It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

You would never believe the winter wonderland outside our window. The snow is more than three inches deep in our driveway, and it keeps coming down in blustery little flurries! Grace, of course, is a true snow angel. We bundled her up in two coats, three hats, mittens, woolly socks, and boots so she could experience, first hand, the wondrous white stuff while it lasts. Her button nose and apple cheeks turned pink almost immediately, but she would've stayed outside all day if we had let her!

With only 11 days until Christmas, it seems like we are constantly on the run. If this 'Arctic Blast' sticks around for another day or two as forecasted, maybe we'll get a much-needed snow day to relax and stick close to home (and wrap a few gifts, write a few cards, etc.).

Last weekend, we tried to get Gracie's picture taken with Santa; however, when it was her turn to sit on his lap, she did not want any part of it. We made two separate attempts, but each time Chad or I sat her down, she cried and reached her little arms out to us. It just about broke our hearts. We eventually just gave up for fear of Gracie developing a permanent Santa-phobia. As we later learned, a lot of kids Gracie's age are terrified of the jolly ol' elf. Oh well. We'll try again next year.

As I mentioned before, the holidays have been a whirlwind of activities for our family. We went to the coast for Thanksgiving and spent the entire four-day weekend with my family. Grace and Rubie had a great time together, as usual. All the grand kids made Christmas cookies with my mom, while my sisters and I hit the sales on Black Friday. The guys hung out at Chris and Nina's most of the time so they could play Wii and watch movies. We are going back over there next weekend to celebrate Christmas, and Rubie has already requested another day of cookie making. What has my mom gotten herself into!?!

It has been quite awhile since I've uploaded any new pictures on this blog, but that's because Chad and I have been doing some photo-sharing on Facebook. Check out Chad's profile, in particular, where you'll find lots of Gracie photos & videos. I wish I could remember every hilarious thing Grace does and says these days so I could record them all. She is hilarious!

One thing GG has started to do is smile on command. We're talking full-on nose-crinkling, teeth-baring, eyes-squinting, ear-to-ear grin. It is priceless. We try to capture it on film as often as possible. She continues to chatter up a storm with more and more words becoming discernible by the minute. With all the Christmas decorations everywhere we go, Grace has become fascinated with lights. On the drive home from daycare every night, she points out the window and shouts "light! light!" the whole way home.

I'm sure we'll have lots of Christmas photos to share in the next few weeks, so please check back soon (and don't forget to visit Chad's Facebook profile). Until then, Merry Christmas!

GG the Monkey

Create your own FACEinHOLE

Hap-a-ween!

That's a Rubie quote. According to my sister, Rubie couldn't quite say "trick or treat" or "Happy Halloween," so "Hap-a-ween" was the next best thing. I love it! Grace, on the other hand, was happy to just run up to our neighbors' front doors & say "Hi!" while holding her little trick-or-treat bag wide open.

Grace was a fantastic giraffe for Halloween with her great big eyes and long body. She did not know what to think of the whole trick-or-treating thing at first, but after she got the hang of it she did not want to stop! Grace puts everything in her mouth, so she immediately tried to chew each little treat she received, wrapper and all. It was only after she discovered the sweet candy beneath that she began to understand what all the Halloween hubbub was about.

The weekend following Halloween, my mom came and stayed with us for a few days. She and Ron had just returned from a vacation to Colorado, and they brought Gracie back some authentic Durango cowboy boots. They are red leather with little silver kick plates on the toe and fancy stitching up the leg. Grace loved them from the minute she saw them! We got some hilarious pics of Gracie and Grandma Jan doing the "boot-scootin' boogie." Grace knows they're something special because she even does this funny little swagger when she walks in them. These boots were made for walking, dontcha know...

Gracie is talking more than ever these days. She has her own special sounds for words such as socks, shoes, boots (hmmm, I wonder why), car, milk, done, gone, kitty, down, thank you, and please -- and most of the sounds are very similar to the actual words! It is very clear that Gracie knows EXACTLY what we are saying to her much of the time; she can even repeat some things (albeit not word for word). She follows directions beautifully and is very eager to please. In fact, Grace has earned special recognition at school two times for helping her teacher pick up books/toys in the classroom. We are so proud of what a little helper bee she is!

During the past month or so, and with the influence of my mom and Rubie, Gracie has really started to enjoy playing with her baby dolls. She wraps them with blankies (which are actually washcloths), carries them around, pats them on the back, feeds them milk from a toy bottle, and pushes them in her baby buggy. The other day, she even tried to cover Norman with a "blankie" and feed him with the bottle. Norm just lays there, completely helpless. He knows it's no use to object. Besides, it'll be no time before she can lift him and carry him around!

I know I sound like a broken record, but Grace is just a great kid. She's sooooo full of spunk! Every day, her little personality reveals itself more and more. GG is truly a treasure, and Chad and I are soooo lucky to have found her.

Grasshoppers Are Yummy!

You would think that Gracie does not get enough protein in her diet based on a recent report we received from one of her teachers. Grace was covertly crouching in a corner near a door in her classroom when Ms. Rose noticed that she had something in her mouth. When Ms. Rose prompted Gracie to open her mouth, a tiny grasshopper hopped out!!! Apparently, Grace did not have time to chomp down on the little critter before Ms. Rose caught her. Thank goodness! Nevertheless, we have been offering Gracie a more protein-rich menu just in case she's trying to tell us something about her nutritional needs.

Shortly after my last post, we went down to Eugene for the day to visit my sister, Noelle, and her family. Because it was a gorgeous fall day, we decided to go to a local pumpkin patch to let the kiddos pick out their own pumpkins. We had a great time riding around the big farm on a hay bale-filled, tractor-pulled cart. The kids got to pet goats, ponies, and bunnies; and we took home some delicious fresh-picked apples.

Then the very next weekend, we went to another pumpkin patch with Jill, Megan, and Benji. It was really cool because in addition to the petting zoo, hayride, and pick-your-own pumpkins, this farm had a super tall slide for kids (and their parents) to go down. Lots of kids even older than Grace came off of that slide crying because of how high and fast it was; but not GG. She was laughing and trying to get us to take her down again! She's a daredevil, that child. The best feature of that pumpkin patch, though, was the pony ride. Grace absolutely loved it! She had a smile on her face the entire time! Now I understand why parents want to give their little girls a pony.

We just got back from a short trip to Southern California to visit my dad and his wife, Barbara, as well as several other family members who had yet to meet Baby Gracie. We had a great time! Grace was a pro on the plane. She was not afraid, nor did she have any plugged-ear issues. In fact on the flight there, she had fun opening and closing the seat-back trays and flipping through the in-flight magazines. She also made friends with two small children seated in front of us (Elizabeth and Jack, who were on their way to Disneyland). She slept almost the whole way home.

GG had lots of fun with "Pee Paw" and Grandma "Bee." We visited several places my dad and I used to go to when I was a kid, such as Fashion Island and the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach. While at Fashion Island, Gracie spent time exploring the beautiful koi pond, running through the "plip plop" fountain (it's a platform with several holes through which little spurts of water pop out at irregular intervals), and riding the carousel. It was Grace's first time on a carousel, and she loved it!

Later that day, we rode the Balboa Island ferry across Newport Harbor and walked to the end of the Balboa Pier. While walking on the pier, Gracie squealed with delight about how close the seagulls hovered overhead. We even saw a fisherman catch a small leopard shark!

We spent one day at my Aunt Susan and Uncle Bobby's house and got to see lots of people we hadn't seen for a long time, including my cousin Alex, his wife Shari, and their baby boy Brian. We were so busy visiting and watching the babies play together that, regretfully, we did not get any pictures worth posting to this blog. I guess that means we need to get together again soon for new photo opps.

The next day, we visited my Grandma and Grandpa Baca for a few hours at their house. Grace spent the majority of our visit playing with a pot of pebbles in their backyard. It's funny because Grace always gravitates toward containers of rocks. We have a cedar planter on our front porch with a few polished rocks we use to fill in around the plants. Grace loves to rearrange the rocks in that thing. Then, when we got to my dad's, Grace immediately honed in on a bowl full of decorative polished rocks and played with them the whole time we were there. She liked to take them out, walk around with them, and put them back (with our urging, of course).

The day after we got back from California, Gracie had her 18 month well-baby check up. She had to see a new doctor because we couldn't get an appointment with Dr. Jan. Grace was a champ! She had to get a shot, but she barely even cried. We are so proud of what a brave girl she was. At just over 18-months old, Gracie weighs 23.5 pounds (45th percentile) and measures two feet, eight inches tall (60th percentile). Because she's eating so well and growing just right, we got the go-ahead to switch her from formula to whole milk, but Gracie isn't very happy about it. We decided to keep feeding her a bottle of formula first thing in the morning and at bedtime to make the transition a little easier, but we'll gradually replace those feedings as she gets more used to the taste of milk.

