- Sydney Marie -

Sydney Marie -

1 year ago today, I was in the hospital holding you for the very first time. I don't think I (or your daddy) could have ever imagined how perfect and wonderful you would be! 9 months was a long time to wait for such a precious gift. You were 6 lb 5 oz and 19 inches long!

Your first month home was a little rough on all of us...you were tired, hungry, and didn't know when you were supposed to sleep, but we had plenty of help from our family and friends and we made it through! After the first month it seemed we could handle anything :)

We took you to meet Dr. Marques, Mrs. Linda, and Mrs. Marguerite (who took care of myself, your Aunt Marsha, and your Aunt Megan). They all thought you were as precious as we did! They have taken VERY good care of you (and helped me learn as well). In March, you weighed 8lb 9 oz and were 22 inches long. We got to see your first real smiles. We were very excited to start seeing a small glimpse of your sweet personality. I think those first smiles got Daddy wrapped around your tiny finger! You got to take your first long trip-all the way to Pensacola, FL for your Great-Grandpa Andrews 80th birthday party. When we got back home, you got to see your first snow..in Alabama! You weren't a big fan of the cold weather!

In April and May you started trying to be active! You tried to play with your toys more and of course you were smiling a lot more! You weighed 11 lb 2 oz and were 24 inches long! You were growing so fast! You started trying new foods like applesauce, cereal, and even a little juice! You got to go on your first family "Girls Trip" to Orange Beach, AL. You got to touch the sand and play with your cousins Austin and Katie. Even though you were so small, you really enjoyed your trip! You were getting more and more amazing every single day. Even though Daddy and I thought you were perfect from the start, you seemed to get more perfect every day!

You were baptized on Father's day at Hartselle First United Methodist Church. You didn't mind the water at all. You started rolling over and getting to your toys to play a lot more. You were a very happy baby most of the time! You didn't like to take long naps (ever), but you slept pretty good at night (Daddy and I are very thankful for that)! We got to hear you laughing a lot this month and even caught a few times on video for you to watch when you get older. Your laugh is the sweetest thing on Earth and makes everyone around you smile!

Before we could blink, you were 6 months old! You weighed 14 lbs 6 oz and were 24 inches long! Time flew by way too fast! You learned the sign language for "milk" and got very excited about it! You also got to go to your first Adkins Reunion in Cordele, GA!

The next 6 months flew by faster than the first 6! You started crawling and babbling more and more everyday! Not long after you started crawling, you were cruising around the furniture, and then walking holding our hands, and then we finally convinced you that you could do it on your own! We also got your ears pierced for you and you got your first sucker after they pierced them. You didn't cry too much and you haven't bothered them since then! You made your first friends, Lorelei and Autumn, and really enjoy playing with them! You got to pet some interesting animals (at the zoo) like a snake, bearded dragon, and an alligator with your friend Autumn! You got to see the pretty Christmas lights at the botanical gardens with Lorelei. You got your first 2 teeth in at11 months old, and are trying to get a new one right now. You can say several words like da-da, ma-ma, duck, dog, uh-oh, oh wow, pretty, hey, and hello. You are getting pretty good at repeating the things we say, which is amazing.

You have a LARGE group of family and friends that love you very, VERY much and I hope you always know that! Daddy and I are doing our best to raise you to be the wonderful person we know you can be! Hopefully, with a LOT of help, we will do a good job! I pray everyday that I will know what to do and say!

We love you baby girl and can't wait to spend more time with you!

Motion Monday Part 2

Motion Monday

Thoughtless Thursday

11 Months already...

We took Sydney for her first ride on the carousel on Sunday...she really enjoyed watching it, but wasn't too sure about riding it. I think Daddy made her nervous!

I can't believe Sydney is 11 months old already! We went to the doctor yesterday because my mom and I thought for sure she had an ear infection (she was whiny, rubbing her ear, and holding her head to the side)...well, her ears were perfect! But we did find out why she's been acting like that...she's apparently had a sore throat/cold that no one knew about. Dr. M. said that her throat looked very pink and it could be bothering her quite a bit. He said she should be feeling better over the next 2 days though. I'm glad it was nothing worse!

While we were there, they decided to go ahead and do the " routine check-up" portion of her 12 month visit. She weighs 19 lb 4 oz and is 28 3/4 inches long. She laughed when Dr. M. pushed around on her tummy, looked at him funny when he moved her legs around, and wiggled a lot when he looked in her ears/nose....she even showed him that she could walk! She was very good while we were there, but she always is! They have so much stuff to see now that she's mobile! She played with their cabinet handles, found a chair to bang on, some books to read, and even some fish to watch!


At 11 Months you:

- Have decided to let go and walk short distances
- Think it's funny when Athena growls at you
- Take 2 long naps a day
- Love eating the "graduates" stage foods
- Have started eating table food with us
- Still like Mommy's milk, but will take it in a cup sometimes
- Still LOVE bath time
- Like to cuddle
- Know which cabinet in the kitchen has your snacks in it
- Like to see kids and play with them
- Spent your first night away from Mommy (and survived it)
- Can wave hi/bye...but usually do it when no one is looking
- Had your first Christmas with us!!


I have already started planning and buying supplies for her birthday party! I can't believe my baby is almost ONE! It seems like only yesterday she was a teeny tiny little thing! Look for more information on her party soon!

Drumming with Daddy

Kyle was trying to teach her how to play her drums...at least she tried!

Christmas Day with Sydney

Here is the video of Sydney on Christmas Day...she was excited about the tree and the dogs were just excited!

Happy New Years!

For New Years, we spent time with good family and friends. We went over to a family friends house and had dinner and hoped and prayed the kids wouldn't break anything! LOL We went to visit a long-time friend of Ricky's and had a wonderful time! Their house is beautiful and the food was amazing! I think they enjoyed watching our goofy kids play around on the bean bags and watch the fire.

Sydney clapping with her tongue stuck out

The 3 grandbabies: Austin, Sydney, & Katie

Gotta love the look Sydney is giving Megan

She loved the blanket from Michael & Sandra

On New Years Day, Kyle & I headed off to Leesburg, AL for our anniversary trip...and our first night away from Sydney. Sydney got to stay with my Mom, so I didn't worry about her at all. We went to "The Secret" Bed & Breakfast. We were up on the mountain with no plans whatsoever, which was great! The view was AMAZING! We went out to dinner and came back to watch some movies and relax. It was nice to relax and not have to wake up early! The breakfast was wonderful! Fresh eggs, pecan pankcakes, and sausage....yum yum! After breakfast and check-out, we took the scenic drive through Little River Canyon which is a beautiful place. When we got home, Sydney was so excited to see us that she started clapping! It was the cutest thing! I'm so glad we were able to take a short anniversary trip together since we haven't spent much time alone since Sydney arrived...not that we mind though! We love her to pieces!

Here are some pictures that Mom took while we were gone. Apparently, Austin & Sydney had fun playing with their cars! Notice Sydney's dirty mouth? I guess Mimi let's her go wild and not take baths! Just kidding! Mimi said she had *just* finished eating and who could pass up this cute picture opportunity?

Christmas with Grandparents

On Christmas Eve, we went to my grandparents house...we've done this for as long as I can remember, so we decided to continue the tradition with Sydney. When we got there, they had one of her presents ready to open. It was a little rocking horse that sings and makes noise...she really liked it! Now that she has figured out how to make it rock, she REALLY likes it!



My sister and her family drove up from Mobile the day after Christmas to spend a week with family here. Sunday night we had a big Christmas gathering at our grandparents house. The kids went wild opening gifts and then the adults went wild playing Dirty Santa! It was a fun night with family!




Later in the week, we all went to my Dad's house for Christmas time with them. The kids found the tractor hiding away and convinced Papaw Tim to ride them around on it. For some reason, Sydney and Austin weren't being their hapy selves (too tired maybe?) so we don't have many pictures of them smiling.

We also got to spend some time with Gabe while he was here for Christmas break. Sydney really likes her Uncle Gabe, but as always his time here was too short and we will miss him while he is in Michigan. We will be looking forward to his next visit!

Christmas at Home

So we decided (ok, I told Kyle and he agreed haha) that from now on we will stay home on Christmas day. We want to do this so that we can take a break from the craziness of Christmas and just spend time being a family. I think we really enjoyed not having to rush around or anything!

After Sydney went to bed on Christmas Eve, Santa went to work! Kyle & I wrapped a few gifts for Sydney and had them all ready and waiting under the tree for when she woke up the next morning! She was pretty surprised when she got to the living room and found presents under the tree (we hadn't put any under it before Christmas).

My Mom & Ricky stopped by for a quick visit (and to steal some breakfast)...I think Sydney was still a little overwhelmed by all of the stuff at that point! She couldn't decide whether to play or see Mimi & Papa Ricky. A little later Kyle's Mom, Dad, & Grandmother came down to spend time with us (ok...really to see Sydney LOL). They came with A LOT more presents for Sydney to open! She decided that she liked pulling the paper off of the presents. Her favorite gifts from them were her book set and her sock monkey!