The Weekend

Gracie had a Halloween party at daycare on Friday and I think the girls had fun. They dressed up in their costumes, they made paper pumpkins, and came home with the cutest little kitty treat bag, complete with stickers, a black spider cup, a Halloween picture frame that had the cutest picture of her and Kayla all dressed up in it, glow bracelets, and a book. We did have one little hiccup, daddy picked Gracie up at daycare and it was supposed to be me picking up...Gracie is not happy if daddy picks her up when she is told it is going to be mommy. She was very mad at daddy a good part of the evening. I finally took her aside and told her that I was sorry that I wasn't able to pick her up, that something came up so I asked daddy if he would pick her up so we wouldn't be late and it was very nice of daddy to do this. She listened intently. Then daddy came downstairs to where we were and they were best friends the rest of the night.

On Saturday Gracie was incredibly clingy to me all day. She just wanted to be held. She didn't seem sick, just needed alot of attention and alot of snuggling. We did take a walk to the local school playground and played on the swings and went down the slide for a bit, but it was just too cold to stay long. Gracie had mittens and ear muffs on, but the wind was quite cold. On Saturday night we went to Jeff's churches Fall Harvest Party. Gracie made some new friends and was one tired girl by the time we came home.

On Sunday Gracie slept in til 8:00 a.m. That was an incredible treat. Gracie was good as gold this morning. She was very content to play by herself at times, interacted well with me, played with toys, listened to music, and was just a sweetheart. She took a very short nap, but was in a good mood and since she slept late, I'm sure she just didn't need a long one. After nap she watched daddy mow the lawn through the window.

So we needed to get a urine sample from Gracie and since she isn't potty trained, I was going to have to use an adhesive bag and stick it to her bottom and then put her diaper on. I knew this would not go over well. So I brought the little potty chair upstairs and I said to Gracie "We need to get some of your potty and we have two ways to do this, you get to decide which we do. We can stick a bag to your bottom (she was listening intently and as I said this she patted her bottom) or you can go potty in the potty chair." I then asked her if she wanted to go potty in her chair and she said "no". I then said "How about if we give it a try?" She was good about sitting on the potty. I read her a book while she sat and sure enough, she went potty. Yay!!!!

Our friend Laurie and her 6-1/2 year old son came over this afternoon and we had a great visit. It took Gracie a while to warm up, but she had a great time and she really took to Laurie. By the end, she was having fun, rearranging the face on Logan's Mr. Potato Head costume.

Trick or treating was not the pleasant experience I envisioned. She had some major sensory overload going on. She didn't want to get dressed in her kitty outfit (we nixed the fairy outfit for this evening as it was too cold), she wanted to see who was at the door, but then the fact that any one was at our door made her fuss, I sent her out the door with her daddy and she was a crying kitty. She did enjoy being outside and trick-or-treated at a few places, but mostly just wanted to walk outside. She was very proud to show me her treats. Please remind me next year NOT to let her eat very much candy. I let her pick three pieces and it was too much sugar overload. She had a heck of a time falling asleep.

She is now fast asleep. Sweet dreams little kitty.

Love,

Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Thursday - Good Mood Girl

Gracie had a good night. She got to sleep in a little later this morning as she got to hang out with me this morning. We had a doctor appointment with a pediatrician who specializes in gynecology. We were a little concerned that Gracie might be starting puberty early, which happens quite frequently with children diagnosed with Sotos Syndrome. She has had a number of symptoms that were quite concerning to us, one of them being some major hair growth on her knees and legs. I'm beginning to think she might be part monkey! ;) The good news is that she had a thorough check up and she is not at this time starting puberty. Whew. They are a bit concerned about the hair growth, but it could be something as simple as an ethnic trait. An endocrinologist who is also a geneticist was called in and he didn't feel this was related to Sotos, but we will keep an eye on it and have her checked again in 3 to 4 months. We will also do a urinalysis to rule out any other possible ailments. She also suggested that this would be a good time to tap into behavioral psychiatry, although she did find it very encouraging and very normal that all of Gracie's extreme behaviors are at home. That is where she feels the most safe and secure.

That being said Gracie has been such a good girl lately, she loves to be helpful, she loves to talk, her receptive and expressive communication skills are both just blossoming. Tonight when I was unloading groceries, she brought me a big carton of orange juice from the bag to put in the fridge. It was so sweet, she could barely carry it, but she loved thas she was helping.

After her appointment I took her to daycare for lunch and the afternoon. She had a good nap and was happy to spend time with daddy tonight while I was spending an arm and a leg at the grocery store. We needed everything. She was in a great mood for Jeff and said she only asked for me once. Usually she fusses that she wants mommy if I'm not home by 6:00 p.m. and she continues until I get home. She was very happy to see me. We all had a good evening.

