Wednesday/Thursday - Happy, Happy Girl

Gracie had a great day yesterday.  Daddy picked her up at daycare and I was home when they got home.  She was so excited to see me that she gave me the biggest smile and the longest hug.  It was so awesome.  Gracie was in a great mood all night long.  She also had a big appetite - could she be growing again????   I'm told she ate a big lunch and then ate a big supper too, which included two cupcakes.  It probably didn't hurt that I had made BBQ pulled pork sandwiches for supper, a favorite of hers. 

It was such a fun evening.  Gracie danced and sang and gave us all sorts of hugs, kisses, and snuggles.   It took her a while to finally fall asleep once it was bed time.  She had a hundred things to say and of course the "drink" stall tactic was used as well.

Gracie had a restless early morning, she woke up alot after 1:00 a.m. and she would say a word or two and then I would look at her and she would be asleep again.  She must have been dreaming.   She awoke in a great mood.  She was ready for her princess birthday party at daycare today.  We took pink sparkly princess crowns to daycare, along with pink and white frosted chocolate cupcakes with princess crowns stuck in the top, we took some princess gift bags for the party goers that had princess toothbrushes, princess fruit snacks, princess stickers, etc.  She is very excited about it being her birthday.  I can't wait to find out about her day and her party.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

 

Tuesday/Wednesday - "This is Icky"

Gracie had another good day.  She spent a lot of time outside at daycare.  She also got to play with her buddy Aubrey.  These two girls look so much alike (other than Gracie is quite a bit bigger) and have so much fun together.  Aubrey brought her puppy along to daycare too, so that was a fun treat for Gracie. 

Jeff picked Gracie up from daycare and they had some good time together before I got home from work.  When I got home we had supper, but Gracie didn't eat more than a few bites.  It was a pasta/chicken dish, so I thought she would love it.  Later, thinking she must be hungry, I asked her if she wanted a peanut butter sandwich.  (I know what you're thinking....if she didn't eat her supper she shouldn't get anything else...but with Gracie if her blood sugar gets low, we all pay.)  She said she did want a PB sandwich, but changed her mind once I gave it to her.  I set it on the table and told her it would be there if she got hungry later.  A while later, she took the sandwich, opened it up and stuck her finger through it and informed Jeff and I that "This is icky!"  The look on her face when she said it was hilarious.  Later she told us it was "sticky", so she could have been saying "sticky", but I really think she said "icky".  She never did eat more than one bite. 

Gracie didn't take a very long nap at daycare so she was extra tired last night and got upset a little easier than usual.  I finally just took her downstairs and put her in the tub to splash around and get some good sensory input, that usually does wonders for her.  After bath, she danced a little bit while we waited for her hair to dry a bit, then to bed.  She was pretty tired and it didn't take her long to fall asleep...it didn't take me long either...I didn't wake up til 1:00 a.m. (thankfully, she slept through).  She had a good night and was in a very good mood this morning too. 

I got yogurt out of the fridge to have with her seizure meds this morning, she informed me she wanted "pudding".  I did win out on that one.  We call her meds "sprinkles" as you pour these little sprinkles out of a capsule on some food.  She informed me last night and again this morning that they were "medicine". 

When I left her at daycare this morning she was helping to make homemade waffles.  I wonder if they would have minded if I would have stayed for breakfast!  ;)  Yummy.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Monday - Lots of Outdoor Time

Gracie had a good day at daycare yesterday and they spent a lot of time outdoors.  She didn't want to put on her swimming suit to go in the kiddie pool, but just hung out watching others play.  I think sometimes she just gets so hot that she doesn't feel like doing anything but sitting.  She didn't take a very long nap either, so was a tired girl when we got home. She wouldn't drink much for daycare, but guzzled down a whole bottle of Gatorade for me on the way home.  Then asked for more. 

