Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Seems like I'm on a schedule of posting on holidays lately...no rhyme or reason for that, we've just been busy.  Daddy's had a few trips for work, so mom and I have been watching videos that dad has made for me and making videos of me singing to send back to him :)  I really like watching my own videos and always ask mom to see dad before I go to bed.  Works out quite well! 

I've also had a few "dad" days this week because mom's had early morning or out of town meetings.  I've really enjoyed going vroom vroom in dad's car on the way to school!  I don't get to ride in the Mustang too often - my carseat only fits forward facing, so when we go out as a family, or even if dad takes me out, we usually use mom's car where my seat still fits rear facing.  I explained to mom last night that dad's car goes vroom vroom because it has a big engine so it can go fast.  She agreed and laughed with me.  Mom and I were at a card store the other day and I found a whole display of toy cars - I immediately found the bright red Mustang and told mom that it looked like daddy's car, so of course she bought it for me.  I *love* it and couldn't wait to show it to daddy! 

I've been doing much better with swim lessons and don't throw a fit anymore.  I haven't been as clingy and really like the Humpty Dumpty still - except now I don't rely on mom to catch me - I fall in and go under water and then she brings me up and we swim to the wall.  Mom bought me some goggles, but they're still a little big on me.  I don't seem to mind the water as long as I close my eyes though. 

Mom and dad decided not to do the gym classes with me for now - it's a 20 week commitment and we have enough weekends that we can't make it that it's probably not worth it.  So maybe next term - I really enjoyed the class I went to, but it's just not practical. 

Mom and I are going to Seattle!!!!!!!!  Mom and Kim have been talking forever about seeing each other again and they finally found a time to make it happen.  The trip is on random days, but that's what happens when you try to book a cross country flight on miles.  We have one connection each way, but I think it will be ok (at least mom is telling herself it will be ok).  We're going to take my carseat for the plane and of course lots of activities and snacks.  Aunt Laurie had the great suggestion of wrapping some small gifts for me to open along the way, so I think we'll have to try that.  We've got time to figure it out, but I am SO excited to see Kim, Mike and Daniel!  I seriously talk about it every day - I wake up and tell mom I want to go to Seattle and go on a big plane :) 

Can't think of much else new at this point, though I'm sure I'll think of more as soon as I hit Publish Post.  So here are some photos to tide you over...

This one's for all of you who don't believe I'm not happy all the time (because I usually am!).  I can throw a tantrum with the best of them...


Ms. Jen gave me this sticker for going to the potty at school.  I moved it from my shirt to my PJ's and back to my new shirt the next day, ha ha.


I told you the Vitamin E Oil was a vital component of the bedtime routine...here I am trying to put some on mom's forehead (also part of the routine).


Daddy and I doing somersaults:


Kitty and I are friends sometimes.  Except when she bites me.  Then I cry and mom asks what happened.  I tell her kitty bit me.  She asks if I was bothering kitty.  I say yes.  Mom tells me not to bother kitty and she won't bite me...but I still bother kitty and she still sometimes nips at me.  No big deal, but the conversation with mom is funny.


I'm LOVING being able to eat dairy again - I had a very blue cupcake at Zachary's birthday party :)


The same day as Zachary's party was Arabelle's party at My Gym!  We had SUCH a great time.  Here's me and my best bud in the ball pit.


Here's the FOUR year old!


I couldn't care less about anything there other than the trampoline (and possibly the ball pit).  I didn't want to get off!


My other best bud Gabriel!  We had so much fun jumping together :)


Doesn't my hair look lovely after a day in a pony tail?


Eating sushi with my chopsticks! 


The Very Hungry Caterpillar may very well be my favorite book at the moment.


Still love my Cozy Coupe :)


My new shape stacker.  I know to put all the squares, circles and octagons together on one peg, but I don't necessarily put them in order of size.  I'll get there, though!


Weather's finally nice enough to take my car outside!


A bike helmet is clearly needed to rake the leaves :)


Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!  I'm Mom's Lucky Charm!


Hugs from Sydney!

Happy Presidents Day!

My school was closed yesterday and for once, so was mom's office!  She doesn't usually get off for "federal holidays," but I guess because of the dates of New Years this year, Aon decided to close for Presidents Day.  Huzzah!  I was so excited on Sunday night when mom and dad told me I could stay home with them the next day.  We had a fantastic weekend, but I was excited to see my friends this morning - Tuesday is Fun Fit day!

Dad had to travel again last week, but mom and I had a pretty good week.  I was generally in a good mood, even though I missed daddy :(  We've got our nighttime routine down to a science and I go to bed like a champ. Take one of these steps out of the rotation, though, and I WILL.NOT.GO.TO.BED (not to worry because I remind whoever is putting me to bed what needs to happen next). 

