Friday, May 27, 2011

Thursday/Friday - Another Cold

Gracie had a good day at daycare, but had some sniffles, sneezes, and coughs that have now turned into a full blown cold.  Her nose is a faucet, she has a hard time breathing, and the cough is a pretty good one too.  I will definitely keep a close watch of that.  It's a productive cough right now, so I'm not terribly worried. 

Jeff went golfing last night, so Gracie and I bonded all night.  We just watched tv, played on the computer, and read books all night long.  Knowing she was feeling a bit under the weather, we made it a low key night with lots of snuggling. 

Gracie had a really rough night as she was all stuffed up and had a hard time breathing.  She did a good part of her sleeping while sitting up on me, but woke up alot.  She was still pretty tired this morning. Her mood seemed tired, but fine until she got to daycare.  She seemed fine until she didn't want one of her friends singing a song and so decided to get grabby and pinchy.  Of course she got talked to about this and she had to say she was sorry.  She did not want me to leave and was a pretty sad girl.  We are trying so hard to teach her to use words when she wants someone to stop, but it is so hard when she still struggles with expressive communication skills.  We will continue to work with her on this. 

I would have loved to be able to stay home with her today and give her some extra TLC. 

Wishing you all a great Memorial Day Weekend. 

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Wednesday - Time with Daddy

Gracie brought a lot of projects home from school yesterday.  There was a lot of fingerpainting going on at school and my guess is that Gracie enjoyed it immensely.  I also know where the orange splotch of paint on her skirt came from, as well as the blue under her fingernails!

Gracie had a good day at daycare as well, with the exception of one incident where she got mad while playing ring around the rosy.  We're not sure what instigated it.   She may have been feeling a bit jealous as the other two girls started holding hands.  Still not being equipped to express feelings, she got a bit grabbie and pinchy and of course that got her removed from the game and that caused tears.  Just as that was all settling down, daddy showed up to pick her up and that caused major hysterics as she was conflicted, happy to see daddy, but it also meant that she had to go home.  Once in the van on the way home she turned into happy girl again. 

When I came home I brought Gracie some McDonald's chicken nuggets for supper.  She greeted me at the gate, saw the McDonald's bag, removed it from my hands, took it to the table, helped herself to the contents and was eating away happily.  Aunt Sheila stopped by to take mommy away for a couple of hours to help get some graduation supplies, so it was good bonding time for Gracie and daddy.  Gracie was super excited to see Aunt Sheila and had lots of hugs for her and enjoyed singing songs with her. 

Gracie and daddy had a good night together.  I came home knowing Gracie would need a bath and was surprised to see that she already had one.  Daddy did a great job.  After getting her out of the tub he wondered why it always takes mommy so long, then he realized that although he had washed Gracie's hair, he forgot to comb through it.  This is no easy task.  So he did it after she was out of the tub and it seemed to go okay.  I always do it in the tub as it needs to be quite wet to get through it.  Gracie was in a great mood and had a great night's sleep. 

Gracie was 100% daddy's girl this morning.  That's okay...tonight he's going golfing, so I will win her back!!!  :)

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Tuesday - Gracie's IEP

Gracie had a good, but very tiring day.  She started out at daycare, then went to her friend Aubrey's house to eat lunch, play, and nap.  Only problem is, Gracie didn't really think the nap part was all that important, so she didn't go to sleep.  I picked her up at 3:00 p.m. as we had her IEP (Individualized Education Program) meeting at school.  She looked mighty tired.  I told her it was okay if she closed her eyes and took a little rest on the way to the school, but she didn't think that was a great idea either.  Needless to say she was one tired little girl last night and she went to bed about 7:30 p.m.  It took her 2.2 seconds to fall asleep!

We had a good IEP meeting.  We found out that Brock, the little boy that Gracie talks about alot rides her bus and they have been seen coming off the bus holding hands on occasion.  The little girl Justine that Gracie talks about is a good little helper and she often helps Gracie with puzzles, etc.  We also got to meet Gracie's teacher for next year.  We are definitely going to miss her current teacher, but are optimistic that her new teacher will be good as well. 

