Gracie's First Birthday

Gracie first birthday party was perfect. She was perfect. Dave and I thought she would be scared of all the people that she didn't really know and that by the end of the afternoon she would be fussy. We really should know by now that she has such an easy going personality that nothing bothers her. As our friends arrived, I passed her around and she was totally fine with that. Dave and I would leave the room and she acted as if it was no big deal. This party was a great time for us to connect with friends we hadn't seen in a while as well as to introduce Gracie to some peoplethat she hadn't met.

When it was time to do presents, Gracie sat in her pink chair of honor. We hadn't put her in the chair in a long time (http://little-baby-t.blogspot.com/2008/01/gracies-new-chair.html) and this time she was able to sit in it like a big girl. As we opened the cards, Grace took an immediate liking to it. I handed her the card while I opened the present and she had no interest in the present, just the card. Becky made the comment that she should have bought her staionary! We are so thankful for all of the wonderful gifts everyone got for Pudge, I really couldn't believe how generous everyone was. She got a purse, (awesome, we're starting her early!) a couple of walkers (we got video of her with that, post coming soon!), some really cute dresses, clothes and swimsuits, and several other toys.

The cake was a ton of fun! As we were all singing to her, she sat there, very mellow, as if to say, "What the heck are you all doing?" After the song, I put the whole top layer of the cake in front of her. She just stared. Well no duh Mom. That cake must have looked so huge to her; of course she had no clue what to do with it. After Mom Mom suggested cutting a little off for her, she began eating it no problem. We were all surprised though by how clean she was while eating. We excpeted a huge mess on the floor, icing in her hair, the whole deal. But it was realitivly clean.

After cake we ran up for a quick bath and wardrobe change, came back down and played with our guests until the last one left at 5. Grace was fine until bed at 7:30. She had had one morning nap and managed not to be cranky all day (I wish I could say the same for me:) She's amazing! Enjoy the pics!

She loved opening presents in her chair of honor!

Oh, is that a purse?? I want to play with that!

She did "tear" into her gifts.

Grace loves cards! She played with the cards while Mommy opened the gifts!

The cake!

"Why is everyone looking at me? What's the big deal?"

I think the sugar is really kicking in right about now!

Here she is showing off her front teeth! (When I was playing her later that night I noticed a new tooth had broken through, the one to the right of front tooth!)

Even her sloppiest moments weren't too bad!

Great Falls Park

Yesterday we took a trip to Great Falls Park for our first family picnic. The weather was perfect and it was a surprisingly relaxing day for the whole family. It was relaxing because my daughter doesn't like the feel of grass at all. She crawled to the end of the blanket, put her hand down on the grass and immediatly turned right back around. The grass is her nemisis. It reminded me of when I was a kid and my sister and I would jump from bed to bed without touching the ground. You see the ground was actually lava and if you were unforuntate enought to not make the jump, you would melt. What a carefree childhood game!

So Dave and I were able to lay with the baby and just sort of relax and enjoy her and each other. Grace saw her first horse and touched her first tree. She saw her first river and traveled pretty well in her new baby backpack. However, after three hours out in the sun, we were all getting tired and a bit cranky. We weren't able to see the amazing falls so we're planning our next trip soon. Enjoy!

Notice that she's wearing her birthday hat a little early...
It looks like a really big Joey Dog! Ok, I'm going to try Mama's water bottle!
Whoa, so this is what a tree feels like!
Mom and Dad had to give me graham crackers to keep me happy. And let's just say I'm not the neatest eater!

Bottleless Bedtime

The goal is to have Gracie off of the bottle by one year. We have been slowly weaning her from and are actually down to one in the morning (this will be harder for us to break than Grace, we give her the bottle to keep her occupied while we get ready!), one at school, and one at bedtime. Tonight after her bath, we decided to try to put her to bed without the bottle, but of course had one waiting (out of sight) just in case she got angry. We put her in her nightgown and I sat with her in her glider. I tried to hold her close to me and then in the traditional baby hold but she was crawling up my chest, pulling my hair, and arching her back in protest. So I said forget this, kissed her forehead and placed her into her crib fully awake. I turned around to leave, knowing full well she was awake and begin to cry. So I closed the door and waited, and waited and waited. No crying. My baby went to bed without her bottle! Score one for mom and dad!

Likes/Dislikes

Oh, and her two top teeth broke through today!!!!! Yeah Grace!!!!

Today is a teacher workday and one of the perks of being is Dean is not having to do any grading so I do have some time on my hands! I decided to compile a list of Gracie's likes and dislikes at 11 months old!









LIKES:

• American cheese-she doesn't like it, she loves it!
  
• Stuffed animals-she hugs 'em and just giggles


• Being held upside down by her feet (it sounds dangerous but it's not!)


• Being held (she has become quite the clingy baby the last couple of week)


• Making "cool" noises with her mouth


• Watching Joe the Dog run around in the yard-she waves her hands around and giggles


• Drinking V8Fusion Juice from her sippy cup-ever since she was sick she has had an aversion to apple juice so we tried the V8 and she loves it


• Baths-again, she waves her hands and giggles


• Looking in the mirrior (she is her mother's daughter afterall:)


• Remote controls, CD's, tv speakers-pretty much anything electonic that isn't hers!!!!