• Bath or shower
• Brush teeth - mom says I'm a champion tooth brusher - I open my mouth wide and let mommy brush top, bottom, in front, behind, and even my tongue (that tickles!) - we sing songs while she brushes and usually get through at least 2 or 3 rounds of Twinkle Twinkle, ABC's or something similar. 
• Jammies on (I get to pick them out, so they don't always match)
• Read books - again, I get to pick them out - I tend to pick the same ones, so sometimes mom asks me to pick a different one.  Thank goodness for library books so we have a wider selection.
• Vitamin E oil on my forehead (don't forget this step)
• I turn my turtle nightlight on
• Mom turns Jewel on (lullabye CD) and my sound machine
• I turn my light off
• I cuddle with mom for all of 10 seconds (mom misses our cuddle time) then I say I'm ready for bed.
• I climb in bed
• Mom covers me with 2 blankets
• Mom pats me on the back
• Mom or dad fill my water (I always take a cup of water to bed with me) and I ask daddy to come pat me on the back
• Dad comes and pats me on the back - this step presents a problem when dad's traveling - boo :( But I can comprehend enough now that I know where daddy is and I enjoy talking to him on the phone, so mom and I have been able to cope. We've been working on the days of the week, so I know when daddy will be home and that really helps.  I've been sleeping with "daddy's blanket" which helps me sleep too.  Now that he's home, though, "his" blanket is at the foot of my bed and has been replaced by my normal quilt.  

I've been doing pretty well overnight, but still waking up at least once most nights.  It's usually an easy fix (mom or dad assuring me that there is nothing scary in my room) and it's much better than it has been.  I think I've just been having nightmares, but Maddi and Tyler told me that it's ok to go to sleep and I remind mommy of that almost every night. 

I was supposed to have my swim class on Saturday, but we ended up not going :(  I've been having some trouble listening to mom lately and when she asked me to get my bathing suit on, I threw a fit and started crying.  She decided it wasn't worth a fight and that if I really didn't want to go that we wouldn't :(  We'll try again next week since we've now missed two weeks in a row (the washer leaked last week, tantrum this week).

Mommy, daddy and I had sushi again last night.  Mom went to the orthopedist again (it was our fourth appointment this year!) because her knee is still hurting - her appointment took so long that she stopped on her way home for my favorite avocado and vegetable rolls!  I gobbled mine up and think I may have eaten more than mom or dad!  Turns out mom likely has a stress fracture in her leg that will heal itself.  If it's not that, it's probably tendonitis.  Mom declined the cortisone shot, but if it doesn't get better soon, she may be changing her mind! 

The weather was pretty nice over the weekend and I really enjoyed being outside!  I had a daddy date on Saturday while mom was out for a few hours and we got to go to the playground!!!  I even helped daddy clean up ALL of my toys in the family room and kitchen!  When mom came home, we were practicing throwing and catching a ball.  I also got to ride my bike a little.  I'm *almost* tall enough to reach the pedals now. I rode all the way down the street to the house that had balloons on the mailbox, then we turned around and came home so I could eat lunch and take a nap.

This one's for Uncle Jay.  Where's the nearest Chipotle???


I tried to help mom mow the lawn.


So happy!


Who knew a pool noodle made such a great toy in the winter too?
 

Happy to be on my bike again.


Daddy taught me how to do a somersault last night!  I must have done them for a good half hour once I finally figured it out on my own.  For a while, I was convinced that I could only do them if daddy was sitting on the floor with his legs out.  But he taught me that I could tumble all by myself and I couldn't get enough.  Mom tried to get a video, but the battery in the camera died as she started filming, so we'll have to try again. 

Take care everyone!

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

Hard to believe this is my THIRD Valentine's Day already!  I had a great time - I got to wear a cool red shirt that mom bought me and wore my heart sweatshirt and took my Valentine's cards (with lollipops) to school :) 



I had a fun weekend with mom and dad, but we missed my swim class on Saturday :(  Mom and I were getting ready to pack up our bags when I discovered that the washer was leaking!  I went potty and said "Mom, there's water on the floor!"  The washer had leaked all over the laundry room and it was one big puddle.  Mom couldn't get the washer to stop filling, so she woke dad up and started cleaning up.  It finally stopped filling and mom and dad couldn't find anything wrong.  They pulled the washer out from the wall and ran a few loads and it seemed to be fine.  Hopefully it was just a fluke - they have been able to do several loads of laundry since then and it's been ok.  Thankfully they don't have to wash diapers anymore - that would have been a disaster!  Fingers crossed it was nothing major...

