The littlest Chiefs fan

We love the Chiefs, even in 're-building' seasons like the current one. We are training Sienna to love the Chiefs, too!


Our little Chiefs cheerleader

Who knew 6AM could be so enjoyable?

This morning around 6 AM, Sienna woke up and started talking to herself in bed. She babbled on for about 30 minutes. It was the most adorable thing! She varied the intonation of her speech from low coos to high pitched squeals. Scott and I just laid in bed and listened to her. So precious! Thankfully, she fell back asleep for another 30 minutes or so before getting up for the morning. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today was a great day!! We got to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families, and Sienna was a doll... like normal. :) These will also serve as her 12 week pictures, as she'll be 12 weeks tomorrow. She is growing so much and getting to be so much fun! She talks a lot, and she is a happy baby. She has been stretching out her night sleep... going like 7 or 8 hours without waking up. Good girl! She also has found her hands recently, so we've been experiencing lots of drool since she has them in her mouth constantly! Just the other day, she started sucking her thumb pretty consistently. We've been swaddling her hands in a blanket when she sleeps, but I think we're going to start unswaddling them so she can use her thumb to self soothe.

Isn't she a doll?! I loved her sparkly tights, dress & mary janes. So fun to dress little girls!

Proud grandpa, grandma, mom & dad

Sienna's namesake - both her beautiful grandmas!

First Santa Visit

Scott took the day off work on Wednesday, and we headed to the mall to do a little Christmas shopping and to visit Santa Claus. Sienna loved Santa! She told Santa for Christmas that she wants a cousin to play with... any takers, siblings? :) In the 'professional' picture, she has the hugest grin on her face. I don't have the digital of that picture, but I'd be happy to show it to you in person!

Right before Sienna saw Santa. Scott is a pro at getting her to smile. She adores her daddy.

Hi, Santa!

10 weeks

Here is our baby girl at 10 weeks old. She is smiling and talking more than ever. She also continues with her 45 minute naps, but I have found a few tricks to extend those naps. The one that works the best is called "Wake to Sleep". Essentially, I jostle her body about 30 minutes after she has fallen asleep to re-start her sleep clock. (Don't worry... I'm gentle.) Sometimes I jostle her too much, and she wakes up. Bad! But other times, it works like a charm and she snoozes for almost 2 hours. Anyhow, we are just learning more about how Sienna ticks, and I really do love it. Some days I want to pull my hair out, but I am learning that is just part of being a mom. :)

Classic... Sienna wears her spit-up multiple times a day. :)

2 month check-up

Sienna had her 2 month check up last Thursday. She weighed 11 pounds and 4 ounces, which is in the 65th percentile for her age! This is great, considering she was in the 25th percentile at her 2 week check up. Also, the doctor says her motor development is that of a 4 month old already! She can hold her head up, turn it from side to side, and she has been cooing and smiling since week 6. She also started blowing bubbles at about week 8, and the doctor said that normally doesn't happen until around 4 months. I knew we had a smart kiddo! :)

Sienna also got her first round of shots on Thursday. Scott held down her arms while the nurse stuck her three times in the thigh. With the first shot, her eyes got really big when the needle went in, and then she started bawling. Rightly so! I hate shots, too! She cried hard for about 5 minutes, but then calmed down and sacked out for a quick catnap on the drive home. Not too bad!

We also talked to her doctor about her sleep. He said that she could possibly be waking up at that 45 minute mark because of acid reflux. He said the interrupted naps, plus the fact that she spits up and hiccups after every feeding could be a sign. I'm not convinced she has it (because she'll sleep for hours at night without waking), but we've got her on Zantac to see if there's any improvement after a week. The medicine tastes nasty (like bad Peppermint Schnapps), so it's hard to get her to take it. We essentially have to squirt it in her mouth, and hold her mouth & nose shut to force her to swallow. Some times are more successful than others. Ha!

But we are likely going to start the crying it out bit after the Thanksgiving holiday. The doctor said that he believes strongly in the method (used it for each of his three kids), but not to employ it until 3 months. He said the part of a child's brain that can make the connection from day-to-day about sleep habits isn't fully developed until 3 months. I'm not looking forward to doing this, but I know it's best for her. I've been trying to put her down in her crib awake now, so she can be partially prepped for falling asleep on her own. Now I'm just going to have to quit putting her paci back in, patting her little chest or putting her in the swing to help her fall asleep. (Most of the time...)

45 minute napper

So if you've talked to Scott or I recently, you know that we've been struggling with getting Sienna to take long naps. Ever since she was born, she has always struggled with taking a long nap, outside of her morning nap. She'll usually sleep 1.5 hours for her morning nap, but then the rest of the day she can only go for about a 45 minute nap. For the first 4 - 6 weeks, I thought she was just a short napper. But she was waking out of her naps fussy/crying, so I knew she was either hungry or still tired. Well, she's been gaining weight like a champ, so I've determined it must be tiredness. Did you know that every baby goes through a 45 minute sleep cycle? You can time Sienna's to the second. Literally 45 minutes after she's fallen asleep for her nap (which she does, in her crib, on her own quite nicely), she will wake up. She just can't seem to transition from one sleep cycle to the next. It's the most maddening thing ever, I tell you! So I've started to employ various methods to get her over the 45 minute hump:

1. Sneaking in her room to put her paci back in when 45 minutes comes up. I've had marginal success with this method.

2. Picking her up and re-doing the naptime routine. More successful than method 1. Sometimes I have to do this 2 - 3 times, though. (Just did it for the nap she is taking, and she is sleeping again for another 45 minutes. Hooray!)

3. Sneaking into her room, placing FIRM pressure on her chest and legs at about the 40 minute mark to keep herself from moving too much and waking up. Hardly any success -- she is a strong little girl and likes to wiggle A LOT! This might have worked better when she was younger, but I wasn't aware of this 'problem' back then. :)

4. I've heard of going in to their room at about the 30 minute mark and gently patting them to wake them up, hoping they re-set their clocks and start the 45 minute cycle again. I haven't tried this one because I'm afraid to wake her up!!

5. Cry it out. We haven't tried this one yet, but I think we're only a matter of weeks away.

Okay all you parents out there, has anyone else dealt with the chronic 45 minute napper? Any advice or other suggestions?

8 weeks and Halloween pics!

Here is our little pumpkin at 8 weeks old! Sienna helped us answer the door for trick or treaters, and several of our neighbors got to meet her for the first time. It was a fun night. Halloween also marks the day that Sienna started taking longer naps during the day and only waking up one time at night. I sure do hope that pattern continues!!!

I love my bear

Aunt Jenny, this one is for you!! Sienna LOVES to 'talk' to the bear you and Andrew gave her in the hospital. I lay her on the floor with the bear, and she will coo and smile at him for 20 minutes or so. It is so cute! I have a video of it that I'll have to edit & upload when I get a chance.

Smiles at 7 weeks!

Below is Sienna's 7 week picture. It's technically of her when she's 7 weeks and 3 days. Sienna and I went to Holiday Mart on Friday with Nana, so I didn't get her picture taken. Plus, Sienna has been keeping us awake during the wee hours of the morning over the past few days. We're not sure why she's been doing this since she used to be a pro during the night. But lately once she's woken up to eat, she hasn't wanted to go back to sleep. Lucky us! :) We've been trying to keep a positive attitude, but it's tough to be happy from 2 Am - 4 AM when all you want to do is go back to bed!

Also, I captured Sienna smiling today. Enjoy her cutie smile! We sure are!

Waiting for Sienna

I realize this post is horribly out of chronological order, but I am finally in the frame of mind to write it! In the weeks leading up to Sienna's birth, I was trying to keep my mind off the fact that I was nearly 2 weeks (TWO WEEKS!!!!) past my due date. The first week was fairly easy. I just did some things around the house, went to the pool and finished her nursery. Now the second week came around, and there wasn't much preparation remaining. So here's a rendition of all the things I did to keep my mind off the time!

August 29: It was unseasonably cold, and my family came over for a fire and s'mores.

Scott and I by the 'campfire'

We ended up having to roast our marshmallows over the gas grill after we saw the outcome of our marshmallows over the fire log. (below)

Gray marshmallows. Mom and Karla both took bites. Sensing something tasted funny, they took the marshmallows into the light and discovered the funky coloring. (In case you didn't know, as we obviously didn't, you cannot eat any food that is cooked over one of those fire starter logs. Too many chemicals released - whoops!!)

August 30: We had my family and Kyle and Hannah over for dinner. It was a fun night and kept my mind off Sienna... at least temporarily!

September 1: My mom, dad, sister, husband and I played a rousing game of Phase 10.... and I won! (No, they did not let me win. At least, I don't think they did...)

September 3: My sister and I went on a 3.5 mile walk in the morning from our house to JP Coffee. It was my final attempt to encourage Sienna to make her debut. No luck! I knew we were going to the hospital in the morning, so I needed to get out of the house to make the time pass quickly. So, logically, we played skee-ball and 18 holes of mini-golf that evening. Fun! Thanks family!

6 weeks... and a half marathon

Sienna has started smiling and 'talking' a lot this week! It is so fun to wake her up from a nap and see her give me a give smile! So cute and so rewarding!! (I have yet to catch her smiling on camera, but I'll be sure to post when I do.)

Also, Scott ran his first half marathon this morning!! I am SUPER impressed!! Not only did he finish, but he ran faster than he expected. All this while also learning how to become a great daddy for Sienna. Way to go, sugar!

Half marathoner

Scott & Chris

Scott and Dave (dad)

Oh my goodness!

Sienna is 9 lbs. 4 oz. today! She is growing so fast!!! Slow down, little girl! She is growing out of her newborn diapers and clothes. Tear. She is sleeping more continuous hours at night. Smile. Also, I hit a milestone this weekend. I was showered, dressed and ready to get out the door by 9:30 am. WOW! :)

5 weeks

Sienna is 5 weeks old today! She has gained control of her head and can hold it up on her own for a while. She likes using her leg muscles to push off and stand up on her own. I am starting to understand her daily pattern. I won't say that we have a 'schedule' per say, but we do have a rhythm to each day. For a type A personality like me, that is a good thing! She fights me on naps some days, but she really is a good baby. She doesn't fuss very often, and she is very content when she's awake. We love our little bee!

She's old enough to enjoy her mobile now! She loves watching the bears.

Bath time with daddy!

4 weeks

Last Friday, our little angel turned 4 weeks old! I had her weighed this morning, and she is up to 8 lbs. 7 oz., which is 2 pounds more than when we brought her home from the hospital. She is growing like a weed, and it's been so fun to watch her change. She has lost her 'newborn' look!

Proofs are posted

All the proofs from Sienna's newborn session are posted online.

You can view the pictures at http://proof.ccphotodesign.com/ccphoto_photocart

When you go to the website, click the Access Gallery link and enter in the access code below.

Access code: aad38ac6

Enjoy!

2 week and 3 week pictures

Miss Sienna is officially in her 4th week of life! Hard to believe... it has been a blur! :) One of my friends gave me the idea to take her picture every week to track her growth. I'll try to post these each week, or as often as I can so you can see how big she is getting already!!

2 weeks

3 weeks

Sienna also hit a milestone on her 3 week birthday - she found her thumb all by herself!! Now granted she really doesn't have control over her arms or hands yet, but it was still really cute! I think we have a future thumb sucker on our hands. I'll be glad when she can do this consistently because the pacifier war will be over!!

Pictures, pictures, pictures!!

Our photographer, Carmen Carver, has posted a sneak peak of Sienna's newborn photo session from last week. There are several great pictures... check out her latest blog posting, "Everything a Girl Needs..." at: www.ccphotodesign.blogspot.com

SO CUTE!!!! I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures! All of the proofs should be ready sometime next week, so I'll be sure to post the link for you all to view.

Bath Time

We gave Sienna her first 'real' bath this morning. She didn't fuss at all -- seems to like this type of bath a lot better than the sponge bath! Enjoy the naked baby pictures. :)










Her belly was full from breakfast!

More pics

Finally got around to putting up Sienna's name in her room. What do you think?

10 days

Nana and her girls

Three Elaine's plus Scott

In her cute polka dot outfit from Becky! (And I thought this was going to be too small on her!)