May Days

I don't want to come inside!

May has just about come and gone - Mother's Day seems like months ago and Memorial Day is tomorrow. We endured temperature swings of 90s-100 for a few days (while Mama was fighting a gastrointestinal thing, coincidentally) followed by a drop of 30-40 degrees with temps in the 60s. Ahh, weather in the Northwest. Could be worse, I suppose. Sydney doesn't seem to care if it is hot, cold or warm, wet or dry. She just plugs right along, facing each day with all the energy you'd expect of an almost-28-month-old. Pants optional, of course.

These days she is testing both her limits and our patience! We have realized that her reach is greater than ever and she now uses her climbing ability to get to places and things she shouldn't. We are having to keep more doors closed and pry things from her little mitts frequently. "No nap" is a term she often uses. She has also gotten into trouble several times for telling us to STOP talking while we are trying to have a conversation, either with each other or with other adults.

On the positive side, Sydney is using her potty seat every day at least once or twice! Her new motivation is a bite of chocolate. She is also ready to go for a walk when it's time to take Ellie out - she would rather walk than ride!

Sydney received a nice tea set from Grandma and Grandpa Joe last Christmas, and she has only broken one piece so far. We haven't put any real liquid in yet, just O's cereal. Here she is playing tea set with her duck and her elephant.

Pouring the O's.

Here you go, Elephant.

I'll help you with your trunk.

Brian planted some tomatoes and peppers yesterday, and Sydney was there to oversee the operation. She helped remove some rocks and spotted bees for us ("bees" being an all-encompassing term for any bug except for ladybugs).

Sydney using her gloves and visor from Aunt Marlys.

Moving the dirt for Baba.

Excavation and rock removal. (And is that a great squat or what?)

Don't forget to mark what you planted.

And finally, here's Mama using a hand massage roller thingy on Sydney. It's the simple things in life that make us happy, yeah?

My Fu Sister Zanna

The Fu's Duet!

Sydney got to visit Zanna last Sunday for brunch and play. It is always great to see another Fu family, and we inevitably compare how the girls are doing. Sydney and Zanna are only two days apart in age, and it was humbling to see how much Zanna is talking. Her parents tell us that she has a lot to say. For instance, Zanna said something like "I make room on my plate for eggs," while Sydney points to the eggs and says "Eggs." They are both going through the selfish stage, but the sharing got better as the morning went on. They are also both going through potty-training, with some successes here and there. And they both hurt themselves on the tire swing at the local school playground.

Hanging out in Zanna's room. Sydney felt comfortable enough to take off her pants.

Nothing happened here, but they tried!

Heading to the playground.



Here Zanna and Sydney go down the slide. This was Sydney's first time going down by herself, with no help from us, and we credit peer pressure for taking over here. She just marched up after Zanna and then went for it!


The dreaded tire swing. Zanna got a bit dizzy and stopped it herself, which was a little scary and caused a bit of pain. Sydney decided midway through swinging that she was all done and let go, flipping over and falling on her back and head. Both girls displayed the toughness and moxie that we have come to expect from the Fu girls, barely shedding any tears.


Here's Ama taking the girls on a bumpy ride down the stairs. (Photo courtesy Vivian, Zanna's exchange student from Taiwan.)


And finally, you might remember how I love to see little kids squatting. Here's Sydney, our 27-month-old, watching the soapy carwash water going towards the drain.

Remember When?

I mentioned in the previous post that the weather here has been less than desirable. One day Sydney was snooping around her dresser and started pulling out some old clothes that we had saved from when we had first met her face to face. Remember the puffy pink snow suit?

This was, of course, Gotcha Day, January 3rd, 2007.



And now, this was taken on April 19th, 2008.
Sydney is so-o-o big!


How can this still fit her? Because she had three or four layers of clothing underneath!

Still as cute as ever.

It's My Potty (and I'll cry if I want to)

Well, our baby is nearing the end of the diaper era. Yep, you guessed it, she has now officially started "The Training." We were at Bed, Bath and Beyond last Saturday to pick up a new bathroom scale for our Biggest Loser Pinochle Group challenge (don't ask if you don't really want to know) and Sydney spotted a child's potty seat, the kind that just sits on the regular toilet seat (but is smaller so they won't fall in as easily). She instantly picked one up and started saying "poo-poo" and holding it behind her little butt. So Brian and I looked at each other and said, "Why not?"

After purchase, Sydney kept saying "Home poo-poo", and we still had to run some errands and eat lunch. By the time we headed home, she remembered the seat and said it again. We excitedly tore open and assembled (placed on the toilet) her new Elmo and Ernie potty seat, and Sydney took off her pants and diaper and we went to work. After a few pictures and minutes had gone by, (drum roll please) - SUCCESS! Sydney pooped and peed. Boy, it doesn't take much to excite us these days.

Here's our big girl with her new seat.

And here she is for all the world to see, happily pooping away...

