Circles...and Friends!!!

Lately, Sydney has had a very busy social calendar. She was able to meet up with a few of her baby BFF's at Cornwall park where she had a great time catching up on the latest gossip with Kate, Maggie, Olivia, & Logan...all while sporting a new hairdo (thanks to her stylist Danielle). Sydney was also able to spend some time with her friend Kate over this past weekend.

In other news, Sydney has developed an interest in a particular toy. Just like clockwork, most days when Sydney is picked up from daycare, she is holding an orange ring in one of her iron-fisted hands. A multitude of toys to choose from, but she gravitates to this orange ring. Because of her fondness of it, we searched for a similar one that she could have at home. We really do not know where this strange fascination came from, but she is loving it. Perhaps it is symbolic of some larger picture that she has yet to share with us. Whatever the reason, she has decided it is a great item to bite, lick, drool on, crawl with, and smack against other objects (like her dad's head).

Next week, I we'll give you an update on a new task that Sydney has begun to appreciate.

Tip #8: Pets

I’m an animal lover, and maybe directly because of that I offer this ironic tip on pets. Try to torment your pets during pregnancy. I know this may seem cruel, but this will prepare them for the road ahead. This will reduce the trauma when your child is born and decides it is necessary to yank tails, pull out clumps of hair, scream at, and otherwise cause emotional distress to your beloved furry family members. Trust me, you’re doing them a favor in the long run.

Containment

We acknowledge and enjoy all of the milestones Sydney achieves. Each new accomplishment marks her progress in developing...sometimes physically, sometimes mentally, and sometimes socially. What I have come to understand is that her progression to a new phase also means that we, as parents, also enter a new phase. There are often new challenges to parenting, which also means issuing new goals to tackle that particular period of her life. Learing to talk, walk, eat, speak...those are all of the big goals for parents. In this particular phase, though, the primary goal of parenthood is containment!

This current goal of containment naturally parallels Sydney's goal of increasing her proficiency in crawling, and in turn her overall mobility. She really has become much quicker, and her new abilities have finally drawn a line in the sand...baby gates must go up!!! The challenge for this task is made exponetially difficult by living in a two story split-level home. They do not make gates that fit this particular situation with our rails. This has led me to a couple of fallback ideas that I entertained early on. Tethering (I'm thinking through an ankle cuff) could have great potential in minimizing surface area that could be covered by Sydney. This could easily keep her far away from problem areas, such as the stairs). This could be kept on all of the time, and made to look stylish. This would also come in handy when participating in outdoor functions, such as BBQ's and family gatherings when she could be staked outside in the yard.

The other thought was to simply use existing products to help her. All sorts of helmets and pads have been around for centuries. Mabye babywear should just be made to include these items in a fashionable manner, but with all of the appropriate safety-oriented measures. If the market would not support that, then perhaps her outfits could have velcro place on her rump area, and also mounted to the top of stairs. This would prevent the ability to reach the top stair that leads to the long treacherous drop. Although...I have seen flies stuck to tape....so maybe that's not the best idea. If there are any pearls of wisdom out there surrounding this topic of stairs, and overall baby containment, please let me know of any success stories. Please note, I am aware that bungee cord and duct tape are already at my disposal.

In other news, Sydney has had brief flashes of standing without assistance from a nearby object or parent. These have been very short in duration, but another sign that her balance is getting better.

Sydney was also able to visit with some old friends this week. They go back...way back...in fact all of the way back to the womb. She's known for Kate, Logan, Olivia, and Maggie since birthing class, when they were negative years old. She had a great time playing and visiting with all of them!

Tip #7: Diaper Frequency

Remember to change your baby’s diaper regularly…which should mean every two to three hours. I know there are great new products on the market, but using a ShamWow (not intended for diaper use) does not mean you can put it off for 36 hours. I’m sure it’s super absorbency nature could hold about 10lbs of various liquids, but that doesn’t mean you should try it. So, do your baby a favor and change them regularly. :)

The Oregon Trail!

It would be erroneous to say she was the first to pave the way, as early explorers clearly preceeded her. But none may have done it was such passion, ferver, curiousity, and drool. She was intent on completing her own version of the Oregon Trail...one that would make Lewis & Clark proud. She took care to sample the natural resources (sand), and take in the sites of the ocean and nearby dunes.

Sydney participated in her very first out of state experience, and travelled with more experienced travel guides (aka mom and dad) to Florence, OR. While in Florence, she got to spend time with her Uncle Nathan and cousins Nicholas, Destani, and Alexandria (aka Pickle). Sydney had a great time with them all, and hopes they did, too. They got to share in her first experience of feeling the Pacific Ocean with her toes.