Gracie didn't each much for supper last night, but wanted to go back outside.  We went for a walk and then after that, we put her in the stroller and Jeff and I walked at a faster pace.  She enjoyed that and was pretty tired by the time we made it home.  As tired as she was, she wanted to "chat" before she went to sleep.  She is becoming a little chatty girl at bedtime.  I think she has discovered the art of stalling. 

Gracie had a great night.  I find that if I put her in minimal clothes (a diaper and a camisole t-shirt) she sleeps so much better as she stays cooler.  She was in a great mood this morning and was running around the house and laughing.  She was ready to go to daycare and I guess I wasn't fast enough, so she informed me "Bye Bye to Mandy's". 

Enjoy the beautiful day today.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

The Weekend

I've had a few comments on Friday's post with the picture of Gracie in the white sweatshirt and how clean it was.  My suggestion for all of you that want to wear white...or any color for that matter...Oxyclean and Era!  The two together work wonders and rarely do I meet dirt I can't conquer.  Let me add that I rarely pre-treat! 

Gracie had a good Friday at daycare and made Jeff and I majorly proud on Friday evening.  Jeff was home with her while I was doing a little birthday shopping.  Gracie told Jeff "potty, poo, poo".  Jeff asked her if she had to go, but she said "no".  Jeff said "Let's try anyway." and she went potty and poop on the toilet. 

Our weekend was pretty low key.   On Saturday morning we all went outside bright and early and took a walk and pulled weeds in our backyard that had become out of control.  Gracie played in the rocks and mowed the lawn with her push mower toy.  In the afternoon, after a two hour nap, Gracie and I did a little shopping while Jeff had band practice at church.  We had a fun evening together at home just singing and dancing.  Gracie was in a great mood and cognitively has been learning so much.  Jeff and I accused each other of giving more seizure meds than she should have had because we always see a huge cognitive jump with that.  Neither of us did, but she sure was on top of everything and so aware this weekend.   She had many new words too. 

I picked up a very cheap plastic dump truck at Fleet Farm for Gracie on Saturday.  She saw it while we were shopping and got very excited about it.  I've never even thought to get her a dump truck...oh my goodness she loves this truck.  On Saturday night she drove it all over the grass.  On Sunday she played with it too, she wasn't too sure that she really wanted rocks in the back when I suggested it.  This morning she saw the truck on the back deck and insisted she needed it in the house to play with.  

On Sunday we took walks, played outside, and again just had a low key day.  We had supper with Grandma & Grandpa D and Gracie was very happy to see them after her initial shyness when they arrived at our house.  Gracie had a great night and slept very well.  She was in a good mood this morning too.  I got a big hug when she woke up and came to find me.  It was a great way to start my day.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Thursday - Back to the Routine (Sort of)

Gracie had a great day at daycare yesterday.  They rented a room at a local hotel that has a waterpark and the kids swam in the pool all afternoon.  Gracie was a little disappointed that she didn't get to go in the big pool.  She has no fear - this is not necessarily a good thing.  I picked her up at the hotel after work and she didn't want to go home.  It was funny, our daycare provider's little boy was mildly fussing because he wanted to go with me and Gracie was mildly fussing because she wanted to stay with Mandy.

Gracie had a heart tattoo on her arm that she was quite proud of, unfortunately it went down the drain with her bath water.  Gracie was a tired girl last night.  She was in a good mood for the most part and did a lot of singing and dancing throughout the evening.  We read a book -- the same one over and over at her request. 

Gracie fell asleep quickly and had a much better night, although she did wake about 2:30 a.m. to tell me "hi" a couple of times.  Thankfully she went back to sleep fairly quickly.  This morning when she woke up, she came out of her room, ran to me and said "Good Morning Mamma!"  We snuggled on the couch for awhile watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse before we got moving for the day.

I took Gracie back to the hotel this morning as they were going to swim a little more before checking out.  Gracie was very excited about swimming again.  When she saw the hotel she said "swim"!

