Sweet Pictures...

As you can see, I am totally on my game with this whole updating the blog thing...I'm actually shocking myself these days! I guess when it's not about me (and having to upload pictures of me with an additional 40 pounds attached to me) and I get to put sweet pictures of Siena up, it's way more fun! :)
I am getting so "good" at this that this entry doesn't even have a "theme"...I just have some cute pictures that I want to show! Maybe I'm patting myself on the back too much, but while I'm on this blog kick, I might as well! :) Enjoy!

Here's Siena with her sweet little "boyfriend", Brady. Brady was born just a day after Siena and they like to "hang out" a lot. (Actually Amanda, Brady's mom, and I like to hang out...so they don't have a choice!) But they are so sweet together. :)


Here's Matt with two of his very favorite things in the world: a dominating win on the football field and his precious daughter, anxious to see him after the game.


This picture I just can't resist. After a bath one day, Matt did the honors of combing her hair...this is what it turned out to look like. It's actually pretty cute! I guess a baby can pull off anything and we think it looks precious...even a "baby mohawk"!


On a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon, Matt and I had this great idea to take some nice pictures of Siena, all dressed up in her Sunday best. However, Siena had other plans...we laid her down in the grass for about 2 minutes and that was all she was going to give us - not a happy camper. I have to continue to remind myself - it's her world these days...and I have no choice but to go along with it, throwing my plans/ideas right out the window! :)

Smile!

There is just nothing sweeter than a child's smile and laugh. That's what got me through my workday as a teacher and that's what makes my day with sweet little Siena. She is starting to make little "cooing" sounds, which are few and far between right now, but I know they're coming! But I'm telling you...the smile gets me every time. And I'm proud to say - I think she is actually starting to smile at me now! You see, since we saw the very first smile (that wasn't from gas) the only thing that could make her smile automatically was the ceiling fan! That's right - not me, not Matt, the boring old spinning ceiling fan. It cracks me up! I'll lay her under the fan and she is set - she thinks that thing is the best thing ever! Who needs toys?! But now she will smile at me, which I take as a great compliment - I'm almost as cool as the fan! What a treat! It makes me wonder what goes through her head when she smiles these days. I guess, who cares at this point! I'll take those smiles every day, all day long. It just melts my heart to see her little face and cheeks light up with the biggest smile.
Here's a few pictures of her, smiling away...

Daddy's #1 Fan

Siena is going to have to love football whether she likes it or not! Fortunately for us, so far...so good!
For starters, Siena decided she wanted to come and be a part of the outside world the very morning that football practice started. In fact, we were admitted into the hospital the same time that Matt was supposed to report to the high school for the first official practice. So, right off the bat, she made it very clear that: 1) so much for plans...she's going to do everything in her power to let us know that we are on HER schedule, and 2) Siena and football are going to have to go hand in hand! And that's all fine with us!
On August 14, the football team had their first preseason scrimmage. Siena and I went up to surprise Matt at the game - being 4 days old, he didn't expect us to make it. But we were bound and determined to make it up there! Although we were extremely late due to the "her schedule thing" I mentioned earlier (a major blow-out as we were about to leave the house), we made it before the team left the field. Matt was so excited and showed her off to his coaching buddies and the team. She did great!
Since then, we haven't missed a Friday night! She has done incredibly well! Even at the away games, she held up for the entire game! At halftime, we have the fun ritual of going back to the van to nurse and get her second wind for the second half of the game, but she doesn't seem to object!
This past Friday night, Blue Springs played Rockhurst...a huge rival. For the "big game", Siena and I decided to pull out all the stops and really get her dressed out for the game. So, we put on her purple and gold tutu, her purple sparkly shoe socks, and a big purple ribbon to go in her hair. I couldn't stop laughing! She looked so stinking cute! She was a hit at the football game too. She certainly had the team spirit!
We hope to continue this "good luck" with her and football games. The weather has been wonderful and the games have been great to go to. Siena loves the loud noise and the atmosphere of football - and she sure loves her daddy! As long as she's happy, so am I! Here are a few pictures of her at the football games...

This is her very first football game - at 4 days old! What a trooper!




Here is her in her "pouch" - I love this thing! She must love it too...she's sound asleep!


She's giving a big "shout out" to daddy, cheering him on. How cute is that?! :) Too fun, seriously...

Meeting Laurel

Today our Parent Educator came to the house to see Siena for the first time. As a teacher, I was really looking forward to meeting her and seeing what she had to say about Siena, her development, and what we could do to help her reach her little milestones and grow to be a smart, healthy little girl. From the moment Laurel walked in the house, I could tell it was going to go great. She was wonderful in every way. I got Siena out of her pack-n-play (she was resting up for her "big visit") and I introduced the two of them. Laurel took Siena in her arms and it was so neat to watch the two of them interact. Laurel was so natural with her and Siena was fascinated by her voice, her pictures, and just having a guest in the house.
Siena did a great job tracking the pictures that Laurel showed her. Laurel would show Siena a black and white picture and then move it from side to side. Siena would follow it all the way around. It brought little tears to my eyes to watch my little one grow and show signs of learning and intelligence already. I was so proud of her. It's amazing what a little 5-week old child can already do and comprehend! Laurel would talk to Siena and she even got a couple of real, on purpose smiles out of her! I couldn't stop smiling - just watching Siena was very special for me.
We put Siena on the floor for a little "tummy time" to see what she could do with her neck and back. Again, she just did so amazing! She lifted her head up and moved it around and just looked at everything. We put books up of black and white figures in her view and she looked at them and focused so well! And then, before we knew it...she rolled over!! It was completely by accident and it doesn't mean she can do it all the time, but because her neck is so strong and she was holding it up so long, her momentum just popped her right on to her back!
She also wowed us by using her ears. Laurel would shake a rattle on one side of her head. Siena would stop moving her arms and legs to focus on the sound. I guess that's what babies do when they hear sounds. Then, when the sound stops, babies will wiggle and move around again. But Siena took it one step further...she located the sound and turned her head toward the rattle. That really impressed Laurel (and me too)! I think part of it was also that the rattle was a basketball - and she's already interested in it and wants to play when she gets a little older! :) The other thing I was able to notice clearly was she knows my voice. That was really special moment for me when Laurel pointed that out...with me being the only one home with her every day, I don't always realize those things. And when Matt is home I'm focusing on her playing and recognizing him. So it was really cool for me to see her shift her head and look at me when I would talk with Laurel. We're bonding! :)
I got some great tips from Laurel and plan to really work with Siena to get that brain going and started in healthy patterns. Tummy time, showing her the pictures and having her track them, and reading books to Siena are all going to be part of her daily routine. Unfortunately, we have to wait 6 weeks for Laurel to come back, but we look forward to it already and will work on our activities until we meet again! Thanks, Laurel!!

Oh, the Joys...

Whether I believe it or not, I have an almost month-old baby on my hands! Wow! Time sure flies by when you're having fun, that's for sure! It has been so great spending the days with Siena. We don't do a whole lot - but I sure look at her and hold her often! That's enough for me. :)
Over the past few weeks, Matt and I have gotten a pretty good grasp of what we're doing - all thanks to Siena. She has been such a great little baby. (I'm thinking even if she cried all the time and wasn't so great, I would still say this - but really, she is good!) At her 2 week appointment, she topped the scales at 8 lbs. 12 oz.!!! I gave an instant, "Whoa, is that normal?" reaction - Siena, in 2 weeks, gained almost a pound (22 oz. if you count her dropped birth weight)! I was assured that she was great and is just a really good eater! That being said, our pediatrician said because of her great weight, I could let her sleep up to 6 hours at a time during the night! Hello!! That translates as MOM gets to sleep 6 hours at night too - can you say spoiled?! So, she feeds every 3 hours during the day and then after her midnight feeding we don't eat again till 6! A real treat.
We have had lots of visitors stop by and see sweet Siena - which has been wonderful! It's always nice to have company stop by - that way I get my adult fix in too. Many wonderful people from our church have graciously dropped off meals for us too. I never realized what a treat that is. What I love most about it is that it gives Matt and I that much more time together with Siena. I don't have to worry about food and we can just spend time as a family in the evening...that's what makes the meals so special.
Matt and I have attempted a few baths with Siena too. I think it's fair to assume that a fly on the wall would have pure entertainment at watching us bathe our little one. The first time, we filled the mini tub up way too much and we had water absolutely everywhere in the kitchen. Between a slippery baby and water everywhere - it was a quick little bath, to say the least. We were laughing the whole time...which didn't make it any easier. Poor Siena just had to sit there and put up with us!
Siena has been daddy's #1 fan as she has been to all 4 preseason and regular season football games so far. She's a trooper and seems to love to loud crowd and music at the games. We have a great little system in play: we feed at home, get to the game right at the beginning, go to the van and feed during halftime, and then watch the rest of the game and go on the field after the game to see daddy. It really works out well - and Siena loves the little pouch that she sits in!
Other than that, we have just been enjoying life. I can't tell you how much I love life these days - she fills them with so much joy and entertainment. I love that little girl so much, it's amazing...
Here's a couple of pictures over the past couple of weeks:

With all that hair on her head, we have fun messing with it - it's so hard to keep your hands out of it! She's a good sport...

We sent daddy a hug at work the other day - this is her attempt at an "air hug"! :)

Sweet Siena...sleeping peacefully.

Siena and her daddy...my most favorite time of the day - watching the two of them together.