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?