Thankful on Thursday

This week I'm thankful for sleep. I'm very thankful that Grace has always been a good sleeper. (Hopefully me saying this doesn't jinx it!) She's been sleeping through the night, for 11-12 hours a night, for a few months now. She always wakes up happy, even when I have to wake her up from a nap if we need to go somewhere.
I'm also thankful for being able to sleep in! B is working a later shift this week, so I got to sleep in today and yesterday while he got up with Grace! It's funny that sleeping in until 8:00 is a big deal now.

Wordless Wednesday

Road Trip

    We packed up and headed to the in-laws this past weekend! I'm glad Grace is a good little traveler. She slept for most of the three hour drive there, and when she was awake she was content to look out the window or chomp on Sophie. Grandparents, Great Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, Great Aunts and Uncles and cousins were all excited to see Miss Gracie. The weather wasn't the greatest but we had a great time visiting with everyone. Grace was a rockstar and was cute and smiley for everyone even though her gums were bothering her a bit. She didn't nap very much because she didn't want to miss anything, but she slept well at night. Grace came home with a few new outfits, some new toys, and a couple cases of formula! We stopped in to see Granzilla and Grampers on our way home and brought them some lobster (courtesy of Uncle Rob). I think we were all glad to sleep in our own beds last night - Grace slept till almost 8 o'clock this morning!

Friday Night Leftovers

• We had our last Baby Sign Language class this morning. I'm a little sad that it's over, it was a lot of fun! I'm going to try my best to keep up with it. I'd love for Grace to learn a few basic signs, but I'm not going to go too crazy with it. 
• I mentioned before that Grace did not like avocado. She does, however, enjoy bananacado!
• Grace has been doing great with eating solids. The latest new foods she's tried are squash and green beans.
• Teething has begun. Oh dear. 
• We've been loving the sunshine and warm weather! I've been taking Grace out in her chariot for walks on the trail near our house. Can't wait till it's warm enough for a dip in the lake!
• Head over here for more leftovers. 

Thankful on Thursday

I love reading these posts on Thursdays so I thought I'd join in the fun.

I'm thankful that Grace has such amazing Aunts and Uncles. She has some awesome Great Aunts and Uncles too! They are all so good to her and love spending time with her. She thinks they're pretty fun too!

6 Month Update

    At 6 months, Gracie weighs 16lbs, 10oz and is 25.6 inches long. She's been doing great with solid foods, she's rolling all over the living room, and she's able to sit up on her own for a few minutes before toppling over. Her cheeks are as beautiful and chubby as ever, and she has the cutest little pudgy thighs. She's woken up during the night a few times over the last week (teething is starting) but overall, she's still a great sleeper. 

Some things Grace loves:

• The Jolly Jumper - This is still a big favorite. 
• Standing 
• Being outside - Loves the fresh air whether she's in her stroller, Snugli, or hanging out on a blanket in the sun. 
• Laying on her change table - For some reason she has always liked her change table.
• Music
• Books - She loves being read to, or chewing on books; doing both at once is even better!
• Her Exersaucer
• Baths - She also loves her naked time after a bath.
• Swimming
• Food - Grace has liked most foods she's tried so far, especially pears. 
• Sophie the Giraffe
• Talking/Babbling/Yelling
• Blanket - Her soft pink and green blanket is a must-have at nap time. 
• Car rides

Some things Grace isn't very fond of:

• Avocado
• Getting dried off after a bath
• Getting cleaned up after eating
• The swing

Sitting up...

And falling over!

Welcome Summer!

Yesterday was the first official day of Summer and we celebrated by going for a walk in the park with Auntie M. 

I read a Summer Bucket List on a blog I follow and it got me thinking about our summer plans, so why not write them down? Here's some things we'd like to do this summer (in no particular order): 

• Take Grace swimming in the lake
• Go to the camp (hopefully a few times!)
• Visit the Zoo
• Check out the Buskers
• Public Gardens
• Day trip somewhere in NS that we've never been
• Go to the beach
• Walks on the waterfront
• Picnic in the park
• Go to the fair and the parade
• Sandcastle Contest
• Live music on the waterfront
• Go boogie boarding (Grace might have to sit this one out)

I'm also looking forward to my brother's wedding. Grace will get to meet some of her cousins for the first time! 

