Sienna's Room

Welcome, Welcome 2012

2012-01-07T11:36:00.004-05:00

What a fantastic way to end a really intense year; spending it traveling with a dear part of my family. We went to Guadalajara, Mexico, Tela, Honduras for the fantastic Guitierrez de la Torre and Obando wedding; and all over Panama with my sister Missy, her children, Keegan, Payson, and Anna B., and my parents.

The year of 2011 was slightly difficult for us. Sienna spent a lot of time getting used to her daycare and fighting off nasty viruses and bacteria, and Tito and I traveling a lot with our jobs. We hope that this year brings a family with better defenses to combat life´s stressors.

Sienna will start, "the big school", La Salle, this year as she enters pre-school. I am not sure what she thinks of all this yet, but she seems excited because her parents are. She spends much of her time playing in the park with her friends and trying to figure out social and linguistic rules. I think the social ones are giving her more trouble.

For some reason, I always thought that life was a smooth little ride with only slight bumps along the way. Of course, life really is what you make it in spite of what you have been given. My lesson from 2011 is to be happy and to really live in the moment, even if others think this is a bad idea.

Grandma´s 90th Birthday

2011-08-20T15:42:00.003-05:00

Iowa is gorgeous in the summertime. Or at least, Sienna and I arrived at the exact right time. The cornfields were high and yellow, and the hills were green with crops. It was hot, but not too hot, with hardly any humidity. I sat outside as much as I could.

Sienna and I returned for a short week to celebrate with the family my Grandma´s 90th birthday. I reunited with cousins I had not seen in years and Sienna spent her time exploring and getting a little too comfortable on the farm. Many times, I found her wandering around a little too far from the house.

My Grandma continually reminds me of who I am and who I would like to be. She is a wonderfully strong and loving woman who did what she had to do to, not only to make ends meet, but to have a good time in the process. Everyone had a story to tell at the party that celebrated her life and influence on all of us. It must be amazing to have such a strong influence on so many people.

This visit made me appreciate even more, my family and Iowa. It was a wonderful place to grow up and a great place to live. It really made me want to move back. Let´s see if I feel the same after a visit in December or January; I am easily fooled by nice weather.

Sienna gets Sick

2011-04-17T15:45:00.004-05:00

One of the most obvious vestiges of my cultural heritage is that of always trying to find out the exact explanation for why things happen. Which normally is a good thing. When something bad happens we try and find out the reason(s) for which it happened to prevent it from happening in the future. However, over the past few years, I have found that it just makes me crazier if I search for a why and that in life many of the "whys" we search for simply don´t exist.

Sienna was in the hospital for three days last week with Bronchial Pnuemonia. My mental IPOD has been running over the last few months of her life like the old fashioned broken record. Sienna started school, I started traveling more with my new job, Tito travels with his new job, house is a dirty, dusty mess, etc.. This is me trying to find the why. It seems that Bronchial Pnuemonia is caused by a bacterial infection that usually starts with an upper respiratory infection. Due to the fact that Sienna has been a really healthy kid, I didn´t think it was urgent that she had a runny nose for two weeks. Alas, I was wrong on that one. We ended up in the emergency room with a very sick little girl.

I felt so bad seeing her have so many needles put in her arm. I kept on thinking, "she is only three". They had to put a port in her arm to put in the antibiotics and rehydration fluids for three days. Sienna now calls this a "sew." Let me explain. Sienna and I sing the sony from Mary Poppins, "doe, a deer, a female deer, ray, a drop of golden sun......sew, a needle pulling thread, la a note to follow so.....that will bring us back to doe." Anyone remember that one? I told Sienna that she couldnt move her arm for three days because she had a needle in it (needless to say, idiot mother finds out on the last day when they are taking it out that it is actually only a piece of plastic. Oh dear, where is Nurse Rus when I need her?). So, Sienna thought they were sewing her arm, hence, "the sew". Now, Sienna says, "I will drink all my medicine and water so I dont have to get another sew in my arm."

I dont have the heart to tell her that on Thursday we have to return for blood tests and X-rays which unfortunately one of which requieres a needle. Sienna is doing excellent now and she seems to be a million times better since I allowed her to play in the park for awhile yesterday. Her mental health was suffering from being tied to a machine and not allowed to go outside. At one point she said, "just let me out the door!". Okay, I let her out the door, mental health also needs to be attended to.

2011-03-15T15:42:00.002-05:00

More Vacation Pictures

2011-03-15T15:38:00.001-05:00

G and G Visit

2011-03-15T15:13:00.003-05:00

Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Don came to visit us in Panama last week. Every year I swear to myself that I am going to plan ahead and get reservations booked at a really cool resort or something but alas, this year proved to be no different. The last few years their visits always seem to coincide with Carnival which makes reservations at resorts impossible. So, once again, I took them on a little adventure to the Panamanian countryside (small towns, bumpy roads). We did spend two days at a nice resort on the Pacific coast and then drove another 5 hours to Santa Catalina. Those of you who are surfers probably know this place as it hosts international surfing competitions every year.

I didnt do too well on the reservations and we ended up in a clean little house sans air conditioning. It was nice but it reminded me of my Peace Corps house in a strange, not good way. The dogs that always came up to the house begging for food, the wooden beds with thin mattresses and the chain link fences that just ruin the views.

However, we were able to get a boat ride to our own private beach for a day, where Sienna found out how to ride the waves. It was absolutely beautiful and definately worth the 7 hour drive from Panama City and the hot, uncomfortable sleeping conditions.

We saw some incredible sunsets and Sienna thought and hoped that maybe this was her new life. The previous two weeks I had been traveling for work so when I returned home and Grandma and Grandpa showed up, I think she thought that maybe I was making up for it by letting her spend hours in the pool and playing at the beach. I hope she doesnt think this will happen next time. She ended up with her first sunburn which I am not too proud of. At the end of the week, she was swimming in a long sleeve T shirt and long pants.

We finished their visit by throwing a barbecue/birthday party for Grandma Bonnie (March 14) and Sienna (March 11). Sienna now goes around telling everyone that she is three and can turn on the light (sometimes with the baseball bat), reach the water facuet to wash her hands and can sit on the big potty by bouncing (balancing is really what she means to say but it is so cute to hear her say bouncing).

Sienna´s Pictures

2011-03-15T15:01:00.003-05:00

During Grandma and Grandpa´s visit to Panama (and maybe because of the new camara purchase), Sienna began to take a keen interest in taking pictures. Here, I share a few of my favorite photos that she took.

