An update on me, the mom!

This year has been a busy one!  I shuffle Sydney to and from school daily while working as an RN at a company where Johnson & Johnson has their consumer service team.  I am on a team of 9 nurses and I field calls from consumers with questions, complaints, or feedback.  I also audit consumer care reps' data entry when dealing with medical documentation and am a member of the First Responder team.  A mixed bag of nuts.  It pays fairly well and my boss is very accommodating with my schedule, which has to be flexible for Sydney.

I met a guy and have been dating him for a while.  We have fun together hiking, going out to eat, and we even camped down in the Shawnee National Forest for a few days in southern IL.  Its been nice to have an adventurous guy around, but he's tricky and I think he's up to stuff.  Time will tell, eyes wide open.  Nothing really gets by me over time!  But for now, Ill enjoy it.  He really is amazing besides the feeling of trickery going on.

2016 wrapping up

It seems "out of sight, out of mind" occurred with myy blog.  Not that anyone really reads it, but it was not my intention to neglect it for so long. So here we are!  Nearing the end of 2016.  Ill give a few updates and then try to behave and check back in more often.

Sydney is now 4.  She started 4K in September which is in the same building as daycare, so she has some of her buddies in her class.  She seems to enjoy it.  She is learning how to write and spell, and read some very basic things.  Her teachers seem nice enough, though a bit odd. Sydney's vocabulary and language skills are incredible!  She tells stories, sings songs, and talks about the world around her in such detail and with such excitement.  She is just awesome.

Her favorite food right now is probably baked beans, apple sauce, and cheese.  She has recently decided that she enjoys "white soda" as a special treat sometimes.  She still loves going to Rhapsodies, and she loves pancakes.

Her favorite toy is probably her Lego box.  I switched her from Duplo's to regular Lego's in August for her birthday. She still has some Duplo's but she likes getting creative with the little pieces.

She still treasures her bobby blankets and sleeps with them every night.  Clover remains her best buddy and they sleep together at night now sometimes, which is really sweet.

Nathan is a fellow I met in October of 2015 and we have been going strong now for over a year.  Sydney adores him and he is so great with her.  They play together, he reads to her,  and he is a huge part of our lives.  Here's hoping he sticks around.  He is loved!

That's about it.  Mommy-hood continues to be exhausting but Sydney amazes me all the time with how strong she is, how smart she is becoming, and how loving she is.  She has had a rough time with her dad not treating her well but she is seeing a counselor and is doing well. 

Christmas and the start of 2015

Oh my gosh, time flies!  My last post was in October?  It doesnt feel like that long ago.

Christmas in our new home was great. We had a beautiful tree that Justin kindly bought (a 7ft artificial) and Sydney loved the lights and ornaments.  She had lots of presents under the tree from Santa, and from me too.  And then she was spoiled by Uncle Joel, Uncle Justin & Kristin, and Muzzie & Shanner. 

We rang in the new year together...although she fell asleep immediately after coming home from seeing her father for a few hours.  The poor little thing was exhausted and she slept for a long time. Then I woke her to have a late dinner which she did not want.  And soon she was back in bed.  I enjoyed chinese food and a movie.  Nice and peaceful.  No need for parties and drinks here.

So far, 2015 has been ok.  A little bit of snow, some fun sledding and taking the odd walk or trike ride.  Sydney is daytime potty trained with a very rare accident here or there.  Its amazing how she is doing, considering she is only 2 1/2.   I wont rush nighttime potty training.  She will get there when shes ready.

One of her favorite books right now is Goodnight Gorilla.  We take turns reading it to eachother.  She loves to sing and recite nursery rhymes, and is so much fun.  I adore my honey.

Thats it for now. 

All moved in and enjoying our new home.

It has been longer than I intended, but we are all moved and settled into our own home. :)

We moved in the middle of September and Sydney and Clover settled right in.  Sydney spent her first night in her new room in a toddler bed.  She did great and had no issues with the crib to bed transition.  Her room is nice and big and she enjoys playing in it when we are home.  Clover gets to be outside frequently and gets along with the neighbors pug.  Its  nice neighborhood and quiet too. :)

Work is keeping me busy, along with donating plasma, and running thirty-one parties.  Lots on my plate.

Sydney is growing so fast and her vocabulary is so big.  She has started to sing songs, and counts to 30 along with learning her letters.  Im such a proud mommy.  Her 2nd birthday was fun.  We had dinner that day with friends at Perkins, and then a party at the cottage with family and a few friends.  She is so loved!

August!

Its mid August already.  YIKES!  Time really flies!

We have been keeping busy.  Recently, I was approved for an apartment so we should be moving in the middle fo September to a townhouse style apartment.  Two bedrooms and bathroom upstairs, livingroom and kitchen downstairs, and a one car garage.  The neighborhood is in a nice location, lots of trees, little traffic or noise.  Im really excited for us.

I also started a new job last week.  While its not in nursing, its still a good company, and Ill stay there until I find another nursing job. 

The 3rd annivesary of Sachas death came and went in the middle of a busy week.  So while I had her on my mind constantly, I think being really busy probably helped.  I didnt have any energy left over to give to a sad mood really.  I told Sydney stories about Sacha and showed her photos that day.  Sydney loves looking and pictures and pointing Sacha out.  :)

Not much else going on.  My thirty-one sales have been decent considering the amount of work I have done.  I hope to keep up sales so that I make $100-200 a month.  It will definately help bills. 

Sydney will be 2 in a few  weeks so we are having a family party at the cottage that weekend.  On the day of her birthday, Im having dinner at Perkins with her where some of her friends and my friends will join us.  I want to make sure the day includes something special for her.  Its a Thursday this year so I will be at work during the day unfortunately.

I think things are looking up.  We are both reasonably healthy and happy, and Im so thankful for every day with Sydney.

Chin up people!  Every day you wake up is another day you get with loved ones, and to make the world a better place.

-Abi-

Summer bucket list

When summer began, I made a list of things in my head that I wanted to do with Sydney.  Even though money is tighter than tight, I have managed to get through a few things.  We have been to the Milwaukee Zoo, Madison Zoo, Mulberry Lane Farm, strawberry picking, and Rhapsodies.  I still want to go to Menomonee Park Zoo, the Kalahari in the WI Dells (as we have a gift card to use up), and camp in High Cliff or another local camp ground.  I think Sydney has been having fun, and in between everything I keep her busy with some lazy days in between.  She is in swimming classes and we go to story time too.  Im so thankful to have a kiddo who likes exploring the world around her, and is a good traveler in the car too.

We are very lucky to have such great friends and family to support us through this year of change, and who we love spending time with.

Potty training update, activities, the twins, and more

I kept meaning to type up an entry, but life has been busy and my evenings usually find me tired and hitting the pillow after running around and getting chores done.

Finally, here I am.
Okay, so the last post included potty news.  While Sydney still requests to use the toilet or potty chair occasionally, we are primarily back in diapers.  Im not going to push it as she is still very young.  But I think it is a clear indication that she knows what potty training is all about when she is capable of asking me to put her on the potty half way through bath time so she doesnt pee in the tub.  I think THAT is awesome.  :)

We have been keeping busy with story times, park play dates, lots of coloring, some painting, fine motor skill activities like putting pipe cleaners through holes in a colander, scooping dry lentils and peas from different size bowls back and forth, and more.  Sydney has fun with all of these things, and her vocabulary is just blossoming as she learns new words and terms.

Swimming lessons started last week, so we go on Tuesday evenings for a 25 minute class with about 8 other babies under 2 yrs old.  So far, she seems to enjoy it.  We have worked on safe entry, sitting jumps, standing jumps, and getting used to being on her belly and back in the water.  A few of the kids in the group also go to story time so its nice to see familiar faces.

Jason brought Sydney and Xander to the zoo in Green Bay on Fathers Day.  Sydney apparently had fun.  She loves animals so Im sure she enjoyed seeing them all.  I am planning a trip to the Madison zoo and the Milwaukee zoo in the coming months.  I know she will have a blast there too. 

It is strawberry picking time so I am hoping to take Sydney to a strawberry patch and pick a pint or two.  We will see how the weather cooperates.  Mosquitoes are out too so I am sure to come home bitten.  Maybe if we go early enough in they day we can avoid the heat and the bugs.

We went to Kellan and Declans 3rd birthday party.  Lots of fun.  I made them little superhero shirts and masks.  They seemed to like them.

Oh, and the Saturday before Fathers Day, Sydney went on her first kayaking excursion.  We were paddling with 3 other Yakkers.  It lasted about 1 hour, 45 min.  She had fun.  Jason was there too so we took turns having her in our boats.  Im glad she enjoyed it.  

Thats about it!  Sydney is keeping me busy.  And job hunts, apartment hunts, and insurance hunting all have me busy at night.  Fun stuff.  Until next time...