9 wk u/s

180 bpm, measuring right on track, baby even wiggled for us. =) Praising God for His blessings!

Buzzzz

"I'm a bug, I'm a bug, I'm a bug!" From her Baby Signing Time song

Leaves, leaves, and more leaves!

Helping Daddy w/ the leaves!

6 wk U/S

One baby, 116 bpm heartbeat, measures right on track!! Grateful for God's blessing!

15 months old

Sydney had her 15 month checkup last week... amazingly I am logging it in my blog already!! (Shhh, don't think about the birthday party pics I haven't posted yet.) I pretty much already updated her milestones last time... she is not doing anything much different other than adding words. She is still making me laugh every day!  Love this girl! Ped visit: 24 lbs. 2 oz.  (75%) 32 in. tall  (90%) head circum. (90%) Wears mostly size 18 mos clothes but is slowly starting to fit into 24 months.  Wears a 4-5 size shoe. She is currently teething her canines, all four at the same time the Dr. noted.  Yah! Tell me about it!!  Thankfully after these she will only have four more molars left when she turns two, and she will be done teething her primaries!! My husband and I can't believe every day how old/big she is. We are excited that she is going to be a big sister, but let me tell you, I already know there is going to be a BIG adjustment for her. She is already jealous of my attention when I am talking to my hubby or friends. I do not encourage it, but she is used to it being me and her all day long most days. She is definitely a Mommy's girl, although she does adore her Daddy. I am hoping over the next 8-9 months to prepare her gradually (if that is even possible) for the fact she will have to share me with a baby or two.

My Girl in Pics

Wearing her nursery backpack around the house. Sporting one of her many "ouchies" she has gotten being a toddler. Daddy spotted a hot air ballon one morning letting the dog out and quickly pulled Syd out of her high chair eating breakfast to see it.  She talked about it the rest of the week.  So cool! Playing the laundry basket is a favorite past time still. Quite proud that she has figured out how to get in the window seat by herself now.   She knows the rule is she is not allowed to stand up when I am not there. Her frog "purse". =)  One small sign she IS a girl.  What she usually is talking about or playing with.... airplanes and cars. =)  She has too many boy cousins. ;) She LOVES "eating" a bell pepper I picked straight off our plant.  She does the same with the cherry tomatoes (or "to-toes" she calls them).

Beta #2

Our numbers came back as 360! Yay God! Our first beta with Syd was 12dp5dt, like today, and it was 330. So we are guessing only one stuck around and preparing ourselves mentally. If there are two we will be happily surprised. Either way we are ecstatic!!

Thank you, God for this amazing blessing and responsibility. May we always give You the glory.

Big Sister

She was cheesing it up for the camera!! I couldn't decide which one to pick… so here are all of them. =P She is a little excited about being a sister. Wink, wink!

Beta #1

Praising God from whom all blessings flow! Our beta number was 118! SOO thankful. Thank you everyone for your prayers... I am so grateful for the EA support.

We are happening to see both sides of our family tonight and tomorrow, so I have a sister shirt for Syd to wear to subtlely announce our happy news. I am excited to be present when we tell family this time since we called everyone last time. The joys of infertility and including everyone in your EA process... there is not much kept to yourself for long. But I rather have praying people than privacy. :)

Take a Look...

and interpret the results on your own. =)  Beta is Friday.

Praising God for his abundant blessings!  Trying to focus on one day at a time instead of worrying about the future...

P.S.  NO Fac.ebook comments please!  We are waiting to tell family after our beta results...  I have the hubby's approval to post this here for now. =)

7dp5dt

Well, this time around the wait has been a little different than last time.  I know exactly what pregnant "feels like" and am comparing each symptom and twinge to the last time around.  My thoughts are a little different this time though.  I remember thinking last time that my body was probably not able to get pregnant since I had never had a confirmed pregnancy much less a super late period.  This time I just keep wondering what God has in store, and look at Syd hoping she will have a sibling some day.  We were so blessed to get pregnant the first time around, so I keep reminding myself that it is not a sure thing this time.  I worry and wonder.  But then God reminds me what I have right in front of me... my beautiful, energetic daughter!  I then give her a big hug and change my attitude to gratefulness for at least the next five minutes... =P  Why is it so hard to trust God's sovereign plan?

