35/365 Still the Clear Favorite

Over the past few months, Grace has been "bonding" with some of her toy friends. We often joke that we are no longer just a new family of three, but rather a family of 7 or 8 when you include all of her must-have tagalongs. Certain pals work better for certain situations, but as was evidenced tonight, her very first favorite friend - Mr. 8 Legs the Octopus - is still very clearly her ultimate friend of choice. She was having a rough evening starting around 5:30 when she decided she was ready for bed and I was trying to keep her up for another hour or so before starting our bedtime routine. Nothing was working - singing, dancing, the jumperoo, Sophie her teething giraffe, her laptop...nothing. I even offered up my cell phone, which is normally a big no-no. At about 6, I gave in and laid her down on her ocean playmat while I got her bedtime diaper and bottle ready, knowing she would only have to cry for a minute or two while I got prepared. I quickly went to her bedroom, paused and stood there shocked by what I was hearing in the living room- cooing and baby talk. Umm, what?! What?! Where is this happy baby coming from all of a sudden? A quick few steps back to the living room and it was evident what was making her happy- her very first, most favorite pal Mr. 8 Legs. I stood to the side and watched (and took a few photos, of course) for a good 15 minutes in total delight as my baby girl was calmed and comforted by her buddy.

I wish you could hear the cooing and talking that was going on while this picture was being taken:

Big smiles for our favorite friend:

And here is a "throwback" picture of Grace and her oldest pal when she was just 11 weeks old. Just because it's cute:

I find it a little humorous, yet charming as well, that I owe the night's peace and sanity to a stuffed blue octopus with rattles and chew toys connected to his tentacles. It seems that their little one-sided conversation they had together was exactly what the babe needed. I changed her, fed her, and put her down in her crib. She has since fallen asleep - and without a single fuss, whine, or cry while doing so.

Thank you, Mr. 8 Legs, Thank you!

34/365 Hugs for Dolly

With only a few seconds to snap this photo before Ryan was off to take the baby to Grandpa and Grandma P's (the man has very little patience, folks), this shot came out a little on the blurry side. Oh well...it still makes me smile. Grace loves her baby doll, whom we have not so cleverly named Dolly. If we hand her to Grace, she hugs onto her just like in the picture. The other day, Dolly was lying next to her on her playmat. Baby girl decided it was "rolling time" and naturally she took Dolly along for the ride. She clutched her tight, rolled over, and then would look at her, as if she was seeking approval or a reaction from Dolly for the ride she just provided. Definitely one of the cutest things I have seen her do lately.

I was never, and I mean never, a doll type of girl. In fact, the only doll I ever asked my mom for was Ariel, the Little Mermaid. I believe she still has it because it was that impressive and shocking that I had actually asked for something super girly. I guess that's how it is when you have an older brother and all you want to play with is his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! I'm glad that (so far anyway) Grace is into her dolls and that she is still small enough for me to dress her up in ribbons, bows, lace, dresses, etc... If she is anything like me, she'll be playing with her older boy cousins' trucks and action figures, as well as down-right refusing to wear anything girly in no time. I think by the time I was two, any time Mom would put me in a dress or anything with lace, I would simply take it right back off. I am fully prepared for my daughter to do this to me as well. Mom would say Grace is going to give me a dose of my own medicine! I will, however, continue to hold out hope and relish in the fun I get to have with her doing and wearing all things uber feminine.

Here is Grace loving on Dolly:

33/365 Sleeping Beauty

Lit by the dim glow of Sal the Seahorse, sleeping peacefully with quiet melodies playing in the background,a satisfied and sweet smile on her face, and clutching her "Lovie" ladybug blanket, here is my Sleeping Beauty:

Though she is still waking a couple more times during the night than Mama and Daddy would like, we are very happy that she sleeps in her own crib every single night. (I know many people with babies her age and a little older that are just now struggling with making the transition into the crib/nursery. We started putting her in her own room around 6 weeks old and though it was only for a few hours a night at that point, and that few hours was always really hard for Mama, I am so glad we made that decision. )

And in regards to her waking up more often than we would prefer, although it really stinks getting up at 3:30 in the morning to soothe the baby and sometimes feed her, the reward of seeing the above precious face once she falls back asleep (which usually never takes more than 5-10 minutes) is worth every minute of sleep lost. I will catch up on my sleep one day, but she will only be this tiny for so long.

32/365 Baby's New Computer

Grace, like most babies her age, has developed a liking for all things around the house that are non-baby toys. Topping her list of "favorite things I'm not allowed to have, and I get overly frustrated when Mama and Daddy take them away..." are the TV remote, Daddy's PS3 controller, the camera, our cell phones, and at the very tippy-top of the list is Mama's laptop. She lunges at it, hits the keys, moves her fingers around on the mouse pad, you name. The other day I closed all the windows and let her have at it for a minute, as I don't want to be one of those moms who always say no. And although everything was closed, she still managed to disable my wifi internet capabilities and make the "H" key no longer work. So, what is a mom to do? The first step was to fix my computer while the baby took a catnap and then we were off to find something that would hopefully entertain the baby in the same or even close capacity that my laptop does. I found several LeapFrog laptop toys, but at 5 months, I don't think she is quite ready for them yet. And I really don't want to have to spend an abundance of money on something she isn't ready for. Maybe that will be her first birthday present...or second. Today I found the perfect thing for her. It was like finding the golden ticket in a chocolate bar. It's a Vtech Baby's Learning Laptop. It is for ages 6+ months (hey, she's close enough) and requires little more effort from her than pounding on the keys and playing with the attached "mouse" and it lights up, plays music, talks to her, etc... When she is ready, it will also teach her shapes and letters as well. AND...it's pink and purple. Not a bad purchase for $15.00. We stopped off to visit with my mom for a while and got it out of the package. She seems to love it so far and was all smiles playing with it.

"Look at my new toy, Mama!"



See...perfect fit for her little hands!



Taking a break to look at Mama and make sure she is paying attention to how much fun she is having.



Ahh, success!!



..and yes, I have hat hair and wasn't wearing my hat to cover it up. Oh well. Deal with it. It's about the baby and her toy, not me.

31/365 (Little) Lady in Red

Well, I have officially made it to the end of the first month with this blog. Although I haven't had the time to post every night, I have taken pictures every day and put them all up within a few days. This, my friends, is a major accomplishment in my books. In celebration, today is a really fun picture that I can't look at without giggling.

As part of the 365 day photo challenge I am doing, there are also weekly challenges as well. The theme for this week is "RED." Our silly red picture:



Over the top? Maybe. Silly? Definitely. Fun? Absolutely. One of my new favorite pictures? Positively.

30/365 5 Months Old!!

Yesterday, Grace turned 5 months old! I can't believe how much she has grown in the past five months. She is learning so much every single day and teaching Ryan and I new things every day as well. She is such a fun-loving, happy, beautiful baby girl and I know how blessed we are to have her in our lives.

Here is the little babe when she was just a few days old, all cuddled up and sleeping so sweetly.



And here she is now, at 5 months old, a few minutes into her new "skill" that she is learning. She now sits by herself long enough to actually count as sitting without trying to face-plant 2 seconds into it. She starts by sitting with no hands, then after a couple of minutes she puts her hands down to help balance like this:



(Once sitting isn't such a new skill, I'll get pictures of her sitting without her hands. For now, I'm not comfortable trying to focus on using the camera and taking my eyes off of her even for a split second until those little hands are down providing some mommy-backup).

Here she is watching Daddy talk:



..and here Daddy was eating a chip that the baby really wanted him to share with her:




Soon enough, little one! For now just enjoy the baby progress steps you are making and continuing to amaze your Daddy and I.

29/365 Playdate With New Friends

The other day, Grace and I met up with a couple of my "mommy friends" and their adorable little ones at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. Despite Grace not feeling 100% and having a slight cold like her Daddy, she seemed to have a pretty good time. She absolutely loves other babies...and I love watching them interact! I had a great day also, visiting with Katie and Stefanie. I plan to post more pictures from that day, but here are a few shots for now.

The 3 little ones in their strollers, all holding their Sophie giraffes:



Adorable Addie:



Sweet Baby Grace (who I guess couldn't just pick one finger to chew on):



The handsome Ryker:



...and Grace letting Mama know that she was completely ready to leave and in desperate need of a nap: