Dummer boy...

Gracie is going to miss her musical friend Elijah and I think he is going to miss the undivided attention of this audience.

BTW - Whoever said crying-it-out wasn't easy is so smart. Gracie kept us up from 3 - 4am this morning just wanting to be with us. It is so hard to hear her cry and not go and pick her up. Every 5 mins or so when we checked on her she just wanted us to hold her. She finally got the message and then slept until 7 without a problem. We sure hope tonight goes better!

She's a man-eater

Well, it's been awhile since we posted on the blog so lots to catch up on. We'll explain the man-eater title later in the blog.

Gracie finally did enjoy her first "blizzard" just after Karla's birthday, and here is a photo to prove it. Last weekend Karla was able to go out to Vines, a local wine bar, for some vino and tapas (or as I call them really expensive tiny appetizers). Grace and I had daddy daughter time while Karla was away. Lots of drooling and sleeping but our little monkey put up with all of that. We spent most of Saturday cleaning up our house...it's incredible what a transformation our abode has undergone in the last seven months. The nursery is understandably a lot different, but now it's hard to go into any room without seeing toys, baby blankets, pacifiers, baby clothes or changing 'gear'. Alas this has even spread to our garage where all of my saws and power tools are side-by-side with not one, not two, but three baby strollers.


Gracie continues to explore her surroundings, which include her bathtub faucet.

The week was good overall, but full of activity and some changes. Grace had her last day with Mel and Elijah on Wednesday. Although she doesn't realize the full extent of the change there is no doubt she'll miss Mel and Elijah who always greeted her with a kiss in the morning, or kept her entertained throughout the day. Both Karla and I took Grace to Nicole's house on Thursday to help her acclimate and ease the transition. The first day was a little tough; new people, new location and something us adults know as the common cold.
Here is a photo of Gracie showing you that "Gracie is so big."

We headed up to "the farm" on Friday for the majority of the weekend. Grace was running a slight fever Friday night, but with the help of Grandma Jeanne and Grandpa Kent, she was able to calm down and get a wee bit of sleep. And I'm not exaggerating on the wee bit part. Karla and I traded off who was checking on her and we both checked on her 5-6 times throughout the night. Thankfully, Saturday morning Grace greeting us with a big smile and normal temperature. She's been getting better ever since but still fighting off the end of this bug. The horrible blizzard we were supposed to have didn't happen. Freezing cold and 30+ mile per hour winds kept us inside most of the time. Kent and I hung some drywall and shelves down in the basement while the ladies help organize boxes for this summer's garage sale. Grace lightened up all of our breaks and even helped the old man catch a little shut eye. After staying another night, and having another of many good meals, we packed up this morning and headed back to Denver to run errands before heading home. Mattress shopping just doesn't seem to interest a six month old!

Back at home, Grace chowed down on a photo of George Clooney which was part of a birthday card that Rebecca gave to Karla at Vines. Hence, the man-eater.


Anyway, Karla is telling me I'm going on, and on, and on...etc. so that's the end for now.

Long and Lean

The six month appointment went well! Grace is 27 1/2" long (95%), 15lbs 10oz (50%) and 90% for head size. She is long and lean as the Dr said. The Dr was even surprised she hasn't been in for a sick visit yet...thank you God for that!

Everyone seems to think that she is such a happy baby. Not to brag, but people keep telling us she is adorable and such a happy baby. We only know our daughter and think she is wonderful. Even after staying up for over 2 hours we were able to get some great shots of her for Easter and to recreate a photo in a 30+ year old outfit. See the similarities? This goes to show you that she takes more after her daddy!

I think I might research modeling for babies but have no idea where to start! It is something to help fund her college education that is for sure.

Birthday fun, 6 months + another year

This week and weekend was full of fun family time. Anne and I continue to have a common bond...now we share "a man." My hubby and parents surprised me with my birthday gift on Friday. Adam brought in my new Bob Revolution stroller, that is brown and blue just like Anne's. The Bob is something I have wanted since I was pregnant and now I know why my heart wanted it. The thing is amazing!!! See Gracie in The Bob below.



Saturday we were able to test drive it through the zoo and botanical gardens. We met the Sandersons at the zoo for Gracie's first visit. It was so nice to spend time with them! Grace was a trouper with limited sleep the whole day. Daddy took her on the carousel for the first time, not on an animal that moved up and down, and she had a smile on her face the whole time. Mommy got to take her on the first train ride which wasn't nearly as exciting. The monkey exhibit was our one must during the trip since Adam calls her monkey. On our way out we made it to the exhibit to only see that Grace had finally fallen asleep. Here is the photo of many monkeys.



That night we enjoyed a birthday celebration for Margie and me. Grace and Alex have a wonderful bond and he really enjoys being around his cousin.













Gracie's 6 month updates:

• She now rolls from her front to back. Saturday she started and there is no stopping her now.
• Butternut squash is yummy in her mind and she is getting the hang of spoon feeding.
• Grace now is started to work on her fine motor skills
• She continues to work on her teeth and loves to chew on her tongue to help them along.
• There is no time, other then when she is completely asleep, that she isn't looking around to see everything.
• Standing with help and sitting with some help are some of her favorite activities.
• Other children and dogs are her best distractions.
• She did get a bit scared after I came downstairs without my glasses, she didn't like it.
• The more we are away from her the more we want to be around our happy little lady.

Her 6 month appointment is tomorrow and I am excited to see how big she is getting. Depending on the weather, and how I am feeling, we are going to recreate a photo that was taken of me at 6 months. The outfit is still wearable and it is going to be fun to see the difference. Based on the photo here, you can see that she does take after her Daddy just a bit! We will update you tomorrow on her stats.

Sunny, Sunny, Sunday....

This weekend was full of some good family time. Around the fun tax preparations and house cleaning, we were able to enjoy time outside and try new food. Saturday I made my own carrot baby food. It is super easy and we just had to let Grace try it. Here is a photo of her after a couple bites. Let's just say, the taste is a bit strong for her still. She is a trouper and will still eat it without much of a fuss. The fuss is coming from the teeth we still think she is getting. There are no signs of anything popping up yet. We know they are down there.

During this weekend we also started looking for a new daycare option. Mel isn't able to watch Gracie any more which is really sad. It is so hard trying to find someone to watch your most precious gift. There are a couple options that I think will work for use though and they are in Parker.

This weekend, and the current week, are unusually warm. Gracie got to enjoy many of trips to the park for some swing time. Here are a couple photos of our sun baby. The weather makes me so excited for this summer and letting Gracie have so many more experiences. Now I am off to Dallas for a day-trip. Enjoy the photos of our little lady :) I love all the hats that she isn't taking off yet!

Teeth, here they come

This week Gracie has been full of fun. She has learned more and more about her tongue. There are new raspberries, lower lip sucking, and kiss sounds. Our friend Phil even got her attention, with the interesting thing above his lip (mustache), and she learned about the motorboat sound. Grace continues to be our happy little girl who makes us smile. The best part of the day is getting her up in the morning and receiving that huge smile! Here are some different faces of Gracie and her enjoying Angel. They are buds. This week she has started to drool more often, so I have a sneaking suspicion that she will start getting a tooth soon. Only time will tell. We are lucky that she stays pretty happy no matter what.

The sun will come out, TODAY!

Today was just an amazing day with 70 degree weather in Colorado and we made the most of it. Grace enjoyed her first time on the swings and I foresee many trips to come. We can only hope we can leave the park without meltdowns as she grows up.

Friday Grace was able to enjoy the day with Grandma Peters. Thank you for spending the day with the little lady. Neil came over for dinner and Grace showed us something new she learned...she was scared of someone. Anytime she could see Papa she started to cry. Luckily Grace finally warmed up to Neil and we all had a great time together as a family.

Saturday our friend's Jody and Mike came for a quick visit and I was able to spend time with Shawna and Melissa. That night was a girls night with some friends from church while Adam had a small poker nights with some buddies. Gracie was able to sleep through the loud man talk and daddy's bad music.

It was project Sunday for us around the house. Now it is back to another work week and we do hope to enjoy more of this wonderful weather with Gracie. Happy Birthday Ms. Jessie!

Here is Smiley :)