Grace is awesome. We have been taking her to a lot of new playgrounds in our area, since the weather will be changing soon and we want to take advantage of the nice weather we're having. She climbs and jumps and runs and slides and swings. She's so full of energy and life. It is incredible to watch her learn and grow and change so rapidly. Grace comes up with a new word or skill almost daily! Her latest and greatest animal sounds are "oo oo ah ah" (monkey), and "ssssss" (snake). We're working on elephant sounds, but that one's kinda hit or miss.

It's getting late and Monday morning comes really quickly, so I better wrap things up. I posted a few new photos to chronicle our California trip and the past several weeks since my last post. Enjoy!

Happy October!

Well, it looks like we missed September altogether. How does that keep happening?

It has been a fabulous fall for our family so far (try to say that three times!). I am happy to report that Gracie was able to wear 100% of her spring/summer wardrobe at least once while it was warm (even the 18-month stuff). Now that we've switched seasons, we are trying to get a head start on her fall/winter collection of frocks and britches. Lately, Gracie's feet have been growing like crazy! She went from a size 2 to a size 4-going-on-5 in just a few short months. No wonder she runs so fast!

Grace's vocabulary is growing just as quickly as her feet are. In addition to mimicking most animal sounds ("tweet tweet" is the newest and sweetest), she repeats a lot of what she hears. It takes a few tries before Chad and I catch on to what she's saying, but that's not her fault! She knows exactly what she's saying. A few weeks ago, we were hanging out in the backyard when all of a sudden, Grace stopped what she was doing, turned her ear toward the sound of a train in the distance, and said "choo choo!"

Another new thing Grace has started to do is clean up after herself. We call it the clean-up game. After she plays with her toys for awhile in the evening, we'll tell her it's time for dinner; then she puts everything back in her toy box before she runs to her highchair. In the bathtub, after she's all clean, she'll take the washrag and "wash" the tub. It's hilarious! She's a baby after her mother's own heart!

It seems like we've been really busy since our last post (big surprise!), so I'll just briefly touch on some of the highlights.

We went to the beach to stay with my mom over Labor Day weekend. Grace had a great time playing with Grandma's toys, walking on the beach, visiting Great Grandma Z at her new house, and going to the Oregon Coast Aquarium with Auntie Nina and Uncle Chris.

At the end of September, we took a trip to Central Oregon to visit Mama Ashley, Papa Mike, and much of GG's birth family. We went to the play cafe where Ashley works, visited lots of family on both Mike and Ashley's sides, and spent some time at an outdoor craft market.

Last weekend, my mom and Ron came to stay with us for a few days. Of course, they spoiled Gracie rotten! Well, she could never be rotten, but she's definitely spoiled. Anyway... we had fun going out for ice cream on Saturday; then GG had some good one-on-one Gma and Gpa time that night while Chad and I went to a movie. On Sunday, we spent the day at the Saturday Market and rode the trolley around downtown. Geege even got to stay out of school on Monday to hang out with Gma and Gpa!

This weekend, we're planning a trip to the Children's Museum to check out the Bob the Builder exhibit. Then on Sunday, we're going to visit Brenden and Rubie and their 'rents. In a couple weeks, GG will go on her very first airplane trip! We're going to SoCal for a long weekend to visit my dad and Barbara, as well as other family members in and around LA. I'm sure we'll have lots of pictures to share!

Right now as I write this, Chad is watching the Oregon State vs. University of Utah football game and wants me to report that Grace's favorite colors are orange and black. I don't know if I'd go quite that far, but based on her tiny OSU cheerleading outfit and baby Beavermobile (Chad totally decked out GG's outside car with OSU stickers, orange cheerleading pom poms, and a sign that says "Beaver Girl"), one would definitely think that she's a Beaver fan in the making.

Anyway... that's about all I have time for tonight. We are just enjoying the heck out of our little girl. She's a bundle of energy, and we're having a great time trying to keep up with her!

Just a Quick Note

Has it really been six weeks since the last update? Yikes! Despite my delinquency, everyone has been really patient about not seeing any new photos in a long time. Thanks for hanging in there.

Hasn't Gracie grown a lot? She gets more beautiful by the second, I swear. She really is more difficult to photograph these days, though, because she is constantly on the move! You might wonder why there are so many pictures of Gracie eating; well, that's because it's one of the only times she is in one place long enough to get any good photos! Plus, she's so cute how she hams it up for the camera and makes silly faces.

Because I know that most people come to this site for the pics, I won't spend a lot of time on this post. Of course, Grace has grown and changed and learned a whole lot of new things in the past several weeks, but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Enjoy!

More Words

OK. I'm back. Circulation to my fingertips has resumed. Because I'm beat after a fun day with my girl, I'm going to try to keep this post a little shorter so I have time to add more pics to the side bar. It turns out that the technique I used in the last post is waaaaaay too time-consuming. Although the larger images are an improvement over the smaller ones to the right, it's a pain in the neck to format.

Soooo, back to our recent goings-on. Last weekend, to celebrate our country's independence, we spent 3 nights at our favorite resort in Cannon Beach with our best friends, Jill, Megan, and Benji (and their 2 pups, Ruby and Murphy). It was incredible! We spent hours in the sand and near the shore; Gracie could not have been happier. She loved the feel of sand between her toes (and apparently in her mouth because she ate quite a lot of it), and she even went for a little dip in the Pacific! On the morning of the 4th, we went into town and had a front-row seat to the 4th of July parade. Gracie even got to pet a horse!

One morning while searching for seashells, Chad and Grace found 3 perfect sand dollars laying in the sand. Another morning, we spent time at the hotel swimming pool, which was a huge hit for both kids. Saturday night, we had a camp fire on the beach where we made s'mores. Grace got so much gooey marshmallow on her face and hands that she needed an extra long bath just to get it all off! All weekend, Gracie got lots of puppy love from Ruby and Murph, and she had unencumbered playtime with Benji. On our last day there, Gracie got to touch real, live sea stars, barnacles, and anemones in their natural habitat at Haystack Rock. Even though we do a lot of fun things with Gracie, we have never seen her as happy as she was on this trip. We all had such a wonderful time that we have already made reservations for 4th of July 2009!

Then... the day after we got back from Cannon Beach, my mom and Ron came to see Gracie for 2 whole days! They lavished her with love and attention, and Gracie relished every second of it. Come to think of it, I'm not sure who enjoyed themselves more: Gracie or mom and Ron! When they weren't playing "I'm gonna get you" and chasing each other down the hallway, they went out to lunch, to Gymboree (a make-up class for last weekend), on lots of walks, and out for ice cream. It's a goooooood thing Gma and Gpa are going to be retiring soon because Grace can't get enough of them!

Other than lots of fun weekend stuff, we've just been enjoying the summertime. Grace is using a lot of sign language lately. Most of her signs have to do with mealtime, but hey, it's a start! She can do the signs for eat, milk (only in her case, it's a plea for a drink of any sort), more, and all done. She has also perfected the nod when asked if she's hungry (that's really the only time she nods). One of the most precious new things Grace has picked up is blowing kisses. She knows how to do the hand motions for the song "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and loves the rain part. "Peek" has long been a favorite game of GG's, but she has recently started to use her own hands to cover her eyes (so cute). Oh, and she says "bub bub" for bubbles! Right around her birthday, Gracie was saying "dye dye" (bye bye) to everyone and everything, but abruptly stopped soon after. It was a little concerning to me until I read that it's common for babies to temporarily forget some of their old tricks when they're learning new ones. She clearly knows what "bye bye" means because she waves to everyone. She has "hi" down pat.

What else... Oh! Grace is trying all kinds of new foods and is especially fond of mandarin orange segments. The child slurps them down whole, I swear. We took her to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner the other night, and she tried all kinds of new veggies from the salad bar. Turns out she hates purple cabbage but enjoys garbanzo beans quite a bit. Her all-time fave summertime food? Watermelon. She would eat the rind if we let her, she loves it so much.

There's a ton more I could report on because Chad and I find every little thing Gracie does to be absolutely brilliant, precious, spectacular; but there are not enough words to capture the wonderment that is Gracie. Plus, I'm done with the blog for tonight. I'll have to save the pics for tomorrow. Check back soon!

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words (x 29)

Has anyone heard about global warming causing the days to get shorter? I could swear that as it gets hotter and hotter, the days are getting shorter. Certainly, there are fewer than 24 hours in a day because I NEVER seem to get everything done. Scientific theories aside, the real reason for the lapse in postings is that we have been having waaaaay too much fun to sit down and write an update! My good friend, Kary, maintains a blog for her 3-year old son, Ben, and uses photos to tell their stories (so to speak). So I'm going to give that blog-writing method a shot today, starting clear back in early June.

For GG's birthday, Pee Paw and Gma Bee gave her a one-year enrollment to Gymboree Music and Play. So Gracie and I have been going to a Family Music class every Saturday morning for several weeks, and she loves it! She plays instruments, dances, sings, and is learning about different types of music from around the world. Of course, we've picked up a few new toys since we started going. Here's a picture of GG playing in her Gymbo tunnel. Her favorite tunnel game? Chasing Norman through it, of course.

Although our little sweet pea is only 14-months old, she is already exhibiting some willful 2-year old behavior. For example, if she does not immediately get her way, she has been known to turn on the crocodile tears and throw a mini-temper tantrum. Some battles, however, are not worth the effort. Here's a pic of Gracie feeling very proud of herself because, after some resistance, we finally let her sit on top of the coffee table to play with her wire/bead toy.

The next 3 photos were taken in our yard on a warm, sunny day. Benji very generously loaned Gracie his rocket car, in which GG loves to ride down the driveway. It goes really fast, but as you can see, it delights her to no end. We are still on a quest to find a toddler-sized helmet.

For Father's Day, Chad got a brand new, 2008 Nissan Rogue. He has taken a ton of pictures of it, so maybe we can post a picture next time we check in. Anyway... he wanted to take his fancy new car on a short road trip, so we drove down to Eugene to visit Noelle and Jeremy and the kids for the day. We all hung out and visited while the babies played in the yard and Brenden rode his bike; then later we had a nice BBQ. Here's a shot of Gracie dumping her cut-up hot dog on her head.

The monkey bandage and red mark under her eye were the result of a nasty spill she took earlier in the day. GG and Rubie were playing on the grass in the front yard and somehow, G slipped and rolled down a small embankment and bonked her forehead on the sidewalk. It was her first official scrape requiring an actual band aid. It was very sad, but she shook it off and played happily the rest of the day.

Here's sweet B-Boy showing his sister and cousin how cool his wad of Silly Slime is. The girls were mesmerized until one of the grown-ups captured their attention.

At the end of a fun day, RuRu and GG got to take a bath together. Rubie Toots thought it would be fun to help by washing Gracie's hair.

The weekend after Father's Day, our little family of 3 spent a relaxing Sunday brunching at a place called Old Wives' Tale in NE Portland, where they have a really cool ship-themed play structure for the wee ones to play on. As you can see, Grace LOVED the "ship."

...but she wasn't so sure about the orange.

After brunch, we visited a local park.

The next weekend, Mike and Ashley came to visit us. They were only here for a short time, but we definitely jammed a lot of activities into the 2 days we had them. On Saturday morning, we went to a park:

After the park, we went to our new favorite lunch/coffee spot in Vancouver (Cafe Sip-n-Play). There are 3 play areas with tons of toys, books, and climbing structures for small children to explore while their adults enjoy a much-needed afternoon coffee pick-me-up.

Later that afternoon, Gracie played in her rubber ducky swimming pool...

...and we all took turns giving her rides in her wagon.

On Sunday, we paid our first visit to the Children's Museum. We had so much fun that we got a one-year membership so we can return again and again. Everyone's favorite exhibit was the water room.

But we also had fun painting...

Creating things with clay...

Playing "dentist"...

... and walking like dinosaurs.

It was a great weekend.

Believe it or not, we have a bunch more photos to share, but it has taken me two hours to write this post and my hands are going numb. I will log on later to finish our update...

And Now a Word from Norm

Meow. This is Norman the cat. I used to be my parents' pride and joy, but that all came to a screeching halt about 13 months ago when they brought little Gracie home. I did not know what to think about her at first. She didn't do a lot except sleep those first few months. Then, in the blink of an eye, she started moving all over the house, making a ton of noise, and getting up in my business. Don't get me wrong, I love the little tyke. But can a cat get a little peace and quiet around here?

I don't quite know how I got roped into this, but I agreed to write a little something on Gracie's behalf. I would rather be napping right now (that's cat napping to you human folk), but maybe I'll get some belly rubs or extra kibble for my efforts.

So, let's start by talking about Gracie's teeth. At last report, she had about six little Chiclets. Now, she has nine-going-on-eleven, including two molars. She's working on a third molar as well as a new tooth on the bottom front. The teething pain seems to come and go, but she fancies my tail as a teething toy. Hey, I do what I can to help a sista out.

In addition to nibbling on my tail, Grace also loves to pull on my ears and bury her face in my fur. I especially love it when she wraps her little arms around me and squeals with delight. She has recently figured out that if she gently pets me (rather than maul me), I'm more apt to stick around. Sometimes, she corners me and I have no choice but to bat at her with my clawless paws. For some reason, that just makes her more gleeful. She thinks we're playing a game. Ah well, she doesn't mean any harm.

Let's see... Grace had her 12-month wellness exam a couple weeks ago. She's a little over 19 pounds and 29 inches. In fact, come to think of it, we're about the same size. Who knew? Dr. Jan said she's healthy as a horse and developmentally right on target. I have no doubts about her language development. Sheesh. The kid talks a blue streak, even if she's the only one who knows what she's saying. Some of her more discernible words include "Dye Dye" (bye bye) and "Hi."

