The Weatherford Family

The Christmas Festivities Begin!

2010-12-07T20:14:00.005-06:00

The Christmas festivities have finally begun here at the Weatherford house! We went to pick out our Christmas tree last weekend. It was VERY cold but we still had fun and found a beautiful tree!

Here I am with daddy, all bundled up!

Family picture...

Our tree!

Then we celebrated St. Nicholas day on Monday and lucky for me, I must have been pretty good so far this year!

Mommy is in full concert mode...2 concerts down and 2 more to go! The first two went great so hopefully the next 2 go just as well! And the best part is that mommy only has 8 more days until Christmas break! I can't wait to spend time at home with her.

We'll keep you posted with more holiday events - hope everyone else is having fun getting into the holiday spirit!

Happy (late) Thanksgiving!

2010-12-01T20:30:00.002-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Well, late that is. That is becoming a trend with mommy....Oh well! Things are great here in the Weatherford household. We had a great Thanksgiving. A few days before grandma Banovic made turkey sugar cookies! They were definitely yummy as you can see...

And turkey has now become one of my favorite words. I am talking so much these days! I think I learn a new word almost every day. I'm gearing up for Christmas with words like Snowman (pronounced "no-ma") and Ho, ho, ho.

But back to Thanksgiving. I'm not very good at sitting still for pictures but we tried to get a family shot Thursday morning.

Here's a good one though! (I was only sitting still because I had cheerios in my hand!)

This was at grandma and grandpa Weatherford's house where we had our first feast. Then we got to host mommy's side of the family at our new house! It was great to get to see so many family members! We are very thankful for all of our wonderful blessings.

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T21:36:00.005-05:00

Happy (late) Halloween everyone! Sorry it's been soooooo long since mom has posted anything but here you go! This year aunt Bree found me a super cute bumble bee costume to wear. I loved it! I kept the antennae on all night!
Here are a few shots right after I got dressed.

First we went to our town's parade. I did not like the the fire engines at the beginning of the parade (they were VERY noisy!) but I really enjoyed everything else! :)

Then mom and dad took me around to lots of family and friends houses to trick or treat. I had such a great night and got lots of candy! (Too bad I don't really get to eat any of it but mom and dad are happy to take care of that for me)

It was a long day but I had a great time!

A few weeks ago I also got to go to a pumpkin patch/apple orchard for the first time. I got to swing on a real big girl swing and loved it! I was not very happy when it was time to get down...

I loved picking pumpkins too. Here's one that was just my size!

Summer Vacation

2010-08-09T21:29:00.009-05:00

Unfortunately mom's a little late with this post, but a couple weeks ago mom, dad, grandma, grandpa (Banovic), and I went to a little summer vacation. We just went to St. Louis but we had a great time! We stayed at Harrah's so the adults got to gamble. We went shopping and out to eat, but the best part was that I got to take my first trip to the zoo! I LOVE animals. I squeal every time I see one, whether it's real, in a book, or on TV, but the real ones are the best! I have learned three animal sounds so far (a monkey, cow, and lion) but am working on more.

Family pic! I don't remember what I was pointing at - I point at everything these days!

We went to the children's petting zoo first where I got to pet a guinea pig. (You can see I wore my monkey bow for this special occasion.)

Then we saw an Alpaca

:) Mom was the only one that actually managed to get her face in the right spot.

Then we got to go in with the goats!

Next was a ride on the choo choo train!

We saw tigers...

...and I got to sit with grandpa. He helped keep me calm in the scary, dark tunnels. :)

The penguins were one of my favorites - they were so close to you, you could touch them!

With grandma and grandpa.

This penguin had some crazy "hair" - he looked like Hulk Hogan!

Grandpa was showing me where the bear was...

...there it is!

This gorilla had a bit of an itch! Yikes! The adults all found it quite hysterical but I just couldn't figure out what was so funny...

Orangutan

Not sure what this guy is be he was huge!

Parrot!

Then we got to ride on the carousel!

Pointing again...

I was such a big girl holding on all by myself (mommy still stood next to me just in case).

Then we stopped for lunch on a patio that overlooked the water. There were lots of pretty pink flamingos to look at.

Next was a hippopotamus. He was HUGE!

The last animals we got to see were the elephants.

It was such a fun trip. Unfortunately we only got through about half of the zoo but it was getting to be my nap time and starting to get really hot out so we called it a day. I can't wait to go back again!

After my nap I found this cute little girl to play with!

It was so crazy...she kept doing all of the same things I did! :)

All tuckered out.

It was a great mini-vacation and I can't wait to go on another one! But now that summer is over, I guess vacations will have to wait. Mom starts school on Monday so it's back to Nancy's for me. I'm so excited to play with all of my friends there, especially the new baby Emme! I love her! I just squeal with excitement every time she's there. Mom hopes I'm still this excited about babies when she has another one!

Crazy Hair!

2010-07-22T19:59:00.006-05:00

Just a few new hairstyles I wanted to share with you.

Here are my first pigtails!

And this is what I look like after pigtails! :)

Not happy! (Mom's not sure what dad did to make this face!)

And after bath...yikes! :)

2010-07-07T21:39:00.006-05:00

Happy 4th of July everyone! (Well, a few days late....) I had a great 4th of July - see my cute outfit mom found me!?

I celebrated with mom and dad, both sets of grandparents, uncle Andy, and great-grandma Marilyn on the 2nd. We grilled out and then I got to try out some of my new toys!

First was the swing...

As you can see, I was NOT very happy about this at first..

But then things got better. Grandma and grandpa Banovic got my the swing for easter but we didn't have anywhere to hang it. Since uncle Andy was home, he said he'd build me a frame for it - and it sure turned out great! Thanks uncle!