Gracie has been very good about saying the ending word of a sentence or a song. Tonight I said "Do you want me to smother you with ....". The answer was supposed to be kisses. The little stinker was in tease mode and said "money" instead. We are in so much trouble. Last night she told daddy she needed money. She likes to put coins in her piggy bank.

Gracie is now in bed and sleeping peacefully in her fleece froggy pj's.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Wednesday - The Character Parade

Gracie had a pretty good night, although she did wake up to the sound of the strong winds a couple of times and seemed worried. I snuggled with her and assured her it was just the wind. I'm pretty sure it was the wind that woke her up while I was in the shower this morning too. Daddy scooped her up and comforted her then.

The wind was so crazy, I could hardly get her out of the car at daycare. Once I did get her out, her Dora stocking hat flew right off of her head. She kept gasping like she couldn't catch her breath. I scooped her up then and we ran to the door.

Today at school Gracie had a character parade...I'm guessing it probably isn't politically correct to have "Halloween" festivities. I dressed Gracie in a black kitten dress, a gift from her Aunt Sheila and family, and sent her to school looking absolutely adorable. I've included a couple of pix, although she wasn't very cooperative in letting me take them.

I think she was a busy girl in school. She came home with a library book, a pumpkin booklet that she made, and a follow the leader poster that she made with a duck following Gracie. She also had two pumpkins in her bag. One was very tiny and the other they drew a face on...it even had earrings drawn on it. I'm pretty sure she had help with that. That would also explain why her bag was so heavy. Her two female bus drivers also gave her a Halloween treat bag with a few sweet treats, a pumpkin bubble container, a pencil, a notepad, and a few other fun little things. There was also a sucker in it...I realized that Gracie has never had a sucker. We might have to try that with lots of supervision. I thought it was so sweet that they would give her a treat bag.

Gracie fell asleep on the bus ride home and didn't take an afternoon nap. As tired as she was all night, she was still in a very good, if not mellow mood. At one point she and Jeff just sat on the floor playing with Legos. For those of you that know Gracie well, she doesn't sit still for anything but books, music, or tv. Most of the time she can't even sit still for a meal for long...but here she was on the floor just playing with Legos. Incredible. I know Mandy has been working on that with her at daycare. I can tell all of her hardwork is paying off.

Gracie fell asleep in about 2.5 seconds tonight and is tucked in underneath her fleece blanket. Snug as a bug in a rug.

Love,

Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Tuesday - A Good Day

Gracie had a fairly good night and slept well. She did wake up and sit up for a while around 2:30 a.m., but the next time I woke up she was sleeping again, so I guess she must not have been up for long, as she most certainly does not like me to be asleep if she isn't...she goes for the eyes.

Gracie was such a good girl today. She had fun at daycare and her buddy Aubrey was there today. Gracie and Aubrey get along so well. Aubrey is younger than Gracie, but is much more talkative, yet she gets Gracie going a bit. Today all of the kids at daycare practiced saying "trick or treat" and then Mandy gave them a treat. Gracie didn't say it, but got her treat too...I think her smile won her over. So tonight on the way home from daycare we practiced saying "trick or treat". Gracie has decided saying "treat" is good enough! Perhaps we'll have to work on a "please" to follow the word "treat".

Gracie was such a sweetheart tonight, very helpful, and mostly happy. I think we may have conquered the biting situation. We hardly see Gracie bite us anymore, she has changed the bites into kisses unless she is really mad. Well tonight she was very mad at the computer and when I came to help her, her teeth hit my hand, but before they could sink in, she thought better of it and turned it into a kiss without a reminder from me. I hope this positive progress continues. Timeouts are a beautiful thing.

Gracie had a major meltdown when Jeff came home. She was so excited that he was home, but I think it was just too much to process and she suddenly just started having a tantrum and didn't want him anywhere near her. Once she calmed down, all was fine and she was only too happy to give him hugs and have him hold her.

Gracie was very aware of the wind tonight. It even seemed to scare her a bit. She would get a very worried look on her face. I explained quite frequently that it was just the wind blowing and nothing to be scared of. She knows what wind is, so that would make her feel better for a little bit until she would hear another gust.

She is sleeping very peacefully right now. I think we may need some extra blankets on the bed tonight. BRRRRRR.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

The Weekend and More

We've been having too much fun to take the time to blog...sorry. Gracie has been healthy and happy and we're enjoying every minute of it. She's been sleeping very well also. That is always a huge treat for me.

