Sylvia Loren

We are so excited to announce the arrival of Sylvia Loren Williams!  She made her entrance on Monday, July 9 at 1:05 AM.  She weighed 8 pounds and 1 ounce, and she measured 19.5 inches.  We were surprised to see such a "big" baby, after her big sister only weighed 6 pounds and 11 ounces -- and was 13 days overdue!
We feel so incredibly blessed to have another baby girl join our family.  She is a gift from God!  We feel so undeserving to have her and humbled to be her parents.  It feels surreal that she is here and we are now a family of four.
Here's Sylvie's story...
We went to church Sunday morning.  During the sermon, I noticed I was having contractions every 10 minutes or so.  They weren't painful and only lasted 30 seconds or so.  (I laid my iPhone on my belly while timing them - perfect little shelf!)  I figured they were just more braxton hicks contractions; I'd been having them for many weeks.  We went to lunch with the Miller family, and I didn't even notice the contractions.  We came home after lunch, and I tried to lay down for a nap.  I tossed and turned about 2 hours; I just couldn't get settled.  Every time I'd about fall asleep, my back or belly would hurt.  Looking back, I bet the contractions must have been ramping up, but I just chalked it up to being uncomfortable trying to sleep for the past week.  So, I got out of bed about 4:30 PM and went outside to sit on the porch with my mom.  I noticed the contractions were coming a bit more regularly, but they still didn't hurt.  At this time, I was still thinking they were braxton hicks contractions, but I decided to time them "just for fun".  They were about 30 seconds long, and about 3 - 5 minutes apart.  They still didn't hurt.  Sienna and Scott played with the sidewalk chalk outside, while I kept an eye on the contractions.

Around 5:30, we ordered pizza and went inside to watch Pippi Longstocking with Sienna.  During the movie, the contractions started picking up intensity but never really got much longer than 45 seconds.  Towards the end of the movie, around 7:00, the contractions started getting painful.  I think it was then that I finally realized, "this is it!"  The time between 7:00 and 8:45 flew.  I called the on-call doctor around 7:00, and our convo goes something like this...

Me:  "The contractions are coming about a minute and a half apart, but they're not quite a minute long." (I was told to wait until they were a minute long before going to the hospital.)

Doctor:  "Is this your first baby?"

Me:  "No, second."

Doctor:  "Oh!  Well, you need to go straight to labor and delivery.  I will meet you there!"

The contractions seemed to ramp up in a matter of 30 minutes... going from tolerable to, "oh my gosh, I have to stop and rest against the door and focus on getting through this one".  Scott and I were scrambling to get our hospital bags packed and convey to Sienna what was going on -- without scaring her.  :)  At 8:45, we hopped in the car, and Scott floored it all the way to the hospital.  We got checked in around 9:00, and I was in some serious pain.  I felt contractions with Sienna, but they were never this intense.  They were coming about every 30 to 45 seconds, and they were monsters.  The pain was so high that I was shaking involuntarily.  The nurse checked me, and I was dilated to a 7.  I started panicking about getting an epidural... I know they don't work once your labor progresses too far.  In fact, my direct quote to the nurse was, "I need an epidural - STAT!"  (I later apologized for that statement.)  They got my IV in quickly, so they could draw the blood needed before I could be cleared for an epidural.  The nurses were working quickly, but every contraction kept mounting.  I finally got the green light for the epidural, and I was at an 8.  The doctor wasn't sure it would take.  I said a prayer that it would.  Let's just say that sitting still for an epidural while your body is convulsing through contraction after contraction is not a pleasant experience.  I was griping Scott's shoulder and hand, while my sweet mother-in-law prayed for me.  The anesthesiologist was the same one that gave me my epidural with Sienna, and she did a great job.  She kept dosing me up with meds to make the epidural work, and about 20 minutes later the contractions pains started subsiding.  Epidurals are AMAZING!  Thank you Jesus for modern medicine!  

I was a 9 after the epidural was in, and it was about 10:15.  My labor started to slow down, and I was actually able to talk with all the parents in our room for about 30 - 45 minutes.  Then, Scott and I got about 30 minutes to ourselves while we waited for the nursing staff and doctor.  I sang to Sylvia.  There's a Steven Curtis Chapman song called "Spring is Coming" that I've really connected with at the end of my pregnancy with Sylv.  I felt like God was whispering His promise to me about the blessing he was about to bestow upon our family with little Sylvie.  I substituted the word "spring" for "Sylvie".  I encourage you to check out the song!  I felt so peaceful and ready to meet her.  All my anxiety around her birth faded, and I just felt an incredible calm.  An out-of-body moment of serenity that carried throughout her entire delivery.  

