Five Months!!

Here is a quick sneak preview of a little photo shoot I took of Sid last week.  I will send some out soon but the semester is getting busier by the second!

Sidney is rolling over more and more every day.  Today he was at the other end of his crib when I went to get him up this morning.  Another exciting stage is beginning!

Farmer's Market

Sometimes I just love our neighborhood!  We walked to Cabin Coffee for a sweet and coffee before heading over to the Saturday farmer's market. We bought yellow carrots, purple peppers, and a beautiful golden zucchini.  We added fresh beans, tomatoes, and broccoli from our garden. It was the most colorful stir-fry we'd had in a while.  On our way home, our next door neighbors were holding a garage sale. They gave Sidney a little fire truck to ride on that makes little siren noises.

Back to School

     It has been a busy few weeks with Jeremy and I going back to school and Sidney starting to spend time at the childcare center 3 days a week.  We are all adjusting well overall but needing a bit more sleep.  Sidney sleeps so well at night usually 7:30pm- 5:30 am and does not nap much in the day. He averages 2-3 small naps. The childcare center called CUCCC is so busy with babies and staff that Sid has been napping even less in the day. He comes home wiped out but happy. He is now needing a nap when he gets home. This makes me sad because I have missed him and want to spend time with him when I get home. Each day seems to get a little better so I am hoping he will fall into routine and nap a little better so we can have some fun time together when we get home!

    Jeremy started a new job this year at Hoover as the ELP ( extended learning program) teacher for 6th-8th grade. He loves his kids because they are excited about reading like he is and they are fun and quirky (like he is!).  He is planning some great units on comic books, secret codes, and personal memoirs.  I am so glad he made the switch from language arts.  He will start the Talented and Gifted endorsement program this month to work on his certification required for the job.

    I am loving my new classes this semester as well. My groups are small and seem like very motivated students. Although I did not begin this week as organized as I usually am, I think things are going to go well.  I am not taking classes at the University of Iowa this semester BUT will take my last class next semester and take my written comprehensive exams as well.  I needed this semester to get back into the swing of things and get the baby adjusted. I am going to start teaching art club after school on Wednesdays at the Juvenile Home in Toledo with my dear friend and adviser Rachel.  In order to do this we hired former students of Jeremy's that live on our block (identical twin sisters) to watch Sid for 2 hours on Wednesday.  We "practiced" last night by having them come over and we went to the movies.  I think it is going to work out fine!

    Here are some cute pictures of us  hanging out in the backyard this weekend. The weather was perfect and Sidney loves being outside. Happy back to school everybody!

Grandmas are Grrreat!!

Sidney has been blessed with such a great family but this month the Grandmas in his life "take the cake!"
Grandma Vicky came to visit from California and had a great time with Sidney (mom and dad did too).
We went on a picnic to George Wyth State Park, did a little downtown shopping and ate at our new Thai restaurant in Waterloo- yum yum!  We even got Grandma Vicky to Sing Karaoke with us!

Grandma Sue had a birthday recently and we went to visit her upon dropping Grandma Vicky off at the airport. This was a two Grandma day for Sidney.  He loved it so much but slept most of the next day from all that Grandma love! whew- it tucked the little fellow out. Grandma Sue took us all to the park and out for ice cream ( sorry Sid- none for you!) Sid wore his new onesie that says "I've got a birthday hug for Grandma" on it!

Grandma Sally sent Sidney a huge bag of colored wooden blocks that he has been enjoying knocking  them over faster than mommy can stack them up for him!  What a great find Grandma Sal!
Now we were just informed that Grandma Fern and Grandpa Ed are coming for Thanksgiving. Just in time to see Sidney sit in the high chair they bought him for Christmas.  What a fun Thanksgiving this will be! 

Thank Goodness for Grandmas!

xoxoxo

Sidney gets to know Wisconsin and all its greatness!

It is important to introduce every person to Wisconsin. First, to it's fine New Glarus beer and second to their cheese curds.  As you can see, Sidney has developed a taste for both.

 Next it seemed clear that a dip in the beautiful, clear dutch Hollow Lake was an essential part of Sidney's experience.  He seemed very interested in it the first day, but the second day he fell asleep in the lake. I guess the thrill didn't last.

Last, a trip to Wisconsin is not complete without the over stimulation of hundreds of cousins around to keep one entertained the entire time.  All of the cousins were so happy to see Sid.  Mitchell tried scooping him up out of his bouncy seat.  Elaina made up a song to encourage him to roll over ("roll, baby, roll" times infinity.)  Sidney did roll over twice this weekend, once for Grandma Sue and once for Grandpa Mike.  Sadly, Jeremy was in another room for each and has yet to see him repeat the feat.

Other highlights included: Riding on Marvin the Mule and going down to the dock to watch everyone fish.  He was too small for swim diapers and life jackets, so the pool and a ride on the pontoon boat will have to wait for next summer.  He also can't eat solid food, so s'mores are also on next year's agenda!

