Sienna Goes to DC ... with Family to View the Cherry Blossoms!

Last weekend we gave Sienna a blessing at church. We were really glad that both mine and Heather's parents were able to come and be here for the event. It was also great to have Tys and his family here, too. We'll do another post about the blessing. This post is about the day before the blessing.

That Saturday, we decided we would go on an excursion to DC. This winter has been one of the mildest in this areas recorded history, and as a result, the cherry blossoms, which normally are at full bloom in April, have already reached and passed full bloom. Luckily, we were able to spend some time down around the Tidal Basin near the Jefferson Memorial were the highest concentration of blossoms are.

Here are some pics that captured our day:

We had a nice picnic in the shade near the Jefferson Memorial.

As we were prepping to leave the Jefferson Memorial, Sawyer noticed a nice little puddle. He had such a great time splashing in it. It was really a cute moment.

After walking around for the afternoon enjoying the cherry blossoms, my mom, Heather's parents, and Heather and our two girls went to the Crime and Punishment Museum. This was something that Heather has wanted to do forever, but since it is one of the few museums that charges admission in the area, we could never convince anyone to go with us. I guess it took Heather having a baby to get what she wanted! It was definitely worth it, though. It's a very interactive museum, including a police driving simulator and firearm practice range. We had a great time.

Afterwards, we walked a few blocks and ate at Nando's Peri Peri. Heather and I love this place, and it was a great way to end our trip to downtown DC.

Sienna's First Bath

Heather and I had forgotten how different it is to bathe a newborn. Once again, we were saved by Christine, who reminded us how to do it. So here are pics of Sienna's first bath! As any good parents, we bathed her in the kitchen sink.

Heather found this great adjustable plastic baby bath online. It's European, so it's amazing. It's worked out great for us; we've loved it. And so has Sienna.

All warm and clean!

Elli occasionally joins in on the bathing fun. Sometimes, we let Elli bathe Sienna by herself when Heather and I take a nap. It works out well for everyone! Just kidding.

Sienna and Elli at Home

One of our main concerns with having a second kid is how Elliana would respond. Elli is kind of a strong-willed child who often demands her parent's (mostly her mom's) time. With a new little ball of flesh that divided her parent's attention, we weren't sure how Elli would react.

Fortunately, she has been amazing with Sienna. She loves to hold her, pet her, kiss her, talk and sing to her, and even sometime cuddle with her for a few minutes. It's pretty adorable. Elli is nearing her terrible twos and has begun to push against her boundaries in other ways, but thankfully she has been fantastic with Sienna.

Here are some fun moments we caught between these two sisters:

It's only been a few weeks, but it's amazing how quickly new borns grow. Sienna is already out of premie clothes and into newborn outfits. Her cheeks and her little bum-bum are filling out and she's almost doubled her body weight in 5 weeks. The doctors have been very pleased with her growth.

We've had some wonderful friends help us out as Heather and I have transitioned to having two little ones at home. Many friends have brought over meals, an outfit, or simply stopped by to say hi. We weren't able to get pics with all of them, but we are incredibly grateful for all of their support.

It's been especially nice to have Tys and Diana and their family close by. Elli loves her cousins, and they've enjoyed getting to meet their newest cousin.