Grace Doesn't Like Santa

Snow!

Grace was very excited to play in the snow for the first time this winter!

Daddy & Gracie made a snow mouse!

Our Christmas Eve Tradition

 One of our Christmas traditions is to open one gift on Christmas Eve, which is always new pajamas to wear that night. We take a family picture of us in our new jammies. At the end of a no-nap day Grace was not in the mood to have her picture taken (although she was very cheerful and happy before we attempted this). She was more cooperative while getting her picture taken with Anna.

Attempting to get a family picture using the camera timer.

The girls in their matching jammies

Push Over, Anna!

Tummy Time, December 5, 2012.

Thankful on Thursday

Today I'm thankful for my brother John! Murr and I took the girls out shopping this morning and we came out of Chapters to find the car with a flat tire. Thankfully John and Becky were in the mall and came to help us! John changed the tire and got the flat one patched up. Thanks Johnny!

Family Photos

Tuesday Tune

We've been singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider for a while, and Grace knows most of the words and does the actions. It's pretty cute. My sister stumbled upon this version of the song on YouTube. We watched it several times because we thought it was hilarious, and now Grace loves it.

A week or so later, we noticed there is a Part 2!

Visit The Tompkins Family for another Tuesday Tune!

Smiles

I've gotten some little smiles from Anna over this past week, but today there was no doubt that she was giving me a real smile. I got a few good smiles out of her this morning while we were waiting for Gracie to get up! She was smiling for Daddy too, when he got home from work. I love celebrating all of these milestones! Hopefully we'll get one of these beautiful smiles on camera soon.

Grace's Birthday

A certain little two year old got to celebrate her birthday several times over the past few days! Grace shares her birthday with her great aunt Mary-Anne (she calls them both lucky Sagittarrians). Mary-Anna came over  to spend the night on Wednesday and spend the day with Grace on their birthday on Thursday. Uncle Johnny joined us for a lovely birthday breakfast of pancakes (some with blueberries and some with chocolate chips), ham, eggs and watermelon. Grace, of course, didn't eat any eggs. She did try a bite but spit it out. Mary-Anne took Grace to the playground for a while, then they came back for lunch. We sang Happy Birthday to Grace and Mary-Anne and had some cake. Grace loved blowing out the candles and talked about it a few times later that day and the next. Perhaps the cake contributed to the fact that she didn't nap that day...  I asked Grace what she wanted for supper and I wasn't surprised when she asked for noodles. Brian was working late so Grace and I had spaghetti. She was tired out and went to sleep without a peep!

Birthday Breakfast

On Friday we had a house full of visitors! Uncle Robbie and Auntie Sharla, Great Aunt Irene and Great Uncle Daryl, and cousins Alicia and Victoria. Grace loved playing with the girls and kept dragging them to her playroom. "Come on, girls!" If only one came she would call out to the living room "Come on, other one!" even though she knows both of their names. She was also really happy to see her Uncle Wobbie! We had a nice supper and Grace had some cake, much to her delight.

  

Anytime Grace sees someone putting on lip gloss, she says "I have some?"

We had Grace's birthday party on Sunday. We decided before Anna was born that we would just do a family party. With her birthday close to Christmas and not knowing how I would recover from my c section we chose not to organize a party for her little friends. She still had a great time! We had over 20 people at the house and Grace loved all the excitement. I think she was glad there was one other kid there; she and Maddox had a blast together. Great Auntie Lorraine took over assisted with the gift opening. It was a great afternoon/evening spent with family. And, my lasagna and cake actually turned out pretty good!

Beautiful birthday girl

Maddox & Gracie

Opening her present from Maddox 

Great Aunt Lorraine helping with the gift opening

Taking a little break from all the action

Checking out the new Dora game with Papa

New dolly. We've named her Maggie.

Grace and Maddox taking care of the new baby.

Maddox is not enjoying the lasagna as much as Grace is.

Smarties have been Grace's favorite treat since Halloween. She was excited to see them on her cake!

Enjoying some cake with Grampers

Chatting with Gracie

"Here ya go, darlin'" - I think she may have picked this up from Aunt Jam. 

"I love the tree!! I love the Christmas tree!!" - Said over and over while running around the kitchen and living room the night we decorated the tree. 

"I whining. I cranky." - Said when I asked her why she was crying shortly after getting up from a nap. At least she recognized that she was cranky!

"Let's eat the cake!" - Said after singing Happy Birthday in the car. 

Aunt Theresa - "Let them eat cake!" 

Grace - "Let me eat cake!"

"That'd be fun!"

Cookie closet - what Grace calls the pantry cupboard at Zilla and Grampers' house. 

"I take stinky old blanket with us?" - Zilla started calling Blankie a stinky old blanket so Grace has started doing the same. 

Adventures in Baby Wearing

I had a Snugli carrier with Grace and used it a handful of times, but I didn't really feel the need to use it much with her. She was usually content in her stroller when we went out and I didn't mind carrying her around at home. With a two year old in the house, it's not as easy to carry a newborn around all day. Plus, I could easily put Grace down in her bassinet or the playpen after she fell asleep. Anna tends to want to be held more. The Snugli was okay when Grace was small but by the time summer rolled around and I wanted to use it more, it hurt my back. I decided to invest in a new carrier for Anna.
I did some research, read reviews, and asked some mom's in my baby group and decided on a Beco. I went to a shop and tried on a couple and chose the Beco Gemini.
The first few times putting Anna in the carrier did not go well. She cried and would not settle. I've also tried a wrap a few times that my friend lent me; it's just as bad in Anna's opinion. Yesterday when Anna fell asleep in my arms, I tried laying her down a few times so that I could get a few things done while Grace was napping but she woke up every time I put her down. (Side note: Grace did not nap. After an hour of talking to stuffed animals, reading her books, and emptying her dresser she somehow hurt her arm by closing it in the dresser drawer. I went in when I heard her crying and decided not to push the nap. It was her birthday, after all). When Anna fell asleep in my arms again, I decided to try her in the carrier. Success! She went right back to sleep. Apparently the secret is to put her in while she's already sleeping! I am hoping that this will lead to being able to put her in awake and that she will eventually enjoy it. It will make it much easier to play out in the yard with Grace!

Two Years!

Our little Gracie is two today! It's hard to believe how fast two years have gone by. Watching her grow into a smart, funny, caring toddler has been amazing.

Grace has a great sense of humor and loves to joke around and be silly. She has a beautiful smile and a cute laugh. She's very smart; she knows her colors and shapes, can count to 10 (sometimes higher), and she recognizes the letters of the alphabet. She's a big talker and I love that we can have actual conversations. She speaks quite clearly and is easy to understand. I couldn't count how many words she has, and she learns new ones every day. Her comprehension is amazing and she has a great memory. She can 'read' several of her favorite books. She loves to sing, especially Twinkle Twinkle and Old MacDonald. She loves to dance and loves music.

She's a big fan of Dora. Her favorite toys are puzzles (though the ones we have are too easy for her now), play dough, and her Little People. She likes drawing with crayons and loves stickers. She loves the playground, especially the swings. She still likes being scared and always has a good laugh when her aunt or uncles scare her. She loves getting a bath.

She's a good sleeper. She naps for 2-3 hours each day and goes to bed around 7:30 at night and gets up between 7 and 8 in the morning. She goes to bed so easily (we know we're lucky!) Her blankie is a necessity for sleep. She sucks her two middle fingers and rubs her blanket on her nose to fall asleep.

She's a pretty good eater. She still likes hummus but doesn't ask for it as much as she used to. Spaghetti and meat sauce is still a favorite supper. She loves oatmeal and asks for it every morning. She loves Goldfish crackers and fruit of any kind.

She's a very caring and thoughtful girl. If anyone coughs or says 'ouch' she will always ask "you okay?" She's a great big sister and is very gentle and sweet with Anna. She'll try to soothe Anna when she cries and rubs her little head. She's generous with her hugs and kisses and I love hearing her randomly say "I give Mommy/Anna/Daddy a kiss" and she'll walk over and pucker up.

Christmas Tree Hunting

We got our tree today! I love how it makes the house smell. We had originally planned to go to a tree farm and cut our own tree, but decided it might be too much hassle with a baby that doesn't yet like the baby carrier. Carrying her in the carseat or just in our arms wouldn't be very practical for that type of adventure.
So, we set out this morning to the train station where the Lions Club were selling trees. Unfortunately, they were only there from 12pm-6pm. We went at 10 because Brian had to leave for work at 11:30. Brian was disappointed, and we went for a drive to see if we could find anywhere else selling trees. We were not very optimistic, but found a place just a short distance past our house!
Grace helped pick out a nice tree and we're looking forward to decorating it!

One Month!

Our littlest is one month old already!

Anna is getting bigger and brighter by the day. She is quite content, for the most part. She is staying awake for longer periods during the day, and is starting to sleep better and better at night. For the past few nights, she's slept from around 9pm to 3am, and goes back to sleep after eating for another couple hours. Not bad!
Her eyes have gotten much more blue and her hair is a bit darker than Grace's was at this age. It will be interesting to see if hers lightens up and turns blonde like Grace!
Anna is quite strong and will hold her head up for several seconds at a time when she's on her tummy. Sometimes she likes tummy time, sometimes she hates it. She likes to be held and lately prefers to be held so that she is facing out to see what's going on. I love seeing her turn towards Grace's voice.
When we left the hospital she had lost almost a pound, but as of a week ago Friday she was up to 9lbs 8oz. Our doctor had no concerns and we don't have to go back until her 2 month appointment.
She's in size 1 diapers, having skipped the newborn size, and has grown out of the few newborn sleepers she had!

Naturally, Grace wanted to get in a laundry basket too!

She drug the basket over and climbed in. 

Sisters

Sisters