Monday - A Rough Start To A Great Day

Gracie was a little restless at times last night and at 3:00 a.m. looked up at me with open eyes and said "hi", then gave me a beautiful smile. Since she went to bed quite late last night, she treated us to sleeping in until 8:00 a.m. We awoke, had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then went shopping for outdoor swingset/playsets. Gracie was moody to say the least. Big tantrums if we stopped walking, huge fusses to be put in her car seat. She did enjoy sitting with me in a swinging bench at Menards. We unwisely decided to go to Baker's Square for lunch. I'm pretty sure everyone in the restaurant (including us) wished we weren't there. She ate pretty good, but was not content, very loud and we even had a few screams and starts of tantrums. We came home and put her to bed. She took a two hour nap and awoke with a much better attitude.

This afternoon we planted flowers. Gracie helped. She got to rake the dirt, then she used her new watering can to water the flowers, then she stuck her hand in the mud, then mommy made her wash off the mud with the water in her new watering can. After that we put water in her water table and let her play in that. She also had fun watching the backyard neighbors put up a swing/playset in their backyard for their grandchildren.

Then we took Gracie for a ride in her wagon. She loved that and we went down the neighborhood school and let her swing and slide. At one point, her sandals kept rubbing on the ground, so I took them off. She was doing great until her foot rubbed against the ground and she said "ow". I gave her some sympathy, but she kept saying "ow" over and over again, without too much emotion behind it. So I said to her "Did it really hurt that much?" She looked up at me and said "that much". That set me into a fit of the giggles.

Gracie got to see the neighborhood ducks again today. That was a highlight. Tonight before bath it was so nice out, so we decided to take a short walk. We ran into Gracie's ENT doctor walking her dogs. We found out she only lives five houses down from us. We actually have an appointment with her on Thursday to get her ears and tubes rechecked. Gracie was very charming and loved the dogs who were very big, but very gentle.

Gracie and dad had splashing competitions in the tub and the whole bathroom is soaked. We read some books tonight before bed and Gracie picked out four totally different ones than usual. That was fun for me. She is hooked on the Mercer Mayer books, which I love, but it's fun to read other's too.

She is now sleeping soundly - resting up for a fun day at daycare tomorrow. The weekend went by way too fast.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Sunday - Cousin Brent's Graduation

Gracie had a good night last night and slept in until about 7:00 a.m. this morning. She didn't have a very good appetite today. I let her have a piece of cheese at lunchtime and I think that did her in. She was also pulling at her ear, so I gave her some bubblegum flavored acetiminophen (sp?). This is the first time I've bought bubblegum flavored but it was the only kind available with the recall on all of the Tylenol and Motrin brands for kids. I was afraid she wouldn't like it. Aunt Sheila informed me it was cousin Jason's preferred flavor. She was right in Gracie's case too. She loved it, wouldn't give me the syringe back, and kept signing "more".

Gracie had an hour and a half nap this afternoon and then we headed for a road trip to cousin Brent's graduation party. We were thrilled to see lots of family and Gracie made a lot of new friends too. It is interesting to me that she LOVES kids that are older and bigger than her, she loves babies, but pretty much freezes with eyes down when a mobile child that is smaller than her comes up to her.

Gracie enjoyed taking lots of walks, getting piggyback rides, and all of the attention she received from family and friends. We headed back home about 8:30 p.m. and as tired as Gracie was, she didn't fall asleep on the ride home, but for the most part was very good natured for the trip back.

It didn't take her long to fall asleep once she got home.

Wishing you all a safe Memorial Day.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Saturday - A Picnic With Family

Gracie had a great night and awoke with a great big smile at 6:40 a.m. She was ready for the day. We treated her to cinnamon rolls for breakfast and then she went in the tubby. For the first time ever she asked to get out of the tub. Not sure what that was about. Gracie and I hung out at home all morning. We did take a walk around 10:30 a.m., but it was HOT!!! So hot, that for lunch I made a strawberry banana smoothie. She wasn't very hungry for much else.

I was going through some clothes in the bedroom after lunch and she indicated she wanted to sit on Jeff and my bed. Then she indicated she wanted the TV on. So there she relaxed, watching TV while I got a few things cleaned up. After that she took a 3 hour nap!

Then we headed to Grandma & Grandpa D.'s to have a picnic. Auntie Kathy, Cousins Calvin, Maria, and Joshua were there too. We also got to meet G&G's friends Dan and Nancy. We had a fun time, good food, and Gracie loved G&G's cats. Dan and Nancy have cats that are tamer and she got to pet them too. She loved it. Gracie had a good time taking everyone for walks, seeing the llamas that are close to where G&G have their RV, and pouring cold water down my shirt. BRRRRR.