Daddy's Day

We had a great day celebrating B's first Father's Day! Grace was so excited to give her Daddy his present that she woke up at 4:30 in the morning. We weren't quite ready to start Father's Day at that hour, so I wound up her mobile and she fell back asleep. We repeated this process at 5:30, then she was up for the day around 6:30. I had told B he could sleep in, since it's his day and all, but first we had to give him his present!

I can't take full credit for the idea; I was inspired by some mama friends! I love the way it turned out. It was a lot harder to get her footprints this time around, she kept curling her toes. I could tell B really liked it! Gracie and I are also treating Daddy to a day of golfing as part of our gift.

New shirt for Father's Day!

When Grace went down for a nap, I made breakfast for B and I - French toast with homemade bread (made by B's grandmother) and ham. So good! We headed out to my parents' house for the afternoon to wish Grampers a happy Father's Day too. Auntie Murr made an awesome spaghetti sauce, and we had cherry pie for dessert (Grampers' favorite). Gracie had sweet potatoe for supper and some prunes for dessert! She was up past her bedtime, but she was happy to be hanging out with her aunts, uncles and grandparents; she hates missing anything. She slept in the car on the way home and I transferred her over to her crib with her only waking up for a minute. I think B's first Father's Day was a success!

Daddy's Little Girl <3

Check Me Out!

Friday Night Leftovers

• I am so sick of rain! We hardly got out for walks at all this week because of all the rain. 
• Grace is a rolling machine! She's also pretty good at wiggling herself around while on her tummy. Time to start baby-proofing!
• We have a big girl carseat (courtesy of Granzilla) and tried it out this week. Grace liked it, but then again, she has always loved being in the car; I don't think she really cares what seat she's in. We're still going to keep using the infant seat for convenience until she grows out of it. 
• Grace can't decide whether or not she likes sleeping on her tummy. Sometimes she'll roll onto her belly and scream, so we have to go flip her back over. Other times, she'll roll onto her tummy and go right to sleep, without making a peep!
• Reading children's books out loud can be so much fun!
• Find more leftovers here!

Grampers Babysits!

    We spent the last two nights at Granzilla & Grampers' house! Zilla bought Gracie some cool new books - she loves them!

    Grampers babysat on Tuesday night - all by himself! Sure, she was in bed, but still. Mommy made a big deal out of it, but Grampers wasn't worried. "As long as she doesn't pull a Carmen (me), I'll be fine." Apparently I did not respond well when my mom left me with anyone, even my dad. Grace was a little angel and slept while I was gone (which was only about half an hour).
    It's been raining non-stop for what feels like forever! Finally some nice weather today so we'll head outside when Miss Gracie wakes up from her nap!

Breakfast with Zilla

Happy Half-Birthday!

Little Miss Gracie is 6 months old today! 

She is getting cuter by the day and has such a sunny personality. I'll post a more detailed six month update after we visit the doctor for her check-up so we'll have her weight and measurements too!

Weekend Update

Memé and Papa came to visit for the weekend!  Saturday was a beautiful day; we all went for a walk around the neighborhood and hung out on the deck. B and I were treated to a supper out together while they stayed here with Grace. It's always nice to go out, just the two of us!

The five of us went to the Farmers Market this morning. Papa bought a sock monkey kit for Gracie, that Mommy will put together. I'm not very crafty, but the guy selling them showed me a monkey that his six year old son put together. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't bad. If a six year old can do it, I can too, right?

I took Grace over to watch Daddy's ball game this afternoon. I think I might try a pair of those baby banz sunglasses that strap around the head. She has a little pair of sunglasses but it's hard to keep them on her. 

Friday Night Leftovers

• B is done his week of night shift (7pm - 3am).It actually wasn't so bad - for Grace and I, at least. He mostly slept when she slept and the three of us got to hang out all day. :)
• I went for an hour long massage today. It was my Mother's Day present from B and Gracie and it was fabulous! I should definitely do that more often.
• We were the only students at baby sign language today! There's only three mom's and three babies in the class, but today it was just us. Grace didn't seem to mind being the center of attention. 
• So far Grace has eaten rice cereal, oat cereal, prunes, sweet potatoe, and pears and liked each of them (she loves pears). Avocado, on the other hand, did not go over well! She made a classic "eewww" face and wouldn't even open her mouth after a couple spoonfuls. 
• I bought a mesh feeder today and Grace tried it out with some banana. She loved it! 

"Um, no thanks."

Banana + Mesh Feeder = A yummy, fun snack!

• Head over here for more leftovers. 

Wordless Wednesday

A few things I don't want to forget.....

