August 1 - Getting SO BIG

Saturday, August 1, 2009 - 

Your days are filled with lots of kicking and punching as you lay on your back and look around. When you lay in your playpen, you especially like to exercise. (We think you like it in there because at the top level it is BOUNCY and you are able to see the little blue hippos move... or MAYBE the only thing REALLY moving is YOU, but to you - it looks like everything else is moving.) 

Daddy is convinced that when you make your little fists and box your hands into the air, that it must mean that you are asking for A BOXER (puppy). You keep your hands clenched in tight, sweaty fists for most of the day. You like to hold onto things... especially to mommy's shirt when you are nursing. Sometimes, when you are getting really hungry - you hold onto your own clothes, which is kind of funny.

After a diaper change, you like to lay on the floor and look around. This is often when you are the smiliest and most talkative as well. You like to kick your legs, especially the right one. We joke that you are trying to get a motorcycle started, but can't quite get that kickstart. You've sure got LOTS of practice at it though!

When you lay on your back, there are a lot of times that you have your arms straight out from your sides. You quickly move your feet and then, it looks like you are trying to scurry across a tightrope. When you sleep in your crib at night, you also like to sleep with your arms out.

You still LOVE to stand up and look around, supporting most of your weight on your own.(You pretty much just need us for balance.) Jumping is so much fun for you too. When you bounce up and down, Mommy often sings "My baby's dancin'... my baby's dancin'..." which you think is funny. Daddy just thinks that Mommy is silly when she does that and he insists that you will have to learn dancing from him because he took dancing classes in college. (You stand, jump and dance like that in the bathtub, too!)

When you are trying to talk, you work really hard to figure out your tongue. You smile a lot and seem to get REALLY EXCITED when you finally figure out the sound that you were working so hard to achieve. You say COO, AH-GOO, GAH and OOO. When you say AH-ROO, you sound like a little werewolf-in-training.

Last night, daddy was holding you out on the sunporch and you had started crying MAAAA. (We noticed that your cries - that used to be WAAAAA have now turned to MA. We're not sure if it is because you are picking up on the references to MOMMA or MOMMY, but you've definitely picked up on the sound.) In fact, last night, you clearly said MA-MA... quick just like that! It may have been a pure accident, but it was as clear as day. Daddy and I just looked at each other in surprise. Then, daddy handed you to me - because we figured you had just asked for MA-MA. We had both wished that we had the camera running to capture it though.

You are up to 13 pounds 5 ounces. Your old 0-3 month Gerber sleep 'n plays are getting too small for you. You take up every inch of height in them and have recently been sporting 3/4 length sleeves. (We just bought you the 3-6 month Gerber sleep 'n plays this week, which should fit you better.)

You are getting SO BIG!

9 weeks old - photos and video

TODAY you are 9 weeks old and you weigh 13 pounds 5 ounces.

Caption Top Photo:

TODAY YOU are 9 weeks old. You hold your head up during TUMMY TIME. You love to stand and jump! You love to look around. You love to lay on your back to kick your feet and wiggle your arms. (Looks a lot like TAE-BO!) You smile a lot more now and you COO more each day. YOU are a delight!  07.30.09

Caption Middle Photo: 

The Many Faces of Sydney: We're just not quick enough with the digital camera yet... with that 3 second delay... to capture all of those smiles that are melting our hearts. 9 weeks: 07.30.09

While enjoying TUMMY TIME, you are enjoying looking at your book "Baby's First Animals". Today, you enjoyed the pictures of the Ducks, Pig, Cow, Horse and Rabbit. Someday, when you are bigger, Daddy wants to teach you that Bunnies CLUCK (Cadburry Bunny). I'm not sure how well that will go over when you go off to kindergarten though.

Someday, I picture this conversation:

Mom/Dad: What does the Cow say?

S: MOO

Mom/Dad: What does the Pig say?

S: OINK, OINK

Mom/Dad: What does the Bunny say?

S: CLUCK, CLUCK, CLUCK

Mom/Dad: What does the Duck say?

S: AFLAC!

and Daddy's personal favorite (which he'll be 100% responsible for) will be this...

Dad: What does Mommy say?

S: NO, NO, NO!

It's TOTALLY worth the price!

During our first week of being parents, we received a card from an Olson Family friend congratulating us on the newest addition to our family. Inside that card, she wrote: I know that you two will be awesome parents! Have fun.

I wondered, for a second, how she knew that we would be awesome parents. Was it a fellow mother's intuition? (Granted, we had both wanted this baby more than anything in the world and had spent the better part of the past year nourishing my body so that we could spend our lifetimes nourishing our child.)

