Chiropractor's relief

This afternoon, I called the chiropractor and asked if he had anything available for this afternoon or tomorrow morning. I have been suffering - on and off - for at least a week with pain in my low back and (mostly right) hip.

I laughed at him when he suggested that I come in on (or around) the first of every month through the pregnancy. I thought that was overkill since I didn't seem to be having problems that justified a monthly adjustment. Boy, did I feel silly when a week or so later, I called - begging for an adjustment. It seems that after only a few days, that hip feels out of whack again - sometimes cutting off strength in that leg or giving out.

He confirmed... AHHHH, the JOYS of pregnancy! (The pregnancy hormones are causing everything in my body to relax - making it easier for things to slip out of alignment.)

Following today's adjustment, I still feel a lot of pain; although, he assures me that it was all of the muscles wondering "what the heck just happened?" after he twisted me up and pounced on me. We also discussed what I can do to attempt to have relief for longer periods of time...

1) Pillow between my legs when side-sleeping.

2) Double it over to make it thicker, if need be.

3) Try NOT to cross my legs anymore when I sit.

Hopefully, I can make it a few weeks now... although, my posture and center of balance are also changing ever-so-slightly.... (In fact, the most recent belly pic DOES show the slightest bit of rounding... definitely starting to look like a very small beer belly now!)

Felt the slightest bit of movement and LOTS of hunger

On Friday, I went to bed for about a minute before I decided to get up for a bedtime snack.

When I came back to bed, as I lay partially on my side/partially on my belly, I felt the slightest bit of movement in my belly that did NOT feel like gas. Ahhhh, the wonderful memories of how fun that was to lay in bed at night, feeling Sydney bang around in there!

Back to reality... Sydney woke me an hour later and proceeded to be a stinker for the next 4 hours!!! About two hours into his shenanigans, I managed to get him to settle down for a little while in his crib. As I lay on the mattress in his room, all I could think about was how incredibly hungry I was, despite having a bedtime snack. As soon as I could, I snuck downstairs to eat again. (Earlier in the week, I had made some creamed eggs on toast so that Mike would have something quick and easy to reheat for his 4am breakfasts, but I had to have some because I was STARVING and it sounded really good to me.) We battled with Sydney until 3:45am when I finally crawled back into bed; thankfully, the ibuprofen had kicked in and he went right to sleep.

Saturday morning, Mike cooked breakfast. He made me an omelette (to share a little with Sydney, but Sydney was NOT interested) so, I ate the whole thing. He was perplexed that I could eat that much. Sadly, two hours later, I was STARVING AGAIN and felt as if I hadn't eaten anything all day. Despite eating and drinking all day, I was SO INCREDIBLY HUNGRY! I went to bed and craved PIZZA, but didn't get up to satisfy my craving.

Thankfully, today (Sunday) I managed to keep my hunger under control again. I'm guessing that baby was having a little growth spurt. Latest email updates indicate that it will double it's weight and grow a few inches in length within the next week or two.

Looking back on the blog, I saw that at 17 weeks, I wrote that I was awakened from a sound sleep - wondering WHAT WAS THAT? as I felt Sydney move inside my belly. Other than that, the slight movements I had been feeling, I was unsure if it was baby or just gas. I mentioned at 18 weeks that I was starting to feel a little bit of movement when I laid down at night.

I recall at 19.5 weeks, at the ultrasound, I didn't think I had felt very much movement yet - only at night when I laid down. I also remember how freaked out I was that during the ultrasound, Sydney had done a somersault and flipped completely the other direction and I only felt a minimal little flutter.

Had a bedtime snack of some string cheese; now, time to go back to bed. (...Craving McDonald's Filet-o-Fish...)

Belt confirms belly is a little bigger (x+9)

I have a belt that my dad punched extra holes in it to make it SMALLER for me over the summer. I had been wearing that belt on a particular set of holes, but have since EXPANDED to the next larger set for my lower abdomen. That, to me, is proof that my baby belly is getting a tiny bit bigger. It'll be interesting to see where my belt ends up this time around, come April or May...

Last pregnancy, I regretted that I didn't take waist measurements until the very end. You'd think that I would have recalled that piece of information so that I could take a BEFORE measurement. Although, since I didn't really know I was pregnant at first, and with the worry of the repeat ultrasounds, etc it kind of slipped my mind to do just that. I'll try to do that more often, for my own peace of mind, but like daily flossing - can't guarantee anything.

