Sydney's First Christmas

Today was probably the best Christmas ever. Christmas takes on a whole new meaning when it's your child's Christmas. Although, Sydney didn't really understand today, she had a blast. I think her favorite part was being able to stay home with mom and dad all day and have 100 percent of their attention. Sydney got up around 8 a.m. She wasn't really too successful at opening presents, but mom and dad helped her out. Then we spent the entire day in our PJ's just playing on the floor with all of her cool, new toys. We didn't even cook dinner! We ordered Chinese take-out! I think this was the best part of all. My brother and his wife always go out to a chinese buffet for their Christmas dinner. I never really understood why you want to spend your Christmas in at a buffet. But now I think that's a great idea. Cooking dinner would have taken away from the time we would want to spend with Sydney and we'd get all stressed out. So take out was a great idea. Sydney was exhausted. She took an hour long nap in the morning, a two and a half hour nap in the afternoon, and then fell asleep by 6:30. Below are some pictures of this great day!

Tomorrow I am headed out for some after holiday sales and then we're going to prepare for our trip to PA. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone up there.

Well I hope everyone's holiday was as great as ours.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Yeah! Christmas if FINALLY here! I am so excited. Yes, I am more excited than Sydney. Christmas Eve was awesome. We went to service at 7pm. The service was amazing! There were people actually brought to tears. Sydney had a great time. Then we came home and put our new Christmas PJ's on. Sydney went to bed and Jason and I drank hot chocoloate and watched a Christmas Story (my second favorite Christmas movie). I, of course, ended up falling asleep about 30 minutes into it. Jason didn't mind at all since he really doesn't like that movie. So he watched Ghost Hunters (one of his favorite shows).

It is now 7:20 a.m. on Christmas Day and Jason and I are anxiously awaiting Sydney waking up. I think this is the first day since she was born that we actually WANT her to get up! So here are some picture of our Christmas Tree as we are looking at it right now. I'll post more pictures this evening (post-Sydney).

9 Months Already

So in my last post, I forgot to tell you about Sydney's 9-month check up. She got 3 shots and did fantastic. As always, so smiled for the first one, got a little unhappy for the second, and cried during the third. But I think it was just an act because 10 seconds later she was smiling again. Sydney is weighing in at a whopping 16 pounds 2 ounces. So maybe it's not whopping for her age, but the doctor thinks she's doing great. So I haven't updated everyone on her diet lately. She is eating tons and tons of food. She loves all fruits and veggies. Jason is a little worried she's going to be a vegetarian, so we've started giving her some meats and she loves them too. She has eaten chicken, turkey, fish, and tonight she tried a few bites of my meatload. She absolutely loved it. Her veggie of the week is cucumber. She seems to really like them. She is also eating yogurt, cottage cheese, and bread. Tonight she actually ate an entire slice of bread on her own. She didn't shove the entire slice in her mouth at once. She actually took tiny bites. It was really cool to watch her eat like a big girl. She doesn't have any teeth, but that doesn't seem to be stopping her.

So I asked Christina to come over to our houe and snap a few family portraits for the Christmas cards. Yes, I know waiting til the last minute, but that's been happening a lot lately. So you'll all probably receive Christmas cards from us after Christmas, but be happy you get them at all. So here are some of my favorites.

This is Sydney's fouth week at her new daycare. Everything is going so well. I think Sydney really enjoys going to Edna's house. She is getting such a good education. Today Edna asked Sydney to pick up the blue pice and she did. OK...so maybe it was a lucky guess, but maybe she really does know blue :)

I think she's well on her way to talking. She's got the mama and the dada down pretty well. As far as the signing is going, she's got milk down pat. She did it again this evening and at Edna's house. The next sign is eat. I've been working on that one the last couple of days with her. We'll see if she gets that one.

Baby Signs

So last week, the most amazing thing has happened. Sydney did her first baby sign. She made the sign for milk. Jason got her a bottle and she continued to make the sign while she was drinking the bottle. Then on Monday, she did the same thing at day care. What a genius! Well maybe not a genius, but a super smartie!

Last night, Sydney enoyed her first visit to Flat Iron Farm. For those of you not familiar with Southern Maryland, Flat Iron Farm puts on a huge display of lights for the holidays. They also open up all the barns for folks to walk through. Sydney saw cows, pigs, goats, chickens, ducks, horses, ponies, and sheep. I think the horses and cows were her favorites and baby pigs were a close third. It was such a fun time. Unfortunately we forgot our camera so we don't have any pictures of the event. Maybe next year :)

So I don't have pictures to post today. I spent 2 hours loading all our photos to our shutterfly site. So check out that page to see a bunch of pictures of Sydney over the last couple of months. The website is http://vancamps.shutterfly.com/

What a Week!!!

This was such an exciting week for Sydney. Not only was it her first Thanksgiving, Sydney was also baptized. Grandma, Grandpa, Grammy, and Great Gram joined us for Sydney's first Thanksgiving. It was quite an event. Jason (assisted by Steve) deep fried a turkey.

Steve had a very important job....Standing by with the fire extinguisher! And for those that were wondering....No, he didn't have to use it.

And 51 minutes later we had a beautifully cooked turkey.

Sydney enjoyed her Thanksgiving dinner. She had turkey for the first time. She also enjoyed corn, beets, peas, mashed potatoes, and bread. She ate every last morsel.

Friday evening we all headed over to the square in Leonardtown and enjoyed the holiday festivities. We listened to Mrs. Clause read stories, saw Santa come to town on a sleigh, and watched the tree lighting ceremony.


Sydney got her picture taken with the gingerbread man.

Sydney enjoyed the petting zoo as well. She got to pet donkeys, sheep, ponies, and cows.

Sydney got to see the horses very close up.

That evening, we had a great dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Sydney really enjoyed that. One of Sydney's traits is the way she eats and drinks. Ever since she was born, she reminded me of a little bird. The way she stretches out her neck and opens her mouth makes me think of the way a little bird takes food from mamma bird. We didn't had a sippy cup so I gave Sydney some water through a straw. It was so cute how drank the water.

Today was Sydney's big day! We celebrated her baptism at Middleham and St. Peter's Parish Hall. It was a busy day at the church...and as always, Sydney did great! Again, there must have been 6 people that came up after the service asking us if Sydney ever cries. It's unbelievable how little she actually cries. She has got to be one of the happiest and laid back babies ever. Sydney looked like a little princess today.

Sydney's godparents are Christina and Steve.

I Can't Believe It's The Middle of November Already!!!

Where has the time gone? I had all the intentions in the world to post these Halloween pictures the week of Halloween. I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving and I'm finally getting around to doing this. I have to admit that the only reason I'm posting up today is because my sister-in-law has been pestering me for the last few days (Thanks Case!)

So for Sydney's first Halloween, she was a witch. Her costume was so cute, so I would almost consider her a witch princess :)



Jason dressed as well. He put on his civil war re-enacting uniform.



We took Sydney to Ann Marie Gardens where she trick-or-treated through the haunted path. We all had a very good time. Maybe next year, she'll understand Halloween a little bit better :)
I think Jason had a blast getting to dress up and hang out with the little one for the holiday.

Every week we take Sydney to a playgroup at Kiddos. This was Sydney's first time that daddy got to go. Sydney and Dad had a blast. And Sydney crawled all the way through the tunnel again!

Ride 'em Cowgirl!

No Hands!

So things have been changing pretty fast around here. Sydney started at a new daycare and is doing great! She loves hanging out with the big kids (the 2-year olds) all day. And I think they love hanging out with her as well. Sydney is getting around very well these days. She pulls herself up very quickly. She tries to walk but hasn't quite figured out how to move her feet. As far as eating...She has been refusing to let us feed her. Yes, can you believe it. I had no idea that at 8 months old babies can feed themselves. I'm not even sure I should still call her a baby! We have to cut regular food up into little pieces and she chows down. However, she still does NOT have any teeth! Her favorite foods are spinach, bananas, and cheerios! I recently fed her yogurt. The first time she wasn't too crazy about it, but the second time she seemed to like it better.

We also met Sydney's new doctor that will be taking care of her foot. He is not quite like her doctor in Syracuse, but he definitely knows his stuff. Unfortunately he delivered the bad news that she will need to wear her shoes until she is 4 (not 2 like we had previously thought). I'm sure it will be OK though. She doesn't seem to mind them, so we'll just take things one day at a time.

Today was the first day that I took Sydney to church by myself. Jason wasn't able to make it, so it was up to me to keep Sydney happy for the entire 45 minutes. She did a fantastic job! Thank goodness for cheerios. They kept her happy for the last 20 minutes. Oh, And I can't forget the part where Father David gave her a big hunk of bread during communion. That made her quite happy! She did pass on the wine though ;)

So time is flying by. We are getting ready for Sydney's baptism, which is 2 weeks from today. Thanksgiving is right around the corner so we have been preparing the house for our family to stay with us. There aren't enough hours in day to get everything ready; hopefully we'll come close.

Getting Back to Normal

Yes, I know...It has been awhile. Life has been pretty hectic this last month. However, things are getting more "normal" every day. We are working hard to make our house a home. We have almost all of the rooms unpacked. We ordered blinds and shades to stop the entire neighboorhood from seeing everything going on in our house. We actually have some pictures hanging on the walls and are talking about paint colors. Sydney is doing great! She crawls all over the house. She is quite a little dare devil too. She is actually standing up. She can stand up while she's holding on to things, but falls over when she lets go. I think in another month she's going to be walking :)

Sydney continues to love food and try new ones all the time. Some new foods include papaya, green beans, honeydew, mashed potatoes, and tofu. The other day Sydney wasn't interested in eating her spinach, instead she wanted to drink it. So it was pretty messy, but she enjoyed every last bit of it :)


Sydney loves bath time.

Last week, Sydney went to Kiddos, a baby and toddler gym. Sydney had a great time. She spent a few minutes in the ball pit, but all she wanted to do was eat the balls.

Sydney tried to climb up the bridge, but fell over backwards after she got to the second step.

Sydney flashed some big smiles after sliding down the slide.

The best part of the trip to Kiddos was at the end when Sydney crawled the entire way through the tunnel.

Sydney also hit a major milestone in her little life. She actually spent an entire night without mom and dad. This past Saturday Jason and I went to the Chesapeake Beach Resort and Spa for a well deserved mini vacation. Aunt Christina stayed with Sydney. They had a blast!

Hello Maryland

What a long road, but we're finally in Maryland. We've been busy all weekend unpacking and getting settled into our new house. Sydney is doing very well. You would never know from her behavior that her whole world was turned up-side-down. She continues to stay on her schedule and remains the happiest baby ever.

This week Sydney tried green beans...they are not her favorite. In fact, she flat out refused to eat them twice. Today was my first day back at the office in a long time. I was a nervous wreck the entire day. It was very hard to leave Sydney, but we both managed to make it through ok. I'm sure it will get easier over time.

Sydney at McArthur Park in the swing


Sydney chewing on a teething biscuit



Sydney showing off what a big girl she is :)


Our last day in NEPA with Sydney's nanna (Pat) and Al. We miss you and can't wait to see you again soon!

Good-Bye New York

Well this has been a very emotional week for us. The movers came on Monday morning to pack our stuff and by Tuesday afternoon the house was completely empty. We said goodbye to our very good friends in the neighborhood and we're getting ready to start a new chapter of our life in Maryland. This move is very bitter sweet for us. We have made some great friends and developed some wonderful relations with people in New York, which makes us very sad to move. But on the flip side, we have very wonderful friends in Maryland we will be returning to.

This move has been extremely stressful on both Jason and me. Trying to sell a house in NY and buy a house in MD and not be homeless in between was a challenge. We are so thankful this process is almost over. I actually told Jason to start planning a vacation because after all of this we need one! Sydney and Abe have been troopers through all of it though. Sydney and I have been staying with our friends in Susquehanna until our stuff gets delivered to our new house in Maryland. Abe is staying with his favorite friend, Sarah, in Maryland. He's probably getting more attention this week than he has in the past 6 months....And loving every bit of it.

Sydney is doing great. She continues to eat wonderful foods. She loves bananas, carrots, and cantaloupe. She is crawling all over the place and beginning to pull herself up. She can now pull herself all the way up to a standing position. I can't believe it! Oh...and thanks to her dad her first word is "HEY-YA". Don't ask me what that means but she said it 3 times today! I don't think I'm really going to consider that her first word, since it really isn't a word. I think the only thing worse than Hey-Ya is "Heyna"...Only those of you from Northeastern PA will know what that means.