On Saturday, for the first time in three years Jeff and I went on a date with just the two of us. We dropped Gracie off with Auntie Sheila. Gracie had fun playing with her cousins Kayla and Jason too. She played outside with Sheila, she got music therapy with both Kayla and Jason. Kayla is an incredible piano player and Gracie loves, loves, loves to hear her play. Jason and Gracie played the keyboard together and that was great fun too. She was a tired girl by the time we picked her up.

On Sunday it was just Gracie and I to hang out as Jeff had to work. We did a little shopping and we just played outside and had a great day. She was in a fantastic mood. She is very helpful these days and loves to help in anyway she can. She is very proud when she can help.

Today (Monday) Gracie went to preschool, one of her little classmates (they call them friends) kept saying "Hey Mister", well Gracie found this hilarious. So she would laugh and laugh and repeat him, saying "Mister, Mister". Having read this in a note from her teacher, when we got home I said "Gracie, Hey Mister". I wasn't disappointed - she giggled some more.

Gracie was in a great mood tonight. She danced and danced and danced. She loves to scoot her stepstool up to the under the counter CD player/radio in the kitchen and push all the buttons and rock out to the music.

Tonight we kept singing the "Here we go Loopty-Loo" song and Gracie would sing alot of the words with us and did some of the actions and was dancing away. She was loving it and any time we would stop she would tell us "more".

It was a good weekend and a good Monday.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Wednesday & Thursday

Jeff stayed home with Gracie on Wednesday and got to take her to school and pick her up. It was pajama day in school and all the kids and teachers wore pajamas. I think my work should consider a pj day!

Gracie had a very restless night last night as she is coming down with another cold and was having problems breathing. She was quite feisty this morning and she did NOT want to get out of bed. Today was Gracie's first day back to daycare for over a week and we weren't quite sure what to expect after having mom and dad's undivided attention. Gracie was ecstatic to see Mandy and gave her a great big hug and smile. When I went to pick her up, I wasn't sure she was going to come home with me.

Gracie was quite the little eater for supper tonight -- must have been the long walk that she took at daycare. She was in a very good mood tonight and super talkative. I put on a video (Gymbo for the few of you who know it) tonight that Gracie hasn't seen in a couple of months. She was saying the words of the songs and one of the zoo guides before they would be said on the video. She cracked me up. If I happen to acknowledge her getting the words or doing a good job singing, she gets so proud.

Bath was a total splashfest and she got her exercise in by kicking all the water out of the tub. Then she wanted to be pushed around in her stroller, so we did...then we read some books and it didn't take her long at all to fall asleep. Sweet dreams.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Tuesday - Gracie & Mom's Day

Gracie woke up with a mondo bloody nose at 3:30 a.m. this morning (the second time this week) and had a hard time falling back to sleep. Needless to say we had lots of laundry to deal with this morning as her sheets and pillowcase were full of blood, as well as her jammies. She finally fell back to sleep an hour later and got to sleep in until 6:45 a.m.

Gracie and I had the day to play. We went to Target and Gracie helped me shop and even got a new toy cell phone that she quite enjoys. She enjoyed riding in the cart AND being out of the cart helping me to push it. Then we headed to the mall. We had a shirt to exchange, but other than that nothing pressing and it was early and it wasn't busy so I let her just run down the halls and she was in her glory. Then she got to ride the escalator up and down...she LOVES escalators.

After that we headed home, ate lunch, and headed outside to play for a while. It was so beautiful out and Gracie was enjoying it. We played on the slide, I pushed her in the swing, we walked, Gracie drew on the driveway with sidewalk chalk, she hung out in her little pink plastic car that is so small for her, daddy had to remove the door just so we can get her in it. She was not happy when it was time to go in the house for a nap and she let me know she wasn't happy.

After a little over an hour nap, we headed back outside to play until supper time. Gracie had a great time outside and is just a happy happy girl when she is out in the fresh air. She was very talkative today and had lots to say. She was also very much a mama's girl, even when daddy came home. She just didn't want me out of her sight.

I put Pull-ups on Gracie today -- the ones where you feel a cool sensation when you wet them. I think they worked....she informed me when she wet them. I think that is the biggest problem we have with starting potty training. Gracie doesn't always know when she is going, but always knows when she has gone. We'll see how this goes.

Gracie didn't have much of an appetite today, but as always ate her fruit for supper. I can almost always count on her to eat that, even if she doesn't want anything else.

Gracie was a splash monster in the tub tonight...speaking of monsters, she is starting to understand that some things about Halloween are scary. There was a commercial on TV today about Halloween and she started to fuss and get scared. Then at the mall we passed by a store with scary Halloween stuff and she let me know she was scared.

