Words for the week of 12/5-12/11/2010

At Sydney's 18-month well-child appointment on 12/1, we were slightly concerned about Sydney's lack of spoken words. The pediatrician assured us that he will talk when he is ready and that there is NOTHING WRONG WITH HIM; in fact, assured us that he is MUCH BRIGHTER than the average 18-month old.

This past week, we seem to have had an EXPLOSION of words for the formerly mostly silent kid! 

When he sees Santa Claus (on the wrapping paper, on a Christmas ornament, on television or the Santa figurine on the banister) he announces HoHoHo.

His favorite new word is "UP!" He says it loud & proud! He says it often in the kitchen when he wants to be held so he can see higher. He says it when he wants to get into his booster seat or high chair. He says it when he wants to get out of his booster seat. He says it when he wants to escape from the shopping cart at the grocery store. He says it when he wants up on the couch (even though he is skilled enough to climb UP himself.)

In the grocery store, mostly at the check-out after he had already signed ALL-DONE, he kept saying it: up (pause) Up (pause) UP (pause) UP-UP-UP! (He thought that somehow, by repeating it often (and louder each time), that I would release him from the seatbelt and let him roam free. (Many onlookers smiled and laughed.)

Suddenly, he is saying MA-MA and DA-DA. (Sometimes, he seems to invert his words: calling me AHM-MA and Mike AHD-DAH; although, Mike and Grandpa Lowell thought he might just be saying HI MA and HI DA.) 

When eating a snowball, Sydney proudly said YUM, YUM, YUM. 

In his Little Monsters book, there is a page where the monster has outstretched arms and the words read I DID IT; Sydney now acts out the picture and announces I DID IT. 

The end of another Little Monster story is "Good Night" but I always read "Ni-Night" instead; Sydney now says NI-NIGHT (as well as signing it in baby sign language).

He tries to say OWL. He likes to look at the plastic owl yard decor (for deterring mice in your yard) whenever we visit daddy at work. There are owls in some of his books, too. One of the YahooNews stories the other night featured an article about bad toys - showing a critter that slightly resembled an owl; Sydney saw it on the computer screen, pointed and announced OWL.

Sydney says OW! He is now notorious for forcing his leg through the rungs of the crib and getting his knee stuck. He stands, cornered, yelling OW! (Sometimes, he says it when he runs into something or bumps his head, too.)

When his crayons fall on the floor, he now announces UH. (That is his version of Uh-Oh, but the Oh-part is silent.)

In his ANIMAL SOUNDS book, he likes to open to the page with the snake; now, he proudly hisses the "Ssssssss" of the snake.

If Sydney is holding a bowl or standing in the kitchen and makes the "Ssssss" sound, that is his way of saying "raisinSSSSsssss"

At Walgreens, when we picked up our photo Christmas card, he started laughing hysterically and announced "Gggg, Gggg!" Stumped, I said "What's THAT word?" He grabbed my chin and redirected my focus to some stuffed animals that were FROGS! "Frog?" I questioned. Sydney smiled proudly and nodded YES. (Funny how he is picking up certain SOUNDS of different words; I guess everyone has to start somewhere.)

We've also been hearing him say ELMO, which sometimes sounds like AhH-Mo, but other times, he nails it perfectly.

• • • • •

On a separate note, Grandpa Lowell and Sydney have been PRETEND FISHING for MONTHS and MONTHS! With Sydney on his lap, Grandpa casts an invisible rod, makes a PLOP sound when the invisible lure hits the water, reels it in and jerks the pole to announce "GOT IT!" (Sydney thinks it is great fun! He LOVES "fishing" with Grandpa.)

Last night, at Olive Garden, Grandpa announced that he and Sydney were going to go fishing. They both cast out their invisible rods and reeled them in. (This was a new thing for Sydney! Mommy and Daddy were VERY IMPRESSED!!!) 

It was SO stinking cute to watch him reel in his invisible fishing pole! (Grandpa thinks that Sydney might be ready for "the real thing" this summer at a nearby pond.)

Baby 2 at 19 weeks (belly pic)

Baby belly is getting bigger. Mike pointed out to me that it sticks out as far as my boobs, if not a little farther. (Those, by the way, feel like they are getting fuller and heavier again so, they must have gotten the memo to get out of post-breastfeeding mode and back into start-up mode again.)

My hips have been bothering me; technically, I think the chiropractor would argue that it is my LOW BACK and NOT really my hip at all. I'm sure that all of the bending and lifting I do with Sydney, as well as standing and jumping over baby gates doesn't really help. That, and the fact that I am carrying Sydney's weigh PLUS my own a lot of the time. (Thankfully, I started this pregnancy 20 pounds lighter than the last one.) Perhaps, shoveling snow is not the recommended thing to do either....

My varicose veins have been BULGING out of my left leg for the entire month. I wear support hose during the day and sometimes add an extra ankle support for that sore and swollen left ankle. I wonder: WHY my legs are so much worse this time around? (At Kerri's wedding, I talked to a chiropractor (that I went to high school with) about my back. Instantly, he assumed "Let me guess, you're wearing high heels under that dress" to which I proudly lifted the bottom to show him my ultra flat shoes. (I almost wish I would have been wearing tennis shoes.) I also announced "AND I am even wearing TWO PAIRS of support hose... thigh high (hospital white gauze) and knee high (that look like nylons in case anyone saw my feet and lower legs). 

Yesterday, I laughed at my INBOX when I saw the email "HUNGRY AS AN OX?"

That is EXACTLY how I have been feeling for much of this past week!!! I have been STARVING AGAIN, have been eating large meals AND have felt the need for snacking or else I feel sick to my stomach. (I secretly fear how much weight I will have gained over the past month when I go in for my next appointment. Hopefully, it is still within an acceptable range. I believe I have gained about 9 pounds as of last check.)

Baby development status at 19 weeks

Baby's sensory development is exploding! The brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that he/she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to him/her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom . His/her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his/her body now. His/her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on the scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on the skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

(We were just looking at Sydney's ELMO doll the other day and calculated that the baby would be about as big as Elmo is, with the exception that it's arms and legs would be more proportional to a human than a stuffed animal, most likely within this next week. Looks like our guess was almost dead-on. When holding Elmo up to my belly, it is AMAZING to think that there is a baby that size crammed into my tiny belly. It's no wonder that I've been feeling it move a lot this past week; it keeps me up at night when I am trying to fall asleep, but is too faint for Mike to feel it yet.)

How your life's changing:

 

Think you're big now? You'll start growing even faster in the weeks to come. 

(My thought when reading this was: I really didn't think I was big yet; still consider it to look just slightly larger than a beer belly. At least Mike confirmed that it does NOT look like a beer belly because it is starting to look like a baby belly now. Given my recent hunger though, I am not surprised at all to read that I'll be growing even faster in the weeks to come.)

You may be noticing some skin changes, too. That darkened line running from your belly button to your pubic bone is called the linea nigra, or "dark line."

(I have not really noticed any skin changes - other than the fact that I finally seem to be getting out of the acne phase that has struck me so far. I kept waiting for that "pregnant, healthy glow". I do NOT have the "dark line" yet, but remember it from last time - as it stayed with me WELL AFTER BIRTH!!!)

I am anxious for when baby's movements are strong enough to be felt from the outside world. (I know that Mike misses out on all of this excitement that I get to experience early-on. If only I could have shared my morning sickness with HIM instead...)

TisTheSeason

Heard about Wordle.net on a scrapbooker's blog. Was able to enter a list of words - repeating them on the list to make them appear larger - and it composes a BEAUTIFUL collage of words.

Some of my favorites: Glad The Neighbors Use Their Snowblower @ Our House, HoHoHo

AND Sydney Thinks They're Balls

Although, anyone that knows me well knows that Wrapping Beautiful Presents, Holiday Baking and Spending Time with Family are my FAVORITE THINGS!

Our Typical Day at 18 months

Sydney used to wake around 7am; nowadays, he is sleeping until 8/8:15am. (Sometimes later if he was up late the night before or if the house remains especially quiet.)

Fresh Diaper.

Breakfast. (When Mike is home, he often makes Sydney an egg & cheese omelette. Other times, we have oatmeal or CoCoWheats. Sydney likes to have cold cereal WITH MILK; if given the choice between Cinnamon Cheerio-shaped cereal, Cinnamon Life or Corn Chex - he almost always (surprisingly) picks the Chex cereal. Cinnamon Raisin Toast with Cinnamon Sugar is yummy somedays, too. Now that blueberries and fresh red raspberries are out of season, we have to settle for bananas, canned fruit or apple slices.)

