November

Sierra's first trip on an airplane!

Taking a peek at some Mountains...

She loved pulling (or pushing) her suitcase by herself.

Sunny weather in Palm Springs makes some happy Oregonians!

Exercise

And then a nap.  When you are used to a crib - you need your

mommy for nap.  You hold on tight just to make sure she doesn't leave

when you fall asleep:)

Fun times in the pool with Daddy and Grandma

At the Living Desert Zoo watching an animal presentation

A crazy ride on this wild boar

Water+pink tutu swim suit+teeny tiny pony tail=pure cuteness

This is how she spent most of the ride home:)

Back home and going through a very artistic phase.  These are jelly fish.

Getting ready to watch the Corvallis Christmas Parade

A great spot way up on Daddy's shoulders.

Waiting to see the train float that daddy helped build (with her tiny Thomas in hand)

Smiley face drawing

And her doggie drawing complete with four legs, ears, and a tail!

We took Sierra on her very first vacation this month.  We really haven't traveled at all in the last two years, and Jesse and I were both a little terrified about the trip.  Luckily Palm Springs is only a two hour flight and we made sure that we booked a direct flight.  My mom and dad had booked a week at a condo there, and after months of being nervous about actually booking the tickets, we did it.  The flight times were good (all mid morning to mid day) and we hoped for the best.  The best is what we got.  Sierra did amazingly well.  For a child that had really never had an overnight vacation trip (except for a few when she was a tiny infant), she did beyond amazing. 

She stayed awake for the whole flight to Palm Springs.  She did great during takeoff, mostly just reading her Winnie the Pooh Book.  During the flight we were paranoid about her having to go potty so Jess tried taking her about 6 times, but the potty was not normal to her and she refused to go.  We made it without any incidents though.  The descent was what caused a little bit of a problem.  We warned Sierra that her ears might start to pop and that she needed to chew on some fruit snacks we brought solely for that purpose.  But she refused to eat once her ears started hurting and did cry for about 5 minutes.  Luckily the flight attendants were great and didn't make her sit in her own seat.  They let me hold her and comfort her and she got over her fuss pretty quickly.

When we landed in Palm Springs my Grandma and John were there waiting for us.  They had driven down and were staying at a 1000 Trails Park not far from our condo.  Sierra was very excited to see GG!  After Sierra passed out on the way to the condo and took her nap, daddy and Grandma took her down for her first swim in the resort pool.  She loved the water and usually went swimming at least once a day.  This trip sure was different than the trips Jess and I used to take.  We used to spend most of the day driving around exploring, shopping, eating.  But with a two year old in tow, we mostly stayed at the resort.  Generally at naptime we took Sierra for a little drive so she would fall asleep.  Bedtime was tougher.  She is used to her crib, to her home, and even though we tried to replicate our nighttime routine, she was out of her element.  It took about an hour to get her to go to sleep the first couple of nights.  She cried that she wanted to go home and wanted her bed.  But as the week went on things got a little easier.  She did wake up at 5am every morning though which isn't too much different than from at home.  My mom and dad had a huge room with a small room attached that we put a hide-a-bed mattress on the floor, so when she woke up at 5, it was Grandma and Grandpa that got to keep her occupied:)  All in all, she did amazing on the vacation, but we were all really really glad to come home.  We were sad to leave the 70 degree weather though.  We came home to freezing cold rain.

Sierra did a lot of drawing while we were on vacation and she came home with a passion for coloring.  We generally spend at least an hour a day drawing.  We use cardboard, the chalkboard, and I have a few giant art pads on the kitchen table with felt pens.  She can draw circles really well.  She generally draws a few circles and says, "Mommy, what's this?"  So I make something up, "Well that looks like a whale," as I add a tail and a spout, or "That must be an apple," as I add a stem and leaf.  Gradually she has gotten to where she adds things on her own and you can see by the doggie picture above that she has gotten quite creative and is learning to control her movements more and more. 

Our little boy continues to grow and grow.  I had about two weeks of feeling the best I had during the whole pregnancy and then Sierra and I both caught a cold.  Hers was quick, lasting only about 4 or 5 days.  Mine unfortunately ended with a nasty cough that refuses to go away.  I do not know how women go through pregnancy feeling normal.  My body won't allow it.  When someone tells me that they felt great throughout their pregnancy I sort of want to strike them.  This sick, crazy, pregnant lady feels absolutely NOTHING like herself.  Here's to hoping that trimester 3 is nice to me.....

October

We went to a conservation kids fair in early October.  Sierra was not really interested in petting

the bunnies or the sheep, but was sooo excited to get to hold this snake!

Fun times! 

The first rains came and Sierra celebrated by a doing some serious puddle stomping! 

And some more...... 

October is a great month for apples straight off of the tree! 

We went to Washington for a wedding this month.  Sierra talked through pretty

much the whole thing.  Saying things like who is going to sing, are we going to

pray now, I not want to get married, can we play now, etc.

Her highlight of the wedding was finding a fuzzy wuzzy to hold! 

Helping daddy prepare for the garage foundation 

It's fall! 

Pouting because she did not want to have to wear her new "big coat" outside. 

Reading her "treasure map" 

"This one is little like me!" 

Almost ready for cement.

Sierra is quite excited about carving her first pumpkin;) 

Her curiosity took over her disgust VERY quickly. 

Since she wasn't actually able to help with the carving part, we let her color her own pumpkin

while daddy did the carving. 

She was quite attached to her pumpkin! 

We have moments of girlyness! 

And some hula dancing.... 

Happy Halloween! 

She was trying to wiggle her nose.... 

We took her trick-or-treating in downtown Corvallis.  First stop was daddy's work! 

Fall is here.  Bleh.  I'm not a fan of fall or winter.  I like to be outside and I like to be warm.  But we live in Oregon, so I do my best.  I do enjoy a nice warm cup of cider and I also enjoy the Christmas season.  So in late October I turn on the Christmas music and start some online shopping with my cider in hand.  This October has actually been pretty beautiful weather-wise.  I'm glad for this considering our summer did not start until August this year.  Enough about the weather right - you are here to read about Miss Sierra.

She is slowly coming to terms with being a big sister.  We pray for little brother every night and talk about him someday being able to play with her and be her friend.  This has made quite a difference in her attitude, though she will probably be very confused when we bring home a baby that cries and poops a lot and can in no way play a game of chasey chase.  I struggle with a mix of emotions daily when I realize how attached she is to me and that she is so used to me being her playmate.  I worry that when I am nursing and caring for a new baby - that she will have a serious adjustment period.  Some parts of me are saying to start the weaning process now and encourage her to play more on her own and not depend on me so much while the other part of me is saying give her as much attention as you can before #2 gets here and you never have her to yourself again. 

Basically I'm realizing she is a total mommy's girl and a little bit spoiled when it comes to my time and affection.  I'm not meaning to say that she isn't disciplined and always gets her way by any means.  But I really do devote my day to her.  The house generally gets cleaned after daddy gets home or on weekends, I do not watch adult tv or even listen to adult radio, I have very few crafts that I attempt because I'm otherwise occupied, really the computer is my only vice and generally I use it when she is taking her nap.  So what does this mean?  I play with play dough, dance to children's music, take a 3 minute shower, color, sit on the floor and play blocks, sit by her while she eats her lunch, read Disney books 1000 times while she sits in my lap, play with puzzles, lay down on her floor and sing to her before her nap, walk down the driveway inspecting every single rock that she picks up even though I just want to make it to the mail box before the mailman picks up the mail.  Yep I'm the average stay at home mom that loves her child and yet still worries every second that maybe I should be doing something a little differently.  Days of play sound like fun right?  And they are.  And I am blessed.  But sometimes I also go a little bit insane:)

When I go a little too batty for my own good I plan a trip to town in the evening without my Sierra in tow or I plan a trip to visit my sister in Portland.  I did that this month, an over-nighter even!  I kissed my child, wished my husband good luck, and I ran for the hills:)  Amy and I had a wonderful time shopping and she treated me to a facial for my birthday.  Jesse and Sierra had a wonderful time as well.  She went down for her nap and bed just fine without me (maybe I'm not as important as I think I am).  I came home to a happy child and daddy.  Sierra actually insisted on Jesse doing several things for her instead of me after I got home (it's usually mommy that is supposed to take her potty, get her dressed, or get her snack etc.)  This honestly did not hurt my feelings one little bit.  I was so excited that she was having a moment realizing someone besides myself could take good care of her.  It only lasted a day, but I was overjoyed.  Good job daddy!

By the end of October most of my nausea has faded.  It lasted until 22 weeks just exactly like it did with Sierra.  I still battle random bouts of it, but not ALL day like I have been.  Hallelujah!  I move slowly, think slowly, and still wish I could sleep every second of the day, but am no longer hugging the toilet on a regular basis. Yay!  Sierra still does not understand my lack of motivation for anything physical - and when she is running down the driveway she looks at me like I'm broken as I hobble along behind her (I'm having serious back problems with this pregnancy).  But she is glad to have me back at moments, and glad that I don't spend most of my day laying in a daze beside her. 

One of her new favorite games right now is catch.  We sit about 5 feet apart and either roll a ball or throw one back and forth.  She is finally getting the hang of actually catching the ball and really enjoys it.  But - it is mandatory that you sit on the floor for this game.  When I try to have her toss me the ball while I'm sitting in a chair or on the couch, I get a serious reprimand.  We've also reached a new level of music.  She's heard songs a million times by this point in her 2 year old life, so she has decided that I need to randomly make up songs and sing them in the car, before nap or bed.  I get to sing about her light, Thomas, trees, boogers, I'm serious any random thing she comes up with.  They usually only have to have 2 or 3 verses but I am telling you that I sort of miss Wheels on the Bus and Old MacDonald.  Being a songwriter takes a lot of thought - and my brain seems to be extra empty these days.  Luckily any silly thing goes.  The bad thing is - sometimes she expects me to repeat the good ones later - and if I've forgotten I'm in big trouble.  Usually she remembers though and will say, "No Mommy, it goes like this." 

I know I talk about it all the time but this child has a crazy memory.  She can see something just once and remember it vividly.  If we go to the store she remember what we got at that particular store the last time.  She has an amazing sense of where she is.  She knows if we are close to home, close to GG's house, etc.  When we turn onto a road on the way to our house she'll say, "This is Decker Road Mommy."  There are so many examples that I could give it would literally fill pages.  Maybe this is normal for a two year old; I'm not around very many.  But all I know is that when she starts spouting off exactly what I put in my shopping cart last time I was at Market of Choice - it actually scares me a little.  I used to be really good at remembering things - until I gave birth.  Somehow I think my memory left my body at the moment she was born.  So maybe she is now living with her 2 year old memory as well as my former one.

Sierra was a bunny for Halloween this year and she had a lot of fun walking around downtown Corvallis collecting candy in her bucket.  She loved putting it in there but never really tried to eat any of it.  She rarely has candy, so it was just not too tempting to her.  After her trick-or-treating we did let her try a few different kinds.  Mostly she just got annoyed because the candy stuck to her teeth.  She did enjoy the smarties though.  It's crazy to think that next year I will have two little ones to dress up for Halloween!

September

Sierra's first trip to the beach!

She loved digging her feet in the sand!

Daddy braved the cold water with her

She had absolutely no reaction to the freezing cold water

Jumping in the wet sand is so much fun!

So is having her legs buried!

And a smooch on the beach for mommy.

Flying with daddy

He's a pretty special guy

REALLY enjoying her bowl of blackberries

Helping dad dig for the garage

And move some rock with her matching wheelbarrow

Second trip to the coast this month.  This time we visited the aquarium

Sierra loved looking at all the fish

"It's Nemo!"  she says

She also fell in love with these wooden turtles 

A break for a little rock climbing 

Those are some BIG teeth!

Enjoying some blackberries again.  We have a patch just down the driveway,

and we took full advantage of the berries daily. 

Trying to get in as much outside/park time as we can since I'm starting to have some better days

and while the warm weather lasts.... 

I'm starting to have some better days mixed in with the bad ones.  This is a good sign that the end of the pukes is near.  I hope.  My belly is growing rapidly despite the sickies - and some days I fear this child will weigh 20 pounds when born.  I didn't feel movement with Sierra until 21 weeks, but have been bombarded with kicks since right before 16 weeks with this baby.  Jesse and I were sure we were going to have another girl (why we assume things like this is hard to tell) and so when we found out at the end of the month that we were having a boy we both were kind of confused and a little terrified.  We are used to the idea of a girl because that's what we've raised the last two years.  So it seems like we are not only starting over with two instead of one, but with a whole new species altogether:) 

Sierra is not quite sure what to think of having a baby brother.  Some days she acts excited, other days she says "No I not have baby brother.  He be naughty."  We really don't push the subject much because it is still a ways off and we want her to get used to the idea slowly.  I can tell you she is getting sick and tired of me being sick and tired and says, "Mommy get up!"  or asks me if I'm done yet about 20 times while I'm throwing up.  So much for sweet sympathy:)  But I'm pretty sick of it too and would much rather be done with all the nausea and able to frolic with Sierra like normal.  Like I said, I am starting to have some better days and we've been able to go out and do a few things again which makes the weeks pass by a little quicker.

We took two trips to the coast this month.  Sierra's very first experience with the beach.  She fell in love with the sand and the freezing cold water.  It was hard to get her to leave.  Jesse followed her around and I sat and watched in awe of my two favorite people on this universe.  So many pictures I take are of the two of them because when daddy is around, I try to let them be.  I am with her all day long every day, and it's good for her to have fun and realize that someone else on this earth can play and help her.  Besides the fact it's just plain beautiful. 

The second trip to the coast involved a trip to the aquarium and another short trip to the beach.  The weather was not as nice for the second trip and luckily she was preoccupied enough with the sand and all the playmates she had (grandpa and grandma lee, amy, ben, and mommy and daddy) that she didn't even try to venture out into the water.  She really liked the aquarium but we kind of zipped through it because she was constantly ready to see what was next.  It's ridiculously priced if you ask me.  It's a tenth of the size of the zoo and costs more!  But an exciting experience for her and something we don't do often. 

Sierra is able to communicate more and more like a child instead of a toddler.  We have actual conversations and I feel more and more like I am talking to a person instead of a baby.  She can ask and answer questions and is really starting to be able to tell me what is wrong or what she did if she spent a couple hours with grandma or what she saw while she was on a walk with her daddy.  She is learning the art of manipulation as well.  If mommy says no then she will take a pouty face to daddy and ask him or vice versa.  And sometimes she can bring on the alligator tears with an ease that scares me a little.  She is quite dramatic in all that she does.  She's tough though - I don't mean to say that she cries easily.  If she gets hurt, she rarely cries for long.  Even if blood is involved - once I check her out she's usually done fussing in less than 30 seconds.  If it's before bedtime/dinner/or a nap things usually are a little more extreme.  But she is a tough cookie.  Like all children, she doesn't enjoy hearing the word no, and though she expresses her distaste in the decision she generally is very obedient. 

One thing we do struggle with is her listening when we ask her to come here.  Whether it's to get dressed, eat dinner, go to town, or whatever, the phrase come here tends to make her want to do the opposite.  This is something that drives me absolutely bonkers.  I'm sure she knows this and that is a factor in why she is determined to disregard what I say, but it is something we are continually working on.  We are also constantly working on learning to share.  She is making a great effort and sometimes when we are at the park and a child goes towards her favorite slide and she runs to it and says mine, she will look back at me and say, ok I will share.  This is a huge step when she realizes this on her own without a word from me.   I always praise her for that and we talk later about how it was good that she is learning to share with others.  It really takes a lot of reminding though,which can be exhausting. But it makes you realize there are so many selfish and violent behaviors that we come by naturally, and if you do not work on them, they become lifetime habits.  It's scary sometimes to realize we aren't born as innocent as it would seem. 

Sierra's sense of humor is also starting to really shine through.  She is a riot.  I love her silly side and the three of us have so much fun goofing off together.  Recently she tooted and I asked her "Did you toot?"  "Nope," she said, "my biscuits(our term for bottom) just burped."  Another time she pretended to hand something to daddy.  This happens frequently and usually she says she's handing us a cookie or sandwich.  So Jesse, not really thinking about it, pretended to eat this "thing" she handed him.  As soon as he did this she said, "No daddy, no!  Spit it out!"  I asked her why and what she had pretended to hand to her daddy.  "It was poop." she said and then started to giggle uncontrollably.  Not all of her funnies involve bodily functions, but those were some pretty funny ones.  She also recently sat on the potty by herself while I was in my closet getting dressed.  I could hear her calling me so I stepped out to hear her yelling from the other room, "Meg, Meg, I need a wipe."  I still laugh when I think about that. 

The other thing that really cracks me up is her intense sensitivity to smells all of a sudden.  If something stinks she says, "I smell something" and will actually start to gag sometimes.  Something sticky or gooey can also make her gag.  She'll play with worms, snakes, bugs, and dirt, but a soggy noodle from last night's dinner makes her gag reflux start and her eyes water.  Speaking of noodles, we are still going through a stage where she will pretty much only eat macaroni and lentil soup.  All of the things she used to eat, she now refuses.  She will eat any kind of fruit and most veggies (she still prefers them raw) but getting her to eat meat is almost impossible.  Luckily she does love nuts and her lentils, so we try to get her as much protein that way as possible.

I am continually astounded by Sierra's memory and her ability to grasp concepts that seem well beyond her 2 year old mentality.  She is so bright and I love watching her little mind work.  My birthday was this month and we've been asking her lately what she would like to pray for before we put her to bed.  Usually she wants to thank Jesus for our safe home, her bed, toys, etc.  But on the night of my birthday she stated that she wanted to pray for Mommy on her birthday.  It of course made me weep and was the most precious memory I have of that day.  Who needs gifts when you have the love of child?