Gracie is now sleeping peacefully. I need to join her.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Thursday - Happy and Then Very Tired

Gracie had another good night. She awoke this morning and was a very happy girl. We have to be very creative with her breakfast in order to get her to take her meds with no problem. She is very selective and we can't have the same thing for more than a couple of days in a row. This morning she had a glazer donut for the first time...it was a HUGE hit. Breakfast isn't the nutritious meal it used to be, but Jeff and I have decided that it is more important to get her seizure meds in her than to worry about nutrition in the morning.

I took Gracie to daycare and she was in a very good mood. Jeff picked her up and then they played outside until I got home from work. Gracie was very happy to see me and I couldn't get in the door fast enough. She even helped me take my purse off my shoulder so I could get in quicker to hug her.

She was very tired tonight and wasn't very hungry. I think it was a case of too tired to eat. She did have a pear and some milk and a few bites of pasta.

Gracie is in bed and hasn't moved since she fell asleep. She was such a tired girl.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Wednesday - A Very Happy Girl

Gracie had a good day today. I (dad) picked her up at daycare and then played in the front yard for a half hour before going inside. Then mom got home with supper and Grace proceeded to eat most of my BBQ chicken salad, along with mommy's chicken stir-fry pita (mmm, Baker's Square take out - yummy).

We then went out for another walk - and went down to the store and back, then around the block. Grace had a wonderful time looking at the bunnies, squirrels, and - of course - the BIRDS!

We had very few "disagreements" tonite. We are finding that part of Grace's Soto's issue, is that she cannot self-regulate, or calm down on her own - so when she gets riled up, she cannot bring herself back down to a calm condition. We have done pretty well in finding ways to help her calm down when things start to get out of hand.

However - as you may remember from recent entries, Grace has had a terrible issue with biting here at home. We have been beside ourselves with how to break her of this. We recently re-looked at some of her self-calming issues, along with a few other factors, and have decided on a new approach. Our trial is only 2 days old, but so far the results look promising. This is a good thing, as I won't miss the teeth marks in my arm :-)

Grace went to sleep a while ago, and then as I was emptying the dishwasher, something caught my eye, and there was a little girl standing beside me. She walked out of her room, and into the kitchen without making a sound. Usually when she gets out of bed, it is a fairly large production, so this was a new thing. Mommy whisked her back into her room - and Grace is now fast asleep . . . again. I plan to join the ranks of the unconscious soon - so will sign off for now.

Thanks for reading. Have a great day.

Love,
Jeff, Lisa, and Gracie

Tuesday - Preschool Visit

Gracie had a good night and didn't want to wake up again this morning. Once awake she was in a good mood. Today was an exciting day as we went to visit the preschool that Gracie will go to in the Fall. First of all we had Gracie's IEP and got to meet the teacher, physical therapist, occupational therapist, school principal, and para professionals that she will have in the Fall. We loved them all! We will continue to have Gracie's IEP goals be functional routine based goals. These seem to work best for her.

After Gracie's IEP, we took her to daycare and went back to the school to observe a classroom in session. We loved it! This is the perfect program for Gracie. I really feel that she will thrive here and I'm excited for her. We love Gracie's early ed teacher and physical therapist, so we are very sad that we only have two more months to work with them. They have been such an important part of her life and successes.

After work, Jeff and I picked up Gracie together. She was such a good girl all night long. Such a contrast to last evening. She was sweet, engaging, happy, and quite cooperative all night long. She even got a Cookie Monster sticker for being helpful when putting on her pj's.

Tonight she was hungry, took me by the hand to the kitchen, pointed to the counter and said "banana". Yes, she told me specifically what she wanted. It was AWESOME!

Tonight as I was laying down with her at bedtime, I told her I loved her and I signed it also. She signed AND said it back to me. It was one of those heart melting mommy moments.

She is now sleeping peacefully.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Monday - We've Had Better Days

Gracie had a fantastic nights sleep. I awoke at 4:00 a.m. and found her in the exact same position she fell asleep in...with her head in the crook of my arm. I'm usually awoken many times a night by her stirring and this night I slept peacefully too. Ahhh, it was great. Gracie awoke in a great mood. I did think we were going to have food holding problems again this morning, but she only held it for a bit and then swallowed it down.

Gracie had OT at the clinic today. We let her go in with the OT by herself again. I'm told she was uncooperative, didn't want to work, and wouldn't do anything that was too hard. She had quite a few meltdowns and was one sad girl when they came to get mommy. She got to go down the slide, but seemed very distracted. She was very happy when we were done and saw her neurologist. She and Dr. N. took a walk around the floor and Dr. N was thrilled to hear words and she even commented on how straight and tall Gracie was walking and how happy she was to see that.

She was a happy girl on the way home as we sang. Our evening was trying to say the least. Gracie was out of control, we had continual biting, tantrums, etc. She was even past the time outs doing much good. I think that in part it had to do with a more stern OT session where she was made to do things and I think she just felt out of sync. We barely got her meds in her. She had a little fruit and some milk and some cereal later, but would not eat a thing at supper time. Her bath was fun and she enjoyed that. She was also very hot. We let her run around in only a diaper and we turned on the air conditioning full blast.

Tonight when I layed down with her at bedtime she signed "sorry" to me. Makes me wonder if she realized that she was out of control, but just didn't know how to deal with it and once things had calmed wanted to tell me she was sorry. Just not sure.

At any rate, she is peacefully sleeping now.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Sunday - Visitors

Gracie had an okay night. She was pretty restless at times and then woke up at 3:30 a.m. and was awake (but happy) for about a half hour before falling back to sleep. She awoke about 6:15 a.m. and snuggled with daddy while I went to take a shower. Then we all got up and had Gracie's favorite breakfast - cinnamon rolls.

Gracie had a good day, although she cannot tolerate the heat. That is one of the side effects of topimirate (her seizure meds). We put on the air conditioning last night to at least get some of the humidity out of the house.

Gracie did play out on the deck with her water table for a little while. We also went for a very brief walk, to which Gracie lead me quickly back to our front door to come in the house. This is so unlike her as she loves to be outside.

Grandma & Grandpa D, and Aunt Kathy came over for supper tonight. Gracie was happy to see them all and hugs were plentiful. Gracie had Aunt Kathy playing her piano with her and Kathy had Gracie giggling so hard, it was hilarious to watch.

Gracie was one tired girl tonight. Tonight she is in her Hello Kitty pj's...she looks so cute in them.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Saturday - Happy When Held

Gracie had a pretty good night and awoke at 7:00 a.m., unfortunately I didn't get to sleep that long as I wanted a shower before Jeff left for work. Gracie and I hung out together this morning and she was happy as long as I was holding her. If I put her down she was not happy. I'm not sure what was up with that. We did venture out to the bridal store to see about getting cream colored frilly socks. Gracie loves the owner of the store and when she saw Gracie, she got down on her knees and said "how is my little friend". Gracie ran to her and gave her a huge hug.

Then we headed to ShopKo to pick up a few things. Gracie did good riding in the cart as long as it was moving. She got a treat of Junior Mints at the store. They were a huge hit. Then home for lunch and a nap. Gracie had a really hard time falling asleep, then woke up about 45 minutes into her nap. Daddy was home from work and layed down with her, but that never works (daddy is fun and we never go back to sleep for him) so he headed off to band practice and I layed down with her again. She fell back to sleep for another hour and a half. This did wonders for her mood.

After nap we made a cool refreshing strawberry banana soy smoothie. That was a big hit. Then we went for a walk, followed by splashing and playing with her water table. Gracie and daddy watched all of Gracie's favorite Sesame Street and puppy videos on You Tube for a while tonight. Gracie loves getting to play "puter".

It was quite hot in the house tonight so I took Gracie outside on the deck for awhile and we just sang and walked as she layed her head on my shoulder. She loved it out there and it was a beautiful night. Cool breeze and no bugs.

She is now sleeping, but is restless. I think she is hot, even though she looks cool in her new Spongebob pj's in bright yellow. I just turned on the air to get a little humidity out of the house. That should help a bit.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Thursday - PT & ECSE

Gracie had a very restless night. It was one of those nights where she tossed and turned all night long. She had a hard time waking up again, but when she did she was daddy's girl big time. At one point she gave him the biggest, sweetest hug and then closed her eyes, layed her head on his chest and attempted to go back to sleep.

Jeff took Gracie to daycare this morning and I picked her up mid-afternoon as her physical therapist and early intervention teacher were scheduled to meet with her. Her PT was very pleased with Gracie's progress. We worked on pulling a wagon around the backyard to work on balance and strength, we worked on walking up and down stairs -- she is doing so good with this, we worked on running, and riding her tricycle. Gracie's teacher was very pleased with Gracie's speech skills. Gracie talked and talked and talked. She also liked how Gracie signs and speaks the words at the same time. Gracie painted a picture for mommy. She loves when Sandy and Emily come to play. She gave them both big long hugs that were unsolicited.

Gracie was very tired tonight and just wanted to be held most of the night. Once again ate a pear, some milk and then wanted nothing to do with supper. As long as we are getting her meds in her and her snack is healthy, I don't really have a problem with this.

Gracie and daddy had a major splash fest in the tub and then we put on Gracie's "Hello Kitty" pajamas. She got a sticker for being helpful with putting on her pj's. Then is was time for bed. We thought she would fall right to sleep, but she was overtired and had a hard time falling asleep. She is now sleeping peacefully.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Wednesday - So Much Fun

Gracie had a good night and did not want to get up this morning. She was all snuggled in and try as I might I couldn't get her to wake up. She would open her eyes, look at me and slam them shut again for a few more zzzz's. Once awake she was in a very good mood.

I was trying to dress Gracie this morning when she pointed outside and said "duck". Sure enough there on our front lawn was a duck.

Gracie had a very busy day. She walked to the park twice today at daycare. The first trip they found the play equipment still wet, so they came back later. Gracie made some new friends at the park. A family from our daycare mom's church was there -- they have two daughters and one son. The daughters are about 9 & 10 and the son is 7 and also has special needs. The two daughters took right to Gracie and she loved the attention.

Gracie had a bloody nose right before I picked her up at daycare. Ugh. When we got home from daycare, Gracie again wanted a pear. Yum! Then milk. When it came time for supper she wanted no part of it.

Gracie and I went outside tonight but she was too tired to walk, so I put her in her wheelchair and I got my walk in. Everytime I would ask her if she was having fun, she would shake her head and tell me "no". It got to be such a joke that she would laugh when she said it.

She was quite the little comedian at bedtime again too. I think she knows the more she cracks mom up the longer she gets to stay awake.

She is sleeping peacefully now in her Dora the Explorer pajamas.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Tuesday - Happy Girl

Gracie had a pretty good night and did not want to wake up this morning. Once she finally did, she was in a very good mood and that was the theme of the day. I wonder if the sunshine helped her mood as well.

This morning she got to go for a burley ride behind the bicycle at daycare and she played outside this afternoon too. Our friend Renee lives by our daycare and when Gracie saw her tonight as we were ready to go home, she ran as fast as she could into her arms and gave her a great big hug.

When we got home Gracie wanted something on the cupboard. Everything I suggested was met with an adamant "no". So I finally lifted her up to show me what she wanted. A pear...she wanted a pear. I certainly won't argue with that. I cut it up and she ate the whole thing, then started on some yummy fresh strawberries. She was a good girl while I cooked supper. She went between watching Barney on TV and watching daddy mow the lawn out the window. After supper, we went for a walk, Gracie was so much fun. She just jabbered and jabbered the whole time.

All the fresh air made for a tired girl. She fell asleep in about two seconds tonight...right after she signed "I love you". Melted my heart.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Mommy-less Monday

In a rare guest appearance, today's Gracie Update will be written by Jeff the dad. Lisa had a seminar on special needs children to attend, so Grace and I were the two Musketeers tonite. I picked her up at daycare around 5:00. All of the kids were playing outside and Grace was in a great mood.

We came home and had some snacks, played, watched some videos (including the new favorite, Barney).

Grace was real good tonite, shoveling away her supper and taking her meds like a trooper. This evening marked our second sentence. As I was going into the pantry to see what all there was to make for supper, I heard some footsteps coming behind me followed by a big-little voice calling, "Me Too!" Grace loves to check out the pantry, so how dare I neglect to bring her along!! I was quite proud of her. She also repeated quite a few of the words from Barney. Her vocabulary has taken another leap forward.

After supper, we (I) decided we should go for a walk. A walk was a great idea until we (Grace) decided that we (Grace) didn't want to walk very far. It was then that we (I) had to carry one of us around the entire block. So our (my) walk was very enjoyable as we (Grace) rode on dad's shoulders for the duration.

After our walk and playing outside, it was time for bed. We were just winding down and then we (Grace) heard the garage door open. Suddenly we were wound up all over again at the prospect of mommy coming through the door (I don't supposed it helped that I kept saying, "who do you think is here??").

Grace finally calmed back down and is now sleeping - bringing an end to a fun evening.

Good night to you. Thanks for reading.

