Baby "Tommy"

We had our 36 week appointment today and found out that baby "Tommy" (as Grace refers to him/her as even though the baby is now a sister if you ask her) is head down and ready to go. This is good- but hard for Jack and me to grasp because most of you know, Grace's head was stuck in my rib cage and there was no chance she could come early. This baby could come early....we have some packing and cleaning to do!

We did have an ultrasound today to see if the baby was breach since Grace was and that's why we have the cool picture. They did a 4-D picture which was really neat because as soon as the ultrasound tech, Jack and I looked at it- we realized this baby looks just like Grace.... I glanced at what was a solemn Grace a few seconds before and saw her jumping on Jack's lap, smiling and waving at the baby. It was so cute....She looked genuinally excited to see her sibling.

I Color on Myself

I don't even know what to say about this. It was just so out of character for Grace- our little rule follower.
The other day she was in her room- I thought taking a nap. Since the mattress is on the floor, we've had many discussions that she can't get out without us getting her. I thought she was following those instructions. I went in about half through her nap time and noticed something a little funny on her face, and then her legs and then her feet. She was half awake and I asked her what happened to her legs and she said, very proudly, "I colored on myself."I really didn't know what to say and I really didn't do a good job of hiding my laughter- she was completely covered and so was her bed and her comforter- those spots of purple and orange did not come on it when it was purchased.

I got her out of bed and called my mom looking for washing instructions on the comforter and she got on the phone and proudly told my mom she colored on herself.

I pulled it together long enough to have a stern talk about not coloring on her legs and face and she was kind enough to correct me - "my stomach too, Mommy" and lifted her shirt to show me. I told her I couldn't trust her and maybe she needs to sleep in the crib. She actually slept in the crib that night- she went right in there, remembering I had told her that. The next morning the first words, literally, out of her mouth were "I not sleep in crib anymore, I sleep in big girl bed now, I not color on myself anymore." (Which is true because there are no longer markers in her desk).

They're Back....

We made it only a few days before Grace really started acting restless in her big girl bed and wasn't as excited to go there. Jack had a great idea and asked her if she wanted her two dollys. Her face lit up and she ran to the crib to get them out. Her idea that they were only for babies was short lived. Grace and the two dollys are happy sleeping in the big girl bed.

Orange Day!

Every month at Mother's Day Out there is a special color day (see earlier Red Day). This month was orange and Grace was excited again to get dressed in the special color, I believe we were reminded by her no less than 20 times that week....No orange shoes this time but still cute!

New Games

At our neighborhood party, Grace and Ella were looking for things to keep them busy and out of the way.
Before the party started, Jack taught them "football." They were actually pretty good and caught on pretty quickly. There were some teenagers at the party and, bless their hearts, they were trying to teach the girls games and they just didn't understand. The first game they tried was a race. They lined up Grace and Ella and counted down from three and yelled "go!" both girls just stood there smiling and giggling Then they tried "Duck duck goose"- pretty much the same results. Then it was "Hide and Go Seek"- that one went pretty well. It was very cute- the girls kept hiding in the same place over and over again but they had the best time.

Big Girl Bed!

We finally got some rails for the "big girl bed" and decided to give it a try. We prepped Grace all day and she was very excited as nap time approached. We went in her old room to get her two dollys and she said "No, they are for babies, I sleep in big girl bed." Jack asked her if she wanted to sleep with anything and she said "I not know, maybe a book."We put the mattress on the floor just in case she tried to get out but there didn't seem to be any incidents- she slept great!

Exposed

We spend a lot of time talking with Grace about the new baby (aka Tommy). We don't know how she will react when he/she gets here, but we've been doing our best to prepare her. Two recent incidents have helped to reassure us that she is excited about her new sibling and she will be a great big sister.

The Zoo- Grace and I went and met some friends at the zoo for lunch. After lunch she wanted to look at the "tigers and monkeys, they so coot." We walked by the giraffes on our way and as we were standing there, she, very out of the blue, lifts my shirt and says "Look Tommy- look at the giraffes! He see them Mommy?"

Shopping for strollers- We took Grace with us when we went shopping for double strollers last weekend. There were many to choose from and to help Grace from being bored, we included her in the conversation about which she liked the best. Again, out of blue, she lifted my shirt and said "Look Tommy- you like this one? You sit here and I sit here. You like it?"

Class Party

One of the families in Grace's Mother's Day Out class was nice enough to host a Halloween party so all the parents could meet. The kids had a great time. Grace's favorite activity was a "spider toss" where each child had a spider she "tossed" into a target. They all walked their spider up and set it in the hole, not really a toss but they had lots of fun.
Grace had a little confusion because her friend Sophia's mom was her teacher last year and Sunday nursery teacher this year so when it was time to play outside, she grabbed Ms. Adrianna's hand and wanted her to play with her.Everyone had a great time playing outside, doing crafts and eating.

Random Shots

Just finishing up our trip with some random shots of the week

Grace learned how to play soccer with Uncle Craig

Grace asked Uncle Pat to read her stories before bedWe had lots of rides in the golf cartWe discovered Grace likes ribs, really liked them

Grace took a special liking to Aunt Tina and asked to play with her over and over and over..

Photo Shoot with Grandma Trish

These pictures are cute but I think we got a glimpse of what it's going to be like to take pictures of two kids....Here are a couple where they both managed to look at the same time in the same general direction.

Dancing

I'm running out of titles for the dancing on the square posts but it still remains Grace's favorite activity at her Nana and Papa's house. Well, I believe her favorite is the strawberry daiquiri she drinks at the square. She has a routine now- she finds a seat, asks for her drink, drinks it very quickly (doesn't seem to be affected by brain freeze) and then, and only then, she will dance. But, when she dances, she dances. She chooses different partners and allows them to stand in place while she dances around them.

We were able to visit the square twice on this trip and even play "Square- the Home Game" one night when it was raining- all you need is a strawberry daiquiri and some music ;o)

Happy First Birthday Isabella!

I'm not going to post too much- I'll let Sarah (hint, hint) do that on her blog, but I just can't wait anymore- sorry I'm doing this before you.

We were all excited to celebrate Isabella's first birthday. Her party was held at a local park and included lots of friends and family. She seemed to have a good time playing, eating cake and opening presents.Grace taught Uncle Pat to play bola-ball.

Isabella had a great time on the swings- Grace took her usual role as the pusher

Isabella got some great gifts, including this tent from Nana. We gave Grace the job of helping Isabella with her gifts, she took it very seriously and even showed her how to use some of them.Family picture- it was exciting to have Grandma Trish, my grandma, there along with Uncle Pat and Aunt Tina too- the three of them came from Wisconsin to celebrate the big day with us.

Latest Cake- Winnie the Pooh!

For Grace's birthdays, my siblings and their spouses all helped with the decorating of the cake. Since it was time for Isabella's first birthday cake, the tradition continued with a Winnie the Pooh cake. We are improving in our skill, well, maybe just equipment. Laura took a cake decorating class so she had the professional cake decorating supplies and we made our own icing. It still took three hours but we had a good time ;o)

Swimming Partners

When we were in Florida, Grace went swimming quite a few times. Everyone was nice enough to take turns playing with Grace in the water.

Swimming with Uncle Craig meant playing with the squirt gun and trying to get Uncle Jeff.

Swimming with Uncle Pat included swimming back and forth between the hot tub and the cold pool. They were the only ones crazy enough to do that.

Swimming with Nana included blowing bubbles on the edge.Swimming with Papa included a safari where they caught a whale and a "river rat."

Aunt Sarah is ...30!?

When we were in Florida, we were able to celebrate Sarah's 30th birthday. We started the evening with dancing at the square and then dinner at Urban Flats with the whole family. Afterwards we had chocolate cake- according to Grace, it's not a birthday without cake!Happy Birthday Sarah!

Florida Trip

Last week we went to Florida to celebrate birthdays, spend time with extended family and take a break from our busy lives. We had a great time and will probably take a few posts to catch up- here goes...

New Backpack

Grace's Nana continued a family tradition and made Grace a backpack. She made one for me and my siblings and when she stumbled on the pattern, knew Grace would love it- and she did! She wants to take her new backpack everywhere and put books in it like Dora!

The Fashion Police

As I am fortunate enough to have my own law practice, I often dress down on days when I do not meet with clients or have a court appearance. Today was such a day. I had on a nice pair of shorts and an Alabama t-shirt. When I told Grace it was time to leave for school, she said "you need a work shirt." I was startled and came closer and asked her what she said. She pointed her finger in my chest and said "that a Alabama shirt. You need to wear a work shirt to work." Now I never claimed to be Mr. GQ, but when your 2 1/2 year old criticizes your fashion, you are in some trouble.

Monster, RIP

On Sunday, we had a neighborhood block party. We were surprised with two of the guests- our cats Monster and Mitch. They definitely wanted to be part of the action, and the food. Everyone mentioned how they like having them in the neighborhood to get the critters that come from the woods.

We will never really know why, but Monster ran after a passing car in the middle of the party and didn't make it out. Most of the people at the party saw, but didn't realize the ultimate result thanks to Jack and Murray's quick work.

Here is the two brother's last picture right before the "incident." Poor Mitch is still looking for Monster- he didn't witness the accident ;o(

First Scraped Knee

We made it 2 1/2 years without anything scraped, bumped or bloodied. I think we did pretty well. We'll give the credit to Grace's tentative nature- we all know she doesn't like to run or jump so she's never really had the opportunity to get hurt. Grace and I met some friends at the park the other day and Grace was just walking towards her friends and tripped on what appeared to be air. Since this her first sight of blood, it was very traumatic but we made it through and seemed to feel better with a band aid. I'm sure this will be the first of many...

Elmo Show

Jack, Grandma, Pop, and I took Grace to an Elmo show a couple of weekends ago. We knew she loved Elmo but doesn't like big characters so we weren't sure how it would go. She was a little nervous all day as we tried to prep her for it. We got seats pretty far away, on purpose, and it was the best thing we could have done. After a few minutes, she had a great time! The highlight was the Elmo balloon her Pop bought for her during intermission. She didn't let it go the rest of the show. After the show, Grace and her friends Anna and Lilli had an "after-party" at McDonalds- dinner and a show! Everyone had fun playing and chatting about the show ;o)

Lazy Sunday

Just thought this was a cute picture of one of Grace's favorite pastimes- Play-Doh!

Fall Festival

Grace's Aunt Kristen's school had a fall festival. Grace had never been to a fall festival so we were excited to take her. Before we left, Jack and I were talking about who had cash, etc. and Grace said "I have money!" and ran to her cash register and pulled out a stack of fake plastic money. She held that money in her hand and told us she was going to pay the entire car ride. She even pulled out the money when it was time to get the tickets.We'd only been there a few minutes when we saw the school mascot which made Grace more than a little nervous.. We quickly found her favorite activity- a fishing game. Grace had a pole that she put in the water (sheet with person behind it) and after a tug on her pole, she pulled out a colored fish and won a prize. She loved it and we played it over and over again.

Her second love was a carmel apple. Jack and I got apples for ourselves but Jack's was quickly overtaken by Grace. She had a great time- thanks for the invite Aunt Kristen!