What a difference A Month Makes!

July 19, 2010 Sienna was placed in our arms for the first time. She was a shy, sad and nervous little girl.

Not really sure what having a Mama is going to be like...

Look out world...here we come! The Herman Sisters are on the loose!

In the fast lane already...Uncle Dean, I love cars like you do! Feeding myself...Mama decided she had time to clean me up today so she let me try the spoon by myself. Tub time! More bubbles please! Look Ma, no hands! Guess what, I figured out I can pull myself up with drawer handles!

It's hard to believe that it's only been a month that Sienna has been in our arms. It seems like she has been a part of our family for much longer than a month and she fits in so well. It has been wonderful to see her flourish and her personality develop in this past month. Sienna now LOVES eating solid food and the more the merrier! Her favorite foods right now are toast with butter, lunch meat, string cheese and french fries. She loves to 'pretend' dip any of her food in her 'pretend' ketchup...she watched Mama dip fries in ketchup once and now she needs to dip all her food. She also has discovered ice cream but she's not going to get that very often! "Hi", "Mama", "Dada" and "NO" are the only words in her vocabulary right now but she understands and comprehends so much more. She'll shake her head yes or no if she agrees or disagrees with you. When she is eating she ONLY wants one food at a time on her tray and will violenty shake her head "NO" if you try to feed her something else or she will swipe the offending food of her tray to the floor with one swipe of her fast and mighty hand. Activites include riding on the push car in the driveway, crawling everywhere and trying to convince Mama to walk her everywhere. Sienna also likes to build and knock down towers of stacking cups and is a pro at the shape sorter. She will also sit and look at books and magazines for a very long time. She's still a champion sleeper, usually 12 hours a night and 2-3 hour naps although she's starting to discover it's fun to give Mama and Daddy a run for the money when GOING to sleep. Danika has been such a patient and loving big sister. She loves to make Sienna laugh and likes to help feed her and pick out her clothes in the morning. She's also enjoying all the fun things that only big sisters get to enjoy - later bed times, flip flops, ice cream, pre school and swimming lessons. We have loved every minute with Sienna Grace and we can't wait to see what the months ahead will bring. We've taken her to some specialists and the news regarding her hands and feet was very encouraging and far more optimistic than we dared to hope when we first knew we would be bringing her home. Sienna will have surgery in the next 4-6 weeks to separate her fingers on her right hand and will be in a cast for a month afterwards mainly to keep the skin grafts from getting infected while healing. Sienna Grace, you are a treasure beyond our wildest dreams and we are so happy that you are a part of our family, we love you sweet girl! Danika, thanks for being the best big sister ever!