Christmas Eve

With parents in Virginia and South Carolina we have the privilege of having two Christmas's with the first being completed this weekend. Sydney enjoyed her stocking, toys and especially the tasty wrapping paper. Now onto Christmas #2!

Let It Snow

Sydney's
first trek into the snow was not met with smiles but more an extended look of concern as she tried to figure out what was going on. To be honest I'm not sure the snow itself was most interesting but rather this large snow suit we wrapped her up in which was just hilarious. It's too big now but by February she'll fit right in. We had a nice walk around the neighborhood anyway and she put up with us for longer than we deserved.

Happy Holidays

Things have kicked up quickly after Thanksgiving and we've got the tree set up for Sydney to see and her first ornament front and center! (right next to her other first ornament from Dee Dee and Grandpa). Like everything else that lights up, she's been staring at the tree intently this morning. We're going to enjoy this Christmas tree as much as we can as next year we'll be running around trying to keep her from pulling it over I'm sure.

Carrots and Potatoes and High Chairs, oh my!

Sydney's foray beyond oatmeal and rice cereal has now taken us through sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving and now onto carrots! It's probably hard to tell from the picture but Maggie has all but stripped our little girl of anything but her bib as the cleanup process was far too intense when clothes were involved. It's seems like it could be a clean process, if it were not for her hands grabbing at every spoonful and then flinging carrots around. At least she seems to like her vegetables so far!

Thanksgiving

I think this picture pretty much sums it up. We had a wonderful morning all watching the parade and getting in the holiday spirit followed by your traditional 9 hours of football, a dunking of the turkey in a boiling vat of oil while drinking beer, and capped off with too much pie. It's almost like we're one with the pilgrims this time of year. Sydney enjoyed her Thanksgiving outfit which Maggie couldn't resist when she saw the "gobble gobble" on the feet. She's seen Santa now on TV now so our next step is a mall siting :)

Around the Turn She Comes

Six months old! Between some sleepless nights, visits to the grandparents, a stop by the pumpkin patch and a first Halloween we managed to capture some memories of her second three months compiled below. One picture she wouldn't let us get was her first tooth that poked through in the last couple days right up in front. Now chomping on our fingers isn't as cute as it used to be. Turn up the sound and enjoy :)

A First Halloween

At five and a half months of age there is probably nothing about a big bulky costume that Sydney could like, but she put up with us and we had a wonderful first Halloween with her. With beautiful weather we set up in the driveway with some chairs and enjoyed seeing all the kids come around.

We realized that children have become immensely picky in their candy habit and on multiple occasions turned down one piece Maggie would offer and ask if we had anything different. Can you believe that! I honestly think when I was a kid we would have happily accepted a sugar packet and been on our way. So Sydney enjoyed all the bright costumes and finally tuckered out on Mom's chest after a Halloween lesson from us on how to avoid "raisin packet" lady on your candy run. Oh, there's one in every neighborhood!

If I'd known

Had I known this before we had a baby I would have kept my eye on all new parents I saw in a restaurant as it would surely have provided some entertainment. What I've realized is that when we go out now we usually arrive at the restaurant with our little one fast asleep in the car carrier and it becomes a game on anxious relaxation. If you were to watch us, we sit down and act as though we're totally fine and there isn't a ticking time bomb next to us. We order and have some nice conversation and maybe the salad arrives which we both eat together. Then a leg moves in the car carrier. Is she waking up? Oh no..the food isn't here yet...will she be happy or does she need to eat? Is it feeding time? Is there a changing table in the bathroom? Our eyes dart around in search of the waiter. Mom dares to peek under the canopy and sighs at the sight of two huge blue eyes staring back at her. From here you will watch two parents begin a dance of how they can get all three of them fed and out of the restaurant as fast as possible. Sure there are times when the baby wakes up happy but the other times must be so much more fun to watch.

Bubbles

With such gorgeous weather outside today and a good breeze, we decided to break out the bear hat and some bubbles and see how long we could hold our little girl's attention. The good breeze worked so well that I don't think she ever actually saw a bubble but Maggie had a lot of fun running around the yard, and Sydney enjoyed some fresh air propped up in the Bumpo.

Staring Contest

A couple photos from last week which included a
staring contest with a bee. The bee was holding strong until Sydney decided that swatting it off the chair was her secret weapon. Later, when she lost her paci in the crib and we wouldn't give it back, we explained that the bee had stolen it. Next was our first trial of rice cereal and as with many babies before her, we think she probably got zero rice cereal in her mouth and most of it all over her. We were essentially pouring formula and rice cereal all over her. As we approach Halloween we're getting really excited about getting her dressed up in her outfit. That will be a big picture day and we might even take her out to get Mom and Dad some candy.

