Grace and My Mom

The "Pebbles" Look Is Growing on Me

(She's signing "please.")

"I'm a Pillow!"

Bath Time

Part of the Conversation

Jeff:  Telling about his crazy day at work
Me:  Holy cow!
Grace:  MOO!

Grace and My Dad

Coming and Going

Going to school

Coming home

Helper

When I went out to put out the trash, I found this helper on the latch to the gate. I took a picture of him to show Jonathan, and I thought some other little buddies might enjoy seeing it, too. He was a big one!

Walking Progress?!

Grace and I visited both my parents at different times this morning, and between the three of us grownups, we pushed her walking skills pretty hard. Grownup efforts haven't seemed to make much difference to her in the past, but today we had a breakthrough. Grace decided she was willing to walk holding onto just one grownup hand! (In the past, she'd fuss and sit down if she didn't have both hands to hold.)

And I don't know what Jonathan is doing in this picture. :)

Go, girlie, go!

A few months back, I predicted that it would be August or September when Gracie started walking. It looks like I may be wrong and have to wait until October. But it would be really nice if she'd walk in September! Either way, she's making progress, and we're thankful.

Just for fun, here's a post about Jonathan shortly before he started walking. He was awfully cute! Grace is in a size 5 shoe, and I was thinking that Jonathan's feet were about that size when he started walking, but actually, looking back, I see that he was in a 6. I'm glad her feet are trending smaller than his!

Getting Ready

We are just over three months away from Baby's due date, and I am trying to make sure that the big stuff is ready.  Three months sounds like quite awhile yet, but I know that it will fly!  I want to get the big things done while I still feel decent, and also give the kids some time to get completely used to sharing a room before their new sibling arrives.

Jeff, my Craigslist hero, sold our old shelf and dresser that had been living in Jonathan's room.  I built a new shelf and bought a used and well-loved crib from a friend of mine.  Jeff brought the crib over here for me, and we got it up into Jonathan's room a couple of nights ago.  Grace will be sleeping in it soon.  We let her get in, for fun, and she jumped around happily.  I'm sure it helped that this crib is a little more wiggly than hers in the nursery, which made the jumping a lot of fun.  I'll probably start giving her naps in it soon.

I'll be sure to post pictures of their room once it's finished.  That will also give me a chance to get the nursery read for the baby, which won't take much work.  For now, we are thankful that the baby is growing and hopeful that all is still well.

Nothing's More Fun Than Swiping Laundry!

How to Cheer Up Your Dad

Jeff was feeling pretty puny on Sunday and Monday, so Jonathan made him this card. The stick man is actually a knight, by the way.

Grace's 18-month Checkup

First of all, here are her stats:  27 lbs., 5 oz.; 32 1/2" long.  That puts her in the 90th percentile for weight and the 75th for height.  (Just the opposite of her brother, who tends to be above the 90th percentile for height and around the 75th for weight.)

When he came in, the doctor commented that she was 18 months old and probably would not be excited to see the doctor.  It was so true!  She's normally not clingy, but she fussed and hung onto me for dear life while signing "hurt" (which she also signs to indicate that she's scared or sad.)  This is the first time I remember holding her while he looked at her eyes, ears, etc.  Everything checked out fine, except, of course, that he was surprised that she's not yet walking.

The doctor said he was puzzled as to why she's not walking because all the indicators would show that she's ready for it.  He said he normally wouldn't need to see her again until she's two, but he'd like me to call in a month or so and hear whether she's walking, or at least still making progress.  We think that she's doing a little bit more, physically, each day, and she's getting closer...just not quite there yet.  Hopefully she'll get motivated to give it a try soon.  So far she seems to enjoy climbing and crawling, and will walk holding on...just doesn't want to let go.

Doll Clothes Closet

I love this Ikea-hacked doll clothes closet.  I can see myself turning one of our Expedit cubbies into a little closet someday.  Thanks to Dorothy for telling me about ohdeedoh!

She's Home!

Our dear friends, Tim and Jo, are home with their baby girl.  Click here and see her with her proud brothers.  Congratulations to all of you!!!

That's Our Girl!

Giving Baby Stella a ride. Stella needs a trip to the dolly hospital to reconstruct her ponytail!

Reading her favorite book

Playing some tunes

Watching Daddy

That's Our Boy!

Supporting the team

Making requests on grocery day. He tells me that "apple" needs to be in all caps. Maybe because of the stickers on the apples? I don't know.

One of my hopes for Jonathan as he began kindergarten was that his teacher would have more success than I have in convincing him to practice writing with lower-case letters. In just a few weeks, we've seen a big difference in his handwriting and his willingness to practice it. Apparently, too, his teacher makes a big deal out of knowing all the letters (upper and lower) and being able to count to 100. Jonathan has caught her enthusiasm, don't you think?

Pebbles Flintstone

This has never been one of my favorite hairstyles for little girls. But, now that I have a little girl, I can see why it's so popular. It's harder for Grace to tear out, and it keeps her crazy hair out of her face. And there are days that I can't help her brush it out of her eyes all day long. So, when we're going to have a busy day, and when I can keep her still enough to get that ponytail holder wrapped around her hair five times, this is what you'll see.

How to Eat Applesauce

18 months

Grace is 18 months old today, can you even believe it? I took her to Penney's and got her pics taken this morning. I borrowed this chair from my mom, both because it was mine when I was little (and my brother's and then my sister's) and also because Grace loves it. It was the only thing that kept her from crawling out of the picture in every single shot. She's always on her way somewhere!

This was one of those days that we got a bunch of good ones and I could have bought them all. I have a friend who once commented that not ordering a picture of your child feels like you're throwing your kid away. So true. However, I still didn't buy them all. If you're a Gracie fan and would like me to email the link to all 25 pictures to you, let me know. :)

Please note that we managed to keep a bow in her hair in these pictures so that you can actually see her face. Also note that the last, adorable picture is actually of her about to tear out the bow...with an innocent look on her face, of course!

I can't believe our baby is halfway to her second birthday. It goes just as fast as they say. We love you, Gracie!

Done!

Here it is! Finally finished, and I'm taking my machine in to the shop this week. I don't think that anything is seriously wrong with it. I've just waited too long to get it a tune-up. (Yes, sewing machines need those, too!) I think Grace will wear this at Christmas time, so I won't post any pictures of her wearing it until then. I put a long hem in it so she she can hopefully wear it next year, too. I think it has enough wiggle room for that, but we'll see. She always surprises me!

When Daddy Gets Home

Hugs and Kisses

Cruisin'

The Lion

This lion was a gift to Jonathan from my aunt and uncle when Jonathan was tiny. It has always been one of his favorites, and now it's one of Grace's favorites, too.

Kisses!

Standing?

Grace is not yet standing on her own or taking any steps. We're pretty convinced she's strong enough and just needs a little more balance...and a lot more desire. I'm not sure how to give her the desire. She can go where she wants to go fairly easily and has been able to climb up and down the stairs independently for months. I hope and pray she'll use some of that independence to learn to walk very soon.

Yesterday, she was scooting her car sideways across the kitchen, holding onto the steering wheel, like this...

and she let go and stood on her own for two seconds. OK, maybe it was only one second, but still, she wasn't holding on to anything. Then, she ever-so-slowly squatted down and lowered herself to the floor. I'm hoping that teeny bit of progress is foreshadowing some steps very soon. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but it's not working very well!

Baby Lidiyanna Is Coming Home!

We're just thrilled for Tim, Jo, Graham, and Wesley.  Read all about it here.

What I'm Working On

Here's a dress that I' working on for Grace...probably for Christmas. The picture makes it look like a bright red, but it's really more of a deep crimson.

If you can imagine a bit, just add a collar, long sleeves, a big hem, and possibly a black stripe at the bottom. It's kind of a bold print, but I love it.

Also imagine a couple dozen new gray hairs on my head. I really should have put my sewing machine in the shop before this project, but of course I didn't, and my good ol' machine is giving me fits. I keep thinking that I'll finish the dress before I have to haul it in. I've added the collar since I took these pictures. What a pain in the neck, literally, even though I'm enjoying the dress project as a whole. I hope I'll love it when it's done!

The Barn Owl

Jonathan has decided that his hooded sweatshirt becomes owl wings when he puts his hands in the pockets and flips the back over his shoulders. So, of course, he needed to make a barn owl mask with a beak. Here is my little owl.

Free Amazon Prime Subscription

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Girlie Cousins

Clearly...

this one was made from a different mold than her big brother.

Flexible

Last night at the dinner table, after we had finished eating, Grace decided she needed to stick her toe in her ear.  She is still very flexible.  Of course, Jeff asked who else could do it and we all had to try it.   We all did try it, which was hilarious.  Only one of us couldn't do it...I'll let you guess who it was, and I'll give you a hint:  it wasn't me!

24 Weeks

Jonathan's "Iguana on a Leaf"

24 Weeks, and All Is Well!

Grace and I went to my appointment with the midwife today.  Other than the elevator breaking and having some minor stroller adventures on the stairs, it was a great appointment.  We are so thankful for this baby-on-the-way and still can't believe he/she is coming.

The midwife said that things look "fabulous," and the baby's heart rate sounds good.  When she measured me, she said that it looks like I'm "building a good-sized baby, since that's what you do!"  (I don't usually hear the number, but this time, I measured 28 at almost 24 weeks.)  And she is not worried about how much weight I'm gaining since she says that the baby will likely be "good sized" and that I'll get back down to normal afterwards.  She said that I have a very active baby and had to chase it around a bit to keep hearing his/her heart.

All of this was music to my ears.  Did I mention how thankful we are for this baby, and that things seem to be going fine?  Next up, I will have my test to rule out gestational diabetes, and another appointment in four weeks.

If you're wondering...

how Jonathan's doing, he's doing great.  After I picked him up from school yesterday, he felt pretty rotten all afternoon.  (The receptionist who called me to come get him said that his temp. was 103.)  My dad adjusted him early in the evening, and he slept soundly, straight through until morning.  He woke up this morning feeling normal, and I couldn't find a reason to keep him home, so I brought him to school a few minutes late and he had a great day.  We are very thankful!

Poor Little Dude

He brought home his first bug from school today.