Thought you might enjoy another picture of Gracie at the lake!

Have a great weekend.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Vacation!!!

We headed to the North Shore for a little rest and relaxation!  The weather was very hot, but we were right on the lake, so the breeze off of the lake cooled things off in the morning and the evening.  Gracie enjoyed herself but her routine was definitely shaken and we saw an escalation of behavioral issues -- hitting, pinching, grabbing, and of course biting.  Thankfully she reserved the bites just for Jeff and I. 

Gracie loved playing in the sand and the water, but only for a certain length of time.  She would play for a little while and then insist we go back to the house.  Gracie and I took a number of walks on our own to regain a little attitude balance for her and that definitely helped.  We also found a playground one day on our walk, so she enjoyed swinging and sliding too.  Grace loved dancing with her cousins and her favorite thing to do was grab their hand and go for walks.  She just didn't want the walks to end.  She loved being outdoors when the weather cooled off in the evenings.  She also loved throwing the sand up in the air - her hair was so full of sand, I think I'm still getting it all out. 

We arrived back home late in the afternoon on Tuesday.  Gracie sat on her bed and said "home".  I know she loved all the attention she received, but I know how important routine is for her and she definitely needed that again.  We took the whole day yesterday (Wednesday) to spend time with her.  She was much better behaved and other than a few errands, we stayed home all day and played.  I got a ton of kisses yesterday, she would just come over and give me kisses on her own.  Sweet!  Sweet!  Sweet!

We are experiencing a heat wave, so we filled up her kiddie pool, put in under a shade tree and that is how we spent most of the afternoon yesterday.  Gracie had a blast.  I thought she would be very tired and she did go to sleep fairly quickly.  She awoke at 3:00 a.m., after being restless for an hour or more before.  She told me she was hot, even though we had the air conditioning going.  So I stripped her down to her diaper and a light tank top.  She just couldn't fall back to sleep.  She finally fell asleep at 5:00 a.m., the very time I need to get up for work.  She awoke a little after six and she was in a pretty good mood too. 

Jeff took Gracie to daycare this morning and I'm told she was very happy to see Mandy.  I think the plan was to go swimming today.  I know she'll love that.

Stay cool.

Love,

Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Tuesday/Wednesday - Pockets!!!

Gracie had a good day at daycare.  She got to go to Olive Garden for lunch, she took a 2-1/2 hour nap (I guess getting up at 4 a.m. in the morning will do that for you), and she went poop on the toilet.  We had a bit of aggressive behavior when it was time to go home and Gracie hit both an older child and our daycare provider.  I talked to her and got her to cool down and then she apologized to both.  Transitions are so hard for her.  I need to work harder with her on using words rather than actions when she is upset.  Gracie has such a quick temper and then later is very remorseful. 

It was just Gracie and I last night and we played outside almost all evening.  Gracie took her Mickey and Minnie mouse figurines outside with her and had so much fun playing with them.  They got to swing and walk in the grass.  Gracie cracked me up when at one point she sat down in the grass, looked up at me and just nonchalantly said to me "nice out".  It was a cooler evening and I know she was enjoying it. 

Gracie had a great night and slept in until 6:00 a.m. this morning.  The highlight of her morning was when I put a new pair of shorts on her and they have pockets.  She discovered the pockets all on her own and in a very excited voice said "pockets".  Not many of her clothes have pockets.

It looks like a beautiful day out, I have a feeling she will be spending a good part of the day outdoors today.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

The Weekend Plus

Gracie had a good weekend.  On Saturday it was a Gracie and daddy day.  I left the house at 9:30 a.m. for a "Shop Til You Drop" day with all 4 of my sisters and didn't get home til about 9:30 - 10:00 p.m.  Gracie and daddy had a good day together.  They did a little shopping at Home Depot and a few other stores.  Gracie enjoyed the iPads at Best Buy and had to be carried away from those when it was time to leave.  I came home to a sleeping girl. 

