I was hoping to have a report from Siena's 2-year doctor's visit here, but the pediatricians had to reschedule at the last minute. No biggie... It's obvious that our big girl is healthy as can be. Wow -- 2 years old! Where to begin with an update... I'm going to ramble a bit here, so feel free to skip it!
SPEECH: Siena's language skills continue to develop by leaps and bounds every single day, which is just incredible to me. She's now speaking in 3-5 word sentences and is constantly asking the names of new things (which she'll remember weeks later). Amazing. She's started asking full-sentence questions as well like "what are you doing, Mommy?" Her pronunciation is improving, and she's now saying "Ni-en-a" for her name after going through a "Nina" phase and then just a "Na" phase. She's also saying "Winnie" instead of "Ninnie," much to my mom's delight. She can recite the alphabet and knows a handful of letters and their sounds, her favorites being "S" (for Siena) and "W" (for w-w-Winnie). She's a very good counter and can almost make it up to 20. Thanks, Sesame Street! :)
ROUTINES: Like most toddlers, Siena has a daily routine which keeps her happy. Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, watch some Sesame Street while Mommy puts in her pigtails, out and about for the morning, back home for lunch and a nap. She LOVES being outside and collecting leaves, acorns, and any other little thing she can carry. I'm dreading winter when we'll be cooped up in the house -- I guess I should prepare to bundle her up! Trips to the zoo are probably her favorite at this point (or a close second to Winnie and Picky's house!). Siena is extremely observant and will notice the smallest little change in her world immediately, such as a new photo I've posted on the fridge or a flip of the calendar to a new month. Her sleep routine gets an A+ for the first time in her life, as she's now going down for naps AND bedtime all by herself without fuss (on most nights, as least). Woo hoo!
PASTIMES: Although she has a number of dolls now, I wouldn't say Siena's a girly-girl -- she gives all of her toys (train set, stuffed animals, art table, baby stroller, legos) equal treatment and playtime. Her role as a big sister is changing daily as Libby grows and develops herself, and Siena is getting some good lessons these days in sharing now that Libby is "playing" with toys as well. Books are still a big hit... We've read some books so many times that she can already finish our sentences, and will correct us if we change the story at all.
Siena continues to crack us up with her energetic and goofy, fun-loving personality. She's one of a kind, and we love her to pieces! Congratulations to our big girl -- we are so proud of you!!
Let the feast begin!
Joe carves the turkey. It was de-lish.
Mommy's plate, complete with all of my Thanksgiving favorites...
... and Siena's plate. Note her special "china" and plastic wine glass of sparkling cider. She was quite excited about it. Of course, the only things she touched on her plate were the cranberries -- we had to make her mac-n-cheese after dinner!
Elizabeth LOVES being on her tummy! She's getting very active these days and can't wait to crawl.
Libby's new buddy -- a gift from Great-Aunt Nan. It's our new bedtime story spot in Siena's room.
Siena has discovered dishwashing and can't get enough. I'm hoping our water bill isn't quadrupled this month! Now if I could only get her to pick up her toys with as much enthusiasm...
Turkey Day is coming!! Siena made this fun turkey hat (with some help from Mommy) at last week's story time at church.
A lunchtime visit from Winnie! 
Waking from my nap
This new toy is pretty cool now that I can keep myself upright.
I was hoping to have a report from Siena's 2-year doctor's visit here, but the pediatricians had to reschedule at the last minute. No biggie... It's obvious that our big girl is healthy as can be. Wow -- 2 years old! Where to begin with an update... I'm going to ramble a bit here, so feel free to skip it! 
Family photo as the trick-or-treaters depart.
Our little monkey and banana in the wagon. Libby made it to the first few houses before falling asleep in Daddy's arms. It's hard to believe she'll be walking with her big sis next year at this time.
As per tradition, we were joined by costumed Millie and Casey.
Ready to go in Dylan's wagon! These two were chattering and cracking each other up the entire ride.
Our traditional first stop: Nanna and Daddio's house. I'm sure Nanna was looking down on her little great-granddaughters and laughing at their cuteness! I can just hear her now proclaiming "aren't they darling?" Daddio had a special bag of candy just for Siena -- her first loot of the night.
Winnie manned the house for us again this year. How fun to trick-or-treat at your own front door!
Let the Halloween fun begin! Siena was definitely fascinated by the pumpkin-carving process, though she wasn't too thrilled with the pumpkin gut slime. Like I've mentioned before, she's a bit of a wimp. :) Hopefully next year she'll be ready to get elbow-deep in the stuff! Nonetheless, she was thrilled with the turnout of the "daddy" and "baby" jack-o-lanterns.
Checking out the finished products
Libby approves!
