6 Month Checkup & Update

Sienna 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 guessing 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. She's been sleeping through the night, going down at 7:30 pm and sleeping until 7:00 am!

Sienna's starting to hold the bottle by herself. If it's completely full, she drops it, but if there's little left, as you can see in the picture, she does pretty well. It's so fun to watch her getting more and more independent!

Sienna will start on her first vegetable, guisquil, also known as chayote in Mexico, which belongs to the gourd family and most closely resembles squash. I bought a small blender and Reina cooks the guisquil and mashes it in the blender. There's no need to buy baby food packed with preservatives when you have a fantastic nanny who helps out tremendously. She's been such a gift and I can't imagine life without her!

Reina didn't go to her aunt's house this weekend, so today (Sunday) all three of us went to my friend Charlotte's house to check out her neighborhood. We're most likely moving on May 1 so we're closer to school and we really liked the area and her townhouse. She has four bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a very nice patio out back with a built in grill/bonfire area where I can already envision entertaining.

It's in a very secured neighborhood with a really cute park and she said there are always kids running around. It'll be nice for Reina to bring her son Jose back to our house and this time he'll have more to do and kids to hang out with. He's only 2 and a half, but he was pretty bored in my apartment during the 2 weeks he spent with us back in December.

Afterwards, we headed to a park nearby to spend time with about 30 orphans that Charlotte and a few other friends routinely volunteer and spend time with. Reina was coloring with a couple of the cute kids and Sienna enjoyed watching them run around and play. Stephanie brought her adorable dalmation puppy with her and the kids loved running around with him.

We took a trip to the beach the weekend Sienna turned 6 months and had a blast! It was absolutely beautiful and stayed in a very nice resort called Cayman Suites. A few of us are already planning our next trip during a long weekend in March.

Sienna enjoyed cruising around the pool in a little tube we borrowed from a friend. I don't think she's a big fan of the heat, but she spent most of her time in the shade. She loves her walker, so she relaxed in the shade at the pool and played with a few toys between meals and naps.

I continue to be surprised by how much she looks like my mom! Here's a baby picture of my mom - the resemblance is incredible!

Sienna has also started talking quite a bit. Here's a video of one of her jabber sessions.