Just a Baby

No pretty clothes, or ribbons or bows. Just my beautiful baby girl :)Can't believe my sweet baby Sydney Rose is 3 months old today!!

When people ask me if Sydney is a good baby, I reply she is the perfect baby...
-I would say 99% of the time if Sydney wakes up once in the night, she eats for 5 minutes and goes right back to sleep
-She rarely spits up which is wonderful
-When Mommy is busy she will lay on the floor and kicks her legs like she's running a marathon, sometimes for up to an hour
-Sydney loves to be in the swing or in her bouncer and it is so lovely for me
-Unlike her Momma, Sydney is a morning person. Dallen was a sleeper-inner but Sydney likes to get up and get going. At least she always greets me with a smile :)
-She is so mellow and puts up with brothers smothers
-Unfortunately with both babies I was back in the hospital after bringing them home. Luckily Sydney went from breast to bottle to breast and back, like a champ!!
-She rarely has a complaint. She only cries when she's hungry or overtired.
-This baby girl is long and skinny: she has been wearing 3 month clothes for about 5 weeks now and at her 2 month appointment she was 3 inches taller than her brother was.
-Sweetie pie loves bath time, sometimes I wish it wasn't so rushed so she could enjoy it longer
-Sleeps in her car seat almost every time. She will stay asleep in there for hours and it is so helpful for Mommy and brother when we are out and about.

Overall, Sydney really is the perfect little baby and I am just waiting for this to be the calm before the storm but maybe she will just stay this way forever!! Sometimes I ask myself, what did I do to deserve such a sweet little baby, and then I remember how the Lord made me wait and wait for her to join our family. So He was teaching me patience in order to deserve the most patient and perfect little girl!! So thankful for this sweet blessing in my life :)

Our little Rose bud

Roses smell good, most flowers do. But nothing as good as a baby, brand new.
I had every intention of sending out a beautiful baby announcement after our sweet Sydney Rose arrived. What I had not intended was to be in the hospital 3 more times after bringing her home. I wanted to hire a professional photographer and order the nice and expensive cards to mail out to everyone. But instead, I set up a little spot in my own house and used my own camera to take pictures of my beautiful girl. Thanks to my cousin who is a wiz with photoshop and the new app on my phone "Red Stamp" this is it!! Although it's not what I intended to send out, it is beautiful nonetheless :) Here are some more pictures of my beautiful girl I did not end up using...

"Babies and Gentlemen"

Dallen is so in love with his baby sister and walks around the house saying "babies and gentlemen" and it absolutely melts my heart. This past weekend in California, Sydney and Dallen got to meet their new little cousin Blair. Of course we just had to take pictures of the girls together because it was just too adorable and of course Dallen wanted in on the action with his "best babies". So here are a few pictures of the cutest babies and a little gentleman...





Thanks Auntie Aubrey for the photography, we loved spending the weekend with you!!! Can't wait to get all the cousins together again soon :)

A Blessed Day

Sydney Rose Bracken was given a name and a blessing by her Father on Sunday February 5th 2012. It was a beautiful blessing and a perfect day. We were surrounded by family and friends and those who we love most. Sydney slept the entire day in the arms of people who love her almost as much as I do :) Thank you to everyone who came, especially my Grandparents who almost never travel, and a big thank you to my Mom for making Sydney's beautiful dress. I will always remember this day that we blessed our daughter Sydney Rose.

When Dallen Says...

I have always thought my little Dallen was wise beyond his years when it came to vocabulary. He was talking in sentences very early and saying and understanding BIG words before I expected him too. In fact sometimes I think he is too smart for his own good, or mine (it's very hard to discipline someone who thinks they are smarter than you)!! But every once in a while, D has a hard time with a certain word, and only his Momma knows what he is talking about. For instance...

When Dallen says:"Can I wash my hands with the appetizer?"

He means: Hand sanitizer

When Dallen says: "I want Sydney to wear her balance lay"

He means: Her tutu (as in ballet)

When Dallen says: "Do I put these in the camper?"

He means: The dirty clothes hamper

When Dallen says: "You can do that about me"

He means: Without

When Dallen says: It's just going bom bom bom"

He could mean anything!! It's just a little phrase he says when something is hurting, or his socks are crooked or something is too heavy, or anytime he can't find another word for what he's trying to say, its always just bom bom bom!! I love it :)

So, I decided to start a little Mondays preschool with Dallen. We started with the letter A and did a letter hunt (looking for A's all around the house), drawing A's in sugar and coloring an "A" worksheet. This little no-attention-span man did not want to finish his worksheet. Haha, we better get to practicing if he's gonna enroll in real preschool this fall :)And while Dallen was learning and practicing, sweet Sydney let her brother get some one on one attention and didn't make a peep. Definitely my mellow child. So excited for the day these two are learning together, so fun watching them grow!

BROTHER

Rhymes with smother
Sounds like bother
Entitles one to endless loves and snuggles
Synonymous with friend

B.est F.riends F.orever

{Sydney and Blair}
Let me start with saying how much I LOVE my sisters!! Growing up I was close with my little sister who played Barbies with me and dress up. We loved taking "modeling" pictures together and were obsessed with *NSYNC. In high school my older sister got me interested in sports and we played volleyball and ran track together. But it really wasn't until I went up to college in Utah that my older sister and I became BFFs. We have grown closer as we got older and our latest experience has brought us even closer. I feel SO blessed to have had sweet baby girls just weeks apart. And I hope that our little girls will also grow up to be the best of friends.This is my first niece and I can't wait to meet her and kiss on her. I feel like I have been waiting forever to be an Auntie and I am so glad sweet little Blair has finally made her entrance into the world!! Auntie Jacki loves you beautiful baby girl :)

All Her Own

I always think it's funny how new babies get compared to their parents and siblings and family. Who does she look like? Sometimes I think we forget that they are just their own little person and maybe they don't want to be compared. But just because it's fun...

Here's Dallen at 4 weeks:
Sydney at 4 weeks:
And a little reminder of what her parents looked like as babies:

She's definitely got my nose and my toes. Her mouth is exactly the same as her big brothers and her eyes, it's still too soon to tell. Sydney has long elegant piano playing fingers and a whole lot of dark brown hair. Even in her brothers old blue jammies, her feminine features make her look so girly. She is beautiful in every way and melts my heart with each one of her very own pretty little features :)

Better Than a Barbie

Having a little girl is already everything I always dreamed it would be and more. Sure its only been 3 weeks but I am loving just about every minute of it. Growing up my favorite toy of all time was Barbies. I secretly played through junior high and once in a while forced my little brother to play them with me. Now I have a life size Barbie doll to dress up whenever I want. Sure we don't go anywhere or see many people, but that's what cameras are for. Plus, these cute little newborn outfits are not going to fit her forever!!!



Love my little doll and I think Barbie ain't got nothin' on my Sydney ;)

My Baby

To say that Dallen is obsessed with baby Sydney would be a huge understatement. This kid LOVES being a big brother and having a perfect little sister. Whenever referring to Sydney, Dallen says "my baby". He feels like a superhero when he gets to help her, get a binky or a diaper or a blanket, whatever it is he has a big brother to the rescue attitude. Dallen always has to be right next to her. Nearly on top of her is not close enough. He wants to sleep by her, eat by her, play by her, everything right next to her :) Dallen screeches with excitement anytime Sydney opens her eyes. He loves to kiss her, hands, feet, face all over, he just smothers her with lots and lots of kisses constantly.
These two are already like 2 peas in a pod and I am so excited to watch them grow up together and become the best of friends!!

A Perfect Christmas

We were blessed with just the most perfect Christmas this year. Sydney and I were released from the hospital just in time to celebrate, the day before Christmas Eve. I am so grateful that half of my family was able to be here with us to celebrate the birth of our Savior and the birth of our sweet Sydney.

On Christmas Eve we were able to go out for Korean BBQ to celebrate Christmas Day in Korea for Elder Messick. The waitress looked at me like I was nuts bringing my sleeping 4 day old to the empty restaurant, but it was totally worth it to feel close to my little brother for the holiday.
Christmas morning, for the boys, was spent just where it should be, at church. Dallen was so patient to open his presents after he attended sacrament meeting. He had the BEST reactions to his presents this year. For some reason Dallen thinks he is a teenager and asked Santa for a boat this year, yes a boat!! Since we couldn't get a real boat, Santa brought Dallen a remote control racing boat for the pool and he could not be happier. Daddy kinda likes it too ;)
Dallen wasn't the only one who got everything he wanted this year for Christmas. Not only did I get my baby girl in time for Christmas, but I also got my baby grand I have been wanting since I left home nearly a decade ago. A family friend needed a new home for their antique Kimball piano and for the price of shipping it from Texas, I got to have it in time to play some Christmas carols.
The morning was full of "that's awesome" and "this is just what I wanted" and "are you kidding me?!?!" from the excited 3 year old as he opened his gifts and pulled stuff out of his stocking. It was pure joy to watch this little boy. The rest of the day was spent watching and playing with Dallen and all of his new awesome toys. We enjoyed our time together as a family and got some precious photos with the newest member of our family.
It's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone now and I feel so blessed to have had such a perfect one!!