Mornin' Daddy

At our house, Chris is usually the one who gets Sydney up in the morning. Miss Sunshine will wake up around 6:30, talk to herself till about 7:00 and then let us know that it is time to tackle the day. She is usually standing up at her crib, gnawing on the rail, and jumping up and down saying, "huh, huh, huh." She is definitely a daddy's girl. Can you see a little family resemblance? Everyday, she looks more like Chris. Poor Chris has been working 14 hours day and boy does he look tired. I can always tell when that right eye starts to look really droopy. Notice that Rudy is in her left hand...yes, the love affair with the bean bag poultry continues. She is 99% of the time, VERY HAPPY in the morning.

On another note, I enjoyed a baby-free shopping visit to Old Navy the other day and racked up on baby stuff. Now, it was like a treasure hunt because the back of the store looked like a tornado had gone through it, but I was diligent in my search for Christmas baby bargains. I snagged some great socks, some Christmas long-sleeved onesies, 2 pairs of P.J.'s and of course a top for me. I am officially hooked on the O.N. Baby P.J.'s with the banded hems and sleeves. They fit snugly and she can play in them without tripping. She is wearing the polka-dot set in the picture above and below is the set I bought for her to wear on Christmas Eve. I am trying to think of Christmas traditions we can have in our own little family, and I think one of them will be to open up one special present on Christmas Eve which will contain special Christmas jammies. If you have any neat Christmas traditions, please share with me!

Wintry Weekend & Family Pics Outtakes

My little east Texas town got a wintry surprise Friday afternoon. Unfamiliar fluffy specks began falling from the sky around 2:00 and didn't let up till 5:00. I was shopping about the time it started and I heard a cheer go up at the store. I thought a famous person must have walked in the door, but then I heard, "It's snowing! It's snowing!" Giggles and squeals were heard for the next 30 minutes. We Texicans get pretty darn excited when snow makes it way to our neck of the woods. It always seems to miss us. Houston and Beaumont get snow before we do sometimes. But, we were able to snag some flakes on Friday and folks made the most of it. I saw some of the world's smallest snowmen and children scraping up even the tiniest smithereens of snow to hurl a golf ball-sized snowball. So much fun. I wish I could post cute pictures of Sydney and me playing in the snow, but I was by myself and didn't have a photographer near by. I did take some pictures out the front door. Sydney was not impressed with the snow and thought the traffic passing by was much more interesting.

On another note, we decided to take a family Christmas pic after church Sunday. After all, Sydney was dressed to the 9's and we looked semi-refreshed and presentable. We set up the tripod, got everything ready, and Chris was trying to get the picture framed correctly while the camera timer was going off every few seconds. Here are a few funny ones....

Lovely hair do on me, and Sydney looks like she's getting a shot at the Dr's office. We won't mention the way Chris is looking at the camera.

Both looking at the tree. This one is not that bad only Chris is not in the picture. This kid is gettin' heavy.
You can't see that Sydney is pinching the fire out of my left arm with her hand that is hidden. That is why I am grimacing.

This story does not have a happy ending. Just as we were about to get the perfect Christmas pic, the power went out. No lighting makes for a yucky picture, so we tore everything down, undressed the cranky child, put everything back, and the power came back on. So, despite our efforts, a Christmas family picture was not obtained. Bummer... So, if you're looking forward to a Chambers' Christmas card, you might be getting a New Year's card at this rate.

I will leave you with a beautiful picture of our angel taking a nap before we left for church. This one just makes me smile. Hey, maybe this would look good on a Christmas card!

Thanksgiving Get-Together

Now, most of you know I am not a fashion diva in ANY sense of the word and have not been terribly interested in dressing up Sydney very much, but thanks to a few great folks who give me outfits, she was lookin' pretty darn cute on this day.

Chris taking the Dora book for a spin. Isn't Susan gorgeous?
She has hair like the princesses in storybooks!!

Sydney and Susan reading books together!

