Sienna Marie

Happy baby Sienna is another month older. We didn't go to the doctor this mo nth, although here in Guatemala people normally go every month. Ironically, it's for the same reason people in the Stat es don't go every month - money. It's easier on the pocket book to spread out the vaccinations and, the more I read, easier on the baby's body, as well. The actual doctor's fee is cheap even without insurance (200Q = $25), but with my insurance, the charge is only 30Q or about $3.70. Sienna's favorite activities this month are cruising in her walker, smiling for photos, taking baths, being dipped upside-down, going for walks on the Av enida Las Americas and playing with her nanny Reina. We took a trip to Antigua, a colonial town just 30 minutes outside of Guatemala City, and walked aro und with the Connor family. Christine and Doug have a daughter, Zaya, who is almost exactly a year older than Sienna. We'll be moving at the end of April into a townhouse right n...

Sien na had her 6 month checkup and she weighed in at 18 lbs 9 ounces and was 27 inches (68.5 cm) long. She got the last of her three Hep B, DTP (Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis), Haemophilus Influenzae B and Polio vaccinations as well as the last of her two Rotavirus vaccinations. The latter is oral, but the others were all included in one shot given in her upper thigh. She's always such a trooper; last time, she didn't make a sound and this time she cried lightly for a second until I picked her up and then she just made a sad face and recovered quickly. I had given her a squirt of Baby Tylenol 30 minutes before the shot and I'm guess ing this makes a big difference. I'm too afraid to skip it and see what happens because it's been such a dream that she doesn't seem to be in much pain at all! Everything checked out well. She falls in the 90th percentile for both height and length and the doctor was very happy with how she's growing, sleeping and eating. S...

Almost as soon as we arrived back in Guatemala from Minnesot a, Sienna was due for her 5 month appointment. We went in on January 15 and Sienna weighed in at 17 pounds 6 ounces (75th percentile) and 26.8 inches (100th percentile)! She only needed her rotavirus vaccination and it was given orally, so it was no problem. All else was perfect - she's a very happy and healthy baby girl! Sienna's back to sleeping like a princess - she goes down arou nd 9pm and sleeps until 7am, rarely waking up in the night. She takes naps around 9am, 12pm, 2pm and 5pm. Our nanny Reina has been a dream. I can't say enough good things about her. Sienna loves her and she loves Sienna. She works because she needs the money, obviously, but she often acts as if it's not just a job. It seems she truly enjoys spending time with Sienna. Normally Reina goes to her aunt's house on Saturdays around noon and returns on Sundays around 6pm, but this week she decided not to go. She spent Saturday mo...

I'm fina lly sitting down to update my blog! It's been awhile - Sienna has had two app ointm ents and we've made a trip to Minnesota for Christmas, but here goes... Sienna's 4 month appointment on Friday 12 December went really well. I had to skip out of a Christmas luncheon, courtesy of my school, Colegio Americano, becaus e my doctor h ad been in the States the week prior for a seminar and it was the only time we could get in before flying to Minnesota for Christmas. I knew she needed her vaccinations, so I gave her a squirt of Baby Tylenol while waiting for the elevator at the doctor's office and by the time Dr. Blanco stuck her in her cute chunky upper thigh, she made a face, but never cried! The doc was amazed and said around 95% of babies cry - she's my little trooper! She weighed in at 15 pounds 3 ounces (75th percentile) and is 25.6 inches long (90th percentile). Dr. Blanco is always commenting on how tall she is; I'm sure he's used to Guatemal...

Sienna and I headed to Panama on Thursday morning for the long Th anksgiving weekend with my friend Jaime. We fought super cheap tickets on Copa Airlines running only $150 total for a RT ticke t! Jaime's roommate Jen was there interviewing for a job next year because her Guatemalan boyfriend recently relocated there with Proctor & Gamble. Our flight left at 5:45 am, so we left for the airport, only minutes away, at 4 am. I fel t bad waking Sienna up from her sleep, but didn't have much choice. The flight was direct and everything went very smoothly. S ienna didn't sleep much, but she was really good on the plane. We rented a car from Thrifty - it didn't carry a very "thrifty" price tag, but it was more convenient than relying on Pablo to drive us around. We found Pablo's apartment in the Bella Vista area wit hout any problem, but were locked out because Jen hadn't returned from her interview yet, so we headed to Dunkin' Doughnuts on foot to w...

The day after Halloween, we woke up early to hit the road to Sacatepéquez, a small village about 30 minutes outside of Guatemala City, fo r the Day of the Dead kite festival. Sienna and I picked up Jen a few blocks away and went to Colegio Americano, the school where I work, to meet up with a bunch of people who had rented vans. Our plan was to follow the vans, instead we ended up chasing them! I've never seen anything like it. There were two vans being followed by three cars and, in order to keep up with them, we were changing lanes and zooming around corners like we were Nascar drivers! We eventually stopped, ironically because the drivers were thinking ahead and wanted to explain that they'd look for a spot where we could all park together and easily get out after the event. I had a chance to talk to the two other "followers" and we were laughing about the ridiculousness of the driving. Julian, an 8th grade teacher from Colombia, said he'd ask the drivers to s...

My friend Jaime spent a weekend in Miami in early October and bought Sienna her very first Halloween costume - a chile pepper! At 10 weeks old, I stuffed her into her pepper suit and took a few photos in my living room. On October 31, it was Famous Person Day at school, so I chose the easy way out and went as Jane Goodall, wearing safari-style pants, a lab coat and and a large gorilla (instead of a chimp) around my neck. Sienna smiled when she saw the big chimp - it's bigger than her! I went out with a few friends and we got ready over at Jen and Jaime's house. I borrowed a Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz costume from Jaime and the boys, who hadn't planned on dressing up, were able to create costumes out of the items they found at the girls' house.