Lots Going On!!

Man, it's hard to keep this thing up!! I'll be thankful later in life when I do, I know... :)
So, this fall has been crazy busy! Between Matt's football season, my starting up teaching again, Siena going a hundred miles an hour, friends and family coming to visit, lots of activities and things to be a part of...it's already the end of October and I feel like all I did was blink!
Here's a quick recap of our life the past few weeks. I'm blessed beyond words...

This picture just makes me laugh every time I see it. We watched Georgia for some friends of ours a few weeks ago. I think Siena was trying to hint to us that she wants a dog - she would not leave Georgia alone. And from the expression on Georgie's face, she wants nothing to do with this...


My mom and Peter came to visit us...well, let's be honest - they came to see Siena, and we just happened to be here! Can't keep a Grandma away from her grandbaby!! We had a really nice, relaxing weekend. The weather was perfect. We went to the football game on Friday night and the rest of the weekend was spent together...just spending time! Perfect!!








A few days after my mom left, a very dear friend of mine came to visit for a few days! Kasey flew down from Canada to enjoy a little KC time with Siena, Matt and me. It was super unexpected, but such a treat! She helped out in my classroom for a couple days, went to a GREAT football game (they beat South in double overtime!) on Friday night, and flew out again on Saturday morning. I can't tell you how wonderful that was! She is such a sweet friend, and I love her dearly.





The morning after the clutch win again South (and the late night of either coaching all night or running after a 1 year old all night), Matt and I ran the KC half marathon. We have been training to run this for a few months, and were very excited to finally run it! The last 3 weeks of our training was almost non-existent, so we were very curious to see how our bodies, lungs, and legs would hold up! We had the most amazing morning weather, lots of adrenaline, and actually a very enjoyable, successful run! It was so special to run it together. We were true teammates, helping each other along as we ran the 13.1 miles through downtown KC. We finished in 1 hour and 53 minutes - reaching our goal of under 2 hours. Yeah! That being said, we are glad the training is done - it frees up that much more space and time for seeing other other and our little darling!! Proud of you, babe!


The afternoon after the half marathon, we went to Sibley Orchard with some friends of ours and had did it all - went to a pumpkin patch, had a weenie roast, made smores, and went on a hayride. It was beautiful weather and the perfect opportunity to enjoy the fall weather!





This fall weather has been outstanding! It was a pretty Sunday afternoon and as we were out on back porch looking at all the leaves that needed to be bagged, we decided to put the 5 million leaves to good use and stick Siena in them for a fall photo shoot. I think that's a much better use of our time!! :) She had fun crunching all the leaves - and giving us a few fun faces...

Fall Fun

This weather is amazing! It's the perfect time to be outside...sweatshirt weather in the evening and sunglasses and short sleeves during the day. You can smell fall coming - and it's wonderful.
About a month ago, I celebrated my 28th birthday. I love to celebrate birthdays, and it was no exception this year! I had a very special surprise for lunch that day...Matt and Siena for lunch guests! Then, Matt treated me to a WONDERFUL dinner downtown. Siena went to play with Linda and JD while we went to Skies Restaurant - the one that rotates at the top of the Hyatt downtown. We had never been there before and it was such a treat! We felt so cool going out on a school night...and stayed out way past our bedtime. :) It was really fun. A much needed break and treat.

A couple of weeks ago, we took Siena to the Fall Fun Fest in Blue Springs. It was fun to walk around, eat a few Timmy Burgers, and see kids from school. It was really hot that afternoon, so we didn't stay too long, but enough to get the feel and atmosphere! Siena seems to be obsessed with "Baaa" (balloons) lately. Every time we go into the grocery store or a shop with balloons, she is immediately drawn to them. Because we have all had birthdays within the past couple of months, there have been a lot of balloons in the house too. So, to Siena's delight, she got a free balloon at Fall Fun Fest. Made her day.



Football has given us the opportunity to enjoy the outdoor weather. Friday nights are meant to be spent outside! Siena has loved running around, meeting all kinds of new friends. It doesn't allow her mother the opportunity to watch a whole lot of the games, but we are both there supporting Daddy! Up until this point, we haven't needed jackets and blankets, but that time may be coming! It sure is fun. It helps when we see Matt so happy too...that's half the fun. After the games, Siena runs around on the field, giving high fives to the players...and Daddy. :)
A couple of days ago, I got out of school at a decent time, so Siena and I played outside on the deck. The weather is perfect and she loves to be outside. What a little personality she has grown into - the many faces of Siena...