Big Girl

On Friday, Sydney had her 6-month check-up and shots with her pediatrician. And of course, Sydney showed off. As soon as I set her on the table, she rolled over and pushed herself up to a sitting position. The nurse couldn't believe it...she made a joke, that Sydney was on her way to kindergarten. The doctor said that in over the 20 years she has been in practice, she has never seen a baby like Sydney as was truely amazed. Jason thinks that she says that to all of her patients, but as Sydney's mom, it made me feel great!

In celebration of Jason's birthday, we went to Red Lobster for dinner. Since Sydney thinks she is such a big girl now, we got her a high chair and she ate sweet potato and drank apple juice while we enjoyed our shrimp. She did such a great job in the restaraunt. And during dinner she got one of the most wonderful compliments ever. The waitress for the table next to ours, saw Sydney and stopped and stared at her. She said Sydney was the most beautiful baby she had ever seen. I smiled and laughed a little. And she said again..."No, I mean it. She is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. She is even prettier than the babies in magazines." So again, as Sydney's mom...I have to agree with her :)

Happy Labor Day!

I just can't believe how fast babies grow up! I honestly thought that babies didn't crawl until they were a year old and didn't walk until they were nearly two. Wow...was I way off base. Sydney amazes me every day. Really...each day she can do something new. Not only does she sit by herself, but she can go from a crawling position on her knees to a sitting position and back to crawling. I can't believe it. She is completely mobile! She's even starting pulling herself up. Good thing we lowered the mattress in the crib last weekend!

Sydney's diet continues to expand. So far she has eaten squash, sweet potatoes, avocado, and just today she enjoyed some bananas. She absolutely loves food! She gets so excited when it's time to eat. But, she is so messy! Sometimes I question how much actually gets to her tummy :)

Today we went to the GDS Fair. Sydney seemed to have a good time. She was so well behaved. And of course, she turned on the charm for every male that gave her any attention at all. Ladies can goo and gaa over Sydney til the cows come home and she barely smirks...but when a man talks to Sydney, her face lights up and she starts to smile and laugh. I think we're in trouble! She's not even 6 months old and she mastered flirting!

Mission Accomplished

Earlier this week we traveled to Maryland in search of a new house and a responsible person to care for Sydney. I thought relocating was difficult, but it's ten times more stressful with an infant. There is a lot of planning that goes into making this a smooth experience. We all know how stressed I get if things don't go according to plan. However, I am happy to report that we were successful in finding a new house and finding new child care. Our new home is located very close to work (less than a mile away) and it's in a very nice neighborhood and there is a county park not to far away. I think this will be a great place for Sydney to grow up. This house is definitely our dream home! We plan to be here for a very long time.

Sydney stayed with her godmother (Christina) for an afternoon and had great time! Christina sent me this picture while we were out house hunting. The smile on Sydney's face tells it all...she was having a ball!

Sydney also had an exciting week. The doctor was very impressed with the progress of her feet, so she now only has to wear her shoes at nap time and bed time. Sydney loves to pull her socks off and chew on her toes. She is getting better at sitting up on her own. She actually sits up for 15 seconds or so. Then she gets too distracted with wanting to reach for a toy and flops over. She is becoming quite mobile. Although she hasn't quite gotten the crawling thing down yet, she has mastered the roll and creep. And the most exciting news....Sydney ate her first vegetable this week. She chowed down on some fresh squash from her Nana's garden.

Birthday Bash!

So how cool is it to celebrate milestone birthdays in the same year. This year, I turned 30 on June 9th; my mom turns 50 on August 17th; and my gram turned 90 on July 1. And Sydney was born on March 11. We thought this was a unique and exciting situation so we had a big celebration on August 2nd.

My mom and I made all the food. And even the weather was on our side. Some of the worst storms of the summer happened on Saturday...The weathermen were calling for over 2 inches of rain in a matter of hours. Luckily, we had a brief shower in the morning and the rest of the day was beautiful! I think everything turned out spectacular.

But the hit of the party was our birthday cake. Anyone that knows us at all knows that we loved to play Scrabble together. So what can be better fitting than a Scrabble birthday cake?!?! A lady from Vestal put together the most amazing birthday cake I have ever seen!

My grandmother had a great time as well. Although she doesn't hear very well, she is still going strong at 90. Many of us wish we can live that long and be healthy enough to play and laugh with our great grandchildren.

Dennis and Cayce even drove in from North Carolina for the event. And they got to meet their neice for the first time!