could get something to eat/drink. Shortly after we returned to the SurgiCare waiting room, we were informed (12:10) that Grandpa was just now hooked up to the by-pass machine(s) and that our next update will come in the next 1-2 hours. (Thankfully, they have laptop computers available for use in the waiting room while Mike and Sydney nap.)

Around 2:20, they were done with surgery and Grandpa was moved to ICU. An hour or so later, we were summoned to speak with the nurse and see Grandpa. At that time, they had just given him some medicine to help relax him, as he was starting to wake up and was a little anxious. He is restrained, tied to his bed, so that he is unable to disconnect anything when he wakes up confused. He's connected to a catheter bag, as well as all kinds of machines and tubes that are helping his body to function, as well as to drain all kinds of extra fluids that were pumped into him during surgery. He also has the tubes down his throat and is unable to speak right now. (They hoped to remove the tubes in his throat within the next 4-6 hours if all goes well.) He was in and out of consciousness when we were there; sometimes, he would try to raise his arms so, we each offered him a hand to hold. (They even let Sydney touch Grandpa's hand.)

Sounds like they will be getting him out of bed and walking tomorrow, but he will be VERY SORE and VERY TIRED. They said that this was MAJOR SURGERY and that it will take time to recover. It will take 4 months to recover fully. (Grandpa will be sad to find out that it is recommended that he postpone his June fishing trip since that is too soon to tackle such a trip.)

He SHOULD be moved from ICU to a regular room tomorrow afternoon. There, he will have a telephone and will be able to take calls; however, he will most likely be rather tired for a few days as his body and heart recover.

He has (at least) one incision in his groin that we know of. He also has an incision down his sternum. (The cardiologist the other day said it would be a small incision so, we were surprised to hear how large it actually was. Although, compared to his entire torso, in perspective, it probably IS small.)

Normal hospital recovery following this kind of surgery is 3-5 days.

So far, it has been picture perfect and he is on the mend.

• • • • UPDATE 6:50pm 4/16/10 • • • •

We JUST got off the phone with Grandpa! 

He woke up, had the tubes removed and immediately asked to talk to us. (They led us to believe that he wouldn't be awake or speaking tonight so, we feel badly for going home as he would have enjoyed to see our faces, even if for only a few minutes.  He must be an over-achiever!)

They do NOT have phones in the ICU rooms so, they dragged the nurse's phone in for him to use. In a whisper, he spoke to us; his voice is weak and hoarse from the tubes. He says that he is feeling pretty good overall. 

He DOES sound VERY tired though (falling asleep on the phone) so, we wished him a good night of sleep, told him we love him and that Sydney and I will be there to visit briefly sometime tomorrow. I'm sure he's looking forward to that already!

• • • • UPDATE 4/17/10 • • • •

By 5am, the nurses had Grandpa standing on his feet. 

By 9:30am, they had removed the chest tubes and were soon going to be removing the drainage tube from his neck, among other locations. They planned on having him sitting up in a chair in the morning, as well as getting him to walk for a little.

He was moved from ICU to a private room around 2:30.

Unfortunately, after a 1.5 hour drive, the nurse informed me that limiting visits to 10 minutes is best. (REALLY? You've got to be kidding me... I just drove an hour and a half with a baby to get here... I'd prefer to stay more than 10 minutes.)

Grandpa was tired from moving around and wanted to nap so, we left him for almost an hour before we snuck back in to find him awake and happy to see us. 

He's doing VERY WELL and is in good spirits. He has some pain on his ribs on his left side, but responds well to pain medicine. 

Grandpa thanked Sydney and I for coming to visit him and let us know that it meant a lot to him that we were there for him.

Shortly after we left (to beat the clock since Sydney was getting tired) Grandpa was going to be sitting up and getting ready for a meal of solid foods. He also was going to enjoy a baseball game on tv.

Wishing you a speedy recovery, Grandpa!

Grandpa's heart is falling apart

Grandpa Guard is falling apart

Grandpa Guard needs new veins in his heart

A few days of hospital, but only a few

And then, Grandpa Guard will be YES, GOOD AS NEW!

Grandpa's Surgery is today at 10:30am.

Triple by-pass

+ 4 hours of surgery

+ 1 hour in recovery room

+ 1 night in ICU

+ 2-3 days of mending in the hospital

____________________________

= Grandpa is GOOD AS NEW AGAIN!

This and That

Mulch in diaper, OUCH!

This evening, when changing Sydney's diaper for bedtime, I had to take a closer look. "What in the heck is that?" I asked. Looked like mulch. Nice, Sydney... NICE! (Good thing he didn't get splinters when that came out! OUCH!)

A different day, I thought that breastfeeding had been pinchy and uncomfortable. Come to find out, when he pulled off, he had pieces of mulch stuck to my breast. Silly boy!

Sign language on tv

This morning as we were getting ready to go visit Daddy at work, I changed Sydney's diaper. On tv, they were interviewing Marlee Matlin, who is deaf. When we were done diapering, Sydney walked over to the tv and stood in front of it for a minute or so, watching intently. Then, he decided that he should start waving his hands around in the air. (I guess that is what sign language looks like to a 10.5-month old.) Pretty observant kid though!

Spitting when drinking

We have had a few days of beautiful weather. (If only we could order a full year of 80 degrees with a warm, gentle breeze; that would be PERFECT.) We spent some time out in the newly fenced side yard yesterday afternoon. While we were there, the wind caught Sydney off-guard while he was taking a drink of water from Mommy's cup. He ended up spitting it out all over his shirt. Then, however, he thought that it was funny to spit so, he proceeded to do it a few times before we put the kabosh on it. Like a sponge, it is AMAZING how quickly he picks up on things... both good AND bad. Silly Boy!

Blowing kisses

Mike has been working with Sydney for the past few days, teaching him how to blow kisses. I am pleased to announce that he has now adopted this new skill. (You know he needed to add this to his repertoire of tricks because he was not yet a big enough flirt.)

Walking backwards

Mike noticed a few days ago that Sydney has started to walk backwards. Hey, Baby... didn't you get the memo that most kids your age can't even walk forwards yet? He also likes to pivot around in a circle. Goofball.

Pointing

Sydney likes to point at things all the time now. He is SUCH an observant kid! Sometimes, when he points his finger, we meet his finger with ours and say "E.T. Phone home." Sydney has NO IDEA what we're talking about, but he thinks it is funny and laughs. (He did it with Grandpa, right before they rolled him away for heart surgery.)

"Eddy"

We have recently discovered that Sydney calls anything with a tail and four legs by the name of EDDY. He normally calls both of our cats by that name; although, sometimes, he does call Otto by his correct name of "AAAH". He calls Grandma & Grandpa Olson's dog Beamer by the name of Eddy. Now that Grandpa Lowell's dog Bishop is staying with us, he calls him "Eddy". In the waiting room at the hospital, he saw the cover of Redbook magazine where Ashley Judd is photographed with her dog; Sydney took one look at that, pointed and said "Eddy."

AHHH!

Whenever Sydney takes a drink from a cup, he finishes with AHHHH! Sometimes, he will point to the cup and say AHHHH to indicate that he would like a drink. Sometimes, he says AHHHH before we even get the cup to his lips because he simply thinks that it is funny. (We admit, it IS funny.) Sometimes, he even does it when he is breastfeeding. TOO CUTE!

ACK!

We're trying to teach Sydney that some things are NOT meant to be eaten. Then, we say ACK! and pull the item from his mouth. To him, that just means "eat it quicker because they're going to take it away!" He often says ACK as he puts a stick or rock to his mouth, as if he knows that deep-down he shouldn't eat it.

I was saddened one day when he was breastfeeding because he pulled off and said ACK! Instantly, I corrected him: No, no, no! Mommy is MMMMmmmmmm! Mommy is Ahhhhhh! Mmmmmm, mommy, milk! AHHHH!

(At the time, he was probably trying to remember which word we wanted him to say... searching his memory bank.... I know that I say SOMETHING when I take a drink.... now what is it?)

Milk

Sydney does use sign language to sign the word MILK. Sometimes, when we look at his picture books, he will see the CAT page and will sign the word MILK. (To him, it must look similar enough - since both signs involve a hand. To us, they look nothing alike. Someday, he will get it.)

