Christmas Gallery

We spent Christmas Eve and morning at Jackie and Graham's house. Their home is lovely, but even more so when decorated for Christmas. The Christmas Eve spread was scrumptious - our favorites were stuffed mushrooms, rye toast appetizers, buckeyes and the cupcakes. Yum.

In addition to the usual suspects, Jackie, Graham, Julie, Tom/Dad/Grandpa/tpatterson and Audrey, our friends Kim and Kim joined us Christmas Eve.

Whether it's Christmas, or any other holiday, the fun is watching Sydney experience something new. She is inquisitive, curious and expressive even when engaged with the most simple, novel items, such as crinkled wrapping paper.

Here is Sydney solo on Christmas morning.



Sydney with her handlers on Christmas morning.



No peeking!



I am dreaming of a green Christmas ...



This was certainly our most eco-friendly Christmas. The majority of the gifts my family exchanged were 'wrapped' in gift bags. So, not only was the joy in gift giving /receiving from the present itself, but also its container. I am pleased with the selection of gift bags we returned home with. "Note to self, just remove the name tag before I use them ..." We still used wrapping paper and I salvaged some pieces for scratch paper.

One of the coolest presents I received was a tree from Jackie and Graham. And to ensure that this tree lives - I lack the family green thumb - I will not be taking care of it. Jackie and Graham's gift is for a tree to be planted for me in a National Forest. Unfortunately, I am just not sure which forest. But, what a warm and pleasant feeling to know that birds and squirrels are making my tree their home. And, even with the high risk of wildfires, the tree will actually have a chance of survival hundreds of miles away from me :)

To reciprocate, Sydney gave Jackie a pail full of Method house cleaner, which is environmentally friendly. A lame gift for some, but Jackie loves to clean. Plus, it comes in such cool colors, scents and packaging. (You gotta love the people in marketing).

So, after Christmas brunch, (which also is my annual does of sausage, gravy and biscuits) Brian, Sydney and I returned to West Lafayette where Santa visited the night before.

Sydney scouts the present options.









Sydney munches on her new Dora the Explorer soccer ball.



Some of Sydney's other favorite gifts include her walker/wagon, Leap Frog Fridge Farm, Leap Frog Alphabet Pal and a new batch of books, which I am enjoying even more! I highly recommend Janell Cannon's Verdi and Stellaluna, and Steve Martin's (yes, that Steve Martin) The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z!. I personally am reading more than just books with pictures - I finished Anne Tyler's Breathing Lessons and started Carl Hiassan's Nature Girl. Ten more days until class starts, which means 10 more days of pleasure reading.

But, I have digressed from our Christmas reel. The holiday was lovely and Sydney seems to be a fan. Now, she just needs to work on her New Year resolutions.

Skate with Santa

Last Saturday (12.15) we crashed the Skate with Santa party at the West Lafayette ice skating rink. Sydney is a bit young for skating so we were spectators. Here is Brian trying to help Sydney keep her cheeks warm.



Even though we were just watching the skaters, Santa (a skinny teenage boy in a Santa suit) skated to the side of the rink to visit Sydney. She enjoyed her introduction to the jolly man in the red and white suit and maybe next year she will be skating with him.



I wrapped up my Christmas shopping this week (he, he, 'wrapped,' get it?) and have resolved to start the retail process earlier next year.

My sisters and I exchange "Suggestion Lists" every year. We share suggestions, so the gift-giver has a better idea of what someone may need or want. We each keep saying we have too much stuff, and the lists help us with our selections.

The lists are also fun to read because I always learn something about my sisters. However, it's a guarantee that Jackie will list warm stuff, ie, fleece blankets, socks, hats, scarves, etc., every year. Based on Jackie's warmth stockpile over the years, you would assume she hibernates during winter.

While shopping for her last week, I found myself wondering what she would do if Christmas was not a winter holiday. I guess she would celebrate the winter solstice (which is tomorrow). It's amazing to think how different the holiday would be if it took place in August ...

Instead of buying scarf and hat sets for friends, would we give sun glasses and Speedos? Snowmen would probably not be so prevalent. What would replace them, ants? No more penguins or polar bears (this is foreshadowing global warming). Toucans and alligators would replace them. Gourmet cooks would pass on heating their ovens (no peanut brittle or fudge). Tomatoes would probably be a common gift and stockings would probably be filled with sunscreen.

I pledged I would start shopping earlier this year. Maybe I will hunt for gifts in June and surprise my family and friends with pool toys or Tiki torches. Those items would be fun to wrap.

Christmas during winter, especially when it snows, is magical. I wouldn't want it any other way ... but it is fun to imagine ... Here is wishing for a little snow Tuesday morning so Sydney can test her new purple boots.

Digital Baby

This fall I clipped an Associated Press story that highlighted the pros and cons of digital technology recording today's kids. "Digital technology leads to the most documented kids ever" featured a mom that shot more than 6,500 photos during her daughter's first nine months.

Brian and I have not calculated the number of images we have, but we know it doesn't take long to accumulate oodles of images ... often of the same pose, expression, outfit or moment. I remember back (and I mean just a few years) when I had to carefully budget the 24 or 36 images assigned to each roll of film.

Now, we can snap a moment with one of two digital cameras, two cell phones or a digital video camera. Oh, and sometimes Brian records Sydney's chirps and peeps with his hand held recorder.

Yes, this is one documented kid.To illustrate my point ... here are three photos of Sydney (August 2007) from the same moment:).








We have so much material that I easily get overwhelmed trying to organize, develop or post the photos we do have. I spent Saturday evening catching up on photos from October and November when I panicked: we have very few (only about 30 photos) of our daughter in November. How did we fail we to chronicle the month as she approached her 11 month milestone?

The article points out that all of these recordings (photos, videos, blogs and audio clips) would be a gold mine for an anthropologist, but who is really going to wade through all of these? Will Sydney ever look at every photo or video? I know my mom set aside a box of photos for each daughter and I am excited to look through its content some day. At the rate Brian and I are snapping, Sydney will have a library to peruse.

The number of days Sydney is a baby are passing quickly. Brian and I realize this, and it is comforting to know that somewhere we have photos of Sydney at various stages of her babyhood. Just one month and one day and our baby will be a little girl!

Turkey Day

We had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday. Brian's parents visited from New Jersey and we all spent Turkey Day with Jackie and Graham. They planned a lovely meal for more than 20 people including the Neuberts, the Pattersons, the Peelles and family friends.

Chow time: Here is Sydney waiting for her meal from Aunt Jackie.



Sydney loves Bailey and Bauer (pictured). And, I am sure Bauer loved the baby food that Sydney smeared on his face.



Dancing with the stars: Aunt Julie Turkey Tangoed with Sydney for entertainment.



Scaling the stairs: Our own little butterball burned some calories climbing the stairs ... of course, Julie and I followed her.



However, Sydney did not like the idea of napping at Jackie's house, so Brian and I spent two hours of the day driving the deserted streets of Indy trying to lull the cranky baby to sleep. She really liked the idea of sleeping in her car seat because the following day she napped sitting up in her crib.

Turtle soup: Halloween

Sydney and Brian on Halloween evening



Sydney first donned her turtle costume at the Lafayette Columbian Park Boo at the Zoo. However, she was cold and complacent, so it was a short visit. A few days later we celebrated the upcoming holiday at the Hess Halloween party. Sydney was indifferent to her costume as well as everyone else's. She did enjoy the toys.

Days later on Halloween she was quite happy ...

Brian brought Sydney to the News Service Halloween morning.(Thanks for the picture Dave!)



Halloween evening (Before)



(After)






The best part of this costume is watching Sydney crawl.



It will be fun to see what kind of costumes Sydney selects for herself. What will her selection say about her personality? This one represents her mobility. I found the turtle costume just a couple weeks after Sydney started crawling. It seemed perfect.

The wordsmith

Photo taken 10.9.07

Sydney's babbling continues to evolve. She started with the baby basics - "da da," "ma ma," "ga ga" and "ba ba." She associates "da da" with Brian. Granted, she sometimes refers to inanimate objects as "da da" too, but she is making the connection. She also calls Norton and Vader "gat" A couple times this weekend "cat" came out of her mouth. "Gat" may be short for "Get the cat."

This photo is Sydney sitting by the caterpillar statue at the Colombian Park Zoo in Lafayette. The zoo re-opened its renovated sections this summer. Sydney and I spent a lovely fall day at the zoo during fall break. Looking forward to spending more time at the zoo next summer.

Fear

What do pumpkins, tape and vacuum cleaners have in common? Sydney is afraid of them. Our bold, brave daughter is usually quite the Marco Polo, but when it comes to these three things, her curiosity and fear collide.

I put 'sticky paw tape' on the bottom stair to keep Norton from expressing his sibling rivalry. It also keeps Sydney away. She approaches the tape, pokes at it, then starts to whimper. She takes the same approach with her pumpkin (named Jack, Jack Sparrow). It's obvious Syd is excited and wants to explore, but something triggers her whimpering and quivering. It's the same with the vacuum cleaner, only she doesn't get real upset until the vacuum cleaner is turned off.

The 'books' say to take the fear serious and comfort the child. Then help her learn about the object she fears. I found quite a bit about babies' fear of vacuum cleaners, but am not sure what I will find about tape and pumpkins ...

I can only imagine how vast the world is for an almost 10-month-old and I am surprised she is not anxious about more.

I was going to post an old photo with this post but the Photo Uploading tool is unavailable. I would draw a stick figure of Sydney but my pen just keeps smearing on my computer screen.

Speaking of pens ... I am searching for a Pens for the Poor charity. We have more pens (in part because Brian tends to pick them up naturally like Velcro picks up lint) then two writers who type on laptops need.

Think Pink

'Thinking' is what I failed to do Friday night. I was a few days behind with Sydney's laundry, so I crammed everything - including her new red hoodie - into one load. I hope pink is a popular fall color this year because about 80 percent of her current wardrobe (12-18 month clothes) was in that load. Her white pants are pink. About a dozen pair of socks are pink. But, don't worry the bibs will match too because they are pink :)

This photo is from Sept. 28. Sydney was enjoying a Friday morning with her Dad.

Butter

Sydney enjoys her new crab that Brian brought from Minnesota. Apparently, the squid was ugly. I know, when you hear Minnesota the first thing you think of are sea creatures.

(Mmmm. Crab legs.)

Guess Girl

Sydney sports her new jeans. She will be 9-months-old in 10 days. Amazing.

Sydney started crawling this week. After weeks of Brian and I wishing she would start crawling,it didn't take us long to wonder why we ever wanted her to crawl. She is everywhere.

Jail Break

Sydney often prefers to play in her crib then sleep in it.

Grrrr!

Day 2

Aunt Julie holding Sydney on Day 2 (1.4.07).

Little slugger

Sydney enjoys an evening at Victory Field. More photos to come (8.30.07)

Midnight Snack

Sydney enjoys some frog legs (7.31.07).

Happy baby!

Emily Post would not approve

Sydney is a big fan of the sweet potatoes with corn.
Notice her fangs.

Little Mountain

Sydney's first real rock.
Our Sunday afternoon trek at Horticulture Park was short, but Syd saw her first fish and/or tadpoles. Brian thought they were tadpoles and my guess was fish. I am not sure if it matters because who knows if she actually saw them from the bridge :)

Bon voyage Matt!

Our friend Matt is leaving Purdue this weekend to begin his doctorate at University of Michigan. Pretty impressive ... not because of the high-quality university he is attending but because he will be blocks from Zingermann's - the world's best deli! The chocolate cake is amazing.

Here are some photos (courtesy of Kat) from Matt's birthday celebration this May.


J&C Survivors: Top row: (l-r) Kevin, Matt and Kat. Bottom row: Amy and Kim.


Karah, Sydney and Kevin. Kat named this one "Lil Lush." Sydney took quite an interest in the wine bottles.

May Flowers

Here are some favorite photos from May. Sydney is 4.5 months old.

Practicing the pout:

We visited the Indy Zoo on Mother's Day. It was our first big outing with Sydney so we kept the trip simple. As you can see, she was impressed.



Backyard visitor:

These photos also highlight Brian's photography skills and his sense of humor. He sent this photo to me claiming this creature was spotted in our backyard :).




Baby beluga:

Sydney tolerates 'tummy time.'




Gourmet toes:

We were obviously running behind on her feeding schedule.



Sensory overload courtesy of Baby Einstein:

Sydney's beloved exersaucer. It has everything - color, sounds (in English and Spanish) and activities. Baby Einstein products are certainly well branded. When selecting Syd's first toothbrush, we reasoned that the Baby Einstein version - which was .80 cents more - must be best. Of course, that cute little turtle on the handle will help keep Syd's fangs extra clean :)




The throne:

Sydney sitting in her high chair for the first time.

Cupcake

It's hard to see, but Sydney's bib says 'cupcake.'

I like cupcakes.

Fang

The baby is getting big!

We felt Sydney's first tooth about 10 days ago (July 20). Now, a second fang is poking through.




More evidence the baby is getting big. This adorable summer outfit (a gift from aunt Jackie and uncle Graham) is getting a bit tight. It's one of my favorites.

Louis the duck is balancing on Syd's feet. The Louisville Slugger duck is from aunt Julie.

Sydney had an amateur weight check this morning. (Meaning I tried weighing her on our scale). She is between 19-20 pounds. Finally, our baby is bigger than Norton:)

Sideways (not starring Paul Giamatti)

About 11 Saturday night I heard noise on the baby monitor. Sydney was partying with her frog Webster.






It was unintentional for Sydney to coordinate so well with her crib. Any style sense this kid has will be courtesy of aunts Julie and Jackie.

On second thought

This is going to be a retroactive blog. I can't seem to stay current with photos so I will post random photos and entries out of order. It will be a game of hide-and-seek. It may be July but you will see photos of snow. Or, come October Sydney will be in a Valentine outfit. Part of the fun will be that you never know what to expect :)




So, this is a photo of Sydney circa 8-weeks. She is wearing an adorable monkey outfit courtesy of friend Kat (notice the stuffed monkey on the front of her overalls). It's hard to believe that Sydney barely fits on the changing table now.






I just love this photo - it's from the same era. During Sydney's early days, the changing table was known as the happiest place on Earth. Her first smiles appeared here. Now, she squirms like a worm while she is smiling.