Our most exciting news is that Jeff is back home after his travels to Paris, France. It was a long 8 days for Gracie, she sure missed her daddy. Gracie and I had just arrived home when the taxi dropped Jeff off. I took Gracie to the window to see him and she was mondo excited, then she ran to the steps, jumped into Jeff's arms for the biggest hug and she was not going to let go! For the rest of the night she was daddy's girl. She started to refer to him not as just "daddy", but "MY daddy", big emphasis on the "MY"!
That evening we went outside for a walk and to play and she chattered the whole night long. She was so happy. At one point she wanted to swing on her swingset. She looked at Jeff and said "swing baby swing". That cracked us up.
On Wednesday morning, she did not want to go to daycare. Jeff was going to drop her off and she had a major meltdown, she layed on her bed and cried and cried. Finally, in his infinite wisdom, Jeff realized that the day he left for Paris, he was the one that dropped her off at daycare and then he of course disappeared for 8 days. So he sat down beside her and asked her if that was why she was so sad. Of course it was. He told her that he wasn't going to leave, matter-of-fact, he was the one that was going to pick her up that day. It took a minute and all of a sudden all was well. She has so much going on in that head of hers, and unfortunately with her speech delays, she can't express it.
Yesterday afternoon we met with a new developmental pediatrician and we love her. Dr. S. and I sat on the local IEIC committee together so we knew each other, but not well. She is only with our clinic for a year, but we will see her one more time before she leaves and we are welcome to contact her with any questions. This visit was to see where Gracie is at developmentally and to see if we are on track with the right interventions and assistance for her. Gracie performed beautifully at the appointment and really gave Dr. S. a true sample of her abilities. Her language skills were assessed at a 2 to 2-1/2 year old developmental age, as were her gross motor skills. Her inability to be able to jump brought her down on that a little bit, but she is doing quite well there and we were all ecstatic at how much progress she has made in both of those areas. We will be meeting with a speech pathologist for a consult as Gracie has the words, but the pronounciations aren't always understandable to others. I can understand her the majority of the time, but others cannot. So that is scheduled for early November.
Gracie's skill level for fine motor skills is really where her challenges are. Although she can do many things she wasn't able to do a year ago, she still has alot of difficulty in that area. She was assessed at a 14-month old level on her fine motor skills. We talked about having her start back up in the occupational therapy program again at the clinic, but Gracie was very resistant to this when she was in the program and the one-on-one therapy frustrated her. With the frustration level being so high, she became very resistant to do anything that was asked of her. So essentially this boils down to it being a waste of her and our time. She is more cooperative in the school setting when she is doing these activities next to peers, so we'll continue that. We'll also continue to push more of those skills at home, although she does get resistant with us when we push those too hard.
The appointment was a great validation for Jeff and I that we are handling behaviors correctly, that we seem to have a good handle on her development and know what we need to continue working on. Gracie was her charming social self and loved all of the attention. She even politely said "Excuse Me" when she let out a big burp!
Today was picture day at school and for some reason I had a really hard time deciding what to have her wear. The shirt that I decided on was new and hadn't been washed, even though I thought it had. With her sensitivities she doesn't get to wear anything without me washing it first. So I had to go to Plan B -- actually Plan C (as Plan B might have been a bit too colorful), which was a solid pink baby doll type top. She did look adorable. We practiced our smile, so now I'm anxious to see the photos.
Have a great day...it got into the 30's last night here. BRRRRRR!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Monday/Tuesday - School Day
Gracie had her second day of school and I think it went pretty well, although she was one tired girl last night. Her cold doesn't help matters. She got on the bus again with no problem, but our daycare provider had to get her off the bus again. She had a good afternoon with a short nap, but when I arrived to pick her up she was on Mandy's lap in tears. She was playing nicely and then started hitting her playmate. When she was removed from the situation and told that it was not nice to hit, she started with the uncontrollable tears. I think the fact that she was mondo tired just escalated the tears and sobs.
We had a very mellow evening. She ate some supper, although she refused the casserole I made, ate all her fruit, and then opted for a peanut butter sandwich. The rest of the night I just let her play with her iPod and watch videos. She needed to just veg out.
She slept great last night and was all smiles to hear that daddy will be home from Paris tonight. She has missed him alot. She's been good as gold for the most part, but you can definitely tell that daddy is missed.
Today was another school day for Gracie. She loves to show me the pictures or projects she brings home in her backpack. I say "Gracie, should we see what you brought home from school?" and she runs to get her backpack and smiles the whole way.
Have a great day...it's cooler here...a welcome cool.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
We had a very mellow evening. She ate some supper, although she refused the casserole I made, ate all her fruit, and then opted for a peanut butter sandwich. The rest of the night I just let her play with her iPod and watch videos. She needed to just veg out.
She slept great last night and was all smiles to hear that daddy will be home from Paris tonight. She has missed him alot. She's been good as gold for the most part, but you can definitely tell that daddy is missed.
Today was another school day for Gracie. She loves to show me the pictures or projects she brings home in her backpack. I say "Gracie, should we see what you brought home from school?" and she runs to get her backpack and smiles the whole way.
Have a great day...it's cooler here...a welcome cool.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Monday, September 12, 2011
Catching up...
First of all and most importantly we have seen no seizure activity from the Hepatitis A vaccination. I was a little worried one afternoon when she had a lot of jerky actions in her sleep, but I haven't seen anything since so I'm hoping that was just a coincidence.
Gracie had a great first day of school on Thursday, she was in the best mood when I picked her up and was all smiles and positive head nods when I asked her about school and riding the bus. She got on the bus at daycare with no problems, she didn't want to get off the bus, so our daycare provider had to go on the bus and get her. This doesn't concern me too much, Gracie has transition issues and getting out of a vehicle can sometimes be traumatic for her. She was also very hot as they didn't take off her sweater at school and it had gotten quite warm out. I've since talked with the teacher and she will make sure that happens in the future. At 4 years old, I think we assume that she could take it off herself if she was too warm, but that is not the case with Gracie. She has just mastered removing her socks on her own. Which she loves to do!
Gracie is missing her daddy big time, but we got to Skype with him a few times over the weekend, so that has helped greatly. We also are marking off the days til he comes home on the calendar in her room, so I think that helps as well. Gracie has been so good the last couple of days. It's like she knows she has to be on her best behavior.
On Saturday we went to visit Aunt Sheila, Uncle Chris, and cousin Jason. Gracie was in the best mood and had a great time playing "chase" with Jason. She also liked when puppy Sandy licked her fingers. She also wanted Sandy to "shake" and to my surprise she did! Aunt Sheila made us a yummy supper and we went home with very full tummies. Cousin Kayla is off to college and I could tell that Gracie missed her. She kept pointing to her picture and wanted the piano open. Gracie would only play a key or two. Gracie loves when Kayla plays the piano for her and Kayla is an awesome piano player.
On Sunday, Gracie's head cold came on full force, so we just hung out at home for the majority of the day. We did make a quick run to Target as we were running out of food. We read a lot of books, she played with her iPod, and just did quieter things all day. She did want to go outside, but sat on the swing for less than 5 seconds, slid down the slide once, then took my hand and lead me to the garage, indicated she wanted the door open and then took me to her stroller. She didn't have the energy to play, but wanted to be outside. So I put her in the stroller and we took a long walk.
This morning Gracie was quite disgusted with me because she wanted me to take her to daycare in daddy's van instead of my car. I would have agreed, but I had the car loaded up and we were running late. She kept saying "daddy's van". When I told her we were going in mommy's car, she quickly changed it and said "no, mommy's van".
Today is a school day for Gracie, so I hope she is able to enjoy her day despite her cold.
Have a great day.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Gracie had a great first day of school on Thursday, she was in the best mood when I picked her up and was all smiles and positive head nods when I asked her about school and riding the bus. She got on the bus at daycare with no problems, she didn't want to get off the bus, so our daycare provider had to go on the bus and get her. This doesn't concern me too much, Gracie has transition issues and getting out of a vehicle can sometimes be traumatic for her. She was also very hot as they didn't take off her sweater at school and it had gotten quite warm out. I've since talked with the teacher and she will make sure that happens in the future. At 4 years old, I think we assume that she could take it off herself if she was too warm, but that is not the case with Gracie. She has just mastered removing her socks on her own. Which she loves to do!
Gracie is missing her daddy big time, but we got to Skype with him a few times over the weekend, so that has helped greatly. We also are marking off the days til he comes home on the calendar in her room, so I think that helps as well. Gracie has been so good the last couple of days. It's like she knows she has to be on her best behavior.
On Saturday we went to visit Aunt Sheila, Uncle Chris, and cousin Jason. Gracie was in the best mood and had a great time playing "chase" with Jason. She also liked when puppy Sandy licked her fingers. She also wanted Sandy to "shake" and to my surprise she did! Aunt Sheila made us a yummy supper and we went home with very full tummies. Cousin Kayla is off to college and I could tell that Gracie missed her. She kept pointing to her picture and wanted the piano open. Gracie would only play a key or two. Gracie loves when Kayla plays the piano for her and Kayla is an awesome piano player.