My Family

2011-01-14T16:20:00.008-05:00

Celebrations give us a moment to push the pause button on life. That is why they are good for the soul. During December we celebrated my parents 40th wedding anniversary at a hotel with a waterpark in Des Moines. The kids all loved playing in the pool and the adults found contenment in reassuming old rivals. Actually, that was not exactly true this round of family gathering. I found that we all seem to be a lovely bunch of people who will be there for eachother no matter what the future brings.

Sienna found that she can brave the waterslide with Mama Rachel. She had a particular attachment (and rightly so) to her cousin, Ethan, who helped her down the small waterslides and whom she followed around endlessly. Thanks to Ethan for giving me a break from chasing a two year (almost three year old). Sienna is not as comfortable in the water as I would like her to be. But she saw all of her cousins, swimming, putting their head under the water and other fancy tricks, so hopefully that will persuade her that she can do it too.

The week we all returned to our normal lives we received news that our aunt, uncle, cousins, spouses and children had suffered a terrible trauma when they were robbed in Puerto Rico on vacation. And it keeps me thinking all the time about how as a society we have failed our children. In Latin America the majority of the crimes committed are by adolescents and youth. How have we failed them? Why is violence so much more attractive than living in civil society? I am not sure about the statistics in the states but the Arizona tragedy proves that violence is now our modus operandi for getting our voices heard and achieving our goals.

This sad situation reminds me also of how important it is to put the pause button on every once in awhile. Dance by yourself why belting out your favorite Madonna song, play cards, play pool, read your favorite book over and over. Sit by the ocean and think about nothing. It is so hard to actually do these things. Most of us fall in bed from exhaustion after work or reading books to our three year olds. (That one is for you Rus-Strait. :)

My goals for this year are to really find the time to connect with people (Skype is fantastic) and to usher in a new and improved patient Rachel. Sienna has really be giving this one a test run lately, helping to make me a better person.

Iowa-2010

2010-12-09T16:00:00.002-05:00

We finally made it to cold Iowa. I felt like I had been waiting for this trip all year. It is so nice to be at home with my family (minus some-Tito had to stay in Panama this time). I think this is the first time that Sienna has really been able to appreciate the cold weather and understand the difference between hot (Panama) and cold (Iowa). She keeps on saying, "ohh, its cold." But she still refuses to sleep with blankets and wants to play outside with the animals so the cold weather must not be bothering her too much. She loved going for a pony ride at Sarah and Jason´s house and we even convinced Grandma Vos to come and join us. Sienna immediately said, "I´m riding a pony. Just like Dora." My goodness, that girl is obsessed with Dora the Explorer.

Singing Sienna

2010-11-10T19:25:00.002-05:00

Mes de la Patria

2010-11-07T20:33:00.003-05:00

This is independance month in Panama and so Panama is dressed up in it´s flag everywhere you look. Sienna says that it is "my flag." I try to convince her that, first of all, she has two flags and second of all it is not her flag but every Panamanian´s flag.

She will only identify the USA flag as my flag even when I try to convince her that technically it is half her flag too. Perhaps this is better. We have such a conflictual relationship with our flag. We either love it with over-zealous displays of affection or blindly despise it forgetting it is part of who we are. I like the displays of Panamanian flags in the city. I think it is important to be reminded of who we are, even if there are cositas we would like to change.

Where´s my Daddy?

2010-08-31T15:32:00.003-05:00

I just gotta let it go. All that control. All that being the only one. Sienna is really attached to her Daddy lately and even though she has the same routine everyday, she will still ask me, "And my Daddy? Where´s my Daddy?". I have found myself saying, "Good grief Sienna, you asked me like 10 times in a two hour period. He is at work. He is coming home soon." But of course, I like it. It takes some of the pressure off. It reminds me that it is good to have balance in life and your children should too. Women sometimes forget to relinquish control over our children´s lives. However, if you give up a little control you also get to give away a little responsiblity, freeing you up for other important things, like a nice walk in the park with your Ipod, instead of a stroller.

This is the cute Sienna

2010-07-27T14:54:00.004-05:00

My apologies to all family members who were not mentioned in this video. It is cute nonetheless. We had just finished talking with Ms. Anna B. Van Kooten so she was the first one on the list.

Don´t worry, Mom, we will get you next time.

Sienna now has a split personality. This is a video of the cute Sienna. The other Sienna usually appears at bedtime or when she has to eat. She refuses to eat unless watching a Dora the Explorer video. Then, when she goes to bed she will make up any old excuse not to go to bed. Let´s see, we have, I have to go pee, I went pee in my diaper, change it, My lamb fell (she will throw lamb out of the bed), I need my daddy, I need my mommy, I don´t like these pajamas, I need a song, I am cold, I am hot, I need my blankie, I don´t want my blankie, I need water, I don´t need water, etc... All of this combined with loud whining and screaming while attempting to climb out of bed. Last night, I went to bed at 10:30pm and she was still awake. She proceeded to start a conversation with me about lamb, whether or not I like my pajamas and if I am enjoying the book I am currently reading. It is time for Sienna to get her own room.

Life is a swing

2010-06-30T20:17:00.003-05:00

To Sienna, anything and everything qualifies as a swing. Whether this be mommy´s legs while doing exercises, the hammock, the coffee table, the grocery cart at the supermarket, it matters not what the object´s primary purpose is and whether or not it poses hazards. To Sienna, it is simply something to swing on or from. I suppose this is a healthy way to see life. This object may not be the most useful or practical for what I want to do but it serves me well nonetheless.

Phoenix

2010-06-04T22:29:00.004-05:00

Sienna Swimming, si? (Can Sienna go swimming? Yes?)

2010-04-23T15:13:00.007-05:00

Due to the fact that we live somewhere hot and close to the ocean, swimming is an integral part of our life. Therefore, we decided that it was time to get Sienna a bit more trained and self sufficient in the water. She loves to go swimming but she refuses to wear any kind of floaties or other device (except for Mama or Papa Tito`s arms) that would prevent her from drowing. She has become very serious about her desires and wishes and it is really impossible to convince her otherwise if she gets something in her head. Even when I put clothes on her in the morning, she is adament that she wants to wear the same Anna B. tank top (her cousin`s hand-me-down) every day. She is also quite insistent that she does not want to wear panties and has no interest in using her potty for anything other than a stepping stool to brush her teeth or watch Mama blow dry her hair. When have even tried bribery, by offering her a cookie if she pees on her potty or wears panties but she seriously just doesn`t care about cookies either.

Thankfully, her new favorite word is "si". When she is asking a question or when she wants something she will always end it with "si?" For example, "Sienna one Dora, si?" Meaning, can Sienna watch one Dora episode? We have had to put the brakes on watching Dora as well as she will sit for a long time just starting at Dora. Her Spanglish also makes me laugh. One of my favorites is, "I need mas." Now, this may mean she needs more juice, milk or toys, depending on the situation. So funny and so cute.

