Hooray! Daddy is Home!

"Today was a beautiful warm & sunny Spring day so Mommy & I decided to play outside while we waited for Daddy to come home from his business trip. This was my first time playing outside and I loved it!" "Where is my Daddy? Mommy & I can't wait to see him."
"I was so excited when Daddy pulled up in the driveway. I had to touch his face to make sure it was really him!"

"Welcome home Daddy. Mommy & I are so happy that you are home."

A Maine Sunday Morning

Sunday morning...Sunshine on my shoulder. What a great week we had visiting with Rebecca & Grace. Mary Ann & I have stored up a treasure trove of memories. Being grandparents is quite the role to play. Too pooped to be parents but just right for being Maddy and Poppy. How lucky Grace is to have Bob & Rebecca as her Dad & Mom. And, to be from the great state o' Maine. It truly is a Wonderful Life. Love to all, Walt (aka Dad & Poppy)

Daddy's Girls

This is our last day before Daddy comes home from his business trip. We can't wait for Daddy to see how much Grace has grown and changed. We miss Daddy here, we miss Daddy there, we miss Daddy EVERYWHERE. I love you Daddy, I love you Bob.

Life is Good.

"Life is good at the sea......Mommy & Maddy think it's all because of me!"

Beach Baby at Ogunquit, Maine!

"We took a drive to the beach today. It was high tide, the sky was blue, the sun was shining, and it was 70 degrees! This is my first time at the beach."

"Fun in the sun.....I didn't want my day to be done!!""Poppy got his shoes all wet when he put my stroller in the water!"

The April 16th Spring Storm

On Monday, while I was enjoying my time in Vermont, there was a major snow, rain, and wind storm that struck much of the coast of Maine. Our town was without power for four days. Our generator had to work to run the sump pump in our basement. My parents came back to Maine with Grace & I to help run the generator since the power was still off when Bob left for his business trip. My Dad and I entered the house while Grace was still sleeping in her car seat to see if the power had been turned on only to hear our carbon monoxide detector beeping loudly. Due to the heavy winds, the fumes from our generator set into our house. We immediately called the Limerick fire department. They arrived within minutes with two firetrucks, two ambulances, and three pick up trucks! After a thorough check of our house, the firemen determined the carbon monoxide level was high. They opened all of our windows and brought in their heavy fans to air our house. After 30 minutes they gave us the all clear sign. Of course I was too worried and concerned about Grace to spend the night in our home so we headed into Portland to find a motel for the night...........

......so here we are at the motel. I still had the car packed from my trip to Vermont so I knew that I had everything Grace needed except, of course, a bed! Since the motel's bed was much too small and soft, I made Grace a sleeping area on the floor. Here is Grace is in her "home away from home" (it looks much worse than it actually was). Grace slept like a baby and after this big adventure she is ready to go camping with Daddy now!


Storm damage......

(thank goodness this is NOT ours!)

Happy Birthday Maddy!!

Maddy thinks this is her BEST birthday ever!! Today is Maddy's birthday and she couldn't get enough of her Gracie girl so she ate her up!!!

Poppy Celebrates the End of Tax Season with Grace

It's the day after tax season ended and Poppy got to celebrate by giving Grace her first pennywhistle and harmonica lessons in the den. Grace's musical talents have branched out thanks to her Poppy!

A Visit to Uncle Adam's House

"After Great Grandma & Great Pop-Pop left this morning Mommy, Maddy, and I drove up to Burlington to spend the afternoon with my Uncle Adam. Mommy spread out my blanket and then the fun began! Uncle Adam played with me on the floor while I showed him how I roll in both directions, pull myself forward, and reach for my toys. Uncle Adam was amazed by all the new things I can do. We went out for lunch to Burlington Bay on the Lake Champlain waterfront. Uncle Adam pointed out that I was the furthest north I have ever been. We then went to Kids Town where Maddy bought me some fun animal alphabet letters. We finished our day at Adam's workplace, City Market! Mommy bought me some more organic cereal thanks to Uncle Adam's love of all things organic. I love my Uncle Adam so much and can't wait to see him again. Maybe next time we can go for that Spring walk if the snow ever stops! Thank you Uncle Adam for an unforgettable day!"

"Uncle Adam even had this pink bag all ready for my dirty diaper. He thinks of everything!!!!!"

Great Grandma & Great Pop-Pop!

"Great Grandma & Great Pop-Pop came for a visit this morning. They were amazed by how strong and smart I am! That Great Grandma, she makes sooooo many funny comments and Great Pop-Pop just seems to shake his head at her! She is very silly. I love them so much and am very lucky to have such special great grandparents."

Hi Daddy from your Little Princess in Vermont!

I know I'm so special at home and I didn't think things could get any better BUT look at me at Maddy & Poppy's house! I'm wearing a tiera, a feather boa, and even getting served a slice of cake. This is only Monday -- what will tomorrow bring!?!

Grace is in Middlebury, Vermont!

Daddy is away this week on a business trip so Mommy & Grace decided to spend Maddy's school vacation week and the end of Poppy's tax season at their house in Middlebury, Vermont. Maddy & Poppy have a blackboard wall in their kitchen and they always leave a special message for Grace. This one is announcing Grace's much anticipated visit. Stay tuned for lots of fun pictures this week. Maddy & Poppy have so many fun things planned for Grace....I can only imagine what the week will bring!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy, Happy Birthday Daddy! Mommy & I love you soooooo much!
You are the best & funniest Daddy in the whole world!
Thank you for all that you do for Mommy & me. I love my Daddy more than anything -- even more than Ella the Elephant and my fingers!

Smile!

Happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, Grace!

Free Stylin'

Grace shows off some of her rolling moves in her crib!

Daddy's Little Ball of Laughs

Gracie woke up in a great mood on Easter Sunday, as she does every day. Daddy loves to see little Gracie awake in the morning as she is still sleeping most days when Daddy heads to work. Grace loves to laugh, whether it be funny noises, silly faces, or a gentle tickle. Grace is the most special thing to happen in our lives - every moment is an unforgettable memory. Hearing Grace laugh and seeing her smile makes it even more special. We love you Grace.

We Think She Likes It!!!

Homemade organic butternut squash -- who wouldn't love it in their pajamas on a Saturday morning?!

Cute as a Bunny!

Have a Happy Easter Weekend!

Daddy, am I Taller than You?

Bob & I woke up this morning to find a foot of snow had fallen overnight. We had three days of fifty degree weather last week and I was convinced that winter was definitely over. All day today I kept thinking of the old saying, "If you don't like the weather in New England just wait a few minutes" and thought about all the warm weather that is bound to come soon! Due to the unexpected nature of the storm, the roads were not plowed well. Unfortunately, poor Bob got stuck on our road three times on his way to work. Grace had her four month wellness check today at her pediatrician's office so we too had to venture out in the snow. The walk from our house to our car was the most terrifying walk of my life! The sun had just come out and was melting the snow off the tall pine trees that surround our house. I was carrying Grace while trying to dodge the snow that was falling fifty feet from the trees. Poor Grace had a blanket, diaper bag, and my upper body nearly on top of her. I would have done anything to protect her from the falling snow.

Grace had another wonderful visit with her pediatrician. She now weighs 14.2 pounds (70th percentile) and is 25 inches long (95th percentile). Grace grew 2.5 inches in just six weeks! Wow. We are not really sure where she gets her length from, maybe from her Poppy who is over six feet tall! Grace received an "A++ from head to toe" from her pediatrician. Hooray Grace! Her doctor recommended that Grace start having solid food if she enjoys her first feeding. I just smiled and said, "Great!" not letting on that Grace has been having rice cereal for nearly two weeks now and LOVING every single bite!! I can't wait to get her started on "real" food. I will be making all of Grace's baby food and am sooooo very excited to get started. Grace will get her first taste of butternut squash over the weekend....stay tuned for some fun pictures! Grace also had five vaccinations today. She started crying after the third shot but quickly stopped after I picked her up. Grace then took one look at the nurse who administered the shots and gave her one of her precious open mouth toothless smiles -- what a sweet and forgiving baby she is! The picture of Grace above was taken shortly after we arrived home from the doctors. Although Grace looks a little tired and rather serious here (who can blame her after receiving so many shots!), I love the way the camera captured her beautiful blue eyes.

April Showers.....Snow Showers!

Each month Grace learns about special events or holidays that occur within that month. The theme of April is "Spring" so Grace has been learning about all the wonderful things that come along with Spring including warm sunshine, flowers blooming, birds singing.....

One of Grace's favorite books is called, "It's Spring." Here is an excerpt:

The little deer ran with the bunny to tell the duck the sky was sunny.
The duck swam off and gave a quack to tell the cow, "The leaves are back!"
The cow let out a long moooo to tell the horse that flowers grew.
The horse went trotting down the lane to tell the rooster, "Watch for rain!"


Grace enjoyed finger painting an April rain storm a few days ago. Her original piece of art is pictured above and is titled, "April Showers." We have been talking about how "April Showers" bring May flowers, however, when we woke up this morning instead of seeing April rain showers we saw SNOW, and lots of it!!