With mom and dad!

Then I got to try out my new wagon that grandma and grandpa Banovic got me for my birthday.

Thanks for pulling me in my wagon dad!

Had to get a shot with uncle Andy. I don't think we've taken a picture together since I was born!

And one with great-grandma Marilyn

On the 4th, mommy and grandma Jeanne took me to the parade in Raymond. I had a great time playing before the parade - I even got to see my buddy Patrick! (He's one of mom's choir students). I loved watching all of the great floats go by and had fun clapping when everyone else did (although my timing was a little delayed sometimes!) Then I found another little girl to play with and realized that we have the exact same birthday! I didn't get to stay up for any fireworks but mommy promises that she'll let me stay up next year! Hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th!

Happy Birthday to me!

2010-07-01T15:27:00.010-05:00

What a great birthday I had! We started out with my big party 2 days before my real birthday. There were decorations...

...and cake! Thank you so much aunt Bree for making my amazing cake! It looked beautiful and it tasted even better!

Posing with mom and dad.

Then everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to me. I loved it! My face just lit up when everyone started singing.

Blowing out the candles! (or candle :) )

And eating the cake! Well, I mostly just played with it but the little I did eat was great!

Then there was time to play! Here's my "bulldog face"!

My buddy John was there to play too!

Yeah - time for presents!

"What's in there dad?"

Ooh...tissue paper!

Thanks to everyone for coming and thank you so much for all of the amazing gifts! I am such a lucky girl! I am really enjoying playing with and wearing everything!

Then I celebrated with mom, dad, grandma & grandpa Banovic, and great-grandma Marilyn on my actual birthday.

Here I am posing in front of my presents. I sure was happy! (and you can see my hair is now long enough for a ponytail!)

With mom and dad

Opening more gifts.

One happy family!

I had such an amazing birthday and I can't thank everyone enough for everything. Mom and dad cannot believe I'm already one year old! I am crawling all over the place, pulling up on everything, and really trying to walk! I can walk if you hold my hands or if I'm pushing my toy but just not quite on my own yet. I have 6 teeth (2 on bottom and 4 on top) and mom thinks I'm still working on more. I'm learning so many new things! I know where my belly and piggies (toes) are and I know what a cow and monkey say. I'm also using a sippy cup for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and am drinking real milk! No more bottles (except bedtime) and formula - yeah!

Not only did I have something to celebrate recently but mom and dad also did! They just celebrated their 4 year wedding anniversary on the 1st. Congrats mommy and daddy! :)

Now I'm looking forward to the 4th of July! We're celebrating on the 2nd with both sets of grandparents and uncle Andy is home too! We're going to cook out and have fireworks! (although mom's not sure if she's going to let me stay up for them) We'll just have to wait and see. Have a Happy 4th everyone - more pictures from our celebration soon!

Love, Syd

Summer fun!

2010-06-12T22:02:00.005-05:00

Summer is in full swing at our house - I got to go swimming for the first time today! Mommy took me over to grandma and grandpa Banovic's a few days ago to try out the pool. I had fun just putting my feet in with grandpa but wasn't too sure about getting in all the way.

Here I am waving to the camera - waving is one of my favorite things to do these days! I'll wave to real people, or even people in pictures or on tv!

But today mommy and daddy decided to put me all the way in the pool and I ended up liking it!

Here I am getting ready...

Trying on my hat...

First we tried out this float...

but I didn't like that too much so grandpa held me for a while.

Then I tried the other float with mom...

I even had some fun splashing! I know it kinda looks like I'm upset here but I really was having fun! :)

Then I decided again that I just wanted to be held. I finally kept my had on too!

Waving! (again)

All done - posing for a pic with daddy.

And headed home.

What a fun day! All of that water, sun, and fresh air really wore me out cause when I came home I took a 2 1/2 hour nap! I think that's a first - usually mom's lucky if I sleep more than an hour!

We're gearing up for my first birthday in 9 days so stay tuned for birthday pictures! Mom also learned how to make Korker bows and tutus yesterday so she may try a photo shoot tomorrow. She let me check out the tutu today but it didn't go so well. Mommy thinks it looks adorable but I wasn't too sure. Hopefully I'll at least put it on for mommy! We'll see.....

Love, Syd

New pictures as mommy promised

2010-05-31T22:03:00.008-05:00

Here are some new pictures of me as mommy promised. She'll get house pictures up later this week. Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day!

We've finally moved!

2010-05-27T20:56:00.002-05:00

Well, we're finally in our new house! Mommy is so sorry that it's been soooooo long since she posted a blog. Things have just been so crazy around here! We moved about 2 1/2 weeks ago and still have a long way to go unpacking but we are loving the house so far! I have so much room to move around and am loving every minute of it. I am now crawling all over the place and pulling up on everything. I'm starting to take a few steps if someone holds my hands so we know it won't be long.

I still love talking and am laughing a lot more lately. I say mama and dada and am trying to say other things but not too successfully yet! :) I can click my tongue and clap and I start dancing when I hear music playing. I also know where my piggies (toes) and belly are! Mom and dad can't believe how fast I am growing up. I will be one in just 3 1/2 weeks! Wow!

Mom promises to post pictures of me and the house soon. Take care!

Love, Syd

Happy (late) Easter and...

2010-04-14T20:27:00.004-05:00

...I'm finally crawling!!! We all went out to dinner tonight with some of Grandma and Grandpa Weatherford's family. When we got home, dad put me on his bed while mom was getting ready to change me. All of a sudden, dad told mom to come look and I started scooting forward on the bed! Mom got the camera right away and got a couple videos of my first crawl. Then they put me on the floor to see if I could move down there too and I did! Mom and dad better be careful cause they really have to watch out for me now! I've been rolling all over and turning in circles for a few weeks now but I can finally go forward too.

I know it's a bit late but we hope everyone had a very Happy Easter - I definitely had a great one! It was a very busy day, but was lots of fun. We went to mom's church first, then came home for a nap, then dad's church, then home again to open my easter basket, then to grandma and grandpa Weatherford's house for lunch, and then to grandma and grandpa Banovic's for dinner. The Easter Bunny brought me some great new things in my basket - two books, nesting cups, and some bath toys. Grandma and grandpa Weatherford got me a bowling set and g-ma and g-pa Banovic got me a cell phone - not real of course :) - a toy for my crib, and a baby einstein ball. Thanks to everyone for my great gifts! It was great to get to visit with all of the families too!

with my easter basket

with mom...

...and dad

Rolling around...

...and walking???? (haha, not quite yet but good try aunt Marla)

and with my easter basket at g-ma and g-pa Banovic's

We know I'm on the move now but our family will be soon too. The house is really coming along! Our contractor still stays we can move in May 1st but mom and dad think it may be the middle of May. Either way, it's coming up fast! The painting is almost done - only one more room to go. The cabinets should be in early next week, flooring later next week, and we well on our way! Mom will try to post pictures soon. Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Love, Syd

On the move....almost

2010-03-28T21:09:00.004-05:00

Wow - it sure has been a long time since mommy last posted! There's been so much going on around our house lately. Mom's been very busy being the drama director at her school. Her play was this weekend and everything went very well - but she's glad for it to be over! I really missed her the last couple weeks since she was gone almost every night for practice!

Things are really moving along with the new house! All of the drywall was hung this past week. They will hopefully start painting by the middle of the week. The brick should start going up this week or next week too! We are still hoping to move in around May 1st and are so excited!

Mom finally uploaded some pictures of me. Unfortunately, some of them are bit late! :)

Here's a picture of me with my Valentine's Day card from Grandma and Grandpa Weatherford.

I've also been eating all sorts of new foods! Here are a couple pictures after I enjoyed some yummy sweet potatoes mom made me. They sure were good!

We're also working on solid foods. Tiny pieces of food are still a bit t0o hard for me to pick up but we've found something that works really well. They're called mum-mums and I'm really enjoying them! Since they are a couple inches tall, I can grab onto them and eat them all by myself.

I'm great at sitting up but I'm now really anxious to crawl! I can roll all over the place and I can turn in circles when I'm on my stomach but I just can't go forward or backwards. Mom posted a short video of me rolling around and "talking" to Max, our cat. I really, really like him and tend to get a bit upset when he doesn't show me the same attention! :)

I also had a chance to get all dressed up this weekend! While mom and dad were at mom's play, I went to a wedding reception with Grandma, Grandpa, and Great-Grandma Banovic. We had a great time and I even got to enjoy a few bites of wedding cake! Here I am, all dressed up and ready to go to the reception!

We're getting ready for Easter next weekend and I can't wait to meet this Easter Bunny guy that mom tells me about. I think he's coming to McDonald's this week so we'll try to get some pictures and post them soon. Happy Easter everyone! Love, Syd

Movin' On Up

2010-02-14T01:07:00.005-06:00

Things are really movin' up for me - I'm sitting up all by myself!

Here I am before church...

Here's a little video of my playing - I love my fishbowl that I got for Christmas!

Mom and dad can't believe how fast I'm growing up! I'm already almost 8 months old!!! Everything has been going well - I'm sleeping well and eating well. So far I have liked all of the food mom and dad have given me, including sweet potatoes (Mom has some good messy face pictures for next time. :) ), carrots, pears, peaches....and especially apple juice in my sippy cup! I'm getting pretty good at holding it and drinking all by myself but I still need a little help sometimes! I'm also rolling all over the place. Mom still hasn't captured that on camera yet but she'll be sure to post it when she does! I love "talking" and screaming too! Mom thinks I'm well on my way to being a singer like her so we'll have to wait and see! :)

Some more big news for those of you that don't know yet - our whole family is going to be on the move as well! Don't worry, just across town, but to a new house! They broke ground in early January and should (hopefully) be done around May 1st! We are sooo excited!

Here's the culvert for the driveway being put in...

...pouring concrete...

...putting in the power lines...

...the basement!..

...and the trusses for the floor going in! We hope to have a floor you can walk on this week! Mom and dad are busy picking out everything from cabinets, to appliances, bathroom fixtures, and so much more! I just like going shopping! :)

That's all for now - Happy Valentine's Day to everyone and mom will post more pictures soon!

Not only yummy....but funny!

2010-01-02T19:42:00.003-06:00

If you checked out our last blog, I recently learned how to get my toes in my mouth! Mom decided that this New Year will definitely be a yummy one - but now it's apparently going to be a funny one too! I just started to laugh a little on Christmas Eve but dad really got me going today! Enjoy!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T12:21:00.005-06:00

Merry Christmas! I can't believe my first Christmas is over already! It sure was a great one though! Here's a picture of our beautiful tree...

... and here's a picture of me, mommy, and daddy on Christmas Eve.

We went to grandma and grandpa Weatherford's church first. It started at 8:00 so we got there at 7:30, I had my last bottle, and mom and dad thought I would go right to sleep like I do at home.....I definitely had other plans!!!! I decided to stay up and be fussy until 9:10! Of course that was 5 minutes before mom and dad had to leave to go to grandma and grandpa Banovic's church. Mommy really wanted to take me to her church too but since I was up so late, she told dad just to take me home to wait for Santa Claus to come!

And boy did he! I had a great time opening gifts Christmas morning. I liked the paper as much as the gifts inside! Here I am in my new Elmo chair...

... and with mommy.

We opened the first round of gifts at my house with mom, dad, grandma and grandpa Banovic, uncle Andy, and great-grandma Banovic. All of the adults enjoyed their usual tradition of eating great-grandma's nutbread after gifts....maybe I'll try it next year.

Then we went to grandma and grandpa Weatherford's for some more presents. Then all of the cousins and other family came over for lunch at noon. Here's all of the grandkids (and now great-grand kid - me!) with dad's grandpa.

It was such a wonderful day and I am truly enjoying all of my new presents! Thank you to everyone - especially that Santa Claus guy that came to visit!

Another tradition from mom's family is taking a picture on baby's first Christmas in the red and white striped outfit below. Every single one of my great-grandma Kewpie's grandchildren (mom included!) had their picture taken in it and now we're starting with the great-grandchildren! (Sorry Karen! Mommy just realized as she is typing that we should have sent it to you too for Kennedy and Madison! We'll ship it off right away if you still want it!) My silly daddy helped me smile real big for this picture!

We couldn't forget about my silly brother Max too. He always manages to find the funniest ways to lay on the couch!

And speaking of being silly....I started out the new year being a bit silly myself!

If you can't tell, I figured out that I can get my toes in my mouth - YUM! :) Mom and dad knew it was just a matter of time....

Happy New Year - hope your 2010 is as yummy as mine!

Christmas Time is Almost Here!

2009-12-10T20:19:00.009-06:00

We've been busy getting ready for my first Christmas at our house. I got to celebrate my first St. Nicholas Day on December 6th. We opened presents at Grandma and Grandpa Banovic's. I got some new teething toys, an ornament with my name on it, and a great new Christmas Peek-a-Boo book!

Mom and dad put up all of the decorations and our Christmas tree. We cut down a real tree and that was quite an adventure! It was a chilly day but mom had me all bundled up in my snow suit and she snuggled me up in her hotsling. I just wasn't sure what was going on! We usually don't spend a great deal of time outside when it's this cold so I just didn't know what to do! I didn't make a peep the whole time. I just looked around and took it all in. But we did find a great tree!

I just wasn't sure what was going on! We usually don't spend a great deal of time outside when it's this cold so I just didn't know what to do! I didn't make a peep the whole time. I just looked around and took it all in. But we did find a great tree!

I even got to meet Santa! We got our picture taken with him and one of his elves!

Mom just thinks I look so cute all bundled up!

Grandma and Grandpa had to get in a picture too!

Mom also had another photo shoot so we could get pictures in my Christmas dress for ordering Christmas cards. Let us know what you think!

More firsts!

2009-11-14T10:34:00.006-06:00

I've been up to lots of new things lately! I enjoyed my first Halloween as a dragonfly. I rode in the Halloween parade with mom and went trick-or-treating with mom and dad. I was such a good girl the whole day! I never complained about wearing my antenae and always made sure to say thank you :)

Although i didn't enjoy picture taking so much!

I've also started eating my first real food!

Well, that is if you call rice cereal real food!

As you can see, it's definitely not my favorite but I'll keep trying.

I'm also rolling over now! I rolled from my tummy to back last weekend at grandma and grandpa Banovics' but haven't done it much again until this morning! I did it three times in a row for mommy...too bad daddy was at work but I can't wait to show him when he gets home! Mom will try to get a video of it later to post as long as I cooperate.

I also somehow managed to roll from my back to tummy without mom and dad seeing! We were all in the family room - I was playing on my blanket, mommy was working on school stuff on the computer, and dad was on his computer too. All of a sudden when mom and dad looked up, I was on my tummy! Of course they stared at me for the next two hours waiting for me to do it again....but there's no way I was going to make it that easy for them! Maybe another day...

Two Frogs on a Log...

2009-10-29T15:58:00.004-05:00

...er, a couch anyways! Monday night mommy and I went over to her friend Stephanie's house to have a playdate with Stephanie's son Chase. Even better, it was a themed playdate! We discovered a few weeks ago that Chase and I both have froggy pjs and the same "Ribbit" frog toy so we decided to make this a froggy playdate. Here are some pictures from our night!

(Mommy's going to steal some of Stephanie's captions from her blog because they're so cute!)

Mmm...Binkies!!!!

Say "cheese" (or rather, ribbit!) for the mommas!! (well, I'm trying at least!)

Hey...I thought I was wearing the froggy pjs tonight - why are YOU wearing them too?!

Thanks so much Stephanie and Chase for such a fun evening - can't wait to do it again soon!!!

Fall is here...

2009-10-25T18:51:00.005-05:00

Yeah - mommy finally put up some new pictures! I've been doing lots of fall things lately. Here I am all bundled up one chilly morning getting ready to go to Nancy's...

...and all bundled up in another one of my cute jackets at the end of the day.

Today I went to my first annual pumpkin carving party with mommy's family in Missouri. Here's our newest family photo with the pumpkin we carved (well, the one mommy and daddy carved!)

I'm definitely still growing - we went for my 4 month check-up Friday and I now weigh 11 lbs. 12 oz. (around the 15th%) and am 24 in. long (around the 40th%). I'm on the small side but for me, I'm growing! :) I've also graduated to sitting in my big girl bathtub!

I still love the bath. Mom and dad even got to hear my first laugh when I was playing with my pink rubber ducky in the bathtub! That's the only one so far but mom is hoping that more come soon. I've sure been smiling a lot though. Dad was trying his best to get a picture of it but I kept blocking it....here with my binky,

and here with my hands.

We're getting ready to start cereal for the first time this week so we'll let you know how that adventure goes! Before mommy's finished, she figured we'd throw in a picture of my little brother Max. Here he is sleeping on the couch - he always finds the most interesting ways to fall asleep! What a goofy kitty....

3 Month Pictures

2009-10-10T16:34:00.004-05:00

Mommy is sooo excited about the new pictures she took of me! She couldn't decide whether to take me to get 3 month pictures done or just try some herself. She chose option number 2 and is glad she did! I was a very good girl and posed for some adorable pictures - or at least we think so! :)

Baptism

2009-10-10T15:36:00.008-05:00

Sorry it's taken so long but mommy's finally posting the pictures from my baptism. I was baptized at mommy's church - Holy Family Catholic Parish - on Saturday, September 19th. Mom and dad chose my uncle Andy as my godfather and mom's good friend Bree as my godmother. Thank you so much to everyone who was there to share in my special day!!!

Getting ready for the big event!

I didn't like the oil very much - the water was actually better! That's what mom and dad figured though since I love getting my hair washed during my bath so much! I started to make some bad faces during the oil part but I never actually made a peep! I was such a good girl :)

me, mom, and dad

with Fr. Jim and my godparents

mommy's family

grandma and grandpa weatherford

great-grandma Ruth

the Holderreads and great-grandpa

Growing up!

2009-09-29T09:39:00.009-05:00

Wow do I have a lot to talk about! So much has been happening since mommy last posted, including me starting to "talk"! Mom tried to get a video uploaded of me but for some reason it's not working....if any one has any tips or tricks, let me know!

Anyways...

I've also discovered my hands...

I'm getting better at sitting up on my own...

I'm enjoying tummy time (well, sometimes :) )...

and I can hold onto my toys now!

I'm finally growing too. I had to start drinking all formula instead of mommy feeding me because I was being a lazy eater! In 8 days I didn't gain an ounce! But now I'm on the right track - The first two days on formula I gained 4 ounces and in the next 5 days I gained 8 ounces! Mom's just glad that's all figured out...

More soon!

Love, Syd

- don't I look so grown up in this picture! :)

State Fair and Crazy Hair!

2009-09-16T19:48:00.003-05:00

Sorry it has been so long since mommy has posted new pictures! Lots has been going on - she's been so busy she just hasn't gotten around to it....but here you go!

A few weeks ago I took my first trip to the Illinois State Fair! Grandma and Grandpa Banovic were already up there to go see the Hereford cows so we decided to go meet them. We went to the horse races and got some great fair food (mom had a corn dog, lemonade shake-up, and a funnel cake). Then mom and grandma went on the Tilt-a-Whirl - it's their favorite! I'll ride with them some day. Then mom, dad, and grandpa played the "Whack-a-Mole" game and mom won me a fish! You can see it on top of my stroller in the picture. It was a lot of fun!

Family pic!

All worn out

Things are going well at home. I still LOVE bath time! I especially like getting my hair washed - as you can see, my hair looks quite crazy afterwards! Mom always brushes it down to make it all pretty but dad likes it when it's all messy!

More soon! Love, Syd

DLG (Daddy's Little Girl)

2009-08-31T21:45:00.005-05:00

So everywhere I go, people comment on how much I look like my daddy. Mom and dad sort of thought that, but didn't see the similarities that much, UNTIL.....

Holy cow! Grandma Jeanne took this picture one day and we all DEFINITELY see the resemblance now! I guess I definitely am daddy's little girl!

Sweet Dreams

2009-08-20T17:39:00.003-05:00

We have big news about my sleeping - I slept all through the night last night! Woo hoo!!!! Mom fed me Monday night around 9:00, I went to sleep around 10:00 and didn't get up until 7:00 Tuesday morning!!! Mommy forgot what a full night sleep felt like! Let's just see if I keep this up...

I also seem to have a favorite sleeping position - you can see many examples of it below! :)

in my crib,

on mommy's lap,

and in Kansas City

Hanging out around the house...

2009-08-10T17:22:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures of me just hanging out at home. Some of them dad took while mom was away at Megan's Bachelorette Party in Chicago. This was the first time mom was away from me for more than 3 hours since I've been born! It was very hard for her to leave me but I was really good for dad. I did save up a great big poo for dad - although he was out a grandma and grandpa Banovic's so he had help! Mom says no fair! :)

You'll notice that I love sitting in my boppy pillow. I've spent quite a lot of time there lately :)

Mommy loves this one! What a funny face :)

Awww....I love my mommy

This is a favorite too :)

Kansas City!

2009-08-07T22:21:00.001-05:00

Sorry mom hasn't posted any pictures lately. We've been busy traveling all over! I made my first long trip up to Chicago two weeks ago. I was such a good girl! I got pretty fussy right before we left - I don't think Uncle Andy was too excited about the long car ride ahead! Luckily, I fell asleep after about 5 minutes of driving and slept until we were only 15 minutes away! Mom was very proud of me. :) I slept very well both nights - I only got up once or twice each night! I was great at Meghan's bridal shower too. Everyone loved my pretty dress that I wore - unfortunately I pooped all over it when we got to Meghan's after the shower. At least I waited until the shower was over! Mom doesn't have the pictures from the shower downloaded yet but she'll be sure to post them soon.

Just before we left for our next vacation, we had dinner at great-grandma Marilyn's. Here I am sleeping in great-grandma's arms - I look pretty comfy!

I fell asleep with mom too - I sure must have been tired! :)

A few days after mom and I got home from Chicago, we left for Kansas City, MO with dad and grandma and grandpa Banovic. We again had a wonderful trip. I only made them stop once to feed me on the way - pretty good for a 5 hour trip! I started fussing a little when we got about 15 minutes away but we still made it to the hotel alright- although grandpa was starting to get a little nervous. He doesn't do so well when I cry for more than a few minutes! :)

Overall, we had a great trip. We stayed at the Argosy Casino Hotel so the adults got to gamble a little. Luckily no one lost too much money! :) I got to spend lots of time with grandma on the trip - here I am taking a nap on her bed.

The second day there mom and grandma took me shopping while the boys went to the casino. I started getting a little fussy in the stroller so mom put me in the hotsling.

I liked that much better! I even fell asleep after about 10 minutes. Mom and grandma had fun watching people look in my empty stroller and say "Where's the baby!?" :) They couldn't see me all cuddled up with mom!

Here are a few pictures of the KC skyline - it was kinda cloudy and rainy most of the trip...

Here I am hanging out with mom and dad...

...and then I fell asleep again!

On the way home the next day we stopped at the Hereford House for lunch. It's a restaurant that only serves Hereford beef which is the kind of cow that grandpa raises. It was yummy! Or at least that's what mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa said. :)

We only had to stop once on the way home too for me to eat. This time, dad got to feed me a bottle! I've only had one or two - we were trying to practice for mom's trip to Chicago for Meghan's bachelorette party. We knew dad would be on his own for the first time. I'll do my best to be good for him. Mom thinks I should work up a good poo for him since I've had two major blowouts for mom when dad's not around. She thinks it's payback time. :)

Overall, I've been doing really well lately. I've upped my time between feedings at night to about 7 hours now! Mom really enjoys actually getting about 6 hours of sleep in a row now. That hasn't happened for about 4 months! (While I was in mom's belly she had to get up to go to the bathroom every hour!) I'm getting even better at holding my head up too. Everyone's favorite new activity of mine is smiling! I smiled a lot for grandma on our KC trip but now I've started smiling for mom and dad too...

1 month old!

2009-07-22T20:36:00.014-05:00

Can you believe it - I'm already one month old!!! I know mom and dad can't believe it. Overall, things are going well - I still have a little trouble getting to bed some nights but once I get to sleep, I only wake up every 4-5 hours until morning. I'm really starting to look around more now - I especially love looking at mommy and daddy and at the little fish on my swing. I'm doing a really good job holding my head up when mom puts me on my tummy. I'm getting so strong! :)

I went to the doctor for my one month check up and everything looked great. I've grown 2 1/2 inches since I was born and am now around the 60% for length. I now weigh 8 lbs. 4 oz. which puts me in the 25% for weight. Growing strong! :)

I'm getting ready for a few big road trips so we'll have to let you know how they go. Mom and I are going to Chicago Friday for Aunt Meghan's bridal shower. Then I'm going with mom, dad, grandma and grandpa Banovic to Kansas City for a short vacation. Mom and dad sure hope I behave!

Here are some new pictures for you. Hopefully mom will post some pics from vacation as soon as we get home.

Love, Sydney

My first haircut - I had so much hair when I was born, it was hanging down to my earlobes! Mom just couldn't take it anymore so she gave me a little trim around the ears.

Here's a funny face of me in my carseat.

All wrapped up after my bath

This is one of mommy's favorite pics - I look soooo comfy!

Man, life is rough... :)

This was a pic of the cute onesie that uncle Andy's friends Mike and Matt got me - thanks guys!

Here's a new family picture - so happy!

What a face!

Hiccups and Funny Faces

2009-07-04T10:43:00.007-05:00

Aunt Bree came down this weekend to visit and took some great pictures and video of me on her phone. Here are a few of my favorite faces!

big yawn!

this is what I look like when I'm done eating - out like a light!

just being cute :)

and here's a short video of me with the hiccups! I get them quite often and they're pretty funny to watch...Happy 4th of July!

Love, Sydney

A few more pictures

2009-07-01T15:53:00.003-05:00

There were just a few pictures that mom didn't have on her camera that she had to get from grandma Rhonda to post...

Dad's work threw me a baby shower and one of the ladies there made me this awesome cake!!

with uncle Andy,

great aunt Marla,

and great-grandpa Albert

Pictures, pictures, pictures!

2009-06-29T11:00:00.017-05:00

Now that I'm finally here, I'm experiencing so many things for the first time. It's been such a big first week! Mom and dad took lots of pictures to show you what I've been up to - enjoy!

my first photograph!

all cleaned up

getting weighed

first picture with mommy - she's crying of course! :)

first family picture!!!

bows in my hair!!!

with grandpa Ed,

grandpa Rick,

great-grandma Marilyn,

grandma Rhonda,

grandma Jeanne,

aunt Bree, (ok, so she's not really my aunt but I don't have any real ones so she'll work! :) )

and aunt Kaylie (again, not a real aunt but I love her anyways!)

my going home outfit

going home as a family of three!

my first bath

in my crib for the first time

what a face!

a cute outfit from aunt Bree - thank you!!!

we couldn't leave my big brother Max out...he seems to be enjoying my toys a bit more than I am at the moment!

first time in my swing

first time in my bouncer

This one's mommy's favorite - daddy and I are taking a nap together. How sweet! :)

Hope you enjoyed all of the pictures. Mom will try to keep posting more as we take them. I had a big day yesterday but we didn't take the camera. I went to church with grandma and grandpa Weatherford and then went to a luncheon for their pastor afterwards. I was such a good girl - I didn't make a peep all through church! Then I made my first road trip (well, a fairly short one anyways) to Missouri to buy fireworks for the 4th of July. Again, I was such a good girl, everyone hardly knew I was in the car! I slept the entire way there and back. The only problem was that I slept so much during the day that I was up until 1:30 a.m.....mommy wasn't too happy with me! I think she'll try to keep me up during the day today so I might sleep a little better tonight. Either way, mom and dad are loving every minute with me - I've been a very good baby over all and they couldn't be happier!

Love, Sydney

I'm here!!!

2009-06-21T09:54:00.003-05:00

I finally arrived! Mom's water broke at 1:45 this morning. Mom and dad got up and showered, packed, and headed to the hospital. By 3:00 a.m. they were into a room getting all set up. Mom was still only 3 cm and 90% so we were thinking it was going to be quite a while before I arrived. It was then time to sit and wait - mom was doing alright but contractions were getting quite strong by 5:30 or so. She had progressed to 5 cm so it was time to get the epidural. Mom had a few very strong contractions during that but was feeling a little better once the epidural was in. She was still having one little pain and the anesthesiologist asked if maybe mom had progressed any more. It was only 6:30 and the nurse said "Well, I think you're 9....actually, you're completely dilated!!!!" We couldn't believe it!!! We had only been in the hospital for a few hours! They brought dad back in the room after the epidural, called the dr. and got things ready to go! Mom started pushing (and didn't feel anything by the way!!!! woohoo!) and Sydney was out with 30 minutes of pushing! 8:01 a.m. and I finally made my first appearance. I measured 19 inches long and 7 pounds 2 ounces. Things are going great - I breast fed right away without any problems! We'll keep you posted! Come and visit me soon!!! :)

So close!

2009-06-15T15:55:00.003-05:00

Mom and dad went to the Dr. again today for their 39 week appointment. Mom is now 3 cm dilated and 90% effaced! The Dr. said he would induce mom as early as Wednesday but grandma Rhonda is going out of town Tuesday through Saturday!!! They have an appointment to be induced Monday morning, the 22nd, at 7:30 a.m. However, the Dr. stripped mom's membranes at her appointment so we're thinking I may come before next week on my own! We'll just have to wait and see but we know it won't be more than a week until my big arrival! See you soon! :)

Love, Sydney

Making Progress!!!

2009-06-09T15:45:00.003-05:00

Mom and dad just got back from their weekly Dr. appointment and got some great news! Mom is 1-2 centimeters dilated and is 70% effaced! The Dr. said I am very far down (he could feel my head) so everyone is very excited! He even said mom may be able to be induced next week if I don't come out before then!!! Yeah! We'll keep you updated if anything new happens.

Love, Sydney

Just waiting...

2009-06-03T08:27:00.006-05:00

Mom is now 37 weeks...only 3 more to go! Well, mom would like me to come out any day now but that doesn't seem to be happening yet. Mom and dad went to the Dr. yesterday to get an ultrasound to see how big I am - the Dr. thought I felt really big last time. However, I only weigh 6 pounds! Not big enough to come out very early! But at least that means I'll hopefully come out pretty easily once I finally decide to arrive! Mom's not sure about any progress as far as dilating or anything - the Dr. won't check her until 39 weeks so we'll just keep waiting!

The bump website says I am now the size of a watermelon! We're getting so close!!!

Mom also finally posted some pictures from the baby shower. She doesn't have all of the pics yet but here's what she does have. Thank you so much to everyone that helped - the shower was amazing! Bree, Meg, and Kay - you did so much work - mom and I cannot thank you enough! To everyone that came and enjoyed the party - thank you! Thank you all for the wonderful gifts - I am a very blessed little girl already! And thank you to grandma Jeanne for hosting the shower at your house! Enjoy the pictures!

So many gifts - thank you all!

Grandpa Ed with my stroller!

My hostesses!

Lots of yummy food!

The amazing cake the Bree made - soooo cute!

We'll be sure to keep you posted when I finally decide to make my big arrival. Everything is ready...I just need to come out. Mom finally finished school on Monday. She got my car seat installed Sunday. Today, she's going to cook lots of food to freeze so she doesn't have to cook much when I get here....not that she cooks much anyways! :) Stay tuned!

Love, Sydney

I finally cooperated!

2009-05-01T17:16:00.005-05:00

Well, I finally behaved! Mom and dad went to try again to get 3D pictures of me. The last time, I was definitely not in the right position to get any pics - they could only see the back of my head. When we started this time, you could see the side of my face, but that was about it. After mom rolled on her side a few times and she and the ultrasound technician poked the heck out of me, I finally decided to roll over a bit. I just wanted them to get the pictures done with so they would leave me alone! :) I kept putting my feet and hands in front of my face but they were able to get a few good shots. You can see in the first one, I have my hand by my mouth still. I even smiled at mom and dad a couple times but they didn't get those pictures captured in time.

So, without further ado, here are the latest and greatest pics of me!

Everyone thinks I look just like dad - I definitely have his nose and chubby cheeks (well, when he was younger anyways!) The ultrasound tech said mom doesn't have to worry about getting my head out, just my cheeks. :)

Only 54 more days until my arrival - although the doc says I can come anytime after about 30 more days - at least that's what mom is hoping for! In the mean time, mom and dad have still been going to Lamaze class. They go to the hospital next week for class to get a tour of the maternity ward and things like that. My swing arrived from Babies R Us the other day too so mom and dad will have to get that put together.

I think that's it for now. Enjoy the pictures!

Love, Sydney

Still Stubborn...

2009-04-10T10:20:00.003-05:00

So you know how I tend to be very stubborn when daddy or anyone else tries to feel me moving - I just stop as soon as they put their hand on mommy's stomach. Well I haven't changed much! Mom and dad took me to get my picture taken (those awesome new 3D ultrasound pictures) on Thursday. We were all really excited to have pictures to show everyone over Easter weekend. The only problem was, the ultrasound technician said that I was in the worst position possible to get pics! I was completely face down so all you could see was the back of my head. Aren't I funny! :) Apparently I just love not cooperating. Mom just hopes this doesn't continue after I finally come out! :) They tried to jiggle mommy's belly and get me to roll over but of course I was having none of it. I move all the time at home but I was NOT going to move for any pictures.

Oh well - mom and dad at least got a free peek at me again. I am still a girl (definitely good news since we have so many clothes already!) and we saw that I have hair and a few little fat rolls on my belly! Seems like things are going well.

We're finally in the home stretch - last trimester! Only about 10 weeks to go. Mom and dad start going to childbirth class on Monday. Mom's friends also threw my baby shower last Sunday. It was absolutely wonderful! No one has e-mailed mom any of the pictures they took yet but as soon as they do, we'll be sure to post them. We'll also put 3D ultrasound pics up if I ever decide to cooperate! :) Until then, you can see I'm up to a new fruit/vegetable this month. It says I'm the size of a squash - mommy didn't know that squash was usually around 16 inches long! But oh well, that's about how big I am now. Hopefully we'll have more pictures for you soon!

Love, Sydney

Growing...

2009-03-16T20:39:00.003-05:00

Big news today - only 100 days until I arrive! In the meantime, mom and I are both growing every day. Dad finally took some pictures of mom's growing belly.

I'm growing too and there's a new fruit/vegetable this month to prove it! :) During month 6 I am supposedly around the same size as an eggplant.

Other than that, there's not much new here. I'm making mom's heartburn worse and worse each night. She's really having a hard time getting any sleep so she's hoping the dr. will give her some medicine to take when she goes in Wednesday for her glucose test. Mom and dad also found out that they'll be taking childbirth classes with another couple that they are friends with who are expecting their first child in May. It will be nice to have someone else there that they know. That's all for now!...

Love, Syd

Sydney's Room!

2009-03-08T18:54:00.007-05:00

So mom, dad, and grandma and grandpa Banovic got my room finished this weekend! They were going to just start painting this weekend and finish putting things together, etc. next weekend. See, the last time mom and dad painted my room, it took about 7 coats of paint!!! They were assuming that would be the case this time but it only took one coat of primer and one coat of paint! Yeah! Mom washed all of my bedding and clothes while everyone else painted. By Sunday morning, mom and dad hung up everything on the walls and were done! Mom posted some pictures of before, during, and after for everyone to see below.

Other than that, things are going well. I'm still growing and kicking away in mom's stomach. I'm making her VERY hungry and making her get up about 5 times a night to go to the bathroom! But that's what I'm supposed to do right?! :) Only 3 1/2 more months and I should be here to meet you all!

Love, Sydney

BEFORE:

DURING: (the new paint is up)

AFTER:

A mover and a shaker!

2009-02-16T18:06:00.002-06:00

Since we finally know that our little one is a baby girl and we have pretty much decided on a name, I think I'll let Sydney write to you all from now on! :)

So probably the most exciting news lately is that I finally let daddy feel me kick yesterday! For the past 2-3 weeks, I would be moving all around in mom's belly but as soon as dad put his hand there to feel it, I would stop! Aren't I nice! :) Well, I guess I made him wait long enough (he was getting very frustrated at this point) so I finally gave him a big kick yesterday morning. He asked mom "Oh! Was that it?" and she said "Yep!" He was very excited to finally feel me moving around.

I also (with dad's help of course) got mommy a birthday card. I told her that I've only known her for 22 weeks but I already love her more than words can say and that she has the best belly I've ever lived in!

Mom has been having lots of fun buying me tons of clothes for when I finally arrive. A good friend Robin let mom go through two whole tubs of clothes for her store before she put them out on the floor. Mom picked out lots and lots of cute outfits for me. I can't wait to wear them all! Mom and dad are also getting ready to decorate my very own room in a few weeks - keep posted for pictures! They ordered an amazing glider and ottoman to rock and feed me in once I'm here.

I am very excited that mom is now in her 5th month carrying me - over half way there! Here's a picture of about how big I am.

It's a...

2009-02-03T17:25:00.004-06:00

GIRL!!!!!!

We just got home from the doctor and found out we are having a healthy baby girl. The lady doing the ultra sound asked us if we wanted to know what it was and I said yes, I just hope the baby cooperates. She said don't worry - I'll find out even if you have to stand on your head! :) She knew in about 1.5 seconds that it was a girl! It was nice to know that she was so sure of it too. So now we don't have to say "it" anymore! She's 13 ounces and they said that is perfect for right now. We are pretty much thinking Sydney, just not sure on a middle name yet... Enjoy the pictures of our little girl!!! :)

Snow Day

2009-01-28T12:54:00.006-06:00

This is one of those days that I just love being a teacher. Why you might ask - because it's a snow day!!! So I'm enjoying this lazy time before the baby's here to get some things organized around the house - or procrastinate doing those things and sit on the couch watching TV instead! But I'm watching "A Baby Story" and "Bringing Home Baby" so that would count as preparing for the baby right? Haha...

Anyways, the countdown is on - 6 days until we find out the sex of baby W! It's all starting to feel more real: We should be able to start calling the baby "he" or "she" soon instead of just "it" :) and I have definitely felt the baby moving! I mostly feel it at night but sometimes during the day too. It's so exciting! Since I've been feeling better the past few weeks, I sometimes almost forget that I'm pregnant. The baby moving is a wonderful reminder that he or she is there and growing. It's amazing to think how big the baby is now. I remember when it was the size of an apple seed! We're up to a mango now:

That's it for now. Stay posted for the big news!!!