Sydney- version 1.04

Here are a few things I want to remember about Sydney at this age (1 year, 16 months):
1. She LOVES a bath.
2. She demands having her hair dried after her bath (she says "hair drier" over and over).
3. She does not like getting her hands dirty.
4. She says "lob-lubs" for lobsters, "crim" for crib, and "bim" for bib.
5. She says "more some" when she wants some more of something.
6. She is walking more than crawling (YIPEE!!).
7. She eats most anything you put in front of her.
8. She uses phrases like "get it", "hold it", "touch it" often (I lovingly tell her she's a bit bossy).
9. She knows how to open the baby gates if they aren't latched completely.  If Sophie is on the outside of the gate, she opens it, says "come on, Sophie" then closes it back once Sophie is on the inside.
10. Her favorite song is "Happy Birthday".  We sing it about a million times a day and it is always to someone different and she often changes her mind about whom to sing it to half way through.  Her favorites are to sing it to Big E's (her Uncle Brent's dog), Daddy, even her books.  She also requests the "How old are you" verse sometimes.

I feel like she changes so much and I don't want to forget some of these things that I adore about her right now!

Mystery Illness

Over Christmas, Sydney was out of sorts.  She ran a low grade fever and woke up in the middle of the night clearly not feeling well.  Of course, this started when the doctor's office was closed for the holiday.  So on Christmas Day we took her to Urgent Care, where the doctor diagnosed her with her first ear infection.  Sydney finally slept well Christmas night, but that was mainly due to the Zyrtec the doctor had us give her because her throat looked red.

When Sydney's pediatrician reopened after Christmas, we brought her in as a follow up.  We also wanted the doctor to take a look at one of Sydney's fingers.  A few weeks before Christmas, Blake and I noticed a small knot on her middle finger on her right hand, on the surgical site.  We thought it was possibly a callus from where her fingers are curved in and tend to rub together.  It also reminded me of what a cyst looks like.  I had called the pediatrician and spoken with two different nurses to get their opinion.  We really wanted to avoid bringing her to UNC if it wasn't necessary.  Both nurses asked about the bump itself: was it hard or soft to touch? Was it hot? How big was it? Did it seem to bother Sydney? Had we noticed it grow? The second nurse suggested we call UNC to see what their thoughts were.  The nurse Blake spoke with had us make an appointment but said it wasn't an emergency, so the appointment was set for a couple weeks out.

Well, by the time we followed up with the pediatrician about the ear infection, the bump had become larger and red.  So, after the doctor checked her ears (and said she did NOT have an infection) we focused on her finger.  Now let me say that Sydney is a good patient for a 16 month old, but when someone starts messing with her hands she gets a little testy- not that anyone can even begin to blame her.  The pediatrician said she wasn't sure what the bump was, but that she wanted us to follow up again with Sydney's surgeon.  She felt that it was infected and didn't want to wait too long before she was seen.  She said she wasn't comfortable lancing (OUCH) it because it was directly on the surgical site. 

UNC put Sydney on an antibiotic (via the pediatrician) and said it was ok to wait until our appointment date, that we didn't need to move it up.  In the meantime, the bump definitely seemed to drain, although we never saw it happen.  When we finally made it in to see Sydney's surgeon, I was surprised at what she thinks it is.  She feels as though it is a stitch that Sydney's body has not absorbed.  The only way she can know for 100% is to open it up and look.  Well, that requires a trip to the OR.  At this point, she is having us wait it out.  We will go back in four months if things stay status quo.  However, if it becomes infected again, gets larger, or seems to bother Sydney it sounds like we are going to have to make an earlier trip to the OR than we hoped. 

Now, that last part about if it bothers Sydney is the hard part.  I told the doctor that I think it does somewhat bother Sydney.  It certainly does not hold her back in anyway- she uses the hand as she always has.  But there are moments when I wonder if it does in fact hurt her.  The part that worries me the most is that Sydney has a high pain tolerance: she cut two molars and we really didn't know until the pediatrician felt them during a well check.  I think that pain doesn't compare to what she felt following surgery (these are all my assumptions).

So it's a holding pattern for now....we like the pattern we are in, so we are hopeful to remain in it, or move into a pattern where the bump is gone!

Not at the doctor's office, but still cute as can be!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas in our house was...interesting this year.  We had a great time preparing for Christmas.  Sydney learned about baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph by reading books.  She also learned about Santa and how he brings toys.  Once the house was decorated, she loved looking at the Christmas ornaments, snowmen, Nativity scene, and stockings. 

2011 Christmas tree

Sydney posing in front of the tree

Since she is a little older, we were able to do more Christmas things with her.  It was nice that Sydney understood more than last year.  I know she still has a lot to learn, but she got the basic concept of things for sure.  We started the season off in Morehead City for their lighting of the tree ceremony.  They had carolers, hot chocolate, and Santa.  I was apprehensive about how she would react to Santa.  Last year she was basically oblivious and we were able to get the token pictures.  I had convinced myself she would be terrified this year and we would get the quintessential screaming picture.  Instead, she sat right on his lap and seemed rather intrigued.  She definitely wasn't overly bubbly with him, more interested.  We got some cute pictures although she wasn't very smiley.  Morehead City also held their annual Flotilla while we were there.  Local boat owners decorate their boats with lights and they have a "parade" after sunset.  Unfortunately it was freezing cold, so we didn't stay for the entire thing (although it wasn't as great as I had hoped either). 

Sitting on Santa's lap

Santa

MHC Christmas tree

One of the flotilla boats

While in Morehead, we also took some time to go to the beach for a few minutes as well as a local park during the beautiful daytime weather.  Sydney had a blast looking at the ocean and seagulls, swinging, exploring, and just walking in general.

Posing on a dolphin

On the beach

Playing at the park

Swingin'

Checking things out

Sweet baby girl

We also took Sydney to Pullen Park for the Holiday Express.  Pullen Park is the oldest public park in North Carolina and recently reopened after major renovations.  We have brought Sydney before, but the Holiday Express was really neat.  We pre-bought tickets, which sold out to control the number of people that came.  It was super cold, so we didn't stay an overly long time, but it's something we will definitely do again. We started off by riding the train; around the track had been decorated with Christmas decorations and lights.  Afterward, we took Sydney to sit on Santa's lap...with the same reaction as the Morehead Santa.  I can foresee us making this an annual thing as I'm sure she will enjoy it more each year as she grows.

Waiting to ride the train

Patient waiter (paci helps!)

Cold family

Sydney and Mommy on the train

Not so sure about this...

Lemme check you out

We had grand plans for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  Our plan was to spend the 23 and 24th with my parents in Clemmons and Christmas with Blake's family.  Well, my mom (Sydney's Nana) ended up with bronchitis and an upper respiratory infection and her doctor recommended we stay away.  Needless to say, we were all incredibly disappointed.  Well, Christmas Eve night, Sydney woke up very upset in the middle of the night, which is incredibly not normal for her.  At 6:30 we decided to go ahead and see what Santa brought her.  It was like a taste of Christmases to come- being woken up in the wee hours to see what Santa brought!  Sydney LOVED looking all of her toys and the distraction seemed to help her.  She had trouble napping throughout the day even though she was beyond exhausted.  We made a last minute decision to bring her in to Urgent Care, especially because her pediatrician was going to be closed the following day.  The doctor on call diagnosed her with an ear infection (which turned out to be a misdiagnosis when we followed up with her pediatrician).  That night she slept well, but I think that was because the doctor also recommended Zyrtec.  Christmas night we did see Blake's family for a bit, but not for a super long time because his mom (Sydney's MeMe) was also sick.   Needless to say, we celebrated later with both sets of grandparents, but it definitely wasn't the Christmas we planned for.

Checking out new toys

Playing with her mailbox

Happy baby considering she had no sleep!

Relaxing at her new table

Opening presents with Daddy

Riding on her new cow from MeMe and Pops

Regardless of sickness, we had a good Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving

Just a couple of pictures from Sydney's second Thanksgiving!

Wolfpack Basketball, Reynold's Coliseum Style

Since Sydney enjoyed her first Wolfpack game at the RBC Center, we decided to brave taking her to another game.  This time, though, it was at Reynolds Coliseum.  While the RBC Center is a large, modern arena with all the bells and whistles, Reynolds is a much smaller (yet somehow louder), more traditional place for games.  Sydney had just as great of a time at this game as the last.  She is quickly becoming a true WOLFPACK fan!

With her daddy at the game

Intently checking things out