Daddy Takes Over

Grace,

Daddy took over this week as Mommy had the opportunity to travel to Texas for her MOPS conference. She is a great mom and wife and this was a great opportunity for her to refresh and relax. I know it was hard for her because she absolutely loves us and she wanted to go, but I think she would have loved it if we could have gone with her. These were the last few moments right before Mimi took her to the airport. 

 So you went down for you morning nap and you woke up happy as can be. I love you little girl and I was ready for a fun day with you. Look I even had an outfit picked out for you. At this point in the week I had lots of energy and was snapping pictures left and right.

I have to leave this picture in here even though it is not rotated right, this was the first morning and I forgot to get myself ready before you finished your morning nap. Well needless to say you were not happy with me, but we made it through this small hiccup and carried on.

 So why are we doing water play inside on the first day mommy is gone? Well I left the gate to the playroom open and you are moving so fast now. You made it to the dog bowl and *splash splash splash* and 5 minutes later we had a bucket of water and towels so you could play.

You really loved pouring water all over clothes and eating the water that you got on your hands. You are so smart and love exploring and discovering new things. We made a mess, but it was a lot of fun.

Your shirt and shorts are now in the dryer. So what better way to spend some time while the clothes are drying then to read some of your books. Your mom did a great job of organizing a library for you right before she left for Texas. You love pulling all the books out and looking through the pages. Every time Mimi and I would put the books back in for you so that the next time we played you could pull them all out again. 

Off to Panera for lunch with Mimi and Daddy. We did a good job getting everything packed up and you had your bottle and lunch. We all shared with you too and you had some avocado and tomatoes this day. 

"Who is over there? I see Mimi and Daddy all the time I want to look all around."

Apparently we wore you out and you could not hold your head up to eat, but it was just too cute and we may have encouraged it, just a little.

 Apparently you were still hungry and you found a little more food to eat...YUMMY!

We survived day one! See you are in different pajamas and it is morning again. We can do this, I was tired this morning, but you make my day and you brighten my world. You are so completely and totally worth every moment. I love you!

Look at you standing on your own. You are growing so fast and I know you are going to start walking any day now. It sure makes Mommy and me nervous. I am glad you waited to really stand on your own until Mommy got back from Texas.

One of our new toys we just got this past week was your new swing. It is about 5 feet off the ground and makes me a little nervous when you are up there, but you love swinging and this way you clear the bikes and other assorted things we have on the porch. It is also great because if it rains we can still get some time outside to play. You have the best laugh when you are swinging and it makes my heart so happy.

The days have definitely started running together at this point. I am thinking we Skyped Grandpa and Grandma Mac on this day. They are so excited for us to come visit, they have picked up so many things for your visit.

So here are a few pictures from your 10 month birthday. I did not get many because I was in a daze at this point. Mommy is amazing that she can keep up this pace all the time. She has got your schedule down pat and is so good and just keeping everything going.

Today we made it up to Durham to visit Uncle Taylor and to go eat some pizza at a fantastic local eatery. So after a few days of Mommy being gone we were both getting exhausted and it was just too much for you to hold up your bottle. You are so cute and it probably did not help that JPa, Uncle Taylor, and Daddy all took pictures of you to send to Mommy.

We have a tradition of taking your even month birthdays in your tutu. Since it was just Daddy in charge in the morning, the only way I could get a picture of you was by confining you to your crib. You have a green bow, but well as you can see, you did not really like it on your head, but you like the taste of it.

Grace you are one of the loves my life and I am so happy that you are my daughter. You amazed me more and more every day while your Mommy was gone. I loved watching you play, explore, and learn. I loved the time we got to spend one on one, but I missed your Mommy and I am glad she is home and I know you are too. Your face lit up when we walked in the door. Keep being you and never change because you are awesome.

Love,

Dad and Mom