On Sunday, we had a low key day.  Gracie slept in a little later, so took a very short nap.  We spent the majority of the afternoon on the deck letting Gracie splash in her kiddie pool and singing silly songs.  She was having a blast.  Aunt Sheila, Uncle Chris, cousins Kayla and Jason, and Aunt Norma all joined us in the late afternoon and we grilled some hamburgers and hotdogs for supper.  We just visited for the rest of the evening.  Gracie got to bed way too late as she was having so much fun showing Norma her dance moves. 

When she awoke on Monday, I knew we were in trouble, she was a major grumpy pants.  She had moments of fun and happiness, but she definitely was more tired and more easily upset and disagreeable.  She was happy to get in the van to take Norma to the airport.  She had moments of being unhappy, but did pretty well on the ride.  I had hoped maybe a nap in the van was in order, but that didn't happen.  Gracie loved watching the airplanes take off and land and even more fun were her rides on the tram that took us from parking to the main terminal.  Gracie called that riding on the "choo-choo". 

Gracie did fall asleep for 15 minutes in the van on the way home, but that was not long enough.  She was so tired that I put her to bed last night at 6:45 p.m.  That back-fired on me as she was up this morning at 4:10 a.m. and was wide awake and ready to play.  She never did go back to sleep.  I'm guessing she may take a good nap at daycare today.

Have a great day!

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Thursday/Friday - Loving the Outdoors

Gracie had a great day at daycare yesterday.  They played at the park in the morning and went swimming in the kiddie pool in the afternoon.  When I arrived to pick her up she was a little busy body and was in a great mood.  She kept stalling leaving, she wanted to show me this or that, she had more hugs for her buddies.

When we got home we ate a quick supper and then went back outside to play.  We were out there until bedtime and had a great time.  Gracie is so observant of so much these days -- airplanes, worms, bugs, the moon.  She loves when she spies the moon because we have a couple of songs we sing about the moon. 

It was just Gracie and I last night and she was in a great mood.  Gracie didn't even fuss when we headed into the house (that's the second time this week that she went in without major dramatics).  Jeff came home just as we were getting ready for bed and the two of them danced for a little bit before we called it a night.  Gracie fell asleep quickly and had another good night.  Her cold is getting much better.  Her nose is still runny, but it is subsiding, the cough still sounds nasty, but I can tell she is on the mend. 

Gracie woke up in a good mood this morning and was daddy's buddy!

Enjoy another beautiful day.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Wednesday/Thursday

Gracie had a good day at daycare yesterday and was a good girl.  Jeff picked her up at daycare and by the time I arrived home from work, she had a bit of attitude going on.  In a fit of frustration (I'm not quite sure about what) she removed absolutely every magnet and other items that were posted on the refrigerator door and threw them to the floor.  After she was done with that little fit, I sat beside her on the floor and told her that when you make a mess you have to clean it up.  So together we sang the pick up song and picked up everything that was thrown to the floor.  She was only to happy to help. 

Gracie ate a good supper and then we headed to the bathtub to splash for a while.  Water seems to be a great mood equalizer for Gracie.  She did fine in the tub, but when taken out was putting up quite a fuss and clocked her dad one in the head.  I walked her upstairs for her timeout.  She was very unhappy to have to sit for two minutes, but after it was all over, I sat down and we talked a bit.  I told her I thought she needed to go tell daddy she was sorry, which she was very willing to do.  Not only did she sign it, but she verbally said it too.  After we got that over with, she was charming for the rest of the night.  We took a walk outside and then after that she sat in the stroller as Jeff and I took a brisker walk.  When we got home, we sat on the front porch and let her run and play.  She was having a great time.  She didn't even fuss when it was time to go inside to bed.  She fell asleep very quickly and had a great night. 

