Snow Days

We've had record snowfall here in Portland (at least a foot of snow, and in the 20's), and it is getting old fast! I am so ready to get out of the house and go do something...anything....

I did attempt a little snowboarding on our street. It didn't last long...Sydney doesn't particularly enjoy the snow/cold weather, so Steve (my snowboarding instructor) was forced indoors, and I got tired of falling on my keister.

We are headed to CA on Wednesday, and hopefully the airport will be cleared up and we can leave as scheduled!

Rabbi Pinky

Sydney pulled out this hat from her closet that I've been meaning to pack away. It's a few sizes too small for her, but she loves it. Here she is in her grocery cart with her beanie on. I think she looks like a Jewish boy with it on. Oh, and also included in this image, a classic "Pinky perturbed" face.

Baby KK

Kelan is getting big, too. He is one of the most jovial smiley babies I've ever seen. If you catch his eye across the room, you get rewarded with a smile and some fluttering of those long lashes.

I took these pictures yesterday, after dolling up his hair with a bit of product. It doesn't lie down on its own, so I thought we might as well pump up the volume! :)

Getting So Big!

Sydney is now nearly 17 months old...I never thought I'd think of my child's age in terms of months, but I guess you just sort of do that when each month brings about a new development.
Here are a few recent pictures--one featuring Sydney's dearly beloved baby & stroller.

Let it Snow!

This weekend, the forecasters actually got it right...and we did get snow! A fair amount of it too, accompanied by blustery winds & frigid temps which makes it more pleasant to enjoy the snow from behind a window.

We did get Sydney bundled up in a snowsuit that should actually fit her next year (yes, I'm slightly behind in getting her outfitted for cold weather!) and outside to 'experience' her first real snowfall. She didn't find it that thrilling...However, by this evening, she was referring to snow as 'no'. You might find it surprising, but this really the first time she's ever said 'no'. And I'm hoping she doesn't figure out just yet that 'no' actually translates to something other than lovely white snow. I know my luck won't hold for long!

Animal Sounds

Sydney's vocabulary is moving right along. Here's a clip featuring some of her favorite noises to make.
We are looking forward to spending a relaxing Thanksgiving in LaCenter with the 'rents, Murrays & Uncle Tim. Wish me luck, as I'm making my first ever pumpkin pie. I don't even really care for the taste, it's more for the challenge (although I hear it's super easy!).

Although Sydney loves the books, she often does not savor the food I prepare for her (see above). When this toddler-control-issue-picky eater thing started, honestly, I got kind of stressed about it. Wanted to make sure she was getting her proper daily consumption of vegetables, dairy, protein, grains, etc. Steve talked me down from the ledge, reminding me that I wasn't in control of the situation, etc. Blah Blah Blah. Well, actually, it kind of helped, and I decided there are better things to get stressed about in life!
Now, most days I just wing it. And yes, I have succumbed to giving her french fries & chicken tenders....From Burgerville (as if that makes deep fry healthier or something)!!!
Some days she gobbles her food, other days, she prefers to eat her hat.

Little Bookworm

Much to my extreme pleasure, Sydney has become very excited about books. She loves to pull out a book, walk over to you, turn around & plop herself in your lap. She points at the pictures exclaiming "Dat?" when something catches her eye. Once you're done with that one, she'll get up and grab another one. This can go on for quite some time. Sydney also likes to 'read' by herself. We often see her clamber on up into the rocking chair with a book, and just hang out for a few minutes. I've also found I can get some good mileage out of handing her a book while she's in her carseat.
Now, so you don't think I'm trying to tell you that I've got the makings of a child genius on my hands, the books we're talking about aren't novels. Think pictures of entertaining things: ponies, dogs, cats, bananas, goldfish....But, it's been interesting to see how the different stages of development sometimes just seem to appear overnight. One day, a book is just something to shove aside. The next day, it's a wealth of exciting information. :)

Love those Raspberries

When we moved to our house, the previous owner left a small bed of raspberry bushes. After several moves around the yard to find the perfect spot, according to Steve, resident berry-gardener-master. And we must have found it, cause now the raspberries now consist of a very long, bushy row. They start bearing fruit in July, and haven't stopped yet! It is unbelievable that they can keep going this long, and it wasn't until this last week that the berry production has begun to slow down. One of our favorite things to do is pick berries when we go outside. I will miss them when they kick the bucket for the season!