Sesame Street is on at 9am. We normally turn the tv on within this hour, making sure that we've eaten breakfast first. Sid the Science Kid comes on after Sesame Street on PBSkids (10am). Sydney enjoys that half-hour show some days.

Sydney used to go down for a morning nap around 10:30, but seems to have FINALLY started getting more accustomed to one nap now. It was a rough transition to give up that morning nap; he seemed to be OK skipping it here or there, but wasn't ready to give it up completely. There are days when he has tempter tantrums and fusses when he doesn't get his way, but part of that comes with the age, I'm told. Sometimes, we have a snack before lunch - some apple slices or some Cheerios.

We play A LOT! We read books, play with puzzles or toys and just act silly - with tickling and chasing. Sometimes, he wants to sit in his booster seat and write with an ink pen on a piece of paper; other days, he prefers to scribble with crayons. Often we cook (or pretend to cook). 

Between 11 and 12, we're working on lunch so that Sydney can go down for his afternoon nap. He needs to UNWIND for at least 20 minutes before he is ready to go to sleep. (He almost ALWAYS yells and fusses, protesting naps and bedtime.)

Fresh Diaper and a snack, if he asks for it.

More playtime! Sometimes, he is a helper in the kitchen so that we can make dinner.

After dinner, more playtime!

We normally start winding him down anytime after 7:30pm. We diaper and put jammies on. We brush his teeth and corral him in his bedroom. He used to sit in our lap while we read books in the recliner; now, he is much too busy to sit still. He likes to CLIMB ALL OVER! He comes over to look at the pictures in his books from time to time, listening to the story and knowing when there is a page he likes to look at. (We used to read picture books, but then, started to read story books - like Sheep in a Jeep; then, we used to read Guess How Much I Love You (Sydney would act out the "I love you THIS MUCH" as he would hold out his arms, like the bunny in the book.) Now, he INSISTS upon reading from the Mercer Meyer's Little Monster's Story Collection; we often read Daddy's picks: Just for You, When I get Bigger, or Mommy's Picks: All By Myself, and Just Go to Bed. (We both skip the story I Was So Mad because we don't want to promote excessive anger or plant the seed that it is OK to try to run away from home.)

Mommy sings Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Sound of Music's Do Re Mi before one last round of Twinkle, Twinkle. (When Daddy takes a turn, he sings the alphabet and the Gilligan's Island theme song.)

Rarely do we put him in his bed without a fuss. He normally cries for at least a minute. (Gosh, it would be nice to do it daily without any fuss. Somewhere along the line, we must have done SOMETHING wrong; I think we spoiled him.) On average, he goes to sleep by/around 8:15.

Baby 2 at 18 weeks, LBG at 18 months

Comparison photos: 13, 16 and now 18 weeks.

Baby Belly is getting bigger. (Although, with self-portraits in the mirror, it is difficult to capture the same angle... or to get a photo that is in focus, for that matter. Thankfully, I am able to crop off my face in these pictures because the expression is not one that is photo-worthy.) The baby belly IS getting bigger, especially when I sit and my muscles are more relaxed.

Sydney's "new thing" is that he's constantly lifting my shirt and resting his cheek (or his hands) on my belly. We keep telling him that there's a baby in there, but we're not sure that he quite understands exactly what that means. The other day, during one of his belly hugs,  Mike asked him "Where's the baby?" Sydney pointed to my belly. (Mike keeps assuring me that "he just wants to give his little sister a hug"; Mike remains hopeful for a girl, but we hope to discover the truth at our ultrasound in another 15 days. All joking aside, we hope for HEALTHY & HAPPY more than either sex.)

I have been VERY HUNGRY on-and-off for the past few weeks. I have also been noticing more and more subtle KICKS from the baby, especially at night when I lay down and occasionally when I sit at the computer. Baby 2 should be nearing 5" long from crown to rump. 

Hopefully, if Baby 2 can hear "outside", he/she isn't taking lessons from big brother Sydney right now... as 18-month old Sydney has been demonstrating temper tantrums and expressions of frustration for the past few weeks. Sydney enjoys testing his boundaries, especially when he is told "No!" 

• pulling on the curtains, told NO, smiling mischievously and doing it again... timeout in "naughty corner", smiling mischievously and purposely doing it again because he somehow thinks this is a HILARIOUS new game! 
• He also SCREAMED and thrashed his body at the store the other day when he was playing with a toy and we made him put it back; Mike took him out to the car while I purchased our few items. By the time I got there, Sydney was STILL screaming. He was really, REALLY MAD! 
• Bedtime has been bringing battles as well; Sydney doesn't want to miss anything so, he throws himself onto the mattress on the floor - in protest. 
• He's determined that he wants what HE wants to eat (when HE wants to eat it). He wanted some grapes yesterday after he spotted them in the back of the fridge, but we weren't giving him any because he got another butt rash - which happens nearly every time he has grapes. He ran into the living room and threw his body into the recliner, screaming and yelling all the way. Glancing from the kitchen, we laughed because he would stop his tantrum to see if we were looking and would start up again if we were in sight. (He KNOWS what he's doing.) As for the grapes, he LOVES THEM! It seems that he cuts new teeth near the times we feed him grapes so, we've wondered for a while now if the rash was from grapes or teething. Last night, while laying in bed, I realized that the butt rash COULD be from the amoxicillin and not the grapes at all. I plan to call the doctor for an anti-fungal cream for him and perhaps, we can eat grapes again afterall...
  

What a funny "Little Big Guy" (LBG)

Happy 1st Wedding Anniversary Mike & Karin

Wishing Mike & Karin a happy 1st wedding anniversary. 

(Hopefully, next year, you'll be able to spend it together.)

Putting the tree up, as well as even higher

We put up our Christmas tree. The branches were fluffed and the lights were strung while Sydney napped. (I had prepped him by telling him that we were going to put a tree in the corner of our dining room earlier in the week and earlier in the day.) 

I was just finishing up the beaded garland strings when he woke from his nap. (To him, those looked a lot like Grandma Olson's necklaces, which are always fair game to play with... until he puts them into his mouth.)

We went on to add some ornaments to the tree. Sydney, however, had other goals in mind. To him, any ornament that resembled a ball - to him WAS a ball. He kept taking them off of the tree as fast as Mike was putting them up. Then, he would set them on the floor and kick them with his feet. We kept explaining that these are NOT BALLS, but he didn't believe us at all. We broke one ornament, as he crushed it in his hand - trying to keep it from us. (He was NOT hurt; although, I think he felt badly that we said it was broken and had to sweep up the pieces.)

We tried putting the pet yard around the tree, but Sydney kept moving it to get at the tree. He was determined to get at all of those balls.

We contemplated taking down the tree. We contemplated leaving the tree and removing all of the ornaments. 

We assured ourselves that next year, Sydney will be older (hopefully, leaving it alone) and the new baby will be too little to be bothered by the tree; the year following that, however, we will be in the same boat all over again. 

Mike suggested that we put the tree out of reach. We took our "table" from the sunporch, covered it with a white shower curtain and set the tree on top of it. The pet yard went around the base for a little added protection. Any of the ornaments that were at the bottom of the tree were moved UP and out of reach. Thankfully, we have high ceilings in our dining room. We made it work so that we can all enjoy the beauty that the season brings.

We did tell Sydney that Santa says "Ho! Ho! Ho!" (Sydney tried saying it, too... which was SUPER CUTE, but he has to be in the right mood to cooperate.)

So, this year - we put the tree up... and then, we put it up again!

Sesame Street LIVE 2010

Grandma Olson, Mommy and Sydney went to see Sesame Street LIVE in Milwaukee over Thanksgiving weekend. Given Sydney's HUGE LOVE of Sesame Street, I expected a HUGE reaction out of him. While we walked through the arena to find our seats, Sydney was SUPER EXCITED whenever he saw a little kid, especially one with a Sesame Street shirt on. 

This was his (emotionless) reaction throughout the entire show. I had expected him to be smiling and pointing, as well as grabbing my chin to make me look in the direction where he saw something exciting. He pretty much just stared...

Abby Cadabby, Zoe, Big Bird, Telly Monster, Ernie and a Honker.

Ernie, Zoe, Honker, Elmo, Big Bird, Abby, Cookie Monster, Count and Girl Grouch

Before the show, Mommy and Sydney posed for a picture.

...and posed for a quick one after the show. (We left a few minutes early because Sydney was getting fussy.)

After all was said and done, he was more excited to see kids than the show. If he would have felt better and been more rested, he probably would have enjoyed it more. He had a VERY BUSY weekend, taking in LOTS of new things.

Next year, I think we'll try to see it in Dubuque instead. Friends Kate and Lucy went there and I'm told that it was "the best day of Lucy's life... EVER!" (That was the kind of reaction I had been hoping for.) Maybe we'll go with them next year...

Wedding of Kerri & Greg

 Jenny and Leann (and their families) took some pictures from the wedding and shared them with us...

Here comes the (BEAUTIFUL) bride... my best friend since 6th grade.

The bridesmaids... please note that I am wearing ULTRA FLATS while they are all wearing massive heals and I STILL tower over them all. Thankfully, Kerri picked dresses that have pockets in them... great for Kleenex and lemon drops. It was nice that the lower half was flowy, too... hid my little baby bump well. (L to R: Sarah, Leann, Jenny and Linda)

The happy couple... Mr. & Mrs. Lewis  :)

Sydney dined with Grandma & Grandpa Olson and was SUPER EXCITED to see that he got french fries with his kids meal. He wasn't overly interested in the chicken tenders, but dipping french fries in BBQ sauce, I'm told, was pretty darned cool. Sydney was dressed in a white dress shirt, brown dress pants, brown shoes and a brown tweed vest; he looked ADORABLE!!! What a handsome little man! (Takes after his daddy...)

Our handsome little man...

Sydney LOVES Kerri!!!! He gave her a handful of kisses on her wedding day, but Greg didn't seem to mind (because he got a HIGH FIVE.) We packed two toy trucks in the diaper bag, which came in handy... Sydney played with 3 year old Makua. (He's Hawaiian, hence the name.) They also enjoyed chasing each other around on the dance floor while people were eating.

Grandma & Grandpa Olson snuck in a dance while Sydney hung out with Mommy for a few minutes.

WOW, what a week (or two)!

We had an INCREDIBLY BUSY (and rough) week last week. Sydney and Mommy went to WI on Tuesday afternoon and didn't return home again until Monday morning. Of all those nights away from home, Sydney decided that SATURDAY was THE ONLY NIGHT he wanted to sleep through the night! We were in town for my best friend's wedding, Thanksgiving holiday, Sesame Street LIVE concert and a bridal shower for my cousin.

Tuesday: PM dress fitting and eyebrow waxing

Wednesday: Lunch date with Grandma Olson, Aunt Sue, Rachel & Kristen. Sarah to wedding rehearsal and dinner. Sydney to family thanksgiving with Grandma & Grandpa. Late night for everyone.

Thursday: Thanksgiving feast at Aunt Sue's house

Friday: Sarah to church early for wedding. Sydney to follow with Grandma & Grandpa. Reception to follow. Late night for everyone.

Saturday: Sesame Street LIVE in afternoon for Grandma Olson, Mommy and Sydney. Light shopping afterwards so that Mommy could find something to wear to cousin Rachel's January wedding.

Sunday: Afternoon bridal shower, early bedtime for everyone.

Monday: home again, home again...

Mike, too, had a busy week. He spent the majority of his time at work; although, he made an attempt to clean up the garage (until he put too much weight onto the wall shelves and they crashed to the ground) and to patch the leak in the bottom of the bathtub (that he claims peeled off like a bandaid). He did NOT have a stress-free week without us... as he had multiple cold sores by the time we got home.

Tuesday: PM lonely since Mommy & Sydney left.

Wednesday: work

Thursday: OFF for Thanksgiving, dinner at casino with Grandpa Lowell

Friday: work

Saturday: work

Sunday: work

Monday: work, anxious for family to return home

This week, we enjoyed spending all of Tuesday off with Mike. We had dinner at Grandpa Lowell's Tuesday night. We took Sydney to the doctor on Wednesday for his 18-month Well Child appointment and he left with a prescription for amoxicillin to get rid of his congestion, cough and ear fluid. Thursday, Mommy went to the doctor and also got a prescription for amoxicillin to get rid of a sinus infection and a possible UTI. We look forward to Mike's short day on Friday, as well as spending the ENTIRE WEEKEND with him at home!