The wait has definitely been a little easier this time with lots of distractions... a cute, clingy, whiny one. (Teething canines??)  The first few days, I felt the same post transfer cramping and twinges.  But then after that I did not feel the strong "implanting cramps" I did last time.  That is when my faith started wavering.  So then day 5 came and for some reason I felt amazing and decided it was ok whatever the outcome.  Day 6, I started to feel the noticeable fullness and bloat and slight crampiness.  I was also a little out of breath up and down steps or carrying Syd a lot, which normally doesn't happen.  Day 7, today, I have felt all of that but increased.  I told my husband I feel just like I did when I was pregnant with Syd.  I have also started the "have to empty your bladder at 5 AM" or you can't go back to sleep issue.  I could also be experiencing drug symptoms, but I can't deny what I am feeling.

At 5dp5dt I decided I was going to test this time around because I never get the opportunity to in my life (other than EA transfers) to test, and I wanted to experience the excitement of watching how soon we could possibly know!  Last time I only tested a few times randomly.  I had two expired FRER tests left over from the last transfer 2 years ago!!  They just expired this July though, so I assume they will still be valid.  I went and bought 3 dollar t.ree HPTs.  I went all out! =P

5dp5dt FRER: negative, blank
6dp5dt $ test: negative in 3 minute window stated  (VERY faint line later-- evap line??)
7dp5dt $ test: neg in 3 min (faint line a little darker later)
8dp5dt FRER: planned for Thurs. morning
9dp5dt $ test: Fri morning before beta

So with the $ test results... they compare to what I got with Sydney at 9dp5dt, a faint line after the window of readable time.  We then knew with the 10dp5dt FRER positive that we were definitely pregnant. (Our beta was 12dp5dt last time.  I am so glad we don't have to wait the weekend this time!)

So even though we are told not to test at home before our beta, it has actually been fun for me and my hubby to analyze and squint at the tests. ;o)  I am glad I decided to do it, even if we have false hope.  God is in control, and we are just along for the ride!  May His will prevail!

PUPO with twins :)

Praising God for a successful thaw and transfer! Both embryos that were thawed survived and were rated at 5AA. As we all know that means very little but gives me much hope. :) Syd resulted from two embryos rated 3AB and 2AB.

We now have one lone embryo left to return for. We are hoping it will be two years from now... ;)

The transfer was very uneventful and familiar the second time around. I managed to fill my bladder perfectly by drinking 51 oz. of water. They changed the post transfer bed wait time to 30 minutes so it was easy to forgo the bedpan.

I had a random thought which is obvious but hit me none the less. These last three snowflakes are Syd's last chance for a genetic sibling to grow up with her unlike a normal family where the parents could possibly have a child for 20+ years. Not that genetics matter a whole lot, but would be neat though.

True to our tradition we named the snowflakes this time as well. :) Since the last two were Eski & Mo, these two are Iggy & Loo. ;o) It is so amazing how you can love them so much already. Especially when you have little picture to stare at...

Feeling so blessed right now. I am trusting God and His ultimate plan no matter the outcome!!

Buzzzz

My sister found an awesome deal on a lot of winter things for Syd @ a yard sale recently. It was a good call on the bee outift for Halloween ...she loves the wings & keeps asking me to put them back on & signing bug and saying zzzzz. Hopefully they will last until Holloween (I might have to hide them). =)

And the cycle begins

Well, I officially began my meds a few weeks ago for the sibling transfer on Wednesday, 9/19/12.  So hard to believe that I did all of this 2 years ago.  It is actually 2 years to the actual day that my protocol is set up for.  Sydney's transfer was on a Wednesday also, on 9/22/10.  All the meds and shots are such a faint memory and seem so unrelated to the fact that I have a daughter right now.  Weird how your brain chooses to forget the difficult parts after a while. ;o)  Although, this time around it has been like riding a bicycle.  I don't have to think very hard about each step and when to do what.  I just set my phone alarm, fill out my calendar for med changes, and do it when the alarm goes off.  The Lu.pron shots are such a piece of cake this time around after having the experience of 11ish weeks of PIO under my belt (haha, pun not intended).  I admit I am not looking forward to starting those again and neither is my shot administering husband. =)  One more week until then!