On Sunday, Gracie's head cold came on full force, so we just hung out at home for the majority of the day. We did make a quick run to Target as we were running out of food. We read a lot of books, she played with her iPod, and just did quieter things all day. She did want to go outside, but sat on the swing for less than 5 seconds, slid down the slide once, then took my hand and lead me to the garage, indicated she wanted the door open and then took me to her stroller. She didn't have the energy to play, but wanted to be outside. So I put her in the stroller and we took a long walk.
This morning Gracie was quite disgusted with me because she wanted me to take her to daycare in daddy's van instead of my car. I would have agreed, but I had the car loaded up and we were running late. She kept saying "daddy's van". When I told her we were going in mommy's car, she quickly changed it and said "no, mommy's van".
Today is a school day for Gracie, so I hope she is able to enjoy her day despite her cold.
Have a great day.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Thursday - The First Day of School
Gracie had a good day yesterday and we've seen no seizure activity thus far from the Hepatitis A vaccination. Thank you God!
Gracie had a good day yesterday and was silly when I picked her up at daycare. I love her silly days. She was so excited to see daddy's van parked in the garage when we got home and her first comment was "Go See Daddy", but alas daddy is still travelling and was not home. This made for a sad girl. We had the windows open last night and every noise that she heard, she was just sure it was daddy coming home.
Auntie Cheryl Skyped with us last night and that was a big hit. Other than that our night was pretty low key, she ate a big supper, and had a great time splashing in the tub. Gracie's big discovery of the night was that she learned how to make the bathtub faucet switch to the overhead shower, she found this particularly amusing since the first discovery of this got mommy (yes me) soaking wet!!!
Gracie had a much better night last night. She did wake up a few times but she would fall right back to sleep. At 4:00 a.m. she woke up (sort of), said "Go See Daddy" and then promptly fell back to sleep. So I'm pretty sure she is dreaming about daddy too.
Gracie awoke in a good mood and I think she was looking forward to her first day of school. We got her all dressed up in a little pink striped dress and pink leggings and she looked very cute. I'm hoping all went well for her.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Gracie had a good day yesterday and was silly when I picked her up at daycare. I love her silly days. She was so excited to see daddy's van parked in the garage when we got home and her first comment was "Go See Daddy", but alas daddy is still travelling and was not home. This made for a sad girl. We had the windows open last night and every noise that she heard, she was just sure it was daddy coming home.
Auntie Cheryl Skyped with us last night and that was a big hit. Other than that our night was pretty low key, she ate a big supper, and had a great time splashing in the tub. Gracie's big discovery of the night was that she learned how to make the bathtub faucet switch to the overhead shower, she found this particularly amusing since the first discovery of this got mommy (yes me) soaking wet!!!
Gracie had a much better night last night. She did wake up a few times but she would fall right back to sleep. At 4:00 a.m. she woke up (sort of), said "Go See Daddy" and then promptly fell back to sleep. So I'm pretty sure she is dreaming about daddy too.
Gracie awoke in a good mood and I think she was looking forward to her first day of school. We got her all dressed up in a little pink striped dress and pink leggings and she looked very cute. I'm hoping all went well for her.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Lots to Say
Have I really not posted for almost a week? Well here's a snapshot of what's been going on with Gracie over the last week:
On Thursday night of last week Gracie started having the diarrhea. Her appetite subsided a bit, but she was still eating and had plenty of energy. This continued once a day through the weekend. So although we had thoughts of going to my parents for a visit, if it was a bug, I didn't want to pass it along. We stayed pretty close to home for the weekend.
On Saturday, Jeff had some projects he was working on, so Gracie and I went school clothes shopping. She has grown out of pretty much everything from last fall, so we had to replenish her closet. She is in size 7 or 7/8 for most of her clothes right now and for most stores that is the start of big kid clothes. The styles are much too old for the age of 4, so I've been struggling a bit in trying to find her cute age appropriate clothes. I found that Kohls has a line of store clothing that is from 4 - 7, so we were able to get her some fun things there and what they didn't have in stock at the store, I was able to order on line. I think we'll be good for fall and winter now...we may have to add a few sweatshirts once the real cold weather hits.
The rest of the weekend was spent playing outside. Gracie is absolutely loving the cooler weather. On our walks, she has been walking about a 1/2 mile before she gets tired out and wants to ride in the stroller. Her favorite games are "racing" and "hide-and-seek". So we've been doing a lot of both. She has been a major daddy's girl lately, until bedtime...then I get my girl back again! :)
On Tuesday, Gracie had a 4-year old well child visit. We have a new provider for Gracie, a nurse practitioner that I am thrilled with. Gracie's two cousins have gone to her for years, so when Gracie's pediatrician transferred to a new job, we begged for her to take us on. Gracie loves her too. Gracie had a good appointment, we'll continue to keep an eye on her eyes. Dr. D. noticed what I've been commenting on and feels that it is a good idea to continue to have her followed in Ophthalmology on a yearly basis. The developmental pediatric program at our clinic closed for awhile, they are back open and operating and we'll be seeing them again next week. I'm very glad as I want to make sure we are on the right track and getting the right amount of services for Gracie.
Gracie had her second Hepatitis A vaccination yesterday. To those of you who know me well, this has been a worry resting on me quite heavily. We are pretty certain that Gracie's Infantile Spasms started as a result of her DTaP vaccination at 15 months, coupled by epilepsy that wasn't well controlled at the time. I've been very nervous about any additional vaccinations since then and have limited the ones we've given her since then. She was supposed to get the Hepatitis A (part two) at her 2 year well child appointment. It was just too soon in my book after having her I.S. under control. I've procrastinated this vaccination for 2 years, but with her being in school, knew that we needed to get it taken care of. So we did. Gracie sat on the exam table afterward saying "OW" every few seconds. I think she said it at least 20 times. So now I hope and pray that we don't see any adverse affects from it. She had a horribly restless night from 2:00 - 5:00 a.m., to the point that I didn't sleep at all during that time as she needed to be constantly reassured. She would fall back to sleep only to become restless all over again. I don't know if there is any relationship between this and the vaccination or if it was just a rough night. Jeff is travelling for work, so I know Gracie is missing him big time. Perhaps that was a factor as well. Because of the time difference, Skype isn't a great option for us this trip, but Jeff did videotape himself reading some of Gracie's favorite books and that has been a God-send. She loves watching him on the computer and even reads along with him.
Tomorrow is Gracie's first day of school. I think she is excited. Every time she sees a bus, she points it out to me.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
On Thursday night of last week Gracie started having the diarrhea. Her appetite subsided a bit, but she was still eating and had plenty of energy. This continued once a day through the weekend. So although we had thoughts of going to my parents for a visit, if it was a bug, I didn't want to pass it along. We stayed pretty close to home for the weekend.
On Saturday, Jeff had some projects he was working on, so Gracie and I went school clothes shopping. She has grown out of pretty much everything from last fall, so we had to replenish her closet. She is in size 7 or 7/8 for most of her clothes right now and for most stores that is the start of big kid clothes. The styles are much too old for the age of 4, so I've been struggling a bit in trying to find her cute age appropriate clothes. I found that Kohls has a line of store clothing that is from 4 - 7, so we were able to get her some fun things there and what they didn't have in stock at the store, I was able to order on line. I think we'll be good for fall and winter now...we may have to add a few sweatshirts once the real cold weather hits.
The rest of the weekend was spent playing outside. Gracie is absolutely loving the cooler weather. On our walks, she has been walking about a 1/2 mile before she gets tired out and wants to ride in the stroller. Her favorite games are "racing" and "hide-and-seek". So we've been doing a lot of both. She has been a major daddy's girl lately, until bedtime...then I get my girl back again! :)
On Tuesday, Gracie had a 4-year old well child visit. We have a new provider for Gracie, a nurse practitioner that I am thrilled with. Gracie's two cousins have gone to her for years, so when Gracie's pediatrician transferred to a new job, we begged for her to take us on. Gracie loves her too. Gracie had a good appointment, we'll continue to keep an eye on her eyes. Dr. D. noticed what I've been commenting on and feels that it is a good idea to continue to have her followed in Ophthalmology on a yearly basis. The developmental pediatric program at our clinic closed for awhile, they are back open and operating and we'll be seeing them again next week. I'm very glad as I want to make sure we are on the right track and getting the right amount of services for Gracie.
Gracie had her second Hepatitis A vaccination yesterday. To those of you who know me well, this has been a worry resting on me quite heavily. We are pretty certain that Gracie's Infantile Spasms started as a result of her DTaP vaccination at 15 months, coupled by epilepsy that wasn't well controlled at the time. I've been very nervous about any additional vaccinations since then and have limited the ones we've given her since then. She was supposed to get the Hepatitis A (part two) at her 2 year well child appointment. It was just too soon in my book after having her I.S. under control. I've procrastinated this vaccination for 2 years, but with her being in school, knew that we needed to get it taken care of. So we did. Gracie sat on the exam table afterward saying "OW" every few seconds. I think she said it at least 20 times. So now I hope and pray that we don't see any adverse affects from it. She had a horribly restless night from 2:00 - 5:00 a.m., to the point that I didn't sleep at all during that time as she needed to be constantly reassured. She would fall back to sleep only to become restless all over again. I don't know if there is any relationship between this and the vaccination or if it was just a rough night. Jeff is travelling for work, so I know Gracie is missing him big time. Perhaps that was a factor as well. Because of the time difference, Skype isn't a great option for us this trip, but Jeff did videotape himself reading some of Gracie's favorite books and that has been a God-send. She loves watching him on the computer and even reads along with him.
Tomorrow is Gracie's first day of school. I think she is excited. Every time she sees a bus, she points it out to me.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Potty x3
Our excitement for yesterday (Wednesday) is that Gracie went potty (and poop too) on the toilet three times. She told Jeff in the morning that she had to go. Mandy at daycare got her to go on the toilet once and then last night I could tell she had to go to the bathroom and went potty and poop on the toilet. So slowly but surely we're getting there.
Gracie had a great day at daycare yesterday playing with her friends. I am told she said a 4 word sentence, she also was very interactive playing with the other girls. They played "ship" and she said "all aboard" with them and really got into the game. They must have pretended that there were tickets, because last night Jeff and I were sitting in her playset with her outside and she kept handing us "tickets". I didn't even know she knew that concept.
We went to meet with the school nurse yesterday to drop off Gracie's epi pens and all of her medical forms. I was told twice that we should come during meet the teacher time. Only problem is the nurse wasn't there during the preschool meet the teacher. GRRRRRRRRRRRR. So we left the paperwork and epi's with another staff member who was going to lock it up for the nurse and I'll follow-up by phone. Since we had already met the teacher earlier this week, we only stopped in to Gracie's classroom for a few minutes to pick up some paperwork and go see where Gracie's locker was. It had a frog on it again this year. Gracie likes frogs, so that was fun.
We also went to the shoe store as Gracie's tennis shoes are just about too small and we wanted to be ready for school. Gracie got to pick from a ton of different styles. There was this one really loud purple and orange shoe that I thought she would pick, but would you believe she picked the exact same style that she already has only in a bigger size. I didn't mind, I really like that pair too and they hide dirt very well.
We've been spending most of our evening time outside and getting Gracie to bed a little later than we should, so she's been having a hard time waking up in the mornings. We'll have to be better about that, especially next week when she starts school.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Gracie had a great day at daycare yesterday playing with her friends. I am told she said a 4 word sentence, she also was very interactive playing with the other girls. They played "ship" and she said "all aboard" with them and really got into the game. They must have pretended that there were tickets, because last night Jeff and I were sitting in her playset with her outside and she kept handing us "tickets". I didn't even know she knew that concept.
We went to meet with the school nurse yesterday to drop off Gracie's epi pens and all of her medical forms. I was told twice that we should come during meet the teacher time. Only problem is the nurse wasn't there during the preschool meet the teacher. GRRRRRRRRRRRR. So we left the paperwork and epi's with another staff member who was going to lock it up for the nurse and I'll follow-up by phone. Since we had already met the teacher earlier this week, we only stopped in to Gracie's classroom for a few minutes to pick up some paperwork and go see where Gracie's locker was. It had a frog on it again this year. Gracie likes frogs, so that was fun.
We also went to the shoe store as Gracie's tennis shoes are just about too small and we wanted to be ready for school. Gracie got to pick from a ton of different styles. There was this one really loud purple and orange shoe that I thought she would pick, but would you believe she picked the exact same style that she already has only in a bigger size. I didn't mind, I really like that pair too and they hide dirt very well.
We've been spending most of our evening time outside and getting Gracie to bed a little later than we should, so she's been having a hard time waking up in the mornings. We'll have to be better about that, especially next week when she starts school.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The Weekend Plus
Gracie continues to have great days!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
- SATURDAY: Gracie had a play date with her friend Kai. Gracie was quite enamored with Kai's baby brother and wasn't quite as interactive with Kai as I had hoped for. I think Gracie likes to watch Kai play, but doesn't always interact very well. Gracie was super excited to see Kai's mom and she really loves to see Kai come over and says her name before and after the visit. Once outdoors the girls had fun playing hide-and-seek with a little adult intervention by Kai's mom. You could tell they were both having a blast with that. I stayed on the sidelines and bonded with baby brother! :)
Gracie and I did a quick Target run in the afternoon and then in the evening, Gracie's cousin Lizzie came over with her mom and little sister who is also named Grace. The other Grace is almost five and the two Grace's have not met before. Gracie was mondo excited to see Lizzie and wasn't very shy at all. The two Grace's played quite well together and were just silly at times. I even saw our Gracie interact and play princesses with Grace for a short time. This is a big step for Gracie as she usually wants to hang back and just watch. They also both loved to sing songs together.
- SUNDAY: We took Gracie along to church with us on Sunday with the idea that she would go to Sunday school, but she outright refused to stay and because it was teachers she didn't know, I just didn't push the issue. So she came to church service with us and did pretty good for most of it. Jeff did take her out during the sermon/message portion. The rest of Sunday was spent just hanging around the house getting stuff done (laundry, etc.) so Gracie just played and we spent most of the late afternoon and evening outside. It was a gorgeous day after the rain stopped and Gracie was energized by the cooler temps. She walked and ran and walked and ran. We usually do a mile trek most nights with her in the stroller. She wanted out and walked a good majority of it herself. She slept really well Sunday night. So well that when Monday morning came around, I had a horrible time trying to wake her up. She would not open her eyes.
- MONDAY: We met Gracie's teacher in the afternoon and went over her special needs and emergency plans. We'll meet with the school nurse on Wednesday to go over all of her emergency plans (seizure plan, allergy emergency plan - as well as prevention, overheating prevention, and other medical plans). While I talked with the teacher, Jeff and Gracie went to greet everyone in the school and I'm told EVERYONE there knew Gracie. We got to talk with her speech therapist -- who I absolutely love. I'm anxious for her to hear all of Gracie's knew words that she learned over the summer. Just about everyone commented on how much Gracie has grown since May.
Since Gracie didn't take a nap at daycare (she tried, but sleep wouldn't come) she was quite tired by the time we got home. So I put her down for a nap, but limited it to an hour or I knew she would not sleep last night. She wasn't ready to get up after an hour, but we sort of insisted. We ate supper and then headed outdoors to play until dark and beyond.
- TUESDAY: The biggest news flash of the week. Just as we were about to leave for daycare, Gracie tells me she has to go potty. So I put her on the toilet and she went potty and poop!!!! YAY!!!! We celebrated big time!!!!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Friday, August 26, 2011
The Week in Review
Gracie has had a very good week, despite her cold. She is now sleeping much better and although her nose is still running and she has a bit of a cough, she is breathing much easier and doesn't seem so stuffed up or congested. She is definitely tired by the end of the day.
On Wednesday night, Grandma & Grandpa D. came over and we had supper together. Gracie enjoyed that, but would have nothing to do with giving Grandpa a hug when they left. She took Grandma for a couple of walks, but was quite content to watch and dance to her Laurie Berkner DVD's and let the adults talk.
Gracie has had a lot of outdoor time this week, both at daycare and in the evenings as well. She is loving that! All that fresh air is good for her too!
Last night Jeff was working late so I asked her if she wanted to stop at McDonald's and pick up some chicken for her supper. That's like asking an adult if they want a million dollars. She then informed me she needed "boop" too, which is her word for ketchup. Then I asked her if she wanted french fries too....another favorite. She repeated "french fries" with a big head nod. Then she told me "home picnic". That meant that she wanted to take the food home and spread a blanket on the floor and eat her supper as a picnic. Which we did - she loves picnics! :)
Gracie has a playdate with her friend Kai in the morning, so I think we are both excited about that.
Have a great weekend.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
On Wednesday night, Grandma & Grandpa D. came over and we had supper together. Gracie enjoyed that, but would have nothing to do with giving Grandpa a hug when they left. She took Grandma for a couple of walks, but was quite content to watch and dance to her Laurie Berkner DVD's and let the adults talk.
Gracie has had a lot of outdoor time this week, both at daycare and in the evenings as well. She is loving that! All that fresh air is good for her too!
Last night Jeff was working late so I asked her if she wanted to stop at McDonald's and pick up some chicken for her supper. That's like asking an adult if they want a million dollars. She then informed me she needed "boop" too, which is her word for ketchup. Then I asked her if she wanted french fries too....another favorite. She repeated "french fries" with a big head nod. Then she told me "home picnic". That meant that she wanted to take the food home and spread a blanket on the floor and eat her supper as a picnic. Which we did - she loves picnics! :)
Gracie has a playdate with her friend Kai in the morning, so I think we are both excited about that.
Have a great weekend.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Monday, August 22, 2011
Christmas in August...and More!
Gracie makes me smile almost constantly with all of her new words and her ability to understand more and more. She loves to smile, she loves to laugh, and even more she loves to make others smile and laugh. If she can get mom or dad to laugh, she is thrilled.
Gracie started coming down with a cold on Friday night and had a horribly restless night, I ended up with about 3 hours of constantly interupted sleep and Gracie faired a little better. The poor pumpkin just couldn't breathe. She did get some sleep when I walked with her for a while, then when she got too heavy, I sat with her on the couch. She slept...I did not. Why? Because she would just stop breathing for way too long (what was probably a few seconds seemed like minutes) and then just as I was sure I would have to help her in some way, she would resume. We've had this checked and it is supposedly a normal thing, it freaks me out every time she does it and Friday night it happened alot.
On Saturday I was relieved that we had no place we needed to go, so Gracie could have some down time to rest and play. She took all of a 30 minute nap, maybe less...I was so looking forward to that nap! Jeff and Gracie played outside alot while I got some things done in the house. Gracie was pretty happy, despite not feeling great. We took a walk in the afternoon and got rained on. Then the most beautiful rainbow came out, the first real rainbow that Gracie has ever seen and really understood what it was. She was so excited.
On Saturday when we first came outside for our walk, Gracie stood at the end of our porch howling like a wolf. I didn't quite understand what she was doing, until I looked across the street and our two neighbor dogs were outside playing...one is a gray husky and he looks like a wolf.
On Sunday we had Christmas with Jeff's family. Jeff's parents head south for the winter, so we like to celebrate Christmas together before they leave. Gracie enjoyed having family around and was very excited that we had a cake -- her favorite food in the world. Gracie got a lot of fun new toys and DVD's so that should keep her busy for awhile.
At the end of our fun day with family, Gracie walked her cousins to their car and found a pistachio shell and picked it up. Not a big deal for the average kid...big deal for Gracie - that is one of the tree nuts that she has the highest allergy rating too. So we washed her hands quickly and with lots of soap and water. She had kind of a hacky cough (one of the signs of allergic reaction) for awhile after so I was scared she might be having a mild reaction, but keep in mind she also has a cold. So I just kept an eye on her and she was breathing fine. Then she spit up some food a while later...vomiting is another reaction from her. But she and Jeff had been wrestling around and I think it just was a little too much for her tummy. So I continued to keep a close eye on her, but she did fine for the rest of the evening. So I think it was less about a reaction and just some coincidental things.
Gracie had a much better night last night -- she was breathing more clearly and she did NOT want to wake up this morning. She was in a very good mood once she did wake up. When Jeff was ready to take her to daycare she was busy watching tv and didn't want to leave her show. Jeff said "Who wants to go bye bye with daddy?" And she replied without skipping a beat "Jason". (Jason is her cousin that she pretends to call on the phone all the time too!)
We've been enjoying the cooler weather...hope you have been too!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Gracie started coming down with a cold on Friday night and had a horribly restless night, I ended up with about 3 hours of constantly interupted sleep and Gracie faired a little better. The poor pumpkin just couldn't breathe. She did get some sleep when I walked with her for a while, then when she got too heavy, I sat with her on the couch. She slept...I did not. Why? Because she would just stop breathing for way too long (what was probably a few seconds seemed like minutes) and then just as I was sure I would have to help her in some way, she would resume. We've had this checked and it is supposedly a normal thing, it freaks me out every time she does it and Friday night it happened alot.
On Saturday I was relieved that we had no place we needed to go, so Gracie could have some down time to rest and play. She took all of a 30 minute nap, maybe less...I was so looking forward to that nap! Jeff and Gracie played outside alot while I got some things done in the house. Gracie was pretty happy, despite not feeling great. We took a walk in the afternoon and got rained on. Then the most beautiful rainbow came out, the first real rainbow that Gracie has ever seen and really understood what it was. She was so excited.
On Saturday when we first came outside for our walk, Gracie stood at the end of our porch howling like a wolf. I didn't quite understand what she was doing, until I looked across the street and our two neighbor dogs were outside playing...one is a gray husky and he looks like a wolf.
On Sunday we had Christmas with Jeff's family. Jeff's parents head south for the winter, so we like to celebrate Christmas together before they leave. Gracie enjoyed having family around and was very excited that we had a cake -- her favorite food in the world. Gracie got a lot of fun new toys and DVD's so that should keep her busy for awhile.
At the end of our fun day with family, Gracie walked her cousins to their car and found a pistachio shell and picked it up. Not a big deal for the average kid...big deal for Gracie - that is one of the tree nuts that she has the highest allergy rating too. So we washed her hands quickly and with lots of soap and water. She had kind of a hacky cough (one of the signs of allergic reaction) for awhile after so I was scared she might be having a mild reaction, but keep in mind she also has a cold. So I just kept an eye on her and she was breathing fine. Then she spit up some food a while later...vomiting is another reaction from her. But she and Jeff had been wrestling around and I think it just was a little too much for her tummy. So I continued to keep a close eye on her, but she did fine for the rest of the evening. So I think it was less about a reaction and just some coincidental things.
Gracie had a much better night last night -- she was breathing more clearly and she did NOT want to wake up this morning. She was in a very good mood once she did wake up. When Jeff was ready to take her to daycare she was busy watching tv and didn't want to leave her show. Jeff said "Who wants to go bye bye with daddy?" And she replied without skipping a beat "Jason". (Jason is her cousin that she pretends to call on the phone all the time too!)
We've been enjoying the cooler weather...hope you have been too!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Tuesday/Wednesday - Good Days
Gracie had a good day at daycare yesterday and with the nice weather got some outdoor playtime in. Jeff picked her up and they had just finished supper by the time I got home. Gracie immediately wanted to go outside. I was starving and wanted to eat and she immediately became very upset. I knelt down, picked her up and let her know that I understood that she missed mommy and wanted to play and I wanted to play with her too, but mommy was really hungry. Perhaps she would want to sit on my lap while I ate. In the past, Gracie would not have responded to that reasoning. She is really starting to understand and if you take the time to talk to her and get down to her level or bring her up to our level, she responds very positively most of the time. So she sat on my lap while I ate and was a very good girl and we headed outdoors shortly after I was done. We spent the whole evening outdoors and she was in a fantastic mood. The outdoors has a way of making her a happy happy girl.
Gracie had a much more restful night last night, still a little restless in the wee hours of the morning, but that just seems to be the norm and as I talk to other parents of children with Sotos Syndrome, it seems this is a pattern that most parents see.
Gracie was in a great mood this morning and after eating breakfast made a request that we play "Simon Says". So before daycare we had a good game and she was loving it.
Today at daycare she was headed to a local park for a church gathering/party geared toward kids. They were going to have a picnic lunch and then swimming was a possibility too. The events were a little too close to nap time though, so I'm not sure that swimming will happen.
Gracie is imitating everything she hears these days. Last night on our walk some dogs were barking and pretty soon she was imitating there bark in a sing-songy way. She's got a good ear on her.
Enjoy your day.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Gracie had a much more restful night last night, still a little restless in the wee hours of the morning, but that just seems to be the norm and as I talk to other parents of children with Sotos Syndrome, it seems this is a pattern that most parents see.
Gracie was in a great mood this morning and after eating breakfast made a request that we play "Simon Says". So before daycare we had a good game and she was loving it.
Today at daycare she was headed to a local park for a church gathering/party geared toward kids. They were going to have a picnic lunch and then swimming was a possibility too. The events were a little too close to nap time though, so I'm not sure that swimming will happen.
Gracie is imitating everything she hears these days. Last night on our walk some dogs were barking and pretty soon she was imitating there bark in a sing-songy way. She's got a good ear on her.
Enjoy your day.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
The Weekend and More
On Saturday, Gracie awoke bright and early at 5:30 a.m. I told her that it was still time to sleep, but she informed me with her hands high in the air, that she was "AWAKE". When Gracie tells me she is awake, she is and there is no chance for falling back to sleep for either of us. She decided it was important to wake daddy up shortly thereafter as well.
Our morning was pretty low key and we just played with Gracie and got some things done around the house. It was raining, so that meant no outside time. After lunch Gracie took a 2-1/2 hour nap and then we headed to the mall to see cousin Maria modeling for one of the stores there. We let Gracie run around the mall a little bit and then we headed home. It turned into a beautiful afternoon/evening and we played outside for most of it.
Saturday night Gracie had a horrible time falling asleep and staying asleep. She was up most of the night and when she did sleep she had to have my hand under her head. Needless to say neither Gracie or I got much sleep that night. She was a bit of a bear the next morning. She was tired and a bit emotional, so we opted not to have her go to Sunday school. After lunch we headed to a family reunion about 40 - 50 miles away. Gracie had pepped up and was an absolute joy on the ride there. She was full of smiles and kisses. Once there, she was off and running with her older cousins. Thank you to Kayla, Katie, Jayme, and Jason for hanging out with our little peanut. She absolutely adores each one of you.
She was one tired little girl on the way home and fell asleep in the van eating Goldfish crackers. Matter-of-fact, she fell asleep with one or two in her mouth. When she awoke 30 minutes later, she finished chewing and swallowing. 30 minutes was just not enough nap time for her and she got to the point where everything was wrong. She even burst into tears and a fit when I offered her a cookie. So I went to get her pj's quite early. In all of Jeff's wisdom, he looked at me and said "Lisa, don't you think you should just avoid the fight and put her to bed in her clothes?" Very good advice and I did just that. It was all I could do to change her diaper. So she was in bed by 7:00 p.m., but then awoke at 8:00 p.m., I layed down with her at that point and she fell back to sleep fairly quickly. She had a better night, but still restless.
On Monday, Gracie woke up in a great mood and was a good girl all day long. She was an absolute joy from the time I picked her up at daycare til the time she went to bed. She was happy, agreeable, didn't fuss if she didn't get her way. She was extremely verbal all night long and telling us things she hasn't before. She had a lot of 3 word sentences. Jeff and I both agree we can see her cognitive burst from the increase of meds. Usually we see it within the first day or two. It took a bit longer this time, but it is there. We played outside all evening long. When we first went out and started walking, Gracie was about 10 steps ahead of both of us (which is a common occurence) when she turned around and said "C'mon"! Then a little while later she informed us "It's nice out." It really was nice out -- a nice breeze and beautiful temps. I could tell her energy for walking and running was much greater with the cooler temps.
Gracie had a much better night last night, although she really didn't want to go to sleep, so she kept blowing raspberries on my arms and giggling. She slept great until about 1:30 a.m. and then was more restless. She awoke at 4:45 a.m. and was awake and ready to start the day.
We hope this weather is giving you renewed energy too!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Our morning was pretty low key and we just played with Gracie and got some things done around the house. It was raining, so that meant no outside time. After lunch Gracie took a 2-1/2 hour nap and then we headed to the mall to see cousin Maria modeling for one of the stores there. We let Gracie run around the mall a little bit and then we headed home. It turned into a beautiful afternoon/evening and we played outside for most of it.
Saturday night Gracie had a horrible time falling asleep and staying asleep. She was up most of the night and when she did sleep she had to have my hand under her head. Needless to say neither Gracie or I got much sleep that night. She was a bit of a bear the next morning. She was tired and a bit emotional, so we opted not to have her go to Sunday school. After lunch we headed to a family reunion about 40 - 50 miles away. Gracie had pepped up and was an absolute joy on the ride there. She was full of smiles and kisses. Once there, she was off and running with her older cousins. Thank you to Kayla, Katie, Jayme, and Jason for hanging out with our little peanut. She absolutely adores each one of you.
She was one tired little girl on the way home and fell asleep in the van eating Goldfish crackers. Matter-of-fact, she fell asleep with one or two in her mouth. When she awoke 30 minutes later, she finished chewing and swallowing. 30 minutes was just not enough nap time for her and she got to the point where everything was wrong. She even burst into tears and a fit when I offered her a cookie. So I went to get her pj's quite early. In all of Jeff's wisdom, he looked at me and said "Lisa, don't you think you should just avoid the fight and put her to bed in her clothes?" Very good advice and I did just that. It was all I could do to change her diaper. So she was in bed by 7:00 p.m., but then awoke at 8:00 p.m., I layed down with her at that point and she fell back to sleep fairly quickly. She had a better night, but still restless.
On Monday, Gracie woke up in a great mood and was a good girl all day long. She was an absolute joy from the time I picked her up at daycare til the time she went to bed. She was happy, agreeable, didn't fuss if she didn't get her way. She was extremely verbal all night long and telling us things she hasn't before. She had a lot of 3 word sentences. Jeff and I both agree we can see her cognitive burst from the increase of meds. Usually we see it within the first day or two. It took a bit longer this time, but it is there. We played outside all evening long. When we first went out and started walking, Gracie was about 10 steps ahead of both of us (which is a common occurence) when she turned around and said "C'mon"! Then a little while later she informed us "It's nice out." It really was nice out -- a nice breeze and beautiful temps. I could tell her energy for walking and running was much greater with the cooler temps.
Gracie had a much better night last night, although she really didn't want to go to sleep, so she kept blowing raspberries on my arms and giggling. She slept great until about 1:30 a.m. and then was more restless. She awoke at 4:45 a.m. and was awake and ready to start the day.
We hope this weather is giving you renewed energy too!
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Friday, August 12, 2011
Busy, Busy!
Gracie had a great time at the zoo earlier this week. The highlight was the coyotes and the wolf howling back and forth. They were sad to see that one of the otters had died since their last visit. The kids had a picnic lunch and everyone had a good time. The cooler weather was definitely appreciated.
We've been taking advantage of the cooler weather by spending our evenings outdoors - from the time supper is done until bedtime, we are out playing. Gracie is like a renewed bundle of energy with the cooler temps. The house is in dire need of attention, but I just can't seem to want to deal with it when there is outdoor fun to be had. Do you think the dirty dishes will keep til winter?? ;)
Yesterday, Gracie had some big kid fun at daycare. Our provider's nephews came to stay with her for the day and Gracie had great fun with them as they are a number of years older. So she thought she was a big kid too. I picked her up just after lunch and headed home so we could get ready to participate in the 2011 Epilepsy Stroll to raise money for epilepsy research. Gracie doesn't do well if we take her right from daycare or one event right to another, so we took a nap at home and had some down time before we headed out for our "stroll".
When we arrived at the Epilepsy Stroll, Grace was mondo excited to see the big bounce houses and was totally impatient, didn't want to wait for mommy to load up the stroller, so I sent her and daddy ahead of me. She was so excited that I thought we would get her to go in...they were even going to let Jeff go in with her and there were no other kids in it at the time, but at the last minute she refused. She also did not want to play any games, get a tattoo, or get her face painted. She didn't want to go fishing at the fish pond either, but I kind of forced the issue so she could see what it was about, she was very pleased to get her gift -- a small pillow pet. She was very enthralled with Nanny Giggles, the clown who was tying balloons. Gracie got a butterfly balloon which she loved but thought she needed to stick in her mouth constantly and bite on it, so eventually her balloon flew into the car for safe keeping. Gracie loved seeing her neurologist and wanted her to hold her the whole night. So we had to find creative ways to distract her. She enjoyed dancing to the music played by the DJ, she enjoyed cheering as the neurologists took their turn in the dunk tank - she would clap when they would get dunked, she made some new friends, she loved being in the stroller when we were on our "stroll", and she enjoyed meeting many of the dogs that came to stroll. She met Dr. Jack, a therapy dog, and his owner. They were both wonderful with Grace.
Since we had to be careful about food offered at the event and Gracie didn't get to have any of the fun treats we ended the evening with a drive through McDonald's where she got a vanilla ice cream cone which she pretty much polished off all on her own. She was smiles and ice cream from ear to ear.
We also increased Gracie's seizure meds this week. We did not see any seizure breakthrough, but with a 5 lb increase in her weight since we last increased the meds, we knew it would only be a matter of time, so we were proactive.
Wishing you all a great weekend...hard to believe the start of school is just around the corner.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
We've been taking advantage of the cooler weather by spending our evenings outdoors - from the time supper is done until bedtime, we are out playing. Gracie is like a renewed bundle of energy with the cooler temps. The house is in dire need of attention, but I just can't seem to want to deal with it when there is outdoor fun to be had. Do you think the dirty dishes will keep til winter?? ;)
Yesterday, Gracie had some big kid fun at daycare. Our provider's nephews came to stay with her for the day and Gracie had great fun with them as they are a number of years older. So she thought she was a big kid too. I picked her up just after lunch and headed home so we could get ready to participate in the 2011 Epilepsy Stroll to raise money for epilepsy research. Gracie doesn't do well if we take her right from daycare or one event right to another, so we took a nap at home and had some down time before we headed out for our "stroll".
When we arrived at the Epilepsy Stroll, Grace was mondo excited to see the big bounce houses and was totally impatient, didn't want to wait for mommy to load up the stroller, so I sent her and daddy ahead of me. She was so excited that I thought we would get her to go in...they were even going to let Jeff go in with her and there were no other kids in it at the time, but at the last minute she refused. She also did not want to play any games, get a tattoo, or get her face painted. She didn't want to go fishing at the fish pond either, but I kind of forced the issue so she could see what it was about, she was very pleased to get her gift -- a small pillow pet. She was very enthralled with Nanny Giggles, the clown who was tying balloons. Gracie got a butterfly balloon which she loved but thought she needed to stick in her mouth constantly and bite on it, so eventually her balloon flew into the car for safe keeping. Gracie loved seeing her neurologist and wanted her to hold her the whole night. So we had to find creative ways to distract her. She enjoyed dancing to the music played by the DJ, she enjoyed cheering as the neurologists took their turn in the dunk tank - she would clap when they would get dunked, she made some new friends, she loved being in the stroller when we were on our "stroll", and she enjoyed meeting many of the dogs that came to stroll. She met Dr. Jack, a therapy dog, and his owner. They were both wonderful with Grace.
Since we had to be careful about food offered at the event and Gracie didn't get to have any of the fun treats we ended the evening with a drive through McDonald's where she got a vanilla ice cream cone which she pretty much polished off all on her own. She was smiles and ice cream from ear to ear.
We also increased Gracie's seizure meds this week. We did not see any seizure breakthrough, but with a 5 lb increase in her weight since we last increased the meds, we knew it would only be a matter of time, so we were proactive.
Wishing you all a great weekend...hard to believe the start of school is just around the corner.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Monday/Tuesday - Loving the Cooler Weather
Gracie had a great day at daycare yesterday and is loving the cooler weather. You can just tell by her movements, actions, and the bounce in her step that this is her kind of weather. They played outside alot yesterday and I'm told she was quite interactive in a game of choo choo train with the other little girls at daycare. We still struggle with interactive play with our peers. So this was very exciting to hear.
Last night we had a quick supper and then went outside to play. We started out taking a walk, then Jeff and Gracie ran around and played chase for a while. Then we put Gracie in the stroller and took a longer walk. When we got home, Gracie was still not ready to go in the house, so she escorted Jeff and I to the bench on our front porch and she danced and did actions while we sang songs like "The Wheels on the Bus", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", etc.
Gracie had a good night although she wanted her head elevated and she breathed like she was experiencing some stuffiness. Not sure if a cold is starting or this is allergies giving her problems. I know she was itching one of her eyes like crazy last night.
This morning Gracie was in a good mood, then we got to daycare and her 1 year old buddy began to cry. My little soft-hearted girl then began to sob uncontrollably. So we took a little extra time to get her consoled as well. The daycare kids were all going to a small local zoo this morning and were going to have a picnic lunch there. Gracie loves going there, so I'm sure she is having a fun time.
Have a great day.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Last night we had a quick supper and then went outside to play. We started out taking a walk, then Jeff and Gracie ran around and played chase for a while. Then we put Gracie in the stroller and took a longer walk. When we got home, Gracie was still not ready to go in the house, so she escorted Jeff and I to the bench on our front porch and she danced and did actions while we sang songs like "The Wheels on the Bus", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", etc.
Gracie had a good night although she wanted her head elevated and she breathed like she was experiencing some stuffiness. Not sure if a cold is starting or this is allergies giving her problems. I know she was itching one of her eyes like crazy last night.
This morning Gracie was in a good mood, then we got to daycare and her 1 year old buddy began to cry. My little soft-hearted girl then began to sob uncontrollably. So we took a little extra time to get her consoled as well. The daycare kids were all going to a small local zoo this morning and were going to have a picnic lunch there. Gracie loves going there, so I'm sure she is having a fun time.
Have a great day.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
The Weekend and More
I love the baby stage and have always thought that was my most favorite stage, but then as Gracie would get older and hit a new stage I would decide that I liked that age and stage in life the best. There were a few stages in there that were a little more trying than others, but I have loved them all...and I'm really loving the stage she is at right now. Being 4 is really agreeing with her. Just this morning as I was getting ready for work, Gracie was laying outside of the bathroom door and said to me "Mama, how are you doing?" Now this is a question I ask her frequently, it was just a great surprise when out of the blue, she asked me.
Gracie is growing again - this became evident when I had to try on 4 pairs of shorts on her yesterday morning before I found one that fit. She is quickly growing out of 6X and into 7's and 7/8's. Although her appetite has slowed down a bit. She's eating just fine, just not out of control like when she is gearing up for a growth spurt.
Gracie had a great weekend. She spent Saturday morning with daddy, they did a few errands and then went to visit Grandma & Grandpa D. for a little bit. She took all of a 15 minute nap and was ready and raring to go. So we filled up the kiddie pool in the backyard and let her splash and have fun. Later in the evening after supper we went to the playground. She had a great time there and didn't want to leave...and her lack of nap was showing, so she put up quite a screaming tantrum when it was time to go.
On Sunday, Gracie went to Sunday school at Jeff's church. This is her second time there and now she knows the drill that mom and dad leave and so she did not want to stay. Once we convinced her it was a good thing, she reluctantly stayed, but then had a good time. Her favorite part was singing, dancing, and doing song actions. Are any of you surprised at this???? I didn't think so.
Gracie had a good nap and woke up just in time for us to head to her friend Kai's 3rd birthday party. It was a lot of fun, although Gracie didn't want to interact with the other kids. I was very impressed with the inclusiveness of the children at the party. One girl offered to share her chair with Gracie and also asked her if she would like to play puppy with the rest of the group. Although Gracie was happy to say "hi" to the other kids, she didn't want to play with them. She did have a great time socializing with the adults and was totally enamored with the 2-month old baby that was there. There was a bounce house there as well, but Gracie wanted no part of it. I know she had a good time, but it had to be on her terms of comfort.
Gracie has had a good day at daycare yesterday and is enjoying the cooler weather. She slept great last night, although she awoke at 4:30 a.m. and was done sleeping. She was a bit more moody this morning, but I could tell it was because she was tired. I'm thinking she'll take a good long nap at daycare today. I'm hoping the cooler weather will help the swelling in her feet and toes. I'm pretty sure it's the heat that was causing her little toes to look like sausages, but am keeping an eye on it. They looked alot better this morning, so I do think the heat is a contributing factor for sure.
Here's to a cooler week.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Gracie is growing again - this became evident when I had to try on 4 pairs of shorts on her yesterday morning before I found one that fit. She is quickly growing out of 6X and into 7's and 7/8's. Although her appetite has slowed down a bit. She's eating just fine, just not out of control like when she is gearing up for a growth spurt.
Gracie had a great weekend. She spent Saturday morning with daddy, they did a few errands and then went to visit Grandma & Grandpa D. for a little bit. She took all of a 15 minute nap and was ready and raring to go. So we filled up the kiddie pool in the backyard and let her splash and have fun. Later in the evening after supper we went to the playground. She had a great time there and didn't want to leave...and her lack of nap was showing, so she put up quite a screaming tantrum when it was time to go.
On Sunday, Gracie went to Sunday school at Jeff's church. This is her second time there and now she knows the drill that mom and dad leave and so she did not want to stay. Once we convinced her it was a good thing, she reluctantly stayed, but then had a good time. Her favorite part was singing, dancing, and doing song actions. Are any of you surprised at this???? I didn't think so.
Gracie had a good nap and woke up just in time for us to head to her friend Kai's 3rd birthday party. It was a lot of fun, although Gracie didn't want to interact with the other kids. I was very impressed with the inclusiveness of the children at the party. One girl offered to share her chair with Gracie and also asked her if she would like to play puppy with the rest of the group. Although Gracie was happy to say "hi" to the other kids, she didn't want to play with them. She did have a great time socializing with the adults and was totally enamored with the 2-month old baby that was there. There was a bounce house there as well, but Gracie wanted no part of it. I know she had a good time, but it had to be on her terms of comfort.
Gracie has had a good day at daycare yesterday and is enjoying the cooler weather. She slept great last night, although she awoke at 4:30 a.m. and was done sleeping. She was a bit more moody this morning, but I could tell it was because she was tired. I'm thinking she'll take a good long nap at daycare today. I'm hoping the cooler weather will help the swelling in her feet and toes. I'm pretty sure it's the heat that was causing her little toes to look like sausages, but am keeping an eye on it. They looked alot better this morning, so I do think the heat is a contributing factor for sure.
Here's to a cooler week.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Friday, August 5, 2011
Thursday - Another Good Day!!!
Thursday was another good day for Gracie. She got to daycare to find two monarch caterpillars, each in a jar of their own. One full size and the other just a baby. The kids are having a great time watching them and I think it will be great for Gracie to see it turn into a butterfly!
Gracie played with her daycare buddies and they went swimming in the kiddie pool, but Gracie decided she did not want to put her swimsuit on and join them. Then the sprinkler was brought out, suddenly a swimsuit wasn't a bad idea at all and Gracie had a blast running through the sprinkler.
Gracie took a very short nap at daycare and I could tell she was a little more emotional in the evening, but she still did really well. Just as we were about to leave daycare, she turned, bumped into the one year old, knocked him down accidentally and then fell herself. She adores this little boy and I think the whole thing just scared her -- she cried and cried and cried. The one year old was fine, didn't even shed a tear, but Gracie cried enough for both of them.
Gracie ate a good supper and then wanted to go outside. Jeff, Gracie, and I went outside for a short walk, but she decided she wanted to "race" daddy instead. So Gracie and daddy played for awhile as I cheered them on. Then it was time for Jeff to mow the lawn, so I put Gracie in the stroller and we went for a long walk. She was such a good girl. When we came in the house, she took just about every toy out of her toy box and then listened and danced to music. She also helped me pick up all those toys. She is so good about helping pick up toys.
Gracie fell asleep very quickly, but in the wee hours of the morning became very restless. At one point her big pink stuffed elephant was on top of her and she was sleeping away. When she awoke this morning, her first request to Jeff was "Wanna See Mama"! She was in a good mood and as we headed out to the garage to go to daycare she was very helpful. She pushed the button to open the garage door, then made a dash outside. She gave me a big "you can't catch me" smile as she bolted down the sidewalk. Once I caught her and she got her laugh in, she was happy to get in the car to go to daycare.
Have a great weekend.
Lisa
Gracie played with her daycare buddies and they went swimming in the kiddie pool, but Gracie decided she did not want to put her swimsuit on and join them. Then the sprinkler was brought out, suddenly a swimsuit wasn't a bad idea at all and Gracie had a blast running through the sprinkler.
Gracie took a very short nap at daycare and I could tell she was a little more emotional in the evening, but she still did really well. Just as we were about to leave daycare, she turned, bumped into the one year old, knocked him down accidentally and then fell herself. She adores this little boy and I think the whole thing just scared her -- she cried and cried and cried. The one year old was fine, didn't even shed a tear, but Gracie cried enough for both of them.
Gracie ate a good supper and then wanted to go outside. Jeff, Gracie, and I went outside for a short walk, but she decided she wanted to "race" daddy instead. So Gracie and daddy played for awhile as I cheered them on. Then it was time for Jeff to mow the lawn, so I put Gracie in the stroller and we went for a long walk. She was such a good girl. When we came in the house, she took just about every toy out of her toy box and then listened and danced to music. She also helped me pick up all those toys. She is so good about helping pick up toys.
Gracie fell asleep very quickly, but in the wee hours of the morning became very restless. At one point her big pink stuffed elephant was on top of her and she was sleeping away. When she awoke this morning, her first request to Jeff was "Wanna See Mama"! She was in a good mood and as we headed out to the garage to go to daycare she was very helpful. She pushed the button to open the garage door, then made a dash outside. She gave me a big "you can't catch me" smile as she bolted down the sidewalk. Once I caught her and she got her laugh in, she was happy to get in the car to go to daycare.
Have a great weekend.
Lisa
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Wednesday - A Very Very Good Girl
Gracie had a great day again yesterday. She is healthy and happy and generally, just plain agreeable. She still knows her mind and her wants (and I wouldn't have it any other way), she just doesn't seem to need to meltdown when she doesn't get her way immediately. For example, last night I was busy and couldn't immediately help her start the video she wanted to watch on the computer. I suggested a couple of alternative things for her to do until I could help her. To each of my suggestions, she replied "no". I explained that I could not help her at the moment, could she go to her room and find a book or a toy to play with for a little bit. The next thing I know, she trots off to her room, grabs a book, lays on her bed and begins to read.
At daycare yesterday, Gracie got to swim in the kiddie pool, go to the park, play on the playset in the backyard and had a really good day. She did get sad and cried when the two year old grabbed her and started to drag her somewhere she didn't want to go. It took a few minutes to comfort her, but she did not get grabby or pinchy, which we've been working on getting her not to do. Words seem to escape her at times like these, so we've been working very hard on trying to help her know which words to use.
Last night Jeff had to work late, so Gracie and I got to hang out. She ate a good supper, then we headed outside to play. We took a walk/stroller ride and Barbie Cinderella had to come along. Gracie was excited to see a hot air balloon in the sky and the clouds. She is very into clouds lately and is very proud to point out the clouds to us. Then it was bath time. Gracie got some new light up rubber ducks for her birthday - they light up and change colors when you put them in water. She had a great time with those in the tub!
Daddy came home just about the time we were headed for bed. Gracie was so excited to see him. She had been asking for him all night long. Gracie had another restless night. She has gained 5 lbs. since we last increased her seizure meds and I sometimes see this kind of restlessness at night, right before we experience daytime seizure breakthrough, so I have a note into her neurologist to see if it might be a good idea to increase her seizure meds.
Gracie was a happy girl this morning until it was time for daycare, she wanted to go outside and play, not go outside to the van to travel to daycare. She eventually came around.
We are definitely enjoying the less humid days. I hope you are as well.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
At daycare yesterday, Gracie got to swim in the kiddie pool, go to the park, play on the playset in the backyard and had a really good day. She did get sad and cried when the two year old grabbed her and started to drag her somewhere she didn't want to go. It took a few minutes to comfort her, but she did not get grabby or pinchy, which we've been working on getting her not to do. Words seem to escape her at times like these, so we've been working very hard on trying to help her know which words to use.
Last night Jeff had to work late, so Gracie and I got to hang out. She ate a good supper, then we headed outside to play. We took a walk/stroller ride and Barbie Cinderella had to come along. Gracie was excited to see a hot air balloon in the sky and the clouds. She is very into clouds lately and is very proud to point out the clouds to us. Then it was bath time. Gracie got some new light up rubber ducks for her birthday - they light up and change colors when you put them in water. She had a great time with those in the tub!
Daddy came home just about the time we were headed for bed. Gracie was so excited to see him. She had been asking for him all night long. Gracie had another restless night. She has gained 5 lbs. since we last increased her seizure meds and I sometimes see this kind of restlessness at night, right before we experience daytime seizure breakthrough, so I have a note into her neurologist to see if it might be a good idea to increase her seizure meds.
Gracie was a happy girl this morning until it was time for daycare, she wanted to go outside and play, not go outside to the van to travel to daycare. She eventually came around.
We are definitely enjoying the less humid days. I hope you are as well.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Tuesday - An Afternoon with Dad and Shopping with Mom
Gracie had another good day on Tuesday. In the morning she went to daycare and they went to the library to get some different books to read. She ate lunch at daycare and Jeff picked her up shortly after lunch. They spent the afternoon together...sleeping! Gracie took a 3 hour nap!!! So when I got home from work, Gracie was in a great mood! She was mondo excited when she saw the big cupcake balloon a friend from work had sent home for her.
We ate supper quick and Jeff left to do a magic show for National Night Out and we ran to the mall to exchange an outfit for a bigger size. Gracie was quite the social butterfly, saying "hi" to everyone, wanting to hold the hands of the sales clerks. I must say all the sales clerks were awesome with her -- sweet and kind.
As a treat for being such a good girl we stopped at McDonald's and got an ice cream cone for Gracie. She loved that. On the way home though, she started not looking so good. Her head was bent down, her lip out like she wasn't feeling well or was very sad and she wouldn't say anything to me. I made sure she was breathing and then zipped home very quickly to assess the situation. When I got in the back seat of the car with her and started talking to her, she wouldn't say a thing to me and still had the sad face. As I started to talk to her more, I could tell she was holding back a smile. Little Miss Grace is becoming a great big tease and when I asked her if she was teasing mom she started laughing and said "yes".
We took a walk around the block and enjoyed being outside for a bit. She even got a visit from neighbors Nanci and Diane, and puppies Annabelle and Morgan. That was a big hit. Then we went inside and I cleaned out a cooler on the back deck that had cans of Diet Coke in them, as well as other things. I stacked them on the kitchen table to dry. Miss Grace nonchalantly walks in the kitchen and says "Coke Please", then helps herself to a can on the table and tries to open it. Once again teaseville because she knows she doesn't get Diet Coke and rarely pop of any kind. Jeff and I were thrilled to see her start to stack the cans on top of each other. She got three stacked high and went for a fourth, but she wasn't quite tall enough to make that one work.
Gracie had a pretty restless night, not quite sure why, but she kept waking up. She would go right back to sleep though. She awoke in a good mood this morning and was dancing and singing already this morning.
Have a great day.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
We ate supper quick and Jeff left to do a magic show for National Night Out and we ran to the mall to exchange an outfit for a bigger size. Gracie was quite the social butterfly, saying "hi" to everyone, wanting to hold the hands of the sales clerks. I must say all the sales clerks were awesome with her -- sweet and kind.
As a treat for being such a good girl we stopped at McDonald's and got an ice cream cone for Gracie. She loved that. On the way home though, she started not looking so good. Her head was bent down, her lip out like she wasn't feeling well or was very sad and she wouldn't say anything to me. I made sure she was breathing and then zipped home very quickly to assess the situation. When I got in the back seat of the car with her and started talking to her, she wouldn't say a thing to me and still had the sad face. As I started to talk to her more, I could tell she was holding back a smile. Little Miss Grace is becoming a great big tease and when I asked her if she was teasing mom she started laughing and said "yes".
We took a walk around the block and enjoyed being outside for a bit. She even got a visit from neighbors Nanci and Diane, and puppies Annabelle and Morgan. That was a big hit. Then we went inside and I cleaned out a cooler on the back deck that had cans of Diet Coke in them, as well as other things. I stacked them on the kitchen table to dry. Miss Grace nonchalantly walks in the kitchen and says "Coke Please", then helps herself to a can on the table and tries to open it. Once again teaseville because she knows she doesn't get Diet Coke and rarely pop of any kind. Jeff and I were thrilled to see her start to stack the cans on top of each other. She got three stacked high and went for a fourth, but she wasn't quite tall enough to make that one work.
Gracie had a pretty restless night, not quite sure why, but she kept waking up. She would go right back to sleep though. She awoke in a good mood this morning and was dancing and singing already this morning.
Have a great day.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Monday - Back to the Routine
Gracie's busy weekend caught up with her. She took a 3 hour nap at daycare yesterday and when I picked her up she was still looking a little groggy. It was raining when I picked her up, so I told her we would go home and she could play in the rain with her new umbrella that she got for her birthday. When we got home, I got her umbrella for her and she said "no, house". So we went in the house and she played with her umbrella there. I think she didn't want to get it wet!
The rain cooled things off a bit last night so we took a walk around the block and you could tell that Gracie was enjoying it being a little cooler. She was always at least 10 steps ahead of us. When we got home, we put her in the stroller and Jeff and I took a longer walk. She enjoyed telling us all about our surroundings and her favorite question was asked frequently "What's that?"
Gracie did not want much for supper -- perhaps because it was leftover night. But the leftovers were good -- pizza, macaroni and cheese, fruit. When I tried to get her to eat some of her mac & cheese she wrinkled up her nose and told me it was "icky".
Gracie went to bed quite a bit later than usual. She just wasn't tired after that nap and then she awoke at 4:30 a.m. for the day today. Yawn!
This morning, Gracie wanted to go into our bedroom where Jeff was ironing his clothes. He keeps the door shut so we don't have any iron accidents. Gracie can't yet master the turning of a door knob, so she can't get the door open. So she knocked and yelled "open". Jeff didn't respond immediately. I smiled when I heard her yell "I said open!" I just love hearing those 3 word sentences, no matter how demanding they might be.
Gracie went to daycare this morning and she will hang out with daddy this afternoon. She's been a pretty big daddy's girl lately.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
The rain cooled things off a bit last night so we took a walk around the block and you could tell that Gracie was enjoying it being a little cooler. She was always at least 10 steps ahead of us. When we got home, we put her in the stroller and Jeff and I took a longer walk. She enjoyed telling us all about our surroundings and her favorite question was asked frequently "What's that?"
Gracie did not want much for supper -- perhaps because it was leftover night. But the leftovers were good -- pizza, macaroni and cheese, fruit. When I tried to get her to eat some of her mac & cheese she wrinkled up her nose and told me it was "icky".
Gracie went to bed quite a bit later than usual. She just wasn't tired after that nap and then she awoke at 4:30 a.m. for the day today. Yawn!
This morning, Gracie wanted to go into our bedroom where Jeff was ironing his clothes. He keeps the door shut so we don't have any iron accidents. Gracie can't yet master the turning of a door knob, so she can't get the door open. So she knocked and yelled "open". Jeff didn't respond immediately. I smiled when I heard her yell "I said open!" I just love hearing those 3 word sentences, no matter how demanding they might be.
Gracie went to daycare this morning and she will hang out with daddy this afternoon. She's been a pretty big daddy's girl lately.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Monday, August 1, 2011
Our Princess Grace Turns 4!!!
My friend Carol knows how to celebrate birthdays, she celebrates not only her actual birthday, but as she puts it "the birthday season". She celebrates the week...sometimes the month. I really like this philosophy and that is how we celebrated our Princess Grace's birthday this year.
Thursday - Party at Daycare:
Gracie had a great birthday celebration at daycare. They started out at the House of Bounce in the morning. Gracie was a bit overwhelmed and did not want to go on any of the big bouncy slides or on any of the bounce toys for that matter, but she did enjoy watching the other kids as long as our daycare provider was at her side. Then they headed to McDonald's (Gracie's favorite restaurant) for lunch. After nap, it was time for Princess cupcakes, princess tiaras, singing happy birthday, and of course dancing!!!! Gracie had a great day, was super tired, but very happy when I picked her up.
Friday - A Trip to the Zoo:
Jeff and I both took the day off work and took Gracie to the zoo. Gracie LOVED it! Her favorite animals were the fish, stingrays, grizzly bears, and penguins. She also loved riding the "choo choo" - the monorail! Gracie was in a fantastic mood all day! It was very hot and as soon as we would notice Gracie starting to "shut down" from the heat, we took her to a water play area (I could kiss the person at the zoo that thought to put this in place -- it was our saving grace to save our Grace from the heat.). She loved this and I kept her in her wet clothes, which helped to keep her cooler for the rest of our zoo adventures. As soon as she would start to get too hot again, we would just go back to the water area. Grace was in such a good mood all day and had so much fun taking everything in. On the way home, Gracie slept almost the whole way to our house. When we got back to town, we treated Gracie to a soft-serve ice cream cone from McDonalds. This was a first for her and she loved it and felt like such a big girl eating her cone.
Saturday - The Big Birthday:
Gracie woke up bright and early at 6:00 a.m. and was ready to start her day. We had a lazy morning and then ate some lunch and had a birthday cupcake. Then Gracie opened presents from momma and daddy. We've been trying to get her to say she is "4", but instead when I asked, she would give me this big grin and answer "9". After a short nap, we played in the house for a while and then headed to Home Depot and Target to pick up a ceiling fan for her room and a few other things. Later, Grandma & Grandpa D. came over for pizza...and yet more cake. We had a great time! Annabelle, the neighbor dog that Gracie adores, and neighbor Nanci stopped by briefly to wish Gracie a Happy Birthday too!
Sunday - Birthday Celebrating with Her Godparents & God-Cousins:
On Sunday Gracie's Godparents, Sheila & Chris, and cousins Kayla and Jason came over to continue the celebrating. Gracie escorted Kayla and Jason to her bedroom and wanted to keep them all to herself. She was lured out of her room after a while with presents!!! Gracie enjoyed playing all afternoon and our guests joined us for supper and you guessed it...more cake. This was a full birthday cake with princess tiara candles. I think more of Gracie's piece of this cake ended up on the floor than in her mouth, but she enjoyed squeezing it through her fingers!!!! She had so much fun all day, that at 9:30 p.m., she was still trying to fall asleep. I think she finally dozed off a little before 10:00 p.m., yet she still awoke in a great mood.
I think being 4 agrees with Gracie. By the way...at 4, she weighs 51 lbs. and is 3'8" tall.
Mommy and Daddy reminisced about that day 4 years ago when we picked up our sweet little bundle from the hospital. We had no clue what life had in store for us....many challenges, many learning experiences...but mostly so much love! Gracie continues to be the light of our life and we are so blessed to have her for a daughter.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Thursday - Party at Daycare:
Gracie had a great birthday celebration at daycare. They started out at the House of Bounce in the morning. Gracie was a bit overwhelmed and did not want to go on any of the big bouncy slides or on any of the bounce toys for that matter, but she did enjoy watching the other kids as long as our daycare provider was at her side. Then they headed to McDonald's (Gracie's favorite restaurant) for lunch. After nap, it was time for Princess cupcakes, princess tiaras, singing happy birthday, and of course dancing!!!! Gracie had a great day, was super tired, but very happy when I picked her up.
Friday - A Trip to the Zoo:
Jeff and I both took the day off work and took Gracie to the zoo. Gracie LOVED it! Her favorite animals were the fish, stingrays, grizzly bears, and penguins. She also loved riding the "choo choo" - the monorail! Gracie was in a fantastic mood all day! It was very hot and as soon as we would notice Gracie starting to "shut down" from the heat, we took her to a water play area (I could kiss the person at the zoo that thought to put this in place -- it was our saving grace to save our Grace from the heat.). She loved this and I kept her in her wet clothes, which helped to keep her cooler for the rest of our zoo adventures. As soon as she would start to get too hot again, we would just go back to the water area. Grace was in such a good mood all day and had so much fun taking everything in. On the way home, Gracie slept almost the whole way to our house. When we got back to town, we treated Gracie to a soft-serve ice cream cone from McDonalds. This was a first for her and she loved it and felt like such a big girl eating her cone.
Saturday - The Big Birthday:
Gracie woke up bright and early at 6:00 a.m. and was ready to start her day. We had a lazy morning and then ate some lunch and had a birthday cupcake. Then Gracie opened presents from momma and daddy. We've been trying to get her to say she is "4", but instead when I asked, she would give me this big grin and answer "9". After a short nap, we played in the house for a while and then headed to Home Depot and Target to pick up a ceiling fan for her room and a few other things. Later, Grandma & Grandpa D. came over for pizza...and yet more cake. We had a great time! Annabelle, the neighbor dog that Gracie adores, and neighbor Nanci stopped by briefly to wish Gracie a Happy Birthday too!
Sunday - Birthday Celebrating with Her Godparents & God-Cousins:
On Sunday Gracie's Godparents, Sheila & Chris, and cousins Kayla and Jason came over to continue the celebrating. Gracie escorted Kayla and Jason to her bedroom and wanted to keep them all to herself. She was lured out of her room after a while with presents!!! Gracie enjoyed playing all afternoon and our guests joined us for supper and you guessed it...more cake. This was a full birthday cake with princess tiara candles. I think more of Gracie's piece of this cake ended up on the floor than in her mouth, but she enjoyed squeezing it through her fingers!!!! She had so much fun all day, that at 9:30 p.m., she was still trying to fall asleep. I think she finally dozed off a little before 10:00 p.m., yet she still awoke in a great mood.
I think being 4 agrees with Gracie. By the way...at 4, she weighs 51 lbs. and is 3'8" tall.
Mommy and Daddy reminisced about that day 4 years ago when we picked up our sweet little bundle from the hospital. We had no clue what life had in store for us....many challenges, many learning experiences...but mostly so much love! Gracie continues to be the light of our life and we are so blessed to have her for a daughter.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
Thursday, July 28, 2011
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
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
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
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
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
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
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
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
Monday, July 25, 2011
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
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
Friday, July 22, 2011
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
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
Thursday, July 21, 2011
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.
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
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
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
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
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
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
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
Friday, July 8, 2011
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
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
Thursday, July 7, 2011
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
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
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
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.
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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
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Fourth of July Weekend Fun
Gracie had alot of fun with family over the 4th of July weekend:
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
- 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.
Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie
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