It's Pappa and the Razzi

We definitely live in a digital age. Sydney has learned that her life will entail lots of 'clicks' and 'flashes' and 'look over here' pleas. And while this is a normal part of childhood, her parents are hopefull that her little retinas can take the constant bombardment of flashes. And despite the title of this entry, her dad is only one of many culprits. After Sydney was born, a friend of a friend wanted to gain some experience taking baby pictures. She did a great job, so we asked her to come back. Here are some of the recent pictures take by Rebecca.

It does make me realize the sheer volume of pictures we will end up with for Sydney, drastically different from my childhoold...largely due to the technology we now possess. With current technology, it's partly about instant gratification. We can see what we just took, edit it, download it, or upload it, and print it out. We become impatient when we have a two-second delay capturing the image from snap to flash. It won't be the good old days of taking a roll of pictures and hoping you get one or two good pictures, especially using good ole black and white film. If you don't like it, you delete it on the spot.

It makes me also think about the difference other technology from Sydney's childhood and my own...pretty stark. It really is amazing to think about. She will not know the joy, or pain, of vinyl records and (dare I say eight-track). She will not experience the same home videos, at least the kind where you have no sound and have to rewind the reels. She'll experience her music through ipods and internet downloads, and she'll only know her movies in stunning hi-definition. The internet was not around when I was a child, and now Sydney will most likely spend time 'twittering' or 'Facebooking.' Her parents will try their best to keep her 'unplugged' though.

I really guess there is nothing wrong with these advances. It does offer more opportunities to capture and preserve memories, and clearly it provides an increased load of material that can later be accessed, by her parents, for blackmail. This can be handy if she doesn't want to do her homework, or chores, or other things she supposed to be doing. Just don't tell her that :)

Have a great week!!!

Sitting on the dock of the bay!

Sydney likes to get out and about, and experience life...at least when the weather is nice. This past weekend Sydney went with her parents to eat some gelato and spend a few moments taking in the sights of Bellingham Bay. Although we can pretend she was deep in thought about the life-giving force of the ocean, she probably was only concerned with trying to chew on rocks or understand the smell of the saltwater. And we did try to convince her that she was not the cause of that particular smell.

As for Sydney's physical development, she has gotten better at sitting up without assistance. Sometimes without her props, though, she does start to mimick a large tree being chopped down...she just doesn't offer the same creeking sound on the way down. In the past, we used whatever props we could...pillows, blankets, the cats, whatever was in reach...but those days are surely coming to an end!

Now that she has become better at rolling from her stomach to her back, she has also decided to work on rolling from back to front. She usually makes it on her side, and then decides a break is needed to chew on her toys and drool on the floor.

She continues to talk up a storm. Unfortunately it comes out in what I can only guess to be Dutch, so we still have a small language barrier to work through. Those signs will come in handy!

Sydney must be starting to prepare for solid foods. Being astute parents, we acknowleged her salivation rate and new interest in looking at food...both good cues. These hidden messages were good to pick up on since the fact she went the fridge and fixed herself a bowl of cereal was not obvious enough.

Have a great Friday everyone!!!

In My Life...

In My Life...not only a classic Beattles song, but also the title of this weeks blog entry. We tend to focus on Sydney's growth, her change in behavior, and all the regular milestones. This week I thought it would be fun to also look at the environment Sydney lives in and some of those beings she lives with. While I agree that our genetic make-up establishes part of who we are (by the way...your parents apologize for giving your their blending of genes), our enviroment also helps to shape who we become.

Having said that, I'd first like to point out one creature in Sydney's environment, Kona. Kona is one of 7 creatures that Sydney co-habitates with. He is a Green Cheek Conure, and can be very spastic. He loves to roll around and play, and also enjoys preening Sydney from time to time. At this point they share some behaviors in common, especially chewing on random objects and making noises that cannot be comprehended.

Their are two other Quaker parrots in the house, Cosmo and Marti (aka: squawk machines). In addition to the three birds, there are also two cats, Stirling and Charlie. Charlie, who still outweighs Sydney by two pounds, enjoys dragging slippers, blankets, pillows, and even her cat bed all over the house...even up and down the stairs. So, Sydney is exposed to a range of odd behaviors from our pet family members. We hope that Sydney does not grow up thinking this is normal behavior, but we do tend to normalize to what we witness. And because Charlie is fairly odd, we decided that Charlie is now Sydney's cat...this also comes from the fact that we tend not to want to claim her. The picture of Charlie is when she was young and innocent (the black cat).

Her parents make up the final two of the seven beings. And, if you have had experience with either one of them, you know first hand the environment Sydney is growing in. You've already seen her mama Karen in some of the previous blog entries, but I noticed after going back through some of the past posts that there have been no images of Sydney with her dad (better known to me as, well...'me.'). And since that was the case, I decided to indulge this week and post a recent picture. If you know her dad, you already know that he is handsome, funny, and most definitely modest (obviously his best quality)...what more could a daughter ask for...haha! Actually, I just liked the picture and needed something to say about it. And in reality, her parents have always been a little worried that she was inheriting a mix of their DNA, certainly a recipe for something that should cause grave concern in the universe :)

Have a great weekend!!!

What's your sign???

So, one of the goals for Sydney's parents is to teach her some basic sign language. The theory behind this is that it reduces frustration for the baby. Since verbal skills are typically not acquired yet, they can still communicate some of their basic thoughts. So, things like 'hungry' or 'more' or 'up' can be used. Her dad will also teach other vitals, like 'double espresso please' and 'I've recorded the soccer game'...you know, all of the essential things a baby needs to know.

During this educational campaign, her parents hope she learns the appropriate signs, and does not pick up on all of the other hand gestures that seem to come in other areas, such as operating a motor vehicle. I'm sure her daycare will also appreciate that. Plenty of gestures can be left out, but we'll have to work on that first with her Mom...haha, only playing! In the first picture, Sydney practices her first signing experience...which basically translates to "I can collect many flies this way." It's a work in progress :)

So, what happened on Easter? Did Sydney do an Easter egg hunt? Actually, at this point she doesn't like hard boiled eggs, can't eat candy, and has never seen the Easter bunny (and would most likely drool on him at this point). Aside from that, she did appreciate that she got to spend time with her family. She went to Steve & Sherrie's (Great Uncle and Aunt), and got to catch up with many family members.

Ok, so this is our first attempt at adding a short video clip. So, while the content may not be anything earth-shattering, her parents were happy to try out the new feature!!!

Sydney also had a doctor appointment this week. She has a few new specs to share...

*Height: 25 in.

*Head circumference: 16

*Weight: 15lbs. 9 ozs. (Believe it or not, one of the cats still has two pounds on Sydney!)

In behavioral composition, there is a noteworthy thing that has been happening. Sydney has begun to sit up on her own. Although slouched forward (and not displaying great posture), she can maintain her sitting position without assistance. This is a big step forward! As far as making the Vulcan sign with her little hands...that's another work in progress. It'll get there, though, Uncle Steve!

Crying child? "Cry Stop"...an easy solution!

Why is my child crying? How can I get him/her to stop? These may be common questions to every new parent. These were common questions to us, as well...or at least before we found "Cry Stop." It's a revolutionary new product that monitors the vocal activity of infants. When the sensor records an inappropriate decibel level (consistent with crying), it delivers a voltage to the child. I know exactly what you are thinking...how could it possibly have taken this long to come up with such an easy solution?!

But it's claim "Wake up feeling refreshed after a good nights sleep" truly delivers! And it helps to reinforce desired vocal activity.

Karen reported that 'parenting has never been easier.' Cry Stop can also be adapted when your infant reaches toddlerhood and becomes mobile. A simple add-on can prevent them from leaving the yard, or desired range of your property.

This product has not been released yet, and Sydney is assisting with the final testing phase, determining the appropriate voltage level needed to recondition behavior.

Some of you may think, don't they make a similar product for dogs? And to that, I would respond by saying 'why reinvent the wheel?'. It's always a great use of resources to explore additional applications to existing technology.

Ok, I just thought I'd point out that this is not a real product, and we'd never utilize such a thing if it was real. Thanks to Grandpa Meehan for doctoring up the photo, and also for brainstorming the product! For those of you that were hoping it was real, sorry to disappoint you. I'm sure many new parents would think, "how cruel," but it's possible that some parents of teens might think "I think they've really got something here." Haha!

Anyway, Sydney hopes everyone got at least a laugh, and has a great week!!!!

10,454,400 and counting!!!

On April 15th Sydney will turn 10,454,400 seconds old!!! If you aren't Rain Man, or own a calculator, that's bascially four months old. I know Sydney was worried that she is growing 'old' too quick, but she was reassured that every second she gains counts as 'experience'....at least that is what her parents tell themselves to feel better about their larger quantity of seconds.

During the week, Sydney has progressed from simple efforts to full mastery in a couple of areas. Her bubble blowing and rolling over have become acts of art, and her confidence in both have grown equally.

But while those activities are now part of her long history, she has gained a new and unique noise this week. Instead of the adorable 'goo,' she has decided that she would test out her pipes and squeel. It's not a 'I'm not happy sound,' it is simply her trying to talk. But she definitely sounds like a squeeling dolphin at times. Sydney unkowningly performed her squeel when her dad touched the car brakes while driving yesterday, making him think they needed to be looked at. It wasn't until the car was turned off and the same squeel was heard that the true cause of the noise was identified. She is such a jokester. She always has a lot to say, though...and dare I say she gets that from her mama!

Actually, it's amazing that it's already been four months. So many milestones achieved already, and so many more to come. Her parents have really enjoyed everything that she has brought...from the laughs and smiles, to even the sleepless nights and bountiful diaper offerings (although they prefer the first two).

A note from Sydney: "to my fellow infants, have a great week. And remember, be patient with your parents. They can be a little slow, and it takes a little while for them to figure out what you're saying. It's ok though, they'll catch on. Ciao!"

Aliens, Sasquatch, and Sydney!

What do Alien UFO's, Sasquatch, and Sydney sleeping in her crib have in common??? Sighting are rarely seen, but occasionally there are occurences. Some have been lucky enough to catch a glimpse and even take a snapshot of some of these long told legends. Despite this infrequent occurence, Sydney did experience a 3 hour shift in her crib, a celebrated occasion in the household.

Along the same lines, Sydney continues to participate in a research study. The 'Parental Sleep Deprivation Study' is well underway, and Sydney is diligently doing her part to maintain the integrity of the study. She puts in hours of work to ensure her parents have minimal sleep. The study will continue to track the progress of her parent's functioning at work and home on little or no sleep. Sydney has found new strategies to ensure the sleep cylces are disrupted and that an adequately low level of sleep is maintained for continued testing.

When she is not NOT sleepin her crib or participating in the study, she continues to practice rolling over, as well as to chew on random objects.

In other news, Sydney wanted to say Buon Compleano to her auntie Colleen! She is gaining a year of wisdom, but still looks like a young'n. Sydney aslo sends a grande Buon Compleanno to Great Grandma Pagels!!!

For those you you that don't speak Italiano, that is Happy Birthday! Italian culture rubbed off on Sydney when she spent a week in Italy last year. Unfortunately, she couldn't see much through the placenta and tissue surrounding her, which certainly disrupted her sight seeing. And I'm sure she had requested a womb with a view...haha! Actually, even though she made the journey with her parents, she still had a good time. She told me the other day that she looks forward to going back and visiting many of the same places with her parents. Below is a picture of Sydney at the Coloseum...ok, her mom is in it too!

Sydney wishes everyone a great week!!!