For those of you who didn't know, Sydney has intermittently been pooping in the big toilet for about a year, but only when we could see from her facial expression and body language that she was in the process of working "it" out. We would then whisk off her clothes and diaper and hustle her over the pot to do her business. Occasionally she would even pee a little as well. But now that we've got this amazing little piece of foam shaped like a toilet seat and covered with Sesame Street icons, Sydney is motivated more than ever. Since Saturday, she has tried to go in the big potty a dozen times, with success about a quarter of the time. Her reward? Mini marshmallows. Who knew.

In the meantime, due to the crazy winter-like weather here in the Northwest, we have been cooped up inside our house for the better part of the month. This makes us all go a little crazy, but we have tried to find activities to keep us busy and also out of each other's way. Ellie has been very tolerant of Sydney even though Sydney can be loud and grabby.

Here Sydney is feeling Ellie's soft ears. Note the "Get me out of here" look on Ellie's face.

Sydney got a hold of Brian's headphones.

Brian has been working hard to finish his Master's classes - this is his last semester before his field study this summer - and it is quite a challenge to keep Sydney away from him when he is trying to do his homework. Here Sydney is wedging herself behind him because, well, she likes being with him.

Sometimes for a study break, Brian breaks out Guitar Hero. Sydney loves watching him play. She also provides an added challenge to the game by being in the way.

Rock on, Baby!

Sydney loves hanging with Grandpa Jim!


And finally, we never cry over spilled milk - we just lick it up!

Carousels and Grandparents

Hold on, Grandpa Joe!

After lots of rain, winter-like temperatures, coughing, sneezing, blowing noses, snow showers, and a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Joe, we made it to Spring Break. Sydney had a good time bonding with her Arizona grandparents, although she was a bit clingy to Mama.  We think it's because we changed her routine of going to Grammy and Grandpa's when Mama left for work.  She seems to be mostly over the clinginess now.  Talk about exhausting!

Sydney has always had a fascination with zippers, buttons and snaps.  Here she is zipping and unzipping Grandma Joe.

Sydney loves her new bubble bath!

During one rare moment of sunshine, Sydney took Elmo and laid down in the warmth.

The highlight of Sydney's week (month? year?) was another trip to the Carousel at Jantzen Beach.  She rode it three times, with Baba, Grandpa Joe, and Grammy and Grandpa Jim.  The hardest part was waiting in line!

Baba and Sydney comin' around the bend.

Silly Grandpa Joe.

Hi, my adoring fans!

And finally, here's our diaper baby looking like she's up to something.  Innocent until proven guilty?

Thanks, Eas' Bunny! Bawk Bawk!

My dear friend Susan will be the only one who understands the title of this entry.

Anyway, Easter came and went with a sugar high. And although Sydney has been fighting a cold, she nonetheless indulged in all sorts of sweets for the first time. We set up a small egg hunt in our living room and after finding the first couple of eggs with help, she got the gist of it. She promptly opened each plastic egg upon discovery to see what was inside - goldfish, fruit treats, chocolate eggs, robin eggs, peeps, and a cheese puff or two.

Brian did a good job hiding the eggs.

Sydney tried her first marshmallow peep - a purple bunny.

Here's our pretty girl in her new Easter dress and shoes, courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa Joe. Note the purple smile from the marshmallow bunny peep.

Sydney admiring her eggs.

At Grammy and Grandpa's, Sydney got her first chocolate bunny. Boy, talk about love.

Finally, I think this is what is referred to as death by chocolate.

25 or Six to Four

Hello Sydney Blog Fans,

Does anybody really know what that song title means? I just picked it because Sydney is now 25 months old. Does anybody really care? About time??? Okay, enough of the Chicago lines.

Meanwhile, since her second birthday, Sydney has visited the pediatrician again and found out that she is 33 inches tall and 25 pounds! She got several more shots and was very brave for the whole ordeal - only crying momentarily. She also visited the dentist for the first time and was brave for most of the appointment. She has 18 teeth, and two more supposedly coming in on the top in back.

Here's our big girl on the swing at our neighborhood park. Look at those size 5 feet (nearly size 6!).

Sydney is slowly but surely building her vocabulary. She now parrots us all the time (watch what you say, people!) and babbles with meaning and conviction. Apparently she was paying attention when I was singing Old MacDonald to her one day, because Grammy and Grandpa reported that she was singing it at their house the next day.

She seems to be quite possessive - every other thing is "Sydney's" - but will share nearly everything. But don't you dare take away her ket-ket (blanket). If you take it, tears will come. Her new favorite snack is "cheese puffs", which she now clearly asks for often. She also still asks for High School Musical every day, but lately we have branched out and watched Toy Story. She now calls it Buzz.

Here Sydney is giving a welcome kiss to her new elephant, Horton. Note her other favorites on her Elmo couch with her: Ruff Ruff, Bullseye and her ket-ket. She is also wearing her favorite socks which she calls "dotdots" (due to the nonstick dots on the bottoms).

Meanwhile, this past weekend we got to meet cousin Diane from Nashville for the first time! We were only wary of her for about 20 seconds, and then by the end of the weekend we didn't want Diane to leave.

Here we are playing Night-night at Grammy and Grandpa's.

Here's our happy family with our new favorite cousin Diane!

Sydney really really liked Diane.

I mean, really really liked her!

And finally, for now, here's Sydney imitating Ellie licking her leg.