It's a G thing.

March had been a pretty calm month. I've been helping my mom around the house a lot. I like to unfold laundry so she can fold it, and I like to take the silverware out of the dishwasher for her. I've been perfecting my standing-up skills, and I crawl like a speeding bullet. And I've been teaching my mother a thing or two about culinary arts. I will eat no more baby food mush, and I will not be fooled! I want to eat what she's got. I've also learned a very useful phrase: "Uh-oh."

March got a lot more exciting when Aunt Gretchen came to town! Uh-oh. Aunt G and I have a lot of fun together. We are two of a kind--very smart, a little mischievous, stylish, and the life of the party. We spent a day in Boulder, shopping and seeing the sites. We saw a street performer contortionist, and I tried to steal the show.

The next day, we had a St. Patrick's Day party, complete with an array of green foods. That was interesting... I stuck with the non-green macaroni and cheese.

We ate out a couple of times, where I got to try lots of new foods, and we went shopping. We also made a trip to Garden of the Gods for some photos.

The best part was having enter- tainment in the backseat with me. Everywhere we went, Aunt G sat in back with me and we talked and played games. I miss her so much!

Mom and I are counting down to my 1st birthday, and anxiously waiting for my Dad to get home in May. Hopefully the next couple of months will speed by!

It's a girl!

Believe it or not, strangers often mistake me for a boy. I've been told it's because I have no hair. That is really beyond my control. Even when I'm wearing pink flowery outfits, people have approached and asked, "how old is he?" WHO ME!? I've noticed that my mother's tone has changed over time. She used to simply answer their question, or politely correct them. These days, she sets them straight, asking how the pink didn't tip them off? or if they would put this outfit on a boy? Heheh.

My first attempt to remedy this error was big bows on headbands. At first it seemed like a pretty good idea, but when I saw myself in the mirror, I was absolutely horrified! Now I remove these ridiculous bows as quickly as my mother puts them on my head.

Next, my friend helped me try some hair, in the form of a wig. I personally kind of liked it, but everyone laughed at me. I understand that this photo is now circulating among friends and family... are you laughing with me, or at me??

So, I decided to get earrings. Aren't they beautiful? They sparkle like a rainbow. I only cried for a minute, and have been perfectly pleased ever since. Miss G has got some bling!




What else has been going on with me? I graduated from Water Waddles 1. I completed all the requirements, including putting my face under water one time. My favorite part was definitely the back float. Over the weekend, I went to a really fun 1st birthday party for one of my baby friends. Here we are playing with a parachute, and I jumped off this big thing with a little help from my assistants. It was a really exciting day.

Happy Valentine's Day

Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
If you read my blog,
Happy Valentines to you.

XOXOXOX














Me & my valentine babyfriends.

Wheezy Week

It's been a pretty rotten week for me. I've been to the doctor 3 times this week. Although I quite like my pediatrician, I would rather feel better. I've had a respiratory virus and had to have breathing treatments. The respiratory infection led to ear infections, which led to antibiotics, which have made me sick to my stomach, so then I got a shot. I hate shots. Next week will be better!

Here's the good parts of this week:

-Some volunteers for the YMCA made me this awesome quilt with pictures of me and my Dad and Mom. I love it a lot.



-All I wanted for my 9 month birthday was my two front teeth, and I got them! Check them out. I use them too. They are great for biting my favorite crunchy snacks.

-Before I got sick, I got to spend an evening with my friend, Kendel. I'm having a lot more fun with him now that I can crawl and
steal toys. He may be faster and bigger than I am, but I do pretty well.

-I'm getting really good at standing myself up. Remember when I could roll over to my tummy but couldn't roll back over to my back? Well, I'm having a similar problem. I stand up and can't figure out how to get back down. I yell for my mother to come get me!

Hopefully I will feel well enough to celebrate Valentine's Day this weekend. Look for my Valentine post soon!

New Stats

Hello everyone. I'm checking in with my official 9-month old stats:

* I weigh 17 pounds + 14 ounces. This is the 34% for people my age.

* I am 28 inches tall. I grew only about 3/4" in the last 3 months. This is 67%.

* My head is 44.5 cm around. This is 66%. My brain is growing every day.

I don't have much else to report about my trip to Dr. G's office. I got one little shot, and barely cried at all. He told my mom to let me feed myself more, just like I've been telling her. He always takes my side. He said I was doing great.

My mother and I have been doing normal everyday stuff lately. My latest tricks are clapping my hands, clapping my mom's hands for her, and
standing up by myself. I've also been waving at people sometimes. Swimming lessons are going swimming- ly, and I've been trying to keep up with the bigger kids at the gym. The furry puppy girls and I are becoming fast friends, since they have figured out that it is to their advantage to hang out under my high chair. I share my dinner with them.

All is well in GracieLand... more soon!

Entertainment Tonight

After Dad's visit, plus Gram and Uncle Steve, and then Christmas in Texas with Grandma, Grandpa, and my aunts & uncles, I was used to having a lot of entertainers at my disposal. My mom and the dogs are fantastic, but I'm a high-maintenance girl, and we had to come up with some new activities to keep me amused:

First, I have begun to hone my art skills. I completed my first master- pieces recently, in the form of homemade, edible fingerpaints. As you can see, I "think outside the box." I painted my head and face, as well as the canvas. It was a lot of fun, until I had to be washed up. I don't believe we'll be doing this again real soon.

Also, today I had my first swimming lesson. My friends Seth and Wynter are in the class with me. I did very well, and was quite talkative. I was trying to tell the other people my age about splashing (which I have already mastered), and about the time that my mother and Aunt Jill put me in that really cold swimming pool. I think everyone liked my stories.

Feeding myself has been another of my big projects. It's been a little stressful. You see, I've decided that I do not want to be spoon fed mush any longer. When my mother tries to put me in the high chair, I scream. Sometimes I'll try to appease her by taking a few bites, but often not. Finally, she figured out that I want to feed myself little pieces of food with my fingers. I don't know what took her so long.

Another of my new activities is unloading and rearranging. I like to take my toys out of my baskets, one by one. Sometimes I tip the basket over. Sometimes I get on my knees and reach into the basket. Either way, it's a lot of fun. After each nap, the toys have magically put themselves back in the baskets, and I do it all again.

My last bit of entertainment news is that I'm working hard on standing up. I've done it several times, but always when my mother least expects it. I was standing up in my crib when she came to get me out of bed this morning. Haha! She hasn't captured a picture of that yet, but will soon.

She did, however, finally get a picture of my teeth. (Thank goodness--she'd been chasing me around with that camera for a week trying to get a picture of them.) They are growing nicely, and I'm working on some more. I might have a mouth full of pearly whites before I grow hair on my head!

On a sidenote, I ate a band-aid today. I bit my finger with those sharp bottom teeth, and bled a lot. My mother put a band-aid on it because I was getting blood everywhere. So, I ate the band-aid. My mother called the doctor's office, and they told her to start a list, #1-10, of things that I eat that I shouldn't have. They guaranteed her it would be complete before age 2. So, you will see it from time to time, but hopefully not again too soon!

THINGS THAT GRACIE SHOULD NOT HAVE EATEN
1. band-aid (01/25/10)


More soon!

What's Hot & What's Not for 2010

LINGO
HOT: "person my age"
NOT: "baby"

HAIRSTYLES
HOT: light, wispy curls
NOT: baldness

FASHION
HOT: Pampers CRUISERS
NOT: Pampers Swaddlers

FUN
HOT: swinging at the playground
NOT: swinging in the living room

DINING
HOT: mashed potatoes, teething cookies, yogurt melts
NOT: mushed up baby food, especially sweetpeas (are you listening, Mom?)

TRANSPORTATION
HOT: crawling
NOT: log-rolling

COMMUNICATION
HOT: Skyping with Dad
NOT: Licking the phone

Christmas in Texas

I have returned from a long journey to the great state of Texas, where I enjoyed yet another fabulous Christmas celebration. Grandma was a cooking fool (delicious mashed potatoes), and Grandpa was excellent entertainment. My aunts and uncles were lots of fun, and I got to spend time with some of my Mom's old friends. But the greatest thing about Grandma & Grandpa's house is their little dogs, Josie and Mikey. They are about my size and they run around so happily. I studied them closely, and have made progress on imitating their movements... I can wiggle and scoot around the house on my tummy, pulling myself with one arm and pushing myself with one leg. I just can't figure out how to get my belly off the ground, or how to shake my tail like the dogs do. By the next time I see them, I hope to be able to keep up with them. Won't they be surprised.

I got so many nice Christmas gifts. I got lots of toys, many of them involving balls... a giant baseball, balls than rattle and chime, and balls that pop into the air. The balls that pop into the air are my favorite because I enjoy watching Mom chase the balls and return them to the popper. Good exercise for her, haha. I got books and drums and blocks too. Plus, I practically got a whole new Spring wardrobe, which will fit me very soon at the rate that I am growing!

I understand that in a few more years, I am to enjoy this Christmas tradition of decorating sugar cookies.

Aunt Jill and Aunt Gretchen allowed me to try a taste of the frosting. Surprisingly, I was not too impressed. However, I have discovered teething biscuits, and I quite like them. I'm enjoying tasting all kinds of new things, but my mother keeps trying to feed me those disgusting peas. How many times do I have to tell her??

Aunt Gretchen and Uncle James are always on the go. During one of their jogs, they discovered a playground with swings for people my age. I made a couple of trips to the playground and I loved swinging, especially with Grandpa. I plan on many more trips to these playgrounds during my trips to Texas. Outstanding fun!

There was so much more to my wonderful Texas vacation. That's just the highlights. More updates soon, I promise.

Love,
g

I ♥ Dad

My time with my Dad was absolutely wonderful. Best 2 weeks of my whole life so far! I can't wait for him to come home for good. Dad was fun right from the start, but I wasn't so sure he knew how to do the "Mommy jobs". I looked to her to do these things for me at first, but after getting to know Dad again, I trusted him do just about anything that Mom does. He hasn't quite mastered the psychology of dirty diapers, so we'll need to keep Mom around for that job. She's an expert at it. My Dad put me to bed most nights, and I slept just great. Most importantly, we played and played and played. As soon as I saw Dad coming, I would laugh and smile, and Mom would mysteriously disappear. Dad quickly learned all the lyrics to my favorite songs, and he sings them even better than the original artists. We bounced and jumped and danced. We cuddled and I learned a little about football and mixed martial arts. He introduced me to glow sticks, which really hold my interest when the car is dark and in Chinese restaurants. We had Christmas, and Dad picked out the best toys ever so far. I showed Dad all my tricks, and am already working on some new ones to impress him next time I see him. I have been looking all over for him the past couple days, especially when I get up in the morning or after a nap. I scan the room for him, but no such luck. I really thought I saw him once, but turned out to be a pillow in the dark on his side of the bed. Disappointing, but he'll be home in just a few more months. Counting down, again!

Dad is home & so much more!

I have so much to report that I don't know where to start. I enjoyed my first Thanksgiving, my Dad is home from Afghanistan for a couple weeks, and I finally got to meet Gram and Uncle Steve. I have mastered rolling and am quite adept at sitting up. And I have had some early Christmases.

First, Thanksgiving: I went to my mom's friends' house in the forest. It was a lovely drive, and when we got there, I got to talk to a lot of cats, as well as some very nice people. Most importantly, I got to eat homemade mashed potatoes with gravy made by my friend Kermit, and I had my first try of whipped cream. It was delicious and a lot of fun.

A few days later, my Dad FINALLY came home!! I am having so much fun with him. I have never laughed so hard as I did earlier this evening. He makes the most hysterical noises. We are playing a lot of fun things together and I watch every move he makes. He has been helping me with standing up a little bit too, and I've been showing off all of my talents for him. He got me some really nice Christmas presents, one of which he calls "the best fifty bucks ever spent." It really is quite entertaining. But it's twice as entertaining when Dad plays with me. I won't know what to do with myself when he goes back to Afghanistan. It is so wonderful having him home.

This past weekend, Gram Flo and Uncle Steve came to visit. I had been waiting a long time to meet them, and cannot wait to go to Vermont to meet the rest of my aunts, uncles, and cousins there. Gram and I had a really good time. She wears shiny things on her wrist and around her neck, and I enjoyed grabbing at them. Gram and I spent a lot of time together and got along quite well, aside from me puking on our Christmas present to her. Uncle Steve is a very amusing guy too. I loved listening to him tell stories, although I do worry that I could someday become a character in one of these stories of Gibou monsters and children hanging upside down by their ankles and such. Uncle Steve is very good at the game where I drop something on the floor and he picks it up. I love that game. We had another Christmas and I got a new doll, some musical keys, lots of books, and many additions to my wardrobe. Even better than what's in the boxes, I like to eat the wrapping paper. Yum.











Dad and I have a lot more on our agenda in the coming week before he has to go back to work. Soon after that, it will be off to Texas for Christmas #3! More soon!