We went to Houston on the Saturday following Thanksgiving to visit with the Chambers Crew. I know Houston is just down the road, but we don't get to see these folks very often. We had turkey pie and a few side dishes and also celebrated Susan's (our niece) 3rd birthday. Susan lives in Colorado with her mom (Chris's sister) and her daddy, Dave. Sydney and Susan enjoyed playing with her birthday presents. As you can tell, the kissing frogs from the new Disney movie were a big hit, along with a Texas teddy bear, Dora books, and a pink back pack. It was a nice visit and we just lounged around and caught up with everyone.

Dora Diva

Okay, I thought Dora was a 3-4 year old phenomenon. Apparently not. Syd has had her eye on the Dora the Explorer Show for a while now. I think it's the music, or maybe it is Dora's abnormally large noggin. When Dora comes on, Sydney lets out a squeal and her eyes are peeled. I just hope her first word is not, "delicioso" or "vamanos."

Recovery

Okay...enough already with the medical issues! I had day surgery yesterday and I hope I am done with hospitalization, surgeries, and procedures this year. Counting Sydney's birth, I have had 6 trips to the hospital/surgery center this year. My all time record...Can we say...met my deductible? Chris took a picture of me before surgery, but I am hesitant to post it. No make up, no contacts, and in a lovely hospital gown.

I have always been one that tends to think I can bounce right back to my old self after these procedures...and everytime, I feel like I'm surprised at how long it takes to actually bounce back.

I was so thankful that my mother spent the day with me today. She took care of Sydney and I slept, and slept, and slept...well you get the idea. I was feeling really achey, sore, and nauseated and didn't know why. I called my dr. and he said it was due to the anesthesia 'cause they put me under general anesthesia and not just the I.V. sedation. I've never had post-operative myalgia before, but let's go ahead and add that to my list of ailments experienced.

My body felt like I had been in a bad car wreck and was then forced to work out with the most evil personal trainer imaginable, and then was put in a tilt-a-whirl at the carnival for an hour or two. That...my friends..is not fun.

But, thanks to good meds, a good bath, and a great mother, I am on the mend. The baby is down, the kitchen is clean, my bed is warm, and I am so thankful for folks that check on you, take care of you, call to see about you, and show genuine concern for you. I can't thank God enough for sharing His love through others.

Zzzzzz....

Sydney has never fallen asleep while chowing down on anything. Last night, she was having her traditional evening snack (a frozen banana in a mesh feeder bag) and she dropped like a rock. Chris and I couldn't even eat our supper for cracking up at her. She would nod her head, and then wake back up and start sucking on the banana...then off she'd drift again. Talk about entertainment unlike any other.

9 Months

Sydney practicing her redneck baby look.

When I was preggo with Sydney, 9 months seemed like an eternity, and I only made it to 7 months and 3 weeks with her. It mind-boggling to me that she has been with us for a whole 9 months!

What are you up to, Sydney?

You weigh approximately 18 pounds and wear Size 3 diapers.

You are 28.5 inches long.

You have taken your first steps without any assistance. (Last Thursday to be exact.)

You have just revealed your 2 lovely chompers.

You eat anything and everything, but your favorites are:
- maple & brown sugar oatmeal from my bowl
- banana flavored yogurt...heck banana flavored anything
- sweet potato Puffs
- green peas

- you stand up and crouch down without assistance (have been doing this for a few weeks)

- you absolutely REFUSE to drink from a sippy cup and barely tolerate drinking from a cup

- you click your tongue at your Daddy when he greets you

- there is no crevice in the house you have not explored

- you LOVE people and rarely meet a stranger

- you still LOVE dogs, cats, animals, any living thing that moves on the ground

- you still despise any type of head gear: hats, headbands, etc. and will rip them off the moment I pu them on your head, but Mama is determined...

- you have eaten air freshener gel

- you understand, "no, no" but just smile at me when I say it and continue your destructive path

- you're a good traveler for the most part

- you have decided that sleeping all night is not cool anymore

- you make your dad and me deliriously happy everyday

Simmy: "Umm...excuse me. You are living in MY house."