Caught in the Act

As we'd been told it would happen, we walked in one recent night to find Sydney had figured out how to roll over and she was having fun practicing tummy time all by herself. Maggie figured this was the perfect time to fire up the flash in the totally dark room and scare the living the daylights out of her. In true "deer in the headlights" fashion we captured the moment here.

Fall Days

Sydney's first Halloween is approaching and we thought it would perfect to take her on a totally inappropriate trip to the pumpkin patch where she would have no idea what was happening. Like most parents with a 5 month old this was of course more a trip for us but after the fact I think she enjoyed the brightly colored pumpkins after all! My best attempts to get her near a pumpkin for a picture though were unsuccessful but we managed a corn husk picture. There's still time though!

Fall Days (cont.)

The cooler weather has finally made it tolerable to take Sydney out for more than a few minutes without the fear of heat exhaustion so we gathered a few of Sydney's friends and headed to the park.

Fall Days (cont.)

As football season kicked off we got Syndey suited up and asked her to make her best intimidating football face for the camera. She of course obliged but I think the result was more 'cutie pie' than 'intimidator' :)

Inner Voice

I thought I would take a few minutes to pen what I believe is Sydney's inner voice at 2am most nights.

"Oh...whew...what time is it? Where did my sucky thing go? Wait...I can feel it...it's right here. If only I could get these crazy arms to work right. I'm hungry. Where are the funny people that sing songs all day. I'm hungry. Where are the funny people. I'm hungry. I'm hungry. Where is the funny man who sings itsy bitsy spider and then taps my nose and I laugh to humor him but really it's getting old. I'm hungry. I better cry now........hey, there's the funny man. He doesn't look happy. I'll smile and then maybe he'll sing me a song. Why does the funny man only have one eye open and what's this...why is he patting my...I'm not tired....stop putting your hand on my back...oh, here comes the sucky thing...I'm suddenly so tired....getting sleepy....ok, I'll drift off...go back to sleep funny man and I'll see you in 15 minutes."



Some pictures from bathtime which is slowly
converting from a screaming festival of tears to the more enjoyable experience you can see here :)

Bumpo Time

Finally able to hold her head up fairly well, it was time for the Bumpo so I started snapping away. Aside from the blurred arm I thought this was a cute one :)

Armed with three books on sleeping and a will to have her sleep through the night, we're preparing to enter the world of no pacifier at bedtime. In addition to the fact she is unwilling to put it back in herself, the sound of it landing on the mattress when it falls from her mouth might as well be the roof caving in.

Fall Weather

"Today there was a slight breeze":) Maggie picked the title for this picture even before the shutter opened. It wasn't that cold out to be honest but first time parents will always err on the cautious side.

So two weeks into daycare we've already experienced a shingles/chicken pox scare and a viral rash that spread around. While others have expressed that daycare will help build her immune system, I've noted that it appears building up her immune is going to cost a mint. That wasn't included in the books. Also not included is that while a $20 copay at the pediatrician doesn't sound like much, when you have to go a hundred times it adds up. She hasn't even started asking for toys yet.


Caught her with her thumb in her mouth and hoping it sticks!

Baptized

So here's the situation...we had planned everything perfectly. Whenever you hear parents start a story like that you can be assured that things are not going to end well. You can't plan anything. I'm convinced a child could do the same routine for two months and the one day you need to count on that routine it will change. So we had Sydney on a great feeding schedule, timed perfectly so she would eat when we got the church and then need to eat after the service. We'd put off putting her perfect white dress on until she gone through a few diapers that morning. We got her changed, we all looked great, and it was five minutes to show time. Then she pooped. Not a small poop but one that decided to leave the immediate vicinity of the diaper. I watched Maggie as the horror of that moment slowly unveiled itself on her face. First she saw the diaper, then a little bit on the nice white dress, then the real disaster all down the front of her skirt. Five minutes to go and things had unraveled. Diapers were flying. Wipes thrown in every direction. Suggestions offered from everyone. Maggie finally looked up, laughed and said, "This was the worst case scenario." And we survived. We survived the two hour ceremony, forty five minutes longer than normal. We survived her starving cries as we drove home as fast as we could. We survived the chaos that ensued at our house. We survived the pictures. In the end, we somehow survived our perfect plannning.

Not the best picture but if you think we were going to wait for her to look at the camera you're crazy.

Cheering on the team!

Last night I spent a few precious moments trying to convey to my four month old daughter the momentous occasion that was the beginning of her first NFL season. I assured her there would be moments of joy and years of misery, but these could be tempered to a degree by ensuring your success in fantasy football by making the right starting picks each week. So we sat down in front of the computer and although it sounded mostly like cooing, I'm pretty sure she was giving me the pro's and con's of starting one of the Saints wide receivers. Her advice of course profferred in the hopes of helping me to live up to the immortal words on her bib, "Daddy is #1". So the season has started and my search continues for a tiny little foam finger I can put on her hand. That would look so cute.

