What's in a Name?

Grace – noun
1. Elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action.
2. A pleasing or attractive quality or endowment.
3. Favor or good will.


    Grace was one of the few names that B and I agreed on. I don’t remember who suggested it, but it made it on the list. She’s not named after anyone, although B informed me that Dave Matthews (his fave) has a daughter named Grace. We both just really liked the name.
    We discussed names a lot when I was pregnant, and since we had chosen not to find out if we were having a boy or a girl, we decided to have a handful of names we liked at the ready for when baby arrived. When we met our beautiful girl, B said “she looks like a Grace.” I agreed. 
    We had decided ahead of time that if we did choose the name Grace, her middle name would be Marcella. I personally think that Grace Marcella just sounds lovely; the two names go well together. But there’s more to it than that. Marcella is my mom’s name, although she’s always gone by Marny. My mom is a smart, strong, and amazing woman. Marcella was also my Nanny’s middle name. My Nanny was the most caring, loving, beautiful person I have ever met (and I’m not just saying that because she’s my Nanny. You can even ask people who aren’t related to her). Nanny absolutely loved babies, and I often wish she was still around to meet her first great granddaughter. I love that Gracie’s middle name is connected to two of the most wonderful people in my life. 


    While I'm on the topic of names, here are a few of Grace's nicknames:

Gracie Goo
Goober (or just Goob)  
Chubsy
Stinker
Turkey Butt (sometimes nicknames don't make any sense)
Booger
Cheeks
Sweet Pea

Peek-A-Boo!

I see you Mommy ....

Peek-A-Boo!

Love this little face!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

My sister and I took Grace to watch B play softball today! It was the first game of the season. Grace was sporting her custom made Renegades jersey - the handiwork of Auntie M! It was a beautiful day, and we had fun cheering on all our family on the team: B, my two brothers and my future sister-in-law all play. Uncle W came to watch too. Grace loves being outside so she was happy as a clam!

Daddy and his #1 Fan!

Gracie and Auntie M

The Goob with Uncle J

Uncle M and Grace

Miss Gracie and I

Friday Night Leftovers (On a Saturday Morning)

I started writing this on Friday, but it's being posted in the wee hours of Saturday morning. 

• Wow, this week has flown by! Thankfully, we're finally getting some nice weather so we've been out walking more again. I walked more with Grace in the middle of winter than I have the last few weeks that it's been raining.
• Last weekend Auntie M babysat on Friday night and Grace spent the night with Granzilla and Grampers on Saturday. It's nice to be able to go out and not have to worry at all, because I know I'm leaving her with people who love her just as much as I do! 
• We took Grace swimming on Tuesday. It was her second time in the pool and she loved it just as much as the first! We grabbed one of the little floaters they have at the pool and sat Grace in it so we could pull her around. She looked so small and cute! She had a nice, long nap when we got home; the little goober was tuckered out. 
• It's time to start shopping for a big girl car seat! Grace is getting too heavy to carry around in the infant seat. 
• We had our second baby sign language class today. Gracie fussed a little towards the end because she was tired, but overall she was a little angel. I actually remember some of the songs this time so we'll be singing and signing at home!
• Great Aunt T ran the 5km in the Bluenose Marathon last Sunday. We are so proud of her!
• Grace is becoming more mobile. She's rolling a lot more, and when she's on her tummy she can wiggle herself around to face where she wants to. Now she is starting to pull her legs up under her and sticking her bum up in the air. 
• Grace had her first taste of sweet potatoe last night. It was messy, but she liked it :)
• Find more leftovers here. 

Wordless Wednesday - Some Old Favorites

A Belated 5 Month Update

Gracie was 5 months old on May 13th. She is still a very content baby, a good sleeper, and full of beautiful smiles!

5 Months!

Likes:

• Being outside. Whether it's out for a walk or hanging out in Granzilla's yard, she loves the cool air on her face and taking in all the sights. 
• Her chariot. AKA stroller. She loves being in motion, and usually falls asleep in it. 
• The Jolly Jumper. More like loves it. Mommy and Daddy love watching her in it too!
• Water. She loves baths, and so far loves swimming!
• The Exersaucer. She is liking this more and more. I think she was a little overwhelmed by it at first. 
• Standing. She loves when B or I support her in a standing position. She can hold her weight for at least 30 seconds!
• Books. Grace loves being read to, and loves playing with books. 
• Blankie. This is a new thing. She has a super soft blanket that she likes to snuggle at nap time, and she likes to rub it against her face. 

Dislikes:

• The swing. It was the best thing in the world for the first three months of her life. Now, not so much. Swings are for babies :P
• The Bumbo. She will tolerate it for a few minutes, but she's not a big fan. 
• Socks. It is much more difficult to suck on your toes when they are covered with socks.  

My First Mother's Day

It was two weeks ago, but I want to write about my first Mother's Day. 

        Leading up to that weekend I was joking with B, saying how important Mother's Day was since it came before Father's Day and would determine how his day went ;) I told him he didn't have to buy me anything, but that I wanted us to do something as a family. On Saturday, I got home around supper time after volunteering for a fundraiser for Mom's work. B had put together a slideshow that I watched with Gracie while he finished making supper. B is an awesome cook and we had a delicious meal: chicken cordon bleu, prosciutto wrapped asparagus, and mashed potatoes with truffle oil. So good! In the dining room were a dozen roses, cute cards from B and Gracie, and a spa gift card for a massage! On Sunday morning we went out for breakfast, then spent the afternoon with Granzilla and Grampers. It was a lovely weekend, and a memorable first Mother's Day! I'm going to have to step it up for Father's Day! 

Love

Friday Night Leftovers

• I’m new to the world of blogging. I get excited when I have new followers.
• Great Aunt M-A bought Grace a high chair. MA says it’s an early birthday present and Grace better remember that come December ;) She seems to like it! She has never been a huge fan of the Bumbo, which we sat her in the first couple times we fed her cereal.
• We started a baby sign language class today! I think it’s going to be fun. We learned the signs for more, milk, please, thank you, cereal, and a few others. There are cute songs to go along with some of the signs too. We also learned the sign for hockey so that we could show Daddy – it is playoff time after all! 
• Grace has started smacking her lips after she eats. So cute.
• B is working 8:00-4:30 for the summer instead of 9:00-5:30 and it is so nice having him home earlier in the evenings. He’s up early enough to get to work for 8 o’clock anyway, and now he has more time to spend with Grace in the evenings. 
• I was slacking in the picture taking department for the last 2 weeks, but I’m getting back to taking pictures every day. Gracie is growing so quickly and changing her looks. I am, however, still slacking in the picture printing department so that’s my next goal.
• We’re going out for supper tonight with our best couple friends. Auntie M is babysitting; I think she might be slightly disappointed that Grace will be in bed before we leave so she won’t get her snuggles! Tomorrow night Grace is going for a sleepover with Granzilla and Grampers, while Mommy and Daddy go to the camp for Cousins Weekend! 
• Check out more Friday Night Leftovers here!

Something Current

We finally had some nice weather today! Grace and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. We haven't been out walking much lately because I don't want to take her out in the pouring rain. Despite the weather we've kept ourselves busy: visits from great aunts and uncle, high chair shopping, playdates, a visit to Granzilla's work and a sleep-over at Granzilla's for both Mommy and Gracie.
Thinking about registering for a baby sign language class....

Five Months of Firsts

Grace has experienced a lot of "firsts" over the last five months .... I'll just mention a few


First Day at Home: We brought Grace home on December 16. I was so happy to get out of the hospital, sleep in my own bed, and start getting used to our new life as a family of three.

        

First Christmas: Grace's first Christmas was also the first time we hosted Christmas dinner at our house. Since Grace was still so new, we figured it would be easier to stay at home and have everyone come to us (Granzilla still ended up doing most of the cooking!) Gracie had a great day hanging out with her grandparents, aunts and uncles.

First Playdate: I met a mom who has a daughter a week older than Grace. We've gotten together a few times and it's nice hanging out with another mom whose baby is the same age. And the babies like it too :)


First Trip to Cape Breton: We went to Cape Breton at the end of February to visit B's side of the family. Gracie is a great little traveler and slept the whole car ride, there and back.  

First Sleepover: Grace spent the night with Granzilla and Grampers. She decided that her first night away from Mommy and Daddy would be a good time to sleep through the night for the first time!

First Easter: We spent Easter weekend with both sides of the family - we were with B's side Friday and Saturday and at my parents house on Sunday. Gracie had her picture taken with the Easter Bunny!

First Swim: We went swimming at the end of April and she loved it! She did not, however, like being dunked. Oops. 

And most recently - 


Starting Solids: We had been talking about starting solid food for the last couple weeks. Last week G woke up around 3:30am to eat two nights in a row, so we figured she was telling us she needed more food. We started giving her rice cereal last Saturday and she's been back to sleeping 11-12 hours a night again since that night. She's liking it more each day, it seems. She had eaten prunes the week before to help get things moving, so I suppose that was actually her first encounter with solid food. She liked the prunes and they worked very well ;)

New High Chair!

In a Nutshell

My baby is already 5 months old! Since I'm just starting this blog, I think a post introducing our little Gracie is in order.

• Grace was born on Monday, December 13, 2010. She was 10 days overdue.

Two days old

• She shares her birthday with her Great Aunt Mary-Anne, who is also my Godmother.  Grace loves Mary-Anne. She is always so full of smiles for her, and looks at her in such a way that you can feel the love. I don’t really know how to explain it, but you can just see it and feel it. I like to think they have a special bond.
• She is a very content baby. She pretty much only cries when she is hungry or overtired.
• She is a great sleeper – she has been sleeping through the night since she was 2 months old (sleeping from 9pm to 5am) and has been sleeping for 11-12 hours a night since she was about 3 months old.
• Grace loves music, especially listening to Granzilla play guitar and sing to her. Granzilla is my Mom. When I was pregnant we talked about what my Mom and Dad would be called as grandparents. Dad didn’t care (he's now known as Grampers), but Mom wanted something different, not the usual Nanny or Gramma. So, Granzilla it is! Or Zilla for short.
• She’s a thumbsucker. She also likes to suck on her middle and ring finger. Looks like she is doing the devil horns. 

Rock on!

• Since finding her feet, she likes to suck on her toes as well.
• She loves baths. Loves to kick and splash around and she doesn’t mind when she splashes water all over her face.
• She loves being outside and going for walks. 

Little Miss Gracie

So, that's my little Gracie - in a nutshell. More to come!

Better than a Baby Book

I've decided to start a blog. I've recently started following a few blogs written by new moms and it seems like a good way to keep track of all our adventures in parenting. Plus, it will probably be fun for Grace to read when she's older; like a baby book, but maybe better.