Two big things!!

1. Sydney went to the bathroom on the potty this week! She has sat on it a few times (though only when it's "her" idea ;) ), but Tuesday night I asked her as we were getting her pajamas on and she was willing to try. We gave her some stickers to look at and kind of hung around but left her alone (no pressure right?!) and when we came back to check on her, sure enough she had been successful! :) We were SO excited and Joe got her a "special treat" for pottying (a mini Reese's PB cup--which she adored...she kept saying "yummm" as she was eating it. :) ) She continues to try but has yet to be successful again....so we shall see where this goes from here! Aunt Bailey sent her some Diego stickers and some Dora stickers that we can hopefully use as incentive (aka bribery! ;) )

2. We sold our car! Last Friday Joe cleaned it all out, put signs in the windows and parked it in the front yard. Monday I sent out an e-mail with info and pictures on it and the next day someone called interested, Wednesday we signed it over to them! It went fast, though I am so grateful. I hate the "limbo" of selling/buying cars. Luckily Joe was able to ride in the carpool yesterday and then today he gets to take me to work :) but then tomorrow we are going shopping for our family rig. We are looking at getting a newer model of the Dodge Caravan or a Toyota Sienna. We saw them last weekend and were really impressed with them! Hope we can find something soon!

I made the 33 week mark yesterday and I must say that this little one is so much more active than I remember Sydney being! All day long yesterday I felt some thing sharp (elbow? knee?) in my right side...all.day.long. It was almost uncomfortable! I will not complain though--he/she is active enough that it gives me peace that he/she is doing okay in there! I am getting very anxious and very excited to meet this little person!! :)

Sun-shiny day! (and 32 week belly picture!)

So we finally had a day with sunshine and +40-ish degrees. It was wonderful to be able to come home and play outside for about 30 minutes (before it got too cool anyway). Sydney loves being outside! Anyhow, we brought her baby and her stroller out so she could take her for "walks" which she quickly discarded for her bucket to pick up sticks. :) Her dad was proud she was helping keep the yard picked up. It was so refreshing to be able to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine! We can't wait for spring!




I took several video clips of her but they were all taken vertically (which I can't rotate) so here is a clip of her "catching" the cars that were coming by. :) (That's her new thing--it's silly, but trust me, it helps pass the time in a car ride that's for sure!)


I also have included the belly pic taken this week at 32 weeks. I feel huge but know I have a long way to go still and will be even bigger. It's hard to believe! Either way we can't wait to meet our new little one and we are not halfway done with the "name game"...we finally decided on a boy name last night! ;) (Please excuse the ridiculous face!)

~32 week appointment and some new things Syd's been up to!

Yesterday I had another appointment--seems like I'm always at the doctor nowadays! :) I started going every two weeks after reaching 30 weeks. Sydney is getting so good at the routine and is pretty comfortable with Nurse Pattie and Dr. Sides! :) She even knows to ask for a lollipop before we leave (it is the only time/place that she gets one so it's no wonder she remembers). Anyhow, I had several questions this time because this weekend I wasn't feeling well (uneasy stomach), lots of aches and pains, and Baby moving that I couldn't tell if they were contractions or not. After asking though the doctor confirmed that everything is going just as it should, Baby is head down and the movement I thought might be contractions was actually just the baby butting itself up against my right side. :) I had lost .4 of a pound which is shocking to me--but I'm glad it slowed down a bit! After this appointment I left full of excitement for meeting this little baby! It's still very surreal to me that we'll be adding to our family in a few short weeks but I cannot wait!



Some things Sydney is up to nowadays:

• loves to draw! She requests that I draw "big circles" and "big triangles" and then colors them in.


• singing and dancing--her favorites are "Ring Around the Rosie", "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush", "Old MacDonald Had a Farm", and "Happy Birthday"...also any time I start singing a song she loves to dance and act silly with me


• talking! She has become such a chatterbox! It seems she says something new every day. Sunday when Bailey and I were bundling her up to go to the car, she called out to Joe, Derrick, and Papa Rod: "I'm coming! I'm coming boys!" :)


• Diego....new obsession...enough said :)

Working hard on a card to Grandma and Grandpa Helget (one of her several she made this weekend!):

more SNOW and 29th week (a little late!)

We woke Saturday morning to a fresh new layer of a couple inches of snow. Around mid-morning Joe went out to snowblade the driveway and scoop off the deck. While Sydney and I were watching from the comfort of the living room :) I realized we'd never let her play in the snow this year! For one, I had never gotten around to getting her any "snow gear" this year, and I just really hate the cold. :) Anyhow, while Joe was snowblading we though we'd try to make the best of the situation so I got her all bundled up in whatever she had...she was quite mis-matchy but she was warm and very proud of her get-up!

Helping Daddy shovel off the back patio.
Checking this stuff out...she was a bit unsure of it at first!Maggie had a ball too in the snow!
Here is the 29 week belly picture. Joe said "you know you really haven't changed that much from last week." :) I'll save my "HOLY COW this baby's almost here" face for this week's 30 week belly picture. ;)

Sunday we were also able to take a look at a double stroller I had seen online. What a crazy search that has been!!! Honestly I have lost sleep over this (don't ask me why!) so I was so extremely relieved when we were able to try it out at Babies R Us and get a feel for how it works, folds, etc. Sydney enjoyed riding in it too which is a plus...just hope she still enjoys it when it's ours. :) Here's a picture of it!

Our little "teacher"!

First off Sydney got some new PJs for Christmas and they quickly became her favorite! (one of her favorites anyhow...right next to her "monkey jamas." Here she is showing her daddy her "no-man jamas." She would wear these all day if we'd let her!


Sydney has always loved to read books with us but just recently she's started to always want her very own turn when we're done reading. So here she is "reading" one of her Dora books. Must say it makes me proud...she holds it just like a little teacher! ;)

She definitely has the "teacher voice" down! She can get a bit bossy. :) I promise we are working on her manners!

27 1/2 weeks...

I have been SO horrible about taking pictures of my growing belly this pregnancy. I have one every single week from 6 weeks until about 27 weeks with Sydney and I have um....ONE at about 20-some weeks with this little one. I already feel that second child syndrome--poor baby. So here is how I am going to make it up to this baby (and hopefully I will also feel less guilty in the end :) )..since I didn't take "belly pics" from 27 weeks or so on with Sydney, I will try extra hard to get a weekly belly pic from this point until the end with this baby!

27 weeks 3 days

I actually got the comment today "you're still pregnant huh?" Every Sunday after church we eat at the same restaurant and the waitress made this comment--I was shocked she'd even noticed since we haven't had her wait on us in quite awhile plus I don't really think I'm that big to be receiving those comments. Oh well I guess. :) I just replied with a simple "yep...still have a few months to go!" :)

Here are couple pictures of the new baby's bed all set up--this was our snow day(s) project!

SNOW DAYS!

Sydney and I returned to our regular week schedule on Tuesday and Wednesday only to have snow days on Thursday and Friday! :) We got some snow on Wednesday but not a huge amount--I think the main reason for the cancelling of school is because it has been SO very bitterly cold here! As in below 0 wind chill in the teens both days. :( It will be so hard to go back to school Monday (if we have it! ;) )

We spent Thursday getting the baby's room a little more ready. We washed blankets and clothes and set up the bed and filled up the dresser. I spent Friday looking for a double stroller; ugh now that's a project. There are so many options and of course things I like about all of the options, etc. Good thing we have a couple of months left!

This morning Joe went on a pheasant hunting trip he had planned with some guys from work--lets just say I'm glad that we didn't have to get out in the cold. :) So Sydney and I had blueberry pancakes for breakfast (that's our girl day thing! :) ) and have been watching some Dora and Bindi the Jungle Girl this morning! Did I already mention how difficult it will be to return to work on Monday?