Couldn't resist this shot of her holding what is quickly becoming her favorite toy.

Day Care!

I remember so many times friends or co-workers came to the end of a day and said "I have to go pick up my kid from daycare" and I never thought much of it until today. It was only a test run, a few hours of agony, but I dropped our little angel off at day care for the first time and left her there. Alone. Without us. How could they know the precise angle she must be held after feeding so she doesn't spit up? How will they know she likes the head, shoulders, knees and toes song sung while pointing at her head, shoulders and so on? So I left...and drove far away...across the parking lot to the Starbucks where I could see the daycare and I got a table near the window so I could watch. Oh I did some work and took a conference call but I had my eyes pegged across the parking lot. Two seemingly endless hours later I told a co-worker I had to get off the phone. "I have to go pick up my kid up from day care" I said proudly. And to my surprise she was happy and fed and changed and seemed quite content her first time away from family. It's still going to take some time, so in addition to the checks I'll be depositing in the slot of the day care lobby desk, I'll be depositing a few checks at that Starbucks too ::)

Week 14 - Three Months

A tad over three months has passed and in the same moment it feels like no time at all, and a lifetime. Here is a look back over the sleepless, cooing, smiling, crying, kicking, loving, wonderful summer. (Make sure your sound is on)

Capturing Life

With all the high powered cameras we have I used to think that a low grade phone camera that is barely printable was a ridiculous idea. Then I got one and realized that sometimes capturing the moment is indeed more important than capturing the moment at 10 megapixels. So I've started to snap here and there when I don't have my camera handy and I've caught a few of these moments, such as Sydney's first rainbow from the car, or a cute picture of her. As it's a phone, I can surreptitiously look at this picture when I'm having a long meeting or day and how could that face and those eyes not get you through.


Then there are those times you do in fact have a 10 megapixel camera, a 200mm lens and a father in law with an extra press pass to a minor league baseball game. There was just such an occasion recently and I was fortunate enough to experience a game not from a seat in stands, but smelling the fresh cut grass standing on the field, hearing the players cheer from the dugout and watching a baseball game like it was my first time all over again. While this isn't exactly about Sydney, I bet my mother in law I could somehow segue into this experience :) To see a couple pics from the shoot click here.

Week 12 - Development

After a short hiatus for our South Carolina swing, we're now only 6 days from Sydney's 3 month milestone. With all the babies around we now realize that in fact every baby is different and they're all making strides at their own pace. We've basically thrown away the week by week development book and relieved ourselves of the stress involved when she doesn't do something on command after week such and such. Plus, I was spending too much time reading forward for the week when I could expect her do her own laundry. Perhaps a longer term book at this point would help with our planning. Week 676: Your now teenage daughter will begin to terrorize you. Week 780: Your daughter will ask if she can go out on a date with a boy. Your response will be a short courteous, no. Week 832: Your child should be driven to the DMV to get her license. Week 832: Your child will ask you to buy her a car. Week 832: Your daughter will drive off and you will realize that Week 676 looked pretty good.


Here are some pics of her South Carolina family and holding her own bottle for the first time. I was watching tv and suddenly realized I was no longer supporting the bottle, she had her hands on both sides and was drinking away. Only 3 or 4 minutes until her tiny muscles gave out but enough time for a snapshot.

The Long Drive Home

Betting on horses based on their name; staring directly into the sun; driving 11 hours with a baby. Three things you should never do...but I once bet on a horse's name I liked and it came in second; I stared at an eclipse for a few seconds and didn't burn my eyes out, and this weekend we drove to South Carolina with our 10 week old and she slept almost the entire way. Like many a parent we've met have said, babies at this age do actually seem to be portable. The problem comes when you've ported them somewhere completely foreign. They realize that the nice walls you painted aren't there. That nice glider you've been rocking them in for months is no longer. That one picture on the wall they stare at has mysteriously disappeared, and in it's place? Forty people she's never seen, passing her back and forth, here and there. It's enough to make her cry, which is exactly what she did. But each day South Carolina becomes a little more familiar, the palmetto's sway more comfortably, and grandma and grandpa's seem that much more like home.


At home in Greenville, Syndey enjoyed her first trip to the pool. Only a whisker of her legs touched the water before she jettisoned the pacifier, writhing like a lobster near the pot...so instead we stared at her cute pink monkey bathing suit for an hour :)

Leaving On a Jet Plane....

22 hours...

the amount of travel time I spent in airports and airplanes on my first business trip away since Sydney joined us.

3 hours...

the time of my business meeting.

1 minute...

the amount of time it took me in the cab to start deeply missing my little girl.

Luckily I made it back to see her holding her head up strong as she attempted the ever complex vault over the Boppy. Fortunately her legs and desire have yet to conspire.

Week 9 - So Fast

I refuse to use the term "they grow up so fast". Every parent says it. It's sort of like saying peanut butter sticks to roof of your mouth or little babies farting is cute. So of course upon walking into the doctor's office for Sydney's two month appointment we were greeted with, "Can you believe your back so soon...don't they seem to grow up so fast?" It's been close to nine weeks now which has allowed enough time for bonding such that Maggie couldn't bear to watch our little girl getting her first set of shots at this appointment. I remember as a kid the prospect of getting one shot was terrifying but this little girl had to get four shots! And so began a life long hatred of doctors offices, her cries for help repeatedly dwarfing the shreiks of a 4 year old in the next room as mom looked away. One moment the funny man in the white lab coat, the next a thouroughly unfunny man. She seemed so much more alert though and aware of what was happening. It was a different cry and more her voice but unfortunately, unlike the 4 year old, no amount of Elmo stickers from the lobby was going to help ease this pain. It seems like just yesterday she was getting worked up in the hospital and here she was at her two month appointment. Gosh, they grow up so fast. Damn.

Here's a pick of good college friends turned parents. A few less beers and a few more poopy diapers. All in all a pretty good tradeoff :)

Look Ma...No Hands

Now that she's reached a reasonable weight and height so as not to be completely swallowed by this contraption, we broke out the Baby Bjorn. In honor of having my hands back I thought it only fitting that I take a self portrait of my new found happiness and the sleeping beauty...and no, the white cloth is not part of the purchase. That accessory was in hopes of saving the second shirt of the day from regurgitated milk.

Welcome Home

When I first got out of college, a friend of mine was married in a large Catholic wedding in Baltimore. This was the first of many weddings I would attend and I ached after an hour and a half of sit, stand, kneel, sit, stand, kneel. Then at my own wedding we remained standing perfectly still during the entire 40 minute sermon while the congregation sat blissfully relaxed behind us. Then there was the wedding in Mexico that lasted nearly 24 hours. Weddings are tiring in themselves but I never even gave much thought to the shadow like photographers running around behind us. Then on Saturday I helped out my friend Steph photograph a wedding and realized that no matter how much standing and dancing I had done at weddings, photographing a wedding and running around with lights, extension cords and camera bags will have me forever appreciate any amount of standing I do at a wedding again. I sat down that night and my legs literally throbbed for three hours. (It was good to see she felt the same way on her fivezees blog :) ) So the lessons I learned on Saturday are twofold. First, wedding photography is very stressful and debilitatingly tiring. Second, as soon as I walk out that front door I might as well be relaxing on a beach as far as Maggie is concerned and when I return, no matter how exhausted and almost before I can put my bag down I'll be greeted with Sydney planted in my arms, a quick peck on the cheek and a gleeful wave goodbye.

As Stephanie is rarely in front of the camera I thought I'd include this picture I liked of her setup while she photographed Sydney. A perfect illustration of why she enjoys this more tranquil setting for her craft.

Week 8 - The Little Things We Notice

Sometimes I think the most interesting part of a photograph or anything creative is hearing each persons unique point of view. If you've been to a place in a picture, all those memories come rushing back. If you've ever had a little one, you would appreciate how worried a photographer could be about the resonating click of a shutter over a sleeping baby. Then there are the small things we each notice like a facial expression, or a pattern or something misplaced. So when I first uploaded this photograph, with a love of sports and a father in law who would shoot baseball every day if he could, all I could see was my little girl dreaming of the sign from the catcher and positioning her hands for a southpaw two seam fastball. And although I snapped a few pictures in time, the shutter was indeed my downfall. I'll leave it to the imagination what a waking baby does when she yawns, opens her eyes, sees no mommy or daddy and only a brightly colored flower four inches away that is bigger than her head.

An Explosive Holiday!

Everyone tells us how young children just want to do the same thing over and over again and we better prepare. Try peek-a-boo once, you better hold on because you're going to have to do it seventy five times. It was yesterday I started wondering if we create these little monsters by getting them used to repetition early. The book says you're supposed to talk to them and say words so they get used to language but I've run out of things to say. I've told her that too, repeating "I have nothing more to say" over and over again trying to make her understand. So then I started pointing out objects in the house...a table, a chair, the lamp. I've pointed out the same placemat about thirty times now. No wonder they want to do things over and over again when they're toddlers. I could stop but it's probably already too late and in a short time I'll be playing "Where's the placemat?" a hundred times over.

Aunt Carrie visited for the big holiday which Sydney marked by moving up a size in diapers to contain her own fireworks!

Week 7 - Three Bears

When I walked by the key board in the front hall a few weeks ago my Dad and I had a good laugh at this picture. It makes me think of the Goldilocks and the Three Bears story. I had remembered other people saying this, but Maggie and I were sitting around last night laughing that it's becoming harder to remember what it was like without this little girl around the house. The littelest bear around here has stolen more than just our last spot to put keys :)