At the park for the first time with our FOUR MONTH OLD!!

Can you believe that Grace is now 4 months old? My goodness is time flying by! It is hard to imagine a life without our little bundle of joy. Everyday she is doing something new, and quickly becoming a little person full of personality and attitude. She is turning over regularly now, laughs all the time, can play in her johnny jump seat, and loves it!!! She also can spend a lot more time on her tummy now, lifting her head and playing with toys, and can spend a good 15-30 minutes that way.

We knew that she is too small for the swings at the park, but we wanted to try anyway... put a little blanket infront or behind her... and away we go!!! Here she is! There is a video of her at the end being pushed.

Teething!

AHHHGGGHHHH!!! Teething sucks! Gracie went from never crying or being fussy to an almost constant state of fussiness! Yes, she has moments of cuteness and is all and all a good baby. It just feels like someone swapped out my girl with this new cranky creature! The thing that tops it all off. is that just last week she realized that she has vocal chords and likes to scream in every octave known to man... and the high pitched one is her fave.... So instead of my quiet little angel that loves to smile and laugh, she uses an ear shattering scream to get my attention!

Pam Tovic said it best "Good things babies are cute, otherwise we would throw them out the window."

More than anything, I just want my baby to feel better, I hate to see her in pain. It breaks my heart. Since she is such a good baby, I know she really must be hurting to be this fussy.

I am using the Highlands Teething tablets, and they seem to work somewhat... Anybody have any other tricks that they use to get through this? (for both baby and mama)

Gracies first Halloween

Gracie was a pink dinosaur for her first Halloween. I guess we just dressed her up to show her off, really she is a little to young to go trick or treating.... We went trick or treatin to 3 neighborhood houses, but it is not like she eats candy, it's more like "here look at my cute baby" no candy please, we just wanted to show her off!! Fun nonetheless!

My mom was here for the weekend, and that is always a great treat!
Our neighbors and their kids! That is Stephen as Winnie the Pooh!
Daddy and baby...
Stephen is awesome for dressing up!!! I love him!
This is just cute!

Our laughing girl

She is starting to laugh... and we are attempting to catch it for you all!

Sitting up and sickness!

We just got a "bumbo"seat and Gracie loves it!! It has a high back and low seat so she can sit up all by herself. It helps mommy out a lot, perfect to bring in the bathroom when taking a shower, or putting in the kitchen when I am cooking dinner. She is my audience every night as I go step by step on how I am cooking every meal, I should be good to go on my own cooking show pretty soon!

3 and 1/2 months old. She also loves sitting at the dinner table with us, we are all eye level with each other and it's nice to sit at the table as a family! (picture not included)
This week we have all been visited by the sick bug. Stephen was sick, then I was, then Gracie and now Stephen again!!! I really wish babies knew how to blow their noses! Life would be so much easier, she hates us sucking out her brains with that little buger getter outer... yes that is the official title... not really! It is hard to be sick and have to take care of someone. I just want to sleep and rest and be babied myself, but those days are over! Now I have two babies to take care of at home... Love you honey:)

Gracie has definitely found her vocal chords, the shrieks, both happy and sad, that come out of her can be deafening, but cute nonetheless.

She can roll over from tummy to back pretty well now, and is really close to rolling over from back to tummy, but not yet.

3 months!

She is officially three months old!!! She is still doing great, she just enjoys seeing her mommy more during the night, waking up once or twice now.... I thought they slept more once they got older!

Here are some current pictures of our precious little one.

Her first days of holding her head up! Getting so strong!

Loving being with her daddy!

On the Go!

Wow! We have been busy lately! It seems like every weekend we were on the road or a plane somewhere! Finally we are all back at home, and home for a while. We drove to Bakersfield to see Stephens mom, then went to LA for a funeral and stayed there a couple days with Stephens Aunt's and sister. Grace and I then flew up to Seattle area to see my Grandaddy for his 90th birthday... and then last weekend we headed to the Jackson area to go wine tasting with a couple friends! Whewww.... We figure if we are going to go anywhere with Grace, now is the time, she travels so well, of course she gets cranky after she has been in the car for 8 hours, but don't we all?

Grace has been a champ through it all, she is such a calm baby, we are very blessed. I originally was going to drive up to my parents house which is six hours away, stay there overnight, and then drive 16 hours to Seattle together..... But we soon realized that that was aCRAZY idea, so I was able to find a cheap ticket for us, and we were going to fly.

It then sunk in that I was traveling by myself, with an infant.... I started to have pretty bad anxiety about that subject!!! What the heck was I thinking?!?!?! Just going through security taking her out of the stroller, out of the carseat, folding it up and putting it through the x-ray machine while holding her at the same time.... CRAZY!!! Luckily on the way there, I got an whole row to myself, breastfed her on the way up, and then she slept the whole way. On the way back I LITERALLY GOT STUCK IN AN ELEVATOR FOR 25 MINUTES!!! Had to press the alarm button and everything! I was late to board the plane, and when you have kids, it is so nice to be able to pre-board, but I missed that, my seat was on the last row, on a completely full flight... meanwhile while I was trying to get through the plane, I realized that she pooped!! Ahhhhhhhh... But again, Grace was wonderful, lives up to her name.. She smiled and was so happy that whole ride!! So wonderful, she won the hearts of all the passengers around, and mine of course!

It was so nice to see my grandparents, and they got to meet Grace for the first time, as well as all my uncles on my dad's side, and many of my cousins. It was somewhat of a family reunion, we stayed with my parents at a hotel, but mostly just stayed with them in the house, hearing old stories of when my dad and his brothers were young and just to hear the stories of simply how amazing my grandparents are, truly filled with the Holy Spirit, I am always on a spiritual high after leaving their house!

Developments of Grace this month:

She has learned that she has hands and can touch and play with things that are hanging in the air in-front of her. Thanks Keidi for that play-mat, she loves it!!!

She smiles constantly, especially in the morning!

She goes to bed around 8pm, sleeps either through the night, or gets up between 4-5 feeds, then sleeps to 8.

No longer face-plants when she is on tummy time, she can lift her head-up!!! (we discovered this yesterday)

Eats every 3 hours, not every 2 (other than night)

Recognizes my face!

Starting to talk a lot more, not just coo

SOOO close to laughing!!!

Below are some pictures!

4 generations!

My dad, his brothers, parents, and Gracie
My Grandparents, loving Gracie

Daddy and his love!