Daddy put Gracie to bed tonight. This hardly ever happens, she always requests me. I was totally shocked when she was fine with daddy putting her to bed. This is a good thing. :)

I totally enjoyed our day together. Tomorrow she is hanging out with daddy. Although I think he has it easy....tomorrow is pajama day at school, so he won't even have to get her dressed.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Monday - A School Day

Gracie had a great night and got to sleep in a little longer than usual. She awoke at 6:45 a.m. and we had a quick bite to eat, then took daddy to work. She got to ride in her jammies and footie slippers. Then we came home, got dressed and got ready for school.

I got to take her to school and had the opportunity to talk with her speech therapist and one of her paraprofessionals. Her speech therapist said that there are days when she is very talkative and other days where she just doesn't have much to say. She did mention that they have discovered that Gracie says "no" to everything (we knew that) but when asked again, will usually give whatever it is a try. "No" is just her favorite word. I commented that we have seen her verbal skills just take off at home and her therapist indicated that is very common and that is a sign that she is learning and taking it all in.

They got the opportunity to see and feel the inside of a pumpkin today at school. Much to my surprise my little sensory seeker didn't want anything to do with the inside of the pumpkin. She did feel the inside of the pumpkin top though. She also said "pumpkin" over and over and over again. They also had a bag of household items today and when one little boy pulled out a toothbrush, Gracie said "mouth".

Once again there is no doubt that Gracie likes school. She is always happy to go and does not fuss in the least when I leave her. She always has a smile on her face and is ready to go. She also has a big smile when she sees me at pick up time.

We came home, had a little lunch, played a little and then took a 90 minute nap. She had a hard time getting up today, she just wanted to snuggle, snuggle, snuggle. I didn't rush it. Then we got up, had an apple and peanut butter for a snack and headed to the grocery store. Gracie was a good little shopper. Then we picked daddy up at work.

When we got home we played outside for a while, took a nice walk around the neighborhood, and then came in for supper. BBQ Country-style ribs, tater tots, broccoli, and pineapple. She ate it all except her broccoli....she ate a few bites but decided that was not what she wanted. She's so funny, some days she just can't get enough broccoli.

Gracie was very restless tonight. She needed a lot of attention, a lot of hugging and holding. She had a really hard time falling asleep too. I still think she may be feeling just a tidge of something from her flu vaccination.

Gracie and I get to hang out again tomorrow. I can't wait.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

The Weekend

Gracie had another good day with daddy on Friday. She was in a great mood when I got home and treated me to sleeping in til 6:45 a.m. on Saturday morning. Saturday was a great day for Gracie. We had a mostly lazy morning, then headed to the clinic for our seasonal flu vaccinations. Gracie and I went with the live Flu Mist that you inhale through your nose. She did good with it and so did I! Then it was home for a little time outside - we saw neighbor Nancy and her dog Annabelle doing yardwork, so Gracie insisted we go say hello. Lunch followed and then an hour nap. We had a quick snack and then headed to the pumpkin patch. It was a beautiful day and Gracie had a blast running here and there and picking out her pumpkins. We came home with two big ones and two little ones. They also gave Gracie a guord. One of the little pumpkins is perfectly round without a stem. Gracie keeps throwing it and calling it a ball. I'm not sure if that one will make it to Halloween. We played outside some more when we got home, got out some Halloween decorations, put a big ghost up on our front porch, and took a nice walk.

Today wasn't Gracie's best morning. She had a very restless night and even though she slept in til 7:30 a.m., she was not a happy girl. Nothing was right, she wanted to be held constantly. I had a headache myself, which I assumed might be from the flu vaccination and she was acting pretty funky, so we gave her some acetaminophen to see if that would help. We did take her to church which was a big mistake, because the whole service was spent taking turns with her out in the narthax, holding and bouncing her. She played for a little bit outside when we got home, but had a meltdown of meltdowns when we came in the house. She was extremely moody and I was sure she had low blood sugar, but she wanted nothing to eat. I got her calmed down after a while and suggested an apple with peanut butter. Gracie LOVES peanut butter. She agreed. Once we got her blood sugar level up with that yummy treat, we added some chicken and pasta in to the mix too. Food made a huge difference in her mood.

After naptime, she turned into the happiest sweetest girl. She took Jeff and I around the house for a lot of walks today and we all watched the Vikings play football. Gracie loves when there is a touchdown, because she gets to yell "touchdown".

Jeff made chocolate chip muffins for her snack when she awoke -- huge hit always. She was a good little eater for supper and when she was done with her plateful of food, she started on mine. Then to the tub for a splashfest. We played downstairs for a while. Then it was bedtime and she was a sweetie as she tried singing herself to sleep.

Gracie was full of words today. She still gets a little frustrated if she doesn't have a word she wants, but she is very good about getting her point across and the words are coming easier and easier to her. She has beautiful smiles when she realizes you understand exactly what she is saying or asking.

Tomorrow I get to spend the day with her and take her to school. I'm looking forward to a fun day with my sweet pea.

Love,

Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Daddy Daycare Thursday

As Lisa mentioned yesterday, our daycare is on vacation, so we are splitting the "stay home" time between us. Today was my day to stay home (that would be me, the dad). Grace slept until 7:00 this morning. We thought this would be a good idea - and probably to give her some extra sleep - it was, but threw off our day a little bit.

We started the day by taking mommy to the dentist and then taking her to work afterward (we're down to one car right now). After dropping mom off at work, Grace and I went to the grocery store. We got one of those mini-carts and Grace did the pushing in the aisles, while I steered to be sure we didn't run anyone over (there were a few other parents there who should've been so considerate -oy vay!). Grace had a ball pushing the cart, and did really well. She stopped on command, did well at "whipping a U-ee (you-ee / u-turn)" in the middle of the aisle and everything. And don't forget -it's alot of fun to take your 3 year old to the store, so you can holler "STOOOOP" (that would be "stop" not "stoop") and "GO!" and no one bats an eye at you. They will even smile.

After the store, we played outside, then came in for lunch. After lunch comes our normal nap time. Well, since Grace slept 1 - 2 hours later than normal (a fact I had not taken into account when trying to put her down) - we didn't fall asleep until MUCH later than normal. After Grace's nap, we sat on the couch together, where she fell asleep on dad for another hour. btw - I don't care how old she gets, that is still a cool thing! Grace was very chatty again today. We also had fun singing along to videos on the computer.

After napping - we took our meds, went to pick up mommy from work and had supper.

The remainder of the evening was spent dancing, singing and playing. Grace is now sleeping. We'll see what time she gets up on Friday. We are hoping to take a field trip - hopefully to someplace other than Best Buy.

We'll let you know tomorrow!

Have a great day. Thanks for reading.

Jeff, Lisa, and Gracie

Wednesday - School and a Day With Mom

Gracie had an okay night and awoke in a good mood. We put her in the car first thing this morning in her jammies and took Jeff to work. We are down to one vehicle right now as the van is in the shop...we were the victims of a hit and run. Then back home to eat meds, breakfast and get dressed for school.

Since our daycare provider is on vacation, mommy got to stay home and experience taking Gracie to and from school. It was so much fun. She was excited to go. I gave her a hug and told her to have a good day. She took the paraprofessionals hand and with a big smile headed into school. I had two hours of time with no commitments -- it was awesome. You would be amazed at how much I accomplished...floors were scrubbed, carpets vacuumed, bathrooms cleaned, curtains washed...it was 2 hours of a flurry of cleaning activity and it was priceless.

When I picked Gracie up from school, she was the line leader, leading all the students out of the class. I got a few minutes to talk to her teacher and she said that Gracie's favorite time is group time when they sing, do actions, read stories, etc. Today they sang a song about "Shake, Shake, Shake your Sillies" and Gracie did a few of the actions for me. Very sweet.

We came home to eat lunch, although Gracie didn't have much of an appetite for lunch...she made up for that at supper time. She took an hour nap and then we played outside for a couple of hours.

Gracie was very verbal today. She looked at a screw in her playset in the backyard and asked me "What that is?" This from me always asking her "Do you know what that is?" She was also incredibly intrigued by watching a lady bug. Her nose was inches away from it.

We picked daddy up at work about 6:45 p.m. and Gracie was so excited to see him. She was bouncing in her car seat. Then it was home to take a bath, watch the last two miners from Chile be rescued, and then to bed. She fell right to sleep. I fear she is getting another cold. Bummer.

Tomorrow she gets to hang out with daddy.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff and Gracie

Tuesday - A Fun Day

Gracie had a fairly good night and awoke in a very good mood. She ate a good breakfast and we headed to daycare. She had a fit (screaming and fussing) when the two girls at daycare got too close to her when we first arrived. Gracie needs a minute to transition.

I picked Gracie up early as our daycare will be on vacation for a few days. We played outside, we walked, I gave her a wagon ride, she played with the rocks, she played in the backyard on her playset, and she was brutal to the Asian beetles that thought they should sit on her slide. She didn't think they should be there, so she removed them, none to gently.

Gracie went up to a tree and was rubbing her hand on the trunk. I told her it was a tree trunk and she repeated me. Then she told me it was "hard". I think she might have meant "rough", so we talked about what hard means and what rough means.

