Urgent Care

We  had a little bit of an eventful morning here in Tejas.  First of all, Sydney does not react well to mosquito bites.  Tuesday night I noticed she had a mosquito bite on the outside corner of her left eye.  Wednesday morning it was a little swollen, but not too bad.  Wednesday after her nap it was more swollen, and this morning it was even MORE swollen.  Like this:

Isn't that SCARY?!  Anyway, I decided to take her to a minor emergency clinic, just to make sure it wasn't more serious than the reaction from the mosquito bite.  By the way, I put a Band-Aid on it so she wouldn't scratch it...keep that in mind for later in the story.

We arrived at the clinic, and as I was filling out the forms, Sydney (who was standing on the floor, facing a chair and using it as a table as she played with my phone) slipped, bumped her chin on the seat part of the chair, and bit her lip.  There was blood, so we were ushered into the back sooner than expected.  She is totally fine, but wowzers.

Turns out her eye is fine; it's nothing more than swelling from the bite.  I will sleep better at night knowing that.  The doctor said I could give her children's Zyrtec to help with the swelling, adn prescribed a stronger-than-over-the-counter topical steriod for future swollen mosquito bites (not for this one near her eye though). 

Back to the Band-Aid: the doctor told me the Band-Aid wasn't really necessary, because it didn't help the bite.  Um, DUH!  As if I didn't know that!  I thought I made it clear to her that I put it there simply to prevent Sydney from scratching the bite, but I don't think the doctor was paying attendion when I said that.  She is probalby laughing about my ignorance to her co-workers as I type this (oh well, ha!).  Poor Syd, she got a taste of what an eyebrow wax feels like when I took the Band-Aid off.

By the way, the bite isn't bothering Syd at all.  She doesn't claim that it hurts, so all is well in her little world.  After the lip biting incident at the clinic, she was all smiles, thoroughly enjoying her new surroundings and all the attention.  Lately she has been carrying Nala and a pink blanket around whereever she goes.  She loves to be covered up and pretend like she's sleeping.  She wanted to do this on the examining table at the clinic.

Waiting for the doctor

Acting dramatic

8-Month Picture

Lorelei is 8-months old!  I was able to take her 8-month picture right before we left for TX.  She is now sitting up completely by herself, and doing quite well on solid foods.

7-Months Old

8-Months Old

I just realized I put the same color bow on her...at least it's a different headband this time! 

Here are a few more pictures from the "session".  They all looked pretty similar this time around.

This look on her face cracks me up, ha!

Chet and I call this her "tongue smile".

She's always got that finger in her mouth...

TX and a couple pictures...

The girls and I are in Texas!  We left Mississippi yesterday (Wednesday), swung by New Orleans International Airport to pick up my mom, and made the rest of the journey to Humble.  We arrived about 7 p.m., and were pooped, but it really was a pretty pleasant trip.  The girls were fabulous during the drive, which always surprises me.  We will be here almost three weeks, because I have a high school reunion and a wedding to attend during that time.  Chet is home in Gulfport with his mom to help him get around while he is still on crutches.  We will surely miss him (already do)!

Here is Sydney yesterday at one of our Walmart breaks (we always try to find a Walmart to stop at during long car rides, because Syd can run around the store without making me feel like a hooligan mother).  She has bandaids all over her body because several mosquitoes bit her Tuesday night and the only way she won't scratch is to cover up her bites.  She is very serious about her bandaids, ha!

Here is Syd carrying her baby like Mommy carries Lorelei.  Side note: my mom unboxed all of my baby dolls and their accessories for Syd to play with.  She is on cloud nine.  Anyway, here she is on our morning walk, standing in front of a neighbor's beautiful flower bed.

Speaking of beautiful flower beds, here is a shot of my parent's front yard.  I was so impressed when I saw it, especially since all of the "yards" in Mississippi consist of weeds!  (Seriously, nothing wants to grow in Mississippi soil.)

Recently I have decided to start taking better pictures.  We have a great camera, so I really have no excuse.  My first "assignment" is to read the instruction manual that came with the camera.  I am slowly but surely learning more, but I have a long way to go.  I know there are a million resources out there, but I need to not let myself get overwhelmed.  Here are a couple of practice shots.  (Note: I am still shooting in automatic, but my goal is to shoot in manual.  I also know nothing about editing or editing programs yet.)

I was holding Lorelei when I took this one, ha!

Father's Day

Perhaps this is what I should have posted about yesterday rather than my giant post about Sydney...but I hadn't finished taking/uploading pictures, so think of this as my way of extending the Father's Day celebration one more day!

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful dad, stepdad, and father-in-law.  I am truly blessed to have these three wonderful men in my life. 

Random pictures, huh?  But great pictures!  The first one is my dad and me on my Commissioning Day (May 26, 2006), the second one is my stepdad, mom, and me on Chet's and my wedding day (July 22, 2006), and the third one is Chet with his dad and brother...I think May 27, 2006, during my Commissioning Week.  We all look so young, ha!

The last two years I have had the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with my dad that we haven't had in probably 10 years, before I left for college.  He visited Sydney and me in Jacksonville (while Chet was in Djibouti) to help us move from our old house on base to our new house on base; he was here last October when Lorelei was born, when Chet had to leave again for a field exercise (shortly after her birth), and he was just here about two weeks ago to help with Chet's surgery (well, not the ACTUAL surgery, but you get what I mean).  My stepdad and father-in-law have also been more than generous with their time (and muscles) over the last few years, as we move from house to house, place to place.  We love you!