Now that I am busy with Sydney this time around, I haven't had much time to pay attention to the minor side effects.  I did notice the Lupron headaches though. =P  Everything has been flying by this time around!!  I went for my first u/s check last week, and I was cleared to take the E.strace.  I couldn't believe that my calendar at the time was telling me that it was time for the trip already!  I have to travel an hour and a half one way to my nearest fertility clinic.  So I was super grateful that my husband was off work to take care of Sydney.  His work hours are set up in a way that he is always off every other Friday... He is off both Fridays I have to travel for my u/s checks!!  I love how God works out the minor details like that!  This time around I took advantage of the little trip to a bigger city and did some shopping and just took some free time that I rarely have to myself.  I missed my girl terribly, but she has an awesome Daddy that does a great job caring for her and who she adores.  I just got a huge kick out of the texts and phone calls all day from him saying how he is finally eating lunch or can't seem to get dinner made or how he had no free time and that he was "exhausted"... hee hee.  He was playing it up quite a bit for the drama aspect, but nevertheless it was nice to have him experience the other side of things. ;o)

I am getting super excited for the transfer, but I keep reminding myself that I am not guaranteed to get pregnant the first time like I was so fortunate to last time.  We only have 3 embryos left and we chose to not have any back ups at this point due to the mediation process of open adoptions.  The embryologist said, "scientifically we have a 75% chance of 2 of 3 thawing well, but she sees God's hand in the sibling transfers all the time."  We will be only transferring two like last time, but we will see what happens.  I honestly am hoping for twins this time... crazy I know.  But that would make us a family of five and I would be content with so many blessings!  Although I am just grateful to be a mother to one!  Sydney so needs a sibling to grow up with and to learn and laugh together since she is such a people person.  She has so much fun with her cousins... it is fun to watch.

For the three transfer days of traveling and resting, Sydney will be staying home with my husband's sister and boys to take care of her.  It will be the first time I will be away from my girl for more than a day and first time leaving her overnight!!  I KNOW she is in good hands, but I am nervous she will get too fussy by the second or third day.  She has started another phase of separation anxiety lately.  I didn't know you could be so attached to your children, even when you are given the opportunity to "take a break", you still wish you were back with them.  We have been getting together with her aunt and cousins often the last few weeks so that she will be so comfortable and familiar with them around.

I am also worried if I do get pregnant again, will the baby have the same digestive issues as Sydney?  Thankfully she has outgrown most of it and life is pretty normal now, but those first 8 months or so were really tough!  And she was just my only... next time around I will have a two year old to work with also.  I have so much more respect for mothers these days!  I am just about back to normal eating myself due to my crazy breastfeeding diet before messing up my internal balance.  (But that is another post I need to do.)  I don't believe that I would be able to sacrifice that much for next one!  And I hate that because I don't want to give so much to my first and short-change the next...

But one step at a time I tell myself.  God is in control, and His plan is the best.  Right now I am just praying for peace and God's will no matter the outcome of this transfer.  He has abundantly blessed me already, and I am so underserving!

10 -12 Month Milestones (10-14 months really)

Well, I have been a little slow on updating her milestones lately.  I have been working on being on the computer less and getting more of my chores done when she is napping.   On the other hand I have been enjoying every minute with my daughter and do my best to not use electronics when she is up.  I don't want to be engrossed in another virtual world and miss my blessing right now.  I also don't want her to resent me for not spending any time with her...  I want her to know she is a priority.  I want to be on top of watching her every move, so that disciplining will be less of a struggle because I didn't catch her the first time.  I have been enjoying these days of communicating and teaching and playing together.  This is what I dreamed motherhood would be like!  Though I didn't know how hard it was to get anything done... =P  Then at night, I am just tired and don't have any motivation left to type. =)

I will try to for both my and my readers' sake put everything in bullets and keep the wordiness to a minimum.  I love watching kids go through stages and growing and learning.  I don't know why it continues to amaze me how quickly they pick up things, they are "humans after all" my husband says...  Here is my attempt at remember a few things from the last four months:

• Right at 10 months (beginning of May) Sydney started walking towards things without realizing I wasn't holding her hand.  She had been walking a few steps between Mommy and Daddy for a few weeks (a favorite game of hers).  Then on May 9th she got the hang of it and starting making it across the room.  The excitement in her face was so fun to watch.  She hasn't slowed down since...
• Sydney has really found a love for reading and looking at books.  I encourage this greatly.
• She has a LOVE for any toy that talks or plays music.  It is so cute to watch her "dance" and bop and swing to the music.  She now points to the radio in the kitchen and asks for me to turn it on so we can dance together.
• Around 11 months she starting teething her first two maxillary molars.  These teeth were definitely a lot more noticeable coming in with the drooling and hands/toys constantly in her mouth.  She had a few nights of night waking and wanting to snuggle with me (not normal).  She would also skips naps because I think that if she kept playing in her bed she wouldn't notice the discomfort.  I had her wearing her amber necklace a lot which seemed to help a good bit...but I don't like for her to wear it to bed at night (since I have been using an adult sized one doubled up that I got for a discount). =(
• At 12 1/2 months her mandibular first molars have started to come through.  She has been tolerating those a little better.  Currently 12 of her teeth are now fully erupted.
• Her 12 month check up went well.  She remains to be in the 75th percentile for weight (22 lbs. 6oz.)  and 95th percentile for height (31 1/4 inches).  Her head was also in the 75th percentile.
• She has been wearing 18 month clothes for a while now.  She wears a size 4 diaper when needed, but we are still loving cloth diapers.  She started out the summer in May in a size 2 shoe.  I thought her feet would never grow!  Then she jumped to a size 3 after a month.  A week ago she now wears a size 4 shoe.  Thankfully I had some shoe deals stored up!  Now her foot seems to match her size and age more accurately.  
• Also she is obsessed with shoes!  I believe it is because they mean to her that she gets to go outside.  She will bring them to me and sit down and grunt (?) for me to put them on her.  It is not uncommon to find her walking around the house in one shoe...
• Around 11 months she started skipping her afternoon nap.  Everything I read said she should nap  twice a day until 18 months... She seemed to need that 2nd nap with her fussiness in the afternoon, but she refused to sleep.  At 12 months she officially stopped napping every afternoon and was able to happily stay awake past 10:30 am so that I could push her morning nap later to make up for the no sleep gap.  Currently (@ 13 months) she does well staying up until after lunch and going to sleep around noon.  I guess the reason she can nap only once a day is because she recently started sleeping for 2 1/2 hours instead of 1 1/2 hours.
• Sometimes I felt like I was such a crazy mom putting her to bed in the afternoon knowing she wasn't going to sleep, but it made such a difference in her mood I decided her "rest" time was essential. =P  But my girl has alway pushed the "normal sleep" boundaries for her age since day one...
• Her communication has just blossomed in the last few months.  I am loving every minute of it!  She continues to love her sig.ning time videos and is adding signs weekly sometimes daily.  A lot of times she knows what she is signing, but I have trouble interpreting her "version" of it.  She is constantly asking "this?" or "that?" to learn the names of things.  She is such a sponge right now.    She has a lot of words she says as well.  I find it interesting that she will get stuck on a word for a week or so saying or signing constantly when she spots it.  Then that word will go by the wayside without me hearing her say it for a long time as she works on another word.  Other times I find her parroting words I say, although she doesn't say them spontaneously.
• An attempted list to date for my records of words she says or clearly has said: Mama, Dada, dog, kitty, car, balloon, bubbles, pop, bear, flower, pretty, ruff ruff, bleh (means potty), aaahhh (means sleep), outside, ball, sssss (snake), baby, moon, watch, whale, meow meow (comes out yah, yah, yah), light, cracker.  She amazes me some days as she keeps adding new words.
• Signs she frequently uses: flower, butterfly, milk, please, thank you, water, eat, dog, bug, sleep, carrot, more, frog, ball, cloud, sun, sky, moon, bow, tree, bubbles, hat, book, fish, all done, mama, eat, airplane.  She is adding more every day...
• Lately I noticed she is noticing her letters and numbers.  She has letter magnets and says, "sssss" for them when I tried showing her the S.  Now she points at my shirts and books sometimes when she notices letters and numbers.  Obviously she can't tell any of them apart or what them mean yet.  The alphabet song on some toys has been her all time favorite song for months now.
• She has been doing well learning her body parts and clothing.  I love how cute she is pointing to and pulling on them.  She currently knows: hair, ear, mouth, tongue (she will pant like a dog) =), head, hair, eye, nose, head, hand, toes, foot, belly, teeth, shirt, shoes, pants, diaper, bow, hat.
• At roughly 12 1/2 months I started lowering her formula amounts and making her drink her "milk" from a sippy cup on her own instead me holding her.  I slowly instituting drinking some of her formula at meals for months before, but she refused to hold it herself.  Amazingly enough around 12 months she started wanting to hold it on her own.  She has always done well eating her foods on her own (except for morning oatmeal or coconut yogurt) since about 10 months.  But now that I have lowered her formula amounts to 16 oz a day instead of 30 some, she has been ravenously eating at least one meal a day.  I am shocked some days how much food she can put away.  I am so grateful that she is not a picky eater and has a wide arrangement of foods she loves.  We are still no dairy per pediatrician recommendation.  
• A couple weeks ago I have been slowly testing out a new toddler formula instead of the outrageously price Alim.entum.  This one is a gen.tlease formula so it is still partially broken down, but not as much as her current one.  Her diapers have been fine, but I keep questioning her  moods or sleep interruptions... normal toddler attitudes and waking or new formula?  I doubt I will ever know for sure unless it gets really obvious.  I want her to get all her fats and vitamins since she can't have milk, but not sure if I can switch her to say coconut milk safely without worrying about nutrition.  I guess that is a mom's eternal worry that her child is getting enough nutrition...
• I am having trouble keeping her entertained and occupied during the days we are home.  She wanders around like she is bored.  I am rotating her toys so that she has a little "variety", but I find she prefers to play with the recycling pile or a random plastic item.  She will run around the house looking for something to do.  I am not sure what else to do with a 13 month old.  She still wants to eat crayons and puzzle pieces.  We play chase, peek a boo, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, explore outside, splash in her pool or a bowl of water, swing, read, dance to music, go for walks, and watch signing time.  I am thinking she will soon start to be able to do more, but I find this age difficult to do much with her.
• She seems to be doing well currently with her obedience now that she definitely understands the consequence of spankings when she doesn't listen to mommy.  All I have to do is warn her and she will "listen".  Every now and then she will test her boundaries again and if I am consistent our "battles" are few.  She has such a independant streak, but I am noticing that she really wants to please me as well.  I love seeing her look for approval when she does something I ask.  She will even without me asking bring me something she knows she is not supposed to have in her mouth after she put it in her mouth so I can "take it away".
• She loves riding in the car and going places.  Lately she has a thing for riding in the stroller.  I guess because I usually let her ride in the grocery cart or in my baby carrier.  She is so tolerant of me doing my errands out and about.  She is very good at entertaining herself (when she is alone)... especially when she is supposed to be sleeping.  Overall now that she is older, I have determined that she is a pretty easy toddler... for now.  (After coming back to edit before posting, I find it funny she threw an all-out-crying fit today that lasted for 10 minutes after I took something away.  Some days are easier than others. ;o)  
• She is constantly talking to me with conviction and pointing and long jabbering sentences like she knows exactly what she is saying.  Sometimes she will say the same phrase over and over and I simply cannot translate.  I believe I have quite the talker on my hands.
• My current favorite thing she does: when she sees something that excites her and says really loudly and forcefully, "OHHHHHHH!" while pointing at it.