Doing the Halloween Thing

So, to celebrate Friday the 31st, Sydney has been participating in several fall celebrations. This past Saturday, she & I went to the zoo with my longtime friend Theresa, and her son Aidan (he's ~3 yo). We had a good time, and Sydney seemed a tad more interested in the animals than the last time we visited the zoo in late spring. Just a tad...Seeing tigers from a distance is only interesting for a 1 year old for so long. I found the baby elephant to be quite adorable, he is only a month or so old and I just wanted to hop over the concrete wall and give him a squeeze!

We were invited to a Halloween party by our neighbors up the street. Our street is teeming with kids these days--Sydney isn't the youngest anymore! The older girls love to baby her, and her friends across the street Will and Olin love to amuse her. Will is particularly smitten, and loves to chase Syd around and get her squealing with laughter. The party was great, with lots of activities and snacks. In case you can't tell from the picture, Sydney is a dog for Halloween. I'm lucky if she forgets the hood is up, and it stays on her head for 5 minutes.
On Friday, I imagine we'll make the rounds to the neighbors houses, and then retreat to our own house to dole out candy.

K-Boy

Much to Erin's relief (although personally, mealtimes are my least favorite activity of the day now), Kelan has decided to enjoy the wonders of mushy food. He put up a decent fight, but eventually succumbed to one of the passages of life.

Mad Skills

Sydney has always been an active girl, and now she is flexing her muscles. She seems to walk this world viewing any stationary (or sometimes non-) object as a potential obstacle to be climbed and conquered. Steve loves it-- he keeps raving that she's a natural born rock climber.

It is quite a sight to behold her attempting the challenge...All body parts, including her head/face, are involved in wrangling up & on to the object.

I was walking down the hall to our bedroom the other afternoon, and stopped in my tracks to see Sydney lounging in the rocking chair in our room. One hand clutched Pink Pup, the other her smoothie. She looked as if it were perfectly natural for her to be sitting there soaking up the warm sun.

The next day, I was airing out my rugs on the back deck, and as I returned from a trip back inside, came across Sydney relaxed comfortably in a lounge chair on the deck. Again soaking up the sun! She doesn't just have the climbing abilities of her father, but has also learned developed love of a good rest in the sunshine.

Pumpkin Patch

Sydney & I made a trip out to Lakeview Farms...acres and acres of pumpkins, complete with a short train ride & a boat ride to and from the farm. Oh, and a petting zoo too.

We were supposed to meet a group of moms/kids from the neighborhood out there, but all of them ended up sick with colds. Or so they said :)
Regardless, Sydney and I enjoyed ourselves. Not that you can tell from the pictures, cause I discovered it is quite challenging to get a picture of Sydney where she's standing still, and smiling pleasantly up at the camera. Lots of climbing of hay bales, staring at big kids, and plenty of running through the hay bale maze were involved in our little adventure. Oh, and I picked out a pumpkin :)

Fun New Stuff

Sydney has a close companion, Sam, whom she shares lots of things with..including sippy cups, Cheerios, and viruses. Sam & his mother Lydia (and his dad John) live up the street, and we often hook up to kill a few hours together during the day. We bought Sam a buggy for his first birthday...It's lovely, all bright spanking new. And he liked it so much, I bought Sydney one off Craigs List. It's not as clean as Sam's...it has chalk marks all over it, is missing a taillight & a headlight sticker, but it still has a functioning seat belt & loud gritty wheels! So far, we've gotten a lot of mileage out of it-Sydney loves it!

In addition to the 'ghetto buggy' (as it's referred to), Sydney is now the proud owner of a doll & a doll stroller. She clutches the doll, and lovingly calls it a baby (her only real word). It is cute to see her snuggle with it, and try & stuff a binky in its mouth.

Rockin' the Jean Jacket

For Sydney's birthday, Oma Jude gave her a dress & a jean jacket. I think this is such a Jude thing to give...I remember growing up that my mom has always loved her denim jackets. She has had several over the years, and is always on the search for the world's most comfortable, easy to wear clothes. And I guess a simple jean jacket fits the bill. For the record, Sydney thinks she is hot stuff when she has this on. She loves to play with the buttons & the fringe on the cuffs.

Family Vacation

This past weekend the Vander Sluis/Murray/Forster families all trekked down to Sunriver (Central Oregon) for a long weekend. We had a great time in the fabulous weather. We rode bikes all day long, kayaked, played in the pool, visited Smith Rock and just relaxed together.

