Speaking of...

Sydney has covered all of the critical words.  Momma and Dada have been spoken, much to the relief of her parents.  She has also said puppy, repeated 'kitty' on rare occassion, and has also said yeah, as well as yea!  These are all fairly basic, and nothing to be surprised about.  So, it made sense to expect the next few words in her growing list of vocabulary to be somewhat similar. 

Well, it turns out she decided one of her next words was going to be 'doctor.'  Really?...how strange is that?  But there is a context for this...it does come from the 5 silly mokeys book.  But what are the odds she would pick that word to say?  Then, during the same week her dad was watching the new JJ Abrams Star Trek movie, and Sydney was playing with toys next to him.  When she looked up and saw the tv, her dad pointed and said 'Spock.'  To his amazement, she repeated 'Spock.'  I wouldn't have guessed that either of those two words would be a part of her limited vocabulary, but I guess you should just be proud, whatever word comes out.  The fact that she is increasing her vocal skills is great!  The only other word she likes is boat.  There is a picture in the house that has a boat on it, and she appears fascinated with it for some reason.

This will be our last post until we get back from Australia.  So, I hope you can wait for an update until we get back in mid June.  So, if Sydney comes back saying g'day, crikey, and few other terms that are common to that continent, don't be surprised. 

Great Grandpa Pagels took some great pictures the last time we visited that we just had to share.  He managed to get one of Sydney with her Great Grandma, another picture with her dad, and one with her favorite pet species...dogs.  Grandma Gloria was also able to get a picture of her while she was reading.  A thumb to suck on...a good book with predictable story line...what could be more perfect :) 

Have a great few weeks everyone...and wish us luck on the 15 hour plane ride!!!

Aussie and more...

Ropes?...check.  Duct tape?...check.  Chloroform?...check.  I know you're thinking this must be a checklist for some decent amount of mischief.  Actually, it's part of the packing list for Australia.  These are supplies that we may deem 'essential' for the long flight.  I'm only kidding, Karen does pretty well on planes...haha!  Actually, we will employ every possible strategy to make the flight as pleasant as possible, for Sydney, us, and the other passengers.  I guess if anyone complains on our flight to Australia we can act like we don't understand, since we don't speak Australian...haha!

Well, we have bought some new toys for Sydney specifically for the flight.  We assume this might buy us an hour (possibly more) of peace on the more than 15 hour flight.  Please, send your thoughts and prayers with us through our darkest hour!!!  Actually, with just about two weeks to go, we are eagerly awaiting our trip to Australia.  While the trip's purpose is to help out Great Uncle Den, I'm sure there will be some fun and adventure integrated into the adventure.  And Sydney and Joe are both looking forward to meeting that part of the family!

In other news, Sydney has really become quite good at her signing.  She is even able to do signs in combination, such as 'food...please' and 'milk...please.'  She was really incredible when she signed "Dad, you better set the DVR for the Sounders game."  Her little arms were tired after signing that message!

As far as the pictures on this post, the first one was taken by Rebecca Brethauer.  The second one I took on the way home from Redmond last weekend...I just thought to myself..."man, I wish I could sleep that hard!"  The final picture was fun to take, and really shows how much Sydney has grown.  Technically she is at (or slightly pushing) the recommended weight limit for her bouncer, and it has actually been in the garage for many months now.  But, at daycare each morning she stops in the infant room and gets right in the old bouncer, so I thought it would be fun to get hers out and let her reminisce a little. 

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Fear of the unknown...

It's not uncommon to fear the unkown.  And when you are little, everything seems new and you never know what to trust.  Sometimes, things that seem tame are really dangerous, and things that seem dangerous are really tame.  But when you are confronted with such sheer awesome strength...power....and fierceness, what could be more terrifying...than, slippers???  That's right, I guess.  Sydney's dad possesses a pair of tiger slippers.  While her dad thought they only had the ability to attack cold feet, apparently there is something very terrifying to Sydney about them.  Over time, perhaps she will learn that they will not eat her, but we will see!  And who knows what other fears may lurk around the corner.

Ironically, Sydney does not fear much as a rule of thumb, and in fact she is often the one to be feared (sorry bite victims).  In her daily life she also attacks every obstacle and challenge with such zest and vigor, you would think she was invincible.  Well, we'll take it one day at a time and hope she learns the right things to fear, and the right things to just wear on your feet.

In other news, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!  To all of the moms, the mom of moms, and the mom of moms of moms, we hope you have a great day.  Quite simply, without any of you, none of us would exist.  So, to my Mom Gloria, Mom Donna, Grandma Pagels, YaYa Sherri, and MorMor Terrie, thanks for all that you do!  The word 'Mother'...just six little letters, but a word that conveys a mountain of meaning.  Have a fun and relaxing day...you all deserve it! (following picture taken by Rebecca Brethauer)

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Mooo! Meowww!

So, Sydney has been a master at communicating.  She recently has been saying please, thank you, more, milk, and a few other things in sign language.  She's also been able to beef up her vocal skills beyond just momma, dada, puppy, and grande vanilla latte.

While we celebrate the many advances in her communication, she has branched out and also explored a new area...working on her vocal communications with other species.  When we ask her what sound a cow makes, she makes low moooo sounds.  And of course when we ask her what a kitty says, she quickly replies with a bright meooow.  Since she has picked these up so quickly, I feel it necessary to challenge her with other animal species.  When presented with the task of making the sounds of the Yak, she promptly rose to the challenge...which of course surprised her dad, and also temporarily stumped him when thinking of the next challenge.  Her dad thought he could surely break up her streak with the trick question..."what sound does a sassquatch make?"  Being a clever little girl, she calmly imitated sounds from her Unlce Nathan...haha!  I guess she wins this week, even though sassquatch doesn't really exist!....wait, or does it?

In all seriousness, it is exciting to see her communicating very intentionally.  When she wants or needs something, she can get the point across fairly easily.  And while her spoken skills are in rapid development, it is truly amazing to see how much she truly understands when we ask her to complete tasks.

In other general news, Sydney has had a lot of fun this week...just playing, learning, and enjoying life!  I guess it's a good reminder that we should all strive for those things.  It's hard to believe she is almost 17 months old!  I've included a few more pictures taken by Rebecca Brethauer in this post :)

Have a great weekend everyone!!!