The Weekend Plus

Gracie continues to have great days!

• 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!!!!

That's our last few days in a nutshell.  We hope you are having a good week.

Love,
Lisa, Jeff, and Gracie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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