I am still amazed at how easily Sienna can take my bad mood and make it all go away. One day recently when I was not feeling well she ran to me and said, "Mama wachel (she sometimes calls me Mama Rachel now) tummy hurt, si?" and she started to rub my tummy. Is there anyone that could resist smiling and laughing and feeling better after that comment?

Two Years with Sienna

2010-03-17T15:11:00.006-05:00

Sienna celebrated her second birthday with a well-deserved, Panamanian style birthday party, replete with all the extras required of any decent Panamanian. We had the piñata, the gift baskets, the snacks, the cake(however, we didn't serve soda nor have invitations, which I was told is a major faux pas) and everyone`s friends: Sienna`s friends, Mama`s friends, Papa`s friends and even Grandma and Tia`s friends. Unfortunately, for the guests we didnt have air conditioning but the children didnt seem to mind as they ran around on the playground equipment. Our dear friend (and Sienna`s godfather), Oscar Suazo is always generous in allowing us to celebrate Sienna`s birthday in the Kindergarten that his mother runs.

Sienna spent the entire week talking about the "piñata, party" but then when it came time to actually hit the pinata she cried and said that she "dont like piñata." The sentences she makes up now are hilarious. We have lots of Spanglish going on. This is a normal conversation-

Me: Sienna you wanna' eat?

Sienna: Sienna comiendo, eating?

Me: Yes, do you want to eat?

Sienna: Sienna, Silla, Solita! (Sienna, Chair, all by myself). Then she proceeds to climb into her chair all by herself and buckles in.

She now wants to do everything solita and will cry if you try and help her. It takes us forever to leave the house because now she want to put on her own shoes. You can imagine how long this takes. I start to feel bad because I see she has much more patience than I do. I have tried to learn this all-important skill from my two year old.

Notes for the Photos: The first photo is my desperate attempt to corral 17 children for a group photo. We managed to get most of them. The second photo is of Sienna and her two Carrillo cousins. We were all laughing because by coincidence they all were dressed in outfits displaying the Peace Sign. In the last photos, you can see Sienna`s Dora cake and the family. The first thing Sienna did when we sat down by the cake was to grab a spoon and start digging in the cake, spoonful after spoonful of butter and sugar. I didn`t stop her because I was so proud she had shown such good manners by using a spoon instead of her dirty hands.

Sheer Entertainment

2010-02-11T15:09:00.003-05:00

I had no idea that this age would be so much fun. Sienna definately has her personality intact and loves to show it. Tito tells me that she runs around the park screaming with joy and hugging her friends. As my mother would say, "she is such a character." She seems to be grasping both Spanish and English fairly well but I still hear more Spanish than English. She constantly repeats everything people say. She loves blueberry batidos (smoothies) and getting her hair done (the photo at the top is the aftereffects of one of those hairdos).

Now that it is summertime we are going to the beach more frequently. Unfortunately, on this particular day in the photo it was my turn to drive home. I caught myother two family members sleeping off the sun that we had thoroughly ingested throughout the day. Sienna is just so much fun to hang out with. When she was younger, I would rush home to see her because I wanted to know if she ate well (and if it came out well), if she slept well and if she had done anything different during the hours I was away from her. Now, I rush home to play with tractors, farmers and animals and basically just to run around the house screaming and laughing and dancing like the crazy girls we are.

Winter

2010-01-13T16:13:00.003-05:00

It is summertime in Panama. There is a nice breeze and the days seem cooler without the humidity of the winter rain. Sienna had her first experience with a real winter in January. I really wanted to go out and play in the snow but my family said that it was way too cold for that. Sienna was wearing a lot of layers. It took forever just to get out of the house to go somewhere. On the last night of our visit, my family and I went out for Mexican food. You just cant get good Mexican food in Panama. However, you can get excellent Peruvian and Colombian food. Must be because of geography.

Grandpa Sneller

2010-01-10T17:24:00.003-05:00

My Grandpa Sneller was a person that I always expected would be physically, permanently in my life. I knew he was 95 years old and I would hear my parents talk about different aspects that were making life more uncomfortable for him. But I never really expected him to go. I know it sounds silly. I grew up very close to my Grandparents. I am accustumed to them always being there, in Iowa, whenever I wander back there. In high school, Grandpa and Grandma Sneller would always be there at home when I went to visit after school. Grandpa and Grandma Vos were always there for Sunday dinner. It is so strange to be in Iowa and not have him there. As if Iowa were to disappear also because it lost one of it`s best citizens.

I have so many good memories of my Grandpa. Fried egg sandwiches before going fishing at the crack of down, raspberries, roses, strawberries, green beans, peas and anything else fresh from their enormous garden. Grandpa and Grandma each sitting in their chair in the living room, the television is on but really only for our benefit and Grandma is cutting out the bad spots of some mushy apples and darning socks. Later, they would sit in their chairs and on a table stretched between them, make the quilts that I covet. I miss that voice, any of you who met him would recognize it, oooh there you are kid, where ya been? And even if you just met him you probably wouldnt escape the bear hug, sloppy kisses and pat on butt. This went for males and females, Grandpa didnt care. My uncle Kenny was the same way, and my Mom is the same way (minus the butt smack) and I am the same way. Sienna frequently tries to fight her way out of my hugs and slobbery kisses. I am my mother`s daughter, I am my Grandpa`s granddaughter. I miss my Grandpa yet I recognize him in many places.

Futbol (Soccer)

2009-12-07T14:39:00.004-05:00

Sienna has become a repeating machine. Now I understand my sister`s frowning everytime I said something inappropriate in front of her two year old. Sienna is rapidly approaching her two year birthday in March and thinks she has to know everything. She counts half in English and half in Spanish, she gets to about number five and then switches to eight and nine in Spanish. It is increible how much information she can get into her little brain. I am convinced she is a genius.

Our life continues to get crazier and crazier. I am starting a new job, my parents are visiting in March and Christmas time seems to make the traffic and noise level here just a little more unbearable. But of course, I dont want to be called the Grinch so I pretend like I love pounding bass that makes my heart skip a beat.

Sienna of course, loves soccer and attends all of Papa Tito`s games when possible. (She now calls him, Papa Tito). He won the championship game last night and after the game Sienna ran around the field screaming nonesense. I suppose she was copying all of the cheers.

We also recently purchased a sofa, which Sienna quickly inagurated with juice and crackers. I guess we need more rules here.

7th Anniversary Pictures

2009-11-04T22:08:00.005-05:00

On September 13, 2009, Tito and I accomplished 7 years of marriage. Strange, interesting, challenging and probably everything I needed. We ended up in a beautiful little town which happened to have an empty resort waiting for us. Complete with a private pool and cabins. One of the most beautiful places I have been. It reminded me of Guanaja, Honduras for those of you that have been there. I suppose that sometimes the best events really are unplanned.

I love bikes (and agua too)

2009-11-04T21:35:00.005-05:00

One of Sienna`s favorite words is "moto" (motorcycle). She hasn't learned "bicycle" yet but she is fasinated with them. Her legs are almost long enough (as you can see in the picture) for a tricycle so this will definately be coming for Christmas. One of our favorite activities is going to ride the bicycle on the Amador Causeway. You get a nice workout and can have a beer and ceviche on the way. For those of you that have visited us in Panama you know what a great place this is. Beautiful view of the city, cool ocean breeze, tankers and cruiseships passing through the canal, overpriced bars and restaurants galore and lots of people doing all kinds of outdoor activities. You have to be careful not to run into any other bikers or skaters or rollerbladers or runners or walkers. This is one of the great reasons to live in Panama City. There are lots of parks and social areas for relaxing. The municipal government has done a great job in making sure there are outside green areas for everyone. These are the times I love living in Panama.

la Pollera (Lah Poyera)

2009-10-06T15:37:00.007-05:00

Living in a new country always produces an assualt on the senses. The smells are new, the scenes are different, the sounds are cruelly louder or softer, the tastes are more dull or pungent and even the tile floors feel strangely different on your feet than the carpet or wood floors. So one would think that after living here for three years I would be accostumed to these new flavors of life but I am still astounded at the amount of musical bass needed to satisfy a small crowd in the park on a Sunday afternoon and how horrible it sounds when Sienna hits her head on the floor.

One of the things I have always enjoyed about new cultures is seeing the variations on traditional dress. I believe I owe this one to Tulip Time in Pella, Iowa when all of the people come out in their traditional Dutch dress, wooden shoes and all. So when one of my students suggested that Sienna needed a pollera-being that she is really a Panamanian, born in Panama-I readily agreed. The pollera is simply the name of the traditional Panamanian dress and is worn in all of the important holidays, mainly the Independance Days in November and during Carnival. Sienna is wearing the daytime pollera. The actual polleras (especially the night time ones worn by the queens during Carnival) are in reality very elaborate and expensive designs. Some people spend thousands of dollars on their dress and there are seamstresses dedicated solely to making the polleras.
Sienna looks so cute in her little pollera. Now I am just missing the other half; the Dutch dress and wooden shoes.

Getting Real Dirty

2009-09-16T22:57:00.004-05:00

It is rainy season here in Panama, or as they call it, winter. This means that it is hot and rainy most of the time. Thankfully, when it rains it cools down some. But this also means more mosquitos, rivers of water in the streets and muddy pools of water in the park. As I previously noted in my prior blog entry, I am not privy to the afternoon paseos in the park due to my employment obligations. So that means I missed this one. Here is the story as I was told by Tito and Sienna, both of whom thought the whole event was quite entertaining. Tito tells me that he sat down for one minute, turned around and Sienna is face down in a mud puddle while another little girl stands by pointing and laughing at her. He then took her back home washed her off a bit and they returned to the park to get a popsicle. Who is gonna let a little mud ruin a perfectly good afternoon in the park? By the way, Sienna`s first three syllable word is....paleta. That`s right folks. The girl learned how to say popsicle perfectly in Spanish.

So when Tito calls me dying of laughter over the incident, I, being the thoughtful, caring and conscientious mother that I am, first asked him, "Did you get a picture of it?" and then I asked, "Is she okay?" The girl must have been so covered in mud because when I arrived home three hours later she still had mud in her nose. However, being that she is my Sienna Alicia Moon, she just didn't care and continued to run around the house screaming, "agua, agua, mama, luna, papa, tuko (our cat), bebe" and any other word from Sienna language land that leaves most of us laughing hysterically. What did I ever do for entertainment before I had Sienna?

My favorite time of day

2009-09-08T17:00:00.005-05:00

Every day (except for rainy days and futbol days) Sienna gets to go to the park that she spends all day pondering from our balcony. She growls at the dogs, screams at the cats, yells at the skateboarders on their wheel-clicking platforms and claps for the goals being kicked and baskets being shot.

Being that I teach classes every evening until 8pm, I do not usually get to participate in the fun. Let me first say, I really have tried not be controlling about what my girl wears but there are times when I am confused by what her father puts on her. On this particular day, Sienna was allowed to pick out her own outfit. (However, I unknowingly accused her father of terrible taste). She loves the gold-colored, madri gras type necklace that she stole from her cousin, Anna B. and her awful, blue spongy shoes that seem to be so popular. The picture really doesn´t do reality justice. It was a really funny outfit.

Transformations

2009-08-22T14:25:00.005-05:00

Sienna has transformed into a little girl. This happened suddenly over the past few weeks. She got her first haircut as she refuses to wear anything in her hair, she lost her baby fat, her legs got longer and she lost her beer (I guess, milk, is more appropriate) belly. She finds it unecessary to hold our hands unless she is going down some stairs and now walks around the house practicing all of her new words and frequently repeats them in her sleep. Still, the only English word she says is, apple. But this is to be expected as I am the only one that speaks English to her and she frequently hears me speaking Spanish as well.

She now has stronger opinons about what she wants to eat, when she wants to sleep and whether or not she wants to wear clothes, diapers, shoes and socks. Thankfully, it is very warm here and we have tile floors so she can usually get her way and just roam around naked until she starts pointing at her bum or at her pee on the floor and yells, agua, agua, poo, poo. How can you not laugh at this? Anything liquid is agua so her pee at this point is also referred to as agua. I guess in a way she is right. It probably is composed of mostly water.

Thanks to the nephews

2009-08-06T12:54:00.002-05:00

A special shout out to my nephews Keegan, Payson, Benjamin, Ethan and Elijah for taking care of Sienna so that I could maintain my sanity during my trip home. Here is the funny thing about Sienna; she warms up to children immediately but it could take weeks for her to smile at you if you are an adult. She did let her Grandpa hold her and intermitently a few other adults. She only recently smiled at the cleaning lady that she has known since birth. I guess this is a healthy trait.