Sydney had her first experience in a bike trailer. Sometimes she liked it... other times not so much!

Using Utensils

Nearly every day we notice some new trick, sound or movement that Sydney has picked up. Lately, she's been crawling up and around on things, and then she'll flop around on the ground. It's a new, more relaxed way to move, versus walking or running everywhere in a hurry!
She's really into playing peekaboo with anyone who'll play it with her...She covers up her eyes (or just one eye), the seeker wonders aloud where Sydney could have ran off to, and then we all rave with praise when she opens up both her hands to reveal she was right there the whole time! It's quite amusing to her.
Last night she decided to experiment with using a spoon...and she was pretty successful considering she was dealing with runny applesauce on her first try :) As proud as we were, you can only imagine the gi-normous mess that was made in the process. But, it was worth it, she was very proud of herself :)

Little Carnivore

Although Sydney is often seen refusing to eat food she previously devoured the day before, one thing is certain...she likes her meat. Not only that, she seems to enjoy a meal she can get really involved with.

Yum Yum

Sydney enjoying one of her favorite treats, a homemade yogurt popsicle. We have been experimenting with new foods these days, considering Sydney's tastes seem to fluctuate like the wind (much to my absolute joy). In addition to eating all meals with her fingers, Sydney is also beginning to boycott her afternoon nap (this also gives me great pleasure). As a matter of fact, as I write this, I'm hearing what sounds like thumping on crib rails coming from her bedroom. I do still put her down, and sometimes we luck out with a quick nap, other times she just plays for a bit on her own. I really will miss that afternoon nap, it was such a cherished part of my day!!

Where has the time gone?

We celebrated Sydney's 1st birthday on July 27. I can't believe a whole year has passed since she entered the world! As someone once told me: with kids, the days are long and the years are short. Sometimes, that is just the plain truth!

Steve's Hobby

(Linda, don't look at this picture!)

Just thought I'd share a shot of my dear husband, doing something that he loves :)
Now that Steve is generally injury-free, he has been able to get back into rock climbing. I'm planning to get back into it after my wrist heals up (I had surgery early July). He has a group of buddies from the rock gym that venture to various locations around the Portland metro area, and this was a shot from yesterday's excursion. We are looking forward to getting Sydney involved in climbing too someday...It's great exercise, seems to attract a good group of younger kids (at least at our climbing gym), and of course, she won't be doing these outside walls until she's older! :)

Family Vacation

The Forster family hit the road for a family vacation last week. We kicked off the adventure with a visit from Grandma Linda, who stayed with us a few nights. We took a few walks, Linda baked some goodies & then on Tuesday we left for Couer d'Alene, ID. The drive from Portland is about 6 hours, and of course, we had to stop & let Sydney stretch her legs a few times along the way. The scenery between Portland & CDA is beautiful...a few hours along the Columbia River Gorge, which changes from forests to desert with all kinds of rock formations, and then a few hours in Eastern WA through the rolling hills of farmlands.
Aunt Marty & Uncle John live in CDA year round, and Aunt Trudy & Uncle Frank spend parts of the summer in their own house a short walk from the 'main house.' In all, there are three homes that all have fabulous views of Lake CDA, and there is lots of room for visiting family. During our visit, we spent time with the aforementioned aunts & uncles, as well as the Verniest family & Aunt Cathy & Uncle Bob. As it is every year we go to Idaho, the weather was warm, and the family time was great. Sydney had a wonderful time with her grandma, who watched her nearly every day so Steve & I could spend some 'alone' time! In all, we had a restful time (I finished two books!), and enjoyed spending quality time with family we don't see too often.

Fourth of July Parade

Our neighborhood mom's group organized a 4th of July parade this year. It was a fun group walk around the neighborhood, and hopefully next year we'll have more spectators. The pictures above present Sydney in all her patriotic finery, and highlight two of the more rowdy parade spectators (Great Uncle Tim and Oma Jude!). Ryan rode his bike the entire way, and Kelan enjoyed the view from the front pack. The parade was followed by sandwiches and watermelon @ our house.
The 4th was actually more fun for me this year. Typically, I just get annoyed by the fireworks that begin on June 28th @ 10 p.m. and end on July 5th @ 2:30 a.m. I think fireworks make me realize I'm aging--the erratic noises disrupt my sleep, and at this stage of my life, sleep is a treasure!
This year felt more festive, and I actually did see a lovely illegal firework display from my bedroom window (courtesy of some unidentified neighbors). Fireworks are abundant in Washington, where it seems anything goes! In Oregon, legal fireworks aren't supposed to leave the ground, so anything seen in the air was likely purchased in Washington or from an Indian reservation. (Information courtesy of Assistant Fire Marshal Steve Forster) :)

Quick video

You will have to excuse the following:
Steve's terrible voiceover
The trouble w/ wood floors (you'll see what I mean at the very end!!)

