baby makes three

The real reason I haven't blogged lately...

2012-02-03T16:11:00.000-06:00

We are expecting another baby in July! I am 17 weeks and change, so we'll find out if we are having a boy or girl in about a week and a half. I'm feeling good - no real nausea or extreme tiredness. I feel pretty similar to when I was pregnant with Sienna, just craving more salty foods now vs. sweet foods when I was pregnant with her. We think we're having a boy, but I had a dream that we had a girl. We'll know on February 13!

Sienna wore this shirt at Christmas time to tell our families. She was not too sure about putting it on each time because she's fiercely independent & doesn't want to do anything that she is not 100% about. Okay, okay... The real reason was after her first time wearing it, she knew the shirt caused lots of excited shrieking & yelling that she wanted to avoid! She understands there is a baby in my belly, but I know she doesn't quite grasp what that is going to mean to life around our house this summer. (Heck, even I don't really know what that change is going to look like for us!) Favorite quotes from Sienna about the baby:

"I have a baby in my belly. You can't push it."

"Mommy, you no have a baby in your belly. I have a baby in my belly."

Me: "Sienna, do you want a baby brother or a baby sister?" Sienna: "Ummm... neither."

"Mommy, that baby is crying in your belly. She needs her diaper changed." (Proceeds to go get a diaper & put it up to my belly.)

"Mommy, I give the baby a sticker so he no cry anymore."

Scott and I are very excited about this baby, but our excitement is a bit reserved after we miscarried in August of last year. Getting pregnant with Sienna was so easy, but getting pregnant with this baby has been a journey. A good journey. A journey that has left us less innocent but more awe-inspired by the miracle of life. When I have more time and emotional capacity, I do plan to share more about that journey.

We've had two sonograms and several check-ups. The baby seems perfectly healthy. I'm guessing that I won't sleep much before our next sonogram on February 13. In fact, I may not completely breathe easy until our sweet baby is in our arms. So in the meantime, we're enjoying this journey, trusting God, and soaking up the last moments as our family of three.

Sienna & Scott at Christmas. This is Sienna's
classic 'cheeser' smile.

December catch-up

2012-01-30T22:05:00.001-06:00

Striking a pose!

Family Christmas pic!

Love this one of Scott & Sienna. She is always saying,
"Daddy, you silly!"

Hi, cutie!

Nana came over to take our pic & got to grab a few
cute ones with Sienna.

Sienna really started getting into the dress-up thing this month.
Love this outfit - footie PJ's, Minnie Mouse light-up shoes, 4th of July necklaces,
and Sleeping Beauty sunglasses.

Classic picture! Obviously, she still didn't like Santa this year! We thought we'd see
how she did at Kenda's Christmas party. Epic fail.
So we didn't even try to visit Santa at the mall.

Mom & I continued our annual tradition of baking sugar cookies.
This was the first year Sienna really helped. She liked cutting out the dough,
but mostly liked eating the icing and sprinkles.

So much fun!
(Don't you love the necklace Sienna insisted I wear all day?!?)

Loving the sprinkles

Nothing says happiness like a blue sprinkle mouth

On the Plaza for our annual family holiday dinner

She wanted to take all the pictures by the penguins (background)

Celebrating Gramma's birthday

These are the cookies & milk she left for Santa -
pretend/play food from her kitchen! LOL!
She doesn't really get the Santa thing quite yet.

Santa presents - check!

She loved her art desk!

She thinks her cash register is a phone!
What can I say - the girl loves to talk on the phone already.

She loved digging through her stocking

Chatting it up with Little Granny during Christmas brunch

Getting a ride on her new bike from Grandma!

Aunt Jenny made this Minnie Mouse dress!

Reading books with Pops

Williams/Triplett fam

Went out with my sister & Matt on NYE - so fun!!
Miss these two - get back here Rascals!

Love my sister so, so much!

November catch-up

2012-01-30T21:09:00.000-06:00

Trying to summarize all the fun we had over the holiday season + Not being overwhelmed with lots of blog posts = Monthly summaries with pictures!

We spent a long weekend at Big Cedar in the Ozarks. Sienna loved this big fish!

Another hit was swimming in the hot tub with Scott - presh!

Sienna loves her goldfish.

Everyone loves to watch TV in bed while on vacation, right?

We went to Silver Dollar City a couple of nights. Sienna LOVED the rides.
She got to ride on Dumbo, since she is so tall for her age and met the height requirement!

Sienna and I on her favorite ride - "the bug ride, Momma!"

This might have been our favorite moment with Sienna at Silver Dollar City.

We walked by a musical show that had just ended, but the band was still playing.

Sienna tugged on our hands to go listen. She sat down and started singing and swaying

to the music. She was in HEAVEN. The girl LOVES music!

We stayed for the next show, and Sienna (with Daddy) went on-stage
to dance! She seriously stole the show -- kept twirling around and
shaking her booty!

Being silly with Daddy right before the light parade

Celebrating Stella's 7th birthday - look at all those cute kiddos!

She loves to wear Daddy's medals & dance in his office.
Scott can't wait to run races with her someday!

Sienna with Nana & Gramma on Thanksgiving Day. It is so cute watching
her with her grandparents - she loves them dearly!

Paci Fairy

2011-12-18T21:58:00.000-06:00

The Paci Fairy visited the Williams household this past Friday night. We've been talking up the Paci Fairy story to Sienna for a couple weeks. It goes something like this...
You don't need your pacis anymore because you're a big girl! The Paci Fairy is going to come to our house and give your pacis to a baby that needs them. In exchange for your pacis, the Paci Fairy will leave you a present!
When we talked about the Paci Fairy, sometimes Sienna would be really excited. Other times, she would say, "I no give my pacis to the Paci Fairy. I need them. I still a baby."
So on Friday night before we left for her daycare Christmas party, we rounded up all the pacis and put them in a special bag for the Paci Fairy. At first, Sienna was really excited. As she started putting them all in the bag, she got visibly sad. So, we let her hold her last two pacis while we changed her outfit for the party. After we changed her clothes, she stood in front of the bag, sucking on the pacis. She put one in the bag. Then she sucked on the last one for a good 30 seconds before slowing plunking it into the bag. The she immediately said, "I'm a big girl! I no need my pacis!" She totally knew what was going on. Melted my heart.
When we pulled in the driveway from her party later that night, she asked for her pacis. We told her that we thought the Paci Fairy had come. She said, "NO! I NEED THEM!" So we went upstairs to see if they were still there. In place of the bag of pacis was a present. She was ecstatic! I asked her what she thought it was. Her exact quote - "It's a lion from the Paci Fairy!" Thank goodness we guessed right and bought the big stuffed lion. She pulled him out of the bag, danced around the room with him, and said she was a big girl and didn't need her pacis! She was thrilled, and I cried! I've really been holding back on wanting to see her as a big girl, so it was a bit emotional for me. Sienna named him Tasa the Lion. About 20 minutes later, she asked where her pacis were. We told her the Paci Fairy took them to the babies. And that was the last we heard about the pacis that night. She stalled going to bed (pretty normal), but eventually laid right down in her bed and went to sleep without a peep. (She even slept til 8:30 the next morning.) We were AMAZED. Nap time has been a bit harder for her to settle down, but we haven't had any of the crying and major whining we expected. She's a smart little bugger. And her new BFF is Tasa the Lion. She sleeps with him, combs his mane and holds conversations with him. Just precious.
(Side story: We told our sitter that Sienna couldn't have her paci anymore on Monday when she's back at daycare. Her sitter started cracking up and said she hasn't had it there in like 6 months! What a trickster.)
Paci down. Potty and big girl bed to go.

Opening her Paci Fairy present & dancing
with Tasa on her head

Laying down and 'talking' to Tasa

Sweet dreams with her favorite lion

Daddy Date

2011-11-11T21:19:00.001-06:00

Scott has been taking Sienna on 'Daddy dates' recently, and she LOVES them. I mean seriously, when we ask if she wants to go on a Daddy date, she starts yelling "Daddy Date!" and running around the house. They love their time together, and it makes me so happy to see their special bond. Sienna always wants to do the same thing on Daddy date - go to the park and go to BW's. (Well, anywhere she can have french fries.) These are a couple pictures from their latest Daddy date.

Sister in town!

2011-11-11T21:06:00.001-06:00

My sister came to town for a weekend visit, and we had a fun time!! Sienna loved seeing her Aunt Kitty, and I'm pretty sure Aunt Kitty felt the same... :)

We went to a Japanese steakhouse one night.
Sienna was intent on using the chopsticks.

Pretty girls

We made s'mores one night, so this is us
sisters looking stylish, as always.
(And representing our roots!)

Reading Curious George before nap time

Giggling in the car together

Hallerween

2011-10-31T15:00:00.002-05:00

Nope, not a typo. Hallerween is Sienna's pronunciation for Halloween this year. Sienna was Minnie Mouse this year; she adores Minnie. She frequently talks to me like I am Minnie Mouse and will only continue the conversation with me if I talk to her in my "Minnie" voice. Hysterical! Scott and I got into the fun this year. Scott dressed up as Pete, the villainous, fat cat from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Pete is one of Sienna's favorite characters on the show -- why? We are not sure! Sienna also frequently asks/orders Scott to talk in his Pete voice. I dressed up as Figaro, Minnie's kitty cat. Sienna loves to sing the "Figaro" song that Minnie sings on the show. So, our costumes were a big hit after she got over the fact that I was still Mommy even with my face paint and kitty ears. Ha!
I thought Sienna would 'get' the trick-or-treating thing more this year, but she was pretty clueless. She loved it that evening, but she didn't even ask about her candy the next day. (So, yes, Scott and I had to eat her candy. Darn.) While we were trick-or-treating, Sienna was totally into the candy collecting. Her favorite were suckers. In fact, I don't think she ever let one get in her bucket. She would immediately open it. When she'd get another sucker, she'd say, "Mommy have my old sucker. I have my new sucker." The girl loves suckers. I think she had about 4 that night before we ever got home.
I love Hallerween. This might have been the best one of my life yet!

Here we are! I realize Scott looks like a "Farmer Kitty" to some,
but this is the type of costume you throw together being a busy parent!

I love this picture! Only for our daughter...
(And these overalls are my Grandpa Craig's. He passed
away when I was 15, so pretty cool to have Scott wear them.)

Holding her sucker and loving her glow stick! Life is good!

Sienna is very into hugging Maddie and Mommy these days.
She loved helping pass out the candy at our house.

Our carved pumpkin! Sienna loved lighting the candle
every night with Scott. It was their little nightly routine.

October in pictures

2011-10-30T22:11:00.002-05:00

We've been to the zoo a couple times this month since the weather
has been so fantastic. This is us on the tram.

Sienna wanted to try on this batting helmet because
of all the talk about baseball lately (World Series).

Family date night at Starbucks + chocolate milk = one excited Sienna!

At Deanna Rose Farmstead

Riding the spring horse at Deanna Rose.
She was more interested in the playground than
the animals this day.

Chilling with Aliyah after enjoying a s'more.

Sporting her team colors, and giving Uncle Matt some
good luck for his Colts.

Sienna was in a holiday photo shoot for one of my co-workers
clothing line, Squeaks & Beeps. Such cute stuff!

She loved saying 'cheese'!!

Another outfit. She is watching some of the big girls
take photos. She loved it and did so well!

Playing in the leaves at Ms. Kenda's

Her favorite spot to watch Mickey with PaPa.

All snuggled up with her animals to watch the World Series
game 7. She was up until 11:30. She's a machine!

Mom and I supporting the Cards!

Happy girls

Pretty girl.
Not interested in bedtime - just wanted to play!

Kenda (her daycare provider) took all the kids & parents
to the pumpkin patch! So much fun!

Sienna's favorite activity at the pumpkin patch
was playing in the corn box. Ah, the simple
pleasures of life... corn feed & buckets!

A visit from Gramma & Grampa

Trying on her Minnie Mouse costume. She is SO excited
to trick-or-treat, ever since Daddy told her there is
candy involved!

Carving our pumpkin. She thought the seeds
were funny because they were so slimy.

Sienna & Friends Great Pumpkin Adventure I

2011-10-08T14:51:00.002-05:00

Today, Pops and Grandma hosted the inaugural "Sienna & Friends Great Pumpkin Adventure"! It was so much fun!!! They really outdid themselves. We had a sunny, warm October morning to pick and paint pumpkins, decorate cupcakes, play, and eat lots of yummy food. We love the new tradition! Thanks to Pops and Grandma for organizing, hosting, and creating a great day for the kiddos and us!

Vivian, Cosette, Stella and Sienna post-pumpkin picking.
They got to pick & hunt for all the gourds and pumpkins
their baskets could handle. Huge hit!

Sienna, Grandma & Pops with the pumpkin grown especially for Sienna
in her pumpkin patch!

Sienna painting her pumpkin. She LOVED this activity!

All the girls painting and decorating their pumpkins.

Preston and his pumpkin -- he also tasted the paint!

Stella and Sienna focusing intently on their pumpkin painting.

Dave & Susan had pumpkins for the adults to carve, too!

