Tyler Matthew Sikora

In memory of our son, brother, grandson, nephew, and cousin. We will all love you and miss you.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local-beat/15-Year-Old-Collapses-and-Dies-During-Basketball-Game-94661194.html

Call of the Wild

I think this one speaks for itself...



...she's going to hate me for this one day...

Interior Designer for Hire.

She's a Gourmet...

To be clear, Sophie dumped all her cheerios out of the bowl onto the living room floor. She proceeded to place them one by one back in the bowl and "drink" them individually.

525,600 Minutes--Part Deux

One year. One year! How is Sophie already one year? I know every parent says it, but I really, really mean it. I can't BELIEVE that it's already been a year since Sophie was born. I've been playing the 'one year ago today' game for about a week now (I feel like play that game a lot...). One week ago yesterday , Tony and I undertook the task of walking all the way to the dog park in hopes of encouraging Bean to make her debut before my induction date. One week ago last Tuesday was the first day of my maternity leave. One week ago this Wednesday, I had my first panic attack because I realized I was about to become a parent. You get the idea. Now my baby is about to become a toddler. Exciting, but a little sad at the same time.

Since Thanksgiving (seriously, I'm the worst blogger ever. Who waits 4 months between entries?), there have been lots of exciting updates. Bean started walking New Years weekend. Just stood up and toddled from Tony to his mom like it was the easiest thing in the world. Granted, she looked like a drunken sailor at first, and there were plenty of crash and burn moments, but at this point, she looks like she's been doing it all her life! She even can squat down and pick things up without having to hold onto anything anymore (that's a skill, for those of you who are thinking, "big deal, I do that all the time!"). Sophie is also talking up a storm. Her favorite word is "hi", which she says to everyone and anything. You are usually greeted with a cheerful "hhhhiiiii" when you walk into her room to get her out of the crib. Strangers are persistently greeted as well on the streets. "Daddy" and "doggy" are interchangeable, and she will frequently repeat "dahdeee" until either Tony or Lucy appear. She's picked up a few signs also. Actually, she's known the sign for "light" (opening and closing your hand at the ceiling, although she kind of just twists her wrist back and forth) for awhile now, and is starting to finally remember the sign for "all done" (waving open palms face down back and forth), too. She can show you were her (or your) nose is, and pretty consistently can show you her belly and eyes too. Her other new trick to put the phone (or remote control, or calculator, or anything really with a keypad) next to her head. Not always her ear, but she seems to know that phones (or phone like objects) go next to your head. My kid rules. :)

We're doing a small bbq at my mom's house this weekend to celebrate her birthday. Mostly, we want to celebrate the fact that we made it through the first year unscathed, and that we managed to keep her alive. Go us! Some carne asade, some beer, and family and a few close friends is the perfect way to celebrate our amazing little girl.

I'm sure there is more I should be talking about, but I'm a little too nostalgic to be thinking much past Sophie right now. Stay tuned, and I might even update on Tony's and my happenings as well!



Three months (I don't have a younger pic available!)


Eleven months. How does that happen?! (P.s. She was having an interactive experience with some cottage cheese)

Blessings

In light of it being Thanksgiving week and the baby shower I attended yesterday and all, I've been doing a bit of reflecting. In my musings, I reminded again how truly blessed I am in my life. I have a job that I (used to) love where I know that I am making a difference in people's lives everyday, a roof over my head, an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, the best friend a girl could ask for in my sister, great parents...my list could go on an on. I have friends that inspire me and challenge me everyday. I have friends that I have known since I was 7 (Jana), 9 (Erin), 12 (Andrea, Jamie, Christina). I have reconnected with dozens more over the last six months thanks to the magical world of virtual networking. I don't think many can say that their group of friends--the ones that are invited to all the major events of their life and their kids' lives--consist of people that they've known since you were in elementary and junior high school. There's not a day that goes by that I don't smile at the idea that Sophie and Ryden will grow up together the same way that Jana and I did, or that I can get parenting advice from Kristen, who was in my preschool class, or that Sophie's aunt was also one of my good friends from high school.

I am a bit ashamed that I complain at all about the things that I don't really like about my life, as my worst day is the best day that someone else could ever aspire to. So in honor of it being Thanksgiving week, I am just going to enjoy my blessings, and be glad for all the amazing things I have in my life. :)

Pictures

Because I STILL haven't uploaded anything to snapfish (I have like 4 months of pictures. Ugh)...




~I'm 7 months old!~








~Modeling her new hoodie. She's pretty fired up about it.~











~Rocking the excersaucer~















~The early stages of a toothy grin. There's 4 teeth in that little mouth of hers. She's cutting 2 more as we speak!~
















~Do you love the tights as much as I do?~
















~Checking out the view from her tummy.~