Toot Toot, Chugga, Chugga, Big Red Car

I never liked the Wiggles much until Grace came along. The boys never really got into them, so I never cared for them. But Grace LOVES The Wiggles!!! Therefore, I LOVE The Wiggles! When I see her dance and wiggle to their songs, I melt. Is it wrong that the other day I let her stand directly in front of the tv for 3 episodes of The Wiggles??? It is the only guaranteed time I get to be able to leave the room without her crying. She couldn't care less about me when Greg, Anthony, Murray and Jeff are doing their thing! I can actually cook when her 4 BFFs are on entertaining her :)

Today I was driving Nate to a friend's house, when I passed a yard sale. I spotted a Cozy Coupe! I pulled over and asked how much. Go ahead and guess what they wanted for it!!!! ONE DOLLAR!!!!! I was so excited and gave 2 whole dollars since I almost paid the retail price of $50 the other day. Something felt wrong about buying a Cozy Coupe for a buck. ( I know the extra dollar didn't seem like much, but I needed the cash for our McDonalds run. :)

Grace LOVES, LOVES, LOVES her new Big Red Car! We were singing The Wiggles' song Big Red Car when she was in it and she was swaying back and forth. Too cute! I had to pull her out of it kicking and screaming when it was time to come in. When you look at the pictures and you feel the urge to say, "Geez. lady, brush her hair". No brush would make it through the lollipop mess that she rubbed in her hair. I'm afraid her hair will have to look like that until bath time tonight. Poor Grace got the lollipop at the doctors today. She has a nasty cold and now an ear infection. Sleeping has been horrible. 3-4 hours a night for Brad and I. We have tried putting her in bed with us and it just doesn't work. She kicks, stands, etc for hours. We rock her to sleep and she wakes screaming again. The other night she was up every hour all night. We think she is waking from feeling lousy and then doesn't want to be alone. Last night we took turns sleeping on the floor with her in her room on sleeping bags. She slept much better, but I can not do that every night. We are at a loss right now and are so very tired. We really need to get back to her sleeping in her crib in her room alone. When she is all better, we may need to practice some tough love. Hopefully it will fix itself. I'll take any tips you AP's have.

Just For You, Sally :)

I'm FINALLY posting....

Didn't know anyone really cared :)

Things are much better around here. Grace is having more great nights (9pm - 7am) and only an occasional bad night. Although the "bad nights" aren't as bad as before. She did cut 3 out of 4 molars last week. Poor thing :(

Grace's behavior is also better. I got the feeling she was really needing some major undivided attention so that is what she got. I always felt I was giving her tons of attention, but I guess not what she needed right then. I decided that I wouldn't do anything but play, read and cuddle for a few days. What a difference it made!!! She wasn't seeking the negative attention hardly at all and when she did do something she would stop usually on the first "no". She clearly needed a lot of my time, but unfortunately that is not reality and something that can happen all the time. We have a party this weekend so I've had a lot to do this week. I made sure I stopped and played and didn't ignore her too much. We did need to put the pack-n-play in the dining room for time out. We only use it for big things, like biting, hitting, or dangerous stunts like climbing the little bit of stairs on the outside of the railing!!! After a "no" or warning, she then lands her cute little butt in time out if it continues. She has also learned to stop behaviors before I count to 3. I have no idea how she picked up on that, but the first time I did it, she stopped by 2.

Grace is so crazy about her brothers and vice versa! I can not put into words how it makes me feel by the love they show each other. The boys have exceeded my expectations of big brothers. They are protective, loving, fun and patient. I am so proud of them for accepting this one year old cutie/terror into their lives so completely. My favorite part of the day has to be when the boys return from the "boys club" in the basement. When Grace sees them, she flaps her arms, makes this hissing sound and runs to give them hugs. I love it!!!!

This past weekend we went to my Grandmother's for a picnic. It was a great day! The weather was hot and the pool was almost as hot :) We played a mean game of water volleyball... which I LOVE to play! Grace did amazingly well with only having a half hour nap on the way there. She then fell asleep on the way home and slept until 8am!!!!

Grace had her 15 month well check. She is now off the charts for height! She only gained 1 pound the past 2 months. So she is stretching out a bit. She is now in the 75-90%ile for weight.

So there is my update! Things are so much better! Here are some pictures...

Grace goes bike riding! She wasn't too sure at first, now she goes to the bike and puts her helmet on so we know she wants to go for a ride :)






Here is my cousin Joanne, Nanny, Aunt Jean and Aunt Joan enjoying the 90 degree pool water.

This is Grace eyeing up her new cousin, Taylor. Taylor is 2 days younger than Grace!!! I'm so happy Grace has a relative her age to play with at family events!

They were good buddies by the end of the picnic!


When you lay on the floor, expect Grace to get on top of you :) Here is Aidan soaking up all the wonderful attention from Grace. Doesn't it just melt your heart??? About an hour before she bit Aidan on the arm!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

THE GOOD

Grace has tried and actually swallowed several fruits!!!! She has eaten strawberries, grapes, kiwi and banana!!! She also has eaten broccoli and green beans (the yucky can kind).I got her to eat the strawberries with extra sugar several days in a row. Today she wouldn't eat them, but I think it is because I gave her all her lunch at once. I get her to eat the vegies by putting her in the highchair with only vegies while I get the rest ready. Grace is a big fan of lo mein noodles :) I never saw her eat so fast! She will eat any meat or potato I put in front of her. Anyway, big steps with the fruit and vegies!!!!

Grace can make snake and tiger sounds! She consistently says "hi". Still waiting for "mama" :) She can practically run, which makes me a nervous wreck outside. She is such a flirt to strangers. People she sees often barely get a hello, but the cranky old woman at Walmart gets the best waves and smiles. Go figure.... maybe she will be a politician :)

THE BAD

Grace's sleep has been off the past week. She wakes and screams and just wants to be with us. This happens during nap and bedtime. We had a couple nights where we were up for 3 hours. We would rock her back to sleep, lay her down and she would wake screaming 5 minutes later. The next night would be ok and then bad again. She usually ends up in our bed which CAN NOT go on for long. Brad and I both do not do well with a crowded bed!!! She will actually stay in the crib if she sees us standing there. She will peek out every minute or so to check. I stood there one night for about 20 minutes and then gave up on that because she wouldn't go to sleep. I think she just wants us near. We set up the pack and play in our room thinking we could lay her in that just so she was near us. Didn't work!!!! She screamed and ended up in our bed again last night. I'm hoping this is a short phase...

THE UGLY

Grace has taken up hitting again along with some other naughty behaviors. She throws food off her tray, opens the oven door and plays with the knobs, messes with my dishwasher and washing machine, etc. She isn't going to have a college fund if she breaks all my appliances!!! We tell her "no" firmly, remove her, try time out, etc. She just laughs! Laughs laughs, laughs! It's so frustrating. Not sure if she is testing us or what. But I'm exhausted with hearing myself say "no". You can tell she knows exactly what she is doing and for some reason she is seeking negative attention. I am always with her and have really tried to praise her when she has good behavior. This all started to escalate about a week ago. She already wasn't the best listener, but she is purposely going from one thing to the next trying to get a reaction. If this is a test, I think I'm failing :( Any advice???

Who Needs Toys???

More July Fun

It is difficult to believe this girl hated baths when we first got her! There is no fear anymore!!! Grace loved playing in the sprinkler, but needed shoes to protect her little feet from our dry, crunchy grass :)



Grace is obsessed with books! I caught her "reading" to herself for a change. Usually you can find her flinging a book in my face to be read to :) The funniest thing is she has to sit in a certain position and suck her thumb. If you shift her or put her next to you, she climbs right back on my lap smack dab in the center!!! I hope all this reading helps with her speech, because right now she isn't saying much at all. She has lost a lot of sounds that she used to make. She does babble, but small variety of sounds. She understands tons though. She is only 14 months old and has only been hearing english for 2 months, but I would feel better if she called me "mama". I do remember my boys "losing" words when they started walking. Their minds were focused on the physical. Nate said very little until 15 months and then it was like a faucet was turned on (and no one has turned it off since :)

How many kids and large stuffed dogs can fit in one small fort??? I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE watching these three play together!

Who would have thought that the air conditioner vent could be such fun! Grace entertained herself for quite a while enjoying the cold air blow out on her. (We do usually put pants on her :)

4th of July

Tomorrow will be 8 weeks that we have been home with Grace! We have all settled in so nicely. The boys just adore her and love to play with her. Grace loves them right back :) They are so much help! We have been working on transitioning to one nap. So far, it has been good. Not all days are perfect, but she is definitely ready for one nap. And I am definitely ready for her to be in bed before 9:30pm!

Grace is such a sweet little girl! She gives lots of hugs and kisses :) Her personality is such a mix. She is spunky and strong willed, but can also go with the flow. We are so blessed to have her and now that this long adoption journey is over, it is so clear why it took so long. We needed to wait for Grace. She was meant for us. She seems more confident and secure every day. We still have our moments (every time I try to cook), but she is much less clingy.

We went to the zoo yesterday (along with everyone else in the Phila. area). It was a gorgeous day and the kids all enjoyed the animals. It was very difficult to get up close to a lot of exhibits, but we saw enough. The boys were more interested in souvenirs and ice cream by the end :) Grace fell asleep on the way home and then finished her nap in the crib. She slept a total of 3 hours!!!!! We wore her out!

Today we had my sister and her in-laws from Michigan over for a picnic. They have two boys who are right around the ages of Nate and Aidan. They all got along great! It was a fun day by the pool!

I got this recipe from my friend. I tried it and it worked! I never got a picture, but it is a cute festive drink for the kids.

Magic Stars-and-Stripes 4th of July Drink Recipe
Ingredients:
3 oz. cranberry juice cocktail
3 oz. blue Gatorade (the brighter blue one)
3 oz. Diet Sprite or Sprite Zero (regular won't work!)
Lots of ice

Instructions: 1. Add a few ice cubes to your class, and pour in the cranberry juice.

2. Carefully add a few more ice cubes, and pour the Gatorade in over a spoon (this helps the layers to separate).

3. Carefully add a few more ice cubes, and pour the Sprite in over a spoon.

4. Serve with a festive straw.



Happy Fourth of July!!!!!

Miss America


Nate, Aidan, Evan and Jake


Lego Polar Bear


Pretty little birds!!!

My kids love feeding the lorikeets!



Checking out the giraffes.

Grace being oh so cooperative with picture taking :)

Nate, Aidan and Emily playing with Grace in her fort!