I just love her exuberance and love for life.  She is so fun and happy most of the time.  She is such a joy in my life!  She cracks me up all day long.  I am so grateful for every minute I get to spend with her.  I don't deserve any of it!  I have learned so much about myself and life from her.  And I know there will MUCH more to learn in the coming years.  God has really blessed us.

(Dedication, summer, and first birthday pictures to come... don't hold your breath too long, though. ;o)  I also hope to do my diet update and coming transfer update soon.  Whew!  I am so behind...)

Dedication Day

Our church had their annual child dedication service on June 24, 2012.  We were so excited to finally make our public stand to raise Sydney to serve the Lord.  I just love how our church makes it a special service, and we are required to type up a letter to our child and choose a life verse for her.  Then all the parents get up and read their letter to their child followed up by a dedication prayer.  I thought for sure I would be able to make it through the letter without crying.  Nope!  I had to stop twice to control my emotions.  Crazy what a mother's love will do to someone. =) 

Sydney had quite a few of our extended family able to make it to the service.  She is has quite the fan following. ;o)  Such a special time and memory.  

Sydney Grace, you are such a precious gift!  Only by God's grace are you here.  Mommy and Daddy have taken a long journey wishing and hoping for a baby for a very long time.  It is so awesome to look back now and see how God was leading our steps to you.  You were chosen by Him from the beginning of time to be a part of our family.  We are so grateful, and you were worth waiting for! 