As we walked from our car to the building, Sydney waved and smiled at anyone approaching him. A few old ladies were inside waiting for a ride and he did the same for all of them, too. Sydney charmed the receptionists, all of the patients in the waiting room, as well as all of the clinic staff that we encountered.  We were told that we have THE CUTEST KID EVER and how friendly he was. He gave out a few HIGH-FIVES to random women in the waiting room, as well as played peek-a-boo with one woman. He also showed a magazine cover of an owl to a few women.

When they called us back, we stopped in the hallway to have me weighed. The nurse announced "Go ahead and hop on up there so we can check your weight." Sydney assumed that she was talking to him so, he hopped up there onto the scale. (He weighed 22.6 pounds.) She laughed how he knew just what to do. We explained that we had him stand there a month ago so that we could see how much he weighed. She couldn't believe he remembered. (Ah, yes... this kid doesn't forget much, it seems!)

Today, at our 16-week appointment, I weighed in 3 pounds heavier than one month ago. That means, I am currently up 9 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. (I am currently 11.1 pounds LIGHTER than my starting weight when I got pregnant with Sydney so, that makes me feel pretty good.)

There were no traces of sugar or protein in my urine. Baby's heart tones were 146 - which the nurse said was PERFECT. My blood pressure was nice and low. (I did forget to ask the doctor about that... since I have had dizzy spells when I stand up sometimes; I read somewhere that THAT can be normal for pregnancy though.) We declined the (optional) Quad Screen blood tests that test for 4 different birth defects; we're told that the 20-week ultrasound can detect all of them, except Down Syndrome and that we have until 22 weeks to have the test done if we change our minds. (I believe it was a routine test in MN. It is optional here and we're told that most people pass on it.)

Our nurse and the doctor both commented on how inquisitive and curious Sydney was. (As for the inquisitiveness, we did have to stop him from helping himself to the drawer full of vaginal speculums. His eyes lit up when he opened the drawer on the end of the exam table; to him, I'm sure that it looked a lot like Grandpa Olson's tool chest where anything was fair game to play with. The nurse laughed.) He also checked out the doctor's pretty necklace and her wedding ring. If only she would have let him play with her laptop...

On the way out, he stopped to charm a nurse in the hallway. She dug in her desk drawer and found him some animal stickers. (We warned her that he may stop by next time to help himself since he doesn't seem to forget much. She laughed.) She offered to give him more, but we politely declined because he tends to just eat them; someday, he will appreciate them for more than just flavor. While I stopped to get my glasses adjusted, Sydney decided to try on sunglasses. He's a funny kid and sure did look cute! 

I am told that I am no longer able to lay flat on my back from here-on-out. I suggested that I'm not giving up stomach sleeping yet though because it is nice to have more options than left-side or right-side. (Doctor tells me that I'll know when it is time to give up stomach sleeping because it will no longer be comfortable to lay on my growing belly.) 

Doctor wasn't surprised that I feel the need to see a chiropractor more often to keep my hips and low back comfortable - since the pregnancy hormones do a number on relaxing the body. (I've already made a mental note to ask for sleeping suggestions  from the chiropractor so that I can try to keep myself comfortable for longer stretches of time.) All in all, it was a silly (rather pointless) appointment without much to do or talk about. Next time, will be the SUPER FUN ONE... ultrasound! (I'm rather anxious for that one!)

31 days until the ultrasound! 169 days until our due date! It's getting pretty exciting...

Ears are OK, keep an eye on him

Today, following a week-and-a-half of an out-of-sorts little boy, we took Sydney to the doctor. With his new urge to put things into his ear and to cover them with his hands, we figured that it was best to have him checked out in case of an ear infection - especially knowing that next week, he will be going out of town for a busy week/weekend with mommy. (Dress fitting, luncheon, wedding rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, holiday with family, best friend's wedding, Sesame Street LIVE concert and a bridal shower for me.)

Our regular pediatrician did not have any openings so, we had our choice of the one we saw for the broken arm (and did not care for his bedside manner with small children) or a new one. We, obviously, chose to try the new one.

Sydney checked out well. He weighed 23# with clothes (but no shoes) on. His lungs were clear. His throat was good. One of his ears was perfectly normal. The other ear showed that the eardrum was retracted slightly, but looked healthy. The doctor indicated that IF his cold symptoms of fever and runny nose came back, that we should consider bringing him back in because it would likely mean that it was an ear infection at that time, but he looked good now.

That was a nice relief to hear. We're glad he's not sick and we're hoping that his disposition will return to normal soon. In the meantime, we'll have to enjoy the extra cuddling.

Hopefully, our SUPER BUSY week at Grandma & Grandpa's house wont wear us out too much; hoping that Sydney and Mommy will get plenty of rest in a strange bed/bedroom, as well as a VERY busy schedule.

In the meantime, we have THIS WEEKEND to look forward to since Daddy is off of work and will be around to spend it with Sydney and Mommy. Next week, I'm predicting that he'll get worn out - working oodles of hours during the busiest shopping week of the year.

Witnessing Sydney's FRUSTRATION

Yesterday, while Mike was stuck* working the open-to-close shift, Sydney and I hung out at home. Grandpa Lowell came over for his weekly Sunday with Sydney and family dinner. (We had homemade Split Pea with Ham soup that Sydney and Mommy made, as well as some hot beef sandwiches from the crockpot that had filled the house with wonderful smells.)

After dinner, Sydney was playing with his Fisher Price shape sorting blocks toy. He likes to have the lid directly on the floor and place the shapes into that; however, he gets confused if he already has that shape placed (because there are 2 of each). So, I thought we could TRY IT placed onto the bucket so that the shapes fall inside.

Sydney thought that was pretty cool for a brief moment. That is, until he grew frustrated that he couldn't see what shapes were left and was forced to TRY shoving the shapes into all of the holes.

He pushed and pushed, but no matter how hard he pushed, the wrong shape would NOT go into the wrong hole. Eventually, with furrowed brow, he grabbed the lid off of the bucket and tossed the shape directly into the bucket. (I could relate to his frustration... that is how I play mini-golf.... I put and put and put... and eventually, I just pick up my ball and throw it into the hole!)

Grandpa and I laughed at what we had just witnessed. Sydney was DETERMINED to get the shapes into the bucket.

*Note: Although sometimes tight on budget and sometimes frustrating, we are THANKFUL that he has a good job that enables us to make it on one income so that I can stay home with Sydney.

Fussy butt... STILL (teeth or ears likely cause)

Sydney has been a fussy butt for most of the week - with the exception of when he's medicated. Didn't OFFICIALLY take his temperature, but his head has felt warm for most of the week and he has taken a liking to removing his pants and running around half-naked so, I am guessing that he truly IS hot. He's been snugglier, which is good most of the time. Although, this week, he has also been QUITE WHINEY and near-impossible to please.

He knows he wants SOMETHING, but not sure what... he'll point to a food, agree to eat it, take one bite and swat it away - pointing to something else. He will bring you a book to read and then, suddenly decide that he wants to watch tv instead. He'll chose to sit in his high chair, but then suddenly freak out because he wants to sit in the booster instead (or vice versa). He'll say he wants to color/draw, but suddenly suffers from extreme thirst or hunger. He'll tell you he's thirsty and you will give him a cup of something - only to have him throw himself onto the floor; although, twelve seconds later, he will calmly take a drink. He'll indicate he wants JUICE, but suddenly starts signing MILK instead. He'll throw a tempter tantrum if he expected his food in a bowl, but you gave him a plate instead. Sometimes, he wails because he wants to sit in the recliner with Eddy, but Eddy is busy looking out the window instead. Behavior like this makes for INCREDIBLY LONG (and exhausting) DAYS. (I had even threatened to go visit Daddy at work - and leave Sydney there on one occasion.)

He threw a fit yesterday afternoon that he wanted to eat RIGHT NOW. My first choice (string cheese) was NOT what he wanted. He INSISTED upon a hot dog and a banana instead. He ate NONE of the banana and just a few bites of hot dog before changing his mind that he didn't want to eat ANYTHING anymore. (I broke down and medicated him shortly after that.)

With ibuprofen (or Tylenol) in his system, he is his normal HAPPY CAMPER self. (And you can almost set a watch to it taking effect in 29-31 minutes.)

Yesterday, he put his crayons in his ears. (He's never done that before.) At the grocery store, he kept covering his ears with his hands whenever we neared the refrigerator cases - as if the SOUND was bothering him. I'd GUESS that he may have an ear infection. To outsmart him from putting crayons in his ears, I fastened his winter hat onto his head so that the little "mud flaps" covered his ears. It ticked him off, but kept his ears safe (for now). Otherwise, his upper eye teeth had poked through the surface weeks ago, but seem to be STUCK in a holding pattern - without any visible movement. (So, I guess his MOUTH could be bothering him as well.)

Hopefully, he'll be feeling better soon and back to his normal, chipper self. (And hopefully soon, we will all get rid of our colds for good, too!)

Goofball keeps GAGGING himself

Sydney has a new fascination: he thinks it is HILARIOUS to use the handle of his fork to gag himself while sitting in his highchair or in his booster seat. (Yes, for each meal we DO give him the option of where HE would like to sit.)

He did it a few weeks ago and naturally, I shook my head and said "You don't want to do that." He, of course, decided at QUITE an early age that "Mommy doesn't know what she's talking about;" THAT or the simple fact that he likes to test his boundaries and whenever we discourage something, he thinks it is funnier to proceed full-speed-ahead.

Naturally, from that first incident, he continues, from time-to-time, gagging himself with his fork - sticking it into the back of his throat farther and farther each time. He has now learned that he can make his eyes water and that it causes him to spontaneously gag. A few days ago, he did it to the point where he was involuntarily making barfing sounds. (I, of course, need him to learn that it is NOT fun to do, but verbally discouraging him will most likely add fuel to the fire. It seems some good old-fashioned reverse psychology may be in order somehow.)

As he did it at his most recent session, I pretended not to notice. Although, when he was making the barfing sounds as he pressed the limits to the max, I simply and calmly stated "Won't YOU be surprised when you throw up all of your lunch onto your tray?"

Somehow, I'm thinking that THAT is exactly what needs to happen before he realizes "Mom, you're right... that wasn't so fun afterall."

Some people's kids... I tell ya! Oh, the JOYS (and challenges) of parenthood!

It's the simple things that bring happinessI

Following our weekend in WI, we arrived home to find a letter for SYDNEY in the mailbox:

Aunt Sue had sent Sydney an entire envelope of pictures cut out from her magazines. Most of them were (his favorites) dogs and cats. As I pulled them from the envelope, I would ask him "What's this?" to which he would reply the appropriate "WOOF" or "Ee-Ow" (meow).

But perhaps, his favorite (this time) was THE BUTTERFLY! Whenever he sees a picture of a butterfly in any of his children's books, he makes me take off my glasses to give him a butterfly kiss. (He learned THAT from Aunt Sue; that's THEIR special interaction together.)

Sometimes, when we get to the butterfly page in his book, as Mommy announces BUTTERFLY, Sydney replies "Tiss" (which is HIS VERSION of the word KISS).

Last night, Sydney and Mommy taped all of the pictures onto two pieces of cardstock for Sydney to enjoy. It's the simple things in life that bring the most happiness.

Thank you Aunt Sue! (Sydney LOVED it!!! You ALWAYS know how to make him smile!)

Photoshoot faces (series of pics)

While visiting Grandma & Grandpa's house, we took the opportunity to have them snap a few family portraits of us – in hopes that we would gets something that was "Christmas Card worthy".

While Mommy and Daddy both KNOW how to smile for pictures, as well as where to look, Sydney struggled with it.

Alas, a noisy pickup truck drove down the street and Sydney FINALLY smiled (a REAL SMILE) because of that truck. He wasn't looking at the camera, but we'll take it! FINALLY a smile/face we can use!

(I'm not sure WHY he scrunches up his face like that... what a silly little boy!)

Bedtime brings excitement

All day long, we had been reminding Sydney that "tomorrow we're going to Grandma & Grandpa's house and we're going to see Beamer, too!"

After dinner, Sydney played in the bathtub. He reminded me "ah-Pa-Pa". I asked him "Are you going to play in the bathtub at Grandma & Grandpa's house, too?"

He nodded YES.

