Hanging By a Few Wee Fingers!

"I want that red bird over there on that table. Mommy, I REALLY want that bird!" "Can't quite reach....I weigh less than twenty pounds so I guess I'll just pull myself up to get it."
Yes, Grace's feet really are off the floor here. She did one giant pull up to reach the birds. Click to enlarge this one!

"Got it Mommy. Time to go!"

Go Red Sox!

With fans this cute, how could the Red Sox possibly loose?!

Ten Months Old!

Just this time last month Gracie Girl was swinging high on our hammock for her nine month picture. We could have never imagined all that was in store for Grace (and us!) in the coming month. Now here we are exactly one month later and Gracie Girl is swinging even higher on the hammock and is a very different girl! Our Amazing Grace truly amazes us with how quickly she learns and changes. Grace's biggest achievement this past month is her walking. She started off the month taking a few steps and quickly advanced to fully walking with ease within a matter of a few days. I'll never forget calling Bob when he was away on a business trip and telling him, "Grace is walking." It was a special moment for all of us when Grace walked to greet her Daddy when we picked him up from the airport from his trip. In addition to walking, Grace continues to "talk." She carries on long conversations and is imitating sounds and simple words. Grace's favorite words are "nah-nah-nah" for "banana," "Ebba" for "Ella" and she loves to call all three of our cats by imitating the tone and intonation she hears me use. Amazingly, two of the three cats actually come when they hear Grace calling them (the third cat, Petey, has yet to come near our Grace!!!). I am in awe every day of Grace's receptive language skills. There is so much that she understands. Grace is able to follow simple commands and easily identifies objects, even if she has only seen or heard the word one time before. She is every speech-language pathologist's dream!!! :)

Some of Grace's favorite things include: eating spinach (what a lucky Mommy I am to have a daughter whose favorite food is spinach!!), shape sorters, puzzles, books, Ella, the Children's Museum, walking, music & dancing, sound play, sticking out her tongue, and ladybugs (of course)!

Happy Birthday Michaela!

Michaela, we hope you have a wonderful second birthday celebration today. Our thoughts are with you and your family and wishing that we could be there with you to celebrate. We love you.

P.S. Grace loves Elmo too!

A Slideshow!

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Grace celebrated the first weekend of autumn at Maddy & Poppy's house in Middlebury, Vermont. She visited Maddy's classroom, saw a yellow school bus, found every pumpkin big & small in Middlebury, went to the local bookstore and library, crossed the footbridge over the falls, saw the Town Hall Theater where Poppy is the treasurer, and played at the park all while Mommy & Daddy attended a wedding. It was an unforgettable weekend and the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of autumn.

"Apple of My Eye"

Throughout the month of September we have been eating, picking, smelling, touching, and reading all about apples. Grace and I made glittery apple prints together today ~ what a perfect way to spend our rainy morning. And now we're moving on to pumpkins!!!

Celebrating One of the Last Summer-Like Days!

"Welcome Home Daddy!"

"Hip, hip, hooray, my Daddy is back home. He was away all last week on a business trip in San Diego, California. Mommy & I picked him up from the airport this morning and we couldn't be any happier to have him home again! We love you Daddy."

Busy Girl at the Children's Museum........ walking, bird watching, fire fighting, becoming a veterinarian, builder & gymnast!

Goodness Grace......She's Walking!!!!!!!!!!

Grace has been taking more & more steps over the past few weeks, however, this week she has really taken off. Walking has now become Grace's primary mode of getting around. She is walking all over our house, outside, and any place we go (and loving all the attention she has been receiving from her great new achievement). All Gracie girl needs now is a pair of red cowgirl boots to go with her outfit and she'll really be good to go!!!!!!!

How Big is Grace?

SOOOOOOOOOOO BIG!

On Second Thought...Maybe A Ladybug Background Wasn't Such A Good Idea After All!!!

Ummmm....there won't be any pictures posted for a few days because our laptop computer is only hanging on by a thin little wire. Literally.

Since Grace LOVES ladybugs soooooooo much I thought it would be fun to add ladybugs to the background of our computer for her. Silly me! Grace took one look at the ladybugs and was so excited that she practically attacked the computer. I couldn't catch her in time and the monitor nearly snapped off. Once our computer is fixed I think I'll need to stick to a plain background and I think Daddy wholeheartedly agrees!!

:) :) :)

Gracie Girl Strikes a Pose

"Look at Me Mommy & Daddy, I'm Ready for School!"

Even though her tiny feet don't yet touch the floor, it looks as though Grace is ready for school in her new "desk." Grace is ready for all kinds of new learning adventures now ~ painting, drawing, and puzzles just to name a few. After introducing Grace to her new desk, Daddy and Mommy went out and bought Grace her first set of markers. Daddy wanted to get permanent Sharpie markers for Grace because he liked the colors. Don't worry though, Mommy ended up getting the Crayola washable (and non-toxic) ones!!

Silly Daddy!

Grace LOVES being a flying baby with her Daddy. These two have such a fun time together!

Where's Grace?

"Hmmmmm....I wonder if there are any more toys in here?"

Grace and I spent a fun afternoon today at the Children's Museum. Each time we go it amazes me to see how much Grace has grown and changed since our previous visit Today, our sweet little Gracie girl almost got physical when a three year old toddler grabbed Grace's precious beach ball right out of her hands! Once the ball was returned to Grace, the two girls played happily together but with each girl knowing that boundaries had been crossed and new rules had been set. There is a tough new Gracie in town!!!

Thank you so much Maddy & Poppy for the family membership to the Children's Museum. What a fun & wonderful place it is for Grace to learn and grow --just as long as her beach ball isn't taken away from her again! :)

All This For a September Walk!!!

I can't believe that Grace already needs socks, shoes, a long sleeve onesie, a long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt, pants, a hat, and Maddy's heavy fleece ladybug blanket just to go for a walk in mid-September! From the looks of it, Grace can't quite believe it either. With the exception of an occasional warm day here and there, it has been rather cool in Maine for the past several weeks. Our walk this morning was a brief one because it was soooooo windy. We had a tree come down in our front yard as I've been writing this post!

Move Over "Q," Here Comes "P!"

"Look at me Uncle Adam!"

There have been a number of inquiries about Grace's infamous "Q." Although Grace still loves her "Q" she has now moved on to "P" seen here.

Thank you, Uncle Adam, for Grace's University of Vermont sweatshirt. It gives me great joy to see Grace wearing something from UVM! Looking at Grace wearing this also brings back so many wonderful memories from our most recent visit to Burlington, Vermont!

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

"Higher, Mommy......higher!"
"Yeah, this is more like it!"
"It's okay Mommy, I'll get out & push myself!"