Sweet Vivian and her green pumpkin! Hello, mini-Brooke!

Sienna and I making her Veggie Head pumpkin!
Susan and Dave had this great idea to use veggies to make a pumpkin face - awesome!

Sienna's bounty of painted pumpkins - a work of art!

"Ring Around the Rosy" with Pops, Cosi & Sienna -
a must anytime Sienna and Pops play!

The whole clan with all our pumpkins! So much fun!!
(Check out Stella & Vivian's Veggie Head, complete with Twizzler glasses!)

Next, we moved on to decorating cupcakes - huge hit!
My personal favorite decoration? Candy corn M&Ms!

Sienna decorating her cupcakes, before having a meltdown
when we only let her eat one. :)

Grandma and Sienna decorating cupcakes - sweet!

Loving her cupcake, well, mostly the icing.

Pops & Sienna being silly -- these two have such a special bond!

Family pic!

The girls with Pops and Grandma, holding the squirrel food!

2 year stats

2011-09-27T19:59:00.002-05:00

Sienna had her two year well check-up last Friday, and she is doing stellar. Her language skills are above the level of where she should be at 3 years old. By 3 years old, kids should be speaking in 5 word sentences, know how to count to 5 and know 5 shapes. Sienna speaks in 7 - 8 word sentences, knows how to count to 10, and knows several shapes. Go, Sienna! Also, she continues to be above average in height. She is 35.5" tall (90th percentile) and weighs almost 29 lbs. (75th percentile). She is the average height of a nearly 3 year old -- no wonder people ask us all the time if she is three! The doctor predicts she will be 5' 9" tall. If he's right, she'll surpass both Scott and I!
Sienna knows how to kick a ball and is trying to catch balls, but doesn't quite have the hang of it yet. She is still pretty cautious. She wants to hold our hands going down the stairs, and she isn't very daring. I'm hoping this means no trips to the ER! Our pediatrician said that most first borns are cautious, and most second borns are daring. Medical associations have done a lot of research to determine the cause of this behavior, but there really is no explanation - interesting!
Also interesting, our pediatrician said about 45% of children in Kansas City are obese. Not just overweight, but obese (20 lbs. or more over their ideal weight). I thought that was sad. Not because I am obsessed with being the perfect weight, but because those kids are starting off life with an uphill battle to be a healthy teenager and adult. Our pediatrician also mentioned the weight epidemic was not limited to a certain social class or race. He believes parents' busy schedules and reluctance to tell their kids 'no' are the main contributors of the problem. It was a good reminder of me that our job as parents is to guide our children to the path that is best for them, not just the easiest -- in all areas of their lives. But don't get me wrong, we enjoy chicken nuggets at our house from time to time. :)

Birthday Day Pics

2011-09-07T21:27:00.001-05:00

Sienna wanted a cupcake for breakfast, so we lit the candles & sang!

So happy!!

"Can I have another one?"

Right after breakfast, she wasted no time getting on her Minnie jacket
and feeding her baby breakfast.

And she quickly moved onto her new art easel.
I think she likes the magnets more than the drawing, at this point in time!

We spent quite a bit of time at the park today... Sienna's fav spot!
It was a gorgeous, perfect day!

Putting on her make-up... a girl's gotta look good on her birthday!

So excited about her birthday and about her lipsticks!!

Taking a bite out of her gigantic sandwich!!

Tickles and kisses from daddy -- the best!

We took her Minnie balloon outside to play. Right after this picture was taken,
Minnie became airborne and floated across the street and over our neighbor's house.
Scott ran to get it, and luckily saved it! Sienna kept saying, "Bye-bye, Minnie!"

Pops and Sienna sharing their birthday and blowing out their candles!

Sienna especially liked licking off the icing!

Party Pics

2011-09-07T21:09:00.001-05:00

Happy birthday, Sienna! She loved all the balloons!

Our little family of three!

We had Minnie shaped hamburgers!

I made a couple bean bag tosses for the kids - a huge hit!

Sienna and Scott watching the bean bag toss fun!
Sienna enjoying a Rice Krispy 'sucker'.
I think she had about 4 that night - sugar high!!!

So excited about her presents!
When we first came upstairs to open presents, she started shrieking
in happiness and running circles around the living room.

THE Minnie Mouse jacket.

As you can see, she was ECSTATIC about it!

Listening to the book Aunt Jenny and Uncle Drew recorded for her.

Opening her new art easel - already getting lots of use!

Feeding her baby. She is obsessed with giving this baby its bottle & paci.

End of the night... dragging around her baby, baby's high chair
and giant Minnie balloon. What more could a girl want?!

A view of the decorations the next morning...
forgot to take many pictures the day of the party!

Two

2011-09-07T20:50:00.002-05:00

Buglet -
You turn two today! Daddy and I are so excited to celebrate you this weekend. We love being your parents; you bring so much love, joy and excitement into our home. You are such a dynamic little girl. You are very determined, and you definitely know what you want. Underneath that determination lays a tender, soft spirit, too. Daddy and I love how sensitive you are, and we love to protect you when you are feeling a little unsure of a situation. You love to be loud, to sing, to dance, to jump on the couch, and to play under the covers in our bed. You love for us to make up funny songs or to sing you new songs. Some of your favorites lately are "My Girl", "The Corduroy Song", "Walking on Sunshine" and "This Little Light of Mine".
Your imagination has really taken off! You love to play in your kitchen and make us all kinds of 'meals'. You also like to put your dolls and stuffed animals in time out. You tell them, "Listen. You no hit." Or, "You no listen to mommy." You like to put your dolly in your shopping cart and pretend to go to Hy-Vee. You wave at me and say, "Bye-bye, Mommy. I go to Hy-Vee (Hy-B) and get a cookie."
You are really into painting and building things. You don't really color that much anymore, but you love to use the watercolors and make little craft projects with me. You also like to paint yourself using mommy's make-up. You are always asking, "Mommy, where my lipstick?" So for your birthday, we bought you a mini make-up set. We hope you don't ever realize it's not real make-up! Even more, I hope you always know that you are beautiful without make-up. And I'm not just saying that because I am your mommy. You are beautiful. Especially when you grin. :)
You are becoming more independent. You are starting to learn how to dress yourself. You keep telling me that you are ready to wear big girl panties, too. And we've talked about saying bye-bye to your paci now that you are two and a big girl. I think it will be hard for you (and for daddy and I) to part with that paci, but it's about time. I hope you aren't sad for too long.
You understand choices and consequences for your actions. You respond well when we give you a choice between two options. And if you aren't ready to do what mommy or daddy has asked, you often put yourself in time out until you are ready to obey. It's so precious! We have to turn our faces away from you, so you don't see us laugh and smile. (In Colorado, you went and sat by a tree in 'time out' until you were ready to cooperate and listen to us. It was so hilarious!)
Along with your fiercely independent side, you have a sweet side that melts both Daddy and I. Just randomly, you will look at us and say, "I love you, Daddy. I love you, Mommy." The other day, you were getting ready to take a bath, and you were playing with my hair and said, "Mommy, you pretty." Then you turned to look at Daddy and said, "Daddy, you old." Ha! You are such a little rascal!
We love you more than you can imagine. Happy second birthday, lovie.
Mommy & Daddy

Rado

2011-08-29T19:00:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, we took a mini-vacation to one of our favorite places in the continental US - Colorado. Sienna kept calling the state, "Rado". Sienna and I flew out by ourselves; Scott was there all week on business. It was a nice break from the Midwest heat, and we love a chance to get away to the mountains. Sienna did great on the trip, especially given that we took her on two plane rides, stayed in two different hotels, and took her up & down in elevation all in about 72 hours. Thank goodness I packed plenty of fruit snacks for the moments of near melt-down. :) Colorado is such a refreshing place, and we really enjoyed our break from normal life!

Checking out Boulder Creek

Putting her feet in the creek -- cold!

Scott & Sienna at Alluvial Fan in Rocky Mountain National Park. She LOVED the waterfall!

Enjoying our lunch of protein bars...

Mountain lake.... Sienna ready for a nap, but we weren't ready to stop exploring yet!

Rejuvenated with goldfish and looking oh-so-cute.

Such a sweet picture of how much they love each other

Didn't really want her picture taken, but it turned out cute & funny anyways!

The water was so clear, we could see the rainbow trout swimming around.

Stopped along side the stream to throw in pine cones, rocks, sticks, etc.

Back in Boulder... petting the lion and enjoying her ice cream cone. Life is good.

First Haircut

2011-08-06T23:27:00.004-05:00

Sienna got her first haircut from Aunt Hannah this weekend! Hannah trimmed a little off the bottom of her hair, and her little curls looks so much better -- no more tangles! :) At first, Sienna was not digging the idea of sitting by herself in the chair, so she sat on my lap. Afterwards, Hannah treated her to a lollipop that tasted like broccoli, according to Sienna. Funny, she ate that lollipop much faster than she eats broccoli.... Thanks, Hannah!

Sitting with mommy

Checking herself out in the mirror

Shy! (But loving Aunt Hannah and the penguin cape!)

Big girl in the chair by herself

eight

2011-07-21T21:55:00.008-05:00

Scott and I celebrated our eight year wedding anniversary on Tuesday! We dated about 5 years before getting married, so technically we've been together over 13 years - wowsa! Anyhow, we had a great time celebrating, going on a date, and reflecting on our past, present & future. I love walking through life with Scott. We have so much fun!!! (Okay, most days... hee, hee.) Here are a few pics from our anniversary and funny things we've been doing lately with Sienna INSIDE to avoid the heat.

Every year, I put on my wedding dress on our anniversary. I think it's sad to only wear a dress that beautiful one day in your life, so I'm aiming to change that! And I'm proud to say that the dress is loose on me - woo hoo! Sienna liked posing with me but was pretty uninterested in the dress.

Sienna loves making a pile of all her animals and then jumping/laying/rolling/running through the pile.

My mother-in-law and mom bought this outfit from our alma matter on our graduation day... here it is in action nearly 10 years later! (It's a size 18 months... so a little snug! It got lost in her closet. Oops!)

Sienna has been running around our house naked a lot lately for two reasons - 1) it's really hot outside 2) she's been peeing on the potty! Here, she is engrossed in Veggie Tales.... the latest song added to her repertoire.

Look at the waves and volume in her hair.... not even 2 years old yet!!!

22 month Sienna-isms

2011-07-14T22:29:00.004-05:00

I am slightly freaking out that Sienna is going to be 2 years old in a couple months... ahhh!!! Anyhow, she has been so stinking cute lately and doing/saying some of the funniest things (Sienna-isms, if you will) that I just have to write down, so we can remember these fleeting moments.

- Her favorite song to sing is "The More We Get Together". She loves to sing this song at the top of her lungs (she accurately sings most of the words) and gallop/skip around in a circle. She will either make her own circle, or she will gallop/skip around an object or a person in the middle of the room. She loves for Scott to play the song on the piano while she dances and sings. "Daddy, play 'More We Get Together'."

- She has learned to jump!! Oh goodness, and she sure is excited to be able to get both her little feet of the ground at once! She's not getting much height in that jump at the moment, but it's precious nonetheless.

- She has started to pick-up some of the slang Scott and I use. Her word this week is 'sure'. So we ask her, "Sienna, do you want yogurt for breakfast?" Her reply - "Yeah, sure." Cracks me up to hear such a casual, grown-up phrase from her little self!

- She wakes up each morning, and she immediately wants to know where everyone is going for the day. "Where we goin'?" She wants to know if it's a work day, a play day, a Kenda (her sitter) day, or a Mommy day. It breaks my heart when it's a work day for both of us, and she says, "No Kenda house. Play Mommy house." Ahhhhh!!!!! Just put a knife through my heart during moments like that! (But then we have other days when I'm not working, and she asks if she can "go play Kenda's house?". Guess I'm not so fun all the time!)

- Her imaginative play has really kicked into gear the past couple months. She LOVES playing with her kitchen set and making Scott and I various food concoctions. She also likes to change her dolly's diaper, take her dolly on a walk in the stroller, and put her dolly to bed.

- We introduced the time out chair a few weeks ago, too. She is definitely testing the boundaries. She obviously does not like time out, but it is effective! It was tough for me to start putting her in time out, but she quickly caught on to the concept and tries to avoid it!

- Sienna understands the concept of being shy. Well, to her, shy means not wanting to talk/touch/recognize a certain person in her midst. She was being 'shy' one night towards my dad.... not letting him hug her, be alone in the same room with her, etc. When we got in the car to go home she said, "Sienna shy PaPa." That little stinker knows what she is doing!!! So we have lots of pep talks on our way to gatherings about not being shy... it seems to work! She will normally say, "Okay, Mommy. Sienna no shy."

Love our little rascal!

Independence Day

2011-07-09T15:55:00.006-05:00

We had a great day celebrating our nation's independence with some good friends. We had a BBQ (complete with fantastic watermelon margaritas), let the kids decorate their own cupcakes, went to the pool, and conducted our own mini-fireworks show. Sienna loved playing with her friends, as did Scott & I, but she was not a fan of the fireworks (sireworks, as she calls them) when they were up-close-and-personal. They were just a wee bit too loud for her baby ears. She didn't want to go inside and miss out on the action. She didn't want me to hold her. She wanted her daddy. So he obligingly held and snuggled her close, so she'd feel safe. Because that's what daddies do.

miss independent

ready for the cupcakes!

quickly resorted to just eating the icing out of the can...

smoke bombs and snakes... the best!

cautious, but excited!

how many kiddos can you squeeze in a wagon? and i love the girls curls in this picture.

Anna Maria Island

2011-06-14T13:50:00.011-05:00

We took our first family vacation to Anna Maria Island, Florida last week. We had such a good time doing nothing but hanging out, relaxing and enjoying the sunshine together. Scott & I loved sharing the beach and ocean with Sienna. We are a beach-loving couple, so it was time to indoctrinate her. :) We rented a house 2 blocks from the beach. So each day, we'd wake up, watch cartoons in our bed, eat breakfast outside on our covered patio, pack up the beach wagon and walk to the beach. We'd play in the ocean and sand for a couple hours, and then we'd head back to our house to have lunch & swim in the pool. Sienna would take a nap (most days), while Scott & I enjoyed the pool. After naps, we'd swim in the pool some more, go to dinner, and then catch the sunset on the beach. The next day - repeat. It was bliss! We took about 200 pictures, so I am going to have to post a couple of different times with pictures.

Sienna LOVED swimming in the ocean and in our pool. She is our water baby. When we were all swimming in the ocean, Sienna would serenade us with whatever song was on her mind. She would sing literally the entire time we were in the ocean. So precious! She loved it when Scott tossed her up in the air, and she wanted to play 'motor boat' all the time. She was pretty unsure about the sand sticking to her feet, legs, arms, etc. on the first day at the beach. She finally came around to the sand the second and third days. She never really liked the fact that it was sticking to her, though.

The island was teeming with wildlife. Every morning, we saw a manatee or a dolphin swim by the beach. We found a starfish in the ocean, as well. Sienna was enamored with the pelicans and sea gulls. (Although, she frequently commented, 'birdies really loud'.) The sea turtles were nesting, so we got to see several nests on the beach.

Waiting for the plane

Looking out the window of the airplane. She did GREAT on the plane... all 3 hours!

Day 1 on the beach. "Dad, I do NOT like the sand!"

The infamous Nemo chair! This chair went everywhere with Sienna -- on the beach, in the pool, in the house, in the wagon, and even on the couch! Notice her feet are not touching the sand. Hee!

We found this stuffed squid in our house... another kid must have left it. Sienna carried him around everywhere, and she called him 'skib'.

Dinner at one of the piers... yummy grouper!

Day 2... She decided it was okay to sit on the sand!

She wanted to show me all her toys in her sand bucket

First sunset family picture.... many more to come!

This one melts my heart

And so does this one

Aren't her eyes as blue as the ocean? This is Sienna's, 'mom, stop taking pictures of me' look. Yes, she already has this look down.

A Sienna sunset

Another sunset... just had to capture this moment with her paci in mouth, drawing in the sand

We did venture off the beach one day to the Mote Aquarium in Sarasota. Sienna loved this baby manatee statue!

Dinner on the marina overlooking the bay

During dinner, three dolphins swam right past our table

Playing a fun game during dinner at the Beach House. This restaurant served pina colada bread - a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

Sienna's favorite color is blue. And her favorite food is ice cream. She was in heaven.

Last sunset

And just b/c I'm on a roll...

2011-05-16T23:25:00.004-05:00

Here's a super cute video of Sienna singing some of her favorite songs, reading some of her favorite books, and playing the "Woody" song on the piano. The girl is OBSESSED with Toy Story 3.

(And... I think 4 posts in one night is going to be my PR.)

Omaha

2011-05-16T22:18:00.007-05:00

This past weekend, we went to Omaha with the Miller fam --- such a fun weekend!! We had such a great time; I think we're both planning a return trip this summer. Everyone says the Omaha zoo is good, but man, they are underselling it. That place is AWESOME! The kids loved it, and so did the adults, which is a rarity. This trip totally took me back to my childhood days. Don't you remember when you'd get to stay at a hotel, and it was such a fun & exciting thing? You'd get giddy thinking about jumping on the beds and having a swimming pool right down the hall? We did all those things, and more! Fun, fun time. And bonus - the kids slept great and were an absolute joy!

The whole crew enjoying dinner in the Old Market on our first night, complete with balloons for the kiddos. After we stuffed ourselves here, we just had to go for ice cream. :)

Sienna in her cover-up after our late night swim. Ordering room service, of course.

"Baby Sienna" and Caden at breakfast.

On the swinging bridge inside the jungle exhibit. Sienna was not walking by herself across this bridge for all the cookies in the world!

With Daddy inside the jungle.

The most unique animal we saw at the zoo - a tapir. Looked like a cross between an anteater and a giant pig.

Getting a good look at the ducks.

Aliyah (Lee-La, as Sienna calls her) and Sienna. These two are buds. And I love it.

In the shark tank!

One of the silver back gorillas. Daniel had a stare down contest with this gorilla. After a few minutes, the gorilla beat his chest and attacked the glass. Intense and fun!

All the kiddos

No trip to the zoo is complete without a ride on the carousel, especially on the cheetah. :)

Our last day, Sienna was very into imitating me. So precious!

Wearing my shoes

Trying on my jacket

Using my flat iron (not turned on, don't worry!)

Happy Mother's Birthday Weekend

2011-05-16T22:09:00.004-05:00

No, the title is not a mis-print. My birthday was the Saturday before Mother's Day, so we had a FULL weekend of celebrating me. I loved it. :) Scott did a great job making me feel special; he's so good at that. Here are just a few sweet pictures of the day that I want to capture. Buglet, I love being your momma.

Playing in her sandbox. Sienna's not such a fan of sand, which could throw a wrench into our upcoming beach vaca. Eeks!

Sweet girl enjoying her popsicle. I really do just want to freeze her in time these days.

Brain freeze!! (And a clothes pin is a miracle for push-up popsicles when you little one has not learned how to squeeze up the ice!)

Making homemade ice cream for me; my ultimate indulgence!

New York, New York

2011-05-16T21:36:00.005-05:00

Scott and I left the little munchkin at home with the grandparents for a trip out to NYC to visit Kyle and Hannah. We had a great time! The weather was awesome; as Kyle and Hannah said, Spring is the best time in the city. The cherry blossoms were in bloom in Central Park, the city felt clean, and New Yorkers seemed to have a bit of extra pep. Kyle definitely has the hook-ups with his chef status; we enjoyed a couple free dinners, got into this really great speak-easy (BEST mixed drinks I've ever had -- coupled with a great atmosphere), by-passed an entrance line for a bar, and somehow scored free drinks at that same bar. Love rolling with my bro. :)

We took in a Yankees game - great seats and beautiful weather. Scott loves the Yankees, so it was fun to see their new stadium.

We went to a rooftop bar one night that had an amazing view of the Empire State Building. Isn't my hubby such a cutie? :)

Sibs! (Grant & Mel live in NYC, so we got to see them, too!)

Central Park with the Plaza Hotel serving as a backdrop

Brothers enjoying a favorite pastime of cigar smoking, while Hannah and I take one for the team and endure the smoke. :) Minutes after this picture was taken, we saw breaking news on TV about Osama bin Laden being killed. Scott suggested we go down to Ground Zero; we didn't know such a huge crowd was gathering at that very moment.

This was the crowd gathered at Ground Zero to celebrate the death of bin Laden. Since it was 2 AM, the crowd was pretty young & boisterous. New Yorkers were celebrating that night-- definitely a sense of unity in the city.

Another shot of the crowd -- you can see the World Trade Center memorial under construction in the background.

This guy climbed a street sign to wave an American flag high over the crowd. And my favorite sign of the evening is in the bottom right hand corner of this picture. "Obama 1, Osama 0."

Easter

2011-05-03T13:35:00.004-05:00

We had a great Easter! We went to church on Sunday and had an amazing worship experience led by our good friend, Daniel Miller. Afterwards, our little family of three enjoyed lunch together. That evening, we had our family over for dinner and an egg hunt. Sienna loved everything about Easter... her new dress (picked out by Scott before she was even born), her Easter basket, the music at church, and her egg hunt.

The world always seems a little brighter on Easter Sunday, as we focus on the sacrifice & resurrection of Jesus Christ that brought hope, peace, love and salvation into our lives.

Sienna LOVED dying eggs. We had it all set-up when she woke up from her nap, and she was so excited.

She liked to throw the eggs into the dye. We predicted throwing would happen, thus the tarp. I love when we're able to think ahead like that.... not often, but love it when it happens. And turns out there's a bonus to thrown eggs. They crack and make a cool design when dyed.... almost like a stained glass look. :)

Scott & Sienna. She loves her daddy. Scott bought this dress for Sienna before she was born, when we found out we were having a baby girl.

(Sienna is playing her Toy Story harmonica... she would not part with it.)

LOVE this picture... our little musician.

She requested to have her picture taken with Maddie.

Egg hunt. Sienna didn't really grasp the concept. Once she spotted an egg, she would drop her basket, run to the egg, open it, eat the candy, throw the egg on the ground, and run to the next one!

Putting her eggs back in the basket after the candy is all gone.

"It's Just Another Day...

2011-04-22T14:06:00.007-05:00

.... with you and me in paradise." That Phil Collins song has been playing over and over in my head as I sit down to write this post. While we do have trying moments with Sienna like any parent, we have really been loving this phase with Sienna. Here are a few moments of paradise we've been sharing together lately...

Sienna's first popsicle made from grape, sugar free Kool-Aid

Had to move outside b/c the popsicle was dripping everywhere. She was making sure Maddie did not get a lick!

Cheers! (Pardon the white legs... those are brutal.)

Pops came over for a visit one evening. Sienna ran up to him, turned to Scott and I and said, "bye mommy, bye daddy." When Pops said he was here to play, she about had a major meltdown. So, Pops put her in the car & took her to Hy-Vee to get a cookie. You'd think she was going to Disney World because of her excitement!

Sitting on the step with Pops after their trip to Hy-Vee. Happy, happy!

Speaking of paradise, Scott hiked the Grand Canyon with a few of his buddies last weekend. The pictures and stories are incredible!

Sienna and I had a make-up session today. I put a few of my old cosmetics in a bag for her that we now call "Sienna's make-up bag". Her favorite cosmetics thus far are lip gloss (mint flavored, of course) and powder. Go for the basics, girl! Ha, ha. She LOVES putting on 'meek-up".

Pouty lips

So excited!

We had an exciting moment at our house last night. Right before bed, Sienna told us, "poo-poo potty". She has never specifically asked to go pee/poo on the potty, but we took her downstairs to her potty chair since this seemed different. She started tugging at her pajamas, so we took them off & she sat on her potty. After about 2 tries, she peed about a teaspoon in the potty! Woo hoo!! We are not starting potty training, but it looks like she is getting more interested. Go, Sienna!

Happy birthday, Scott!

2011-04-03T20:33:00.009-05:00

Scott celebrated his, um, err.... 27th birthday today! Happy birthday to my favorite person in the world! We took a lot of great pictures today (and a video, too) - enjoy!

Unwrapping presents with Daddy

We had fun playing with the hose outside before dinner. (It was sunny and 80 degrees today... hooray for a sneak-peak of summertime!)

Sienna was super excited when she got to hold the hose!

Immediately, she took a drink and began to soak herself.... much to her great delight! (Her dress is tucked into her bloomers... that's not some weird onesie outfit.)

"He-ye-go, Daddy." (That's Sienna-speak for 'here you go, Daddy'.)

So excited about the water and about Daddy's birthday!

I adore you, Sienna.

So happy!

Sienna was literally shrieking out loud!!!

Love this picture of her!

A fantastic family picture -- too bad we don't have any mass mailing/cards to send out! (And this is Sienna saying, "cheese!".)

Earlier this week, my mom-in-law (Marilyn) came over to help me make Scott's Grammy's cherry pie for his birthday. This is not such a great pic of either of us, but it preserves the fun memory! (And BTW -- you MUST cover your pie in an air-tight container. Otherwise, you will likely take the non-air-tight lid off and find that ants have overtaken your pie. And then you will be up very late the night before the celebration making another pie. Just sayin'.)

This video was shot post-water hose fun... Sienna has taken off her soaking wet dress and is mesmerized by the sprinklers! She also tells Scott happy birthday! (Big stuff, saying those 4 word sentences at 18 months old!)

G

2011-03-27T20:05:00.012-05:00

A great man met his Savior tonight. Our family weeps because we miss him, but celebrates in knowing he is at peace. Knox Williams, "G", was the ultimate grandpa. He was incredibly lovable. You know the saying, "he has a twinkle in his eye"? I never really believed that saying until I met G. He had a zest for life and an authentic, deep, rich love for his family that gave him that twinkle in his eye. He lit up every time we got to see him. Literally, it felt like he dropped everything the moment we stepped into the room, and all his attention was on us. It felt so good, so reassuring, so comforting. We will miss that terribly. I will miss his trademark, infectious laugh. I will miss his gentle calm. I will miss his happy-go-lucky personality. I will miss him telling Sienna, "you are such a cutie".

My first memory of G was actually before I even met Scott. I went to the same church as G when I was a teenager, and our church put on a Christmas pageant every year. For many years, G played one of the three wise men. Each wise man had an entourage of 'extras'. My first year in the pageant, I was assigned to Knox Williams' entourage. I was very excited because everyone said he was the best, and nicest, wise man. I remember being in awe of G during the pageant performances and thinking what a cool guy he was. Little did I know that I would get to know the tender, soft heart of this man later on in my life. What a blessing.

Scott has many, many other fond memories of G.... to try and count them would be impossible. They were best buds -- raising a dog, two snakes, and a duck together. Fixing (and tinkering with) things in the garage together. Playing Nintendo in the basement together. Eating Granny's fried chicken and brownies together. Making fun of Dave/Dad together. Talking about how much they love Sienna and love one another. I thank God for giving my husband G as a role model... a strong, yet quiet and gentle leader, with a tender and humongous heart.

2005

In the hospital the night Sienna was born

Thanksgiving 2010

So cute!

2011-03-26T22:40:00.005-05:00

Just an update through pictures of our cutie. (And happy birthday, Karla!)

One night, Sienna would not go to bed until Lexie sat in her rocking chair with her. What a nut!

Look at that face! So. stinkin'. cute.

She loves her Minnie pj's from Gramma!

Pretty girl

Happy St. Pat's! She wore that head band with pom-poms nearly all day! (Sienna loves playing in our shower...)

She loves wearing mommy's necklaces... so appropriate on St. Pat's.

Unwinding with a good book after a fun-filled St. Patty's!

More Sienna Nicknames

2011-03-13T21:33:00.002-05:00

One of the most popular pages of our blog is the posting of Sienna's nicknames. Since that post is over a year-old, I thought I'd post an update. I wanted Sienna to have several nicknames, and she sure does. Only a couple are derived from her name, which I love because I think her full name is beautiful!

Bee. (Still used, but not as often.)
Buglet.
SiSi. (I came around to this one after my sister started calling Sienna this.)
Punkin'.
Sweetie.
Si-Bee. (Maybe my fav!)
Rascal.
Paci-lover.
Angel.

18 months

2011-03-05T21:28:00.016-06:00

Sienna is a year and a half! Some of our favorite Sienna-isms at this age...

She has become so snuggly! Most mornings, she wakes up and spends some time cuddling in bed with Scott and I before we start the day. She also likes to give us big bear hugs, especially if we've been away from each other for the day.
She is obsessed with the word 'broke'. This started when she threw her crayons on the floor, and they broke. Now, it's her favorite word for everything that has a part missing, is torn, or just appears like trash. She likes to tear things and make them 'broke' on purpose, too.
Since she started putting two words together, she has started to express her emotions. She has started telling us what she wants from us - "Mommy, dontairs (downstairs)" - and how she feels "la lou (love you), Daddy", "Daddy home".
Her love of singing continues. Her newest thing is to sing Ring Around the Rosy to herself, while spinning in a circle. She has just learned how to 'fall down' --- who knew you had to learn how to purposely fall down?!
Her vocab grows every day. Her pronunciation is pretty good, but she does say some funny things -- here are some of our favs.

birdy: boo-dee

goldfish: golnish

swing: sing; sing-a

smoothie: snootie

grapes: gapes

cracker: cracky

Pops: pop-ths (the 'ths' is generally said with a lot of tongue & spit... hee, hee.)

ribbit: libbit (pronounced LEE-bit)

help: hulp

doggie: goggie

elephant: elelant

ring around the rosy: wing-a-poc-a-woah-see

She is trying desperately to jump! She likes for us to sing Hop Like a Bunny, and she tries to hop. Her hopping mostly consists of scissor kicks and raising up on her toes in an attempt to get off the ground.

Sienna had her 18 month check-up Friday. She got three shots and won't need another shot until she goes to Kindergarten... that seems so far away! Here are her stats:

Height: 33.5" (90th percentile)

Weight: 26 lbs. 11 oz. (80th percentile)

Speech development: 2 years old

Sib Visits!

2011-02-27T14:33:00.008-06:00

This past week, Scott and I got to see some of our favorite people... our siblings! Kyle and Hannah came to KC for an extended weekend, and I traveled to Northern CA to see Karla (and Matt for a bit). It does our souls well to hug on our siblings and spend some time with them.

Kyle, Hannah & Sienna. She loved seeing these two! She is still talking about them today! She thinks any girl with long, brown hair is Aunt Hannah -- too cute!

Sooooo happy! She was outside playing ball with Kyle, Hannah, Daddy, Pops & Grandma.... heard they all had a great time!

Having fun at dinner with Gramma, Grampa, Kyle, Hannah, Scott & I

I definitely was sad to leave Scott & Sienna to travel to California, but I was excited to have some time with just my sister. I got to see their new town, and we traveled to Sausalito, Muir Woods & Napa Valley. We had such a good time! Nothing is as good as having a sister for your bestie.

Sausalito... insanely beautiful town right across the San Francisco Bay. It really does feel like a little piece of Italy from the shops, to the food, to the scenery (reminded me a little of our time in the Almalfi Coast). We had lunch right on the water & then some shopping.

That's San Fran in the distance.

We drove up to Muir Woods and did a 3 mile hike through the redwood forrest... beautiful & so much fun!

My co-worker lent me her Joby (best invention ever --- definitely want one for my b-day), which allowed us to take so many fun pics together.

Failed picture with the Joby... but you see the fun we had!

At the top of our hike.... we had a gorgeous view of the mountains and of the ocean (right, Karla?).

In Napa.... lots of good wine & good food!

Sentences... and other fun times with our chatterbox

2011-02-11T21:38:00.009-06:00

Sienna hit a big milestone this week! She has started putting two words together. Her first two words smashed together were "Mommy Dadda". The video quality is bad (me trying to video on Scott's blackberry while we are driving at night... not a great idea), but the sound quality is awesome. Just tonight, Sienna also said, "I love cookies". We were laughing so hard!!!! Her language development keeps on speeding ahead, and it is so nice to be able to communicate fairly easier with her, especially at such a young age.

(I have to take a moment to brag... Sienna's language development is already at a two year old's level! I think she can say about 100+ words... literally. And our PAT contact said her articulation is better than almost any child she's met at this age. So either she's going to be a writer, editor, speaker, or President of the United States... ha! Okay, thanks for letting me have a proud mommy moment. Isn't it crazy how kids develop so differently?!)

We had friends over to watch the Superbowl last Sunday, and Sienna loved playing the kids (Caden & Aliyah). Sienna followed Aliyah (who is 8 months older) the whole night. When she wasn't in the same room with Aliyah, Sienna would say "Le-la? Le-la?" The kids also played ring-around-the-rosy... we captured their cuteness on video.

Sienna's love of the song Old MacDonald continues. She usually wakes up singing the song in her crib, and she likes to sing it in the car, as well. The below video is of Sienna singing "e-i-o" in the car one night... plus some other colorful commentary from her on the car light, her shoes, etc. :)

This is SUCH a fun age!

Snow days

2011-02-03T23:12:00.012-06:00

This week, we've been snowed in (with nearly the rest of the country) thanks to the blizzard of 2011. The snow started coming down on Tuesday, and I didn't make it out of the house for work on Tuesday (my day off, anyhow) or Wednesday. We've had a lot of fun being couped up together as our little family of three. Scott had a trip planned to Chicago that he cancelled, and it's been such a treat to have him home all week! I was a little worried that we'd go stir-crazy not being able to get out of the house, but we've just had to get creative!

Sienna has learned to do head stands! (Well, almost!)

We've watched Toy Story 3 (or "Buzz", as Sienna calls it) every day. Well, at least 20 - 30 minutes of it. Sienna's attention span does not tolerate an entire movie at this point in her life! Her favorite part of the movie is the opening scene, and also she likes to dance to the music during the ending credits.

We also checked out a ton of new books at the library. Sienna's has two favorites. She likes for us to sing, rather than read, "I'm a Little Teapot" with Scott playing along on the piano. Her other fav is "Old MacDonald". The book came with a CD, and she will run over to the CD player and exclaim, "e-i, e-i"! She likes to shake her booty to the song while flipping through the book... quite the multi-tasker!

Dancing to Old MacDonald while holding onto her 'colors'.

We've also had fun playing dress up with my jewelry. Sienna calls my necklaces 'pretties', and she loves to wear them around her neck, and on her arms. She loves to put on the necklaces, and then go 'show' Scott.

Eating snow & wearing her 'pretties'.

On our second snow day, we really had to start getting creative. So, I gave Sienna some chocolate pudding, and let her 'paint' the bathtub walls. I saw this on a TV show once (think it was John & Kate Plus 8), and it looked like fun. Sienna loved it! I think she ended up eating more than painting, but who can blame her!

Just getting started...

Decided that eating the pudding was better than painting with it!

Figured out she could lick the pudding off the tub!

Finished with the pudding, back to her bath toys!

That same day, we built a tent out of bed sheets in our living room. Sienna loved to take her basket of plastic food underneath, dump it out, fill it up, dump it out... you get the picture. She also thought it was hilarious when Maddie would get under the tent.

Sienna was intent on getting a taste of snow each time Scott or I would go out to shovel the driveway. The girl loves to eat snow! (Also, Sienna had a lot of her other favorite snack, 'cracky' (a.k.a. saltine cracker), this week. Why does being cooped up inside all day make you want to eat more?!?

She was so excited to go outside!

We got about 12" of snow.

We also did a lot of playing chase, playing with her 'dino' (Sienna's gigantic plastic T-Rex), coloring, going down the slide in our basement, stacking blocks to make 'castles', and playing 'Ring Around the Rosy' ('ashes', as Sienna calls it).

All in all, it has been a fantastic week. Lots of family fun time! Hope you all are staying warm -- it was -6 degrees here this morning! Burrrrrrrrrrrr............

Bye-bye sugar

2011-01-26T11:56:00.007-06:00

Nope, not saying goodbye to anyone. Just to sugar.
Accountability. My favorite love/hate word. I am diverting from my usual blog posts about our family (lacking, lately, I know) to insert some accountability into my life about what I eat for the next 2 weeks.
What's your food addiction? Mine is sugar. Processed sugar... in the form of baked goods, candy, and 'protein' bars, especially. For the next 2 weeks (I started on Monday), I am detoxing from processed sugars. In all seriousness, my body needs a sugar detox. I literally crave sweets, and it's a scary place where you feel like you HAVE TO HAVE something sweet or you can't focus on anything else.
I am attempting to write down what I eat and put it on here each day. (Plus, I try to drink 60 - 80 oz. of water each day & exercise 2 - 3 days/week.) So if you're not interested, tune back in a couple weeks for life as usual on the blog. (I really need to put together a Christmas post on here...) If you want to join me, please do!! I could use the team support!

Monday:
Don't remember most of what I ate, but I was pretty good. Two slip-ups - 1) At 9 AM, I ate half a tootsie roll before I remembered I wasn't supposed to be eating sugar. 2) I ate too many SunChips when I got home.

Tuesday:
Small bowl of Kashi Go Lean
Coffee
1/2 sandwich
Handful of SunChips
Apple
3 crackers (had to have some while Sienna was having her favorite 'cracky' snack, too)
Spinach-Chicken enchilada (healthy version - no cheese sauce!) & black beans
Fruit
SunChips (I really wanted a protein bar, instead. I think I need to get these chips out of my house....)
Coke Zero

Wednesday (so far):
Coffee w/skim milk
salmon fillet
sweet potato
fruit
went out for dinner... had chips & salsa (not too many) and chicken fajitas. Turned down sopapillas!
looked for vacation places on-line at home & munched on too many pretzels

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2010-12-19T23:34:00.001-06:00

Dave and Susan started an awesome tradition this year. Each year around Christmas, they are throwing a "Happy Birthday Jesus" party for all their grandchildren. They are keeping the kids overnight, making Jesus a birthday cake, and doing lots of fun activities. Sienna is the only grandchild thus far, but I know Pops & Grandma are looking forward to more munchkins joining this event. For now, they will just have to spoil Sienna! She had such a great time, and Scott and I enjoyed a date night to finish up our Christmas shopping.

Sienna LOVES Grandma's manger

Tracing her hand... heard this took a few tries!

They used her hand tracing to make a Christmas tree. Grandma then helped her finger paint ornaments. Such a good keepsake!

Stirring the cake mix

Tasting the cake mix!

Reading a book with Grandma before bed. (Notice the picture of Sienna from last Christmas in the background!)

Watching a video with Aunt Anne (home from college & got to join in on the party) before bed.

Making a pine cone bird feeder with Pops. Sienna LOVES to watch the birds with Pops.

Music lesson from Pops. Love both of their expressions.

Jesus' finished birthday cake!

So magical through her eyes

2010-12-17T23:07:00.008-06:00

As many of you parents know, the Christmas holiday is so magical seen through a child's eyes. We've loved watching Sienna soak in all the sights and sounds of the season this year.

When Christmas lights were first turned on around our neighborhood, she said "whoa!" every time we drove past some one's house with lights. For the first few nights, she would stand by the front door and insist on going outside to see the neighborhood Christmas lights before bedtime. So Scott would oblige, and he'd put her shoes on over her footie pajama's for a stroll around the neighborhood. Those nights are such precious memories.

We've had fun taking her down to the Plaza for dinner a couple of nights. She likes the lights, but she loves the horses giving carriage rides the best.

We've also had fun teaching Sienna a few Christmas songs. Some of her favorites are Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Jingle Bells, and Silent Night. After we sang Jingle Bells to Sienna a few times, she quickly caught on to the part of the song she could participate in. Check out the video to see Sienna's part. (And sorry in advance for our over-excited singing voices!)

Since we're on the subject of Sienna learning to talk, we've been asking her to repeat several words after us. I'd estimate that she can say somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 words pretty distinctly. She has down the m, d, b, t, a, l, n, and p sounds. The newest word she has learned is "NO"! It is so cute to hear her say it! We know we shouldn't encourage it, but it's so stinking cute to hear her little voice be assertive. :)

In other news, Sienna suffered her first injury a week ago. We were at the park, and she tripped while on some playground equipment. It took me about an hour to figure out that her unwillingness to play and her fussiness probably meant that her little trip produced more than a little ouch. (Her blood-curdling cry when I made her stand on her own was my first clue. So sad.) We went to the doctor and took some x-rays. What we thought was a fracture ended up only being a really bad sprain. So Sienna resorted back to crawling for a few days. Other than seeming annoyed by being slowed down by the crawling, she did remarkably well. I just felt horrible! Luckily the sprain healed quickly, and she is back to running around like the energizer-bunny we all know & love.

All dressed up for dinner with mom & dad on the Plaza. (Her cute onesie is designed by Squeaks & Beeps, which is one of my co-workers fabulous children's clothing line.)

What do you do to keep a toddler entertained at the dinner table? Why, you let them pick your nose! (Okay, gross, we know. But Sienna has just discovered you can stick things in your nose, and we think it's funny.)

Or, you can read books... our favorite thing to do while dining out.

Sienna's first bunny ears pic!

Seriously!?!? Love this face!

"Writing" a letter to Santa while waiting in line to visit Mr. Claus.

Dancing on a chair & showing off her cute outfit - complete with jingle bell necklace that I wore as a kid.

Finally gets to sit on Santa's lap! She wasn't so sure of Santa... no tears, but no smiles.

Aunt Kitty is in town! Yea!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T08:21:00.010-06:00

Of all the things we are grateful for, our family and friends top the list. This Thanksgiving week, we got to spend time with some of our favorite people. We're so grateful for all the love we have in our lives, and we're excited for the start of the holiday season! We are very much looking forward to watching Sienna experience this time of year. (She already LOVES the Christmas lights. She says, "Whoa!" every time we see lights on a house/building/tree, etc.)

Four generations of Williams'

Sienna laughing with Great Granny and Great G

The girl loves her pumpkins

Cutie pic of Sienna.... not sure about the rest of us! : )

Gathered around the illegal fire pit, trying to stay warm!

Fun times

Sienna started feeding herself with the spoon this evening. She LOVED Pops' chili!

Such a happy, messy, little girl!

Rubbing her chili stained hands together in satisfaction

Watching Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving with Aunt Jenny

Preston, Cosette & Sienna posing in front of the Christmas trees at Union Station. They loved looking at the trees and the trains.

Playing with the blocks at Union Station

They are all getting so big!!

Sienna and I looking at the 50' Christmas tree in Crown Center square. It's beautiful!

Sienna was entranced by the fountains and lights.

Halloween!

2010-11-01T22:25:00.010-05:00

Sienna has a new love.... CANDY! Seriously, she loved Halloween. The day before Halloween, Lee's Summit hosted a Halloween parade downtown. About 600 costumed kiddos and pets paraded up 3rd Street; it was so much fun! Sienna loved seeing all the kids dressed up, and she was all about the parade.... smiling, talking, waving and saying 'hi' to everyone. Scott, Sienna, Maddie and I all dressed up as bumble bees. For our clever costumes, we earned 3rd place in the 'cutest family' category! Go, us! The grandparents came down to parade with our family and cheer us (Sienna) on. It was a great morning!

On Halloween, we took Sienna trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. A little before we left our house to hit the neighborhood, Sienna found our bowl of candy for the trick-or-treaters. Before I knew it, she bit through a Butterfinger and came to 'show' me. She had a huge smile on her face and was saying "yummmmmm"! So stinking cute. Thus, her love of candy was born.

After a the first couple of houses, Sienna really caught onto the trick-or-treating thing. In fact, she tried to take handfuls of candy at each house instead of one or two pieces! We only made it to about 8 or 9 houses. At each house, Sienna sauntered up the driveway and ogled at all the yard decorations (Halloween and non-Halloween), admired the kids around her at each house, posed for several pictures from grandparents, mommy & daddy, and collected her candy. (I would say trick-or-treat, Sienna would just stand there with big, wide eyes!) With candy in hand (not in her bucket), Sienna would run back down the driveway and climb into her red wagon to warm up in a nest of warm blankets. We'd stroll onto the next house, pause for conversation & pictures with neighbors, and repeat the same process. It was the best!

Once we got home, it was Sienna's normal bedtime. But she was way too far into a sugar high, and she was not about to miss out on passing out candy to the trick-or-treaters at our house. She she stayed outside with Scott and I, mostly trick-or-treating our own candy bowl over and over again. Occasionally she would give a piece of candy to a trick-or-treater, but mostly she was focused on biting through a KitKat bar. (She was successful. We had to save the wrapper from her throat towards the end of the night.)

Scott and I were surprised how much Sienna really understood the whole Halloween and trick-or-treating process, but I guess we shouldn't have been... she is a quick study! Hope you all had a happy Halloween!

Pumpkin cup from Nana... complete with straw. Loved it!

Going up to her first house to trick-or-treat

She very quickly learned what trick-or-treating was all about... free candy!

Sienna and her friend, Emma

Riding in her wagon between houses

Eating chocolate with Pops

Cutie with her heart bumble bee wings

Posing with Grandma, Grandpa & her Kit Kat after all the trick-or-treating

Posing with Grandma, Pops & her sucker after all the trick-or-treating

Fam pic

A bumble bee costume, sucker, Kit Kat and glow necklace... what else could a girl want?

Sienna loved picking up her little pumpkin and carrying it around.

Belly Button!

2010-10-30T20:41:00.004-05:00

Sienna has found her belly button! (She discovered it at Buffalo Wild Wings while dining with daddy.)

In the past couple weeks, Sienna has also learned how to go down the stairs on her tummy. We thought she had that mastered, but she snuck past us today and took a tumble down our first flight of stairs. Luckily she was not seriously hurt... just bumped her head and scared herself (and us)! Ah the joys of learning to be mobile!

A trip to the Ozarks

2010-10-25T22:30:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, we took a trip to Branson with my parents. It was a beautiful weekend.... great weather, lots of relaxation and plenty of good memories. On Friday, we spent the day at Silver Dollar City. Sienna loved all the people, pumpkins, scarecrows, leaves and the kiddie rides. We loved watching Sienna enjoy a new experience and loved all the tasty food. :)

On Saturday, my mom, Sienna and I went shopping at the outlet mall while the guys went trout fishing. On Sunday, we hit up a couple of local wineries before heading to dinner and then heading home.

We spent both nights at Branson Landing. Sienna was mesmerized by the fountains & fire display. (The same company that designed the fountains at the Bellagio in Vegas designed the fountains at Branson Landing.) We had ice cream both nights at this great do-it-yourself soft-serve place. Fantastic concept. Hope we get one soon in KC. Miss Sienna loved the ice cream and staying up past her normal bedtime. :)

She did great on this trip. She was a happy camper in her car seat on the ride to and from Kansas City. When she started to get antsy, our portable DVD player was a perfect distraction. She loved watching 'Monsters Inc.'! She also slept great in her pack & play in her own room in our condo. What a difference in her ability to adapt to change between this trip and the last trip we took with her when she was 5 months old!

Williams family pic!

Add in Nana and Papa... looks like Sienna was distracted by all the pumpkins.

Posing for a pic at the candy shoppe.... Sienna was more intrigued by the two old women making peanut brittle.

Sienna loved saying 'hi' to everyone who passed by... just love her to pieces! Such has such a sweet, outgoing little personality.

Sienna's favorite ride. There was a button she could push to raise our 'bug' up and down. She was literally shrieking with laughter the entire ride. So cute! (I barely fit in the back of the 'bug'!)

Scott and Sienna in the frog ride. It was hopping so high that Scott had to hold onto Sienna so she didn't fly out! Sienna was super excited to ride this one, but I think she was a bit overwhelmed to be on the ride versus watching from behind the fence!

Gathering all the leaves. Sienna would gather a whole bunch of leaves and come 'give' them to me. She also likes to tear off small pieces of one leaf and 'give' them to me.

Sienna is obsessed with pointing to eyes lately. Sometimes she gets a little aggressive and almost pokes your eye out! Ha. She is a passionate little girl.

Chilling with mommy on the train ride.

Sticking her head out the train to get a better look at the scenery. She LOVED the choo-choo train.

Waving 'hi'..... a favorite pastime. :)

Taking it all in....

This was Sienna after a failed attempt at a nap in the stroller. She ripped off her shoes & socks while attempting to nap. Seriously tired, but still clapping and enjoying the snowmen. :)

(A nap in the stroller was a pipe dream, but I figured it was worth a shot! Should've known Sienna would be more interested in seeing everything around her versus napping. Those of you that have stroller nappers... what's your secret?!? LOL.)

Pointing at PaPa's nose on the tram ride to the car. (Scott jumped out of the moving tram to get one of Sienna's shoes that had gone overboard. Come to find out... the shoe was just hiding in the floorboard of the tram. Whoops! Thanks for the effort, though, Scott.)

A running kind of day

2010-10-16T12:56:00.002-05:00

Today was the KC Marathon; the weather and results could not have been better!! It was a crisp 55 degrees and sunny at the start of the race -- perfect running weather. (Only downside was it was pretty windy, but that kept us cool.)

Scott ran the half marathon today. Drum roll please.... his time was under 2 hours! I believe his official time was 1 hour and 56 minutes, which is 13 minutes faster than his previous half marathon time. I ran the 5k, and then got to watch Scott cross the finish line. I was so proud of him that I almost cried! It was awesome to watch him achieve one of his goals. I even managed to grab a pic of Scott nearing the finish line while I was cheering (screaming) him on and giving him a high five!

Update on our little pumpkin

2010-10-13T07:25:00.004-05:00

Almost a month has gone by since my last posting.... perhaps influenced by the subconscious (now conscious) notion that I was committed to this blog for the first year of Sienna's life. We'll see how year 2 plays out.

Anyhow, lately our family has been enjoying the Fall weather and all the festivities that happen around KC this time of year. We took Sienna to the Plaza Art Fair in late September; she loved it. The crowd of people energized Sienna, and she especially enjoyed dancing to the live music. So cute to see a little one year old shake her booty.... as well as she can. Ha! We also took Sienna to the pumpkin patch. She LOVES pumpkins. We tell her, "Sienna, give that pumpkin a kiss." And she walks right up to the pumpkin and plants a big one on it. (She is not so generous with kisses for Scott and I... what gives?!) In the pumpkin patch, Sienna likes to try and pick-up all the pumpkins. It's hilarious to watch her try and pick up the bigger ones. She is determined!

In the past month, Sienna has been working on her animal noises. She can make the animal noises for a lion, monkey, kitty and dog. It's so darn cute! I will have to try and get it on camera.

I'll add some pictures later to this post, so check back. We have some cute ones at the pumpkin patch. I hear her waking up (sleeping in this morning), so we've got to do breakfast and then head out of here!

Loving the pumpkins

Surrounded!

"Whoa! Look at all these pumpkins!"

Cosette and Sienna

Preston and Sienna chillin' in the stroller on the way to the big pumpkin patch

Sienna loved the hayride

Pointing at all the pumpkins on the hayride with Scott

Finally in the patch.... "I see a pumpkin!"

"Yeah! Found one!"

"Now I will kiss it."

Scott and a very happy Sienna

Family pic atop a hay barrel

Eating Mexican one night... Sienna loves black beans.

Eating a snack at her favorite little table

Sharing a snack with Maddie, who is always around for the handout

Our vaca!

2010-09-19T10:37:00.010-05:00

Scott and I just returned from a FANTASTIC vacation.... all by ourselves! We went to Amelia Island, Florida. We had a great time just relaxing, sleeping in (10 AM wake-ups, how I've missed you), laying by the pool, going to the spa, enjoying leisurely dinners, reading books (I read 3!), and reconnecting.

It was hard to leave Sienna initially, but we knew she was in good hands here at home with our parents. (THANKS, parents!!!! We couldn't have gone without you guys here at home to watch our baby girl.) Once we were there, we definitely missed Sienna, but it was so great to just have a bunch of days to focus on each other.

Enjoy a few pics of our vaca....

Cheering on our Chiefs during Monday night football.

Dinner at 29 South, one of the quaint restaurants on the island. All the cuisine on the island has a unique fusion of southern cooking and seafood/Florida cuisine.

At the marina

We charted a fishing boat one day. Scott caught the first fish - a hammerhead shark!

Better pic of the shark. He also caught a larger black tip reef shark, but it bit off the line before we could get it in the boat.

Scott and I reeling in the big ones!

Here they are - bull red fish! They weighed about 40 - 50 lbs. each! It was fun to catch them! (And yes, I reeled that big thing in all by myself!)

I caught about 4 sting rays. This was the largest of them... a 25 lbs. lemon sting ray. I was scared to hold it this close to me!

Enjoying a few drinks after our fishing excursion at a bar that overlooks the beach.

A view of our hotel from our room. We loved the pool, pool-side bar, and beach. Amelia Island has one of the best beaches for shell hunting.

Sienna's one year stats

2010-09-19T10:14:00.003-05:00

Sienna had her one week check-up a week or so ago; here are her stats.

Height: 30.5" (80th percentile)

Weight: 23 lbs. 8 oz. (80th percentile)

Our doctor says Sienna has the motor and language development of an 18 month old. Most 18 month olds can say 5 - 10 words. At 12 months, Sienna uses about 8 words on a consistent basis.

Momma/Mom

Dada/Daddy (Dah-ee)

Uh-oh

Whoa

Wow

Maddie (Mah-ee)

Papa/Pop-Pop

Some of our favorite Sienna-ism's at one year old are:

- Giving Maddie kisses. If we tell Maddie to give Sienna and kiss and Sienna to give Maddie a kiss, 9 times out of 10 they will walk towards each other and kiss. It's precious!

- Tupperware. Sienna is in the tupperware cabinet at least 3 times a day pulling out bowls and lids. Lately, she's started even putting them back in the cabinet. I wonder how many times your tupperware can be pulled onto the kitchen floor before it's considered dirty?

- Swings. Sienna has always loved to swing, but she LOVES the park swings. She normally throws a fit when we have to get her out of the swing to leave the park... even if she's been in the swing for a half hour!

- Pillow pile. We put all the pillows and blankets in the middle of our floor, and Sienna loves to 'jump/fall' on the pile of pillows. She just laughs and wants to do it all over again!

- Stuffed animals. Similar to the pillows, Sienna loves getting all her stuffed animals together and snuggling them. She does this first thing every morning when she wakes up. It's so cute!

- Riding forward in her car seat. A few weeks ago, we turned her car seat around, and she loves it! She likes to call our names to get us to turn around and look at her. Once we do, she cracks up laughing.

- Grinding her teeth. She's had several teeth come in lately (4 on top; 2 on bottom), and she likes to grind her new top teeth against her bottom teeth. I can't stand the sound!

- Breakfast and dinner. These are Sienna's favorite meals. For breakfast, she always has a banana, yogurt & scrambled egg with cheese. For dinner, the entrees vary! She's still a pretty adventurous eater.

- Books. She loves to walk over to her bookshelf and pull book after book off the shelf. Then she likes to get back in the nook in her bedroom and read the books.

- Mickey. The obsession with the mouse continues. We watch the intro to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse at least once a day.

- Music. Sienna LOVES music. She's even started to quasi-dance to it.

- Stacking & Nesting. Sienna loves to stack blocks and put smaller objects into larger ones. Her favorite is taking magnets off the fridge and putting them inside her toy kitchen set... particularly the microwave!

Sienna has stopped crawling, which is kind of sad. Since we've returned from vacation, I haven't seen her crawl. She's all about the walking, and doing it on her own.

She still wears size 4 diapers, and she is between a size 12 month and 18 month in clothing. She's between shoe sizes 4 and 5.

Her hair has gotten really long, but I am avoiding a haircut for a while. I love her little curls in the back, so I'm in no hurry to loose those. I'll just keep braiding her bangs and putting her hair in a pony tail.

She is still a ham in public. She loves waving to everyone in the grocery store; when we're out to eat, she wants to walk around the restaurant to say 'hi' to everyone. She's such a busy little bee, and a cute one to boot.

Sienna's 1st Bee-Day!

2010-09-10T20:21:00.013-05:00

Sienna is ONE! We can't believe it has been one year! In some ways, this year has seemed much longer than just 12 months. In other ways, it seems like only a few weeks ago when we brought Sienna home from the hospital.

We celebrated her birthday with a bee themed birthday party and lots of time with our friends and family. Aunt Kitty and Uncle Rascal came in from Sacramento, and Unkie Kyle & Aunt Hannah came in from New York for the party. So fun to have them here to celebrate with us!

I've tried to tell her birthday weekend through pictures, below. We had so many good memories and so many good pictures, I know I didn't capture all the fun, laughs & memories. I think I've hit the high points, though.

Sienna, your daddy & I had such a good time celebrating your first year. You are a beautiful baby -- we love your chubby cheeks, bright blues eyes, button nose, curly tendrils, and little mouth. Even more, your happy disposition and infectious laugh make our ordinary days extraordinary! You have brought so much joy and perspective into our life. We look forward to many more bee-days with you!

My mom helped me make Sienna's bee cake. It turned out awesome, after MANY hours of work!

My sister and I baked and iced these bee sugar cookies. They turned out so cute!

We took Sienna to Deanna Rose on her birthday... love the pint-sized bench!

She loved sitting on the swing.

Beginning of the party... Sienna was a little unsure of the house full of people, at first. She came around to the crowd, though, and was her normal, charming self!

Sienna enjoying pizza for her bee-day dinner. (I made the bee antenna for kids & adults to wear at her party!)

Opening presents

Loving the rocking horse from daddy & mommy!

The cake!

Sienna's own cake

She was intrigued why everyone was singing to her!

But after we finished singing, she clapped her hands & wanted us to do it again!

First taste of her cake - a success!

Sienna loved her cake (mostly the icing), and she loved all the attention she received!

But once Sienna tasted the ice cream, she was done with the cake. She ate two ice cream cones - ice cream AND cone.

She had icing and melted ice cream all over herself. She was so happy!

Two birthday people together!

All the kids wanted rides in Sienna's new red wagon. This is Aliyah and Sienna.

Blowing bubbles with her favorite pal, Caden.

Another ride with Vivian, and a birthday hug from Caden.

Alden and Sienna kissed several times in the wagon! So sweet!

"Got your eye, Uncle Rascal!"

Karla & Matt were good to entertain the kids!

Pops playing with Sienna at the end of the party.

Cake & ice cream washed off, ready for bed in her bee pj's.

The next morning, Sienna was ready for another wagon ride! (She is obsessed with toothbrushes lately... we just go with it!)

Shoulder ride with Unkie Kyle!

Playing with her new fridge magnets and wearing her bee antenna again.

Sienna learned how to open the door and get in her car. She was so proud!

Walking

2010-08-27T21:18:00.003-05:00

Sienna has officially moved from 'steps' to 'walking' in the past few days. She will walk on her own from a standing position. I think her longest distance is about 8 feet before crashing, but she sure is proud of herself. It's so cute to watch her take these first, shaky steps. She still crawls quite a bit, since crawling is much faster than walking.

She and I went to the park this afternoon, and she didn't want to hold both of my fingers to walk like she normally does. Instead, she wanted me to walk at her side and only hold one hand. So as we walked side-by-side around the park, I couldn't help think that my baby is turning into a toddler. While it makes me sad to see her grow-up, I LOVE watching her explore this world, learn new things and become more independent everyday. Today was awesome.

Sienna's first Royals game

2010-08-15T21:23:00.007-05:00

We took Sienna to her first Royals game on Saturday night versus the NY Yankees. We had a great time! Sienna looked like she was ready to fall asleep in her car seat on our way to the game, but she perked up almost immediately when we walked into the stadium. She's like her momma; a crowd energizes her! Sienna actually sat in our seats for nearly FOUR innings before needing to get up and move. I was very impressed. A combination of ballpark food, the game, and books kept her busy & happy.

Kauffman Stadium is awesome for kids. If you haven't been; the stadium has a whole section for kids complete with a playground, fountains to play in, a mini-ball diamond, pitching & batting cages, carousel and plenty of room to run. So after the fifth inning, we headed to the kids area to play & have some ice cream.

Sienna LOVED the crowd noises, people watching, 'meeting' all the people sitting around us, and the ice cream. She was up until about 10 PM and did great. Ironically, though, she was up bright and early at 6 AM the next morning. Sienna is definitely not a kiddo you can keep up late and get her to sleep in the next morning. But we love that she is able to stay up late from time to time!

Pointing to the players on the field... I wish she could have verbalized what she was thinking!

Feet crossed & clapping for the Royals. Just precious.

Sienna discovers her new favorite food....

Ketchup!

Washing down all that ketchup with a big chug of water - LOL. The water bottle is one of Sienna's favorite toys.

In line for the carousel with Nana & slugger. Didn't want to stand still!

First ride with me & my mom

Second ride with Scott... kissing Slugger before the ride begins.

Daredevil

Finishing up the night with Sheridan's ice cream. (I didn't capture the fit she threw when we made her stop eating. Poor baby!)

First Steps

2010-08-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday, Sienna took her first steps on her own! She must have been waiting for Pops to come home from China because she took her first two steps to him when he came over to visit. I was totally taken off guard and was a bit sad, to tell the truth! I knew she was close to walking on her own, but I was surprised AND so excited when it actually happened. She's up to about 4 - 5 steps in a row now.

This video is of her pushing her car and then taking her first steps. Love our little bug bee.

11 months

2010-08-04T20:27:00.007-05:00

Sienna turned 11 months old today, so the countdown to her first birthday has started! I can't believe it's almost time to celebrate her first year of life! Scott and I were just talking about when she was a newborn, and how we couldn't imagine her being a year old. She seemed so tiny, and time seemed to pass slowly in those early, trying months. But now here we are, with a baby who is almost walking, babbling up a storm, crawling up the stairs, eating hot dogs & watermelon, giving kisses, and learning to do so much on her own. What a dynamic year!

Her front, top teeth have finally broken through her gums (well at least one has... she's still working on the other). Poor thing teethes forever before her teeth actually come in. She gets a bit fussy, but nothing major. And luckily, she sleeps through the night when she's teething.

At the indoor playground at a local mall. She loved crawling through this tree trunk and 'playing' with all the other kids.

Sienna and Scott rode the carousel at the mall, too. Funny story. Scott told me when he first approached the horse on the carousel, he was thinking, "how am I going to hoist myself up on this horse AND get Sienna on my lap?" Luckily, he spotted another little tyke who was sitting on the horse alone, so Scott saved himself an embarrassing moment and potential injury. (Well I guess he wasn't spared of the embarrassment since I'm recounting it here. Thanks for being a good sport, honey!)

So cute with her pigtails & painted toenails

So sweet.... "put me to bed, Daddy."

Crawling up the stairs... a favorite activity lately

After she crawls up the stairs, she immediately crawls into the bathroom and peaks her head around the door at us with a big smile. We do this EVERY time she crawls up the stairs - great memory!

Sienna knows to hold the phone up to her ear and "talk" when someone else is on the line. Seriously?!? She already wants to talk on the phone?!

In an outfit for her namesake, Bee

Zoo, Farm, Apples, Standing & "Uh-oh!"

2010-07-18T21:40:00.011-05:00

Sienna has been doing SO MUCH lately, that we can hardly keep up with all her changes. She started pulling-up this Friday. Ever since she has learned how to pull up to standing, she's been obsessed with pulling-up on everything... toys, chairs, window sills, piano benches, etc.

Also starting this past week, Sienna says "uh-oh" every time she drops something... usually her food or sippy cup from her high chair. It is the cutest thing ever. I know our smiles & laughter are encouraging her to continue to intentionally drop things, but we just can't help ourselves. And she is so serious when she says, "uh-oh", but we know that it is all an act! She knows what she's doing! In fact, today she started saying "uh-oh" right BEFORE she threw her cup on the floor. Stinker.

Sienna has had a lot of fun with her grandparents lately... a trip to the zoo with Gramma Kuehn, a trip to the farm with Nana & PaPa Jones, and a spaghetti dinner with Pops & Grandma Williams (while Scott & I went to dinner to celebrate our 7th anniversary).

Gramma and I going to see all the African animals

Pointing at the animals... and trying to stay cool in the heat!

Watching the zebra, giraffe and hippos with Gramma

"I can stand up on my own!"

Helping with the dishes after breakfast

Sienna loves pizza... she wanted Scott to share with her, even though she had already had dinner!

Her top teeth are coming in, which means her ice cube holder is back in full force. Look at those eyes!

Sienna playing with her new, favorite "toy" - a snack holder. Hilarious! I think she ate too much candy that day. Ha!

I was eating an apple for lunch, and Sienna insisted on trying it, too. As you can see, she became obsessed quickly.

A montage of Sienna learning how to pull-up. Plus, an especially cute moment of her playing with Scott at the window.

Video

2010-07-11T13:27:00.002-05:00

Here's the video from the 4th of July weekend that would not upload in my earlier post. I had to make it a lower resolution, so hopefully you can still see the content. The fireworks footage is a little hard to make out since it was night time.

A kitty-cat visits and other updates

2010-07-09T20:28:00.035-05:00

Grab a cup of coffee & settle in for this update. We've been busy, and Sienna is changing faster than ever.

Our family of three is coming off a high after my sister, Karla, (Aunt Kitty to Sienna) came to visit for nearly a week. We had such a great time hanging out, shopping, watching fireworks, swimming and laughing together. Matt wasn't able to come with Karla, and we missed him! So, Matt, thanks for letting us borrow your wife for a week - we had the BEST time!

Showing off her cute 4th of July swimsuit...

Sienna stayed up late to watch fireworks with us

Clapping for the fireworks - she LOVED them!

Happy 4th of July, blue eyes

10 months.... and looking sassy

Visiting the calves... not so sure about them. They are much bigger than Maddie!

Daddy and Aunt Kitty both caught fishes for Sienna

I put together a video montage that captures some of the fun we had over the holiday weekend. (I'm having technical issues getting it to upload - imagine that - so check back later.) Sienna watched her first fireworks show; she loved it! For most of the 30 minute show, she leaned back into my arms & just watched. She was up WAY past her bedtime, but she did great. PaPa bought Sienna a singing Bee, and she loved playing with it all weekend. We also visited Pops and Grandma, where Sienna picked her first tomato! (And promptly took a bite!) Pops also took a dip with Sienna in her pool at their house. Lastly, we made our first trip to Deanna Rose Farm. Sienna loved the animals, especially the goats.

The fourth of July also marked Sienna's 10 month birthday - wow! Also, I meant to update everyone on her stats at her 9 month doctor's appointment a few weeks ago.

22 lbs - 90th percentile

29" - 90th percentile

At 10 months old, here's a glimpse into a day in the life of Sienna.

6:30 AM - Wakes up for the day

7:00 AM - Scott & I get her out of bed. She is normally 'singing' and up on her knees waiting for us with a big smile!

7:00 AM - Breakfast (Oatmeal w/fruit, yogurt, bananas, Cheerios, bottle --- but she's starting to drop the bottle)

9:30 - 10:30 AM - Nap

12:00 PM - Lunch (Sienna's a great eater, so we have a lot of different things for lunch like deli meat, sweet potatoes, ravioli, string cheese, pizza, hamburger, chicken breasts, apple sauce, pasta, and oranges. We top off lunch with a 4 oz. bottle)

2:00 - 3:30 PM - Nap

5:00 PM - Dinner (Again, she eats most anything. Her favorites are pizza & hamburger - go figure! Starting to drop the bottle at dinner time, too.)

8:00 PM - Bottle & bedtime

Some of our favorite Sienna-ism's lately...

- She loves her sippy cup! She drinks without the suction valve, likely because she has drank out of a 'real' cup for so many months. She loves to drink water out of her sippy cup while she has her meal.

- She has had a fun time learning how to feed herself. It's hysterical to watch her eat pizza. After a couple bites, she has cheese & sauce smeared all over her face. (We went to dinner at Spin Pizza a couple weeks ago, and she started throwing a fit when Scott and I weren't giving her pizza bites fast enough. LOL)

- She can verbally articulate her excitement in a new way. Anytime she sees something that catches her eye, which is quite often, she puckers her mouth in a tight 'O' and says "oooooooohhh". Just precious.

- She understands when I say, "Sienna, clap your hands". She smiles & claps her little paws together.

- She loves to intentionally 'face-plant' in the swimming pool. Seriously. The first thing she does when she gets in a pool (baby pool or big pool) is dunk her face in the water. And every time she gets this surprised expression on her face & sputters the water out of her mouth; but 15 seconds later, she is dunking her face again.

- Karla taught her how to 'high five' this weekend. All week, Sienna has been obsessed with high-fiving people. However, she only will high-five when she initiates. If you initiate, she just looks at you like, "What are you doing? You look silly with your hand up in the air."

- She is a speed crawler. She is burning off those rolls and her tummy is getting smaller. Incredible how fast she has started to thin out.

- Sienna is pulling up on everything. So far she will just pull up to get on her knees. She will pull up to her feet when I'm holding her hands. She also loves to practice walking while holding someone's hands. I assume she'll be walking by her birthday.

- Her hair color is getting lighter everyday. Her hair looks highlighted with brown & blond streaks when it's all down, but her hair looks very blond when up in a ponytail and you can see her roots. In a ponytail, those blue eyes pop, too. She's beautiful.

- She loves the heating & cooling vents on the floor. She visits them daily, often when we have been outside and she needs to cool off!

Sporting her new bee backpack. She'll be ready to travel one day!

Sienna loves playing in our pantry

Daddy's Day

2010-06-20T21:31:00.005-05:00

Today, Sienna and I got to celebrate Father's Day with Scott, our dads and grandpas. We had a fantastic day!

Sienna started sitting up on her knees this afternoon. She was so excited that she kept pulling up onto her knees in her crib this afternoon and did not want to nap! Who can blame her -- what an exciting new skill to learn and practice! (Plus, we had a party going on downstairs, and all the grandparents kept going in to 'check' on you. They love you too much to stay away too long.)

Sienna, your daddy loves you very much. You made daddy's day when you kept laughing so hard at dad in the pool and when you would cry if daddy swam away. Sienna, you are the biggest blessing in our lives! We feel so honored to be your mommy & daddy.

Scott and his girls

All the dads we celebrated today!

(John/Grandpa (my paternal grandpa), Bruce (my dad), Knox/G (Scott's paternal grandpa), Dave (Scott's dad), Scott)

Pops reading his card with Sienna... how grown-up does she look?!?!

Pops and Sienna doing the Indian warhoop (Ah-yah-yah-yah-yah-yah)

PaPa (my dad), Sienna and myself

Sitting up on her knees! (And chewing on her xylophone stick... her favorite teething toy.)

Baby Foodie

2010-06-13T20:35:00.004-05:00

In the past week, we've been giving Sienna 'real' food. She loves it! Some of her favorites so far are sweet potatoes, new potatoes, green beans, spaghetti, chicken, donuts and ice cream.
Scott and Sienna had an ice cream date with Pops, Grandma (Dave & Susan) and Aunt Anne. Pops let her taste her first bite of ice cream. Starting the sugar addiction early... I know, we are bad parents. :)

And she's off!

2010-06-08T20:39:00.002-05:00

Sienna started crawling today! (9 months and 4 days old) Baby go-go is officially on the move. :)

This morning before I left for work, I sat down on the floor to play with Sienna. She immediately got on her hands and knees, and she took about 10 little, timid crawl "steps"... forward! I was shocked! Earlier this morning, she had been playing in our bathroom while I was getting ready, and she was just scooting and rolling around like normal. Ten minutes later, she was crawling!

Here's a short video of her crawling tonight. (She also gets her sippy cup, which she just started using yesterday.) You can also hear the excitement in my voice! I had a proud mommy moment.

Before today, I was so excited to see her start crawling. Tonight, I am almost sad that she is crawling because that means our baby is growing up. Tear!

Let the baby proofing begin!

Another half marathon

2010-06-05T22:11:00.005-05:00

This morning, Scott finished his second half marathon! It was a humid morning and an incredibly hilly course, but he still managed to better his time and run an excellent race! (His time was 2:02 - go, Scott!) Sienna and I went down to the finish line at Crown Center to celebrate this huge accomplishment! I am so proud of him and inspired to get my butt back out on the road, again!

So proud of daddy!

Finish line kisses

Happy baby! (With Shawna, a friend of ours who also had a GREAT 1/2 marathon!)

Laughing with Caden

This is Sienna at 5 weeks - her age during Scott's last half marathon! What a change!

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-05-31T21:15:00.010-05:00

What a weekend! We were on the go constantly, and we had so much fun! Scott and I have slowed our pace of life since Sienna arrived. Now that Sienna is older and able to interact more, we thought we'd try to do some fun family activities this weekend. We had a blast!

As usual, I was off work Friday, so Sienna and I had our mommy-daughter hang-out day. We had fun playing with our neighbor and just hanging out. Scott joined us later that afternoon, and we had a great night with our baby girl!

On Saturday, the three of us went on a morning walk, and then we spent the afternoon at the zoo! Sienna loved watching all the kids and people just as much (or maybe more) than looking at the animals. She loved the birds best... probably because they are bright colored, move around more than all the other animals, and make noises that keep her attention. She also loved hearing the sea lions bark. She was content just sitting in her stroller, watching everything around her, and sucking her ice. (Sienna has a mesh feeder that we put ice cubes in for her to suck. She went through a HUGE cup of ice that day. She was staying hydrated, cooled and numbed to her teething pain.) At the end of the day, we experience a close-up elephant encounter. We were about 20 feet from this gigantic elephant. Sienna just starred at the elephant. I would give a thousand bucks to know what she was thinking!

Elephants!

Watching the gorilla with daddy

Loving the birds!

That night, Chris & Alicia came over for dinner & drinks. They brought Preston, and he and Sienna just sat and played together on the floor. They were so cute together. Sienna kept trying to steal Preston's paci from his mouth, even though she had her own paci in her mouth. Hilarious!

Sunday morning, we took Sienna to breakfast at Panera in her pj's. She looked so cute sitting out on the patio with us sporting her pink & green frog pajamas. :) After her morning nap (which was over 2 hours... unusual!), we went to lunch and then to the park. We had to strip her down to her diaper because it was so humid at the park. We also learned that Sienna's face turns red when she is hot, which is just like me! Sorry, sugar! :) We only lasted about 30 minutes at the park before we headed home to the air conditioning. After nap, went to the pool with Nana & PaPa. Sienna LOVED the pool. We started her out sitting in the zero entry where she splashed and played with her toys. We moved her a little deeper, and she just splashed even harder. Then we moved her to where she was about waist deep, and she started jumping and shrieking with laughter. Seriously - I was not helping her jump at all, she was just springing up & down like Tigger. So, so, so cute. She loved the water and is quite the water dog, as we say in my family. She's going to be TONS of fun in the pool this summer.

So happy!

Look at those thighs!

How cute is the back of her suit?

Hanging out with daddy after the pool & showing off her tanned cheeks!

Monday morning, we were up bright and early (Sienna's normal wake time these days is around 6 AM). We spent the night at my parents, so my dad & Scott went back on the boat to fish, and my mom, Sienna and I walked to the park. After her morning nap, we went back to the pool for more fun. Again, she loved it. Afterwards, Sienna took her first boat ride on PaPa's boat. The trip started out a little rough because we put on her life jacket, which she absolutely despised! I can't blame her, though. She couldn't even sit down in the life jacket because it was so bulky. She was so uncomfortable. Once we took her out of the life jacket, she enjoyed herself. :) We drove home from the boat dock (I thought she'd fall asleep in car, but instead she just talked the whole way home), and it was nap time. I put her down for nap, and 20 minutes later, she was still rolling around up in bed playing and talking. I went in to tell her to go to bed; 10 minutes later she was still playing. So I went in her room (she was on hands and knees playing around in bed), 'spanked' (a very light tap...) her bottom, rolled her over onto her back, and in my sternest mommy voice said, "Sienna, it's night-night time. Go to sleep." She gave me the most surprised look. I promptly left the room before I busted out laughing. It was so cute. We didn't hear another peep out of her; she went right to sleep. Glad that worked... this time!

That night we met up with Daniel & Gretchen for a cook-out and more pool time. Their kids are so good to play with Sienna... it is fun watching them interact and 'grow-up' together. What a great way to end the holiday weekend! Thanks for all the sacrifices our men & women in the armed forces made (and are making) to keep our country safe and protect our liberties.

Weepy, Happy, Mommy Moment

2010-05-19T21:16:00.012-05:00

Sienna is becoming mobile! She crawled/scooted backwards across our living room on Saturday, and I started crying. It was such a happy moment but also a sad realization that our baby is growing up quickly. It is so fun to see her learn how to move. You can tell she's confused as to why she is going backwards, but she just loves that she is at least moving! Tonight, she started rocking back & forth on her hands and knees.

Also on Saturday, she stood up on her own (not holding on to anything) for about 7 seconds. (That is a long time for such a little person!) I was holding her, and I let go to see if she could stand alone... she sure could! She is so determined!

Sienna is just babbling away. Her current repertoire includes "ba", "da", "ta", "ya" and "phhhh". Her babble has slowed in the past few days, as she is concentrating more on crawling and standing.

This video montage is from her babbling while playing with her toys about a week ago and from her crawling on Saturday.

(Sienna rubs her feet together when she is comfortable/happy, just like me and her Uncle Kyle. Just precious.)

Best weekend EVER!

2010-05-11T19:57:00.033-05:00

I just had the best weekend in 2010!!! Friday was my birthday, and my husband planned quite the celebration for me. The entire weekend was a surprise; I had so much fun!

On Friday, Scott and I spent the day hanging out with Sienna, Kyle & Hannah (they were in town from NY this weekend). We went out to breakfast together and just enjoyed the day. Around 4:00 PM, our doorbell rang. My friend Becky was at the door. I was shocked - Becky lives in Texas!!! She told me she was here to spend the weekend with me. I was so excited to see her! Scott had made dinner reservations for us at 5:30 PM, so we made our way to Houlihan's for dinner. My mom and dad stopped by to say 'happy birthday' (also a convenient excuse to hug on Sienna!). Shortly afterwards, my friend Tara walked into the restaurant. Again, I was shocked - Tara lives in Boston! Scott had arranged for both of these close friends to be here for my birthday!! I was so overwhelmed with happiness... had to hold back the tears of joy! To make the night even better, my sister finally arrived from Indiana. (I knew she was coming!) Scott had arranged to spend the night with his brother, so we had a girls night / slumber party on Friday night! We spent time talking, drinking skinny margaritas, watching a movie and leg wrestling. Yes, leg wrestling. Somehow we started leg wrestling, and everyone was shocked by how strong my legs were! (People, have you seen my daughter? Where do you think she gets that strength?) Anyways, I beat everyone! Becky kind of beat me on her third try, but I was laughing hysterically and couldn't give it my all. We had a great time just being silly girls together. Loved it!

Birthday pic with my baby girl

Unkie Kyle and Aunt Hannah reading "Good Night New York" to Sienna at bedtime

At dinner - all the surprise guests have arrived!

Leg wrestling - oh yeah!

Enjoying a birthday fruit pizza made by my mom!

In the morning, Scott and Kyle came back over to cook breakfast for all of us. Scott told me I needed to be ready by 10 AM. All the girls knew what was happening, but I was in the dark! I am not a person who loves surprises because I like to be in control (it's my type A, first-born personality shining through), so I was pretty anxious. At 10 AM, a black limousine pulled up in our driveway! SO FUN! Yes, Scott arranged for a limo to drive us around all day. We snapped a few pics outside the limo, I kissed Sienna & Scott good-bye, and we popped the champagne to toast my birthday! My sister (a.k.a Cruise Director), pulled out the itinerary Scott had developed for our day. We were headed to the Plaza for a morning of shopping. Even better... he had given $100 to everyone, with instructions to spend the money on ME! Yes, I do have the BEST husband!! We started at Anthropologie and managed to spend most of the money there. It was so fun to try on clothes and feel uninhibited by prices. It was like I had my own What Not To Wear credit card. :) Next we stopped by Francessca's, a little boutique, to look for accessories & other clothes. Afterwards, we decided we needed lunch, so we cruised in the limo over to Baja 600 (many memories at this restaurant...) to enjoy sangria and excellent food. We all agreed that we could get used to shopping & a limo on Saturdays! We felt like royalty or celebrities! After lunch, our Cruise Director announced another surprise. Scott had made spa reservations for us! Yes, seriously! The day just kept getting better. We had a little time before our appointments, so we cruised around in the limo and stopped by Starbucks for coffee & tea. We then made our way over to Shine Spa in Westport, where we enjoyed facials and massages. It was perfect timing... so relaxing and rejuvenating! Afterwards, our Cruise Director told us we could either grab a drink together or do more shopping. I still had money burning a hole in my pocket (ha!), so we headed over to Banana and spent the rest of the money. In total, I got 2 dresses, a jacket, several shirts, skirt, necklace, and bracelet. My wardrobe has new life! We piled back in the limo, poured more champagne, and headed back to Lee's Summit. When we arrived at our house, a bunch of our friends and family had gathered for a surprise party!! It was a BLAST to have everyone I love gather together. Scott had catered dinner, bought an ice cream cake (my fav!), and worked with my mom and friends to get a bunch of old pictures of me to put on display. Some of those pictures were a crack-up! As the night winded down and the crowd thinned, the skinny margaritas came back out and the fun continued! I had such an incredible birthday celebration! And the next day was my first Mother's Day... Scott had not finished with the surprises!

Headed out in our limo!

Cheers!

Thanks for the money, sugar daddy! :) Ha!

And the shopping begins...

Lunch at Baja!

Being silly before our spa session

Waiting for our spa treatments to begin

Cosette, Sienna & me

Roommates reunited

Preston, Alicia, Brooke, myself & Sienna

Scott, Tara, myself, Becky & Sienna

Sisters! (And the bottle is for Sienna... right, sis?)

Uncle Matt putting Sienna to bed in her Colts socks. Too cute!

Hanging out with the girls at the end of the night. What a day!

The next day, Sunday, I had a great Mother's Day. Scott, Sienna and I just hung out together that morning and had brunch. We all were tired from the day before, so we just enjoyed a low-key morning. It was perfect. We went over to my mom's house for lunch and to spend some more time with Matt and Karla.

Scott surprised me yet again that day, with a beautiful sapphire ring (Sienna's birth stone). The ring is beautiful; it has two sapphire stones & diamonds. If we have another baby, I can put his/her birth stone in the ring. Or, I might just keep the ring as is and pass it along to Sienna one day.

Mother's Day this year had obvious new meaning to me this year. Not only am I a mom, but this year I fully realized the love my mom and Scott's mom have for us. When I became a mom, an overwhelming love exploded from my heart for Sienna. I love putting her first, sacrificing anything for her, and figuring out how I can best meet her needs. Besides Scott, she is the biggest blessing in my life, and I will do anything for that little girl. I look forward to many years of loving her little heart.

This year, I also learned to lean on my mom & mom-in-laws in ways I never had. They have all been such a help and encouragement to me, as I am figuring out this motherhood gig. I love embarking on this new season of my relationship with each of them.

I hope all you moms had a great weekend and were reminded of the important role you play in your children's lives!

Clapping for mommy

My mom with her sons. Along with my dad, they cooked lunch for us!

Love!

Nana and her (teething) girl

Sienna loves her slinky

A new onesie for Sienna that says, "Nana Rocks" on the bum!

Me hugging Scott and a great shot of my ring and name bracelet (made by mom!)

Sienna drinking water out of a cup at lunch. She LOVES cups!

The latest...

2010-04-30T14:53:00.006-05:00

Looking at the date of my last post gives me a bit more awareness of how busy I have become since starting my new position at Hallmark. It's been exhilarating, but I literally feel like I'm running out of the door in the morning, running around the halls of Hallmark, driving home as fast as I can, and playing with Sienna until the second she goes to bed. By the time her bedtime rolls around, I love to just relax with Scott or to do something that doesn't require thinking. Motivating myself to get on the computer & blog is getting harder!
Anyhow, Sienna has been changing so much in the past few weeks. She gets more adorable and fun everyday.... seems impossible, but it's true. She is just the most precious gift ever.
Sienna is trying to crawl. This week she's started to rock back & forth on her hands and knees. She is trying her hardest to crawl, but she's not quite there yet! She gets frustrated sometimes, and that's when she uses her 'hulk' voice. Too funny. Sometimes I get concerned because her face turns bright red doing her hulk voice! She literally holds her breath & growls. She is also close to cutting her second tooth. It's still not up yet, but I can see it under her gums.
She has turned into quite the flirt and ham out in public. Sienna loves to go out with Scott and I. In fact, I think she gets bored being at home all day long. She loves smiling at perfect strangers (guess that's a good & bad thing!), and she usually wins over our waitress at any restaurant we visit. She smiles at all the kids and laughs when they smile back at her. She really is quite the happy baby.
Sienna loves to take her socks off her feet. When she's in her car seat or in her crib at nap time, she almost always takes her socks off her piggies, as we call them. She thinks it's hilarious, and we think it's adorable!
She continues her preference for mommy (SMILE) and her strong-willed personality. At her sitter's during the week, she has started only eating enough just to get by during the day. Then when I get home, she wants to make up for all the eating she has withheld from during the day. What a nut. :)
She is down to two naps a day. Her morning nap is really short (maybe 40 minutes), and then her afternoon nap is usually 1.5 hours. She has been going down later & later for her afternoon nap (today she was up from 10:45 AM - 3 PM), so I bet it's only a month or so until she is down to one nap instead of two. I will welcome that, as it will give us more time to do things away from our home this summer!
She laughs hysterically when Scott rubs his whiskers on her bare skin. Let me tell you... hearing her laugh like this first thing in the morning does wonders for my mood! (I am not so much a morning person... 6:30 AM is still an early wake-up call for me!)
She loves dogs, and she is trying desperately to make friends with our dog, Maddie. Unfortunately, I think Maddie is still a little jealous of her. They are getting more play time in as Sienna gets more vocal & mobile, so I'm hoping they are fast friends soon!

A new toy

2010-04-18T20:28:00.004-05:00

This toy is for us! We bought a new video camera to capture all things Sienna. She is changing so much every day, and she does the funniest and cutest things... well, at least we think so! This is my first attempt at editing a video, so enjoy our latest Sienna moments... her first rides in a swing (so solemn!), laughing at the dogs, doing her "Hulk" voice (which is due to teething), kicking her legs, clapping together toys, and just loving life.

Easter pictures to come soon... this video editing was all I had in me tonight!

Oh, and she FINALLY broke through her first tooth this past Wednesday! It's one of her bottom front teeth. She is working her other bottom front tooth through now, which means no continuous night sleep for mom & dad! :) Ha! She's been a trooper, though.

Seven Month Developments

2010-04-10T07:56:00.005-05:00

Seven months has been another marker for a lot of developmental change for Miss Sienna.

She has starting clapping objects together. Scott or I will clap two of her boxes/toys together, and she will reach out for them & imitate our clapping. It is so darn cute! She also loves it when we help her clap her hands to "If You're Happy & You Know It" and to "Patty Cake".

Sienna has also transitioned from 3 naps a day to 2 naps each day. Scott and I love this development, and it comes at a great time as the weather has been so nice in the afternoon & evening. Her napping has started to become a bit more reliable, since she's been feeling better. However, she's been flipping over onto her tummy in her crib, and she gets frustrated & cries out because she can't always figure how to get back onto her back. Silly bunny!

Sienna has also developed a mild case of separation anxiety. She likes to be close to her mommy & daddy! Most kiddos go through this developmental milestone in the second half of their first year. While it can be frustrating, it's a sign that they have developed a strong bond with their parents & prefer their presence. Sweet, if you think about it!

Sienna has also settled into her day care. She loves her sitter and enjoys interacting and laughing with the other kiddos at the house. She normally gives out a protest cry when we walk out, but that only lasts for about 15 - 30 seconds. Then she is all smiles. Already knows how to give a guilt trip.... wow!! Anyhow, I love that she is comfortable there! I am feeling much more settled in back at work, as a result. Life is good!

Woo hoo!!!

2010-04-05T12:44:00.004-05:00

We got fantastic news this morning! Sienna's ear infection is GONE!!!!! I came to work with a kick in my step, that is for sure! Honestly, I expected the doctor to tell us her ears were still infected, since her temp spiked up to 103.7 degrees on Saturday night. He said that could have just been another virus, or it could have been due to her teeth. Her poor little gums are swollen as can be, and you can feel the tops of her bottom two teeth. They should be pushing through anytime now. (Although, I feel like I've been saying that for 2 months now. Wait, I have been. Ha.) So, we are ecstatic at the Williams household. Our poor baby has been battling this infection since February, so we are glad to put it behind us!
We also got other news this morning. Scott's company, Medegen, has been acquired by CareFusion. Communication thus far has been that CareFusion will retain the Medegen sales management staff. Scott has several conference calls this week to work out the details. This is the second acquisition Scott has been through in the past 3 years. We are learning acquisitions & change are inevitable in the medical device industry. We are excited & anxious to see how this change will impact Scott! We'll keep you posted.
We had a fantastic birthday (Scott) and Easter weekend. Lots of pictures to be posted soon!

Another milestone

2010-04-02T22:16:00.005-05:00

About a month ago, Sienna rolled over from her back to her stomach. However, I'm pretty sure it was an 'accident', and she didn't really mean to because she looked quite surprised when it happened! But on Thursday night, we laid her on her back to play after dinner, and she flipped right over to get one of her toys. It was so darn cute! I realize most kiddos roll over from back to stomach sooner, but Sienna has always HATED being on her tummy. I wondered if she would ever roll over because she used to just scream when on her tummy. Not anymore! We are relishing these last couple months (hopefully) before Sienna is really on the move. She is a strong little girl! She can stand up while holding onto the couch, chair, mommy's leg, etc. for about 10 minutes... maybe longer, if we let her!

We also snapped this cute picture of Sienna taking a bath in our sink. She fits quite nicely. Sienna loves the water!

Gramma & Grandpa Kuehn sent Sienna an Easter card that has a felt chick on the card. (Yes, it is a Hallmark card! Only the best!!!) Sienna loved feeling the chick on the front of the card. I also think she looks so grown-up in these pictures. She is in 9 month clothing, wears a size 3 diaper (getting snug, though!), and I think she's going to need a haircut before her first birthday!