After bath, we got jammies on and read some books. Sydney kept wanting me to read MORE books, but I cut him off - telling him that we had to go "na-night".

When I turned off the light, we snuggled in the recliner - like we do every night. We talked about all of the fun things we did today.

"Ah-Pa-Pa" he reminded me.

I laughed. "Yes, TOMORROW, we are going to Grandma & Grandpa's house." (In the dark, I could feel him nod his head in affirmation.) 

• • • • •

I don't know about HIM, but I think I will be tired today on our trip to Grandma & Grandpa's house. Sydney was NOT sleeping well last night AT ALL! I had comforted him once and told him it was time to go to sleep. A few minutes later, Mike tried to comfort him, but soon - they were BOTH in bed with me. (Sydney wanted to snuggle with his mom.) Eventually, I took him back to his bed and he became upset again so, I had to lay on the mattress in his room. This little boy was SO RESTLESS! (He kept waking up every few minutes to check that I was still there. I think he was excited and just wanted to make sure that we wouldn't forget to bring him with us.)

NOW, hopefully, he wont be upset that it takes us a few HOURS to drive to Grandma & Grandpa's house.

Grandma & Grandpa Olson, we'll see you soon!

Happy 17-month Birthday Little One

Sydney turned 17 months old on October 28th.

Weight: 23 pounds

This Energizer Bunny had been STUCK around 20 pounds since he started walking on February 12th, 2010. FINALLY, with the help of some whole milk and his favorite (Mint Chip) ice cream, we managed to put some weight on him!

Height: around 33" tall (according to the charts in the kids department at Target)

Diapers: Size 3 during the day. (Extra Protection Night Diapers are size 4.)

SKILLS:

Feeds self.

Blows kisses and catches blown kisses, throwing them onto his chin/face.

Up and down stairs.

Scoops cat food into the cat's bowls all by himself.

Climbs!

Pretends to make food and has you taste-test it.

Demonstrates when reading picture books that HAT goes on your head, SOCKS or SHOES go on your feet, a BIB goes on your neck to keep your shirt clean, we sit at the TABLE to eat, etc.

Claps his hands, attempts to snap his fingers.

Tries to put socks on by himself, but can't quite get it by himself yet.

Puts his feet into our (big) shoes and walks around the house.

Helps put laundry into the washer & dryer; LOVES to shut the doors.

These are a few of his FAVORITE THINGS: 

Sydney LOVES butterfly kisses.

Sydney LOVES Sesame Street.

Sydney LOVES pretending to cook or helping mommy/daddy cook for real.

Sydney LOVES to pet Eddy. (They often sit together in the recliner.)

Sydney likes to sit on the training seat on the toilet before bath time.

Sydney LOVES to hold the leash for the neighbor's (tiny) dog and cruise down the street.( We're not sure WHO is walking whom.)

Sydney LOVES to dance, scribble on paper and make music.

SASSY PANTS: 

When told NOT to do something, entices him to do it all-the-more. For example, he pushes the envelope by holding forbidden objects near or in his mouth and shakes his head NO to demonstrate that we should NOT do something, but continues to taunt you. He seems to like to see how many WARNINGS he will get before we take something away. (Drawing off of the paper, eating crayons or markers, etc.) He, sassily, does the same thing with his sippy cups - tipping them upside down to spill out the contents - waiting to see how long he can do it for before we take it away. He KNOWS where the "naughty corner" is for time-outs and sometimes, when he is being sassy, he will willingly go sit in the naughty corner - with a HIGE GRIN on his face - and will shake his head NO, NO, NO.

TEETH: 14 (possibly more)

4 molars, 4 front top, 4 front bottom and 2 upper eye teeth poking through

(He doesn't let us look around it there too much, but has been a little on the cranky side lately so, part of me thinks that his lower eye teeth MAY be coming. Hard to say... might just be cranky because he is protesting naps, too! He got a bad butt rash for his molars and when the 2 upper eye teeth poked through.)

WORDS:

Mama

Dada

Eddy (our cat)

Tiss  (fish OR kiss, depending upon the context of the conversation)

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

Hot  (spoken in a whisper with a flattened hand demonstrating)

Yeah (his version of YES)

Ack (YUCK)

Ahhh! (Says whenever he hears a soda/beer can POP open. Says it when he wants a drink. Says it after he's taken a tasty drink.)