Gracie ate a ton of food for supper and was in a very good mood tonight. Although she did put her fingers down her throat again today to induce vomiting (which is usually the sign of a sore throat) and told me that her throat hurt and that she needed medicine. I hope she isn't coming down with another cold. Although my throat has been feeling raw all week too.

Gracie is now sleeping -- I get to take her to school tomorrow rather than her riding the bus. I'm very excited to see how she does.

Sweet dreams.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Monday - A Good Day

Gracie awoke in a great mood this morning. She was excited to see that daddy had baked some chocolate chip muffins for breakfast. She was a little goofball on the way to daycare and her teacher had this to say about her day:

Gracie was ready to go and do school routine today. Lots of smiles. We found "G" for Grace at her turn.

Gracie fell asleep on the bus again on the way home. Which usually means that she doesn't take an afternoon nap and our evenings are very difficult. Mandy, her daycare provider, tried laying down with her for a bit today, and she fell right to sleep and slept for an hour. She was full of hugs, kisses, and words today. She is talking alot at daycare, where she had been more reserved with her words.

She was so much fun tonight. It was gorgeous out so we played outside for a while when we got home. Then we ate supper, took a bath, and it was time to go to bed. She fell asleep very quickly.

We got Gracie's school pictures today. Very cute.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

The Weekend

On Saturday Gracie awoke at 5:30 a.m. and was ready to start the day, but was very fussy, seemed tired, still didn't feel great and just wanted to be held. She played a little here and there, but mostly just wanted her mommy. At about 10:00 a.m my sister called and I was sitting on the rocking chair with Gracie in my lap when I noticed she was being very quiet and very still. I looked down and she was fast asleep while I talked on the phone. She slept like that for over an hour. She was a little happier when she woke up. This nap made taking an afternoon nap not happen. So Jeff, Gracie and I played outside. We pulled Gracie around the neighborhood in her wagon and just hung out outside.

Gracie's cognitive skills continue to blossom. Yesterday she was playing with a toy that had a monkey on it. She told me that was a monkey. Then I asked her what the monkey says and she said "ooooh ooooh". She talked alot yesterday and most of what she had to say was understandable.

She had a bit of a restless night, but awoke in a good mood this morning at 6:00 a.m. She had a bit of an upset stomach and didn't want food or seizure meds. After a couple of dirty diapers, I was able to get them in her with the bribe of a mini-Twix candy bar.

Jeff had to work today, so Gracie and I played outside on her slide, took walks, played with her water table on the deck, and went shopping. Gracie has outgrown her tennis shoes...well actually one foot did, one was rubbing, so we got the next size up and she is so proud of her shoes. When we showed them to daddy tonight she asked that we put them "on".

We went to Target today and we walked by a witch with a motion sensor. When you walk by she comes alive and makes this nasty witch laughing sound. Gracie was scared out of her mind - she let out a horrendous scream and then started crying. I took her away from the witch as fast as I could and tried to reassure her. I heard about it pretty much the whole time we were in the store.

Gracie was a very good girl today, but wasn't super hungry. Her nose wasn't runny today for the first time in almost two weeks. YAY!!!

Tonight Gracie took a muffin pan out of the cupboard. She loves to pretend to cook. So I pretended to put some stuff in the pan and told her to go put it in the oven. I was surprised when she marched into the kitchen and was going to really put it in the oven. So I helped her and we set the timer for a few seconds. When the timer went off, we opened the door to check it and took it out with a potholder. Oh was she sad when there wasn't any food in it. She was expecting muffins or cake...two of her favorite things. I felt bad. I told Jeff that he was a magician, why didn't he make some cake appear.

She is fast asleep and breathing very quietly...another thing that hasn't happened for almost two weeks. Yay...she is on the mend.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Thursday/Friday - Cough, Cough, Cough

Gracie had a good day at daycare and when I got there to pick her up, she wanted to play chase, as in mommy chases me if she wants me to go home with her. Her nose was still running pretty good and Mandy indicated that intaking alot, especially fluids. So I gave her a glass of Gatorade on the way home...she loves her orange Gatorade, so I can usually make that work. She has been refusing ice cream lately (I think it just doesn't taste good with her cold) so I gave her chocolate yogurt with her seizure meds, but she refused that also. Then I added in a soft sugar cookie with orange frosting and sprinkles to the mix. Suddenly I was allowed to add a spoonful of medicine laced yogurt to the mix....actually four spoonfuls is what it takes and we got them all in.

We had soft-shelled mild, mild, mild tacos for supper and she really liked those. I could tell her appetite just isn't up to normal. She had a good evening all though clingy at times. She did get a time out for biting me for no reason at all. She fell asleep pretty quickly last night, but was up alot coughing...she has that deep chest cough, but it sounds like a productive cough, so I think it is just a matter of time for that to pass.

Jeff was on late shift at work so we let Gracie sleep in this morning til 6:45 a.m. She awoke in sleepy but good mood. She was happy to eat a good breakfast and was ready to play. Jeff dropped her off at daycare and she was ready to play.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Wednesday/Thursday - Oh the Difference A Day Can Make

It's amazing the difference a day can make, a day with appropriate rest and a little more healing. Gracie went to the apple orchard on a field trip with her preschool class. While I don't know how it all went, I do know that when I opened her school backpack last night, I found a big red juicy apple. Gracie was only too happy to tell me it was an apple, both verbally and using sign. No surprise there, I knew she knew that word. The surprise came when she said the next word "seed". I'm guessing there was a lesson on the parts of the apple and I'm very proud that Gracie took something away from that lesson. I let her carry the apple around the house for a while. It did get dropped a few times, then she took a bite out of it, but the peel was too hard for her to chew, so I cut up the apple and she munched away on her apple. Jeff and I tried some too...it was so yummy.

Gracie's nose is still running, but I see improvement and she had a good nap at daycare that did wonders for her mood. She was a happy girl, she ate a good supper, and had a great time splashing in the tub. I'm enjoying that she responds to questions by shaking her head "yes", she used to have a hard time telling me "yes" and everything was no. Not anymore, I get lots of "head nods" for yes and "uh-huh's". That makes life so much easier.

Gracie was a little kissy monster last night. Jeff and I got tons of hugs and kisses. The best part is these are real kisses...no open mouth slobber kisses anymore. Very sweet.

Gracie and I both had a great night's sleep. We both needed it and woke up in great moods. It looks to be a beautiful day, so that will only help our good moods more.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Tuesday/Wednesday - A Visit to the Doctor

Gracie had a good day yesterday, but by the time I got home last night her throat and ears were bothering her again and her nose has not stopped running. She greeted me at the gate, with not a "hi", but a frown as she rubbed her throat and told me "medicine". This has been going on way too long and with her ear infection history, we ran her to express/urgent care last night and were relieved to find out that she does not have an ear infection, her throat actually looks pretty good, but she has fluid on one of her ears, which we think is causing her ear and throat to feel sore. We were told that the colds/viruses that are going around right now, seem to be taking longer to go away than usual, specifically the runny nose. They gave us a prescription for some ear numbing drops and told us to use ibuprofen and acetimenophen liberally to take care of the discomfort.

Gracie was a constant tantrum all night. She wouldn't eat supper, she wouldn't take ibuprofen, she screamed, she hit, she cried, she pulled hair, she was so tired and just not feeling well. Risking life and limb, I got her into her pj's and just held and bounced her. After quite a while she mellowed out and I layed her in bed. She crawled over to me, gave me a kiss on my cheek, and signed "sorry". I melted.

She had a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep. Every time I was just sure she was asleep I would sneak out of her room, only to have her wake up a few minutes later and cry. I was finally able to sneak a piece of peanut butter toast in for supper and then just layed with her and comforted her whenever she awoke.

She slept quite well for awhile, but at 3:00 a.m. she woke up and started to get out of bed. I very quietly asked her where she was going, she hadn't seen that I was there and I unintentionally scared her big time. I felt so bad as she jumped and screamed. I walked with her for about 20 minutes and she fell right back to sleep.

She awoke a happy, but busy girl this morning. We dressed her in a bright orange pumpkin shirt, some black and white polka dotted pants, and some orange curlie's in her piggytails. She was headed to the apple orchard for a field trip with her preschool class today. I have a feeling we are going to hear all about apples tonight. :)

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Monday - Everybody's Tired

Gracie had a somewhat restless night and awoke at 2:30 a.m. and as hard as she tried, she was unable to fall asleep until about 4:00 a.m. I walked with her and held her, we rocked, we snuggled, we tried it all. When 6:00 a.m. came around and it was time to wake her up she looked so peaceful.

Gracie had a good day at school and her teacher said she came to opening group very excited to do the school routine this morning. (Every morning they start with the same routine.) She slept on the bus ride home again, so no nap this afternoon. Mandy did have her lay down and rest a bit, but no nap. I think that will probably be the norm for school days. That makes for a very tired girl at night. She was in a great mood today, despite her nose continuing to run and her cough, although productive, just sounds nasty.

This evening was a bit trying as Gracie was so tired, we saw lots of tantrums, but we also saw some smiles. She did not want to take a bath tonight, but once in the tub she had a good time.

She is now fast asleep!