Four years ago in March of 2008, you and six other tiny embryos were created by another family who was hoping for another baby, too.  That family joyfully had twin boys from two of the seven embryos.  The remaining five, tiny babies were frozen to wait for the next chance at life.  That family knew their family was complete, but loved those precious snowflakes so much that they chose to donate them for adoption so another Mommy and Daddy can have a baby to love.  After 2 1/2 years of being frozen you and your four snowflake siblings were transferred into our care.  We were so excited to watch God's hand at work while two of you survived the thaw and were transferred into Mommy. You then continued to grow big and strong!  You arrived into this world with some coercion 18 days past your due date on June 28, 2011.  This is very fitting of your bubbly, care-free personality!  Over the past year we have had some rough patches to cross, but have loved seeing the little girl you are becoming.  You a such a joy, and we are loving being your parents!  We are excited to be going back in the fall to give two more of your siblings a chance at life.

Micah 6:8 NKJV

"He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?"

God has taught us a lot of life lessons along the way, and I know there are many more to learn while raising you.  We hope to live out a life of character and godliness before your little eyes, so that while we are training you up in the way you should go, you will be able to see it in action.  We pray your little heart will come to know our amazing God at a very young age and that you will choose to serve and follow Him with your life.  We hope to teach you how to live justly and without reproach so that others may see you and want to know more about your God. May you develop a sweet spirit and love mercy so that others will experience the love of Jesus flow through you.  But most of all we hope to see you walk humbly with our God!  Nothing is more important for you to learn than to know that life is all about seeking God first and following His plan step by step.  Only then will your life be full of joy.  

Although you are our precious gift on loan from God, our job is now to let you go one day at a time by showing you how to serve Him on your own.  Since it took so long for you to join our family, it has been very hard for us to realize this, and we desperately want to hold on to these days.  But you are in our care to guide your heart towards God and then release into the world so that you may be a blessing to others.  May God and our families always remind us of that.  We hope that God will also use your many godly family members and friends to point you to Him.  You are a VERY loved little girl!!  We love you more than you know and promise to do our best with God's grace to show you how to live life to the fullest!

Favorite Baby Things

LOL... not sure why I didn't post this draft a while back when I typed it up.


I have been wanting to post my favorite baby things after finding other's helpful...  I finally did it. =)  In no particular order:

• Bopp.y Pillow: was a lifesaver when you have a baby with reflux.  We used it to prop her up after feedings and to sleep in during the day (with supervision). 

• Soph,ie the Giraffe:  This teether is by far Sydney's favorite.  It stays in the car and she just chews and squeaks away while we are driving.  She could hold and chew this one way before any others because of the convenient easy to hold shape.

• Summ.er Best View video monitor:  I was given this video monitor as a baby shower gift from my mother-in-law. (After asking for this particular one after reading all the reviews)  Of all things on this list, it is pretty close to my first favorite!  I LOVE watching her in her crib when she is playing and not going to sleep like she should.  HA!  It is so helpful to know why she is crying (i.e. lost paci or bumped head or stuck leg) without going in.  Or if she is just fussing because she is finally drifting off to sleep...  I get to watch her practice crawling or pulling up.  I also can spot a lost pacifier on the monitor better than feeling for it in the dark!  I know it is really going to come in handy later when she is a toddler in her toddler bed.  I can then make sure she is not getting into trouble in her room! =P

• Bumge.nius 4.0 snap diapers:  My favorite of all the cloth diapers we have tried.  So glad I decided to cloth diaper.

• Thermo Cafe thermos:  Weird thing to put up, but it has been the best purchase for making formula, especially since my girl still drinks about 6-7 bottles a day.  Just heat up lots of filtered water to the perfect temp twice a day.  Then just measure water in bottle, dump in powder, and shake.  It has been so useful since she used to like her bottles on the warmer side.  I didn't have a bottle warmer, but this is faster any way, and oh so easy in the middle of the night!!  I use my tiny milk tubes with screw tops from the hospital pumping to pre-measure my powder out.  Perfect size for 6 oz. of powder.  

• Earth Ma.ma Baby Botto,m Balm:  Best diaper rash cream ever!  I started using it because it is safe for cloth diapers and had rave reviews.  Now I know why!  Clears up rashes and yeast fast!  And it is all natural, can't beat that.  She used to have a lot of acid poops from her reflux and it burned her bottom a lot.  I really think using this (in combination with GSE) while I was breastfeeding is what finally cleared me up from the thrush...

• D,ex baby sleep sounds:  Great noise machine!  Covers up house and road noise to keep her asleep. =)  Calmed her down when she was colicky one newborn night, and we have used it ever since. =)

• Glo.wworm:  One of her favorite toys that was a gift from a baby shower.  That light and music will bring a smile to her face no matter what!  

• Am.ber teething necklace:  Wearing one really does seem to help her.  I used to be a skeptic when my friend would put one on her girls... you change your mind about a lot of things when you become a mom! =)

• Leg warmers:  Baby Legs, Little Legs, whatever you want to call them.  I have some of the cheap eb.ay versions, too.  I just love being able to just add some warmth to a summery outfit in the morning and then peel them off later when she is warm.  Awesome for easy diaper changes.  They make simple tights for dresses, too.  I love that she doesn't really outgrow them, either.

• Itzbee.n timer: This was rather useful in the beginning when you are quite groggy and running on "fumes" in the newborn stages.  I loved the nightlight feature.  I also loved not having to remember the last time her feeding or diaper change, etc.  I am horrible at remembering numbers...  It helped me realize, hey you are fussy because, wow, it is time to eat again.  Or you and I just slept for four hours! =)  I am so glad those days are over.

• Car.ter's flannel bassinet pads:  A lifesaver when she was sleeping with us in our bed.  Held all the spit ups, drool, and leaky overnight diapers and kept it off our sheets.

• Mob.y, mei tie, and Er.go baby carriers:  Probably my favorite things!  I love wearing Sydney in my baby carriers and she loves it, too.  It has been a lifesaver out grocery shopping because she never liked being in the stroller/car seat for more than 10 mins or so.  When she was younger she would just go to sleep in it and take a nap.  Now it just keeps her content because I am "holding her".  I use it for walks, traveling, vacuuming (she used to hate the noise), etc.  I started out using the Mob.y when she was a newborn.  It was a little on the warm side in the summer, but comfy.  I then used my mei tie my friend gave me as a gift after she was done with it from her babies.  It was a WAHM custom version... very comfy and cute, but still annoying with the long straps and tying.  I then just recently got the Er.go.  The BEST one ever!  Very easy and comfy, but also versatile.  My hubby actually did wear the flowery mei tie before we got the Er.go, but wished it wasn't girly.  Now I know that the Er.go will be put to good use for many years with hikes, etc. because Daddy can wear her, too. (I got a neutral one).

• Nin.ja Blender:  Got this before Sydney because I hate traditional blenders and unscrewing the bottom, etc.  Loved it and it worked awesome for smoothies, chopping, etc.  Now that I am making baby food, I love it even more!  Works great, and then just freeze ice cubes of her food.  She hasn't really liked purees much, but will always eat oatmeal.  So there is always a cube of veggies or fruit "hidden" in her oatmeal.  Hee hee!

• BO.B running stroller:  Borrowing this from my sister-in-law for running.  It works great!  Sydney just loves being outside no matter the venue.  She looks at me funny when I am breathing hard, though. =)

• Consignment shops for clothes, shoes, and sheets, etc.:  I am a big children's consignment shopper!  I love finding a good deal and you can't beat getting kid stuff for cheap.  It is usually only used for such a short time anyway, so I mostly find great condition stuff.  I love the quality of name brands, but love paying minimal prices!  It has been a money saver with our growing like a weed child, who has been through more wardrobes in her lifetime than I have in my adult life!  HA!  The down side... when you can't find quality walking shoes to fit her tiny feet.  She is still a size 2 or 0-6 months.  I had to break down and buy some for more than I am used to paying.  I still found some online half price, but hated that they weren't like $2 to $5. =P

• Bab.y Signin.g Time!:  Awesome videos and music.  Sydney loves these videos, and I love that she is learning names of things as well as signs to be able to communicate with me.  She just absorbs everything like a sponge. 

Rainy Day Fun

Rainy day fun: walking the dog in the garage, complete with a camelbak. (Such a patient doggie!)

Summer Fun

Having lots of summer fun... Maybe one day I will update. =P