Speak To Me

As we quickly approach Gracie's 1st birthday, it seems as though our 10 1/2 month old has all of a sudden become a big girl! In addition to the new 'grill' and the insistence on walking everywhere, Gracie has started talking! Along with mama and dad (not da-da, just dad), which she has been saying for some time, Gracie also says dog, duck, Beth, bye-bye, up, and hi. Her little words just melt my heart, especially when she looks up at us with a big smile and just says simply and sweetly, "Hi!" Where did our little baby go?!?!

These Teeth are Made for Walkin'

Gracie has never slept well (keep reading- I promise that this is not another post about sleep) so the other night when she woke up every hour on the hour I just habitually zombied my way into her room as usual not giving it much thought. In the morning, I blamed it on "teething," which I have been blaming my ten month old's piss and vinegar personality on for the last nine months. Yet, my cover is always blown when I have to admit that no, she doesn't actually have any teeth at all.

Anyway, a few days ago after the super-sized Gracie Victoria was wearing me thin, I decided to do the finger-swipe across her gums praying that for the first time since she was born I would actually have a reason for the nightly drama. I did. In true diva style, Gracie decided that she would skip the bottom teeth all together and get her entire top row of teeth over night. She was pissed as you can imagine. Greg went and bought an array of teething remedies, which we are not really convinced work, and we are making sure to supply an excess of hugs and loves as she is so unhappy about her new accessories.

In addition to this huge milestone, Gracie has made some other steps- literally. She's always been super early when it comes to motor development, and we hypothesize that her CD (Curiosity Disorder) mixed with her tendancy to get highly irritated at the slightest thing motivates her to go go go!! Case and point: yesterday I was sitting on the floor playing with somthing is my hand as a highly irritated Gracie (Teething. Yes! I CAN use that as an excuse now!) looked up, threw down what she was playing with and walked across the room. Five steps, easy. I was dumb founded. She didn't even pull the whole "drunken sailor taddle." She seriously straight up walked.

As sorry as I feel for my little baby getting so many teeth at once, I can't help but giggle a little because as so many friends have said about her, "That is just SO Gracie."

The Cousins

When I was little my cousins were my best friends. I can't wait to see how Matthew, Gracie, and Emily grow closer as the years go on!

My girls

Play date

I thought play dates were only for moms with mini-vans, but two trucks, and three SUV's later, we ladies were busy eating breakfast burritos (thanks as always, Paige, for cooking) and snagging up crying babies off the floor regardless of whether or not they belonged to us. Gracie, Maya and Campbell held their own next to Trent, Peyton, and "The Zac Attack" (Zac is the "jovial bully"- happily scratching, clawing, and biting his way through the sea of babies.) Maybe next time we need to listen to Davey's idea (she is an experienced mom after all) and skip the coffee and go straight to memosas.

Dad and Gracie

Fingerprints and Fridge Magnets

From my current vantage point of sitting on our new used couch, I gaze out at a sea of primary colored plastic trinkets, thingies, and gadgets. I remember the not-so-long-ago days when Greg and I prided ourselves in our commitment to contemporary design: clean lines, organic colors and decor, and intentional minimalism. Now, perched on this used sofa complete with sunken in cushions telling the tale of families past I wonder how I can sit so calmly observing it all: the clutter, the annoying jingles that randomly seep out of a toy whose batteries we swore were dead, the fingerprints that don't get wiped away because . . . well, what's the point? And the FRIDGE MAGNETS. We vowed long ago that we would never be the fridge magnet type. Fridges were for food and picture frames were for pictures. These things were not to be confused. And yet, the arrival of Gracie has unlocked a place in ourselves that we did not know existed: the place where fridge magnets hold up little pieces of our hearts to smile back at us and where fingerprints on appliances and windows remind us how many changes and discoveries are being made each day. So here's to fingerprints and fridge magnets and most of all, family.

Mommy and Gracie go to the Park

Gracie and I have had a wonderful sunny weekend. We jogged to the park on Saturday and Sunday, swung on the swings, practiced walking while mommy held her hands, and played in the grass (where she crawls with her tummy off the ground). I don't know what was bluer in the sunlight, her eyes or the sky, but regardless I couldn't stop staring at her. . . Seeing the world through her eyes is amazing. We studied the grass and felt the prickle of it between our toes, and I felt so lucky to share the magic of it all with her.

Watch out World!

I don't know if we are ready for this, but our almost eight month old has been standing for a while and in the past week or so has taken to cruising around the furniture. Ahhh! She is far too young and far too short to start walking, yet Gracie doesn't seem to care. She has been ready to race around since she was born, so off she goes. Today I looked up, and she was climbing the stairs. Time to start the mommy chase!

Cousin Emily and Uncle Nathan's Birthday