Keys  (spoken in whisper)

Teeth (spoken in whisper)

Cheese (spoken in whisper)

Ah-Pa-Pa (Grandpa - spoken in a whisper.)

Eee-ow (Cat's meow)

Woof (Dog's bark)

Mmmmmm! (Cow's moo)

Moon

Ah-baaah! (is BOO or A-BOO. He LOVES to play hide & seek.)

Ssssss  (salt)

SIGNS:

Milk, Eat/Food, Drink, More, Please, Thank You, All Done, Sleep, Poop and Ball

Sydney used to speak more words (a few months ago) but has since given a lot of them up. He signs all of these words, but shows no interest in speaking any of the words except for POOP, which he has tried to say a few times.

We are THRILLED that Sydney now drinks cow's milk! It was a rough transition when we quickly stopped breastfeeding on August 27th. We struggled to get him to drink ANY white substance. Eventually, he started to drink SKIM milk. Then, all of a sudden, Mike tried whole milk and Sydney never seemed to notice the switch.

Bedtime Routine: 

Diaper and jammies. 

Brush teeth (when we remember).

Read books in the recliner in his bedroom. (His latest favorite is "Guess How Much I Love You" but I substitute "Baby Bunny" for "Little Nutbrown Hare" and "Daddy Bunny" for "Big Nutbrown Hare" to keep his attention. He LOVES when we act out "I love you THIS MUCH" and stretch out his arms to the side or above his head.)

Turn out the lights and snuggle in the chair for a few minutes while Mommy sings "Twinkle Twinkle" and Sound of Music's "Do Re Mi".

Hug and kiss and then put him into his bed.

FINALLY we are starting to get a few nights where he does NOT cry, but goes into his bed without ANY protest. (We like those nights MUCH BETTER than crying and protesting bedtime.)

Sid the Science Kid vs. balls

On Iowa Public television, we watch Sesame Street on weekdays. Following Sydney's favorite show (Sesame Street) is a Jim Henson production called "Sid, the Science Kid" which is technically geared towards older kids, but animated and fast-moving to keep the attention of smart little cookies, like Sydney.

Sid (Science Kid) was playing with a ball of play-dough and was surprised that it did not bounce as he had suspected it to. When he went to school, they talked about it - discovering ELASTICITY. At school, they did an experiment with all different kinds of balls - rubber playground ball, bean bag ball, ping pong ball, etc. - to see how high they would bounce when dropped off of the playground equipment.

Soon, Sydney gathered an armful of balls and climbed a few of our stairs where he proceeded to throw his balls off of the stairway to watch them bounce. I shook my head in pure amazement that at 17 months old, he was paying attention and following along to the science-based kid show on tv. What a smart little cookie!

Thank goodness, a sigh of relief

Yesterday, before putting Sydney down for a nap, I diapered him and put him into one of the new onesies that I recently bought and laundered. Then, I put his Polartec fleece jacket back on him (because the onesies are - unfortunately - short-sleeved).

For a fact, I KNOW that Sydney was wearing his fleece when he went down for a nap. When he woke up, his fleece was OFF and thrown out of his bed. As I approached him, he wrinkled up his nose and started making SNIFFING sounds. I asked him "Do you have a stuffy nose or are you smelling something?"

He nodded his head and pointed to his diaper.

"Is there poop in there?" I questioned.

He nodded his head YES.

Yep, I was thanking my lucky stars that I had put him into that onesie right before nap. Otherwise, the little stripper may have pulled off all of his clothes and poopy diaper again - if presented with the opportunity.

Big Boy protests, Booster seat brings smiles

Last night, Sydney had been signing that he was hungry and wanted to EAT. I told him that we were going to eat when Daddy gets home from work, which wasn't the most satisfactory of answers for a hungry 17-month-old. (As you guessed, I eventually had to get a plate of food ready for the little man to eat and sat him in his high chair.)

Sydney SCREAMED!

I couldn't figure out WHAT was the matter. I thought that he was upset with his dinner selection so, I grabbed a box of Ritz Bitz peanut butter crackers and offered him a few of those. He continued to SCREAM and scream!

Eventually, I told Auntie Karin (on the phone) "I've got to let you go. I have NO IDEA what is wrong with him."

I took Sydney out of his high chair and tried to comfort him. I asked him what he wanted and he pointed to Eddy. (Personally, I thought A NAP was what he wanted since he's OBVIOUSLY NOT normally this crabby.)

"You want Eddy?" I asked to which Sydney nodded YES. So, I sat on the couch with Sydney and we coaxed Eddy over. Through the snuffling and sniffling and the real tears that had rolled down his cheeks, Sydney managed a partial smile as he stuffed a mini-Ritz into his mouth. Then, I questioned "I thought you wanted to EAT?"

Sydney nodded YES. So, I took him back into the dining room to his plate of food.

As soon as I brought him near his high chair, he started to scream and scream again. "Sydney, what is the matter?"

He pointed to Mike's chair.

Puzzled, I asked "You want to wait for Daddy?"

W-A-I-L-I-N-G (and more pointing) shaking his head NO!

"You want to sit in Daddy's chair?" (Big head nod YES!!!!)

So, that night, Sydney sat on top of an inverted Tupperware Lettuce Keeper so that he was high enough (on Daddy's big boy chair) to reach his plate to eat.

We are NOW the proud owners of a (Fisher Price Healthy Care Deluxe) booster seat and we give Sydney a choice of which seat he wants to sit at to eat. We had friend Lucy over for lunch today and it worked out VERY WELL that the guest baby sat in the high chair while Sydney sat in his new booster seat. 

He also likes to sit at the table and draw pictures now, too. (Note: we aren't using the tray part - which seems to be working GREAT!)

Our little boy, I'm afraid, is growing up!

(Thankfully, I had recently gotten a developmental email update along the line that predicted that he would eventually protest the high chair so, I was saddened, but not horribly surprised.)

Happy Halloween (w/ pics)

Hard to imagine... one year ago today...

Sydney was just mastering the art of sticking out his tongue.

Sydney was trying solid foods (baby rice cereal) for the first time. 

Now, he feeds himself with a fork and spoon rather effortlessly. (Yogurt is kind of tricky because it slides easily off of the spoon.) 

In fact, he must do most things BY HIMSELF because he is a BIG BOY!

Halloween 2009, Sydney was dressed in his reindeer fleece outfit.

Halloween 2010, Sydney was dressed in a Tigger costume.

The entire hour BEFORE trick-or-treating, Grandpa Lowell and Sydney spent outside in the brisk, fall weather. They took a stroller ride and played at the park where Sydney showed Grandpa (ah-Pa-Pa) that he can go down the slide ALL BY HIMSELF!

Sydney's cheeks and fingers got SO COLD, but he decided that he no longer wanted to wear his mittens. He was rather B-O-U-N-C-Y and rather hard to take pictures of because he wouldn't hold still. (And that was BEFORE he had tried candy!) I guess it was only fitting that he was bouncy.... afterall, he WAS Tigger. (Thanks for the costume and bedtime DVD, Grandma & Grandpa Olson!)

He had slept for ONE HOUR all day long... while it seems that he is attempting to make a switch from two naps daily - down to just one. (I suspected that the ONE NAP would have been longer, but Sydney was told that Grandpa would be there when he woke up from his nap.) When he woke up, he SCREAMED! He was SO UPSET! As we came downstairs, he pointed at Grandpa's picture and started WAILING. I asked him "Are you upset that Grandpa isn't here when you woke up?" to which he nodded YES! Not even a juice box would remedy the situation!

Thankfully, within a few minutes, we saw Grandpa's car pull into the driveway and the sobbing stopped. Although, when I asked Grandpa to pull his car farther into the driveway, Sydney started to WAIL that Grandpa was getting back into his car... we had real tears and everything! Thankfully, Grandpa came inside to play and things were ALL BETTER except for being over-tired.

He must hold a VERY SPECIAL place in Frank & Bev's heart (across the street) because they gave him a very special treat bag: a few pieces of candy, a Little People Fire Engine truck and an Elmo Bedtime Book! (They gave us two small bags of candy corn to pass off to neighbor girls Claire & Lise when we went back outside since they were not "officially" handing out candy at their house. Sydney OBVIOUSLY ranks pretty high at his buddy Frank's house.)