Sweet cousins. Henry (almost 4) and Sydney both very excited to see each other and the animals at the Denver zoo. (12/6/15)
Sydney really wanted to see “The lions that don’t say RAAA (roar)” The lion cubs are adorable!
and playful
Fascinating to watch
And the mama
The giraffes are also a favorite
So sweet
Walking to music class on November 4th, 2015
Trying on new (big) pink shades (11/5/15)
Ready to go (11/9/15)
Sydney had a great time pulling her friend, Exie, in the bin, at Great Play (11/16/15)
Oranges are delicious! (11/14/15)
Changing Allie’s diaper (with aquaphor and all) 11/18/15
Fun with Lola (11/19/15)
Dribbling the soccer ball (11/20/15)
Goofing around in soccer class (11/20/15)
FIRST lollipop! About three and a half weeks after Halloween, Sydney remembered and asked about her Halloween candy. I took out her pumpkin bucket and she picked a lollipop. The first one she picked was a blueberry flavored dum dum. At first she liked it, but after about 30 seconds, she said, “this is gross” and threw it in the garbage. A few days later, she tried a chocolate tootsie pop. She liked it until she reached the tootsie roll in the middle. Again she said, “this is gross” and threw it in the garbage!
The weather report called for 1-5 inches of snow to accumulate today. We woke up to five inches and are at about 10 inches right now.
Sydney LOVES the snow, especially eating it. The photo below is from this morning, just after sunrise. “Mmm. Snow is delicious. Is it going to snow in San Diego?” We are heading to San Diego for Christmas for the weather but Sydney wants snow!
We had a great time in New York for Thanksgiving. Sydney enjoyed spending time with family, going to THREE shows in THREE days, eating great Thai food, and taking the train (LIRR) from “New York Island” (Long Island) to “New York City” and back. Photos below:
Happy Thanksgiving!
Three generations (with Glamour, the pink cheetah)
Sydney loved the black bean tostada appetizers.
Sydney met Amelia (Luc and JJ’s maternal cousin) for the first time
Playing catch with Luc
Luc is so sweet and so patient with Sydney.
Playing the piano with JJ
Sydney sang while JJ played!
A hug for Alessandra
Sydney, Hayley, Alessandra, and Veronica
Sydney LOVES corn on the cob. (She ate FOUR pieces!)
Sydney took a little break to read “Everybody says Shalom”
Time for dessert… Sydney LOVED the mini ice cream cones!
All done!
Time for the Turkey Pinata… Amelia took a swing
And, then JJ wanted to climb into Sydney’s crib
A fun night
The following morning, we went to see The Berenstain Bears show. Our tickets came with bear ears.
After the show, Mama bear gave Sydney a little black bear nose
Sydney was excited (and also nervous) about meeting “Sister Bear” and “Brother Bear”
Yay! Sydney posed for a photo with the bears and her very own “sister bear”
The following day, Lola took Sydney to see “Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas” with cousins Francesca and Alessandra
Sydney and Alessandra
After the show, Sydney went up on stage to give Fancy Nancy an ornament to put on her tree. Can you see the excitement on Sydney’s face?
Sydney is still up there with Fancy Nancy
The third show was at Radio City Music Hall. It was the Christmas Spectacular. Sydney was very afraid of Santa Claus!
There is Santa Claus, front and center. Every time Santa Claus appeared, Sydney buried her face in my shoulder. There was a scene with 50 Santa Clauses on the stage!
Sydney was very excited about trying on and walking around in a pair of pretend (dress up) toddler heels that might fit her next year!
Unfortunately, one of Sydney’s favorite friends, Ella, just moved to Minneapolis. Both of Ella’s parents are pilots and their seniority (ability to spend birthdays and holidays together) is much higher in Minneapolis than it is in Denver. Ella and Sydney hugged goodbye after a fun morning at the zoo on November 22. Ella, her mom Elisabeth, Sydney, and I rode on the carousel and the train, checked out the animals, and shared lots of snacks. Photos below:
Sydney and Ella posing for a photo, once the ride was over.
Another post-ride photo. (Sydney was holding on TIGHT with TWO hands during the ride!)
We took several selfies during the ride!
Sydney was uneasy when I stepped away to take her photo, mid-ride.
Sydney and I moved from a bench, to a non-moving animal, to a moving animal in a short period of time. (Ella, Elisabeth, Sydney, and I had the carousel to ourselves!) This photo is from the non-moving camel.
In this photo, Sydney is riding on a monkey that moves up and down. She is both excited and nervous.
Sydney loves to sit on a bench and share her snacks!
Two sweet girls. We miss you, Ella and Elisabeth!
Two of Sydney’s friends turned two in November. Sydney had a great time at their birthday parties.
First, we celebrated with Martha on November 8th:
Happy Birthday to Martha! (11/8/15)
Martha loved her cake!
Then, we celebrated with “Sammy Samantha” at the WOW children’s museum on November 14:
Sydney sat right next to Samantha, and she made a new friend, while waiting for the cake.
Happy birthday to Sammy!
Time to play…
Sydney put herself in charge of the ball bin
Food shopping is always fun…
… and so is playing “cashier”
Into the sandbox she went
Sydney asked the boys playing doctor “Can you please give me a checkup?”
They tried to record her height…
… and check her blood pressure
And, finally… a shot!
And, we happened to run into Sydney’s friend Evelyn at the WOW museum that day!
Out for a short walk in the rain (10/6/15)
Sydney loved rocking Ella on the spring bouncer at the park (10/11/15)
Sydney was excited to go for a ride, while Ella rocked the bouncer (10/11/15)
Sydney climbed to the top of this high slide with her cup of watermelon in one hand (10/11/15)
Pretending to ride horses with Ella
Taking Rosita to music class (10/15/15)
Dancing with ribbons, in music class
Playing the piano, with friends, in music class
Army crawl, at Great Play (10/19/15)
Excited about the little pumpkin (11/28/15)
Special concert for mom and dad (10/28/15)
Sydney asked to wear underwear to ride her scooter (10/27/15)
Trying the “big bed” (10/30/15)
In the past month, A LOT has changed!
#1 Sydney’s growing NEED FOR INDEPENDENCE has become quite evident.
All of a sudden, one day, in late October, Sydney began refusing to get in her car seat and her stroller. Out of nowhere, Sydney, who had been quite agreeable most of the time, was now screaming and yelling and kicking. I tried talking to her about what was going on and she couldn’t explain why she was so upset, but she was adamant that she did not want to be placed into either seat. The first time it happened in the car, Sydney was wiggling around so I asked if she needed to use the potty. She said yes, she peed in her portable potty in my car, and got right into her seat. That worked twice. The third time Sydney used the potty as a stalling tactic. She sat on it, then told me she didn’t have to go, then as soon as she was about to get into the seat, she did have to go… and back and forth and back and forth… until finally, I just had to put her in the seat. Anyone who heard the screaming and yelling and crying would have thought this poor little girl was being tortured. But, the minute I started the car and put on some music, Sydney was very calm and very sweet. She said “I’m sorry I was yelling and kicking.” She might have sensed that I was probably more traumatized by the experience than she was.
On the ride home… I was flooded with thoughts. Is this my new reality? Is this “terrible two'”? I need a new strategy. So… after a bit of research, I learned that Sydney just needed more freedom, space, and time to do things on her own. So, now, she walks much more than she rides in the stroller and when we have to get into the car, we factor in extra time, so she can get into the seat all by herself, which makes her feel independent, proud, and happy.
#2 BIG OR LITTLE?
Sydney is very conflicted about whether she is/wants to be a “big girl” or a “little girl”. She asks: “Am I a big girl?” “Am I a little girl?” We tell her she is both. Some days she says “I am a big girl!” or “I don’t want a diaper/pull-up. I want underwear.” and other days she says “I want to be a little girl.” This time in her life is truly fascinating.
#3 USING THE POTTY
I stopped asking Sydney if she wants to use the potty, because with so much personal growth/development taking place I don’t want her to feel any unnecessary stress/pressure. As soon as I stopped asking, she started telling me when she has to go. And, she will pull her pants and pull-up down and go all by herself. She is doing incredibly well.
#4 NO NAPPING
One potential hypothesis why Sydney stopped napping is that she was doing really well with potty training, but she might have felt anxious about having to pee or poop while she was in the crib. During quiet time in the crib, Sydney does not lie down. She is typically standing up and singing. So, now “quiet time” is preceded by “potty time”, which ends up being “poopy time.”
#5 CLIMBING OUT OF THE CRIB
In late October, Sydney climbed out of her crib for the first time, during quiet time. She opened her door and walked down the stairs. After that incident, we put a big mattress on the floor in her room, surrounded by pillows (Sydney ROLLS when she sleeps!) and Sydney tried sleeping in a “big bed” for one night. She managed to roll off the mattress, over the pillows, and into a wall. She told us she prefers to sleep in the crib. She feels comfortable and safe there, so even though she can climb out, she doesn’t. With so many other changes going on right now, Sydney’s desire to remain in the same cozy, safe, and familiar sleeping environment makes sense.
#6 WHY?
Sydney’s new favorite word/question is WHY?
#7 WILLFUL
At times, it can be very challenging to negotiate with a strong-willed toddler who wants to be independent, but it is comforting to know that Sydney isn’t afraid to ask questions and she isn’t going to accept everything she hears. Last month, while Sydney was eating her snack of blueberries, crackers, and hummus, she decided to dip her blueberries in hummus. A college-aged girl said, “Eww… that’s gross!” And, Sydney said, “No, it’s not gross. It’s good!” I was so proud of her!