Jeff, Lisa, and Gracie

Busy Busy Weekend

We've had a busy weekend. Here are a few highlights.

Friday: Grandma & Grandpa D. rolled into town for the summer. Jeff had to work, so Gracie and I surprised them and stopped in for a little bit. Gracie played major shy until she spied one of their cats. The rest of the visit was spent in delight walking with Grandma, petting cats, and peeking at them under the table.

Saturday: Gracie visited Grandma & Grandpa D. again for a little while in the morning with daddy. Then we went to help cousin Jason celebrate his star/golden birthday. Gracie had a great time and especially liked the birthday candles. She helped Jason blow them out...or attempted to anyway. She was quite a chatty Cathy too. She also got to swing and slide at their neighbors. She also squealed in delight at their yellow lab, Sandy. She also know says Sandy and Jason's name. She also attempted Sheila and Kayla, although they weren't quite as clear. She had a great time, but was one tired girl by the time we got home.

Sunday: Gracie woke me up in the wee hours of the morning with one of her mondo bloody noses. Yes, blood all over the bed and her. Once again I sing the praises of Era laundry detergent and Oxyclean in combo. I pretreated nothing and the blood came right out.

We all went to Jeff's church this morning and were joined by Grandma and Grandpa D. Gracie was a good girl and we didn't have to take her out at all. I think that may be a first. Yay. After church Gracie was so tired she didn't want to eat lunch. Jeff and Gracie took a long nap while I went to the grocery store. Then we had a memorial service/celebration of life to attend, so I drove Gracie to my sister's house about 30 minutes away (thank you Sheila, Chris, Kayla, and Jason for taking such good care of Gracie) and then headed back. I was 30 minutes late, but just in time for the slide show and memory sharing. Then Jeff and I headed to pick Gracie up. I'm told she has the nickname of "Hoover" (as in the vacuum) as she ate and ate and ate. Sheila always was a better cook than me. Gracie had a great time. When I left her and wanted to say goodbye, she paid no attention to me, she was having too much fun. When we returned we did get hugs and smiles, but we could tell she had a busy afternoon/evening of fun.

Now we are all exhausted. Gracie is snoozing and Jeff and I are headed to bed as well.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Thursday - Holding Meds Again

Gracie had a pretty restless night last night. She has had so many good ones lately that I was hoping that maybe we were past the restless ones. She awoke in a good mood. That's where the challenges began. When it was time to eat breakfast, she didn't want to eat and held her meds in her mouth again. Thankfully, Jeff was on late late shift and could take her to daycare a little late. She was greeted by her 3 year old little buddy Maddox at daycare this morning with a "Hi honey bun". How cute is that?

I picked Gracie up from daycare and she was in a good mood. The first thing she asked for when we got in the car was music. Once we got home she was so thirsty, she drank two full glasses of Gatorade, but wanted nothing to eat and again held meds in her mouth. Then spit them out all over the carpet. It took me over an hour, but we finally got them all in.

Gracie had a great time in the tub tonight. It wasn't a splash fest, instead she sprawled all the way out on her tummy and enjoyed swimming. She was such a tired girl after that, it took her about two seconds to fall asleep.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Wednesday: Increased Meds = Increased Vocabulary

Gracie had another great night (I love typing that) and awoke in a great mood. We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then headed to the car dealership to have daddy's van repaired, then they dropped me off at work. Jeff was off with Gracie today and they had a great day. They went visiting and Gracie enjoyed seeing friends she hasn't seen in a while.

Jeff tells me that Gracie was a very good girl all day. She was very happy, very cooperative, and quite the chatterbox. We increased Gracie's seizure meds today and true to form, we have seen an increase in her cognitive skills, most specifically we've seen a burst in her speech.

Gracie was quite sad after they picked me up at work and we dropped daddy off at the car dealership. After spending all day with him, she was quite definitely daddy's girl tonight. The exception to that is supper. She sat on my lap and scavenged my plate of food. It's a good thing that I'm a good sharer!

Gracie is now sleeping peacefully.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Tuesday - Gracie Said Her First Sentence!!!

Gracie had another wonderful restful night. I'm starting to get used to these!!! :) Gracie awoke in a great mood and was very happy. Then it was time for breakfast and she took her first bite of applesauce with meds and held it in her mouth again. We left her for a little while, but we know now that she will not ever swallow once she starts holding. Hours later it will slowly get spit out...so I escorted her to the bathroom to brush her teeth...and dug everything out with the toothbrush. She hates to have it dug out, but once it is out is a much happier girl. Knowing we had to get meds in and be on time as I had a meeting right away at work, I made one of those 30 second microwave chocolate cakes. Gracie LOVES cake. I stood at the counter taking bites of my wonderful cake...soon she was begging for bites. How interesting that her bites had white sprinkles on top...white sprinkles of Topamax.

I contacted Gracie's pediatric neurologist today as Gracie has hit 40 lbs., and with weight increases come medicine increases. She agreed that we needed to increase meds, so we'll start that tomorrow. I foresee no problems and am interested to see if we will see a burst of cognitive skills like we usually do with the increases.

Gracie had a good day at daycare and had a pretty good night at home. At one point I was in the bathroom with the door shut. Gracie just hates when someone is in the bathroom with the door shut, she thinks she needs to be in on the action I guess. She was outside the door fussing. So in a sing-songy voice I said "Gracie...Gracie, where are you?" The reply made both Jeff and I about fall over. Gracie said all on her own (not repeating, but came up with the words all on her own) "I'm right here!" This is a big day...this was her first sentence. Very exciting.

It didn't take Gracie long to fall asleep tonight, she was a tired girl. Sweet dreams.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Monday - A Day with Daddy

Gracie had a good night and awoke with smiles this morning. She had a day with daddy today as he was off work. They had a good day and Gracie was a very good girl. This morning Jeff was telling me about something that was "fantastic" and pretty soon we hear a little voice say "fantastic". That cracked us up.

Gracie came to visit mommy at work for a little while and we had lunch together while daddy had a quick meeting. Then we got to see some birdies, that was a huge highlight. Then home with daddy for a nap. Then back to the clinic for OT. We are doing OT a little differently, we have her go into the room with her OT all by herself and then we watch from a one way window in the next room. Although she is not happy about this, she cooperates more without mommy and daddy in the room. The minute she was done and was allowed to come find us, she ran and hugged Jeff so hard and then the tears started flowing. As hard as this was for mommy to see how upset she was, I know this is the best way and it will get her more prepared for preschool in the Fall.

Gracie had a good night at home and was a very happy girl.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Sunday - Making Mommy Feel Special

Gracie's night started out restless, but as soon as her tired little head found my stomach to lay on for the night, she slept very peacefully. That is where her head stayed for the majority of the night. She awoke at 6:30 a.m. with smiles. She was a bit more fussy and seemed tired, so I put her back to bed at 10:30 a.m., where she slept for an hour.

Gracie was excited to give me the Mother's Day card she had for me and we plopped down on the floor together to open it. It was very fitting that the card had birds on it...which is what Gracie is quite fascinated with these days.

After a quick lunch we headed to Iowa to see Grandma and Grandpa B., as well as lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Grace noticed everything on the way down...birds, horses, cows. It was so much fun to hear her squeals of delight. Gracie had a good day at G&G's and had great undivided attention. We had a shower for her cousin Crystal and her fiance Will. Gracie was thrilled when Crystal (an elementary education teacher who majored in special ed) sang songs and did actions with her. Gracie kept signing that she wanted more music as soon as Crystal would finish with a song.

Gracie also loved watching her two new little baby cousins. Gracie took many of her cousins and aunts around the house for walks. Thank you to all who treated her like a princess today. Gracie was very tired when we left and I was surprised when she fell asleep in the car half way home as she rarely will sleep in the car. She awoke when we got home, but fell back to sleep pretty quickly.

It was a great day.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Saturday - Such a Big Girl

Gracie had a pretty good night and awoke bright and early at 6 a.m. I talked her in to snuggling for about a half hour, but then she was ready to get out of bed.

Gracie had a good day and a lot of accomplishments today:
1. Walked up and down the stairs in our house all by her big girl self. She held onto the rail and did it on her own both ways.

2. She has a cold and when her nose is running we ask her to blow and she does.

3. She talked and talked and talked all day. At one point I yelled "Where are you?" (I knew where she was.) I heard her repeat the words right back "Where are you?"

4. A three hour nap...which made bedtime 10:00 instead of 8:00. Yawn!

It was a good day!

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Thursday - How to Annoy My Mom

Gracie had another great night. YAY!!!! She awoke in a great mood once again and was very playful as she ate breakfast and seizure meds. She did great when I took her to daycare. She was excited to see Arthur was on TV when we arrived. Our routine is we take off her shoes and then she takes them and puts them where they belong. Since Arthur was on, she didn't want to take her shoes, so we had to shut if off until she did her job. Michelle got a pretty dirty look for shutting Arthur off.

When I picked Gracie up from daycare she was getting a scooter ride around the block. On the way home, she started gagging herself. This annoys me so much because there is nothing I can do about it while I'm driving. Sure enough, she gagged herself enough that she threw up all over herself. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. So I had to wipe her down before I brought her in the house and then we had to strip her coat and clothes off as soon as we entered the house.

Gracie was a bit challenging tonight. She was very unhappy and demanding. Half the time I don't think even she knew what she wanted. She was very tired and I think that is why things were a little rough.

Gracie did enjoy her bath. After we dry her off she absolutely HATES laying down to get her diaper on. So I said to her "Gracie, you are just going to have accept that you need to get your diaper on until you go potty in the potty chair." She went over to the toilet, raised the lid and wanted to sit down. So we sat her there for awhile and she was more than happy to sit. She didn't go potty, but this may be a start, who knows.

Gracie is now fast asleep and covered with her hand me down blanket from cousin Kayla. Soft and cuddly.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Wednesday - Hanging with Daddy

Gracie had another wonderful restful night sleep. It did my heart good to see her so restful and she awoke in a great mood. Gracie was a good girl this morning and wanted to dance to music instead of get dressed for the day.

I took Gracie to daycare and she did very good. I thought she was going to cry for a minute, but she didn't. Daddy picked Gracie up and they spent the evening at home while I was out shopping. I'm told Gracie didn't want anything to do with supper and was a very tired girl. When I got home around 7:45 p.m., I was surprised to find Gracie asleep on daddy's shoulder. I had hoped she would still be awake when I got home. Jeff layed her down on the bed, she awoke, opened her eyes a little, saw me and immediately got this huge smile across her face and was so excited to see me she started laughing. Then she sat up and kissed me on the lips. That sure was good for my ego! She got so excited she fully woke up, so I got to spend a little time with her before she went to bed for the night.

Gracie got to talk to Auntie Cheryl on the phone and was full of big smiles as she listened. When it was bedtime, she fell right to sleep.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Tuesday - A Much Better Day

Gracie had a very restful night last night. We both needed that! She awoke a well rested, much happier girl. It was so nice to have our happy girl back. Those tough days make you really appreciate the good days.

Jeff took Gracie to daycare and she was very happy to see her friends again. I think she was a little stir crazy being home for two full days and not getting to go anywhere. Jeff also picked Gracie up from daycare and they had some time to play outside before I got home. When I got home she gave me the biggest hug. I picked her up, she snuggled in for the longest time and made content little sounds.

Gracie was a good girl tonight with the exception of the tantrum when her Barney DVD was over. She enjoyed her bath, story time, and galloped around the house as we said "When daddy rides the horse, he goes trot, trot, trot; When mommy rides the horse she goes trot, trot, trot;" then in a much more exaggerated voice and a much quicker ending "And when Gracie rides the horse she goes trot, trot, trot." She kept signing "more" over and over and over again. Usually she sits on our knees for this and we bounce her up and down. Tonight she galloped around the house and giggled and giggled and giggled.

Gracie fell asleep pretty quickly tonight. I'm hoping for another restful night for her.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Monday - A Very Snotty Not Feeling Well Not So Good Day

Gracie had another horribly restless night. She was tossing and turning constantly. She was in constant motion and would wake up and cry out and sit up. This went on all night, until about 3:00 a.m. She finally fell into a peaceful sleep. So did I. She slept until 6:00 a.m. I was wishing she would have slept longer. This cold is really doing her in. Not only can she not breathe, but she has a cough with it too that wakes her.

This morning her early intervention teacher was supposed to come to visit, but cancelled as she was sick also. The cancellation turned out to be a good thing. Gracie started the "holding food with her seizure medicine" trick again. It took us til 10:00 a.m. to finally get it all in her. She also was in just a horrendous mood, no smiles, just wanted to be held. I was rocking her for about two seconds and looked down and she was fast asleep.

I stayed home from work to take care of her and it is a good thing I did. She just did not feel good and her mood was quite owly too. She had moments of happiness, but was very restless, and grumpy for a good part of the day.

This afternoon she must have been sick of being at home. She went and picked up my purse, handed it to me (which isn't any easy feat...it's a big heavy purse) and stood at the gate and said "bye bye". When I told her we were going to stay home, she proceeded to drag my purse through the house. She went around and around the kitchen to the living room about 20 times dragging this big ole purse.

Gracie only took an hour nap today. It's just hard for her to sleep with her nose all congested and a constant drain. She was very restless this afternoon and very moody this evening. Not much made her happy and we are struggling with her biting...but this is only me. She doesn't bite anyone else, she just bites me. She got quite a few time outs for this today. I'm amazed, she actually sits in the corner I put her in until I tell her she can get up. I do think it is starting to sink in as I saw her go to bite me tonight, thought better of it, and stopped on her own. I've tried talking to her, I've tried raising my voice, I've tried just saying "no", we've talked about being nice, in the end the time outs and very firm "no's" seem to work the best.

Gracie is finally sleeping but is very restless. It was a tough day for all of us. Here is hoping tomorrow is a better day.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

Sunday - Not Feeling So Good

Gracie had a horribly restless night and tossed and turned. She is coming down with a cold and can't breathe through her nose. This poses a problem when you need to breathe out of your mouth but also want to suck your thumb. She awoke at 5:30 a.m. in a great mood. As tired as I was, that smile put me in a good mood too. We layed in bed for a half hour just "talking" and snuggling.

Gracie got to hang with daddy for about 30 minutes before he headed to work for the day. Jeff and I were in the kitchen and he was telling me a story about something he didn't like and used the word "disgusting", not two seconds later, we hear a little voice in the living room saying "disgusting". Amazingly she said it quite clear too.

Gracie has a nasty head cold and cough. Her nose was like a faucet all day. She is getting better about helping to blow. No fever, just feeling a little punky. We snuggled alot and I let her just hang out for most of the day. She fell asleep at 11:00 a.m. and slept until 1:00 p.m. Although it was a restless sleep. Gracie had a late lunch and just after we finished, we were surprised to see daddy come home a couple of hours before we expected him.

After that an old friend that we haven't seen in a couple of years (one of Jeff's groomsmen) and his three boys stopped by. That was such a treat. Gracie wasn't too sure at first, but warmed up to them before too long. She eagerly doled out hugs when they left and fussed and cried because she didn't want them to go.

We took a walk around the block this afternoon and then just hung out. Jeff picked up supper at Bakers Square for us and Gracie and I were going to share an entree. It came in one of those styrofoam clamshells. I took a plate and cut some up for Gracie and put her in her seat. She wasn't quite happy with that and told me she was all done. So I let her get down. Pretty soon, she was sitting in my chair...pretty much edged me out, and was eating out of my clam shell. She so wants to do what we are doing.

She is asleep now, but very restless and keeps coughing. I better go check on her.

Have a great week.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

A Busy and Fun Saturday

Gracie had an okay night as long as she was sleeping with her head on my shoulder. I think her allergies are acting up a bit and an elevated head helps with the breathing. She awoke at 6:20 a.m. in a great mood. She got to see daddy for about 10 minutes before he headed to work for the day.

Gracie's new favorite place to be is standing at the bow window in the living room watching the birds and the neighborhood happenings. This morning she was standing there and I heard her get excited and say "bunny". I went to check it out and sure enough there was a bunny hopping across our lawn. I was so proud and when I confirmed that it was indeed a bunny and praised her for saying it, she beamed.

Gracie and I had our Saturday morning cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Once again she found it hilarious to "steal" some from mommy's plate. After breakfast we got dressed and headed to the soccer fields to watch cousin Jason play. Jason and his buddies were so good to her. She loved playing with them and was sad when they had to take their places on the field. She snuggled with Auntie Sheila for awhile. Another soccer mom, Lori, showed up. Turns out we know Lori as the social worker we have worked with through the early intervention program for Grace. Gracie took Lori for many walks. The kindness of everyone to Gracie was so heartwarming. At the end of the game, the player that was handing out treats sought Gracie and I out to ask if she could have a treat too. WOW! Gracie was thrilled with her treat!

On the way home, I also gave her a graham cracker as it was her lunch time. She was so tired she sat in her car seat holding her cracker with a few bites out of it, just staring ahead in a tired stupor (no not an absence seizure, I made sure). She livened up a bit when we got home and ate some lunch.

Gracie took a very short nap, but awoke in a great mood. We headed to the cell phone store and then to Target after naptime. Gracie was so good for both. Then we played outside for the rest of the afternoon. Our neighbor to the back and east has a couple of dogs that Gracie just loves to watch. So she spent a fair amount of time glued to the fence watching them.

Daddy came home in time for supper, although she was happy to see him, she was a total mommy's girl tonight. She had a great time yelling at daddy out the window as he was putting weed killer on the dandelions in the front yard.

She was one tired girl tonight and fell right to sleep.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie