Happy 1st Birthday Grace!

Dearest Gracie,

What an amazing year it has been - I just can't believe our little girl is already one year old. At your one-year appointment today you weighed in at 19 lbs 1 oz - the 20th percentile. You're 29 inches tall - 50th percentile. We had a great little birthday party for you this past weekend with grandparents, aunts and uncles, and all the other special people who make a difference in your life in attendance (even if it was via skype!). So, sweet Grace, here's a record of you..



Mornings we usually find you standing up in your crib jumping right around 6:30. You don't always want to come out right away but would rather jump and fall down being silly or playing with your stuffed animals. As soon as you see your sippy cup though, you usually get anxious to officially get the day going. Once you're up and out, your primary interest is getting into Olivia's room. There, while mommy fights to get you both dressed, you're busy trying to put on Olivia's panties, pulling all the books off the shelf, and squirming non-stop when I do capture you. For breakfast your favorites are bananas, clementines, and toast. We need to work on adding a little variety. We head out the door for Kristina's at about 7:30, and you're a lot better than your sissy at sitting nicely and not protesting in your car seat! You like day care, love Kristina, are nice to the little baby who started there a month ago, and do your best to keep up with all the toddlers. You still take a morning nap, and I hope this continues until the summer.



Afternoons find you very happy to see mommy, crawling over and up into my lap as fast as you can. Usually you're pretty attached to mommy when we get home liking to be carried around. This can make things challenging at times, but you're doing better now that the teeth have slowed down a little - you have 4 molars all partially through, 4 teeth on top, and 3 teeth on the bottom with another just peaking through.


Some of your favorite things to eat are fruit of any kind, peas, corn, cheese, and noodles. You're not really interested in meat right now, but have indicated signs of a sweet tooth. You've mastered the sippy cup although sometimes still put too much in your mouth and then let it dribble out. It's hard to tell if you're right or left handed yet. You do a nice job with the "all done" sign, but otherwise indicate you're finished by throwing your food on the floor.


Many things make you smile and laugh. Some of your favorite activities are playing chase and peek-a-boo, chasing your sissy around the house, taking baths, rolling the ball, and squirming incessantly when it's time to change your diaper. You also enjoy playing in your little kitchen, "reading," knocking blocks over, dumping anything possible, jumping on the couch, jumping/falling onto the pillows from the stairs (with much supervision of course), and having dance parties - your best moves are your leg shake and arm/torso twist! Your sissy makes you laugh a lot too but also makes you mad. You don't hesitate to scream if she takes something from you, and I've learned that despite your petite nature you've got quite the grip. You seem to forgive and forget though, and I'm especially excited to watch your relationship grow this summer as you girls play outside.


These days you're busy working on standing on your own and even taking a few steps. You love climbing on the stairs and make a game out of climbing up a couple of steps and waiting for me or daddy to come get you while you laugh like crazy. You get wild and silly often - usually with Olivia's encouragement - and trust that your mommy and daddy with always catch you as you dive around and off of whatever. You have a fantastic little giggle. Your favorite words are dada, mama, and whatsat (what's that). You're really starting to jabber a lot and seem to understand some basic concepts including the word "no."


You love to take baths before bedtime but unfortunately this is one of your favorite places to practice standing. If I'm being slow in getting your clothes off, you will attempt to tip yourself into the tub. You've figured out how to turn the cold water on, and once in the tub, you like to crowd Olivia by scooting down near the faucet to try to play in the water as the tub is filling. You love making big splashes and sucking on wash clothes (gross, I know). Getting pjs on is not always the most peaceful process, but eventually you settle down sucking on your two fingers while I finish getting you dressed.


Bedtime is right at 7:00, and if it gets much later you tend to get a little cranky. You seem to enjoy having me sing to you as you drink your bottle (currently the only one of the day). Soon we'll switch to a sippy cup and some bedtime books to go with it. Sometimes you like to cuddle and fall asleep on my shoulder, but most often you just want to be put in your crib. There you belly scoot yourself into the corner where your head touches the bumper pad and scrunch your legs underneath you. You seem to be enjoying your silky, but don't seem as nearly attached to it as your sister. When I check on you at night, you're usually lying on your tummy or side wrapped up in your blankets. Thankfully, you don't do your finger-sucking during the night - not often at least. We don't need two girls with teeth issues! :)


Overall, you're probably one of the happiest little girls I know. You are quick to smile and flirt but just as quick to cuddle into mommy's shoulder playing shy. You seem to enjoy being the life of the party and have an impressive fake laugh that is usually coupled with a little eye squint and nose crunch. You're such a sweetie Gracie girl and we love you so much!

Oh Olivia...

This post has been a long time in the making... I started writing this shortly after Olivia officially turned 2 and 1/2, but, surprise, surprise, I'm tardy in officially finishing and posting it. For a while now, I've been recording little odds and ends regarding Olivia that make me smile, make me laugh, and sometimes make me roll my eyes! :) I can't believe how fast the time has flown by and that Olivia is entering the second half of toddler-hood already!


Favorite Things...
Most days you can find Olivia playing with her babies - often putting them in timeout for hitting mommy, daddy, Gracie, etc., feeding them, putting them down for a nap, insisting they have poopy diaper every couple of minutes, and carrying as many of them around as possible while commenting on how heavy they are and how strong she is. Another favorite includes watching Dora. A "no" from Mom and Dad regarding this often results in a rather pathetic attempt at a temper-tantrum with the most fake frown face I've ever seen. Otherwise, Olivia enjoys playing catch and batting around the balloon. She's gotten so much better at this which you can imagine pleases her daddy! Complaining that everything is too tight - shirts, socks, shoes, coats, seat belts, ponytails, etc. is another favorite, and, yes, this is one of the things that makes me roll my eyes. Thankfully after a couple days of painful ignoring, this issue, while not completely gone, has gotten much better. Olivia enjoys pretend playing in her new kitchen, having "dance parties, " and snuggling on the couch. Lastly, as you'll read on Beth's blog, Olivia is a huge fan of her cousin Mya. These two play together so well and already have little girly "pow-wows" that none of us completely understand. My dream for these two is summers back and forth between our houses, cabins, and anywhere else we're going!


The Bathroom...
So, maybe it's a little odd to record how your daughter's doing in the "bathroom department," but I just have to for memory's sake! Most simply, Olivia has been dry a decent amount at night. I'm thinking we'll maybe buy some pull-ups next time she's due for diapers. Next, I just need to put it on record that Olivia calls her #2's "big snakes" or "little snakes" and often talks about what may or may not be a part of them all the time. I swear we did NOT teach her to do this! Lastly, a potty story worth re-telling... The other day both at bath and while watching a little Dora I was noticing Olivia was having some less than pleasant toots. I kept asking her if she needed to go potty but received only no responses. When we went to bush her teeth, she agreed to give going potty one more go. I wish I could replicate the face of concentration and effort that became her. I had to turn my head away as I silently chuckled. It was like she was off in her own little world. So, she did go, and just like the toots it was less than pleasant. As she stood up, she squeezed her nose (a first) and said, "That's custing (disgusting)" in a truly grossed out tone. I could only agree!

Playing in shaving cream while Grace took her morning nap. Loved it!

Craziest Morning...
* Just the other day, we had a rather crazy and a bit scary of a morning. It was just the girls and I as Brian was gone at an insurance class in Cedar Rapids. I went out to start the car so it could get warm. I left the main door open and just closed the glass door as usual. As I turned to come back in, I saw that Olivia had shut the main door. So there I stood, outside in negative temperatures with no coat and no key. My keys are usually in the car, but of course they weren't that day as I had them in my coat inside! I literally talked aloud to myself trying to stay calm. I ended up going to the front door, ringing the door bell, and then waving as Olivia ran to the door - thank goodness there are windows around the door. She came running over, smiling because it was just so funny to see Mommy standing outside in the cold! Thankfully, she then opened the door. Sigh of relief! About five minutes later I yelled to Olivia that I was taking Grace out to the car (yes I had unlocked door in the meantime!); I assumed she heard me. I walked back in a couple of minutes later to Olivia literally screaming at the top of her lungs, scared. She ran over to me, and when I picked her up she said, "Mommy leave me." Poor girl thought I had abandoned her. Thankfully after a few cuddles, all was well.

Slightly embarrassing, but Olivia was so proud of herself!

Odds and Ends...
Olivia has a few new talents these days. She's a big fan of hopping, and although this isn't really new, she's gotten really good at it and does it all the time. She's also catching fairly consistently, hitting a balloon around, and sleeping in her big-girl bed on occasion. She can identify colors when she feels like it which is pretty much never, but continues to match them up without any trouble at all. She knows some shapes and likes puzzles but often wants me to put the pieces where she says they go. She likes to "write" and to color. She's getting better at staying in the lines but most often doesn't hold her crayons correctly. She has no idea how to use scissors which is my fault, and generally I feel badly because I don't do some "crafty" things with her because Grace tries to put everything in her mouth which is really annoying. Olivia's pretty decent at following directions (actually she's great at Simon Says), but if she doesn't want to help, she'll just pretend like she didn't hear you. She likes to sit on your lap during dinner (annoying!), and thinks she needs a treat after meals and/or at bedtime. Olivia has recently shown some solid interest and decent talent at talking on the phone. She also continues to be a fan of nicknames - she's Goose; Grace, Gracilicious; Daddy, Pappy; and Mommy, Regina (thanks Brian). Otherwise, Olivia's pretty decent at procrastinating at bed time (thankfully this has disappeared as of late) and at taking cool toys away from Grace and replacing them with ridiculous items like the strawberry from her kitchen food. Liv can correctly find and identify the letters O (for me, as she says), E (for Elliot), K (for Kristina), and on occasion M (for Max, Mya, and Mommy), D, and G. Three's are also E's. Other random new things are playing with my hair as we sing songs, sitting really well through longer books, and screaming at the highest pitch possible for 30 seconds after getting buckled into her car seat.

Quotable Moments...
* Honey, Honey, Honey, Honey Grace...Come here!
* I puke in my mouth a little bit.
* I'm nice, I'm cute.
* I run really fast!
* Santa rides a Harley.
* Hopcorn (popcorn) money! (Response to money she received for Christmas.)
* Mommy stink. (Thanks Liv - I swear I didn't!)
* I play Mommy's bottles (all my bathroom things)!
* Mommy has bugs (long black tear-drop earrings) in her ears!

Sisterly Love...
I've continued to be so happy and pleased with how loving Olivia and Grace are...generally! They ask to see each other upon waking and want to be together in the same room. Although we have the occasional squabble over this or that, or the random push and shove, they typically get along very well. Olivia is always concerned about Gracie needing this or that, but also wants to separate what she can do from what Gracie can. For example, "Daddy go to church, me go to church, Mommy, Grandma, but NO Gracie!" "I go Grandma's house, but not Gracie - Gracie take nap." Gracie continues to make her best attempts at mimicking Olivia's actions, and is anxious to chase her around the house. I'm excited to see what Gracie starts to call Olivia - right now in the morning she just says da - da - while gesturing at Olivia's door in the morning. Kristina says that Olivia watches over Grace at day care and runs to the rescue if something's up. Olivia does bring Gracie toys, but as I indicated earlier, Gracie doesn't always appreciate the random french fry or random piece of plastic fruit Olivia decided to bring her. They love taking baths together, playing chase, and jumping on the couch and/or pillows. Summer is going to be so much fun with these two!

Not the best example of sisterly love, but I had to include it!

Okay - this is much better!

Oh Olivia, I can't believe you are already two and a half years old! I can't wait to see what you manage to learn and accomplish in the next 6 months! Love you lots!

A Taste of Summer

A couple of weeks ago, we made a fantastic discovery - the Cresco swimming pool. Cresco is a small town only 20 minutes away who is apparently more with it in the community health department than Decorah as they have a community center which includes an indoor swimming pool. It only cost 10 bucks for the four of us to go swimming, and I would have paid twice that much. It was so worth the trip to see the girls playing in the water and enjoying time in their bathing suits!

Olivia was majorly fired up about going to the pool and actually asked us to go down for her nap because she knew we'd be going swimming after everyone woke up. Gracie did pretty well - she clung a little bit but not in a scared way; Liv was not hesitant in the slightest when it came to jumping into the water, getting her face wet, and even dunking under. I think we're definitely going to have to sign up for some swimming lessons this summer!


Brian and the girls made another trip over to the pool last weekend while I worked on grading at school. He took a babysitter along to help out. The girls did great again - Olivia being eager to play with both Brian and the sitter and Gracie sitting more on her own and splashing. Good times all around - can't wait to make another trip!

Missing Vacation

As my sister and brother-in-law are just getting back from their vacation, I figured it was high time I post a few pictures from our trip we took - before Thanksgiving! Yes, I realize I'm ridiculously tardy once again in my posts! But, now's the time to think about warmer times as we encounter the coldest night of the winter - it's supposed to get down to -17! Yuck!

Our trip started on a Friday night with a late trip up to the Cities after my mom came down. It was so nice to not have to pack up the girls or worry about forgetting anything for them. Pat and Roger watched the girls Sunday-Thursday night when we got back around 11. They even stayed at our house so the girls would be as comfortable as possible. What great grandparents all around!

We stayed at a nice resort called - oh, no, it's been so long I can't even remember! But, anyways, it was great! Mexico was warm, we had some great nights out, and enjoyed some fun in the sun! I certainly hope we can take another trip next year!

Enough said...
We enjoyed being served on the beach, massages,
the hot tub, and lots of warm sun (with sunscreen of course)!

We took a day trip to Isla Mujeras on a catamaran - lots of fun!

Part our day trip was some snorkeling - an activity we all enjoyed despite our outfits!

What great friends! Hope can travel together again soon!

For the Love of Pronouns

This is the conversation I heard this morning as I was finishing getting ready while Brian and the girls were having breakfast...

Liv: Her hungry.

Brian: She's hungry.

Liv: No, her want more grapes.

Brian: She wants more grapes.

Liv: No, Gracie wants more.

Brian: Oh, Gracie. She wants more grapes.

Liv: Yeah, her hungry.

Grace Elizabeth - 11 Months

It's hard to believe that in one month Grace is going to be a year old already! How time flies! This last month has been a harder one for poor Grace. She's had persistent cold and teething issues and closed the year out with a bang - an sinus/ear infection. Poor kiddo....We're lucky that she's such a happy girl. Just a quick little update on what Grace is doing...

1. Teething: In the last two weeks we've had the appearance of three teeth - both top molars and a third tooth on the bottom. I also noticed today that her gums are really swollen where her bottom molars with be making their appearance. Ouch!

2. Waking up at night: I'm cutting her some slack here because of the cold and teething.

3. Obsessing over mommy: Per Brian's request, I'm trying to take the mommy obsession as a compliment. I'm sure someday I'm going to wish all she cared about was spending time with her mom. If I'm in the room, Gracie can be found somewhere between 1 foot to 1 inch from me and/or crawling all over me. I am expected to pay attention to and play with her at nearly all times, and if I don't, I can be expected to have a complainer on my hands. I will say it is quite nice to be so obviously loved.

4. Cuddling: Special cuddling started just around Christmas. I am the recipient of most of the cuddling which can include Grace resting her head on my shoulder, laying in my lap, and falling asleep in my arms after bedtime bottle. Cuddling was a constant from the beginning with Olivia, but until recently Grace was more a "just lay me down and leave me alone" girl. I'm enjoying the cuddles!

5. Getting into sitting position: For most kids this physical skill would have happened a while ago, but Grace didn't follow traditional order. Although Grace was pulling herself up, she couldn't go from being on her belly to just simply sitting without the aid of a pull up object. Now, though, she's a sitting queen. Why did I spend all that time worrying???

6. Working on leg strength: Grace is a huge fan of "jumping" (not off the ground of course!) and constantly pulling herself on everything possible. Grace can climb the stairs, and she's also started working her way around furniture. Occasionally Grace likes to hold our fingers and walk a bit, but I highly doubt she'll be walking at a year old.

7. Making messes: Gracie's big into making messes including but not limited to: pulling all the books off the shelves, knocking towers of blocks over, pulling apart any folded laundry she can get her hands on, throwing food on the floor , and pulling as many kleenex as possible out of the box (her way of telling me how much she hates getting her nose wiped).

8. Eating: Grace is not picky - unlike Olivia who still wouldn't touch a "bread" product to save her life. While at the doctor for the ear infection, Grace weighed 18.4 pounds with her clothes.

9. Exercising her sounds: There have only been a few (and possibly imagined) instances of mama. More common sounds are dada (for daddy and lots of other things), baba, gaga, guck (for a couple of days this was anything Grace was pointing at), ahhh and ehhh (for whatever it is I'm supposed to do for her - play ball, turn on a toy, pick her up, let her pull every magnet off the fridge or every blanket off her changing table, etc...), and ouuu (for things that are cool to her). For a while I thought we had a first word - uck (for duck), but I think I imagined that too!

My perfectionist self tells me I should have 10 items on my list, but my brain is fried. Too many late nights with too much schoolwork! Coming up: a 2 1/2 year post for Olivia and a happy 1st birthday post for Grace....

PS - A few more random interests/talents of Grace I thought of while editing this post: "so big," waving, rolling the ball back to you, turning pages in books, and peek-a-boo.