Get Well Grandpa

Today, we got a call that Grandpa was being transported to the hospital for some heart problems. After some tests and an attempt to mend with stents, they are keeping him overnight tonight and will be scheduling a triple bypass surgery for the coming day or two, which should be a 4 hour surgery. 

Speaking of overnight, we are keeping Bishop (most likely for a few days). It will be interesting in the morning to see if Sydney calls Bishop by the 4-legged name of EDDY like he did with Beamer. It will also be interesting to hear when they will schedule Grandpa's triple-bypass surgery.

We'll be thinking of you, Grandpa!

Please enjoy Sydney's baseball baby rattle as our souvenir of good luck until we see you again. Chances are, we'll be seeing you sometime tomorrow.

Well wishes to you. 

Love, Sarah, Mike and your buddy Sydney

P.S. Next time, please let us know that you are having problems. We want to be kept in the loop.

Loads of Fun

Today, we had LOADS OF FUN! (Have hopes of uploading photos tomorrow.)

We played in the yard this morning where Sydney got his first taste of rhubarb. (We didn't mean to pull out the entire plant, but Daddy tried to replant it so, we'll keep our fingers crossed that more will come up.) We also watched Frank unload some firewood with our other neighbor Jim, who we just met today for the first time.

We went to the Mother Goose Story Hour at the public library and met some new friends.We sang songs and watched the librarian put fun objects onto her storyboard. Sydney kept standing up in hopes of seeing what she was going to pull out from behind it. (He is SUCH an observant  and child!) Afterwards, they bring out a BIG tote of toys for all of the babies to play with. Sydney was the first one to help himself to new toys; he was not timid at all!

After the library, we went through the drive-thru at McDonald's and picked up something for lunch to take to daddy at work. In the few blocks from the library to the golden arches, Sydney fell asleep. So, by the time we got across town to visit Daddy, it hardly seemed fair to wake him from his nap so, the car was parked in a fire zone - next to the picnic table where mommy and daddy had lunch together.

Sydney slept the entire way home and didn't wake up until after we were home and the car had been stopped.

The exterminator drove past our house a little earlier than scheduled and saw Sydney and Mommy playing outside in the yard so, he came to investigate our nest of ants. Daddy came home shortly thereafter and Sydney wanted to be held ONLY BY DADDY.

Then, our friend Kate called to report that Sydney's friend Lucy had just woke from her nap and that we should come down the street to play in her new sandbox. We gathered some sand toys and made our way, to discover that Kate and Lucy had walked towards our house and met our neighbors/friends Kate and baby Lise across the street. (3 year old Claire had gotten sick shortly after Sydney and now, 11-month old Lise has the same thing it seems.)

We played for quite a while in Lucy's sandbox and with a few of Lucy's toys inside the house. Sydney even attempted to eat the alphabet magnets off of their fridge (twice) as I was warning Kate about the television show I had seen about how magnets can be deadly if consumed by kids. (Lucy has never attempted to eat them before, but Kate could see that they needed to be put up to higher ground.)

Lucy and Sydney had LOADS OF FUN playing together in the sandbox. It was also pretty cute to watch them dance and blow kisses at each other.

Sydney yawned a handful of times on our 2.5 block walk home. Then, he nursed and fell asleep for a catnap and has now since nursed some more and gone to bed. I'm hoping that we didn't pick up any new germs today, as it sounds like there have been MANY kids in the community that were sick with the high fever that Sydney had last week.

Mommy's LOADS OF FUN entail folding some laundry while watching the season opener of one of her favorite TV shows "Glee" and then, hopes for a reasonable bedtime. With so much activity and a near-constant state of motion, it isn't surprising that Sydney keeps waking in the night to eat.

10-month old thought process

4 legs and a tail = Eddy

Over the weekend, we visited Grandma & Grandpa Olson's house. While we were there, Sydney LOVED playing with Beamer and was even smart enough to tuck his head under and away from doggy kisses when he was on the floor and being licked. We laughed when Sydney would stand at the back door and call out "Eddy" to the dog in the yard. We would explain to him "That isn't Eddy; that's Beamer-the-dog." However, Sydney continued to call the dog "Eddy".

My weekly baby update explained that babies first words don't always have precise definitions; for example, "Dog" may mean anything with four legs (and a tail). This finding might explain why Sydney often calls both of our cats EDDY. Sometimes, he DOES call Otto "Ahhhhh". Most often, though, he says EDDY. Sometimes he will even say a word that sounds an awful lot like CAT.

Satiated with a drink

We have been working on teaching Sydney how to express the sound of satiation "Ahhhhhh" when he drinks out of his cup. We've done it on and off for a while now, but he hasn't seemed to pay much attention. Tonight, we noticed that our little sponge HAS noticed.

We laid together in bed tonight as a family, looking at books and winding down. Since Sydney was busy cruising all over the bed and playing with his books, I asked Mike "Do you think he will notice if I get a boob out?"

"What guy wouldn't?" Mike asked. So, we put Sydney to the test. He noticed almost instantly and came quickly crawling in my direction - complete with tongue hanging out of his mouth. (We laughed.) "Typical guy... tongue hanging out and everything."

Sydney started to nurse, but quickly became distracted with Mike laying next to him. He pulled off and said (almost in a whisper) "Ahhhhh!" He went on and off, on and off, on and off - before I put the kabosh on it. However, each time, he said "Ahhhh!" with each drink of his fresh milk.

To him, I guess it didn't matter if it came from a cup... or straight from the cow. This milk was simply "Mmmm, Mmmm Good."

Daddy says: 10-month olds shouldn't be able to do this

Daddy says that 10-month olds are not supposed to be walking. They aren't supposed to be standing up on a bed either.... or crawling backwards to the edge of the bed, grasping minimally at the covers and wiggling off the bed onto the floor (only sometimes sticking the landing).

It's pretty amazing!

(Video footage to be added to this post... possibly tomorrow.)

Dear Sydney, I love...

Dear Sydney,

I just wanted to let you know that I love you SO INCREDIBLY MUCH! 

You make me smile. You make me laugh. You give me that twitter-pated feeling because I have so much love for you. Despite Daddy teasing me for it, I still admit that I love you SO MUCH that it melts my heart and daddy continues to tell me that my heart must be one GIANT PUDDLE.

It is hard to describe in words - the smell of your hair, the softness of your skin and the sweetness of your breath or the elation created when hearing your giggles.

I love snuggling with you, holding you and playing with you. NOTHING beats your smile when we play Peek-a-Boo around a corner or object as your thrill to see me is so very genuine.

Although it is sometimes quite difficult to walk, I will someday miss having you hang onto my leg. The thought of you growing up and going off to school makes me sad; although, we enjoy watching your advancements as you grow.

I love how you flirt with me while you nurse; or how you will guide my hand to a specific spot so that I will tickle you there. (Often you take my hand to your foot, your knee or mid-way up your side.) I love seeing your exposed tongue when you crack a smile during a feeding.

I love digitally scrapbooking your life and capturing all of the joy you have brought to me. I feel like I could sit and stare at pictures of you forever. I hope you keep this personality of yours, as well as this special bond with your mom, FOREVER! I love you... just the way you are!

I love the fact that you are a perfect blend of daddy and I and that together, we created such a miracle: YOU!

I never knew how rewarding (and fun) it would be to become a mother. Thank you for making my life SO MUCH BETTER!

Love, Mommy

Never ceases to amaze and WOW us

Sydney never ceases to amaze us! He WOWs us each day with something new. 

When reading a book, we can ask him a question about the pictures and he now points to the answer to our question. 

While I was doing some laundry, Sydney found a lone baby sock and I was looking for the mate. As I checked the washer/dryer for it, I asked Mike what color the one was that Sydney had found. Mike told Sydney "Go give this to mommy." Sydney walked with his arm extended, sock in hand,  all the way from the living room to the kitchen to give me the random sock. (Mike and I were BOTH proud parents.)

Sydney also likes to play on our bed. He started to back up towards the edge and wiggles his little legs (like a duck paddling under the water) until he manages to wiggle down the side of the bed. (Since it is a little high for him, he does NOT always stick the landing, but he is still pretty impressive to watch.)

For some reason, Sydney has taken a recent liking to biting. (At first, I blamed TOOTH #6, but I think it is for fun now; although, I am finding it NOT SO FUN!) He doesn't bite Mike; only bites mommy. Mike said I need to get his attention with a sound that lets him know that it is NOT OK to bite, much like training a dog. When Sydney leaned over to bite my shoulder, Mike let out a loud corrective "AAaaaH!" sound.  Sydney smiled, laughed, and started to say "AaaaH" right back at him. (Little stinker!) Hmmm, back to the drawing board.... how to outsmart the apple that hasn't fallen all that far from the (Guard) tree....

Tonight, when reading Mommy's favorite bedtime story "I Am Blessed", I asked Sydney "Where is the belly button?" and he immediately pointed right to it. (He does have a fascination with belly buttons... which is kind of funny; although, he hasn't really noticed that HE has one, since he is too fascinated with other people's belly buttons.)

I also asked him to locate a puppy, a cat and a squirrel. (The squirrel REALLY surprised me as we haven't talked much about those.)

I guess Sydney truly IS a little sponge that soaks up everything we're sending his way. Now, if only we could get him to grasp the concept of "NO!" without thinking that everything is fun and/or funny. Guess we've got work to do...

No mommy, I just woke up

Today, after Sydney woke from his morning nap, I moved Sydney's highchair into the kitchen and strapped him in so he could watch me while I made homemade guacamole.

While in the kitchen, I turned on the CD player and played his nursery rhyme CD that came with one of his nursery rhyme books. As soon as the song TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR started to play, Sydney curled his lip and started to cry.

If only he could talk, he would have said "No, mommy... no twinkle, twinkle... I just woke up!"

(At least, we know that he associates that song with bedtime and sleep now. Mission: accomplished.)

Smart vs. Not-so-smart

I have decided that we have a smart baby. 

Here is some of my proof to back up my statement:

SHOES

A few days ago, I pointed across the living room and told Sydney "Go get your shoes." He did the wobbely-walk over to grab one of his shoes and proudly returned to me. He sat in my lap and we put on his shoe. Then, I said "Go get the other shoe. Go get your shoe." He hopped up out of my lap and went to retrieve the other shoe so that we could put it on.

For ten months old, walking alone is a smart baby. Being able to tell him to go get his shoes, in my mind, is an even smarter baby!

I also believe that he would understand if we told him to "go get a book". 

He LOVES books; although, sometimes, he thinks they are for eating/chewing. (This is why the board books are the wise choice, instead of paper-paged books.) 

We had joked with the Chiropractor that Sydney would have been content, at Christmas, with just wrapping paper because he was not interested in the gift(s) since he had all of this paper to eat. The chiropractor said "as parents, we could have saved ourselves a lot of money and just bought a notebook (for them) to eat the pages."

CAT(S)

Whenever we say "Sydney, where is the cat?" (or more specifically "Where is Eddy?" or "Where is Otto?") he will start to scan the room in search of the cat(s).

While reading one of his books the other day, I asked Sydney "Where is the cat?" and he immediately pointed to the drawing of the cat in his bedtime story book.

That, I believe, is a smart baby.

GRANDPA'S HAT

Each week when Grandpa Lowell comes to visit, he and Sydney play with Grandpa's hat. Initially, it had been used to play Peek-A-Boo. Now, however, Sydney knows that it goes on your head.

A week ago, Sunday, Grandpa told Sydney "Go get Grandpa's hat." And our (smart) baby did just that.

NOT-SO-SMART

Sydney does, however, demonstrate some "not-so-smart" skills as well. 

DIAPER

Every day, for the past ten months, we have started our day with a diaper change. Almost every day, Sydney protests this diaper change. (You'd think he would catch on...)

HANDS & FACE

For the past five months, we wash Sydney's hands and face after he eats; Ninety percent of the time, he protests. 

Again, you would think he would associate the pattern of eating and wiping clean. However, while discussing (this concept) with fellow-parents/neighbors Will & Kate, they spun it on me by saying "Yes, but EVERY DAY he tries to tell you that he doesn't like it, yet every day you do it (to him). So, now, WHO isn't catching on?"

Hmmm... I never thought of it like that before. (Sydney= smart baby)

CAT PUKE

This morning, when we went upstairs, Sydney quickly crawled into the office. Right inside the door, he found a small pile of cat puke. I quickly removed him from it, washed his hands in the bathroom and immediately attempted to distract him with his Baby Einstein toy. I quickly scurried (six paces) to Sydney's room to grab two butt wipes to clean up the puke, only to discover (12 steps later) that Sydney had also quickly scurried (back) to the pile of puke. As I stepped into the room, I watched him quickly scarf a piece of kitty kibble puke into his mouth.

YUCK!

Mike says that Sydney IS smart to eat the pre-digested ones because they aren't so hard and crunchy; instead, they are nice and soft. He is also SMART to eat it quickly before mom has a chance to (freak out) take it away.

This kid has a one-tracked mind and doesn't forget easily. 

At breastfeeding, he will discover someone that has a water bottle; when they put it in their lap (to get it away from him) he remembers WHO had it and will check back within a few minutes in search of the water bottle. For him, out of sight is NOT out of mind.

Some people's kids... I tell ya...

Celebrating Easter 2010 with a GOOSE EGG and a bloody lip

This afternoon, Sydney and I were outside playing in the driveway while waiting for Grandpa Lowell to come babysit. 

We were outfitted with the following toys:

1) his yellow slugbug car

2) two tasty rocks (hand-selected) from the yard (good for gnawing on, but not small enough to fit inside of his mouth)

3) a container of bubbles that came in his easter basket (from his neighbor pal Frank)

Sydney sat in the driveway beside me while I attempted to blow bubbles for him. Somewhere along the line, Sydney decided to attempt CRAWLING, but forgot how - and ended up tipping over onto his forehead on the cement driveway.  Almost instantly, he had a GREAT BIG BRUISED GOOSE EGG on his forehead. Needless to say, we were done playing in the driveway and went inside to find something cold in the freezer to put on the new(est) bump.

Three minutes later, when Grandpa arrived, Sydney was not overly cooperative with the thought of mommy holding a bag of frozen vegetables on his head. Of course, he had forgotten about it already by then, too.

(He walks most of the time now, but from time to time we have witnessed silliness where he gets ahead of himself when attempting to crawl. We also noticed that he falls down more often when he is tired and needing a nap.)

Sydney spent the afternoon playing with Grandpa while Mommy went to visit Daddy at work, as well as order the new kitchen cabinets.

After Daddy came home from work, Sydney gave himself a bloody lip. Sydney had been holding a near-empty Fuze bottle and decided to give it a shake, whacking himself in the lip, I'm told. 

Poor little guy was having a rough weekend. (Again, Mike reminds me: BOYS GET BUMPS!)

As for some goodness to the weekend, we ordered our kitchen cabinets and enjoyed a family dinner together along with Grandpa Lowell. Easter dinner consisted of: Pork Tenderloin, homemade Spaetzles, Garden Salad, Fresh Asparagus, and dessert of Strawberry (cup)cakes that were hollowed out and filled with slices of fresh strawberries. YUM!

Happy Easter everyone!

Flipping and flailing (like a fish)

After three consecutive nights of (highly) interrupted sleep, I - AM - EXHAUSTED! Last night, was one of the worst nights we have ever had since becoming parents.

Sydney was a happy camper yesterday; you would have never known that he was sick. In fact, at the grocery store, last night, he smiled and flirted with almost anyone that would make eye contact. He also would call out "HI" or a "hi-ya" to passers by. At one point, I watched him grow frustrated when he leaned and attempted to smile at a teenage boy, but the boy would not make eye contact with him. (Everyone smiles at me. Why not him?) I had taken COUNTLESS compliments on what a cute kid I have. (Hard to believe that he is a stay-at-home baby since he is NOT shy or bashful at all [yet].)

Sydney went to bed, following our new-and-improved bedtime routine. Mike got home from work and hopped in the shower while I decided to pump before going to bed. I have had a (painful) milk blister, called a BLEB, on my breast for 2.5 weeks now and the discomfort has NOT improved, despite the lactation consultant suggesting that we break it open with a sterile needle this past Wednesday. Then, finding out that Sydney has a contagious viral infection - that causes painful blisters in his mouth - escalated my concern for my (already) sore nipple. However, nowhere, can I find documentation that it is harmful to breastfeed during a bout of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) so, I guess I should not worry so much.

I used my topical prescription for Dr. Neuman's Triple Nipple Cream, with a numbing agent in it, and went to bed. Although, I was having a hard time falling asleep because I was having shooting pains in that breast. I eventually got up to take some ibuprofen and hoped for a restful night of sleep.

No sooner than I had fallen asleep, Sydney woke up - SCREAMING! I waited for a minute or two to see if he would settle himself; however, no dice. I went in to rescue him. I offered him my good breast, but he was not interested. Started flipping and flailing his entire body in protest (or pain). I took him downstairs and attempted to give him Tylenol. I attempted to give him some organic baby yogurt. I attempted to give him a drink of water (which he willingly accepted). I attempted to hold him, to rock him, to comfort him. All-the-while, he continued to throw his body all over the place, while continuing to cry and scream. When it was obvious that he didn't want to be held, I set him on the floor - where he continued to flip and flail his entire body. He would curl up into a ball. He would extend his body outward. He would flip and roll. He would crawl. He would attempt to stand - only to throw himself onto the floor again before climbing up my body to be picked up again. Once held, he would continue to wiggle and squirm. I offered to nurse him again; this time, he accepted it, but wouldn't eat - instead, just used me as a pacifier for comfort. (Lucky me.)

Was it a sore throat? A belly ache? A head ache? WHO KNEW??? 

(It sure would be nice if he was able to tell us what hurt.) 

The only thing we knew for sure that it was NOT from having a fever.

After an hour-and-a-half of this on-again/off-again commotion, as well as a few minutes of rest while we watched Sesame Street, I was desperate to get back to sleep. The Tylenol should have kicked in long before now. I was tempted to put him back into his crib where I knew that he couldn't get hurt by flipping and flailing his body into the wall(s) [again]. I was tempted to let him cry it out because it was obvious that we had no other way of consoling this tired child. 

Harsh words were spoken between spouses. (Eventually, I explained that I have had one too many nights of sleeplessness and that my body is protesting; As much as I try, I can NOT be superwoman all the time.)

At some point in the night, Mike took a turn with Sydney, giving me an hour of sleep. He managed to get him to sleep and brought him into our bed. I ended up moving him back to his own crib because I needed some quality sleep - where I didn't have to worry about rolling onto the baby.

Around 5am, Sydney was diapered and we snuggled in the recliner. Eventually, he found a comfortable position and we both slept - in an upright position - until 8:30am. 

And when he woke...

the HAPPIEST little boy you've ever seen!

I called Mike to report that he woke up happy. (Mike says: Good. Waking up the other 67 times last night, he was due to wake up happy one of these times.)

• • •

Then, mid-morning, following our bath, I was embarrassed that our neighbor (Frank) let himself into our sunporch and house - to witness me raising my voice and yelling at Sydney while he was screaming and flailing on the floor in the re-diapering process. I had been attempting to clean a messy (poopy)  diaper and Sydney decided part-way through it, that he didn't want (me) to.

I worried that Frank will think poorly of me since I was shouting over Sydney's screaming.

"HEY, You NEED to lay still!"

Frank delivered an Easter basket for his buddy Sydney. Inside, a cupcake that looked like a bird's nest and a bottle of bubbles. Sydney, however, was convinced that the bubbles were juice or something to drink and was getting mad when I took them away from him. Within minutes, I opened the bubbles and took him outside to show him that the magic bottle was filled with BUBBLES - not juice. (He found those to be pretty fun to look at, having not seen bubbles since a late-Fall visit to Grandma & Grandpa Olson's house.)

• • •

Equipped with yawns, yelling and an increase in temper tantrums, Sydney was nursed and laid into his crib for a nap. He managed to protest the entire time I wrote this blog entry and has just recently given up the fight and went to sleep. Grandpa Lowell will be here soon for his weekly visit and I plan to run out to Menards where we will FINALLY purchase/order our new kitchen cabinets since our tax rebate just arrived and the cabinets go OFF of sale today. (Talk about perfect timing!)

Later today, I think I will need a nap. (Mike and I - BOTH - hope for a better night tonight!)

Doc says: Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

Sydney has managed to hold onto his fever since Wednesday so, we took him to the doctor this afternoon. (We figured that it was best to do it now instead of take the chance of having to take him to the E.R. during the holiday weekend.)

Doc says that the fever does NOT have to be treated unless he is lethargic or fussy. Otherwise, it is safe to let it run its course. Other than a fever, and not being nearly as mischievous as normal, we haven't noticed anything else. No rash. No loss of appetite.

Doc did find a few red bumps inside his mouth, which confirmed his diagnostic guess, that coincided with the fever: hand, foot and mouth disease.

Doc says that he has been seeing a lot of it right now; plus, given Sydney's age and the rate of putting things into his mouth - almost inevitable. He said that if he is still fevered on Monday, that we should call.

I didn't think to ask the doctor if it is contagious... or if we are at risk of getting it. I stopped a nurse in the hallway and she confirmed that YES, it IS contagious and that chances are, I had it as a kid. I'm not sure how long he is contagious for, but from the sounds of it - he could have picked it up from just about anywhere... shopping cart, shared toy, floor, etc.

Poor little guy... hope he feels better soon!

Guard duty for fevered and fussy baby

Sydney is one tough nut to crack. While bedtime has been going VERY WELL (knock on wood, of course), naptime has been a rather throw it in our face moment. It doesn't help when he is running a fever and doesn't feel the greatest either. (We're hoping that it is all related to teeth, instead of illness; especially since he REALLY has been biting a lot these past 2 days.)

For months and months, we've seen him throw his head from side-to-side, in an attempt to fight falling asleep. (This kid just does NOT want to miss ANYTHING!)

This little man will stay awake for more than an hour - protesting. Earlier today, he had shown signs of tiredness and I put him down for a nap. Granted, his bedroom IS on the sunnier side of our house, but if you're tired, you're tired, right? WRONG! He ran laps in his crib. He turned his music box on and off... and on... and off... and on... He threw all foreign objects from his crib. (Normally, this week, he also rips off his socks and throws both of those from the crib as well.) But the second that I snuck out of the room while he was looking the other way, he started to yell and scream. So, I say to myself that perhaps he needs a minute of two (make that 20) to calm back down. Then, I went in to try again... lay him back down, lay myself on the nearby mattress... and this viscous cycle repeated itself. So, by the time was all said and done, Sydney DID sleep for a short while; however, he protested naps for longer than he actually slept.

This afternoon, he brought me a book and collapsed in my lap while I read it to him. I read him one more for good measure and then scooped him into my arms to take him upstairs. I started to sing TWINKLE TWINKLE on the way and by the time we reached the crib, his eyes were rolling in his head as he struggled to stay awake.

And then.... the INSTANT that his body made contact with his crib, he started to protest sleep again. This time, I laid down and pretended to be asleep, but found it QUITE DIFFICULT at times to not smile or laugh at him.

Sydney made his laps around his bed, demonstrating his newest skill - running. 

He turned the music on and off a few times. 

He would lay his head down for 3 seconds and hop right back up again. 

He sat and played with his taggie-blanket. 

He played pat-a-cake. 

He played SO BIG. 

With his eyes getting droopier, he nodded his head up and down, as well as tossing it from side to side. Sometimes, he would toss his head too far and would tip himself over backwards.

Back to the pat-a-cake.

Repeat SO BIG.

Lay down, but just for a few seconds.

Where's that blanket thing? Peek-a-boo.

Pat-a-cake.

SO BIG!

I'm just going to lay my head down for a minute...

night, night Sydney! (Mommy is SO HAPPY that you FINALLY gave in!)

The entire time I pretended to sleep, I had to try SO hard NOT to laugh out loud. I also had to fight the urge to smirk. All I could picture was a soldier on an overnight guard duty who had to do EVERYTHING in his power to fight falling asleep.

99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer; take one down, pass it around, 98 bottles of beer on the wall... 98 bottles of beer on the wall, 98 bottles of beer; take one down, pass it around, 97 bottles of beer on the wall... 97 bottles of beer on the wall, 97 bottles of beer; take one down, pass it around, 96 bottles of beer on the wall... 96 bottles of beer on the wall, 96 bottles of beer; take one down, pass it around, 95 bottles of beer on the wall...