Sienna learned on this vacation how to effectively manipulate her mother by being whiny and crabby. So here I was, getting very little sleep because Sienna was waking up early and not taking very long naps, without my main man, Tito, there to help me and I am thinking anxiously that Sienna is sick, has allergies, has new teeth coming in, is scared of the new environment, etc... Well, we arrive home and the complaining continues. She only wants Mama to hold her, feed her, bathe her, etc... This is when I realized that I had been had by my one and a half year old. I am proud of her for learning how to get what she wants but now I have taken to ignorning her which is not my favorite activity. I keep on telling my self, just go with the flow and this too will pass. She has actually cut down tremendously on the complaining in the few days we have been back. I wish I would have figured this out in Iowa. My mother said that I was "owly". I am sorry about that family. I really had a fantastic time and I am looking forward to the next time.

Anna B. reads to Sienna

2009-07-22T15:38:00.002-05:00

My favorite part is the ending.

Sienna on the farm

2009-07-22T15:19:00.005-05:00

Sienna is overjoyed to be close to smelly animals and people. How is it possible that she is so individual at so young an age? We are having so much fun in Iowa. It is beautiful right now. It is a cool summer with warm sunshine. I think the pictures of Sienna, Anna B. and Grandpa speak for themselves. There is nothing like being on an Iowa farm in the summertime.

Visitors

2009-06-29T22:20:00.004-05:00

So I am finally updating my blog after more than a month. It's just like life to make me lazy and crazy. Sienna has changed so much over the last month. She now dances like a rock star, twirling in circles, has learned how to manipulate me with her crying to receive the car keys or the dirty broom, has learned that swatting at things swiftly and boldly makes them go flying (like her food or bottle right after I clean), has learned that "good night, I love you" means that Mom and Dad will leave the room to make her sleep by herself- which promptly leads to pouting- , loves to scribble with her colors-holding the pencil like she has done it for years- and has added numerous words to her vocabulary such as; ta-tye (bye bye) and poop. She definately has the "pa" and "po" syllables mastered. Sometimes she gets herself all worked up and runs around the house saying "pama, mapa" and "papo" and "mapo". She is so entertaining. I am never bored, but I frequently feel exhausted after playing with her for a few hours. I don't know how she does it, she is so energetic and persuasive.

We have had the pleasure of having many friends visit us over the past year. Sienna still remembers her good friend, Leyli, that came to visit her last year. Our most recent visitors were Danny and Angel from Spain who were working on a film project when they came to visit us. Having friends visit us is so refreshing to the soul. Sometimes I forget who I was before Sienna entered my life. Now we are working on the integration of those worlds. My friend, Nicole, gave me a fabulous children's book. There is a poem that says, "Parents are people, people with children, busy with children and the things that they do..." For some reason, this poem always reminds me to take care of myself too.

Sienna`s nose

2009-05-24T22:27:00.002-05:00

Regular messiness

2009-05-24T22:13:00.004-05:00

For those of you who have had the displeasure of living with me, you all will be happy to know that at my house you now have to work your way through a maze of toys, backpacks and papers before arriving at your destination. Sometimes, I even leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight.

Pigtails

2009-05-24T21:32:00.005-05:00

I am still hoping that Sienna inheirted her father`s hair and not mine. However, the evidence is still proving otherwise. She has thin, barely there hair which appears to be blond. But not too blond, there is still time for it to change. She becomes more entertaining and beautiful each day. We went to the causeway for an afternoon bike ride last Sunday and she was just overwhelmed with excitement. Now I completely understand why people have children and more children. There is really no other person I would rather be with. I am enjoying this time when Sienna and I are best friends. I hear that it all changes when they become teenagers. Is that really true, Mom?
Sienna is such a good baby. She has slept through the night since three months old, she has learned to take a nap during the day, she eats well and only cries and complains when you will not let her play with the dirty broom and mop or let her throw your cell phone off the balcony. You can take her anyway and she is already obedient. She will pick up something off the floor, look around to see if anyone is looking before she puts it in her mouth. Then, when someone says no, she will guiltily hand it over. She has recently expanded her vocabulary to (in order of frequency); papa, mama, esta, gagagag, bah, boo, pah, etc... She loves to sit and read her books and just gab to herself. This to, is one of my favorite activities. I will get a video of it soon.

2009-05-01T13:25:00.002-05:00

Santa Catalina

2009-04-05T21:46:00.005-05:00

Sienna loves to travel. At least if she can get out of her car seat and walk around for a few minutes every few hours. She has been fabulous to travel with. She sleeps through the night at hotels! What a fantastic baby. We went to a surf contest in Santa Catalina and she was in heaven. She even got to go on a boat and play with a surf board. I bought her a cute little blue swimsuit cover just for the occasion. She was desperately upset with us when we left to find some shade. She just keeps waiting for the next trip somewhere.

Sienna is better off than her parents

2009-03-26T15:47:00.004-05:00

She really is.
Look at that. She is only one year old and she owns her own home and car. All this without going into debt. Can you believe it? She loves crawling in and out of the house and I have seen her talking to the little blond girl that guards the front door. I am still not sure what color Sienna's hair is but it seems to be red. She is almost walking but balance seems to keep her from trying more. However, when she walks, she will run the same day. She is just that kind of girl. Now she can't go to the park without walking around for awhile pushing her stroller. My back is killing me.

So maybe we don't own our own home or have a reliable car and maybe we have a few school loans to pay off but we certainly dont let that stop us from taking trips. We recently went to the beach of Santa Catalina about 5 hours from Panama City. This trips have to be fast because I usually have to work. Fortuantely, I had some unexpected time off and my friend Tylea was visiting. A perfect excuse to take a trip. Sienna was fabulous on the trip which means that we will definately try a little longer next time. Here are some photos of the beautiful sunset we saw when we were there. Come visit. I will quit my job and we will go touring.

Hopefully I am allowed to publish this

2009-03-26T15:42:00.004-05:00

Congratulations to Tio Oscar and Tia Luly!!! Soon they will enjoy sleepless nights, poop and peals of laughter, the best of all.

The Big Party

2009-03-26T15:12:00.005-05:00

Sienna's Party was complete with the piñata and replete with candy, cake and all of her Daddy´s friends. Actually, the two girls in the picture are my friend´s children, Carolina and Bliss. Sienna had so much fun and while I was concerned about a sugar overdose she was barely interested in anything that was related to food. She crawled around on the dirty floor among everyone´s feet and screamed when she ran into people her own size. Sienna loves other children but is very wary of other unfamiliar adults. Most importantly, we all had a fabulous time. Now it is time to plan Tito´s party! Unfortunately, Sienna will be unable to attend this one.

March 11, 2009

2009-03-13T17:51:00.005-05:00

Sienna´s Birthday was full of unexciting events (mama and papa had to work all day) except for the carrot cake cupcake she received at the end of the day. Dont worry, the big party is on Sunday and there will be plenty of pictures. However, I still wanted to commemorate the day with a picture of Sienna and her mama and Sienna trying to eat her cupcake. This was the first day we allowed her to eat so much sugar (except for the times she went to the park and ate ice cream and popsicles with Grandma and Grandpa Vos) There will be more sugar on Sunday. Will she sleep?

The Beaches

2009-02-24T12:28:00.002-05:00

We have had some great excuses to go to the beach lately. Sienna's Grandma and Grandpa Vos were visiting a few weeks ago and we went to Taboga with them and abuela. We have a really nice place we like to stay in Taboga, with great views of the city and the ships waiting to enter the Canal. Come visit, we will take you too!!

My new car

2009-02-24T12:11:00.004-05:00

Thanks to Sienna's Aunt Mayita for her first car. She loves it. She can climb down from it but she still can't get on it by herself. But not to worry, Sienna has perfected the "help me" whine. Unfortunately, sometimes the whine turns into a scream if not attended within her time frame. She continues to perfect her "I'll do it on my time" attitude. Today, for example, I assumed that she was ready for breakfast but when I tried to put her in her chair she protested profusely. So I decided to do some exercises until she was ready. Two minutes later (I didnt actually count the time) she is whining and clinging on to me. Now I am frustrated, thinking my goodness what does this girl want? Well, after a few more guesses it turns out she was ready to eat. I thought that the struggle for your rights and control came much later in life. I suppose I was wrong. She continues to be so much fun to be around. So her first real word is "esta" or "esa" or "esto", which in Spanish means, "this, that." I repeat to her in English, "what's that or what's this?" Just to make sure that we are adequately learning both languages. It is really quite entertaining. When she wants something she points and says, "esto." She wakes up in the morning, points at the window or one of us and says, "esta". So very cute.

Really?

2009-02-06T17:34:00.007-05:00

Sienna is really nearing one year old? How can this be? I was just cut open a few days ago to get her out it seems. Now she stands hanging on the balcony bars all day yelling at the children and dogs, pointing at them with her little finger and making a "come here" motion with her hand. She seems to only want to play with adult toys; phones, remote controls, camaras, beer bottles, etc... She continues to sprout teeth like crazy. She has most of her front ones and is now teething the painful ones in the back. This must be why we dont remember being babies, it is so painful. She stands and walks holding onto things. She tries to run while crawling, lifting her leg halfway and then her arms cant go as fast and she does a nose dive. I think she will be a runner like her cousin Payson. She is still such a good baby. Sleeps all night, rarely cries but frequently screams when she gets stuck under the table or when we remove the fistful of dirt she has just extracted from the plant. She definately knows who she is and what she wants, in short, she has a strong attitude. She is a passionate girl, just like her mama.

Sienna's Quilt

2009-01-05T13:41:00.003-05:00

Thank you so much to Tia Nicole for her wonderful work on Sienna's quilt. Sienna uses it everyday to protect her from the hard tile floors. I decided it was more practical than buying her a helmet. Isnt it beautiful? Perhaps some of you can recognize the piece of your life that you donated to Sienna. Much appreciated. Thanks to all of you who are part of our life.

No Comment Necessary

2009-01-05T13:38:00.001-05:00

Need I say more?

The Big Island

2008-12-29T22:10:00.005-05:00

Remember the Isla Grande Rus-Strait? The last time I had been there I was with you. It was just as beautiful and rustic as I remembered. Sienna of course loved the trip but hated the arriving and returning. She is not a fan of anything that restrains her which means she hates being in her car seat. She seems to have developed strong opinions about situations in a short period of time, that is, from the time she was born until now.

The beach trip was Tito's Christmas gift to me as I have spent a large portion of the last year complaining about living in the tropics, surrounded by oceans and barely ever going to the beach. So this is the benefit of living in the tropics, the beautiful beaches. We pay a price in the heat index but the cool water makes it worthwhile.

Late Merry Christmas and an Early Happy New Year to all from the Vos-Carrillo Family!

Love to all!

Remember-If you need to get out of the cold, we have a warm (really warm, right Mom?) bed for you in Panama. Welcome anytime.

Musician or Athlete?

2008-12-29T21:51:00.003-05:00

Sienna has always been very good with her hands. She started picking up dust balls, lint and strings - oh how she loves strings- off of the floor and putting it in her mouth by the time she was six months old. I guess she has good eyesight too. She is now pointing at everything and making funny coughing or grunting noises. It is very entertaining but it can be exhausting because everytime she points she wants you to tell her the story of that certain object. "Yes, Sienna, this is a glass. I just drank lemonade out of this glass. And that, yes, that is my yogurt and now you stuck your dirty fingers in it and it's all over your face. Nice, very nice.." You get the idea. Anyway, the girl is good with her hands. I remember my Dad said that I was good with my hands and should be a piano player or a basketball player and I find myself thinking the same thing about Sienna. She loves music and loves her new music making cow zylophone (see picture). Sienna was very appreciative of her new toys. I guess I didnt realize how bored she was with the old ones. Thanks to her Grandma Carrillo, her aunt (see picture) and her godfather she now has the opportunity to practice both piano and basketball. This is the nice thing about life; it is certainly always interesting. Never a dull moment here folks!

On the move

2008-12-08T17:51:00.008-05:00

Sienna is rapidly approaching her 9 month birthday on December 11 and doesn't seem to want to slow down. Everyday she is reaching her little hands into forbidden territory (fans) or filing her sharp teeth (there are five now) on a forbidden object such as cardboard books, kitchen chairs, the table or the patio doors. I frequently see her chomping on something but have yet to rescue the paper in time.

She has also found the joy of pulling Tuco's (our cat) tail. I guess he is just too lazy to run away now.

So Sienna has moved up to wearing knee pads like her goalie, soccer playing father. We have very, very hard floors and her knees were all red from crawling. It is not a nice sound when she falls. But it is impossible and impractical to carpet the entire house.We have blankets and foam pads that we put down for a play area but this is silly. We use it more than she does. The other areas of the house are much more interesting. I think the knee pads are really cute and funny. Tito suggested that we get her a helmet. I am seriously considering it. Where is the line between healthy protection and over protection? If anyone has found it, let me know, I would like to draw it in at our house.

Taboga

2008-11-22T16:21:00.003-05:00

While our friends were here we visited the little island of Taboga, again. I really like it because it is small yet comfortable. Not too crowded, nice little parks (see photo) and great people. As you can see, Sienna really loves being at the beach. It is so hard to get her to sleep when there are fun things going on. Sienna is now changing faster than a speeding bullet. I know it is a poor metaphor but it what I think of when I look at her. We have lowered the crib to its lowest level within two weeks. She is still reaching for the top and pulling herself up. She sits by herself and crawls around on her tummy dragging her feet. She will stand on her feet and pretend to walk while you hold her hands. Really, Stephanie, prepare yourself for amazing changes in a very short time. It makes me sad to go to work. I thought that it would be easier to leave her but it becomes more difficult the more she changes. But this is real life. People work and people rest and people go to Taboga. With all of the trouble in the world, I am thankful for my job, my apartment, and most of all the family and friends that taught me and are teaching me how to be a good parent, a good person. I am still working on it.

Too much fun

2008-11-22T16:04:00.004-05:00

Sienna and I were so lucky to have our good friends, Nicole, 11 month old Leyli, and Amanda, visit us this past week. As you can see from the pictures, they brought us many smiles here in Panama. Leyli is a precious, peaceful, loving little girl, A perfect match for my hyperactive Sienna. Sienna is a social, excitable girl. The photo of Sienna and Leyli is by far my favorite photo of her. It effectively paints her personality; happy and laughing most of the time. Our job is to teach her how to be gentle and calm when it is needed. (Try putting her to sleep!)

It was so wonderful to have people from home visit us. It will make the Thanksgiving away from home a little bit easier. Thanks girls, it was one of the best times ever right when I needed it.

Sweet Potato for the Vampire

2008-11-07T21:02:00.005-05:00

Sienna had her 8 month check up today and weighed only 18 pounds. I was concerned that she did not gain enough weight because she has been sick for a few days and therefore has had a lack of appetite. The Doctor smiles and says, "Dont worry, Sienna's Mom, it wont hurt her to lose a few." I felt so relieved. Of course, my daughter is a healthy, chubby baby with quite a few reserves. She has what is called, "buen diente" or good appetite. I am convinced that this is why she is so smart.

As you can see here, Sienna normally enjoys her eating times (note her two front vampire teeth).She loves sweet potato, a plum and raisin concoction from Gerber and of course, apples. She can now say "apple" although it still sounds a bit like "apa" or "papa." I am telling you people, we have a genius on our hands.
November and December in Panama are times of great joy. This means lots of vacation time. Last week we had three days of Independence Days celebration and this week we have a day off for Mother's Day. We took advantage of the free time and went to an island very close to Panama City. It has a nice, calm beach and a peaceful pueblo. I highly recommend it. It was Sienna's first time at the beach and she loved it. Although she didnt like it that I kept her covered up in stifling hot weather. The sun burns, burns, burns here people!

Unfortunately, my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, we still have to work. But I will probably make a huge meal anyway. Please feel free to stop by for leftovers.

Los Ricos Besos Abundantes

2008-10-11T23:57:00.003-05:00

Seriously, how can you not kiss this face all the time. She has taken to pushing me away from her if she is playing and I am kissing her. It reminds me of my mother. My mother is so loving and carinosa as they say in Spanish. Bonnie will always give you a big ole hug and smooch it really doesnt matter if you are family or not. There is always enough love to go around. This is fantastic! I have become my mother. Every time Sienna pushes me away this is what I think and it makes me laugh. Dont worry Grandma Bonnie soon you will see her and she will push away your smooches as she does mine. But not to be alarmed most of the time she loves the kisses and will try to eat your face.

So, As dear Aunt Stephanie has said, we are now much more able to enjoy the moment because they are so quickly gone. Today she sits, tommorrow she crawls, today two bottom teeth, tomorrow two upper fangs. Crazy life.

Dolphins

2008-10-02T15:48:00.003-05:00

This is for all of you that need convincing to visit us in Panama. We have dolphins. I have to admit that I haven't actually seen any but Tito sees them every time he takes a trip to the Pearl Islands. Dont worry, Payson, he has never, ever seen a shark.

So my dear nephews and nieces dont worry about the food, or the heat, or the language, that will all be taken care of. Just tell your parents that you want to go to Panama to see the dolphins.

Arroz con Leche for the Teeth

2008-10-01T09:35:00.003-05:00

So this is what people mean when they say to me, reminiscently, "Ahh, they change so fast." Everyday with Sienna is something new. This morning when I laid her down, half inclined on her pillow, she shot up into a sitting position. I was so suprised that I just stared at her for a minute as she toppled over onto her face.

The teeth situation has been going on for about a month now. The bottom two teeth that you can see in the picture broke through while we were in Iowa. Now she has two top teeth coming in but they are taking too long to break through and causing some discomfort.

We also seem to be having a mosquito problem. She has another big welt on her leg. Nasty little creatures.

So it is time to make the arroz con leche (rice pudding, rice and raisins, however you want to say it). It is a tradition here in Panama to hand out rice and raisins in little cups to all your co-workers celebrating your child's first tooth. I like it. We are going to do it. Sometimes it is important to add new things to your own culture. I highly suggest it for anyone. What a nice, simple way to celebrate your child's growth.

Social hours

2008-09-15T14:10:00.003-05:00

So Sienna is a very social girl. She loved the attention that was poured on her from all kinds of people. Little people, big people, older people, younger people, smelly people, sweet perfumed people and even a dog or two. I am not fond of the wet, smelly dogs but she didnt seem to mind.

So here she is with the two most important people we visited, her great grandparents. Of course, Sienna thought it was great fun pulling on the glasses and noses. One of her favorite games. Unfortunately, our tour through the corn and bean fields with Grandma put her to sleep. She missed out completely on the smelly pigs. Grandma did try to rouse her to pull a weed or two. (just kidding Grandma).

She was the star of the show at Grandpa's apartment complex in Pella and she acted fully the tulip queen waving her hands in the perfect tulip time queen wave, the soft roll of the wrist in tune with the correct elbow rotation while throwing vibrant smiles. I wasnt suprised when they began to throw flowers at her feet. (okay, maybe I imagined that one).

2008-09-09T15:42:00.004-05:00

Beautiful Iowa. There is nothing like it in the fall. It makes me miss it so much. So much a part of who I am. Yet, like my dear friend, we have chosen instead to live near the sea. We make compromises in order to do whats really right for us.

There is nothing like Iowa green in the spring and summer and then just before fall hits us. Sienna's first trip to Iowa was jam packed with neurotic and crazy excitement. Just like life is. Sienna loved all the new stimuli. Hope she isnt bored at home. Next time we will have to return when the trees are the beautiful reds and golds. I didnt spend nearly enough time with anyone, especially my family. This is the benefit of living in Panama. A month long vacation every month!

I cry every time I leave yet I am not sure I could stay. Funny how life becomes more complicated as we go along.

Las Pequenas Cosas de Mi Vida

2008-08-17T16:26:00.004-05:00

So many new things. Thanks to Godfather Oscar and Aunt Luly I can now eat my cereal in a dignified manner. Well, at least she is sitting in a chair. Not much else about it is dignified. If she is tired while eating, the cereal may also end up in the ears, eyes and other non-fun places. Better off than her parents who still dont have chairs for the kitchen table.

We also have tried swimming. Thanks to Aunt Hillary for lending us her swimming pool. Great fun. We need to practice this more as it is really very hot here in Panama. What about that big ole´head! Hopefully that hair will come in soon. I am still hoping that she has Tito´s hair instead of my cursed, no-hair.

We will be home in Iowa from August 27 to September 15. Hope to see some of you there.

Where's my brewsky?

2008-08-05T10:44:00.004-05:00

Seriously, it just seems like all that is missing from this picture is a nice, cold beer in her hand. Nice rolls, Sienna. Someday you will really dislike how I have so brazenly displayed you for the whole world to see. But hopefully, you will find yourself as beautiful as you are and understand why I did it.

Thankfully, Sienna loves books. If you ever wonder what to get her, she can always use more books. Interestingly, her favorite book is Cookie Monster's book about making Thanksgiving dinner. Also, my favorite meal. We will have to make it soon.

2008-07-17T10:03:00.002-05:00

Party Girl

2008-07-16T10:48:00.009-05:00

I really was not prepared for the personality. I mean, everyone always said it, perhaps I never believed it. But there are a few things one must know about Sienna. Do not try and make her sleep in the afternoon. This is when her father comes home and it is time to play, go to the park and watch a sitcom or two. Please dont keep her in the house for long. She becomes bored and cranky. The more parties you go to on the weekend, the better. Preferrably it should be a loud location with boisterous boys and girls yelling about some sporting event while heavy metal music plays obsencely loud in the background. This really is the perfect environment for taking a quick nap before missing out on any goals that may have been scored while snoozing.
The best part really is that she is so pleasantly happy. While I am crabby because I am working two jobs and really just want to stay at home with her, she flashes a smile or throws me a giggle and makes me laugh. She has smiled since the time she was born and that continues to be her signature. However, she also does like the yelling. "Can you hear me Mom, I want to go to bed" and things of that nature.

This really is a great age. I am anxious for her to start to sit on her own. She moves her head pretty well and stabilizes it on her own. I not really anxious for the crawling quite yet. I like that if I leave her on the floor and say, "dont you go anywhere Sienna" that for now it is still a joke. Soon it wont be that way.

I really have such a good set up here and maybe finally I am adjusting to living here. I am enjoying my second part time job as the coordinator for the Horizons project. It is a project through the United States embassy that provides academic assistance to low income children. I do that one in the early afternoon, run home to give Sienna something to eat, or just to empty them (you know what I mean) and then in the evening I go to my teaching job. I am really lucky that Sienna's abuela (grandmother) comes to watch her during the day and then she is with her papa at night.
It really is quite nice. Another nice thing about living here? I eat about 5 fresh pineapples a week. Someone once said to me that pineapples were like cakes that grow on bushes. This is true.

The family photo includes Tito's godfather, an aunt, a great aunt, me, his sister, Mayita and his cousin Rod with his two kids.

Marea Roja

2008-06-22T19:29:00.009-05:00

We get excited about things early here. Panama is now in the first eliminatory rounds for the World Cup in South Africa 2010. Here you see Sienna in her new favorite position, watching futbol (soccer) with her father. It must be all the quick movements and bright colors that hold her mesmerized on her papa's lap for the 90 minute games. I am not very excited that I already have a child that seems to like television. Thankfully, she also seems to like the book reading sessions at night.
But then, I am not really prepared for anything that Sienna likes to throw my way. Sleeping, eating, holding, talking, exercising....I have never confronted anything in my life that I couldnt control in some way. If I couldnt control it, I didnt do it. I think that for me, this is the joy of a child, she is making me a better person.

Sienna only likes to sleep for 30 minutes a few times in the afternoon. She likes to be held on your shoulder, please never be so silly as to attempt to cradle her. And never offer her food five minutes before she is ready. This, my friend, is completely unacceptable for her. And please do not sing Neil Young or the Beatles to her without the assistance of said vocalisits because, quite frankly, mama, you are a bit off tune.Why did I think babies were predictable and habitual? I think Sienna's schedule is the non-schedule. Sienna is already completely herself and completely independent of everything we thought she would be.
She already says "agua" and "papa" and is so much more beautiful and intelligent than we had imagined. It's a crazy experience. And I continue to be completely unprepared yet happier(and a bit more confused) than I ever have been.
So here we are in Panama. Part of the marea roja cheering on Panama as they attempt to make it to the World Cup. But it looks like this time we have lost. Panama 1-El Salvador 3 .

its a new day

2008-06-14T12:27:00.004-05:00

Panama City doesnt boast the typical European colonial style archietecture typical of Central American capitals. There is a small area of town that still houses some of this archietecture but the city is new and growing up, up, up...It can only go up, surrounded as it is by the ocean. You can see from the pictures the high rises and skyscrapers and there are millions more being built.

The price of progress includes enormous dust that fills your house, cement trucks that block the street, water shut offs to put in new water lines, noise, noise and more noise and finally, the ever popular construction worker whistling at you while you walk in the park. However, they are less reluctant to do so if you are carrying a baby around.

My favorite outfit

2008-06-05T11:16:00.006-05:00

I had to show these pictures before these little outfits dont fit her anymore. We are getting close to that day.

Welcome to Our World Mena

2008-06-05T11:12:00.003-05:00

Sienna welcomes her cousin, Mena Johanna Strait, to our world (We believe in extended families in this household) born May 29, 2008. Maybe not as comfortable as the one she came from but full of lots of love to help her along. Look at that good looking family. Congratulations Steph and Eli. You are already wonderful parents.

Sienna's Asleep

2008-06-05T10:30:00.002-05:00

I finally get the blog started. Sienna decided to take a nap of two hours which is quite unusual for her. She seems to like the adult schedule already. She only wants to sleep for half hour time slots during the day, certain she is missing some sort of exciting activity. Which I am sure for her, most of these mundane activities are exciting.

So I chose the name Sienna's room for the blog because that is probably the bulk of what I will talk about here. And, she doesnt actually have a room of her own. Who knows when she will. We prefer to keep it as a TV/library room/guest room.

One of Tito's family members said that we should be sure to take lots of pictures of their little hands and feet because they grown so fast. This is the only photo I have managed to get thus far. She doesnt like to keep her hands still even for a moment. Try cutting those fingernails. I remember my Dad cutting my finger nails when I was little. A fine opportunity to sit on his lap while he jokingly complained about how fast my nails grew. I find myself repeating this phrase to Sienna frequently.