In other news, Grace is really into running, climbing, and standing on things. She loves to go outside and explore everything in sight. Indoors, she especially enjoys riding her princess car and rocking giraffe. At school, GG's class is learning about the life cycle of butterflies. She even made a cocoon out of a Popsicle stick and yarn!

Last weekend, I got the whole house to myself because Mom, Dad, and Gracie all went to the beach to visit Grandma Jan. Auntie Nina and Uncle Chris just adopted a baby Lhasa Opso puppy named Bogey, and from what I hear, Grace thought he was a stuffed toy. I'm not jealous though. I know Gracie has enough love to go around.

Yawn. Stretch. Well, I think that's about it. I've done my duty for the night. Now, I'm gonna go hit Dad up for some well-deserved pets. I gotta secure my spot on his lap while I can...

When a Hedgehog Becomes a Butterfly

Sorry it has been so long between posts; we've been busy, busy, busy! BTW: This is Gracie's mom again. Grace is on the move these days, so I'm filling in for her while she explores every corner of the world around her. There's so much to do and see!

Right after our last post, we went to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn, OR. The 'lips were incredible, as usual (Chad and I have gone with our best friends, the Sages, for years); but this time was extra special because it was Gracie's first visit. She had a great time frolicking through the fields, licking the flower petals, and riding the cow train. She even got to sit in a cow cart named Gracie!

Then, a few weeks later, we began the week-long celebration of GG's first birthday. Her first party was on 4/19/08. Lots of family and friends came to the party. Grace got to play with her cousins and friends, eat her first delicious bites of birthday cake (more like DEVOUR her first bites!), and open lots of great presents.

A day after her first party, we left for our week-long vacation. We stopped to visit Mike, Ashley, and most of Gracie's extended birth family for a couple days. Mike and Ash threw Gracie a wonderful birthday party on her actual birthday (4/21), where Grace got to eat more delicious cake and open even more presents!

We continued on to Boise, ID to visit Grandma and Grandpa K, as well as Grandma and Grandpa T. We had a great time visiting and relaxing, and were the guests of honor at two more fabulous birthday parties where, you guessed it, Grace got to eat a few more bites of delectable birthday cake and open a bunch more presents. Needless to say, Gracie plays the birthday girl role VERY well!

When we got home from vacation, Gracie graduated to the next "class" at her daycare. She is no longer a Baby Hedgehog; she is now a flittering, fluttering Butterfly. We thought Grace was happy in her old classroom, but that was nothing compared to how delighted she is in her new one! Her daily curriculum consists of joyous activities such as, finger painting, singing, dancing, building forts, chasing her friends and teachers, playing outside (a lot), turning somersaults, reading stories, having puppet shows and tea parties, playing with play-dough, and learning about animals, bugs, shapes, and colors. Also, she gets to eat school lunches and only has to take one nap per day. She LOVES it!

Finally, last weekend, Jill and Megan treated Chad and I to a "night on the town" while they watched Gracie. She (and we) had a fabulous time! Gracie got to play with Benji and the puppies while Chad and I had our first date since January. Then, on Mother's Day Sunday, we all went to a beautiful historic lilac garden in Woodland, WA. Grace was on cloud nine, running around the garden, checking everything out, happy to be out in the sunshine among all the lovely flowers. It was a glorious day!

Now, we're all just going about our usual business, looking forward to our next excursion. We're planning a trip to the beach for Memorial Day weekend, so hopefully we'll have lots of new pictures by then. In the meantime, enjoy all the photos from the past couple of months!

The Gift of Grace

Hi, this is Gracie's mom. GG is in bed, fast asleep, so I'm posting this blog entry for her tonight. I just finished reading her one of my favorite books, On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman. It's a sweet story about how precious and special Gracie is, and what a miraculous gift her birth was to the world. The last page sums it up perfectly:

Heaven blew every trumpet
and played every horn
on the wonderful, marvelous
night you were born.

I've read the book to her dozens of times, and I always get choked up on that last page!

Since our last post, Gracie has started walking! It wasn't really out of the blue like it sounds. In fact, she took her first official steps over a month ago when Mike and Ashley were visiting. Mike and Chad witnessed the momentous event, but I have been in denial about the whole thing. Well, there's no denying it now! Grace walks all over the place. She falls on her bottom over and over again, then gets right back up like nothing ever happened. She has taken a few nasty spills resulting in big, purple goose eggs on her forehead, but that certainly hasn't stopped her. She's an intrepid little girl, ever curious about the world around her.