A not-so-fun part of fall so far has been Siena's first time getting sick. Last Thursday, I picked her up from Grandma and Grandpa's house to find her pretty clingy and whiney. She had a temperature too. I got home and gave her some Tylenol and I thought that fixed the problem. She woke up the next morning, not feeling all that well. Matt took the day off to be with his baby girl...which I don't think he was sad about at all. :) They had a good day together, and she definitely enjoyed Daddy's company. She was in and out of temperatures during the day. When I got her about 4:00 Friday afternoon, it went downhill quickly. She did not leave my arms all night. Her temperature peeked at 104 and she was miserable. She could hardly keep her eyes open, hardly took her head off my shoulder, and if she wasn't sleeping, she was just moaning. I felt so bad for her! I just layed with her on the couch, cuddling her and trying to get her to feel better. She didn't want to eat or drink much. She was breathing like she just ran 10 miles. Poor baby. I took her to Urgent Care on Saturday morning to find that she had a double ear infection and major teething. Double whammy. She got some antibiotics and Pedialyte and a lot of TLC. We just cuddled and relaxed all weekend. She still ran a fever for most of the weekend, but her appetite increased and she gradually gained more energy. It forced us to slow down and just stay home. For that, I was very greatful.
It was definitely a love-hate thing. I hated seeing her miserable and not feeling well. All you want to do is kiss it and make it better. It's hard to see them like that...especially when they are young, helpless, and can't really tell you what hurts or doesn't feel good. That all being said, I loved having SIena curled up in my arms. I haven't had her in my arms for that long since she was itty bitty. To feel her nuzzled up against me or holding me tight - the best feeling ever.
She went to Grandpa and Grandma's house on Monday morning, only to find that she had gotten a huge rash all over her tummy and chest. Took her to the doctor Monday afternoon to find that it was one of two things - an allergic reaction to the medicine or a viral infection showing itself in the form of a rash. She was taken off the meds (because her ears looked pretty good already!) and we are to be watching the rash. If it goes right away, it was the meds. If it lingers a little more and gradually goes away, it was the infection. We're still waiting to see for sure, but we're hoping it's the infection! Don't want a reaction to the antibiotics!
So far, a great fall. A very busy fall...but a great one. Siena is the highlight of my days, the smile I need, and the blessing I am greatful for. She is loving life, running all over the place, and growing up before our very eyes. Sure do love that girl!! :)

"Signs" of Language

Man, how time flies when you don't have any!! :)
Learning to be a teacher and a mother and a wife all at the same time is a difficult process. I don't feel like I'm juggling that very well yet, but I'm a work in progress. I (usually) sleep well at night, knowing that I'm trying as hard as I can to give all that I have to everything I do. There, got that out of the way...back to Siena.
Siena has been signing like crazy!! It makes things so much easier when we can understand what she wants! It cuts down both of our frustrations...how nice!
We really didn't use a book or a product, just thought of words that we thought she would probably use often, found the sign for it, and taught them to her. It has been one of the best things we have done so far.
We started out when she was really young. Every time we put her to bed, we showed her the sign while we said it's time for bed. Every time we gave her food, we showed her the sign. Every time it was time to nurse, I showed her the sign for milk. Every time we gave her something, we told her to say please and showed her the sign. The more she saw it and the more we did it, the more she picked up on it. She was picking up way more than we even thought!
The first time she did a sign on her own, we were sitting in the living room playing. It was getting close to her bedtime, but we hadn't said anything about it. She looked at us both and put her hand up to her ear and cocked her head to the side. Surely that wasn't what we thought it was...was it? We asked her if she wanted to go to bed...and she showed us the sign again. So, we got her ready for bed and put her down...and she went right to sleep! It seriously was amazing!! Since then, she has become very used to showing us signs for what she wants.
It's the coolest feeling to have a little one that you can communicate with. Even though she can't talk yet (that we can understand), we are still able to communicate and figure out what she wants. Not being frustrated, and not having Siena crying and upset because she's not getting what she wants is such a treat. These are all the "words" Siena knows: milk, more, please, book, food, drink, all done, sleep, blow kisses, hat, and bye. We're currently working on "thank you".
I would recommend teaching sign language to everyone. It's not hard at all...all it takes is a little repetition and consistency. Before you know it, the communication lines are open!! Here is my attempt to capture some of her signs on camera. We have it on video, and that obviously shows much better, but here's the "still" version:

"Food." - bring all her fingers to her mouth.

"Hat."

"Please." - rubbing her hand up and down on her tummy.