We had a wonderful, low-key Father's Day here at home with Chet.  We started the morning at Starbucks, and then headed to church.  The middle of the day was quite normal around the house, and then we cooked hamburgers on the grill for dinner while Syd played in her pool in the backyard.  I'm sure Chet would have loved to spend part of the day at the beach...but crutches and a knee brace are not exactly beach gear.

Before Church

Instagrams (of course):

Starbucks, Chet and Lorelei

Starbucks, Sydney (she did not want to pose with daddy and sister)

Opening cards after dinner

Chet is an amazing father (and husband), and he gets better and better every day.  Sydney and Lorelei are truly blessed!

Sydney Update

I've been meaning to post a good Sydney update for weeks now.  Here are current Sydney facts, in no particular (very random) order:

• She is potty trained (except when she sleeps).  I started potty training her the Monday after we returned from TX in mid-March, and by the end of March she was good to go.  On the afternoon of Potty Training Day #1 (after a frustrating morning), I had decided to postpone the process, thinking she wasn't ready.  Well, apparently the stress of that morning was all she needed, because even though I put her in a diaper for the next week, she refused to potty anywhere other than in the toilet.  So...I followed her lead.  She's probably had five accidents since the end of March, and all of them were within reason (does that makes sense?).  I realize that I am extremely fortunate it was such an easy process.

• The leaps and bounds she makes in the speech department each week astound me.  She grasps the terms "later" and "tomorrow", making things SO much easier (well, she at least grasps them well enough to accept an answer like "We'll go to the pool later").  She also likes to sing.  Her most recent favorite is the Rolling Stones' "Get Off of My Cloud".  Here are some typical Sydney sentences: "Fix my hair, Mommy"; "Daddy, your knee hurts? Are you okay?"; "No, Lorelei! That's my blanket! You can't have it!".  If she's asked, "Sydney, what's Lorelei doing?", she'll say, "She's doing saying 'Ma ma ma ma' " (yes, I meant to type "doing" and "saying" right next to each other, ha!). 

Lorelei "torturing" Sydney

•  She likes to go places.  If she feels as though she's been in the house too long, she'll gather her shoes (she can put her Crocs on by herself) and go to the door and tell us she's ready to go.  Recently she states WHERE she wants to go: the library, church, the CDC (Child Development Center), the pool, the park, on a walk, Walmart, the NEX (Navy Exchange), etc.

Ready to go (she didn't actually wear those rain boots out...not with that outfit)

• She still takes a pacifier when she naps and goes to bed at night.  I'm okay with that.  She has no problem giving it up when she wakes up; she knows right where it goes (in her dresser).

• Speaking of naps and bed, she is a fantastic sleeper.  She takes a 2-hour nap every day, pretty much without fail.  She's super easy going when it comes to a naptime/bedtime routine: we basically just toss her in the crib, and even if she's not tired, she'll just roll around, talking to the bear and baby doll she sleeps with, until she falls asleep.  Even if it takes her an hour.  I've been lazy with bedtime lately, but she basically goes to bed at 8:30, and wakes up between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m.  Again, when she wakes up in the morning, she's content to roll around in bed until we come get her.

Obviously not sleeping here, but tired, I'm sure.  I don't have any pictures of her sleeping...I wouldn't want to wake her up!!

• I mentioned her crib above.  I plan on keeping her in it as long as possible, I suppose until she outgrows it or attempts to jump out.  She never stands up in her crib, unless we're in there to get her out.
• She's not a daredevil (probably one of the reasons she doesn't stand up in the crib).  I don't really have to worry about her sprinting away from me when we're in public (she'll do it on occasion, but usually only after she's consumed sugar, ha!), or climbing things too advanced for her skill level at the park. 

Obviously, this picture suggests otherwise

• When she is in a setting where there are other children, she is a "watcher".  Sometimes it's like she's frozen, taking in their every move, but unable to move herself.  She's not really a follower though.  Only rarely does she imitate other children's behavior (thank goodness).  Because large group settings aren't really her thing, she tends to gravitate toward adults (and not just Chet and me). 

The closest "watching" picture I could find, ha!

• She is quite silly, but only when she's around people she's comfortable with.  Most people probably think she's shy and reserved, but no way!  She can also be quite moody...probably typical of most 2-year old girls, but I think Syd has a special flair for the dramatic.

I dress them as if they're twins

Working out with Jillian

• She's a pretty darn good eater.  She doesn't always eat as much as she probably should, but she's not picky (as far as variety) for a 2-year old.  Some things she loves: edemame (soy beans), hard-boiled egg yolks, and hummus.  (You would think we're a bunch of health nuts around here...not really!)

I could probably go on and on, but I have to stop somewhere.  We love our Sydney Jo!

Evening Walk w/ Our Babies

I like how Sydney put her hands on their heads!

Grown Up

Syd looks so old/grown up to me in this picture!

Patriotic Bows

And the Instagram

Here is the Instagram version of that second picture, along with a few more random Instagrams.

2 Pictures

Surgery day, we had to leave the house at 5:15 a.m., so Papa John was in charge of getting Sydney up and taking her to daycare later that morning. Here she is eating breakfast and right before walking in to the CDC.