Some Solid Fun

Wednesday was the prettiest day since Grace was born. Sun was shining, 70 degrees, just beautiful!! So, when David got home we attempted another walk to see how my back would hold up. We made it 1.5 miles with me pushing Grace in the stroller and my back hasn't been hurting too much - woohoo!! Hopefully this means I am on the mend and can start walking more regularly. :)

On Thursday, Grace had her 4 month checkup. Our delicate little flower only weights 11lbs, 8ozs and is 23" long. She's only in the 10th percentile for weight and height, but the Doctor said she was perfect (as usual). She does want her to start on solids to help her get more calories during the day. I am also going to have to start pumping again and go back to lactation since I'm not making enough milk. That's frustrating, but we'll do what we have to do. I think we may just have to invest in a hospital grade pump. The price of the pump is less than formula for the rest of the year and we'll have it for any and all future babies, so it's something to think about.

She also had to get shots again, poor girl. I did better this time and the Dr & Nurse praised me for my bravery. I asked for a lolly pop...lol. She seemed to scream more this time, but it could have been because I was holding her down and not across the room like last time. :( She had a reaction to the vaccines this time, fever, achy, cranky, just miserable and only seemed to be comforted by me. I kept her on Tylenol for 36 hours to try to help her through it and by Saturday morning she was back to her normal self. I felt bad since David's folks arrived while we were at the Doctors and only stayed until Saturday afternoon so they didn't get too much sweet Gracie time. Next time.

Friday night we started her on solids - too funny!

She has had them every day since and is doing better about figuring it out. She does not like the cereal, but I think it's because I'm mixing it with formula and she doesn't like the formula. I'm going to try to mix it with my milk next time and see if she likes it better. Like a true member of my family though she LOVES applesauce. Great Grandma will be excited. :)

Here are a few pictures of her first solids experience and her time with Mama & Papa.

Ewww....This one just cracks me up - her expression is priceless!No need to call child protective services, we stopped trying after this one.Trying again Saturday MorningTaking a BreakStill not so sureWith Mama & Papa

Happy St. Patricks Day!

3 posts in 3 days - I'm on a roll!

I bought this onezie right after we found out I was pregnant and it was so fun to see her in it. We may not be Irish, but she sure is cute and kissable. :) Grace was in such a good mood tonight that we had to take a few photos. Daddy was making her smile while I snapped the pictures..she even laughed for him which is just the sweetest sound!

I also got some pictures of her grabbing her feet and holding her rattle...she's growing up so fast!

What a year!

A year ago today I woke David up obscenely early to tell him he was finally going to be a Daddy. Looking at her now, I can't believe it's been a year since we found out we were expecting our precious bundle of joy. I remember with an overflowing heart the excitement and anticipation, the joy of pregnancy and the overwhelming gratitude for our bundle of joy... I can hardly believe she's been with us for 16 weeks already.

Grace is amazing, beautiful, and an unbelievable blessing. Her smile melts my heart and often times brings me to "happy tears". I enjoy every moment with her...seeing the world through her eyes is so much fun and I know it will just get more exciting as she grows up.

I am so, so, so grateful to be a mommy and to have her in our lives. I will never forget the day we found out she was on her way.

Can alot really happen in a week??

I'm finding with a newborn the answer is absolutely yes! Here are just a few of the changes we've had over the last week or so.

Grace has finally grabbed the panda hanging from her play mat, as well as all the other toys that hang up there. If she could talk I'm certain she would have screamed "sweet victory!" the first time she figured out how to grab and hold on! LOL. She can now hold on to her rattles too, and probably most exciting of all - she has found her feet! She LOVES her feet! It's been warm enough that we've been able to have her in pants and tops where her feet are bare all day and she LOVES, LOVES, LOVES it! She is constantly reaching for her toes and smiles so big when she reaches them. This makes changing her clothes or her diaper a little more of an adventure because we have to work around her holding her feet, but that's ok. She thinks it's a game, so we go with it and play while changing our sweet girl.

She has also found the "baby in the mirror". I need to get this on video because it is just too cute! We have a massive mirror at the end of our closet and when she is sitting with me on the bed, she'll look in the closet and start chatting it up with the cutie in the mirror. I've taken her up to her reflection, but she doesn't like that as well. She loves to sit and talk to the baby and to the mommy in the mirror and it is just priceless! There are many times that David & I just stop to watch "The Gracie Show" and this is one not to be missed. I love her little voice and how sweet her sounds are as she tries to talk. I have a feeling we'll have a chatty cathy on our hands once she learns to speak, but I'm ok with that. :)

She seems to finally be over her congestion which is wonderful. Now of course, after putting her back into her swing so she could breathe and sleep, we once again get to re-transition her into the cradle...what fun! At least I know she'll get used to it if we stick to our guns and hopefully she'll take to it much quicker this time around. Hopefully it won't rock her "sleeping at night" boat too much. She has been sleeping 8-11 hours a night since the 3rd. I can't believe it! I feel like I have a whole new lease on life and can get alot done while she's sleeping. She's still sleeping quite a bit during the day as well, napping for 30min - 2 hours between feedings and is eating about every 4 hours. Hopefully she'll learn to self soothe quickly in the cradle so she can still get the sleep she needs.

Since I know ya'll come mostly for the pictures, here are a few photos for you to enjoy. :)

John, one of my dear friends from high school, cross-stitched Grace this adorable hooded towel! It has 2 monkeys and a lion on it and we love it! Thanks John!!This one shows the detail of the towel more and I just LOVE her face - too funny!

Beginning Milestones

Grace is just over 3 months old and this week has been full of her first milestones. She is finally getting the hang of grasping things and can briefly hold on to rattles now. She has been trying for weeks to grab the panda that hangs from her play mat and she is getting closer and closer. She knows how to move it and swing it from the link-a-doo, but she hasn't quite grabbed it yet.

We also started reading this week. Before she wouldn't even make eye contact with the books, but now she is starting to get into it. She talks and squeals and tries to grab the books...I'm so glad! I have been wanting to get into a routine of reading to her, but she just hasn't been interested until now. I can't wait to introduce her to all our favorite books!!

She has also started to laugh. It is the most amazing sound ever! I just love to her here cackle. She doesn't do it often, but she has done it and I can't wait for David to hear it. I'll also try to get it on video for her grandparents since it will be virtually impossible to get her to do it on the webcam anytime soon. As soon as I pull out a camera of any kind she is so interested in the equipment that I have a hard time distracting her, so I need David to get me interacting with her on tape. LOL

Finally, on Monday she was taking a nap and started to cry when she woke up. I came up to get her, and this is how I found her!She must have been up for a while before she started crying as she had rolled over in her swing. It was so funny that after ensuring she was safe and could breathe I had to get my camera. I had only been buckling her in on one side since the clicking had been waking her up and she was immobile, but now she must be completely buckled in...too funny!

This was just too cute not to post even though it's not technically a milestone. :) When David gets home from work, he takes a few minutes to cuddle with Grace first thing. She LOVES her daddy. It is so cute to see how much she adores him and how as she's getting older she is more and more attentive with him. She gives him the biggest smiles, she touches his face and it's just a matter of time before she gets ahold of his glasses. :)