"More." - she uses this one ALL the time...I think for a while she also thought it meant "I want that" because she would do that to anything she wanted...and she got "more"! :)

"Milk."

Watermelon Obsession

So, little Miss Independent is showing her true colors these days! Boy, does she have a personality on her! Watch out! :)

Food is the big thing now. Food out of a jar rarely cuts it anymore. Every once in a while I can get a little breakfast fruit/cereal to go in, but other than that, it has to be stuff she can feed herself. Breakfast time is bananas, Cheerios, "adult" oatmeal (that she can spoon in herself), yogurt, and toast. (If we get lucky and have a breakfast at a restaurant, it's a treat for all of us - and she eats everything we get!) Lunch is string cheese (that she carries around with her like she's grown), lunch meat, bread, fruits (grapes, strawberries, melon, tangerines, apples, etc.), applesauce, grilled cheese, and eggs. Dinner is just about anything. She loves spaghetti, mac and cheese, chicken, other pastas, baby ravioli, corn, beans, peas...or if we're eating something that interests her, she'll go for that too. For dessert, we've hit the jackpot. Watermelon.
The other day, I bought a few pieces of pre-cut watermelon (on the rind) to give to Siena. The first time I gave her a slice, I held it while she took bites off the piece. That started out being fine. The juice ran down her chin and tummy, right into her diaper. But it didn't seem to bother her at all. Then, I gave her the watermelon to hold herself, and you would have thought it was $100. She thought she was the coolest kid on the block. She put her whole face down into the watermelon and came up with a huge bite in her mouth, juice everywhere, and a smile from ear to ear. I cut the pieces in half, thinking half a slice would be plenty for a tiny little person - boy, was I wrong. She signed to me and made it VERY clear that she wanted more. So, a whole big slice of watermelon later, she was on top of the world. I think she would have eaten more if she could find it. After all the pink watermelon parts were gone, she went on to the green rind. She quickly found out (by choking on it) that it doesn't taste near as good and it doesn't go down very easy either. Long story short, she LOVES watermelon...and loves feeding it to herself even more. What a big girl.
Take a look at some of these pictures. I wish the pictures would show the sounds that she was making. She is funny to watch! Note to self: the key to Siena's heart (right now) is through watermelon. :)

Work...and Play...

I am back at work.
After taking a year off to be with our sweet Siena, I have started working again. I am a third grade teacher at Thomas Ultican Elementary in Blue Springs. I am thrilled with the opportunity and privilege of being a teacher and am excited to be back in the classroom.
I would not trade the past year for anything. It is a period of time I will never forget. To be able to stay home with Siena is a treasure I will always hold dear. I felt like her and I were able to bond and spend some really great moments together. That being said, I think it's a good thing for me to get back in the "real world" and get back to doing what I love. The opportunity is perfect - a new environment, and new group of kids, a new start...just what I need. In the first couple of weeks, I have been reminded of why I love being a teacher...and also that I need to regain my teacher stamina! I am exhausted when I leave school. But I am thrilled to see Siena at the end of the day and she gives me energy to play and spend time with her.
Robert and Sharon are watching Siena this year, which is more of a blessing than I even realize. To not have to worry about Siena at all during the day is such a relief. When I'm at school, I can focus on my "other kids" and be a part of TUE. When I leave school, I get to be Mom, pick up Siena, and spend the rest of the day with her. It's definitely an adjustment to go from being with her every day, all day, to seeing her for only a few short waking hours. But it's been a good transition...one I think Siena is getting used to faster than I am! She loves to play at Grandma and Grandpa's house and they take wonderful care of her. I couldn't ask for anything more. It makes me cherish the moments I do have with her in the afternoon...and not look at the clock, waiting till bedtime, like I did at times in the past year. We're all getting the hang of this working-mom thing!
It's been the perfect situation. Siena is safe, I am happy at work, Matt is loving football season...all is well! We are so blessed.

Speaking of blessed...Matt turned 30 this month! What a great milestone. It's hard to believe that I have only known him for just a fraction of those years...but they are certainly the best years of my life. He is such a wonderful husband, father, coach, teacher, mentor, friend, and person. I am blessed to have him in my life. He really is pretty great.
I wanted to do something fun for his birthday. So, I set up a surprise adventure for him. I created a list of "Matt's 30 Favorite Things" that he had to discover. I gave him clues to help him along the way, but ultimately, her went all over Blue Springs to see friends, places, and things that he would consider to be his favorite things. It did take some planning, but it was SO worth it. We had such an awesome day together. He started out at his aunt's house, eating his favorite cookies and ended the day at Fogo de Chao, his favorite restaurant down on the Plaza...with everything else in between.
Happy Birthday, Love! You mean the world to me and I love you dearly. Congratulations on 30 years...cheers to twice that many together! :)



Of course, Siena made the list! She was waiting for her daddy at Grandma and Grandpa's house (also on the Top 30 list) with a shirt that said, "My daddy means the world to me!" shirt...so true! She even made a pretty picture for him!


Another stop was to the Blue Springs Football field - of course! It occupies a huge spot in his heart and I love to see his passion for coaching. An extra little surprise was a photo collection that Siena made for him. A couple months ago, I had some professional photos of Siena taken in "football gear". They turned out amazing! The photos are darling and Matt was so surprised!
(To see the photos, go to www.jessicahortonphotography.com, click on proofs, then scroll down to 'Siena...1 year' from the drop-down menu. They are precious - and Jes did a fantastic job!!)


Another fun little surprise along the way was when he went to see one of his football mentors, Coach Dade. Not only did he get to see him (a favorite), but Matt also found his college football jersey mounted and framed. That was my way to show another favorite - college football.


There were a lot of other stops and fun surprises along the way, but it ended at Fogo, an amazing Brazilian steakhouse that I was just as excited to go to. We both got all dressed up and headed downtown. We had some great drinks, wine, food and conversation during dinner - such a treat! It was such a great day!

P.S.

Man, I feel like I am falling into my old ways and becoming a bit of a slacker with the postings. My apologies to the one or two people that read this. :)
Since Siena's birthday earlier this month, lots has happened! I was thinking that I didn't really post much about her and the things she's doing - just the partying we were doing! At her appointment, she "passed" with flying colors. She weighed 21.6 pounds (56%) and was 30.5 inches long (89%). She had lots to show off to the doctor and was super wiggly. Obviously not a fan of the shots, but after a couple good cries, she was good to go. We had the doctor check a little "boo boo" she got on her birthday. She was playing with some little friends and accidentally broke the frenulum in her mouth (the little piece of skin that attaches your upper lip to your gums). She had a little fat lip and shed a few tears, but it didn't seem to bother her. And apparently, your mouth heals super fast and just repairs itself...which it has!
We also noticed that at Siena's birthday party, she must have noticed her older little friends running around all over the place. She wanted in on the action. Since her birthday party, she has been toddling all over the place. In the past few weeks, she has dropped the crawling all together and only walks. We are just amazed at how quickly she has picked up this new "lifelong habit". She throws her hands up in the air, sticks out her chest, and waddles all over the place.
She also loves to get into things and put things in containers. She pulls out all the stuff she can (get away with) from the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen and makes great big messes. But she loves it!
Just the other day, I bought her a t-shirt that says, "Little Miss Chatterbox". If that doesn't define her, I don't know what does. She talks almost constantly. She has so much to say - all in Chinese! We can't understand hardly anything she says, but she sure acts like we're supposed to and it doesn't stop her from jabbering. It's hilarious! There are some things we do understand. She loves balloons and calls them "ba-ba" and points to them. She can say "buh-buh" to us when we leave while she waves. She can recognize a ball, point to it, and say "ba". Obviously she's got the "ba" sound down! :) She uses lots of signs to let us know what she wants too. Milk, more, please, drink, all done...those keep us both much less frustrated! It's wonderful! I would recommend that to every parent!!
I also have to document her absolute obsession with toothbrushes. I don't know where that came from or why those, but I had to buy new brushes for Matt and I because she stole both of ours and has carried them everywhere with her. She does some brushing of her own teeth (all 6 of them) but mostly she just loves to carry them everywhere! It really is funny. She also brushes Yah-Yah's (her best friend, the monkey) teeth. She tries to put those nasty brushes in my mouth, but that crosses my line...no way. :)





She's eating lots of food now too. She started drinking whole milk from a sippy cup and no longer uses any bottles! Yeah - sippy cups are so much easier to clean. :) She still nurses before bed, but soon will be finished with that too. She doesn't seem to be very picky with the food she eats. As long as SHE can put it in her mouth, and SHE can take her own bites, she's happy to eat whatever. And if she's lucky enough to get a treat off someone else's plate, she thrilled!
She is a happy, very sweet little girl with a lot of personality. She enjoys playing with her toys in the living room and jabbering about everything to anyone who will listen. She is such a joy and a breath of fresh air in a world that can be so negative and serious sometimes.