It's hard to believe that Grace will be 6 months old next week! There are so many things that I don't want to forget as she gets older.

• Grace has been sucking her thumb and/or fingers since the day she was born. Our first night in the hospital, she somehow managed to get her thumb in her mouth and started sucking away. She's had a few different preferences: For a while it was the thumb on her right hand, and her middle and ring fingers on her left hand. Currently she likes to rest her index finger on her cheek and suck the other three fingers. The thumb still makes it in there every once in a while. 
• The way she sleeps. She has always liked to have her hands and arms free while sleeping, and often sleeps with her arms above her head. We stopped swaddling her when she was about two weeks old because she wouldn't sleep until she had wiggled her arms out. 

• Speaking of sleep, when she's tired she will rub her face against whoever is holding her and nuzzle into their neck or shoulder. When she does this, we know it's nap time!
• Gracie always wakes up happy. I love it! In the morning she will talk happily to her mobile for a little while, and she always has a huge smile for me or B when we go get her. She is the same way when she wakes up from naps. 
• Sometimes when she's drinking her bottle (usually when she's tired) she'll throw her hand up over her forehead and sigh.    

• Her cheeks. Love 'em. 
• How excited she gets in the Jolly Jumper. She loves it! Sometimes she concentrates so hard, but as soon as she looks up at you, she gives a huge smile. I love the little grunts she does while she's jumping. 
• Her beautiful, gummy smile. She smiles with her whole face, you can see it in her eyes. 

     

• If I dry her hair after a bath and don't brush it, it will stick straight up for the entire next day. So cute. 
• Sometimes after a bottle, Gracie will smack her lips as if to say "oh yeah, that was good."
• We started solids a couple weeks ago. Grace sucks her fingers after every spoonful, then takes them out and opens her mouth again when she's ready for more. 

I'm sure there are other things that I'm not thinking of at the moment, so I may add to this. I can't believe how fast she is growing! 

Love for Auntie B!

    On Saturday we went to a bridal shower for my future sister-in-law! Grace insisted on dressing up for the occasion, as she doesn't wear dresses very often. It was a lovely afternoon with lots of love for Auntie B. Grace was a little overwhelmed at first; there was a pretty big crowd there, and a lot of noise. She was fine after we stepped out of the room for a few minutes to regroup, and later she had a little nap in her car seat.
    I'm excited for the wedding and I'm so glad my little brother found such an amazing woman. She fits in to our family so well.

Ready to go to the party!

{I don't have any pictures of me and Grace from the shower. I really need to start making people take pictures of me and my baby! I'm always the one behind the camera.}

Friday Night Leftovers

• Gracie and I are on our own this weekend! B will be gone all weekend golfing and going to a crib tournament with his buddies. G and I are going to spend the night at Granzilla and Grampers' tomorrow. 
• We went for a nice, long walk yesterday with Great Aunt T. Grace slept through most of it. Wouldn't it be nice to relax and sleep while someone pushes you around on a beautiful day? What a life babies have. :)
• Uncle J came in for a visit yesterday and we hung out in the yard for a bit. I thought G would be interested in playing with the grass, but she had more of a "take it or leave it" attitude about it. 
• Grace had pears for the first time this week. At first she just let it sit on her tongue, but she seemed to like it after a few spoonfuls. 
• The little goober was fussier than usual at our baby sign language class today. That's what happens when she wakes up at 6:15 rather than her usual 7:30. She often wakes up around 6:30, but B will go in, crank the mobile and give her her soft blankie and she'll go back to sleep for an hour. Not today! 
• Our sign language instructor gave us a Baby Signing Time DVD! She is great, I'm really enjoying the class. Check her out at Sophia's Hands. 
• We gave G a bath in the kitchen sink last night. It was a two person job! I don't know if I would do it if B wasn't home. Plus, I think she likes the tub better. She loves to splash with her hands and feet. I'll probably try the kitchen sink again when she is sitting up better on her own. 
• Find more leftovers here. 

Uncle J and Gracie enjoying the sunshine.

Dada!

    B and I were sitting on the couch yesterday, shortly after he got home from work. Grace was hanging out in her exersaucer nearby, babbling and playing, when we heard:

"Dada!" 

B and I both looked at each other, looked at Gracie, smiled and started giggling. She continued to say "da da da" all evening. I know she's not connecting "Dada" with her Dad yet, but it's still super cute!

Wordless Wednesday {The Jolly Jumper Edition}