Next school year we will increase the frequency in which Gracie goes to school each week.  Currently she goes two mornings a week.  Next year we will start her out with three mornings a week and then increase it to four mornings after Christmas break. 

It was no surprise to us that Gracie is most willing to participate in activities that have a strong musical or repetitive auditory component.  Her attention level and motivation for participation is closely related to her interest in an activity.  Once again, no surprise to us.  The more manipulative the activity such as puzzles or peg boards, the less interest she has in the activity. 

Gracie's communication skills have improved greatly and she is starting to put two words together at school.  We were concerned about the intelligibility of her speech, but were assured that it is appropriate for her developmental level.  We also found out our sweet cherub can be a little stinker.  She often doesn't respond when given adult directives to say a word, but then as soon as they move on to the next thing she is heard saying the word or responding. 

We still need to continue to work on her gross and fine motor skills, although she has come along way with both.  She also needs to work on completing daily functional tasks, such as washing hands.  She enjoys watching closely when her peers are completing these tasks, but often is so distracted that she needs prompting to complete the task for herself. 

We've got some great goals for the new school year and I'm very excited as we've seen much progress this year.  I just love the team we are working with.  Every one of them seems to really enjoy their job! 

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The Weekend & More

Since I'm behind on updates and time is short, I'll just give you a few highlights of Gracie's weekend & more:

  • Saturday:  Grandma & Grandpa D came over to join us for supper.  Gracie enjoyed the visit and even took them for a walk around the block.  Gracie also developed hives on her stomach - we can't figure out what they came from.  It has now turned into just a rash -- it looks almost like a heat rash now.  I touched base with a pediatric nurse and if it doesn't clear up in a week, we'll need to schedule a visit.
  • Sunday:  We were supposed to go to a graduation in Iowa, but with the crazy weather (storms) we opted not to go.  Gracie did not like when it hailed, it woke her up from her nap and she kept saying "Rain Bye Bye".  On an exciting note, Gracie can now use her legs to pump when swinging. This is the result of a lot of work on her part with coaching from Jeff and our daycare provider.  Gracie is a big fan of the show "Full House" (re-runs of course).  She now goes around the house saying "How Rude"!  Uncle Chris stopped by for a little bit on Sunday evening and Gracie was very happy to see him.  She had lots of smiles and hugs for him.
  • Monday:  She had school and later in the day she kept doing hand imitations.  It looked like it was probably from a song they had sung, but I couldn't make it out.  I'm going to need to ask about that.  We went to the school playground last night at Gracie's request and she climbed up the open ladder type equipment.  I was so proud of her for doing it, but very, very, very, very, very nervous.  Jeff or I had a hand on her at all times, but she did all the work.  She's becoming a little more daring these days.  She said her first independent 4 word sentence yesterday.  She was looking for her Mickey Mouse action figure and said "Mickey, where are you?"  Since it was so warm yesterday, I pulled out her new summer shoes that are enclosed, but let a little more air circulate on the foot.  These have velcro tabs on them, that she loves to open.  For the first time EVER, she took off her own shoes and she was so proud!!!!
  • Tuesday:  Today we have Gracie's IEP at school.  We'll meet with her teachers, physical therapist, speech therapist, occupational therapist, and probably a few others.  We're excited to know that there is a slot available for her again next year at her current school.  We're pretty sure the days of attendance will increase.  I'm anxious to hear a progress report from her teacher as I've seen amazing growth and development of skills since the beginning of the school year.
Have a great day!

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Friday, May 20, 2011

Thursday/Friday - The Zoo

Gracie had a great day yesterday.  She did get to go to a local outdoor zoo with daycare yesterday and had the time of her life.  Our daycare mom said Gracie just lit up, was very verbal and just ran from one animal to the next, making the sounds that they make.  She growled at the bear, watched the otters eat fish, and even got to feed a goat!  It didn't hurt that her buddy Aubrey was right there with her. 

Jeff picked her up at daycare and they were playing outside and enjoying the day.  Gracie and daddy took care of some errands and then I came home and was greeted by a very happy little girl.  While supper was being made, Gracie decided she wanted to eat her applesauce all by herself.  She still struggles with using silverware.  She gets them to her mouth just fine, the struggle is with loading them.  So the practice is good for her.  I looked over at her eating her applesauce and realized she had gotten tired of eating with her spoon, had dumped her applesauce out on the table and was using it as fingerpaints.  The table was covered and Gracie was having a sensory delight.  When she pretty much had the applesauce spread out over all of the table that she could reach, she asked for more.  So I gave her another container and she "painted" with this one too.  She was applesauce everywhere when she was done!

Gracie was a very tired girl from all the fresh air and playing at the zoo.  She fell asleep shortly after bath and had a good night's sleep. 

Gracie was in a great mood this morning too.  When I dropped her off at daycare, she decided to mimic everything I said, but since it was too many words, she would just mimic the intonations of my voice as I was talking.  She thought she was hilarious!  Okay, I thought it was hilarious too. 

Have a good weekend!

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Wednesday/Thursday - A Visit with Gracie's Neurologist

Gracie had school yesterday and I'm not sure what she did, but there were tell tale signs that she did a project of some sort...a big splotch of orange paint on her skirt, and some blue something or other under her fingernails.  I always get curious when I see hints of a project.  She did bring home a couple of projects in her take home folder -- a painted green and brown frog.  She used the paint to it's full potential...you can barely see the frog outline underneath the paint.  She also had a cut out of a coat that she decorated with buttons and little pieces of fabric.  She wanted to pull the buttons off at home.  No, no, no!

Rumor has it that Gracie climbed the rock wall on the playset at daycare yesterday with a little bit of help.  She played outside a lot and then Jeff picked her up early to head to the clinic for her neurology appointment.  Gracie had so much fun, she got to see her favorite clinical assistants and take them on walks and give them hugs, she got to see her former physical therapist, occupational therapist, and of course our beloved pediatric neurologist, Dr. N.  We also got to meet Dr. N.'s nurse.  I've talked to her many times, so we were thrilled to finally meet her.  She gave us information about the Epilepsy Stroll sponsored by the Epilepsy Foundation of MN that is coming up in August and we're pumped about it.  I think we need to form a "Team Gracie"!

Our neurology visit went very well.  We found out from a recent blood test that Gracie metabolizes her seizure meds very very fast, thus the need for such high doses.  The fact that she metabolizes them very rapidly indicates her liver is working very well.  The downfall to this is that she requires such high doses to get enough in her system to last the day.  So we would either need to bump Gracie's meds up yet again or try a new approach and split her current dose to be administered three times a day rather than just twice a day.  Currently Gracie gets 5 - 25 mg capsules in the morning and 5 - 25 mg capsules in the evening.  We are going to change that to 4 in the a.m., 2 at lunch time, and 4 in the p.m.  Our daycare provider was super sweet about taking on the administering of the lunch time dose. 

Other than that, Gracie showed off some of her talking skills and sat on her neurologist's lap and had hugs and snuggles for her.  It was a good appointment and we all went home feeling good about it. 

Gracie and I hung out together last night as Jeff was performing at Hope Lodge.  She was very tired from her big day, yet had a really hard time falling asleep.  I suspect she was over-tired.  She slept very well last night and woke up refreshed this morning.

This morning I asked her if she would be my "sweetie pie" today.  I ask her this alot, and sometimes she says "yes" and sometimes she likes to tease me and tell me "no" and then laugh. Well today when I asked, she told me "daddy's", as in she was going to be daddy's sweetie pie.  Then she gave me a big smile and changed her mind again and said "Brock".  Brock is a little boy at school that I hear alot about.  She was quite proud of this statement.

Today there was talk about going to a small outdoor zoo.  Whatever she is doing, I'm sure it will be fun.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Tuesday/Wednesday - Happy, Happy Girl

Gracie had a really good day yesterday, she played with her buddies at daycare, she played outside, she was in a good mood, and just seemed to be in a really good and happy place yesterday.  She was outside playing ball when Jeff picked her up at daycare and they did some daddy/daughter bonding by taking a little drive and listening to tunes. 

When I got home I brought some sandwiches along from Arby's.  Gracie insisted it was chicken in the bag, but seemed equally happy when she found out it was roast beef sandwiches.  She was a good little eater.  She enjoyed playing after supper and then it was bath time.  Gracie decided to take her beach ball in the tub with her.  She quite enjoyed playing with that.