Hot Summer Days

Lots of walking going on here @ the Forster residence. Sydney amuses her self all day long by walking around the house. She particularly likes carrying a sundry of items with her...including, but not limited to potatoes, balls, shoes, plastic rings, baby jar lids, etc. She has her balance down fairly good, and it seems to really put a kink in her style when she falls. Good thing diaper butts are nice & padded! Other than practicing walking, we have inflated our small pool, and now that the weather has finally warmed up, Sydney & I hop into that every afternoon. Our neighborhood park has a pool which we also have visited. We are participating in a neighborhood 4th of July parade on Friday--stay tuned for pictures of our decorated stroller!

We celebrated Jude's 59th birthday on Sunday, with dinner & Slip n' Slide @ the Murray's. Sydney, Ryan & I were the only takers for the Slip n' Slide, and I have the bruised knees to demonstrate why adults really shouldn't be hurling themselves down on the ground onto a plastic path that lands you in ice cold water. However, it was fun...until the bruises started to hurt & turn ugly.

Steve has officially returned to his former/current job in Fire Prevention--we are excited about this cause it means a shorter commute & a bit more flexible hours. Linda is coming up from CA on the 13th to visit, and then the 4 of us will drive to Coeur d'Alene to visit with more of the Forster family. We love going to CDA, and this will be Sydney's 2nd trip! She was 1 mo. old when we traveled there last summer, and I am hoping this trip will be a bit more relaxing for us all!

Walk it Out

So, lots has been going on in the Forster household.
In mid-May, Steve & Sydney made it through a bout of a nasty cold virus that last 2 weeks...somehow I came out unscathed! Also in mid-May we had a fun visit from the Dutch side of the family--Oma & Opa Vander Sluis visited, as did cousin Brigette from Breda, NL. We had a great time shopping, eating/drinking, sitting in the sun & catching up. Pretty much right after they all left, the sunshine left too (literally & figuratively!). We haven't really seen it since, and boy, are we ready for it to return!
After everyone gained their health back, Sydney's two top front teeth decided to make an appearance. They are still working their way to full exposure, but teething does make the Little Miss a slight bit fussy, and disrupts our nap schedule (much to my dismay!). But, things are getting back to normal, and Sydney has been busy honing her walking skills. The video I've attached gives you a little taste of her mad walking skills! She is getting the hang of it way too quickly. I just know that one of these days, I'll be getting a glass of water in the kitchen, and Syd will stroll into the kitchen with a broad smile & surprise the heck out of me. She is a busy little bee, loves to get out & about and is always up for a challenge. Walking seems to be a real kick for her :)
Otherwise, Steve has been busy wrapping up his last month in HR and we are all looking forward to a less hectic work schedule for him. He has been able to get in some outdoor rockclimbing on the weekends, despite the poor weather. And Sydney & I join him in the rockgym sometimes during the week. Me to climb the walls and Sydney to climb the floormats--it works for all of us! Sydney & I get back into my exercise class routine next week, and we will also start attending a music class for little kids. I have joined a book club that meets once a month, and am really enjoying it & the people in it. Erin, Jude & I are attending a Sustainability workshop next week that should prove interesting.
Our garden is getting into gear...the corn, beets & radishes are all decent sized sprouts, and the lettuce & spinach are taking off. Steve's Berry Garden (yes, it's a place, thus the capitals!) is taking off, we're expecting a bumper crop of the strawberries, raspberries & blueberries! We are trying to plan a couple family trips for the summer, and we are headed to Coeur d'Alene in July to spend time with the Forster family.

Bath Time

Now that Sydney is mobile, and attempting to walk & all that good stuff, she is not content to lay back and relax in the bath tub. She rotates from sitting up, crawling the length of the tub, standing up to check out the faucet or the tiles. All this action has also translated to the changing table, which is beyond annoying. Steve and I refer to a diaper or clothing change as a wrestling match. Anyways, I've attached a video of Sydney in the bath...yes, it is discreet, so she won't be embarrassed when we show this to her future mate. :)


Other than videotaping Syd, we have been busy spending time outside. It has finally warmed up around here, and makes hiking & yardwork a pleasant activity. Steve has been on some outdoor rock climbing excursions on the weekend...I'm still a newbie, so I haven't moved from the gym yet. Sydney & I are signed up for some music classes for the summer, in addition to the regular exercise classes I take. We are celebrating Mother's Day with the rest of the family on the weekend, and I am looking forward to experiencing some form of pampering! :)

Wow! I am truly terrible at this blog thing! Where has the time gone?!
Since today is the first sunny day we've experienced in several weeks, I'm going to have to keep this short. Sydney and I have business to attend to outside!
We are all doing well, aside from a few nasal viruses to visit our household. Sydney and I keep busy during the week by visiting family in La Center, attending exercise classes T,W,Th (Sydney attends childcare while I sweat it out), running errands, playing with neighborhood kids & their moms, visiting the rock climbing gym in the evening with Steve and playing around the house.
Syd particularly likes the rock gym, as there are big mats for her to climb all over, and a nice padded floor that she can cruise around. Steve is really looking forward to teaching her to climb when she reaches toddler-hood.
Sydney has taken her first steps, and it is hilarious to watch her. She looks like a drunken sailor. She can stand for at least 10 seconds on her own, and takes a couple of steps on her own too. I think she is in this phase where she REALLY wants to be staggering/walking around the house, so she gets frustrated with her inability to do so. Kind of like how she was just before she started crawling...So we'll see how long it takes her to get up to speed with the walking...I will say she is one determined child!
We are looking forward to May, when we'll have visits from Oma & Opa Vander Sluis and family from NL, including the Chin-a-Fat family! In addition, we're REALLY looking forward to some warmer weather around here. We're getting a little stir crazy with all this April showers business....

The Littlest Member of the Family

An update on Kelan:


Kelan & co. are doing well. Unfortunately for the Murray family, they all caught that nasty virus that has been making the rounds. Kelan emerged with just a small eye infection, but the whole episode was not the most fun way to welcome a new baby to the household! Now, things are getting back to normal. Kelan now weighs 7 lbs, 11 oz. and is 20.25" long. He sleeps and eats really well. He is a peaceful little guy, although when he is hungry, he has a not so subtle way of communicating :)

BusyBody

My friend Lydia has been reading the Horse, I mean, the Baby Whisperer in the hopes of soothing her son. She said the author describes five different temperaments "types" of babies. Evidently, she immediately thought of Sydney while reading the "Spirited" type of child.
Admittedly, Sydney is an active baby. Not high strung per se, but definitely a busybody. She is always on the go, loves to have people chase her, gets into anything she can get her hands on, and pretty much puts everything in her mouth. A particular favorite is paper.

Yesterday, Syd went for a nap in the pack and play @ Jude & Lane's house. I pushed the playpen against a desk, as it was darker in that particular corner of the room. After putting Sydney down, and a few minutes of squealing and the like, she went to sleep. When she woke up, I walked in the room, only to find about 15 pieces of paper strewn all over the playpen, and Sydney sitting in the middle of them, sucking her thumb. Somehow she scraped all the papers off the desk, and proceeded to make a small nest out of them. Most surprising was how little of the paper she ate.


So, for your viewing pleasure I've attached a video of Sydney doing some of her usual, stuff, with a smattering of her usual noises. I apologize, the quality of the video isn't the greatest...

Catching Up...

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted any photos or messages since early February! Where has the time gone! Perhaps I can account for some of it...

Between the three of us, we were sick nearly the entire month of February, with a sinus virus that is still hanging on to Steve's nose. Sydney had her 6 month shots in the middle of the month, which took her a few days to recover from. Then, Syd's two bottom teeth poked out, after a week of fussy behavior! I was quite relieved to know there was an explanation behind Sydney's strike against all things nap related. In addition to the teeth, Syd has developed into a busy little crawler. She moves quite fast, and we've put some gates up to keep her in various parts of the house. She also is quite proud of her ability to pull her self up on nearly anything. She is quite the little explorer! The picture above is Sydney in her kind of geeky 'explorer' hat, lounging on at the pool in Maui.

At the end of the month we went to Maui with Lane & Jude for a week. We all enjoyed ourselves, and had a very relaxing vacation. Steve & I even got out for date night! And then, a few days after we returned, Kelan Jesse Murray officially entered this world on Tuesday, March 11 (see photo above). Erin had a record 45 minute labor (5 mins. of pushing), and since I'm still mentioning it a week later, it's clear that I'm jealous! Ryan, Syd and I were unloading from the car in the hospital parking lot when Jude called me on my cell phone to me that the delivery was over & successful! He is a good baby, likes to eat and really likes to sleep.

Otherwise, Steve has been busy with TVFR work and consulting work that arrives from CA. Sydney and I have joined a neighborhood mom's/kids playgroup, which is fun and we are meeting lots of nice people. We've enjoyed the warmer weather and started to get back into our walking routine. We are looking forward to celebrating Easter at church, and with the rest of the family this weekend.

Queen of the Velvet Throne

I just thought this picture was cute...Sydney's all time favorite place in the world: Mom & Dad's bed. She acts like she's arrived at the pearly gates of heaven when she finds herself here!

BFF's

Sydney entertained her BFF Lauren Koudelka last night, while Steve & I enjoyed the company of her parents, Kurt & Caroline. As couples, we shared the joys of pregnancy and now support each other through first time parenthood. The girls were born just three weeks apart, and before their birth, we deemed them best friends. The picture above demonstrates Syd's latest trick...sneaking away toys, binkys, etc. from other babies. As you can see, the binky is actually Lauren's, but Sydney found it desirable. Seriously, if she sees another baby playing with something, then that toy is instantly a MUST HAVE! And she will just reach over and snatch it from the poor, unsuspecting baby. Is it too early to teach a baby to share?! I mean, I've read that the realization of cause/effect kicks in during the 6+ months...Perhaps Sydney is enacting the"I want it, so I will do what it takes to get it" effect. And Steve thought teaching Sydney to crawl was tough! Now comes the behavior, values and ethics training. Oh, we are SO in for it.

Robe

This robe, a gift courtesy of Grandparents Walter & Faye, has got to be the most amusing article of baby clothing I have ever seen. Who makes a robe for an infant!? I like to think of it as a smoking robe. Add a cigar, an armchair, a roaring fire and Sydney would be an ideal candidate to host the likes of Masterpiece Theater.

Home Sweet Home

We have returned safely from CA and are back home in Portland. We had a great time visiting with family, and especially enjoyed Bob and Cathy's beautiful wedding. It was a touching ceremony, and both Bob & Cathy appear very happy to be finally wed!
In all, traveling with Sydney was about what I expected. Not easy, but not overly difficult. Just kind of tiring. No more whooping it up at the wedding reception until the wee hours of the morning for Steve & Ana...Sydney was pretty much spent by 7 p.m. every night. But, annoyingly for the rest of us, she'd hang in there and keep her eyelids pried open until we would leave. So, for her little world, Syd partied like a rock star...getting to bed at 10 every night. And then short catnaps during the day. What a fantastic combo! But, in all, she held it together and managed to charm most of those around her. Much to Sydney's dismay, the only one who just would not warm up to her was Little Dog (Cathy's American Eskimo small white fluffy dog).
But, in all, we had a great trip and enjoyed ourselves. It was fun to reconnect with family, see how the little ones are getting so big and play a few rounds of Wii!

Of note, the picture above was taken at the wedding reception. Notice how Sydney is lying horizontal, yet strangely, not sleeping. As you can imagine, we left the party shortly after this.

Time to Fly South

This week, we are headed off to California for Bob & Cathy's wedding! Steve and I are looking forward to a break from a hectic work schedule (him) and a change of scenery (me). The flight to Sacramento is just over an hour in length, and I am very curious as to how Sydney will approach air travel. I guess this is a good litmus test for our upcoming trip to Maui in February! We are really looking forward to introducing Sydney to her great-Oma, her Grandpa Walter and all the other Forster relatives. I suspect her wildest dreams of being held and doted on 24-7 will be granted this trip!


Sydney is now approaching 6 mos. of life outside the womb, and to mark this milestone, we have been introducing her to solids (technical term: finely pureed food). She is wild about applesauce and a blueberry/pear concoction. Sweet peas--not so much. She actually had a look of utter disgust on her face when Steve gave her some peas. This new food brings on way more messes than milk, I have to admit. I thought spit up was a pain, but finding orange carrot stains all over our clothes is beyond annoying. But, it just won't do to have Sydney fall behind on the developmental scale of things, so, we'll keep those solids coming! In addition to new foods, Sydney will also be kicking off her first swim lessons in a few weeks. I am looking forward to trying something new with her, hopefully it will be worth the effort (and the task of squeezing myself into a swimsuit!). Steve has been prepping her by encouraging her to splash around, kick and deal with unexpected water in the eyes (I don't think anyone ever gets used to that!), during bath time. So, we'll see how it goes!

A few folks who read my blog (love them!) haven't had the pleasure of seeing the I've Got a Crush on Obama video...It is a hoot, and particularly in this season of primaries, worth a look...Careful though--That background singer hook can get stuck in your head:...barack obama...bama...bama...bama... (and I don't advise that small children watch it either!)
Here's the link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=wKsoXHYICqU

Family Time

Last night we were joined for dinner by the Murray and Vander Sluis families. I have become a slow cooker aficionado these days, so we had my version of pulled pork for dinner. Slow cookers are such a cool invention--what's not to like about throwing a bunch of stuff in a pot, turning it on, and then eating it a few hours later? And then only having to wash out one pot after you eat! I am participating in a new class @ our church titled Voluntary Simplicity. Maybe I can share slow cooker recipes with the group, since they are very simple :) But seriously, I think it will be a very thought provoking and action inspiring class. Maybe it will prompt me to do more than clean out my closet and take stuff to the Goodwill!
After dinner, everyone took turns entertaining Sydney. Everyone except her parents--who let everyone else do the work! Ryan is a good cousin, and calls her 'goochy goo' or 'siddles'. Sydney responds by taking her hands out of her mouth and, surprise surprise, grabbing at his face and ears. As you might imagine, Ryan doesn't enjoy the cool, slimy feeling of her touch! It is fun having family close by...we often wish that we were in closer vicinity to Steve's family. We will see them at the end of the month when we travel to CA for Bob's wedding (Steve's brother). Linda (Steve's mom) will be staying with us, so I am looking forward to her bonding time with Sydney (i.e. I will get in the car and peal out in the driveway as I zip to the nearest mall).

I'm So Tired...of this Rain!

Yesterday we had about 10 minutes of sunshine in the morning. As I walked down the hall, light was blinding my eyes and I immediately thought, what light did I leave on? You know it's pathetic when just the very sight of sunshine is a shock to your eyeballs. Sydney is nearly 6 months of age now, and I bet she can't even remember what the sunshine looked like as it streamed through the windows back in the late summer. Those were the days! Well, the sunny days...I much prefer the Sydney of 6 mos. vs. the Sydney very newborn phase. All my friends and family told me it gets easier, and now at this stage, I can actually agree. Syd's personality is peeking through more every day. In all, she's a very happy and smiley baby. I'd say she's a curious kid too, and enjoys grabbing everything-toys, blankets, hair, fingers, nostrils-nothing is sacred!
Steve and I are enjoying parenthood. We have this running joke that goes something like this... We had heard over and over again in classes/books, etc. people saying, I just can't remember my life without the baby! Life is so wonderful now! We both thought that was taking things a bit over the top. So, after Sydney was born, we'd say to each other, can you remember your life before the baby? And if the person to whom the question was posed burst out laughing, we knew we hadn't hit that "it gets easier" stage of parenthood! Not that we didn't wish Sydney wasn't with us... but those of you who are parents must at times remember with fondness your life as a DINK! And those of you w/o kids should seriously cherish this time in your life. So, the other day Steve posed the question to me, and I could honestly say I only slightly snorted. Now this motherhood business is sinking in and I'm really enjoying this little barnacle! :)

I've Got a Crush On Obama

Someone is very excited about Obama's big win in Iowa! Like it or not, Sydney has been an Obama Girl since she was in-utero. Steve bought her a t-shirt before she was even born! And, at 2 months old, she even stood in line with us to see Obama live in Portland. We just knew Sydney would make a great photo-op with her t-shirt! What politician doesn't love babies?! However, en route to the Obama rally, Syd managed to have an epic blow-out just before we got to the Convention Center and did a number on the shirt. Which was OK after all, since we didn't get in to see him (line was too long, and all seats were sold out).

Needless to say, Sydney is hoping that she will have another day to meet Obama in the future if he keeps doing so well in the primaries and eventually secures the Dem nomination! Until then, Sydney will just have to watch the I've Got a Crush on Obama YouTube video over and over and over...