Sienna's Nose-Picking

Sienna, ever the little stinker, was a nose-picker for awhile.  Thanks to the great teachers at Kids Count, she is no longer a true nose-picker, but a comedic nose-picker.  The other night, I was reading a Sandra Boynton book to her where a little hippo kept saying, "Ew!"  Throughout the book, Sienna kept picking her nose.  I thought she was up to her old antics, but then I realized she only did it when I said, "Ew!"  Turns out, she's a perfect Pavlovian and every time you say "Ew!" or "Acky!" or "Ick!", she will stick her finger in her nose... and grin at you. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2012 is here and I'm sure we are going to see big changes in SiSi throughout the course of the new year.  For now, Sienna is 16 months old and she is full of tricks!  Though she's not talking much in English, she is certainly conversing in her own unique way.  She does say, "Hi!" very enthusiastically when she comes home every day, she says "Daddy" over and over, and she "reads" her favorite books, like Snuggle Puppy, Goodnight Moon, and her Farm Animals book.  Her favorite activities involve emptying the bottom kitchen drawer of its contents multiple times a day, removing the books from all the shelves, hiding treasures in the cabinet under the tv in the kitchen, throwing whatever she can get her hands on, dancing to music, and playing with her big sis.  She still loves to eat most everything - the only thing she won't eat is macaroni and cheese.  At SiSi's last doctor's appointment, she weighed 21 pounds and she has moved out of her infant carrier into Finley's old car seat.  One of mom and dad's favorite things about SiSi is how easy she is to put to sleep.  Every night, we curl up in her rocking chair, read a couple of books, say goodnight to the things in her bedroom, turn out the light, before she reaches for her crib.  If there is any crying, it's very minimal.

Except on New Year's Eve!  After 3 big Christmas celebrations, she must have figured out what she was missing when she was sleeping because she woke up just before midnight and didn't go to sleep until 4am!  Of course, Mom and Dad LOVED this after enjoying the company of the Peterson clan all day, if you know what I mean ;)  All in all, though, the holiday season was fun and eventful with this little toddler, as anyone who knows her would expect.

SiSi's First Snow of 2011

Our first snowfall has come and gone but the image of Sienna in her new snowsuit will never melt away!  She loved it from the first time she laid eyes on it and she maneuvered herself around and grunted until we put her in it.  She couldn't move around very well in her hand-me-down boots, but she sure stayed warm as Finley showed her how to eat snow ("Not the yellow stuff") and throw snowballs.  We can't wait to take SiSi snowshoeing this winter now that we know she's game!

Happy Halloween, Si Si!

Sienna Takes Duluth

Sienna took her first Autumnal excursion to Duluth last weekend.  The weather was glorious, the sky was bright, the leaves were turning...it couldn't have been better.  SiSi was able to visit Gooseberry Falls, Grandma Julie's favorite place, and took everything in while looking fierce!  And when we came home, she found a little frog in our backyard waiting for her.  Of course, she wasn't scared of it in the least.

Apple Jack Si Si

Sienna went on her first Autumnal excursion with the family last Saturday.  We went to Apple Jack's Orchard in Delano and had a great time.  The weather was schizophrenic - hot until the sun went under the clouds - but it was a lovely day all around.  Sienna was an absolute doll all day, even when she was ravenous toward the end.  When we finally ate dinner, SiSi ate half of Grandma's hot dog, potato chips, and a whole serving of ice cream, all while dancing to the Irish music playing.  When the day was done, Sienna fell asleep around 7 and slept until 9:30 the next morning!

Sienna's First Birthday!

SiSi turned one on August 30th and celebrated her special day with family the weekend before.  Her party was attended by her mom, dad, sister, cousin Sadie, Auntie Megan, Auntie Annie, Grandma Brenda and Grandpa Kevin, Grandma Belva and Grandpa Tim, Grandma Julie, Great Grandma and Grandpa Laven, Great Uncle Tom Laven, Great Uncle Steve, and Great Auntie Sondra.  Sienna was, of course, perfectly lovely.  When we gathered around her to sing, she looked at us like we were all crazy!  Right as we finished singing, she broke into a nice smile for us and we all laughed.  She ate every last bit of her cupcake, as well as some ice cream.  She wore the special dress Finley wore to Auntie Annie and Uncle Luke's wedding.

Sienna's actual birthday was spent at the doctor's, where she weighed in at 19.4 lbs and was 2 ft 5 1/2 inches.  She's a little peanut, but right on schedule for her history.  The nurses love her because she smiles and flirts with them all and Dr. Noll said she was the easiest 1 year old she'd had in a long time. 

At one, Sienna usually falls asleep at 6:30/7 and sleeps until about 3:30, when she wants to nurse.  She always wakes up with a smile on her face around 6:30 am.  She is a funny little stinker and loves to play teasing games.  She HATES shoes and will not walk when she has them on.  She loves to take walks in the stroller.  She eats absolutely everything you give her.  Sienna dances and claps when she hears any kind of music.  She "talks" non-stop, repeating her favorite phrase, "Duck-a-duck-a-duck-a."  She points at pictures of Cam and says, "Da!"  She points at everything and makes the inflection of "What's that?"  And above all, she ADORES her big sister, Finley, and the feelings are mutual.  The two girls play and laugh and are absolutely the sweetest things you've ever seen together.