We could all learn a little bit from Gracie...

Don't take yourself to seriously...and laugh once and a while

Ah a day at the pool...

It used to be so relaxing. I would grab a towel, water, sunscreen(ok, that was rare) and People magazine. I would get to the pool, jump in to cool off, and then bake for hours. It was awesome. After a full afternoon, I would come home exhaused(not because I did any swimming, no way, probably b/c I had some mild heat stroke) and take a nap. Boy have things changed.

Today we took Grace to the pool. I began getting ready about an hour before it was time to go. Our pool bag(s) contained:
--3 towels
--suncreen (70+ for Grace and 12 for Dave, still none for me; hey, that's the one thing that hasn't changed)
--sun bonnet
--swim diapers
--3 sandwiches
--crackers
--fruit
--water
--apple juice
--wet paper towels
--camera (Oh god, that is awful. A camera at the pool sucks...that' why I'm the camera man)
--Gracie's normal diaper bag

And no People magazine in sight. How quickly and completly your life changes. But, I wouldn't have it any other way. Gracie loved the water and I attribute that to dunking her last year.

Two is better than one!

Gracie really loves her walkers. She still hasn't walked on her own yet, but she has found new enjoyment and stimlation in playing with both her walkers at once. And of course, it's a riot!

Blog update...it's about time!

Here is a picture for now:





I am currently the worst blogger mom eva. I haven't updated the blog in forever. I should be ashamed.

Graduation

Grace has graduated from the infant room to the older infant room. We have been transitioning her for the past couple of weeks but Monday she started in with the older kids full time. It was tough for David and I as we really loved the people who watched Gracie in the infant room and also because it meant our baby was getting older. Of course her being surrounded by kids who are walking and talking and not drolling and pooping are much better for her development but I hate to see her growing up so fast!

Yesterday her caregiver presented us with a photobook with the following pictures:





I was very touched by her sentiment and also a bit saddened. What am I going to do at her high school graduation!?!?!??!!?!?!

Happy Memorial Day

Memorial weekend was a big one for us! We went strawberry picking, got locked out of the house with the baby safely inside, and drove to VA Beach to adopt a new dog, Moose.

On Saturday we joined Mom Mom, Pop Pop, Aunt Jen, Uncle Greg, Brandon and Samantha for the annual Great Country Farm Strawberry Jubilee. That's right, it was a jubilee. And I know that sounds hillbilly and I'm not at all hillbilly but everyone in Loudoun County came out for the festivities. There were no shortages of Blackberry's and laptops at this "country" fair. The line to pick strawberry's was over an hour long so we decided to stretch out on our blanket and enjoy the music and food.

I like to call this exerpt King Foo husband.
Sunday we were all set to make the four hour drive to VA Beach to pick up Moose. We have known for a while that Joe needed a playmate and have been waiting for the perfect buddy to come along. We think we found that after reading Moose's description on the Lab rescue website. Aunt Jen was able to watch Gracie and all we needed to do was take Joe down there to meet the dog. Dave and I were running around at 6:45AM trying to get everyone ready. Joe was in the yard, Grace in her exersaucer and David inside. I ran to the car going through the garage, leaving the door to the house open. Dave came outside to bring out some of Gracie's things and closed the door behind him. As soon as he, he looked up at me, "You have the keys, right!!!???" Hell no I didn't have the keys. I left the door open!!!! was my thought. We were locked out of the house. Panic hit us both. Were there any unlocked doors, windows, anyway to get into the house?? We both ran around for a minute, looking at the house, almost willing it open. We realized that wouldn't work. Everything was locked up tight. With Gracie in the kitchen. Shit. Panic. Double shit. More panic. Finally, my husband yelled to me, "Ok honey, close the garage door. I'm kicking the door in. I don't want the neighbors to see."
You're what!!!! I mean I love my husband and I believe in him 100 percent but to do something like kick open a door, I was skeptical. But, we had no other options. It's worth a shot. I closed the garage door and waited outside. Thud.
"Ok honey, I got it, come on in!!!!!!!!!" What, my husband had done it! He kicked our door in to save the baby!!!!!!! (I think it was the fact that he had watched Indiana Jones the night before, he was feeling very masculine!) We ran inside and Gracie was sitting in her exersaucer, looking out the window. I of course was hysterical and David was standing there just a little bit taller. Catastrophe avoided.

Moose and Joe are becoming friends. It's going to be an ajustment for both of them but hopefully they will soon be brothers.

Feelin' better!

Gracie is doing so much better. Her roseloa ran it's course like clockwork; three days with a high fever and three days of a rash. Now she's totally back to normal, with the exception of the PJ's Daddy picked out!

Roses(ola) are red, like my baby's face

I should have gone to medical school. My daughter has yet another disease, this one is Roseola. It is a virus that causes a high fever, check, makes the baby fussy or irritable, check, causes a decreased appetite, check, and is accompanied by a nasty rash, check. Of course, there is nothing we can do but give her Tylenol and make her comfortable. She is sleeping a little more than normal and when she is awake, she hates her life. I mean she is pitiful. Look:


Spotty face

Gracie look for the day

Rush Hour

Gracie has become quite the effective walker...with the help of her walker. Although we haven't seen her complete any steps on her own, she sure can with the some assistance. We're not rushing anything, she'll walk on her own when she's ready. For now enjoy this clip, she must have learned this from Mommy when she gets frusterated in traffic when she gets stuck!

Totally Bottle-Less---Yippee!

Today Gracie had no bottles what so ever! She has been down to only a morning bottle for a couple of weeks now and the thought of no morning bottle has been tough for David and I! This morning I was up earlier than normal b/c Dave had to go downtown and therefore he was out of the house before six. I got almost toally ready before Gracie woke up and when she did, I went downstairs for a sippy cup. I got her out of her crib and changed her clothes before giving her the cup. She drank about half and didn't even miss her bottle.

I know this isn't prolific but babies adapt and are willing to change without a hesitation, it's the parents that are the problem.

Here she is this past weekend in her new little sundress, compliments of kevin and Sara. Thanks guys!

For her birthday, Gracie received a couple of walkers. Here is her introduction to the lion walker...complete with Nana's help!

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!!!