Randall's mom - Sydney's Meme - arrived Thursday evening and has settled in very well already. She seems to like Sydney quite a bit and is already telling Grandma Donna that she is taking her with her back to Virginia when she leaves! ;-) I am returning to work Monday, and Meme will have three full weeks babysitting Sydney. I was worried she would get bored, but she assured me that will not happen. This was Meme's first time flying alone, and she says she intends to fly out more often now that she's done it once. I think it MIGHT have something to do with how much she loves miss Sydney!!
Today, Sydney and I visited the daycare she will begin attending March 22 (after Randall's mom leaves). By then, I will have been back at work three weeks and, hopefully, taking things one transition at a time will be helpful. The teacher/student ratio at her school is lower than the state limit, and we fell in love with it after visiting last May when we got on the waiting list.
I loved it just as much today.
The ladies in the infant rooms are fabulous; they have been there 15+ years and they are about my mom's age, if not a little older. They LOVE their babies, and it is obvious. I was there 2+ hours, and they know so much about the kids....it made me feel good that they will know everything about Sydney that I was/am so worried about them NOT knowing. I have no doubt that after a couple of days, she will be like one of the family. The love they have for the kids combined with the focus on academics and independence makes this the right choice for us.
Does this help me feel better about leaving her? Not really. Sure, I am thrilled that we're able to provide a daycare experience for our daughter that we feel very good about...even if it does mean cutting back in less important areas. However, I have loved being home with her each day. I always said I could never be a stay-at-home mom. I'm still certain that is not the path meant for me, but I am 100% sure I will miss my baby girl all day long.
Randall said he thinks about Sydney 45 minutes out of every hour that he is at work.
It's amazing how a little person can forever change you and your priorities. It is the best gift, and my hope for every person who wishes to be a parent is that their dream comes true.
Here is a picture of our first kiss. Here's to a lifetime of kisses!
We have figured out the key to happy baths: lots of splashing the water around her! She loves it. Here she is in her bathtub last night. Now, we have to figure out how to avoid screaming when we take her out! One step at a time I guess :)
Today, we all ventured out to run a few errands. Sydney was pretty in purple for the outing! Our first stop was at Hobby Lobby (a craft store for anyone not familiar) because I wanted to make a bow holder for Sydney's room. She got so many adorable bows as gifts, and they were taking up too much room in her dresser. The holders online seemed overpriced, and with the sales at Hobby Lobby, I created this one for the low, low price of $8. On the way to the register, we saw this adorable piggy bank. It was also a great deal at only $5, and it goes perfectly with her polka dot valance and crib sheet. The little lady has already saved a whopping $12. We then went to Target and finally to Walmart for groceries. Sydney was such a good girl for all the running around! Now she's napping peacefully with a full belly.
Sydney is lucky to have many honorary aunts and uncles that live nearby. This shirt - her first personalized top - was a gift from her Uncle Kenny and Aunt Amanda. It's perfect for Valentine's Day, and she'll be able to wear it a lot in the coming months! Her jeans also have hearts on the back pockets and her socks have hearts on the cuffs. She's all full of love today.
During Sydney's long afternoon nap, I tackled a project I've been wanting to get started on for awhile: cleaning out all of my clothes. My boss did this recently and she sounded so happy talking about it, I decided it was worth doing. My criteria for putting things in the donate/throw out piles were:
#1 It's out of style. Plain and simple, I don't like it anymore. Or, I can recall the year I bought it, and it starts with a "19.." #2 It's too small, and even if it fits again someday, I don't like it. And by the way, it will fit again because I've set a weight loss goal to reach in time for our August cruise vacation. :) #3 It's too big ... because I will NOT be moving in that direction! Besides, if you're trying to lose weight, the worst thing you can do is swallow yourself in big clothes.
So, it was that simple. Tons of clothes fell into these categories and here is the result. The next step is to bag it all up and drive it away! Maybe I'll tackle shoes tomorrow ;-)
Sydney is six weeks old today, and I captured a few of her smiles on video this morning. I say on the footage that today is the 11th, but I'm obviously rushing the week! I apologize for the high-pitched voice...it just happens around sweet little babies.
We've been enjoying Laura's visit this weekend, who escaped Washington, DC, just before the huge snow hit Friday. Sydney is quite smitten with her! She will leave Tuesday if the weather allows, and it sounds like she'll be going home to even more snow. Laura is due with her little boy in late April, and we're so excited to meet him. We got Sydney all dressed up for her first Super Bowl party. The bow is big, I know, but it's just too fun putting them on her oh-so-bald head right now! We were able to get a family photo before heading out. The icing on the cake was the Saints' victory! We were with some friends who are from New Orleans, so the win was extra exciting. We originally thought we'd only make it to half-time, but Sydney was sound asleep at that point, so we stayed until the end. A good time was had by all!