We had a very blessed Easter weekend. We stayed with my mom at the beach, and Gracie got to have a sleepover with her cousin Rubie. They are so adorable together! Rubie is fascinated by "baby" and Grace clearly emulates her elder cousin. Due to some seasonal liquid sunshine, we had to do an indoor Easter egg hunt, but that did not hinder either baby's unbridled joy of finding the "balls" (that's what Rubie called the eggs).

As Gracie's first birthday quickly approaches, we have been busy planning one of several birthday parties for her. We are having her first party at PB & Ellie's, a family-friendly cafe that caters to small children and their adults. My mom has been sewing the most beautiful party dress for Grace. It is lavender and white with violets all over it. It has white lace and a fancy white sash. Grace will certainly look like the belle of the ball when she wears it (lavender is truly one of her best colors) -- and how incredibly special that her grandma made it for her!

After Grace's birthday party, we are going on a week-long vacation to visit Mike, Ashley, and all of Gracie's birth family; then on to see my dad and Debbie, Chad's dad and Merrilee, and one of my oldest, dearest friends. Mike and Ashley are planning a second 1st birthday party for Gracie while we're visiting. Then, because Grace, Chad, and I all have birthdays within a few days of each other, our dads are planning joint birthday celebrations during the rest of the week. Now that's a lot of celebrating!

I cannot believe it has been over 11 months since Gracie joined our family. Everyone warned us how quickly the first year flies by, but I had no idea! Grace is truly a gift for which we are eternally grateful. Can't wait to see what's in store next!

Saving Daylight Is Cool!

Here are the top three reasons why I like to spring forward (in no particular order):

1. I get to watch the sun rise on my way to school in the morning, and watch it set at night while I'm in the tub.
2. The kids on my street play outside until it gets dark, which is very entertaining for me (someday I, too, will ride my scooter around the cul-de-sac and play basketball with the big kids).
3. My circadian rhythm helps me stay up later at night and sleep later in the morning, which is great for my whole family!

We've had a fun-filled month so far. Grandma Elaine and Grandpa Allen were here last week. When they first got here, we went to a beautiful botanical garden, then to an open-air crafts market. Unfortunately, Grandma was sick with a nasty sinus infection for much of the week, but Grandpa and I had a grand time together. We took walks and went to the playground and really got to know one another.

This past weekend, Mommy, Daddy, and I went to a petting zoo, and I got to pet baby pygmy goats, mini long-horned sheep, llamas, donkeys, baby cows, and a pot-bellied pig. At the same place, I got to touch a six-foot long albino python. It was bright yellow with pink eyes and a slithery tongue. Dad had to pull me away because I grabbed onto its body and wouldn't let go. I also saw a giant tortoise, two tarantulas, and a humongous toad!

In developmental news, I am still cruising all over the place and have even taken a few wobbly steps. We're not counting those as my first official steps, though, because they were kind of accidental. At the rate I'm going, the real thing will happen any day now...

Some of my favorite words/sounds lately are:

• Gunk gunk
• Mamamamamaaaaaaa (while crying)
• Quack quack
• Dadada-deeeee!
• Babababa

Since my last post, I have started to wave hello (but not bye bye) to people, things, Norman, etc. I wave with my hand turned inward, toward myself. I love to play "high five" and "peek" with anyone who will participate. What I don't care for, however, is being locked behind the baby gate when Norman is just out of reach. Those pesky baby-proofing measures are really cramping my style!

That's about all I can think of for tonight. We will add some new photos this week, so check back soon!

Happy February and All That Jazz

For being a short month, February has been jam-packed with fun and excitement for our family so far. First, let me just share the amazingness that is my physical development. In the 10 months since my glorious birth, I have gained 11 pounds and grown 9 inches in length. All that formula must be doing some good. I have also cut four more teeth in the past month -- all on the top. Phew, was that ever hard work!

My diet is expanding to include quite the repertoire of foods these days. In addition to a vast array of pureed fruits, veggies, and cereals, I can now eat dry Cheerios, Baby Mum Mums (rice crackers), and yogurt. I also tried a pureed chicken and veggie combo meal this week, but I promptly spit it out all over Mom and my high chair. It turns out I don't care for obliterated meat, so I think I'll remain a vegan for awhile longer.

Back to February. It started with Grandma Jan coming to stay with me near Valentine's Day. We had a great time together. One of the days she was here was uncharacteristically warm and dry for this time of year, so we went on a really long walk around the neighborhood. To commemorate my first Valentine's Day, Grandma Jan sent our family a bonafide Miss Grace Lemon Cake. It's not just a clever nickname -- there truly is a Miss Grace who makes a divine cake of the lemon variety. It was a very special surprise!