Unfortunately, her lack of sleep at the hotel might have created less desireable memories of Oregon for other weary travellers.

Crawling update: since the last update, Sydney has started crawling at lightning pace. We have tried to slow down her progress by fitting her with materials that provide signficant air resistance and drag, but her speed is merely too much to impede with current technology.

Tip #6: Baby Weight Etiquette

By the term ‘baby weight’ I am not referring to the weight of your baby, but more importantly to additional weight new mothers typically have following birth. Understand that your wife/girlfriend/fiancé has given birth to a large object, and that has required gaining a little extra weight. And if she is still breast feeding, understand that it also means maintaining a certain calorie level to produce milk. So, support them and reassure them that they are beautiful and attractive.
Don’t: Never ever, ever, make a negative comment about her size or weight. Do not make any moo’ing sounds, or any general reference to a cow…or basically any farm animal for that matter. At a minimum, this tip can prevent many nights spent on a couch, but at best…it could possibly just even save your life.

Sydney and the Garage Sale

Garage sales are perfect for clearing out clutter and getting rid of unwanted or uneeded items. The great thing is, sometimes the items you wish to discard are exactly the items someone else may be looking for, creating a perfect match. It really does work that one person's junk can be another person's treasure.

Sydney had her first experience with the garage sale process, although I'm not sure she got what she bargained for…no pun intended! Although there was a lot of sitting and waiting, she did get to experience the joys of playing in a box. And also on the fun side of it, she got to share the event with Laura, Colleen, and her Momma. She did learn that 'junk' can really be called 'antiques' if it is old enough junk.

A few items were sold, but unfortunately the weather was not as great as in previous weeks. To encourage some business from drive by lookers, we decided to offer up Sydney. We figured she might at least draw some people in. So, to stimulate this interest, we placed her at the driveway entrance in her box with the appropriate sign "Free to good home". I later realized that this was perhaps asking too much, so I changed it to "Free to any home." Although we did not get rich from the endeavor, it was still a fun event, and a learning process for Sydney.

Sydney also had fun at a recent family picnic. Other than the garage sale picture, the rest were taken by Granpda Pagels at the picnic. In the second pictue, Sydney shows how similar our DNA is with primates. In the third picture, Sydney dares her Mom to stick her finger in her mouth after warning her about her new bottom teeth. In the final picture, Sydney is hanging out with Mom and Grandma Pagels.

In other news...Sydney made a trip down to Oregon on Friday to see her uncle and cousins. It was her first long road trip, and I'll share more about it in the coming post!

Tip #5: Raging Hormones

Do: In the event your partner is raging with hormones during pregnancy (or even afterwards), a simple tip is to AGREE with her. It doesn’t matter if she is right or far from it…the appropriate response is that she is right and that you agree. If she says the sky is green that day…then it is green for you on that day, too.
Don’t: Try to comprehend what she is communicating during this emotional state, or apply any rational thought to what she is saying. If it doesn’t sound like it makes sense, odds are it's because it doesn’t. Common sense will not prevail here, and acceptance of that ahead of time will help give you some peace of mind.

Jail Break!

Well, as Sydney has been gaining strength in her arms and legs, she has begun pulling herself up to a standing position when she has the slightest opportunity. On Friday, we were able to capture these images of her attempted jail break. It was a little surprising to see her in a standing position in her crib, so it means adjustments will be made to lower her mattress. The only other idea, as suggested by Sydney's dad, is to enclose the top with wire mesh, similar to a chicken coop. I'm sure both options are good, but suited to individual taste.

Sydney’s choppers continue to come in more with each passing day. I believe she likes the sensation that comes with feeling her teeth with her tongue, because lately she has been seen with her tongue hanging part way out.

On Saturday, Sydney got to go visit some of her family down south. Kim, Brian, Shelby, and Emma were all gracious hosts to Sydney (not to forget Bella and Mittens). Mom and dad were also grateful for this, as it allowed them time to see the Sounders play Barcelona at Qwest field. They provided a fun time for Sydney, and she loved her time in Kirkland. She must have been so enthralled, because she was completely out when mom and dad returned. She can't wait to visit them again!

In other news, Sydney has demonstrated some longer sleeping nights. Her parents are quite content to have those, but certainly not delusional enough to think it will be a regular occurence.

Lastly, I just had to share a recent picture I took of Sydney. I found a filter on Photoshop that made the picture look like it was aged a bit. Ok, actually, it's a picture of Karen when she was a baby. Donna brought out some photos when she visited a couple of weeks ago, and I thought it would be fun to share. I can definitely see the similarities here :)


Tip #4: Smells
Having a baby is an easy way for other people to accept random smells. If you cannot control yourself and need to release some gas, just remember to grab your baby first. If people look at you in a manner as to suspect that you could have possibly (in any way) been responsible for a foul smell, then simply lift up your baby up and sniff as if you’re checking their diaper. At this point they will likely begin to suspect a new culprit and buy that you didn’t do it, and it will surely get them off of your trail.

What's in a Name?

So, I thought it would be fun to explore the many nicknames of Sydney. Before she was born, she was continually referred to as Cashew. This is due, in part, because she was about the size of a Cashew when we were trying to think of baby names for her. We also did not know the gender at the time. We had heard of peanut, pickle, gummy bear...and wanted something similar but different.

Since she has entered the world, she has gained a number of new nicknames, some used more than others. Goober, Baby Ruth, Squirt, Stir Fry, Spark Plug, and Fireball are just a few. Her Mother, for some strange reason, has been prone to using Goober. Her Dad, on ther other hand, uses whichever one works for the moment. In fact, the nickname is really driven by the situation...the nickname almost picks itself.

In other news...we have heard a lot of other babies have started their crawling phase. Well, at this point Sydney has not crawled...at least not forward. But, for some reason, she feels inclined to stand up a lot, usually with assistance from a nearby object. And she basically pulls herself upright. I have come to the conclusion that she would just rather walk, instead of crawl. She's very good at supporting her own weight, and you can almost visually see her thought process in wanting to move one foot forward.

Tip #3: Shopping Carts
Whatever you do, if you run out of room in your shopping cart, do not place the baby on the rack beneath the cart to create new space. I know you will be proud of yourself for creatively utilizing your cart to it's full potential and capacity, but I'm sure this will earn you hostile looks from other shoppers, and especially (and more importantly) your child. This may also earn you a spot on the couch for a night or two.

Teething...Not Toothing

The big news for the week is that Sydney has recently had two teeth poke through. I guess the signs of a discontented baby and drooling like a Saint Bernard should have been hints. But now she has two bottom teeth sticking through. Hopefully this round of teething is the worst of what we can expect....but ya never know. Actually, Sydney's grandma (Nana Donna), probably got the worst of it when she watched Sydney all day last Monday. Sydney tried to make it up to her Nana by having a pleasant day at the zoo on Friday :)

Sydney has also been standing, with assistance from the couch, coffee table, or nearby furniture, for a lot longer periods without demonstrating quite the same level of 'noodle legs.'

Other newsworthy things...Sydeny's cousin Reina visited from Okinawa last week. Reina is just three weeks younger, but they have some features that make them look alike...in fact her momma couldn't tell them apart one time, and her Dad constantly reminds her of that. Sydney hopes that Reina, who was nice enough to bring her parents Chris and Jillian with her, has a safe return to Japan.

Sydney also got to attend her aunt Colleen's wedding. She got many pictures taken with the beautiful bride, who is now enjoying her honeymoon in San Francicso...the Rice A Roni city, with her new hubby Derrick.

As far as separation Anxiety...we have been told that separation anxiety is to be expected at around 8 months. I’m hopeful that Sydney will be able to handle this stage well. When I was younger, I can recall latching onto the doorknob at a daycare to prevent complete entry. They had to pry my fingers off, and then bribe me with candy (I didn’t sell out, but took it as consolation after I was already defeated into submission). We are hoping that Sydney has a better display than her dad. It’s funny that they also indicate that you grow out of separation anxiety. To that comment, I just dare you to take away my morning grande coffee…that’ll show you how quickly we can revert. Of course, I would use any means available to prevent that from happening. But in the event that were to happen, I fully expect that I would ball up into the fetal position and rock myself to sleep! To date though, Sydney has been such a great little social lady. She enjoys time with just about everyone, and likes to smile and have a good discussion, even if comprehension is a secondary outcome...or more likely never achieved.

Tip #2: Bathing

Do: Your baby's hygiene is important. Bathe your child regularly in a small tub made for babies. This will be enjoyable for them, and also safe.

Don't: Use your garden hose and spray your baby down. I know what you're thinking, if a little pressure is good to get some grime off, then more must be better. But, odds are this will not clean your baby any better, and will most likely lead to an unhappy baby and an angry spouse. So please, please, do not use the hose on them until they're 12 and refuse to shower.!