Mom and dad went out on Saturday night to go to an Indian restaurant that mom has been dying to go to - Rasika.  They said the food was awesome, but the service was AWFUL!  They allowed 2.5 hours for dinner and were still almost late for the show.  They went to see Comedy of Errors at the Folger Shakespeare Theater and really enjoyed it.  Ms. Gulnara, one of my former teachers, came to babysit me and we had such a great time!  She helped me make some valentine's for mom and dad and they were waiting on the wall when they came home. 



I had a play date with Alanna and Zachary on Sunday - we had a BLAST and I didn't want to leave :(  I was so good and even told mommy when I had to go potty - I stayed dry the ENTIRE time!  We'll have to get together with them again sometime soon.  I first met Alanna when we were about 5 months old and we're still such good friends :) 

I have *finally* started sleeping a little better.  After several weeks of waking up every half hour all night, mom took me to the doctor again last week.  Thankfully my lungs and ears are clear (just another cold), but that left mom and dad to try to figure out the sleep issues once again.  They think I was having nightmares and have since bought a very dim light bulb to put in my lamp, set my Good Nite light and have instituted a "2 animal" and "2 blanket" rule.  I may have been stalling by asking for more and more animals at night, so now I know I get 2 animals and get to pick the ones I take to bed with me and which ones go back to the toy bin.  And with the Good Nite light, when the moon turns blue, I know it's time to go to bed and when the sun turns yellow in the morning, I know it's ok to say "Mom, come get me!"  3 nights in and we're pretty good so far.  I've woken up a few times, but nothing like it was. 

Here are a few photos:

I like to stretch with daddy after a run:



Jumping is so much fun!



Since daddy has been traveling a lot, I've been sleeping with "daddy's blanket" aka the DC United blanket :)



I think I made mom's night tonight!  She's been working with me on spelling simple words like mommy, daddy, cat, etc.  On the way home tonight, she asked me what my name was and I said "Sydney Clements...S - Y - D - N - E - Y."  That's right - I spelled my own name!!!  Granted mom has said it a thousand times to me, so it's quite possibly memorization, but it's the first time I said it correctly on my own.  It took a while after we got home for me to repeat it for dad, but I did :)  So yes, I know how to spell my name!!!

Till later...hope all is well!

Photos from Thunder Snow...

Mom just realized that we never posted any photos from the storm we had a few weeks ago!  A little late, but here are some photos from my fun afternoon in the snow.  I had a blast playing in the snow and throwing snowballs!

It's a Sad Post-Superbowl Monday :(

My Here We Go Steelers chants clearly didn't work :(  There's always next year, I suppose.  I had a fun time even though we didn't win.  We had a PARTY for our friends!  I had so much fun getting things ready for the party and kept dancing around.  Dad, Uncle Joe and Aunt Ruthie made all of the food and it was scrumptious (yes, I say scrumptious - I told mom on the way to school the other morning that my cereal was scrumptious).  Mom says thanks to "Messy Street" (aka Sesame Street) for teaching me the word scrumptious.  I don't get to watch too much TV, but this show must have made quite an impression on me.  The menu consisted of Avocado eggrolls, lots of wings, lots of crackers and dips, homemade duck prosciutto, curried chickpeas, black bean hummus (it was too spicy for me), pork empanadas, chicken and bacon pastry puffs, and a lot more that I can't think of.  Ruthie made the BEST macarons (so mom tells me, she wouldn't let me have any). 

Mom and dad have started reintroducing dairy to me and so far I seem to be ok.  I haven't had any episodes of hives since I've started having dairy again, so mom is guessing that the last round was related to my ear infections and just how my body responded to the illness.  I'm still drinking soy milk with no plans to change that, but I've had cheese, butter and yogurt with no ill effects.  I've been eating mom out of house and home, so she's also glad to finally be able to feed me the school menu instead of having to pack my breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks a day!  Dad was out of town last week, so mom and I had another sushi date :)  I ate *12* whole pieces of avocado roll and veggie roll.  Can you believe it?  Mom didn't even eat that much! 

This is all that was left of my sushi :)


I definitely needed a bath after dinner this night!


I'm a little obsessed with my Palomalu jersey and doing my dance...


What time is it?


Kitty likes to crawl in cabinets when you open the door...


My best bud Arabelle!


Mommy and me at the Superbowl Party!


Daddy and me at the Party!


I shared my car with Baby Jake - he wasn't so sure what to make of it!


I helped mommy vacuum the floor (with my popper).


I was going to work in my car with my purse.