Then, a few days after Valentine's Day, Mama Ashley and Daddy Mike came to visit me. It was an awesome weekend! We went to the zoo one of the days, and I got to see ALL the animals this time (last time, many of the animals were already in bed when we were there). MA and DM got me the cutest, snuggliest stuffed baby elephant (named "Monkey") while we were there, and I still carry it around with me everywhere to remind me of our wonderful time together.

This coming weekend, Grandma Elaine and Grandpa Al are coming all the way from Fargo, ND to visit us for an entire week! I'm taking the week off of "school" to be with them and everything. I can't wait to show them all the cool tricks I've learned since last May. I'm pretty sure I'll blow them away with all my sweet skills.

I'm still hermit crabbing all over the place and cruising any chance I get. I have a toy walker that I like to push up and down the hallway, and I'm even getting pretty good at maneuvering it around corners and furniture.

My favorite words these days are "Dada" "Da-Deeeee" "Geeee" (soft g sound), and "Babababa." I seem to know what each of those words mean, too. BTW: "Geeee" and "Keeee" is kitty, and "Baba" is anything I happen to want at the moment (i.e., bottle, binky, toy, etc.).

I have tons of new pics to share, but it's getting late and my scribe wants to hit the hay. We'll be back soon...

Feliz Cumpleanos, Abuela

In case you're wondering, that's Happy Birthday, Grandma en Espanol. Today is my Grandma Elaine's special day. I've been thinking about her all day long, hoping she's having the best birthday ever. January is a very special month, indeed, because it is the birth month of not one but TWO of my grandmas! When it was Grandma Jan's birthday on the 16th, she was in San Francisco celebrating, but I got to see her a few days earlier to give her some presents and lots of love.

So, now that we're a full month into 2008, I'd say it's time for an update. First, let's talk about my teeth. I still have just the two bottom ones, but they will soon be joined by some on top. I've been working on those top front chompers for awhile now. Mommy and I brush my two little teeth every night and I love it! It's a fun game for me to chew on the brush, spit it out, look at it, then shove it back into my mouth for more.

As for my hair, it's really growing. It's still fuzzy and sticks straight up, but there's more of it. We can just about put it in a barrette.

Our whole family has been sick with colds for the past several weeks, so that's why we haven't checked in for awhile. In fact, just a couple weeks ago I experienced my very first ear infection. My parents didn't even know I had the infection until I developed a low-grade fever for which Daddy took me to the doctor and discovered the aching ear. After a week or so on some super yummy, bubble-gum flavored medicine, I was good as new.

So, at last report, I told you how I moved right from crawling into pulling myself up to a standing position. Well, I decided that there's a lot to see and do by crawling, so I gave that another try. I still pull myself up every chance I get, but I'm not standing unsupported or (gasp!) cruising yet. My parents are very relieved, to say the least.

Now, I've been told that every baby has her own special way of crawling, so I decided to try out a rather unusual technique. What the heck, right? I'm only a baby once. Instead of moving forward on both knees, I use my right leg/foot to propel myself while the left knee is in the typical crawling stance. Just think hermit crab. That's my inspiration.

So, let's do a quick inventory of all my many nicknames (it has been awhile):

• Gracie Girl
• Miss Grace Lemon Cakes
• Lemon Cakes
• Cheeks
• GG/GiGi
• Geege
• Gee-Race
• Gracie Dumps (This was a derivative of Gracie Dumpling, which turned into Dumpers, then just Dumps. Daddy has a whole song he made up for me surrounding this nickname.)
• Monkey
• Munchwee
• Muncheechee
• Smidgers

That's a lot of names for a nine-month old. But, somehow, I don't get confused. I answer to all of them.

Since we are making lists, here are some of my favorite things:

• Prunes
• Squash
• Sweet potatoes
• Pears
• Playing my Fischer-Price piano from a standing position
• Balls (I even know how to roll them back and forth)
• Animal noises (especially oinks)
• Bath time
• Brushing my teeth
• Being outside
• Norman
• Looking out the window above my changing table
• My super-soft, pink blanket from Great-Great Grandma Ora

And my least-favorite things:

• Peas
• The word "no"
• Boogie wipes
• Having to sit still while getting my diaper changed
• Having my face washed
• Shots (ouch!)
• Taking shirts off over my head
• Losing my binky

I think that about covers it. I'm going for my nine-month well-baby check up on February 12, so I should have some good developmental news to report after that. I only have a few new pictures to share, as we haven't taken a lot of photos lately. We'll work on that for next time. Ciao for now.