Tucked inside of her card, was a printout called "The Price of Children". We sat on the couch and read it together, finding it touching. By the end, we were both choked up and had tears in our eyes. It was the perfect thing for us to read... being new parents and all. And being that we both had the same sentimental reaction to these words, I'm thinking she was right: WE WILL BE AWESOME PARENTS!

Here's what it said:

The Price of Children

This is just too good not to pass on to all. Here is something absolutely positive for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but THIS is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:

• $8896.66 a year,
• $741.38 a month,
• $171.08 a week.
• A mere $24.24 a day!
• Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is: don't have children if you want to be 'rich'. Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140.00?

• Naming rights. First, middle and last!
• Glimpses of God every day.
• Giggles under the covers every night.
• More love than your heart can hold.
• Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
• Endless wonders over rocks, ants, clouds and warm cookies.
• A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
• A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
• Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:

• finger-paint,
• carve pumpkins,
• play hide-and-seek,
• catch lightning bugs,
• never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:

• keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
• watch Saturday morning cartoons,
• go to Disney movies, and
• wish on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray-painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:

• retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
• taking the training wheels off a bike,
• removing a splinter,
• filling a wading pool,
• coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
• coaching a baseball team that never wins, but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat in history to witness the:

• first step,
• first word,
• first bra,
• first hit,
• first basket
• first date,
• first time behind-the-wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great-grandchildren. You get to teach religion, psychology,  nursing, criminal justice, communications and human sexuality that no college can match...

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. This is quite a deal for the price!

Love enjoy your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren! It's the best investment you'll ever make!

First Date and Babysitter Post-Baby

This afternoon, Daddy worked until 2pm. When he came home, we enjoyed a quick lunch and then scurried off for our first "DATE" since having a baby. Mom had her cell phone tucked into her bra - on vibrate mode - just in case we were needed while on our outing. We went to see the new movie "The Ugly Truth" and we both enjoyed it.

I had been a little apprehensive about leaving him, but think I handled the separation anxiety rather well. Sounds like Sydney did just fine, too!

When we got home, Sydney was sleeping and mom spotted a pacifier on the table. (OOPS, TOTALLY slipped my mind to find one before we left... thankfully, there was a dirty one on the counter, but I'm told Sydney didn't want it anyways.) We're told how puzzling it is that Sydney can go from fussy to sound asleep without a moment's notice. The walk in the stroller was reportedly a very short distance because Sydney fell asleep so quickly. (We're often amazed by this phenomenon as well.)

A few days ago, Daddy manually ran the piston off of the breast pump supplies so that we could extract some milk for baby while Mommy held the rest of the apparatus. (Daddy has been wanting a chance to feed Sydney since it has been the better part of 6 weeks since he has eaten from a bottle now.) Unfortunately, Sydney appears to have forgotten how to drink from a bottle and was getting fussy with that option while we were trying to prepare dinner. Eventually, we gave up on the bottle and Sydney got to go to Mommy for his meal. (Which was probably a RELIEF for both of us!)

Daddy cooked our Cabbage Bake for dinner; although, with the house being 80°F, it wasn't the best time to run the oven. Then, we all enjoyed dinner and some more smiles & talking from Sydney.

Sydney has been a busy little boy... smiling more and more each day. He's also starting to "TALK" a little more each day. His periods of WAKE are mostly happy and alert. He LOVES to look around. He, and daddy, are currently sleeping. So, I'm thinking that I may forego the dinner dishes, grab a quick shower and get a little sleep myself. 

Yesterday, Sydney ate QUITE frequently. (Earlier morning feedings; then, 11:30am, 1pm, 2:30pm, 5:15pm, 9pm) I had to wake him for a 9pm feeding before I went to bed last night. Then, he slept until we woke him around 4am. He sure was a sleepy little guy!!! So, we'll see if I wake him for a feeding before I go to bed... that buys me more time during the night. It sure is nice when he sleeps through the night!

Off to grab that shower...

8 weeks old today

Today, Sydney turned 8 weeks old. 

Hard to  believe how fast that went! 

He's had a rather fussy day today. Might elaborate later, but for now, I'm hoping to get some much-needed sleep. (And hoping that he will settle down for the night soon too... he cries every few minutes, but IS tired.) Crying again; Better go check on the little squirt, but by the time I get there, he might just fall asleep again... just one of those days!

Napping w/ Uncle Mike (self portrait)

Uncle Mike shut down his rig here - at a truckstop just minutes from our house. Sydney and mommy picked him up late morning. Then, we all enjoyed some breakfast before Uncle Mike napped.  When Daddy got home, we snuck out of the house to go downtown for Iowa license plates. When we got back, Sydney settled down in Uncle Mike's armpit for an afternoon nap. (Daddy had to take "Frank the neighbor" to the hospital after mommy saw him fall down his front steps; new bifocals are to blame for the arm/shoulder injury.) Sydney is having dinner now so that the big people can go out for dinner to Carlos O'Kelly's for mexican fare.

