SURPRISE!!

Much to our surprise, some of our bestest friends got together & threw a couple's baby shower for both Darin & Jackie and us! We were so unsuspecting that Jeff was mowing the lawn, Sydney was hanging out in her undies, and I was in paint-the-house clothes. As I sat cutting coupons from the Sunday paper to go grocery shopping that night, the phone rang & we were invited over for BBQ dinner. We were ready to back out, but we both though...."What the heck!". We quickly threw on clothes & walked into this:It was a great party! Thanks guys! The kids had a blast playing in the backyard. Even Sydney was lucky enough to get some "big-sister" gifts out of the deal. Here she is sporting one from her boyfriend Jackson (one of her boyfriends. I believe Tanner & Nicholas make the list too, although Nicholas gets most of the kisses & hand holding).We had a close call with a tornado a few weeks back. This is us up past bedtime hanging out in the basement. I'm freaking out that the satellite isn't working to get the news updates, so I took a picture of the screen to show Jeff (who was in the car driving home in the middle of the storm). Sydney thought it was great to be up so late!The terrible 2's have hit our girl full speed ahead. We've really been trying to focus on the positive behavior so she doesn't act out negatively for attention. Jeff tends to reward with food. She was a super good girl after Kindermusik last week, so we stopped by McD's on the way home for ice cream. If there is one thing this girl takes seriously, its ice cream. She'll down an adult sized vanilla cone before it has a chance to melt.
More good times & focusing on the good behavior!


We had a playdate with Brooklan. The girls played so well together & their personalities are very similar.

I watched Audrey over the last 2 weeks (her normal sitter is on honeymoon). She is 8 months old, and she and Sydney couldn't take their eyes off eachother. Sydney wanted to change her diapers over & over again, like we do her dolls (I just let her stick the tabs on) and Audrey would hardly eat because she couldn't quit following Sydney around the room (baby food & formula were everywhere!). Here Sydney is "holding" her.
We busted out the baby toys, figured they'll be making a debut soon enough anyway. Sydney instantly reverted to baby-mode & laid down on the play mat. She also wanted in the swing, but couldn't get in herself. I didn't let her in b/c I have no idea what the weight limit is for those, but I'm pretty sure 31-32 lbs is over the limit. Too bad they don't make them big enough to sooth your toddler....big girls need some soothing time too! Speaking of boyfriends, the LOVE of Sydney's life is Chuck E Cheese! I had no idea what we were getting into when we first went a few weeks ago. We've been back once since, and there were fewer tears the 2nd time, but I still spent a lot of time explaining where Chuck goes & what he does when we are away. She sticks out her bottom lip & says with tears welling up in her eyes "Where's my mouse?". On the weekday mornings, the place is pretty much empty, so she gets to have a dance party all by herself.

The bus is one of our favorite rides!
She discovered this drum thing that lights up overhead when you pound. I guess that Kindermusik is paying off because she wasn't half bad.

We went to a Luau surprise party for Sarah's 30th birthday. The basement was kid-central. Here are Syd, Ashley, & Tanner on the swing. (Don't ask how many pictures I took trying to get one where they were all looking!)

Syd saw Camryn in her swing, and instantly wanted a turn. I wasn't sure it could hold big girls, but Camryn isn't so small herself, so in she went. It took some coaxing to get her out when the rain started.
Towards the end of the party, all the kids were on Baby Einstein, or "baby crack". They were zombies & nearly drooling at the mouth. The mom's appreciated the down time!
Just hangin' around the house. Sydney still loves her easel & loves to paint. In fact, we're about out of paint....so I need to get some more before WW3 starts if she finds out we're out. (The TV was on in the background, so I couldn't get her to look at the camera) Sydney stays dry about 60% of the time during her nap w/ out a diaper. The other 40% lead to lots of laundry. Her blankie, Buddie, is part of the wash. She's learned that she can watch the first 1/2 of the cycle in the washing machine before the door has to be closed to continue. Each time Buddie pops up from below she squeals "BUDDIE SEE MY BUDDIE!"

Brother Update:

I haven't taken any more belly pictures, but do have some news on baby brother. My BP has been high, and they really didn't like my numbers on Wednesday. I was told to lay on my left side for 4 hours a day & come back Friday for another urine & BP check. If the numbers weren't good then, then she wanted to induce. The good news is that he passed the non-stress test & is still measuring on track (externally) and he's active. I've felt like he was very low, and wasn't surprised when doc confirmed that. I was surprised to learn that I was 2-3 cm dilated. She asked if I'd been having contractions, and I have for months, but nothing regular or serious. Her reaction was "Well, looks like we might be having a baby soon!"

On Friday my doc was off, so I saw another, who was much more stern with my activity level & my BP numbers. He wants me on total bedrest until I deliver. I'm doing a 24 hour urine collection (fun!) & have to check my BP from home. He insisted that if I didn't think I could do this, then he would admit me & they would monitor me over the weekend. I agreed to be a good girl & obey doctor's orders. He didn't see any reason to wait longer to deliver the baby. This totally freaks me out. My original due date is June 12th, so I was 36 weeks on Friday. My chart says June 5th based on my 2nd ultrasound on January 2nd, so they are considering me 37 weeks now. I know when certain things happened (to spare you the details) and June 12th is the correct date. He just happened to measure big in January. My doc wanted 1 more week out of him so we could avoid NICU time. I go back on Wednesday for an ultrasound, NST, and regular appointment. My guess is that they're going to want me to pick an induction date then. I'm hoping to make it to Friday, the 23rd. According to me, this will be 37 weeks & hopefully that puts the odds better in our favor. I am concerned about him being extra small since he's early & his growth has slowed down. I was measuring 3-4 weeks ahead externally until last month, and now he's just measuring right-on-track.

Keep us in your prayers & we'll have news, either way, soon!