Swingin' Sydney

Sydney duty last night was very brief. She was napping when I arrived, and I was instructed to wake her at 5:15 pm if she didn't on her own. She woke up, screaming, at 5:15 on the dot. I took her out of her crib and brought her downstairs - still screaming. I bounced her on my lap, tried to help her walk - still screaming. I felt horrible because she was REALLY crying, tears streaming down her chubby little cheeks.

So I grabbed my camera and took her outside to her swing. First I should mention that as soon as I closed the door to the garage she stopped screaming. Maybe she just wanted to go outside? I sat on Felton's little yellow coaster car, which I placed right in front of the swing, and pushed her back and forth for about 30 minutes. Then Robert (daddy) came home and she was all smiles.

I took at least a dozen photos, but the two below were my favorites.


In the first one, Sydney is reacting to my "talking" back to her. She makes the cutest noises - gurgling and cooing - and when she gets on a roll, I always try to imitate her (ie. talk balk to her). When she recognizes or becomes interested in my response, the face captured above is what I often see. Especially when paired with that grip she has on her yellow safety barrier, I think of this face as her, "Hey, I heard that! We're communicating!" face.


The second photo depicts a relatively new (at least to me) Sydney maneuver. She likes to reach out and grab my hand (or face, or hair), but even if she doesn't get a good grip on me, she is pleased when our hands meet. On the swing this is particularly fun because she reaches out as she swings forward and tries so hard to grab me on her way back. While some children may react in the exact opposite way, Sydney is tickled when she just brushes me but doesn't get a hold of me. I have no idea what is going through her head, but whatever makes her smile is fun for me!