The Busy and Slow Week

This week had both the feeling of being very busy as well as very slow. We certainly miss Mimi and J-pa and having them accessible daily! Somehow skyping just isn't the same now. Grace continues to point at all the pictures of Mimi and J-pa. She is sure going to be happy on Thursday when they show up at our house!!!!

We did keep busy however. We had play dates and activities every day. Mommy likes to keep Grace busy. On Thursday Grace's first friend Caleb came over and actually taught Grace some dance moves! Now when soft music comes on, yes soft only - if its fast she won't do it, Grace will put her arms together and throw them up and down and side to side in her version of a dance! 

We also got to play with Nola this week! They are almost the exact same age, Nola is older by maybe 5 weeks. It is so fun to watch them really interact. They would stare at each other and then touch each others faces and hair. It is nice that they are so similar in development so that they are both poking on each other equally and we don't have to worry that one of them is getting hurt! (pictures below are of Grace and Nola exploring.)

We also got to see Auntie B (Ms. Barbara) this week for lunch. The last time she saw Grace, Grace was gosh maybe 2 month?? It is amazing how much Grace has changed since then! However Grace acted like she had seen her every day for the last 9 months giving her all kinds of open mouth kisses! It was so cute! And kind of gross. ;)

We also got to go over and visit Mackenzie, Grace's NEW friend. And by new I mean still only a month old! She has gotten so much bigger and Grace really wanted to get in her Moses basket with her and snuggle. Grace would talk to her and then smile when Mackenzie would move around. Some day sweet girl you will have a baby.... but not anytime soon. When the huge box of energy drinks showed up at the door we were reminded how much we like that Grace sleeps for 11 1/2 hours each night!

I love the pictures we got of Grace in her plaid dress. Grandma and Grandpa Mac got her this dress when we went up to visit them last June 2011. That is right, we had only found out we were having a girl a few weeks before. When we got the dress I couldn't imagine that my baby was every going to fit into it - but LOOK! You are growing so fast I am not sure how many more times I will be able to squeeze you into it. I wouldn't have it any other way though, I love that smiling, laughing, happy face.

 

 

Our great friends Jason and Tina went to visit Australia when Grace was still very small. They brought her home some awesome koala slippers! She loves wearing them around the house and they really help with their non slip bottoms when she is wearing slippery PJ's. She spends a lot of time trying to touch the little faces and seeing if she can stick the whole thing in her mouth! hehe Some things never change.... actually I know someday she won't stick everything in her mouth and I will probably miss that too.

 

BEN! Grace and I have missed Ben while we were in Atlanta. Ben did some cooking this week at our house. He made an amazing lunch and Grace played in her playroom and with Daddy while we cooked. When Ben saw Grace he said "She got BIG" hehe. Yes she did. Ben is sooo patient with Grace, giving her enough space to feel comfortable with him, and then allowing her to touch all over his face. It is amazing to see how naturally comfortable and great he is with her!

 

Last but not least Mommy actually mowed the whole yard this week! WOW - I know you are impressed. The grass had gotten so long and honestly it is hard to make time to get out there and do it. We actually went out after Grace was in bed for the night. Daddy did a whole bunch of edging, trimming, and blowing, while Mommy mowed. It was a team effort, but the house looks good!

Sweet Grace,
Your two bottom teeth are both poking through  now. Your left one (the right one when I look) is up further then the other one, but they are both there. You have bitten my finger several times while I try to feel them and OUCH it hurts. I am sure glad you are not breast feeding anymore! =) I love you Grace  Jacklyn. You continue to make my heart sing. Now if we can only get your passing out under control. When you fall and it scares you, you still need to breath! You get so freaked out you just suck air in and you forget to breath out. It totally freaks me out! You have only passed out twice and Uncle Taylor was here for the last time, it really freaked him out too. So please little girl. Let's not do that anymore. We love you so much.
xoxo
Mommy & Daddy

A Week with Mimi and J-pa

What an amazing week we have had here in Atlanta with Mimi and J-pa. There were actually over 350 pictures from this week so I have done my best to try and capture the week in only 60! Do believe me when I tell you it was so hard to decide which pictures to include. Maybe because Grace is absolutely adorable in all her pictures?? While at Mimi and J-pa's house we found Mommy's little rocking chair from when I was a little girl. It was actually given to me by my Grandmom, Grace's great-Grandmom. It was so cool to see Grace sitting in the chair the same way I used to. However, Grace kept trying to lean forward which tipped the whole chair up and I kept pushing her back... eventually we had to stop because she decided she was no longer having fun being my model, but I love her crying face too, so we still took a couple more shots! 

 

The next set of photos are just around the house. I tried to show how active she is now. She crawls around everywhere and pulls up and everything! She is definitely cruising now. She will cruise down the couch, over to the ottomans and on to another chair. She still needs to hold on to things for support but often her feet are her chosen form of transportation. We actually got a chance to take her to an actual shoe store this week and have them measure her tiny feet. She now wears size 3.5!! She didn't wear shoes a whole bunch prior to getting her new shoes this week, which she only wears out at stores or restaurants... but I swear she will still wearing size 1 comfortable just a few weeks ago! I feel like she grew over night. She looks and behaves much more like a toddler now then like a baby. She is such a big girl!

 

 

 

Flowers Daddy sent Mommy and Grace. Do you think he is missing us??? We will get to see him tomorrow!

Mimi and J-pa took Grace to a really cool children's museum while Mommy got some much needed rest. Apparently it is much harder being a single parent, especially when the child is teething and up multiple times each night! Good news is the tooth finally broke through, Grace LOVED the museum, and Mommy had an awesome nap.

 

 

Mimi and Mommy also had another great find at a really cool kid consignment store here in Atlanta called Go Green. We got this awesome play structure for $25! Grace LOVES it. It is in that next phase were there is some really interactive things like a little garden to plant with vegetables and a mailbox with mail, she still loves just standing and peeking through the mailbox and spinning the little birds, but she will be able to use this for a LONG time and her play with become more elaborate with the different activities.

 

 

Swinging! Grace still loves the feel of the air rushing through her hair in the baby swings! Now she actually fits into them comfortably and Mommy doesn't have to worry the whole time about Grace sitting back and sliding down into the swing. Some things are less stressful when you are bigger! At least for your Mommy. hehe

 

 

Last but not least we had one more photo shoot here in Atlanta. This girl is just getting so big so fast! We took her to a park near Mimi and J-pa's house called "Gary Pirkle Park" for the bridge photos and then over to one of the many parks on Lake Lanier for the others. Grace is certainly learning how to smile and as we call it "ham it up" for the photos. It has been so wonderful to spend this time with Mimi and J-pa and to just relax and be spoiled. Thank you for having us, Grace and I love you both so much.

 

 

 

My sweet Grace,
I think my favorite memory from this week was watching you intentionally kiss your Mimi. You took your little hands and pulled her face the way you wanted it and then opened up wide and went in for a big, wet, mouth to mouth kiss. I hope you know how much your Mimi and J-pa love you and of course how much I do. I love you all the fish in Lake Lanier times all the puffs you ate this week times all the polka dots on your blue dress. You are loved.
xoxo
Mommy & Daddy