PHOTO: Self portrait via iPhone

Documenting 7 weeks old with pics and video

Sydney is 7-and-a-half weeks old now. Here are a few pictures from the past week, as well as a photo from yesterday's nap and Sydney's special bonding time with DA-DA (caught on video without Daddy knowing it). ENJOY!

Be careful what you wish for - Talking to baby

For a while now, mommy has been having to remind daddy of the importance to talk to Sydney. She reminds him that Sydney gets to hear her voice all day long and that it is necessary for Sydney to hear daddy's voice as well.

Well, sometimes, you have to be careful what you wish for....

Within the past few days, daddy has been busy talking to Sydney. As they sit in the recliner, Daddy tells him "You get to sit with DA-DA in DA-DA's recliner and watch the television with DA-DA." 

(He throws DA-DA into casual conversation wherever it is humanly possible because he is hopeful that if he keeps working at it, DA-DA will be the first words uttered by that precious little voice.) Daddy REALLY wants DA-DA to come before MA-MA because he feels that mommy has the advantage of spending 24/7 with baby and is convinced that mommy and baby practice MA-MA all day long while daddy works, which is FAR FROM TRUE.

Daddy has gone as far as to tell Sydney "You see that lady over there? Yes, that is DA-DA's wife and she will be providing you with supper since DA-DA doesn't have milk for DA-DA's baby, but DA-DA's wife does." Then, as he passes off the baby for his feeding, says "Here you go DA-DA's wife. Here is DA-DA's baby who is hungry - like his DA-DA. That's right... DA-DA."

As obnoxious as it is, it is actually kind of funny.... especially when the What to Expect the First Year book states that "despite many-a-mother's dismay, DA-DA is most often uttered before MA-MA despite the countless hours that baby spends with mommy; most likely because DA-DA is simply easier to say."

Needless to say, mommy asked for it! Mommy requested that Daddy talk to Sydney.

Every day, we ask Sydney "Can you talk?" The best time is when he is well-rested and has just been diapered. (This is the time that he tends to enjoy laying on the floor and kicking his legs. This is when he is smiley and you can tell he's trying REALLY HARD to talk, but can't quite grasp the concept of his tongue and vocal cords working together to make sounds.)

He says COO and A-GOO somewhat regularly. (Mommy asks him "Who is this A-GOO you speak of?", to which he just smiles or squeals with delight.)

Mommy warns daddy that because she is a stay-at-home-mom and has all the time in the world to talk to Sydney, he will most likely be a chatterbox, like his mom. (You can imagine Daddy's excitement about that.)

Funny how you spend countless hours encouraging them to talk, but once they learn to be sassy, you spend years wishing they would be quiet. (We'll hope for minimal sass.)

Tonight, Sydney made a MA sound. That's when DA-DA passed him off to be fed. (Maybe we'll just pretend that he meant to say that...)

Looking up

When reading about 7 week old infants and their abilities, we are surprised by Sydney. For just 7 weeks old, we find him to have great strength. He holds his head up very well. He likes to stand up and jump. Sometimes, when he is in just the right mood, he likes to make eye contact, smile and coo.

We read that he should be tracking objects. We've noticed that he doesn't really do that all that much. He loves to look around. He loves looking at items with high contrast of light/dark. He likes staring at the windows. Instead of looking directly at our faces, however, we notice that he often looks over our heads, making us wonder WHY he's always looking UP?

Mike theorized the other day with many examples and reasons WHY he would look up. Here's some reasons that we came up with.

Maybe someday, you will be:

• an air traffic controller
• a pilot
• an elevator repairman
• a window washer
• an electrician
• a weatherman or storm chaser
• a lightbulb changer
• a birdwatcher
• a painter
• a hot air balloon tracker
• an astronomer
• OR the president of an Optimists Club.

Keep looking up, kiddo! Reach for the stars!

A perfect blend

The middle and right babies are mommy and Uncle Mike in September '77. (We were due in July, but born in May.) The way I figure is that we MIGHT be close to the same size as Sydney (left) is now.

In a recent email, a past co-worker of Daddy and I exclaimed that Sydney looks JUST LIKE his mom. I admit, Sydney DOES have an Olson chin and takes after the color of his Uncle Mike's blue eyes, but I don't see THAT CLOSE of a resemblance.

I'm still going with this...

Sydney looks like a great combination of his mom and his dad because at times, he flashes an expression that screams OLSON, but most of the time, he still looks an awful lot like his dad.