Not much else going on here.  I've *almost* got the potty thing down.  I only wear a pull up during nap and night time and underwear the rest of the time.  I usually come home in the same clothes that I go to school in, so that's good.  I still sometimes have accidents, but usually only in the car if we get stuck in traffic :( 

I'm doing MUCH better in swim class now.  I have one more class in this session and mom just signed me up for another 6 weeks!  I did great last week and loved doing Humpty Dumpty.  I'm so good at it now that when I fall to mom, I go the WHOLE way under the water!  I have to remember to close my eyes and mouth, but I did it at least 3 times last week and had a blast!  I'm still working on blowing bubbles, but I'll get there. 

Well, I should probably think about getting some sleep.  I haven't been sleeping well again, but hopefully tonight will be a good one!  I've just started coughing and mom's debating taking me BACK to the doctor again.  We've been there so much already this year, it's a little crazy.  At least we can usually get an appointment pretty easily if we need it.  Hope everyone is well and I'll be in touch soon.

Steelers are going to the Superbowl!!!

I don't really know what that means other than I get to see the Steelers play football again!  I love my jersey and know that mine is Polamolu and mom's is Hines Ward :)  I also like to show mom and dad how "football" goes...I kick my foot and yell FOOTBALL!



I had such a fun weekend, but ended up being pretty sick and not being able to fully enjoy it :(  On Saturday, we all went to swim lessons!  This was the second lesson and I did much better than the prior week.  Dad went with us this time and I think that helped.  I was finally able to do Humpty Dumpty and FALL in to the water :)  And I didn't cry the entire time and was able to enjoy myself and kick a little and swim towards the duckies and towards mommy.  Mom and dad were even able to help me put my head under water, which initially freaked me out, but once I realized I was ok was pretty cool.  Fingers crossed that mommy and I will be able to get through next weekend's class as well.

Then we went to Balducci's, a high end grocery store - dad bought duck breast to make duck prosciutto :)  Maybe they'll let me try some when it's done!  While I was napping, mom went and bought new running shoes - her doctor told her just to strengthen the tendons in her ankles, so she's going to jump right back in to her training program and see how it goes. Dad is running the Cherry Blossom 10-miler the first week of April and mom is doing the GW Parkway Classic 10-miler the second week of April, so there will be lots of running talk in the next few months.  Dad is considering running the GW Parkway 5K with me in the stroller - that would be awesome!  We could run the race, then wait for mom to run by on her way to the finish :)

Saturday afternoon, I got my SECOND haircut!  I was far less than thrilled, but it had to be done.  My hair was out of control and I hated mom brushing it, let alone putting it up in a pony tail or in a barrette. 

Here are a few photos from the past few weeks: 

Pre-haircut:


I love my bunny towel.  Mom tells me that I have a bunny face and I love looking in the mirror to see that Sydney is the bunny!


I wrapped myself in a flag and climbed in my car to go to "work"...


I love my letter abacus and know all of my letters!  I can do my alphabet puzzle all by myself and name each letter.  If you ask me to find a certain letter, I can.  I can also tell you what letter a word (OK, some words) starts with!  For example, I know that "can" starts with c and "hug" starts with h.  Mom and dad don't think it's pure memorization because I can usually get it right with new sets of letters too :) 


Haircut!  I was SO unhappy :(  But it looks so much better now and I even got a lollipop when we were done.


Here's a decent photo of the back of my new haircut...much better!


I love my Nemo!


I climbed in the drawer of my train table and was so proud of myself :)



Today the forecast was for snow / sleet in the morning and serious snow in the afternoon.  Mom tried to take me to school this morning, but we got about 4 blocks from home and turned around - her car was sliding and she didn't want to take a chance of having an accident, especially with me in the car.  And if it got worse during the day, she didn't want to have to fight traffic to go get me and then have to face the same thing with me in the car on the way home.  So we got to hang out at home today.  I was SO good and let mommy get her work done.  I even took an extra long nap, so she had plenty of time to get everything done.  I played with my trains, read some books, built towers and choo choo trains with my blocks, played with play-doh and did a lot of my puzzles. 

Mom and dad split driveway clearing duty tonight and they tell me it was awful - wet, heavy snow that just wasn't stopping.  We'll see what happens tonight - hopefully everything will be cleared up in the morning, but the way it looks right now, that probably won't happen! 

Last night was the first night in MONTHS that I slept the entire night without waking up AT ALL, so fingers crossed that "trend" continues tonight!  Stay safe and warm everyone!  We'll take some snow photos tomorrow...

Here We Go Steelers!

I was up much of last night coughing and with a fever :(  I ended up sleeping in mommy's bed with my head on her shoulder and didn't wake up until almost 9, which is unheard of for me!  I had to miss my play date this morning because my nose was SO runny and mom didn't want my friends to get sick. 

This was right before nap today - mom let me wear my Steelers jersey and told me that the Steelers are going to play FOOTBALL this afternoon! 


Fingers crossed for a good outcome to the game!