Gracie's eyes seemed swollen when I got home and she has been itching her nose like crazy, I think seasonal allergies have hit for her.  Poor little thing.  I'm hesitant to medicate at this point for a couple of reasons, but the most important one being the prescription allergy med dries out her nose too much and then we most likely will have the return of the mondo bloody noses.  We'll keep an eye on it -- I certainly don't want her to be miserable either.

Gracie was so tired last night and it didn't take her long to fall asleep at all.  She had a really restful night too.

Today Gracie has school and then we head to see her neurologist.  We've increased our appointments to every 4 months to try and catch the growth spurts and the need for medicine increases before we see seizure activity.  Gracie loves her neurologist.  When I told her that we were going to see Dr. N. today, she gave me a big smile.  I also told her she had school today and she said "Brock".  That is the name of a little boy in her class.  I would love to meet him.  I hear his name alot.

It's a beautiful day here with lots of sunshine.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Monday/Tuesday

Gracie had a good day at daycare yesterday.  She got to go play with her good friend Aubrey and a few other kids.  She still tends to hang back and watch rather than play when there is a group of peers.  I'm not quite sure what approach should be taken to help her comfort level with peers. 

There wasn't anything too eventful in her day, although she was happy and had a very good evening.  She was not too thrilled that mommy was cooking supper, as she wanted my full attention.  For some reason when I get home from work and she from daycare, she wants to just sit or play with mom.  I guess she just needs that extra mommy TLC. 

She had a good night, but did awaken at 2:00 a.m. and was awake for a little while....maybe 15 minutes and then went back to dreamland.

Gracie was in a great mood this morning once she got some snuggle time.  She really didn't want much for breakfast, but when I was in the other room doing something or other, helped herself to an Oreo cookie.  The little stinker is getting too smart for her own good. 

Enjoy the sunshine.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie 

Monday, May 16, 2011

The Weekend

Gracie had a good weekend.  On Saturday we just hung out at home doing some cooking and cleaning.  Gracie was a good girl and wanted to be in the middle of everything that was going on.  Wanting to stir everything that needed to be stirred.  I don't mind....until she decides that she either needs to taste what she has been stirring or her fingers need to go in it.  This is usually the case when it's something with raw egg in the batter, so she gets very upset when we won't let her taste it or make her wash her hands when they are full of it. 

We also learned that Gracie knows pretty much all the words to "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and she loves to sing it over and over and over again with mommy and daddy.  She also likes to sing "Elvira" with daddy. 

On Sunday, Grandma & Grandpa D, Aunt Kathy, and cousins Calvin, Maria, and Josh came over for lunch and to hang out for the afternoon.  Gracie liked having company and she wanted to be a big kid like her cousins...although a 16, 13, and 12 year old, don't always like hanging out with a 3 year old.  Gracie did love all of their technology...cell phones, Nintendo's, and some rap music. 

Last evening I was giving Gracie her seizure meds with applesauce as I always do.  We use the individual containers of applesauce and I had the metal lid flipped up (I usually take it off).  Gracie looks at me matter of factly and said "Z".  I asked her where there was a "Z" and she pointed to the lid of the applesauce where "4 oz." is printed on it.  She pointed right to the "Z".  I wasn't sure if it was a fluke or not, so a little later, I asked if she could show me where the "z" was.  Sure enough she pointed right to it.  This morning when we were again eating her applesauce, I pointed to the "z" and asked her to tell daddy what it was and she said "Z".  We were both shocked and thrilled.  We've been working on signing the alphabet with her and we're still in the early stages, so it was exciting to hear that she is retaining some of it.

Last night Gracie and I went out for a nice long walk/stroller ride.  She was so tired after her busy day, that I think it was just fun for her to sit back and let the fresh air pass her by.  She was in a very good mood last night, even though she was very tired.  She had a good night's sleep and was a very happy girl this morning.  She does not have school today, so I think she'll have a fun day at daycare, especially with this sunshine.

Happy Sunshiny Monday!

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Friday, May 13, 2011

Wednesday/Thursday/Friday - The Frog

I'm not sure what happened to yesterday's post...I had written all about Gracie's frog experience and the post has vanished...so I'll say it again:

On Wednesday when Gracie was at school, her teacher took her hand and said "Let's go see the frog."  They went to the aquarium where the frog lives and Gracie was looking at it when it moved slightly.  That was the end for Gracie, she wanted nothing more to do with it.  Her teacher asked her "No Thanks?", she nodded her head and they went to put on some music and dance.  Gracie did seem curious about the frog still and looked at it occasionally, but always from about 10 feet away. 

Keep in mind that transitions or change can sometimes be hard for Gracie.  On Wednesday after school, she had a new bus driver.  She did NOT want to get on the bus.  I'm not sure what transpired to get her on the bus, but when she arrived at daycare she refused to get off.  Our daycare mom had to go on the bus and get her.  She said she pretty much completely shut down and was not going to do anything for anyone.  Thankfully she did fine that afternoon, but behaviorally that evening she was a little more needy than usual.  This is always our sign that something didn't go quite right during the day. 

She also woke up at 3:30 a.m. and was bright eyed and bushytailed.  I was not.  She finally fell asleep again at 4:30 a.m..  I did not.  YAWN!!!

Thursday was a great day for Gracie.  She got to play with lots of friends at daycare and had a really good day.  It was just her and I last night and she was in a great mood.  We picked up chicken mcnuggets at McDonald's for supper as a treat and she really liked that.

On Thursday morning Gracie had gone to her toy box and emptied out just about every toy.  They were EVERYWHERE!!!  I didn't have time to clean up, so they were still there when we got home.  After supper Gracie took it upon herself to pick them all up and put them in her toybox.  She had a very bright smile when I would tell her what a big girl she was and what a good helper she was.  She loves to help!

Gracie was a tired girl last night and with it being a little cooler, slept like a log.  She slept through the night, awaking very briefly at 5:00 a.m., only to rollback over and go right back to sleep.  She was in a FANTASTIC mood this morning.  Good rest will do that for a girl.

Have a great weekend.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Wednesday - The Frog

Gracie got to see the frog at school yesterday.  Her teacher took her hand and said "Gracie, lets go see the frog."  They went to the aquarium to see it and before long the frog moved a little.  This made Gracie jump back and not want to be there.  Her teacher asked Gracie "No thanks?".  Gracie nodded her head and away they went to listen to music and dance.  Gracie would look over at the frog curiously every once in awhile...from about 10 feet away!

When it was time to get on the bus at school to go back to daycare, Gracie did not want to get on as there was a different bus driver.  I'm not quite sure what transpired, but when she got to daycare she wouldn't get off and her daycare mom had to go on the bus to get her.  She said Gracie had just totally shut down and wasn't going to do anything for anyone.  Keep in mind, transitions and change are difficult for Gracie.  Her afternoon was better and she played with her friends at daycare and had a good time. 

Gracie is my eating machine again...and her food of choice (other than her beloved fruit) is peanut butter bread. 

Gracie's favorite part of our evening was calling cousin Jason to sing Happy Birthday!

Gracie had a pretty good night.  I could tell she had a little trauma in her day as she was a little more needy last night, but still happy and playful a good part of the time.  She seemed quite tired, but had a hard time falling asleep, just couldn't settle down.  She awoke at 3:30 a.m. this morning, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.  Unfortunately, I was not.  She finally fell asleep about 4:30 a.m. - I never did fall back to sleep.  YAWN!

Gracie was in a good mood this morning.  She did go to bite me this morning when I put her sweater on...I told her she had better turn that into a kiss, which she did...followed by a few more kisses.  :)

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Tuesday/Wednesday - HOT, HOT, HOT!

Gracie had a good day at daycare yesterday and got to play outside.  When I arrived to pick her up she was helping daycare dad fix a faucet and she was loving every minute of it.  Once I got her in the car, I thought we would quick run to the store and pick up some summer socks for her.  I found out the hard way that she had outgrown all of hers.  I prefer a specific store for her socks and didn't realize that to get to this store I would have to sit through major traffic delays due to construction.  Gracie was a trooper, but by the time we got home she was HOT!  The thermometer registered 91 degrees.  I stripped off her clothes and put on a light sundress from last year.  It was a bit big for her last year....it's very evident she grew big time.  I don't think it will last her through the summer. 

Gracie was in a good mood all night and was happy to go splash in the tub.  We had some major trauma at the end of bathtime though.  Jeff and I split bath duty when we are both home.  I start it out, wash her up, wash and comb through her hair and then he comes in for a splash fest with her at the end.  I decided to do some paper shredding in the next room.  Gracie heard this when she got out of the tub and was yelling for me, I didn't hear her.  The longer I didn't hear her, the more upsetting it became until she was in complete hysterics that she needed mommy.  It took a while to get her calmed down.  Then she came and sat on my lap and handed me pieces of paper to shred.  When I was done I had this big basket of shredded paper.  This was a sensory delight to Gracie, so I just let her play in it.  She got pretty carried away, throwing it in the air and on the floor.  By the time we finally called it quits, she was covered in shredded paper, as was our downstairs.  So I had a little clean up to do...okay a lot of clean up to do...but it was so worth it.

The humidity was pretty heavy in the upstairs, so we turned the air on so Gracie could be comfortable while she slept.  If you'll remember from last year, her seizure meds make her prone to overheat as she is less able to sweat.  I'm glad we did turn the air on as she slept very well until 4:00 a.m.  She woke up and was quite chatty.  I finally got her back to sleep at 5:15 a.m. and let her sleep another hour.  She was in a great mood this morning.  It didn't hurt that I sang and danced with her to wake her up.  :)

I dressed her in a cute little pink skirt and white shirt this morning and her hair was in a bun.  She looked a bit like a ballerina.  The perfect outfit to get to see the frog at school.  :)

Have a great day.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Monday/Tuesday - Just Doesn't Like Bugs

Gracie had a good day yesterday.  At school her regular teacher was away, so she joined another class and enjoyed singing new songs and meeting new friends.  One the para-professionals that works with Gracie commented that they are sure enjoying how much Gracie is talking these days.  That was so good for me to hear.  She talks constantly at home, but doesn't always do so other places. 

Gracie used to be quite interested in watching bugs, but has just recently started becoming quite scared of them.  Yesterday in school she went over to the sensory tub where there is Easter grass, plastic bugs, a magnifying glass and a set of tongs.  She took one look in the tub and jumped and didn't want to look again, even though they kept telling her they weren't real. 

Gracie was so tired when she got off the bus that she didn't want any lunch.  She took a nap first, then ate a later lunch.  She had a good day playing and talking and her daycare mom said it is very evident that she is feeling better than she did last week.  When I arrived to pick her up she was having a snack.  It was so much fun watching her eat this gigantic strawberry as if it were an apple.  I think she enjoyed the fact that it wasn't cut up.  She loves eating things like a big girl and not having them cut up. 

Gracie and I hung out last night as Jeff was working another long and late day.  Just before bedtime, Jeff came home and Gracie got to spend a little time with him.  She slept so soundly last night.  I think she needed that.  She awoke with smiles.

Have a great day.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Monday, May 9, 2011

Mother's Day Weekend

Gracie was an absolute gem all weekend long.  Jeff worked all weekend, so it was just the two of us to play and hang out.  She was sweet, happy, cooperative, loving, and just plain fun.  Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day and we went out after lunch for a walk.  It was much warmer out than I realized, so I took off Gracie's sweatshirt.  Pretty soon, she told me "hot" and started taking off her t-shirt.  I had to explain to her that she needed to keep her shirt on.  After a quick walk, Gracie was feeling kind of tired, so I put her in her stroller and off we went.  I looked down and found that she had fallen asleep.  So I continued our walk with Gracie snoozing, then came home and she awoke briefly while I put her in bed.  She slept for a good hour and a half, then came out and snuggled with me on the couch.  It wasn't long when I noticed she had fallen asleep again and she slept for a good 30 minutes.  Then we went outside to play.  We had a great time.  Jeff got home about 6 p.m. and after a quick supper we went to visit Grandma & Grandpa D.  Gracie fell in love with their cats and was very gentle with them.  Then we took a nature hike and were excited to see 7 deer that seemed as interested in Gracie as Gracie was in them.  We got really close and Gracie kept signing and saying "deer" the whole time.  Then we saw a mommy and daddy duck and 12 little babies swimming in a pond.  Gracie was so excited. 

On Sunday Gracie and I headed to Grandma & Grandpa B.'s house.  Gracie was very good on the ride there.  She started to get a bit anxious for the last 10 miles or so.  We started out by visiting Aunt Arlene at the clubhouse where she works...Grandma & Grandpa were there eating lunch.  We also got to visit with Uncle Wayne, Aunt Mary, Uncle Dave, Aunt Lana, Uncle Jim, and cousins Brittany, Maci, Katie, and Jayme.  Gracie was so tired as she didn't get a nap and had a short night on Saturday night, but she was having so much fun.  On the way home, she fell asleep halfway home, opened her eyes just long enough to look at daddy, and went right to bed...she slept through til morning with only waking up twice.  I had a very very very hard time waking her up this morning - even though she had slept for a good 11 hours straight. 

She was in a good mood this morning once she awoke.  We hit torrential rains as we headed for daycare.  I carried Gracie into the house at daycare, because I wanted to run fast.  Well the sky just opened up as we got out of the car.  I heard Gracie fussing and sputtering.  I didn't stop to investigate as we were soaked and I just wanted to get inside.  When I looked at her I realized the problem.  She didn't figure out that she should have put her head down.  She just got slammed with wind and water.  Her face was totally dripping.  I'm still kind of giggling at the look on her face of utter shock.  I guess she has never experienced rain and wind quite like that.  She smiled after the shock wore off. 

Today she has school and rumor has it a live frog has been caught and she'll get to see that in class on Wednesday.

Have a great week everyone.  Enjoy the warm temps.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Friday, May 6, 2011

Wed/Thurs/Friday - Ear is on the Mend

On Wednesday evening I took Gracie to a pediatric nurse practitioner to get her ear rechecked as Gracie kept holding it and I feared the infection was not gone.  Gracie was the model patient.  The minute we walked in the building, Gracie said "fish"...she loves the fish tank that is in the waiting area.  Mind you, we were four floors away, but she definitely remembers the building.  Gracie was super cooperative and such a big girl.  I was so proud.  The good news is that her ear is looking good, althougth the nurse practitioner said she would have given her a larger dose of antiobiotics than what we had been prescribed.  She also said she would have had Gracie take it just once a day with food to help with the tummy upset.  Gracie's sinuses were still pretty full of mucous and she was pretty sure that was what is causing the discomfort.  She told us to continue to use ibuprofen for a couple more days and she gave us a prescription for ear numbing drops, which Gracie refuses...REFUSES...to let me put in her ear.  She also shared with us that the cough could last 4 - 6 weeks.  But it is definitely productive sounding so that's a good thing. 

Yesterday Gracie didn't want to eat or drink at daycare, but was active and playing, although resorting to some of the behavior she had when she first started going to daycare of leading our daycare provider from toy to toy, but playing with none.  They were sheet rocking the lower level at daycare and my theory is that the noise bothered Gracie.  She has sensitivities to certain sounds.  Once home she drank a ton and ate a good supper followed by two bowls of coconut milk ice cream.  She also got a bath last night, that does wonders for her when sensory system is a little out of whack. 

Gracie made me the sweetest picture at school for Mother's Day.  It is a flower made from her hand prints...absolutely precious. 

We've not had very good nights since the ear infection, some better than others, but always some restless patches throughout.  Last night she slept soundly and was hardly restless at all.  Oh it was nice!!!

She was in a good mood this morning and as I carried her to the car this morning to go to daycare, she gave me three great big hugs and kisses.  I can't think of a better way to start my day. 

Happy Mother's Day to all of you great moms out there. 

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Tuesday/Wednesday - Ear Still Causing Problems

Gracie had a really good day yesterday.  She was in a fantastic mood when I picked her up at daycare.  She was happy and silly and dancing up a storm.  She played outside quite a bit yesterday and she saw the big kids jumping on the trampoline.  This is a big trampoline, not intended for Gracie.  She felt left out, she wanted to give it a try.  Our daycare provider held her hands and let her jump on it...Gracie was in heaven.  She was a bit timid at first -- which is no surprise from a girl with not the greatest balance in the world.  But she did great and loved it. 

Gracie was a happy girl last night and other than grabbing her ear alot, had a beautiful evening.  She's been on antibiotics for over a week and still she grabs her ear.  If I ask her if it hurts, she immediately tells me "no".  But I think it bothers her.  She was still holding the area this morning and at times through the night, even though I gave her some ibuprofen.  I've made an appointment in pediatrics for late this afternoon to have it re-checked. 

This morning she awoke in a happy mood.  After a little running around, went to the refrigerator told me she wanted "jelly".  Then I asked her if she wanted it on bread or toast.  She selected "toast", but was very upset that I would actually have to delay her request long enough for the bread to be toasted.  Once it was ready she gobbled it up.  I love when she tells me what it is she wants to eat.  It makes life so much easier. 

She was in a very good mood this morning too!  :)  Wish us luck at her appointment this afternoon.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Monday/Tuesday - A Visit from Grandma & Grandpa

Gracie had school -- but no projects came home and she really didn't have much to say about it yesterday.  She did have a good nap and good time at daycare in the afternoon.  The almost one year old at daycare learned how to walk, so Gracie found great delight in having him walk from his mommy to me and back.  Gracie adores this little guy. 

Grandma & Grandpa D. arrived in town for the summer and came over to have pizza with us for supper.  Gracie was super shy and didn't want anything to do with them.  She sat on my lap like a bump on a log.  It didn't take all that long for her to decide she remembered them and then was talking a bit and being silly. 

G&G must have wore her out as it didn't take long at all for her to fall asleep.  She had a fairly good night, although she woke up a number of times to try and get comfortable.  Comfortable usually meant sleeping with her head on my stomach.  Her nose is still pretty full, so I think having her head elevated just helps her to breathe easier. 

Gracie was in a great mood this morning and was full of smiles.  I think some outdoor time was planned for today!

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Monday, May 2, 2011

The Weekend! Antibiotics = A Little Bit Grumpy

We had a nice pretty low key weekend, which was a good thing.  Gracie's antibiotics are giving her a bit of an upset stomach, so she has been much more needy, wanting to snuggle with mommy and not letting mommy out of her sight for long, including trips to the bathroom.  This is a 10 day course of meds and Thursday can't come soon enough for my liking.  Poor little thing.  I'm not convinced the ear infection is gone either...she's been pulling at her ear quite a bit over the last couple of days and last night she had a very restless night.  It could just be all the sinus pressure from her cold too.  Her nose is an endless faucet of goo! 

Gracie also had some very good times this weekend.  She is definitely starting to enjoy her toys more these days, which is fun to watch.  She goes digging in her toy box for just the right thing.  She also enjoyed time outdoors this weekend.  On Saturday late afternoon, Gracie and I played outdoors for about 3 hours and she did not want to go in.  Yesterday we bundled her up and she and Jeff went outdoors for about an hour and she was having a great time.  I had her favorite supper all ready for when she walked in the door.  I was waiting for a meltdown about having to come inside, but she must have been hungry as she spied the plate of food and did not fuss.  Instead, in a happy voice she said "what's that?".  She was a very good eater too. 

We have been struggling and struggling to get enough calcium in Gracie.  She refuses to drink milk, including chocolate milk.  Well I changed to HyVee brand soy milk, which seems to have less of a strong smell and last night she saw Jeff drinking chocolate milk in a big glass glass.  Gracie loves drinking out of anything that isn't a sippy cup.  She informed us that she wanted some.  Since Jeff's was cow's milk, I told her she could have her own.  I mixed up some chocolate soy milk in a similar breakable big glass and she was in heaven.  She chugged it all down and asked for more.  I'm hoping our calcium woes are a thing of the past!  We do have to be right by her, as she doesn't quite understand holding the glass upright at all times.

Gracie was kind of a grumpy grundy this morning, but once we got in the car, she totally mellowed out.  I'm hoping she has a good day at school and afternoon at daycare. 

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie