We finally had the camera.   Not the best picture, but you get the idea...

One Year!

Sydney tuned one today! She sure is doing a lot! This past month, she went to the beach and LOVED going in the ocean and playing in the sand.  She can waive "bye bye" and says it too! Other tricks include shaking her head "no," playing "Where's Sydney?" (she can pull a blanket or towel over her head when we say "Where's Sydney?") She started music class this morning, and loves to dance and clap her hands to music.  Perhaps the strangest thing is that she seems to have found her voice this month.  She went from our sweet laid back quiet girl to our still sweet but VERY VOCAL Sydney! The biggest change is that Sydney started walking this past week.  She was doing it a little bit over the past couple of weeks, but the last couple of days, she really took off.  We are having a great time with our little one year old!



Halloween


We had a great Halloween this year!  Ryan was excited to dress up as Batman, and the best part was that he already had a costume from his dress-up toys and didn't want anything new.  This was great because in the past, we have bought him costumes and he has refused to put them on.  Sydney was a little ladybug.  Since we went to Henry and Claire's this year, Charlie got away with not having to wear his pumpkin costume.  Plus, since he is now considered "geriatric," maybe it's not appropriate for him to dress up...

Sydney tried on her Ladybug costume before school.



Henry (red) and Ryan (blue) survey their loot.

Sydney and Claire (the Watermelon) celebrate their first Halloween!

11 Months

It was very hard to get a picture of Sydney at 11 Months.  It took 2 days, and this is what I got...

Sydney was too distracted by the "monthly sign," the blanket that we were using for the poses, and the everyday distractions of her changing table to bother posing for a picture.  

It was no better when we moved into the playroom.  (All rooms that we tried that had no distractions failed to work as well because Sydney would quickly crawl to the playroom or kitchen).

At 11 months, Sydney is quite active! She is not so easy to bathe or change.  She would rather crawl, cruise and explore than be still.  Sydney is able to stand for a long period of time, and is very proud of this fact.  She has learned to waive bye bye, clap her hands to music, and loves to babble.  It seems like Sydney may be referring to per pacifier as "mama" just like Ryan did!

Sydney has 2 teeth on top and 2 teeth on the bottom.  Teething didn't seem to bother her too much, as she is still a great sleeper at night! 

10 Months!



Sydney is 10 Months Old...and now that we finally got ATT Uverse, we will not have so many delays in posting updates.  If I knew internet could be this fast, I would have switched ages ago! 

So...not too much happened during that month.  Sydney did start cruising though, and trying to stand.  As you can see in the picture below, she still sleeps like a champ.  At school, Sydney is known for being a champion eater.  We observed this first hand as she ate more than most of the adults at Rosh Hashanna dinner!

Sydney's bottom two teeth started to come through, making her a sweet little drooler.

Perhaps what makes Sydney truely Sydney is her unique ability to hit you in the face and smile so that you just can't be mad.  (We are working on that)



Look at my bed head!

Nothing sweeter than a baby sleeping with her tush in the air!

9 Months!

I swear...we did take this picture at 9 months. And then it sat in my camera for a few weeks while life got a little crazy! Poor Sydney...second child syndrome? Nope...we spend so much time loving on her that we don't have time to blog...

So, here is what went on from August 4-Sept 4

Sydney started eating more table food, started crawling, pulling herself up, likes clawing at your face (playfully), is in 75th percentile for height and weight, got her first flu shot, was in her first hurricane (Hurricane Irene)...in Baltimore for cousin Reid's Bar Mitzvah, loves laughing at Ryan and watching him play, dances to music, and still sleeps like a champ.

Hilton Head

We went to Hilton Head! We had a great time, and Ryan discovered Superman Ice Cream!
Sydney was a perfect age to take to the beach. Old enough to sit up on her own, but too young to crawl...

Ryan and Daddy loved playing at the beach together!

And in the end, the parents won!

8 Months

At 8 months, we realized Sydney should probably eat some solid food! She eats saltines, bagels, pasta, and egg foo young! She also loves popcorn, hot dogs, peanuts, honey, and gum. (just seeing if you're paying attention) We also gave up on the infant carrier and gave her the big car seat. She loves laughing at Ryan, and squirms after Charlie. She randomly says "mama" which we like a lot! This month, Sydney went to Hilton and liked playing in the sand, eating the sand, and sharing a stoller with Ryan.

Cleveland

One of the most frequent requests from Ryan is for us to put Sydney on his lap. He just wants to sit and hug her all the time.
We went to Cleveland for Nana's retirement. We had a great time!

Nana dressed up for the "My Fair Lady" theme. We loved her fancy hat! Ryan (being Ryan) refused to take a picture. The trade off is that he sat in the sanctuary for an hour and a half like a perfect angel.

7 Months!

At 7 months, we sure have a lot to report! Sydney is 26 inches long (38th percentile) and is 19 pounds (85th percentile). We are so happy that she is growing so well. Sydney loves her baby food. She gets excited as soon as she sees us take out the bowl! Sydney can also sit up on her own (she rode in a grocery cart for the first time and loved it), and she is trying very hard to crawl. (She does "push-ups, planks, and downward facing dog" and slides backward...but no crawling") Sydney's personality is coming out as well. She is still very easygoing, but she does love the sound of her own voice. She sits there and happily screams. She really loves people, and as soon as she makes eye contact with someone, she smiles at them. She smiles the biggest when she sees Ryan. However, now in second place is Charlie!

Four Years Old!

Ryan turned 4 on June 12, and we had so much fun celebrating! (It took so long to recover, I am just now posting this update...)

We celebrated at Play activity center which reminded Ryan of his favorite TV show, Wipeout.

Here is what Ryan is up to at age 4:

He loves to hug Sydney, go bowling, swimming, play any sport, and really does not like hot weather. Ryan loves to talk

Has an imaginary friend named Ja Ja

Doesn't fall asleep until at least 10pm, no matter how early we start our bed time routine

Loves having company over

Loves being with family

Thinks superheros are the coolest thing ever

Would put Nuttella on carrots if we allowed it

Is not afraid of anything and kills the bugs for me

Helps to feed Sydney her baby food

Loves to watch people jump off the diving board

Favorite food is shrimp, any candy, and "Fire on the Table" (Japanese)

Favorite Color is Red

Favorite Superhero is Superman

Favorite Song is "Baby" by Justin Bieber

Summer Fun

Ryan and his friend William show off thier inner-superhero

Poppo and Nana got Ryan a new bike for his birthday!

What a good big brother!

First day at the pool!

Family time!

Eva and Uncle Brian came back in town! Eva and Sydney shared a night cap before bed.

6 Months!

Sydney is 6 months old! She is eating baby food, holding her own bottle, and sitting up (sort-of) unassisted. She still loves her bath, never cries, is the easiest baby alive, smile and goes with the flow. Sydney reaches out for things that she wants now, and can put her pacifier back in her mouth. She loves Ryan hugging all over her, and smiles at him. She seems to notice Charlie now.
Sydney enjoys the pool, the stroller, tummy time, the crib, the bed, and really just about anything.

This & That

This is as fancy as it gets for Ryan. Anything with bottons or a collar is a really big deal. Ryan starts Pre-K in August. He will have to wear a uniform every day, including a shirt with a collar. Can't wait.

We went to our favorite festival a few weeks ago...Lemonade Days! Ryan loved the Ferris Wheel, and he even wanted to go on the small roller coaster. But, just like in the movie "Big," when we got to the front, he was not allowed on the ride. He took it like a champ, and went on the Elephants instead!

Sydney kept cool while Ryan went on the rides.

Here is what Ryan is into these days:

Asking how old everyone is

Asking what color/what pound bowling ball people can pick up

Talking about his imaginary friends GiGi, GaGa, Burp and Antobe

Superheros

Star Wars

Sports

"Things that are cool"

Eating yogurt and cereal mixed together

5 Months!

Sydney has had a pretty big 5th month! She can now roll from front to back, and back to front. She makes lots of noises...spitting, loud happy screams, blowing bubbles, but still really not crying except when hungry or tired. Sydney is starting to notice Charlie (and Charlie is noticing Sydney) and she even looks at him and smiles. We finally took Sydney out of her swaddle at night, and after a couple of nights, she did just fine. She sleeps about 10 or 11 hours a night, which is perfect!

Sydney's favorite activities:

Laying on the bed looking at or eating her fingers

Getting hugs from Ryan

Watching Ryan play

Going for walks in the stroller

Bathtime

Making crazy noises

Four Months!

Sydney is four months old! There is still not much that upsets her. As long as she is not hungry or tired, Sydney is as happy as can be! She can go in the exersaucer for a few minutes, and she seems to like being upright. She also likes to "stand up" while we hold her hands. Ryan is probably one of Sydney's favorite things. He is good at giving her a pacifier, hugging her, or singing to her. During her fourth month, Sydney went on her first airplane (to Baltimore), started laughing, can roll from tummy to back, and went to her first temple service.

Here are Sydney's stats:

24 1/2 inches long (59th percentile)

14 lbs, 12 oz (75th percentile)

Head Circumfrence 16 1/4 cm (59th percentile)

Keeping Busy

Taylor is one of Sydney's friends. Sydney just doesn't know it yet.

Ryan and Darren had fun playing in the "leaves." (AKA pine straw) They have come a long way from the 6th floor at Northside Hospital!

Batman and Robin

Henry has been asking Ryan to dress up in the Batman and Robin costumes for a long time. (Since Henry got them for his birthday!) Ryan has never been willing to put on the Robin costume...until now. And ever since he put it on, Ryan has not stopped talking about getting his own Robin costume.

Baby Eva Comes to Town

Poor Eva...she will be in High School and Ryan will still probably call her Baby Eva. We were so excited that Uncle Brian, Auntie Laura, and Eva came to town. Despite Eva's unexpected full body red spots, we all had fun! (you can hardly tell in the picture!) Eva kept walking up to Sydney saying "bay-bay" (baby). They became fast friends...