Siena is Turning 1

Ok so it's been forever...um...I have no words for how fast this past year soared by. There have been so many adventures, fun trips, some great times and some very sad times since I've last written. Our kids have grown up and our youngest is almost walking already. As I prepare to celebrate her first year with us I find myself emotional thinking about how special this little girl is.

So what makes her so special? I could probably write forever, but here is a summary:

• SMV. She has my same exact initials.
• Her birth made me feel like a strong woman, and still does
• She has the sweetest disposition
• Her belly laugh is high and squeaky and makes me belly laugh in return
• First word--Daddy (still waiting for Mommy. She says MaMa, but not always directly at me)
• She was my life-saving comfort the day she turned 4 months--the day my Daddy walked into Jesus's arms
• She is determined, especially when going after something she knows mommy isn't too keen on. If I stop her she throws a one-year-old tantrum. I can't help but laugh because she is so cute.
• She sucks her thumb when she's tired. I love this now, but know that it could become trouble in the future.
• She is a momma's girl...mommy will do when she is upset.
• She loves her brother and sister. C makes her laugh all the time. They all play so well together it warms my heart.
• She has the best hugs, blows kisses and waves bye bye
• Her little tongue goes a mile a minute and she makes the cutest blah, blah, blub, blub sounds
• She loves taking a flat palm and smacking her open mouth to make fun sounds
• We love the little pucker lip face she makes
• She says "Hi!" when someone walks in the room
• Love that she is so petite, don't love that part of the reason she is so small is due to a UTI that kept her from gaining any weight for three months. She is back on track now and doing great. I can't wait for her 1 year check-up to see where she is on the growth chart this time. Just to give you an idea, at 4 months she was at 50%, 6 months she was 32%, and 9 months she was 6%, then we had her weight checked at 10 1/2 months and she was up to 14%--moving in the right direction.
• She didn't explore textured food until 10 months. But now she loves feeding herself. She even reaches for the spoon and likes to try by herself. I am so excited about this because due to the UTI she wasn't interested in anything but smooth puree.
• She absolutely loves the pool, splashing and kicking. She giggles when I dip her in and jump up then dip her back down to her shoulders. Oh her smile...how magical.
• She travels so well. In her first year she has been to Disney World, and Cocoa Beach, FL to visit Great Grandma Julia; she has been hiking many times with the family in the North Georgia mountains, She flew to PA in December, then drove back to PA in June and up to Boston and back home. What a trooper.

And the list goes on... We love this girl. What a complete joy.

Great Grandma Julia & A Trip to Disney

My husband had some vacation days to use up before the end of the year, so we took a trip to Disney World in Orlando. Honestly, I think that I was the most excited of all to be at the parks. I just love Disney so much. It's hard to believe that Leo has been there twice already and he is only 22 months old! Our week started with a trip to Sea World. Our favorite show by far was the dolphin show. It was like Cirque du Soleil with dolphins, birds, divers and flying trapeze artists--so cool.

We also checked out Epcot. It was a great place for the kids to meet some of the characters up close.

Mid week we drove out to the beach to spend some time with my grandma. This was such a highlight for us. Carmella bonded so quickly with her Great Grandma. She stayed by her side the entire day and was so upset when we had to leave. It was wonderful to see Grandma. We had such a nice visit. Seeing her hold little Siena was precious and very special for me. We love you, Julia, thanks for such lovely hospitality.

The next day we went to Magic Kingdom. This was by far our favorite park. We saved the best for last. Pushing it to the max, we stayed all day, ending the evening with the light parade. The kids did great, but mom ended up at the clinic the next day. I had a double ear infection, sinus infection and bronchitis. Overall I managed fine. The biggest issue was that I couldn't breathe well and my chest hurt. A good dose of antibiotics, steroids and an inhaler did the trick. I felt much better after a few days or so.

Our Disney vacay was a great little escape. I'm not sure what the kids enjoyed most, but the entire car ride home Carmella kept asking to go back to the hotel. There was a bunk bed in our room and she got to sleep on the top bunk. That might have been the highlight for her.

Ella Turns 4

Our little girl is growing up...way too fast. We had two parties for her this year. A "family" party with our clan and my BFF, Crystal's family. We ordered pizza and had bite-sized cupcakes for dessert. She got to open presents from us and the grandparents.














From Grandma and Grandpa V.

From Grandma and PopPop S.

Since her actual birthday was on a Monday, they celebrated it at preschool. I sent in some carrot cupcakes and they sang "Happy Birthday" to her. I do carpool on Mondays so here she is in her birthday crown with her best buddy, Chloe.

Then, the following Saturday, we had a friend party for her. We invited Chloe and all the girls in her class for a Pancakes and Pajamas party. The girls had a blast!

 

 Happy Birthday Carmella, we love you so much. You've grown into such a sweetheart. You make us laugh every day with your pure silliness. The quote of the week stems from confusion over throwing you two parties. You asked me a couple of times after your first party and before your second one: "Mommy, will I turn five at the pajama party?"

"No, sweetheart, you will still be 4." Please don't rush it.