Gracie awoke in a GREAT mood this morning.  Amazing what a good night's sleep will do for a girl.  She ate a little breakfast and then wanted to dance!!!

It looks like another beautiful sunny day today -- enjoy it!

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Tuesday - Back at Daycare

Gracie had a good and much needed mellow day at daycare yesterday.  Her daycare mom said she was pretty much ready for her afternoon nap at 11:00 a.m.  She was in a great mood, just more mellow and tired.  Her nose is still running and her cough is pretty nasty, but I can tell she is on the mend. 

I picked her up at daycare and when we got home she decided she did not want to get out of the car.  She wanted to just be unbuckled and left to play.  So I opened up the doors, stayed close, and let her play.  She had great fun.

Then Jeff came out and took out the under the car creeper (I don't know the official name of it) to check out my car for damage as I got rear-ended pretty hard on my way to work yesterday.  Thankfully the damage is minimal.  Gracie called the creeper "the night night" and she wanted to take a pretend nap on it.  We let her and that was great fun too. 

Then we drew pretty pictures on the driveway with chalk before going into the house. She did not  want to go in at all, but we needed to get some supper in her.  We never did make it outside again.  I could tell she was pretty tired.  She had a great night sleep for the most part, she did wake up to cough a fair number of times, but always went right back to sleep. 

Thought you might enjoy a few pictures of our 4th of July girl (taken on the 3rd of July at our family get together - thanks for the great photography work Aunt Cheryl).

Love,

Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Fourth of July Weekend Fun

Gracie had alot of fun with family over the 4th of July weekend:

• On Friday, Gracie stayed home with me in the morning and we headed to the grocery store.  Note to self:  Next time we go to the grocery store make sure Gracie has a big breakfast!  Gracie wanted to eat everything that I put in the cart and she wanted it immediately.  I finally made it up to the cash register and had them ring up the bananas so she could munch away.  She downed that banana so quickly and was ready for her next snack.  Grace took a good afternoon nap and then in the later afternoon, Jeff, Gracie, and I headed for a road trip to pick up Auntie Norma at the airport.  We got there a little early, but Gracie did not mind one bit, she loved riding the escalators.  There are three levels and we just went up and down, up and down.  She was very excited to hold Norma's hand and was her little buddy.
• On Saturday, Gracie was excited to see that Norma was still at her house.  She had her come into her bedroom for a Gracie party.  Aunt Sheila came to join us in the morning too and that was great fun to play with two aunts.  After lunch we went for a drive to take Norma to Mom and Dad's.  Gracie enjoyed seeing Grandma & Grandpa and was a good little rider on the way there.  She did quite well on the way back too.  When we first got in the van for the drive back, I heard a blood curdling scream from the back seat.  I was happy to see it was only a common fly that was irritating her, so we learned the words "shoo fly". 
• On Sunday, we had a big family picnic.  My parents, all of my brothers and sisters and many nieces and nephews and great nieces were there to have fun.  Gracie had come down with a cold on Saturday, so she wasn't totally her self, but she had great fun.  She was a busy girl and had fun playing with all of her cousins.  She also had great fun playing with the sprinkler that was set up for the kids.  It was a great help in cooling her down and she was mud and grass from head to toe and smiles from ear to ear.  It was way past her bedtime by the time we left, yet she did not fall asleep until we were two minutes from home.  She had much to tell me.
• On Monday, we were going to head to my hometown for a 4th of July parade and more time with family, but Gracie was feeling the effects of her cold and really just needed a day to veg.  So we stayed home and filled her kiddie pool and just hung out on the deck and let her splash.  She took a much needed 2 hour nap. Grandma & Grandpa D joined us for a little bit in the late afternoon and had supper with us.  Gracie had a much better night last night, although she has a nasty cough that wakes her.  She was in a very good mood this morning and was very happy to see her daycare provider this morning.  Lots of hugs for her.

Hoping you all had a great 4th of July filled with family, friends, food, and fun!

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie