Happy Holidays!

Cousins Zoe and Henry and Matthew and Emily came down for Thanksgiving! We had so much fun! Maya even stopped by the next day for some leftovers and an early birthday present from "Grandma" Vicki! Holidays are so much more fun with a house full of wild kids!

I should have captured a video of this shoot. It was absolutely hilarious!!! Emily has taken quite an interest in cousin Gracie, and her mission seems to be clawing at her face and sucking on her head. Matthew is such a great big brother and cousin- always hamming it up and trying to make the girls laugh.

Not for the easily nauseated

(How, you might ask, does one get barf on her forehead? While I know this is disgusting, it is also quite talented.)

Most anyone that has spent any time at all around our daughter knows that she is quite the barfer, but until this morning it has been an issue of quantity rather than quality. This morning, I walked into the nursery to find Greg changing Gracie's diaper. She was making her normal morning gurgling sounds, so there was no indicator that she was about to blow. However, as soon as I entered the room I heard this awful spewing sound and Greg stumbled backwards tripping over the ottoman. Before I knew what had happened I was greeted with a familiar wet substance on my face. Yes, Gracie had just projectile vomited from her position of laying on her back to about 8 feet across the room and onto her mom as well as the dresser, floor, and clothes in the closet. . . not to worry though, our four-legged vacuum cleaner took care of it for us. Sick.

"Baby" Steps

Something monumental happened yesterday: Baby Gracie fell asleep in her crib. Yes, I know. It is unsafe to have pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, etc in a crib with a baby, but apparently she is able to fall asleep only if I make a little "nest" for her. And, no worries- I pretty much stood over her and watched her sleep as I was in awe of the accomplishment! :) We tried again last night, but no luck. There has to be a difference between babies who "cry it out" and those who fire engine siren it out, and I just can't bear the latter.

My get-up these days . . .

Yesterday Paige, Zac, Gracie, and I ventured off to the Woodburn outlet mall. The four of us have gotten quite adept at spending money since August, so I was attempting a hobby foriegn to me: window shopping . . . didn't quite master it. After pacing the public restrooms while Pagie nursed a screaming Zac, chowing down on half a jalepeno dog (payed for that later), and changing Gracie in a dressing room after a major blow-out, I was ready to spend a little money. As always, Paige and I made it through the day cracking up . . . even as Gracie's symphony of screams provided a symbolic sound track to our drive home.

"Yes We Can"

I think the image will forever be imprinted in my mind- Greg perched at the end of our bed fidgeting with excitement while I lay quietly next to him with Gracie sleeping in my arms, both smiling and fighting back tears at the same time. For weeks now Greg has paced the house grumbling nervously about his uncertainties of the world in which Gracie would grow up. And, normally optimistic I even found myself becoming quite cynical and apathetic. Yet Tuesday night restored our hope along with many others around the globe. . . and I'm sure we were not the only parents who when wondering whether or not we could finally be excited about the world in which our children will grow up responded silently with thoughts of "Yes we can. " :)

Happy Halloween!

Last night was our annual Halloween get-together at our house . We all took turns passing out candy, and Brian and Davey took Maya trick-or-treating for the first time! Darlene supplied us with purple potatoes for the baked potato bar, and we all hung out until 9 o'clock! (Which is the latest Greg and I have stayed up in months. Ha!) Friday nights sure are looking different these days! It was great to see everyone, and Gracie was a happy camper for the most part . . . I guess it's true what they say about the three month mark- things sure are getting a lot quieter at the Fast house!

Our Trips to Washington

Here are some pictures from Gracie's and my first trip to Washington! We have so much fun hanging out with the cousins- I can't imagine just how much more fun it will become as they get older! Also, check out that picture of Gracie and "Big Ben." Can you believe he was born just two and a half weeks before her? . . . Although, Gracie's cheeks are starting to look more and more like his!

At the end of September, Carol and my Aunt Linda threw a baby shower for Gracie. It was so great to see all of our family and friends! It was amazing how adorable all of the other babies and children were that attended. It was especially great to spend time with my nephew, Matthew, and my niece, Emily!

The weeks are starting to fly by!

I have yet to post many pictures of Gracie with her aunties, which is crazy because they are such a big part of her life! Here she is at school visiting auntie Melissa during lunch!

My parents came to visit, and Gracie was on her best behavior! We can't wait for them to come down for three weeks in December when I go back to work!We are sorry to say that Gracie is mesmorized by the TV. We are going to have to do something about that. In the meantime, we can't help but laugh at how much she looks like grandpa when she is zoning out on the football game. :) Here I am with TWO babies. Gracie is in the Bjorn, and Zac is in my arms. Who would have thought I was scared to hold a baby just three months ago!

Gracie looks like grandpa!

Gracie looks like Grandpa Garry!

"Those parents"

Gracie's first run-in with "the law!" Here we are at Auntie Michelle's graduation from the police academy! We are so proud of her!

Maya did such a great job holding Gracie!
I absolutely LOVE this picture of Greg's dad caressing Gracie's forehead.
Dad gets Gracie for most of the day on Sundays . . . she loves watching TV on dad's knees, and here she is actually sleeping somewhere other than in the Bjorn! Good job, dad!

In looking back on these blogs I realize that we are "those" parents. Greg and I were noticing how already in the last 11 weeks, we have acquired more pictures of Gracie than we have of the two of us over the past four years. Thus, I am going to attempt to take more pictures of our WHOLE family- friends included. In the meantime . . .