Enjoying some outside time (before the heatwave)

We have had a very laid back summer with Sidney joining us.  Jeremy and I have spent a lot of time strolling the neighborhood and going to parks.  We went to George Wyth State park this week for a walk on the bike trail with baby and dog and then for a little picnic. I made these this great spinach salad to go with our sandwiches, only to realize that I forgot to pack forks- Ha! needless to say,we still had a fun time and it has been a very nice relaxing summer being at home with my wonderful husband and precious baby. 

 Happy Summer!

Guess who's three months old...?

That's right- Sidney is three months old.  In this short time, Sidney has collected a myriad of nicknames.  Here are a few:
Sidney Bean
Love Nugget
Sweet Potato
Little Peanut
and
Sir Craps-a-lot

He weighed in on June 27th at 10 lbs 8 oz. and 23 and 1/2 inches long.  He is in the 10th percentile of height and weight right now but growing faster every day.  He can hold his head up well and smiles all the time.  We are looking forward to the day Sidney rolls over. 

Today we had a little photo shoot to capture this special day.  Here's a little taste of our fun today!

Happy Birthday America

We had a great day traveling to the Big Red Barn to see Rachel, Sean, Riley, and Jack on the 4th of July.  We had a yummy lunch and everyone got to meet Sidney.  The kids got a chance to feed Sidney and still had time to get a game of frisbee in before we had to head off to Coralville to see Jeremy's folks.

 We spent the afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Anna. Coralville held a carnival so we took some time to stroll over to it after relaxing on the porch.  After a great dinner, we headed home to tuck our sweet little guy in before the fireworks started. Sidney showed off his patriotism as you can see below!

a Stylish visit

Steph and Kyle came from Portland for their annual visit!  We were so happy to get to have them to ourselves for several days.  They were able to meet Sidney (luckily) after his little colic spell ended!  We had a wonderful time catching up, playing with the baby, watching the new True Blood, taking lots of walks, cooking good meals, touring downtown Cedar Falls, karaoke, ping pong, and air hockey were a must,  and we even got a sitter to go to a movie!  It was a great few days.... here are some photos to share!

 Steph + Kyle = Style

Who's laughing at who? Sidney enjoyed all of Steph's crazy faces!

 J and I made a crazy purchase while in downtown Cedar Falls for Sid. We just couldn't resist this fabulous wooden spaceship ( with aliens, space men, moon-lander, and more!)

 We needed to end the time together with a delicious cupcake from Scratch Bakery! 

We miss you guys already!

summer visitors

Jeremy and I have been enjoying being home this summer with Sidney.  We take walks every day, read books, play with his new toys, and go to garage sales looking for fun new things for Sid. He is growing so fast and changing all the time.  Today was his two month appointment.  Sidney now weighs 10.8 lbs, and is 23 & 1/4 " long.  He smiles all the time and is starting to hold his toys on his own.  He has slept through the night several times, but I still get up nervous that he doesn't wake up!
We have had lots of friends and family come to meet and visit us.Tomorrow we are going to take Sidney to the lake for the first time. This is the longest drive we have taken with him so far.
Here are a few pictures of some of our fun!  Happy summer everyone!

 Enjoying cupcakes form Scratch Bakery with Ben and Cinda and Henry

 Ben holding Sid

 Sophie and Marissa help out by feeding Sidney

The Good girls come to visit Sid!

Family Shower

My mom and my sister Christy held a wonderful shower for Sidney on May 14th.  We had a tasty brunch which I was able to enjoy because Sidney sacked out!  He missed all the great gifts but woke in time for us to sing and have cake!  We were so happy to introduce baby Sid to our fabulous families. Thanks so much for the gifts, we so appreciated them all!

The cake....

Luckily everyone got a chance to hold Sidney before the shower ended.  What a wonderful day!

xoxo Sidney, Wendy, and Jeremy

BABY BJORN

We received so many wonderful gifts for Sidney, I keep trying to make time to post some of our most unique ones but time seems to just slip away each day I am home with Sidney.  He is smiling all the time and has developed a liking for some interesting things.
Sidney loves:

1.) looking at himself in the mirror
2.) Having the vacuum cleaner run when he is fussy
3.) He actually cracks up when you whistle for him
4.) Windy days- he sticks out his tongue to feel the air
5.) And he loves to go for walks in the Baby Bjorn (thanks to the Lamms for that great gift!!!)


Here we are modeling it.....

The youngest and the oldest nephew in the family....

Last weekend, Sidney and I went to DeWitt for a party for my oldest nephew Caulin who joined the army and was heading off to Bootcamp.  It was so strange to see Caulin in his army uniform, he just doesn't seem old enough to be a soldier!  I will be thinking of him a lot this summer and hope he is ready for the workout he will receive!  I gave him a pile of self-addressed envelopes so I hope we all hear from him soon.