• Riding in the car listening to the classical music station-this probably stems from when I was pregnant and David made me listen to it


• being outside

DISLIKES:

• getting dressed-you've never seen her scream and cry like when I'm trying to put her arms though a sleeve


• eardrop/eyedrops-for obvious reasons


• Dave's punching bag in the basement-it's weird, she grabs onto me so tight when we walk by the stupid thing

I really can't think of anything else she doesn't like! There must be something else?!?!?!

Tube Surgery

Gracie tube surgery did go quite well. We had to be at the surgical center at 6:30AM, and she couldn’t have anything to eat after midnight. Dave volunteered to do the midnight feeding (why, I don’t know but I wasn’t arguing) and she ate like a champ and went right back to sleep. We woke her up at 5:30 and put her in the car seat for the trip.
We arrived right on time and were sure the fussing would begin as soon as she woke up. Remember, our cubby little Pudgie hadn’t eaten breakfast. I’m assuming this facility has had its fair share of screaming, starving, irritable infants because they had an awesome distraction in place. A huge fish tank. Gracie made quite the commotion banging on the fish tank, literally laughing out loud, and trying to keep up with the fishy's as they fled quickly, fearing they were under attack. Sidenote, you know all the signs up at the zoo, DO NOT TAP ON THE GLASS, DO NOT DISTURB THE ANIMALS...I don't think my daughter will work for PETA but I digress.

After playing with the fishy, we were herded up stairs to the next waiting area. Jen had arrived with our Starbucks but only 2 were allowed upstairs to the "high security waiting area" and therefore, much to my horror, my grande skim 3 Splenda latte was dumped into the sink. We waited upstairs were Gracie crawled all over the place, looked up at the other kids and smiled. Dave and I were totally amazed that she wasn't completly melting me. That would be my role for the day! The anesthesiologist met with us and talked about the procedure. I was glad to hear that she wouldn't have an IV but just a little bit of gas to put her to sleep. Next up, we were called back to the pre-op area. The nurse was wicked nice and gave Gracie a stuffed monkey which of course made her giggle! Her fingers are so little that it took a minute to get her BP and heartrate but Grace was calm and it was done in no time. Oh, and the cutest part was Gracie's little hospital gown. It was the smallest one they had and it was literally hanging off of her. I wish I had a camera phone (damn you Blackberry!) to capture her cutness. We waited yet again in a paly area with a bunch of other little kids. Grace hadn't fussed the entire time and Dave and I were completly dumbfounded by it. I had my scrubs on as well b/c I was going to take her back into the OR.

This is the funny part. Me, who cried like a baby watching Idol Gives Back, cried at my wedding and my sisters wedding (I mean hysterical cries) and cried yesterday when I hit a squireel, deicded that I have to be strong for my daughter and take her back. Silly mommy.

I walked her back where the table was waiting along with the doctor and several nurses. I laid her down and took her binkie out of her mouth. She laid there perfectly still as they put the mask on her face and I rubbed her cheek. She didn't stuggle with the excpetion of one little kick before she fell asleep. I gave her a kiss and then turned to walk away. My lip started shaking and I turned to look back on more time but the nurse put her arm around me and led me out. Then I lost it. I knew she was going to be ok but I couldn't help but feeling helpless and wishing that it was me on the table. How dramtic of me. This is literally a 4 minutes surgery.

By the time I reached the consultation room were Dave was waiting, I was almost done crying. He hugged me and I dried the tears. Then, the doctor came in. Seriously about 5 minutes after I left the OR. He said she did fine and that there was a lot of thick fluid in her ears but that she was as good as new.

Dave and I went to the recovery room and a nurse brought the baby in. She was a little fussy but we had a bottle ready for her and we sat. As she was eating she began to wake up. I wanted to get her back into her clothes and when Jen came down and I gave Gracie to her to hold. She was smiling again. She was fine!! It was amazing how quickly she recovered. She drank the bottle so quick and was in such a good mood that we decided to take her to McDonald's for a celebatory breakfast! One whole pancake and several eggs later, we headed home. And, true to her form, she was a happy baby for the rest of the day. Here's the proof:

2 hours after surgery

Surgery, what surgery? I'm just glad Mommy and Daddy stayed home to play with me!
You can't escape a Mama with a camera!!!

11 Months (+2 days but who's counting?!?!)

Grace's 11 month birthday kind of crept up on me. After Jen' s wedding, spring break, and busily planning for Grace's first birthday I almost forgot about the all important 11 month marker!

Grace is changing so much everyday. She still hasn't taken any steps on her own but I'm ok with that. She is completely mobile, moving around from one end of the living room to the other, almost always ending up with a dog toy in her mouth. Gross. Grace (we're trying soo hard now to STOP calling her Pudgie) still only has her bottom two teeth that she worked so hard to get but the top two aren't far behind. This doesn't stop her from eating anything and everything, she's obviously just like her daddy. Her favorite food right now is the good old fashioned processed yellow (orange) American cheese. Despite my attempt to make her a more "worldly" eater, exposing her to guacamole, hummus, and avocado (that's worldly for me ok), she goes right for the old standby, the cheese. Good news, she has an aversion to peeps. I'm not sure if it's the sweetness or the new texture, but she's not a big fan. Give her a few years and I'm sure the Zier side of the family will fix that. We have had our fair share of health "crisis", from vomiting non stop to constant ear infections. I'm hoping a fresh new pair of tubes (surgery date set for April 8) and the warmness of the spring will put a stop to it.

But for now, as always, her she is. Looking less like a Pudgie and more like beautiful Grace everyday.

I hate my Easter bonnet

Grace and the Easter Bunny

Jen's Wedding Weekend

Grace wasn't there and I know this is her blog but it was an exciting time for the whole family! Isn't my sissy beautiful!!!

Grace has her own fun however with the Eley/Grossman clan!

Gracie and Lauren, fast friends!
Of course Auntie Lauren spoiled me with books!
Gracie and Mama Eley visiting a Borders to meet award winning author Jodi PicholetGracie and Big Age! Lauren called me Saturday morning to tell me there was a problem. That problem, Grace was in love with Big Age!!!

Saturday Morning Breakfast

Grace has been eating table food for the past couple of weeks now and she's getting very good it. We have started her on the school menu at her daycare and she has eaten spaghetti, french toast, peas, yogurt, cheese, and even Sloppy Joe's (not sure if I like that one so we are being a more picky now with what we want her to eat)! This morning I decided to make a nice big breakfast and for the first time Gracie got her own little plate of exactly what Mommy and Daddy were eating.

Don't worry, the plate was just for the photo op! As you can see, she's getting excited!

"Do you mind Mama, I want to eat in peace!"

10 Months

Pudgie is 10 months old today. 10 months. That's pretty old. As I was taking some pictures of her this evening, I noticed that she is looking more and more like a little girl and less like a little baby. Tonight we had to move her crib mattress down several notches because last night she fussed a bit after I put her to bed (which is so unusual) so I went in to see her pulling herself up on the rails and her little face hanging over the edge. Whoa. She is eating sooo much more now; Cherrios, french toast, eggs, bananas, and all of her yummy baby food. She is healthy, at least for the time being. Last week she stopped eating for four days (she still had her formula no problem) and we (the doctor) discovered that she had another raging ear infection. We took her to a specialist and finally decided to do the tubes. The poor little thing failed her hearing test, she hears like you do when you're under water. Poor thing. Despite all this, she is growing and changing and growing more and more wonderful every day! Enjoy!

BFF's Part II

They really do love each other!

Cute face?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Grace is learning so many new things...how to clap, say na na na (which I think is her way of saying no) and how to make this awful new funny face. Whenever I take out the camera, hoping to capture a na na or a clap, this face shows well, it's ugly face. Maybe I should tell her that if she doesn't stop, her face will freeze like this. Enjoy!

This Valentine's Day, I can only think of the two greatest loves of my life

My husband and my daughter. Life doesn't get any better than this.

Gracie said Mama!

And I didn't hear it! Dave was getting his lunch ready and had Gracie in her carseat ready to go. She was chatting up a storm and all the sudden he heard,"Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma!" Damn 6 AM bootcamp...while I was doing killer squats my baby was calling for me!
Oh, and don't worry. I'm running out tomorrow for some batteries!

The batteries in the camera are dead

Tonight Grace was laughing hysterically. I mean she was completly losing her mind! Dave was looking at her as she was laying on the floor and she was laughing so hard that she was literally rolling all over the place! Then she starts "crawling" on the floor and it looked like she was doing the worm. She did the worm all the way across the floor. Oh, and she was laughing the entire time. Of course, we run for the camera. Of course, it's so dead that it won't even turn on.

Grace has finally gotten over her last couple of illnesses and her energy level is way up. We also decided to increase her formula and have introduced her to meats. It makes for a messy diaper but a very happy baby. She as so much energy now. I wish I could show you the video or pictures but, ourcamera is dead. And, despite the fact that I was at Target twice today, I didn't buy any batteries. Bad mama.

So, I must post some old pictures. What would a post be without pictures. I've learned that the relatvity between the pictures and the subejct of the post is unneccesary.

Lift it up!

Last weekend we were hanging out taking pictures when Grace suddenly, without warning, she lifted herself up! She was so proud of herself! And of course we tried to get her to do it again to capture on video but our little diva wouldn't perform for the paparazzi!

A new post is coming...

Gracie has been sick...nothing serious just a reaction from her antibotics...so it's been a tough week at the Tucholskis'. I will try to update tonight with her 9 month pic (we did take some last night) but I have a workshop tonight. I promise I will try. But until then, here she is!

Arg Dada. Let me go!Nevermind! You're so funny Daddy!