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Sunday - Gracie's First Full Sentence

Gracie had a good night as long as her head was laying on me. I think the upright position helped her to breathe better. Her nose is still running full force and this is day 4 of the constant running. I have no idea where all this goop is coming from. Gracie awoke at 5:30 a.m. and was ready to get up for the day. She was a very happy girl at times and a very cranky girl at times. It was a day of ups and downs.

She continues to talk up a storm at home and she said her first full sentence today. She indicated she had a sore throat and then said, and I quote, "I want some medicine." She got lunch instead. She did get some of her loved bubblegum acetaminophen later. Having her cold and sore throat now, I understand why she would ask for some relief.

We had Gracie's 3-year pix taken today. I thought about cancelling with her cold and feeling under the weather, but the photographer was coming in from 40 miles away and who knows when the weather will be this beautiful again. Gracie was so mad in the car on the way there because she wanted daddy to come with, that she put her fingers down her throat and made herself throw up. Thank heavens she was wearing a coat to catch the vomit.

Gracie fell in love with the photographer immediately. I'm hoping that we got some good pictures. It was a beautiful day with some beautiful fall colors.

Gracie was very tired and quite moody tonight, but enjoyed listening to music and watching her Gymbo video. She is now fast asleep....I think I has better go rest my weary head as well.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Saturday - The Cold is Still in Full Force

Gracie had a much better night last night, but still stirred here and there. I have caught her cold, so I didn't sleep so wonderfully. She awoke at about 6:00 a.m. and was in a very good mood despite a nose that constantly is running.

I call Gracie "Lovey" sometimes. Today I headed out the door to my hair appointment and Gracie told me "Bye Lovey". She has been just cracking us up lately with her words and antics. She has such an awesome sense of humor. More new words independently said: "scissors", "kitchen", "dvd", "music" (she has signed it for a long time, today she said it), and "vaseline". I've been putting vaseline on her poor little nose and today she asked for it by name. A mere 6 months ago she would scream uncontrollably if I put Vaseline on her.

Gracie now finishes a ton of song sentences that she sings with Jeff and she is starting to finish words on the pages of books that we read frequently. She just amazes us everyday with the things she has learned.

It was a soup day for Gracie as her throat is still hurting. She had chicken noodle soup for lunch and chili (non-spicy/no beans/very brothy) for supper and really seemed to enjoy both, wanting lots of the broth. She is also addicted to Oreos and chocolate fudge brownies. Tonight she told me she had a sore throat (she runs her hand down it to tell me it hurts), then she asked for "medicine". Now I know her throat does hurt still, but her love of the bubble gum flavored acetamenophin doesn't help matters.

Gracie had a 1/2 hour nap today and then was wide awake, which is why she went to bed tonight before 8:00 p.m.

She was a good girl all day. We did have a few tantrums here and there, but all dealable. She did lose her balance today on daddy's watch and smacked her face on the wall (she demonstrated this to me when I got home) and had a doozie of a bloody nose. She also had the diarhea all day. We were struggling with constipation all week and now the flood gates have opened. The only way we could get her to take meds was to use Cool Whip and peanut butter last night...wondering if the Cool Whip is now messing with her dairy intolerant G.I. system.

We did go outside for a while this afternoon as she was going stir-crazy. We bundled her up tight, but a warm headband on her ears and mittens on her hands and it did wonders for her. She insisted upon pushing the lawn mower (yes the one that cuts our grass) up and down the block. She is a strong girl.

She is in bed now and I'm headed there too...my turn to sleep off this cold. I'm hoping for nice weather, we are having her 3-year pix taken tomorrow.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Friday - The Cold Continues

Gracie had a horrible night last night. She awoke at 11:15 p.m. and I held her and walked with her til 12:30 a.m. when she finally fell back to sleep. I rocked her in the rocking chair while she slept to keep her upright until 1:30 a.m., when she started to get restless. I put her back to bed where she slept soundly for a couple of hours before stirring and getting restless all over again. She just couldn't breathe and her cold is making her feel miserable. This also means that she doesn't want to eat and when she doesn't want to eat, she doesn't want to take her meds. I can't even begin to count how many spoonfuls of seizure meds got spit out of that childs mouth today. We think we finally got enough in...but it's a guessing game.

Gracie did have a good day at daycare despite the runny nose. She was a little more irritable here at home tonight though. I picked her up some homestyle chicken noodle soup from Noodles and she wanted nothing to do with it. I thought that would definitely be a good thing. I was wrong.

She was very chatty tonight and had some new independent words. She greeted me at the door tonight pointing to her shirt and telling me the picture on it was a "butterfly". She was right.

I'm headed to bed...didn't get much sleep last night and not sure what tonight will bring.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie-Gooey Nose