Around midnight, I was fully dilated, so the nurse came in to get me prepped.  (Her name was Peggy, and she was a rockstar.  She's been a nurse for over 45 years!)  We pushed for about 20 minutes, and then the doctor came in.  I pushed again for another 15 or 20 minutes, and Sylvia was born!  It was just surreal.  They suctioned her nose and mouth, and she started crying.  She was beautiful.  I asked if she looked okay, and the nurses and doctor said she looked perfect.  I honestly just couldn't believe she was here.  It all happened so fast, and it was just a perfect, beautiful experience.  

Scott and I took some time together with her, and then all the parents came in to meet her.  They all left around 2:30 AM.  The nurses kept coming into check Sylvia and my vitals, and then she got her first 'bath' around 3:30 AM.  So at 4 AM, we sent her to the nursery, so we could rest.  Neither one of us really slept -- were were just too keyed up and excited that she was here!  My adrenaline was pumping, and I just kept replaying all the events in my mind.  We went from eating pizza to having a baby, all in about 4 hours!  Craziness!  And so different than how Sienna arrived.  Yet, so perfect.  

Welcome to this world, miss Sylvia.  We're so excited you are here.

About this time

The baby I miscarried would have been born about this time.  My due date was around Easter, so I bet she would have been making her debut soon.  The days leading up to Easter were tough for me.  At times when I least expected it, I would feel sadness and an overwhelming aching for our baby.  Tears were shed.  Lots of moments were spent in prayer.  Even though sweet Sylvie is in my belly, the loss of a child is still a loss.

Our miscarriage journey has been vast.  It's changed my soul and the very fiber of my being in more {good} ways that I could have ever imagined.  But, you know, change is difficult.  The result of the change and refinement of my spirit has been so, so sweet.  God has given me so many opportunities to rest in Him and experience His grace and peace versus trying to navigate this journey on my own.  It's ironic; I feel like one of my personality traits that puts distance between myself and God is my need for control.  My entire Christian life, I've wrestled to fully give control of my life over to God.  So while I would have never chosen to go through this experience, God saw fit to work through this experience to help me surrender control to Him.  Not that I believe God purposely intended me to miscarry.  He knew it would happen, but my God is not a God of malicious-intent.  Our bodies are susceptible to disease and imperfection.  I believe these challenges are an opportunity for God to bless us and to bless others.

I journaled immensely in the days and weeks after our miscarriage.  Below are a few excerpts.  Again, I share these thoughts with you to encourage anyone else going through a loss or difficult time in their lives.  I share these with you so that you, my friends and family, might know the amazing work God has conducted in my heart and spirit.

"It's the morning after our miscarriage.  I feel like I'm living someone else's nightmare.  I wonder why, God, you allowed this in our lives.  But then I think harder, and I really wonder how you are going to use this to glorify you in our lives.  So many raw emotions running through my body.  What I most want to capture is the dream I had last night when I knew for sure I'd lost our little one.  
The scene of the dream was an outdoor arena in a Spanish-speaking country.  I was a spectator in the crowd.  Strangely, there was a young girl (maybe late teens or early 20's) with wavy, light brown hair packing moving boxes and trying to leave the arena/stadium.  Weird.  Anyway, in order for her to leave, she had to be granted permission.  She was seeking out a specific man to give her that permission.  She literally ran right into him while carrying a couple of the boxes.  As she jostled the boxes after bumping into him, he steadied her arm and asked if he could help her.  She instantly recognized him as the man to give her permission to leave, and she asked for his signature on her boxes so she could leave.  He asked her name; she responded, 'Mia.'  As he signed her moving boxes, he looked straight in her eyes and said, "Mia, I will always be here for you."  She smiled and got up to leave.  She looked back towards the arena from the open doorway, and mouthed the words "lo siento" to me.  (Translated, that means "I'm sorry.")  She walked out.  
I woke up immediately from my dream thinking God wanted us to name our next daughter Mia.  Then my brain started soaking it in.  This was a dream straight from God about our baby we'd just lost.  Mia in Spanish means "mine".  God knew baby Mia was going to be with Him instead of us, before she was even conceived.  God wanted me to know she was okay and protected.  And sweet Mia knew it would break my heart to lose her, hence the "I'm sorry."  Absolutely surreal, but so wonderful."

"So it’s day 5 of our miscarriage. Reality has set in. The anger has subsided; fear and sadness threaten to consume my heart. It would be so easy to succumb to the fear, to the pain, to the deep sadness. And at moments in the day, I definitely do. I wallow in the pain. I wipe tears away at work. I curl in a ball on the couch while Sienna plays and try to hide my tears. I hope Scott knows that I am not going to be like this forever; his wife will come back someday. God, I think you are okay with this sadness. You’ve given me this experience, and you know the desire of my heart is to see how YOU can be glorified through this experience. So the moments where the pain becomes too intense, I think You are okay with me just breathing in the pain for a while.
2 Corinthians 12:8 & 10 – “My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness.” “…For when you are weak, I am strong.”

Thoughts of anxiety and fear I want to hand over to you… help me banish them from my thoughts as soon as they enter my brain…. 

Sweet baby, I miss you. My mind tells me that it’s awesome that all you will ever know is heaven, but my heart aches to hold you. To tell you I love you. To tell you everything is going to be okay.  But that’s not the plan God had for your life, so our reunion will have to wait for a while longer. The tears I shed are just my way of missing you on earth, but please know my heart is happy you are with God.

God, show me Your glory."

Name!

Since a couple friends have guessed her name via text, and Stacy guessed it on the blog.... (BTW - Stacy, how are you?!  I don't think I've talked to you in 5+ years!  How random!)

Her name will be....

Sylvia Loren Williams!  We will probably call her Sylvie most of the time.  We are super excited to meet her.  I went to the doctor for a normal check-up, and her little heartbeat sounds great.  We'll have another sonogram in 3 weeks to check up on her and the cysts, but we expect everything to be normal.  My doctor just wants to be cautious.

Although I don't expect to, I retain the right to change her name at any point in time that my crazy pregnancy hormones dictate.  :)

Another hint

Okay, Sara got the middle name; she is going to be named after her Pops!  Getting closer on the first name.  Sara got the last letter.

S_ _ _ _ a
Loren

Another hint on her first name... It has roots in Italy, like Sienna's name.  (Not the reason we chose the name, however.  Just a nice connection!)  It's not a city name, and you'll have to know your history of Rome.

Name hints

s _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ n

26 weeks

I am 26 weeks today, which means I've only got about 14 to go until we meet her!  (Okay, or nearly 16 weeks, if I'm as overdue as I was with Sienna.  I'm thinking that can't happen again, right?!)
I can't believe it's already April, and she'll be here in 3 months.  She is probably about 14" long and 1.5 lbs. right now.  This pregnancy has gone MUCH faster than my pregnancy with Sienna.  I am trying to soak it all in... could be the last time!

We are 99% sure we've landed on her name, so just taking a little more time to "try it on", per se, before we're ready to spill the beans.  Below are the number of letters in her first name & middle name:
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
More hints to come in the future.  And no revealing the name, for those of you that know!

At 26 weeks with Sienna, we had the furniture all in her room and the bedding on order.  This time around, we have our house on the market, Sienna is still sleeping in the crib, and we have no idea which house we'll be in when baby girl arrives. Nothing like a little adventure to keep us on our toes.  :)  Our house has been shown every day since we listed it, so we're hoping & praying for a quick sale.  We got a contingent offer today, but turned it down.  We're having a difficult time finding a house we want to buy in the area we like, so we may have to reconsider our search area if we get a 'real' offer soon.  Keep your fingers crossed for us!

He cares about the small things

Sienna has been having a tough time with bedtime lately.  She been stalling and throwing fits when it's time to stop playing and go to bed.  Sometimes it can be over an hour by the time we start bedtime to the time she is actually in bed.  (Never mind the additional time it takes for us to go back in and adjust her pillow, give her 'one last kiss', turn the light off, etc.)  We've tried reverting back to crying it out, but that just doesn't seem like the right strategy for her and her age.  We know her actions are a a chosen behavior, not something she needs to re-learn.  Plus, she really only seems to throw a fit when I put her to bed, not Scott.  Lucky me!

Anyhow, let me get to the point.  Last night I was putting her to bed, and she started throwing a fit in bed again.  I had a LONG day at work, it was late, and I knew Sienna was exhausted, too.  I knew my patience level was extremely low, and I had the feeling I was about to lose it, which I knew wasn't fair to Sienna.  So, I said a quick little prayer and asked God to help me.  Tell me what to do.  I heard, 'tell her the story about Jonah and the Whale.'  Seemed like an idea out of left field.  She'd never heard the story, and she normally likes me to tell her one of her favorite stories at bedtime.  So, I asked her if she wanted to hear the story, and she nodded her head and instantly calmed down.  She listened intently as I told the story a few times - no tears.  Then I gave her a kiss, and she said, "I love you, mommy".  I walked out of the room, and didn't hear another peep from her.  

Last night was truly a moment when God showed me His power and showed me I can lean on Him for even the small things in my life.  I wanted to blog about this moment, mostly for my own benefit.  I struggle with wanting to 'do things myself'', and I want to be able to reflect upon this specific instance.  I hope it inspires some of you fellow type-A readers, as well.  :)

Name suggestions needed!

I am about 24 weeks pregnant and feeling good.  This little girl seems to be pretty similar in-utero as her big sis.  She's not much of a mover, and she is lying diagonally across my belly.  To quote my doctor, "you have a lopsided baby!"  She's about the size of an ear of corn, and she weighs over 1 pound by now.  Scott's been able to feel her move for a few weeks now, which has been fun.  When I read books with Sienna before bedtime, she likes to snuggle up next to me and rest her hand on 'little sister'.  It's pretty stinkin' cute.  I am so excited for these girls to have each other as sisters!  I know we're in for lots of emotional times around our household in the future, but I also know the sweet, sweet blessing of a sister can outweigh all those trying times.
So, we've been brainstorming names for our second girlie, and I thought I'd see if any of you have suggestions!  Here are some things we're looking for in a first name... uncommon but not too weird, not made-up sounding, similar feeling/genre as Sienna, and something that works with our last name.  We have a few contenders, but we're open to other ideas!  We will be sharing the name once we decide!

Potty Party

Since Thursday, we've been having a potty party at our house.  Sienna woke up on Thursday morning, and she said, 'I'm ready for my potty party!"  We'd been talking up the idea of saying goodbye to her diapers and using the big girl potty all the time, and I guess she just knew Thursday was the day!  So, we rounded up all the treats in our house, set them out on display for motivation, and started potty training.  She did great!  The first day, I had to remind her to use the potty.  She tinkled a few times in her underwear, but would stop herself and  finish in the potty - awesome!  She didn't like feeling wet.  She would get upset/embarrassed and whine, "Mommy, I need my diaper."  I'd just have to give her a hug, some encouragement, a dry pair of princess panties, and we were on our way!  The second day after she woke up from her nap, something just clicked for her.  She started going to the potty all on her own; we didn't even have to ask/remind her.  She'd just stop what she was doing, announce (sometimes) she needed to pee/poop, and off she'd go!  She is definitely going to kill me later for sharing this, but.... The cutest part is when she needs to poop, she generally will go upstairs and tell us to stay downstairs until she calls for us.  A girl's gotta have her privacy, right?!  Love it!

So happy to start the potty party!!  Her favorite treats are
marshmallows, M&Ms, chocolate coins and lemonade.

The HUGE sucker that motivated her first poop in the potty!

So, she's totally potty trained, except for nighttime.  Even when she naps, she's figured out she needs to hold it until Scott or I can get her out of bed.  So, so, proud of our little girlie!!  Just in time for her 2 and a half birthday today! Way to go, Sienna!

Choroid Plexus Cysts

This blog is to update about our family and to speak candidly, when appropriate, about our life journey.  I also want this to be a place where friends, family & passersby can find helpful information about the wonderful, up & down journey of being a parent.  We've had yet another one of those up & down moments.
At our ultrasound the morning before Valentine's Day, we heard the ultrasound technician say the phrase that makes you stop breathing.  "Well, there is something I am going to need to report to the doctor."  She went on to tell us that our baby had bilateral choroid plexus cysts on her brain.  (Scott and I wondered if something was wrong because she looked multiple times, for extended periods of time, at the baby's brain.)  After telling us about the cysts, the technician quickly said that most of the time these mean nothing, unless another abnormality is found on the ultrasound, which we did not have.  She said our doctor would give us more detail but not to worry.
I remember laying on the exam table and staring wide-eyed at Scott across the room wondering if his heart was pounding as hard as mine.  "Your baby has two cysts on her brain, but don't worry."  Yeah, right.  I felt in a fog the rest of the ultrasound.  We were supposed to meet with our doctor right after the ultrasound, but she was running late because of the morning snow fall.  So, Scott and I went down to the cafe to wait, and we both just didn't know what to say.  The card containing the news of whether we were having a boy or girl was laid to the side, and we just held hands across the table in the cafe.  I didn't cry.  I just didn't know what to think.  After awhile, I pulled out my iPhone and googled the diagnosis.  (I knew I shouldn't, but I just couldn't stop myself.)  Immediately, I read choroid plexus cysts are a 'soft marker' for Trisomy 18, which is a very serious chromosomal abnormality.  However, most babies with this condition also had other obvious developmental challenges seen on ultrasound.  We got a call on my cell phone that our doctor had been pulled into emergency surgery, so we couldn't see her until later that day.  So, we walked numbly to our cars and tried to piece together our emotions.  The excitement of the day was gone.  In its place was uneasiness.  Somehow I had a feeling this ultrasound was going to have a hiccup, but actually experiencing it was so different.  I sat down in my car and just started shaking.... not from the cold, mostly from the nerves and anxiety.  Somehow I drove to work and got through the afternoon before heading back to the doctor's office later that day.  When I finally got to meet with my doctor, she told me she was not concerned about the cysts, and they mean nothing in isolation.  They are just a normal part of development.  About 1% of babies are seen with these at the 18 - 20 week ultrasound.  I went home, feeling better, but still feeling unsettled.  My doctor graciously scheduled a level 2 ultrasound to reassure me and to get a second set of eyes on our baby girl.   Today was that ultrasound.
A lot of praying and soul searching happened in the 2+ weeks between those ultrasounds.  After the first day of initial anxiety and fear, I felt a current of peace in my soul amidst the unknown.  A sense that our baby girl was in fact 'normal', regardless of her physical condition.  She was just as God intended, and we would need to adjust to help her grow & develop... just like every parent does for their child.  A fellow blogger encouraged me that God equips all of us to deal with whatever our children bring to the table... no matter what the physical or emotional condition.  I truly believe this.  I've seen this happen in our own lives with Sienna.  Was she what I expected and how I anticipated?  Definitely not.  But did God get me through and is my life richer for the experience?  Definitely yes.  So yet again, God used our children as another way for us to trust Him.  And it felt good to rest in His arms.  The situation was still scary and unsettling, but it didn't feel so lonely & hopeless.
Fast forward to the level 2 ultrasound today; we got great news.  The cysts have fully resolved themselves, and our baby girl looks healthy and beautiful.  She is developing just as expected.  She was covering her face with her hands, and it was so cute to see her tiny little fingers.  I can't wait to have her tiny fingers curled around my finger.
What a blessing a child is.  What a blessing.  Baby girl, you are dearly loved and much anticipated.  I love how God has used the journey of your arrival in our lives.

Profile pictures of baby girl at 18 weeks and 6 days

Exciting!

There was a lot of anxiousness and excitement going around our household this Valentine's Day.  First, Sienna was absolutely THRILLED that she got to have extra sugary treats and a Valentine's Day party.  I think her favorite Valentine's treat was from Scott.  He gave her a Little Mermaid valentine that had a pink sucker attached; you would've thought she won the lottery!  She danced around and around with that sucker in her mouth and couldn't have been happier.  Precious!

Pops and Grandma took Sienna out for a Valentine's date, so Scott and I could enjoy dinner together at PotPie.  We had an exciting moment at dinner - we found out if we were welcoming a new son or new daughter into our family!  The previous day, we had an ultrasound to check on the little life growing in my belly.  Like with Sienna, we had the ultrasound technician write down the baby's gender in a card.  With Sienna, the card was for Scott's birthday.  So this time around, the card was a Valentine's Day card to him from both his kiddos.

Sienna is going to have a little sister!!!  We couldn't be more excited!!!  We both thought we were having a boy, but we were thrilled to find out we are adding another little girl to our family.  Secretly, I was pulling for a girl.  I wanted Sienna to have a sister!

When we came home from dinner, we asked Sienna to guess if she was going to have a baby brother or a baby sister.  Her response?  "A baby booty shake!"  She proceeded to dance around shaking her little bum in her footie pajamas.  (I am starting to see how our encouraging the booty shake might backfire in so many ways... ha!)  When we told her she was going to have a baby sister, she started screaming with excitement and running around the room.  So darn cute!  She is going to be a great big sis.  Bossy for sure.  But great!

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

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

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

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

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

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.