13 Months

Lots of pictures.  It's the only way I know.  While I may not always be the best at writing down what you are up to - I'm great at taking pictures of you.  Why?  Because you are SO stinking cute.  This month, you've changed so much.  On October 12th, I picked you up at daycare and saw you CRUISE across the room. You are officially a crawler. This morning, you stood up for me for about 4 seconds and gracefully sat down.  You are becoming such a big girl. You love talking - you are so vocal these days.  You don't yell, you just blabber.  You love saying "Hi?" and "Bye?" and always in a question format. Your hand also waves. It's so cute.  Your dad and I love the way you also give "Hi-Fives".  They taught you this at daycare and we had no idea you even knew how. 

On Thursday, October 18th, we took you to dinner and you kept throwing food on the ground. I sternly said "NO" to you - and for the first time this made you cry.  It's going to be so hard to say no to you in the future little girl.

I just try to capture a little bit of every day with you.   Your little personality is changing every day - but the happiness you bring to so many lives is not. We love you!

12 months

Grace Grace Grace.  12 months. One whole YEAR since you were born.  How did this even happen?  You have become such a big girl and it's amazing how much you've grown over the last few weeks.  The Monday before your first birthday, we started mixing whole milk with your breastmilk (your birthday was on a Thursday) thinking that you may have a hard time with the transition.  What were we thinking?  You enjoy this milk just as much. We've been focusing really hard on getting you to hold your own bottle.  You don't understand why we just won't do it for you!  Mommy has a really hard time letting you do it too, you just aren't a cuddler and it's the only time you'll snuggle in.  You have four bottles a day now - two whole milk at daycare and two half breastmilk and half whole milk at home.  Mommy stored up a lot of milk and is trying to keep you from those nasty sniffles at daycare.  You enjoy pretty much anything - though when you don't like something you take it from your tray and plop it on the ground.  You know how to say you don't like something.  We are also amazed at how smart you are - you know that you can dip your celery in to your ranch dressing and eat the ranch dressing!  We don't argue - since everyone loves some good ranch!

You have become quite the talker. You babble quite a bit, but we've found that when we talk, you really listen.  When Mommy picks you up at daycare each day, you babble to her - telling her what you have done. At daycare they say that you really like the art projects and love to sing and play.  Daycare doesn't have any concerns about you.  You love to be outside and it's evident through them and through Mommy and Daddy. Anything outside and you are happy - as long as the sun is not in your eyes.



As far as sleeping  - you take a 1 hr nap at 12:30 each day....and then go to bed at 6:30pm and wake up at 6:30am. You need your NUK, but otherwise, you are a GREAT sleeper. Still.  At your doctor appt, you had four shots and blood taken - but you did a good job and weren't too angry afterwards.  You are now in the 42% percentile for weight (from 20 - you are growing!) and in the 79% for height.  You are finally getting those top teeth in - and they look HUGE!  They have broken the skin - but we are still waiting to see what they look like:)

Army crawling is your favorite now, though you did take your first real crawl yesterday.  Mommy was so proud of you - but you quite after one movement forward.  You also know how to walk along things really well now and understand that one foot goes in front of the other.  You are such a big girl!  Swimming lessons are your FAVORITE. Every Sunday at 10:15 you have them and you SPLASH and make noise the entire time. Watching your excited little face is the best thing about the lessons. 

It's been an AMAZING year Grace. Amazing. You are such a strong, loving and easygoing little girl that we all can't wait to see you grow. You have a family that loves you more than you will ever know - until you have a little girl of your own someday.

11 Months

Miss Grace,
You have grown up so much in the last month and your dad I swear that each day is different. You are growing so big and strong.  It's hard to believe that you'll be a year in a month now. Even though that day was a blur, there are piece of it that are still ingrained and I continue to ask your dad about.  I'm like a little kid; wanting to hear the Grace's Birth Story just one more time.

This month not a ton has changed on the feeding side.  Just this last week (technically now in your 12 month post)....we decided to move you to two bottles and no baby food anymore.  We'll talk about that another time.   As you matured from 10 to 11 months though, you have really begun to eat. You LOVE food and at daycare they often comment on how much you eat!  You take three 6-7oz bottles at daycare and nurse in the morning and at night before bed.  You often finish all your bottles....plus have milk with your babyfood and oatmeal each day.  PLUS, once that food cart enters the room, you are over the baby food and want BIG GIRL food!  Because of all this intake, you also are known for your poos.  Daycare takes bets on how many times you'll go in one day (last week one day you were 7 for 7).  You love deli meat and really any kind of meat, bananas, yogurt, baby puffs and baby yogurt bites, black beans, and cheese.  You dislike vegetables and watermelon.  It's funny, I thought you'd love the veggies...but apparently we haven't taught you well enough:)  I can't blame you.  Your dad and I love giving you new food and seeing what you think of it.  You make dinner time fun.

You are still a good sleeper - taking two naps a day - each about 45 minutes to an hour. We have moved your bedtime up to 6:30 because you tend to be crabby by then and you sleep until 6/6:30am.  You love your sleep and Mommy is thankful for that with dad being gone.

You also LOVE the bath. You SPLASH and move your hands around and get everything soaking wet!  You are a fish!  You also love jumping as well as rolling everywhere.  You know how to get on those knees, but it's only used to flip to your back and roll.  One fast little girl!  You are also making way more noise this month - saying mom-ma and da-da-da quite often. I'm not sure yet if you know what you are talking about - but you make it known.   You also like to be sung to and love clapping.  Peek a boo is also a new favorite. You dislike being stuck in a car for long. Honestly though, that's the only thing I can think of that you dont' really like!

Oh Grace.  We love you so much.

Stinker - Update to Yesterday

This little stinker is finally trying to make a move.  I'm doubting she'll get it in the next day or two...but she's getting there!  I apologize for the bad picture - but it was hard to catch!!!

As far as the weaning - I'm better today. It was different - but one day of crying and I'm ok. This morning, after waking up at 6am, I went and warmed up a bottle (7oz) and Josh fed it to her. She drank the whole thing in ONE gulp.  Apparently I've been underfeeding her. After the bottle, she couldn't be happier!  Jumping and smiling away (after a PIGGISH burp) obviously. 

I'll be posting her 11 month update soon:)

A Sad Day

Over the last three weeks, I've been weaning by taking out one session slowly.  I knew this process wouldn't be an easy one, but I had no idea how today would feel.  Grace and I shared our last session this morning.   She woke up and our routine was the same.  Though this time, it took longer for her to get milk and she had enough to only fill her belly.  Me knowing, beforehand, that this would likely be the last day, bawled the entire time. Grace, however, was efficient and patient - no fussing on her part. She's made it so easy on me on all of us. I love that little girl. 

She's a big girl. I made it over 11 months and she's got enough milk to last her until she's one.  She's got a great start on life and I know I shouldn't be so emotional but it really is a bond that I will miss.  After crying in the car on the way to day care, crying when I dropped her off....and then crying again on the phone with Josh - I am sure this day will be filled with tears.  My little girl is growing up.

Minneapolis

 Too many times I think we forget to enjoy this city. ....but Josh and I have a great tradition of weekend walks.  We really enjoy taking Grace (and Lila) and walking around the city - trying to enjoy everything and take it all in. This weekend, we started out on University, grabbed Caribou and some Brueggers bagels, and went for a nice long walk around St. Anthony. This picture of the city is from a park bench while we ate our bagels (and Grace ate a half of a banana!). It was a great morning:)  We later went to the baseball game and had some amazing babysitters.

Grace, meanwhile, was so much fun this weekend!  She really has grown and I forget to take note. Loves the sippy cup now (but can't figure out how to raise it up to get water out of it) and also is a big stander!!!



10 Months

 Wow G. 10 Months.....and my how they have flown by.  You have officially been on the outside longer than the pregnancy period.  What is odd....
 I still remember that day when we saw you for the first time.  You were six weeks in utero and the size of a piece of rice.  We wondered who you were in there and couldn't wait to find out everything about you.  We fell in love immediately.

When you were born, we were scared.  How were we going to take care of you, protect you from this scary world, and make sure you were given everything you deserve?  But you have been patient with us; the ever easy-going loving little girl.  You couldn't have been a better baby and as you continue to grow, you only get better.

Ten months.  You continue to eat more and more real food versus baby food...but still stick to your bottles at daycare.  You love pretty much everything, though green veggies you turn down. Mom and Dad dont' even try to give them to you.  Yogurt is your FAVORITE.....the minute it comes out you want ZERO to do with anything else in front of you. You are so efficient, we rarely put a big on you.  At daycare they tell us you are a very good eater.  You babble to us ALL the time...but mostly just "mom-mummm-moom".....but we really don't think you know what you are saying.

Naps...you are down to two a day....one at 9:30 (after you first bottle) and one around 1pm.  Each lasts for about an hour.  You have become more and more picky with your bedtime - so by 7/7:30 each night you are in bed for the night.You sleep all night...sometimes waking at 6 and sometimes at 6:30 a.m.  Either way, Mom has gotten used to it and since you still aren't crawling or walking, you make every morning easy.  Each morning you eat, and then play with your piano toy and your baseball that you received from Grand Old Days.  You LOVE any sort of ball....and stuffed animal. But don't tell Aunt Sara.

Over the 4th of July, we took you swimming a few times.  You absolutely LOVE the water and couldn't be happier kicking and playing.  You are such a content and happy little girl.  I often forget how big you are.  We take you everywhere and you are so much fun in the shopping cart, at happy hour with Sara and Anders, at bridal showers, in church, at parades, anywhere.

Mommy and Daddy love you more and more every day. We can't even imagine what our life was like without you.  As you grow and learn we think you will be a very patient, easy-going, loving little girl and we can't wait to be there each step of the road with you.

This week has been a rough one

This has been a rough week!  Josh was out of town ALL week and we had just had the full week off....so I officially broke down last night.  I didn't sleep well all week and with work and teaching.....broke down.  I never do this - I like to think of myself as a pretty tough person - but I just felt like it had all added up for too long - and I broke down.

That being said, see attached photos to something that always makes my life happier.  I apologize..I spent 20 minutes trying to rotate these and gave up....

Nine Months

Man oh man. I'm a week late - but I've been meaning to post this all week Miss Grace. I've taken a new job to be closer to you each day....and it's way more work than my last job.  However, Mommy is able to pick you up even earlier each day from day care and spend more time with you.

We took you to the doctor on Tuesday....and the doctor said you are a model child. Your eating behaviors, napping behaviors, and overall demeanor are just amazing.  We think you are perfect too.  Each day you become more and more of a daddy's girl - but you are SUPER fond of your mommy too.  We love getting those pretty giggles out of you and you are giving them out even more. 

At daycare and during the week, you are still eating a TON! You take 7 or 8 ounce bottles three times during the day, eat breakfast, lunch and dinner baby food - and eat snacks at daycare! That is a lot of milk during the week - though you nurse exclusively on the weekends and mommy doesn't make nearly that amount of milk during the week.  You don't mind though.  You make do.  You are a very efficient eater and love your baby food - the only thing you don't like is peas.  But who can blame you. You even tried lamb meat from Holyland for Father's Day - and really enjoyed it.  Nursing has gone so well and Mommy often thinks about stopping so that she can have more time during the week - but you have made it so easy and rewarding - it's a tough battle.  We took you to Jax Cafe for dinner near you b-day and you loved every minute. You love being at restaurants and you are always the center of attention. You even fed yourself for the FIRST time that Mommy and Daddy saw. You are growing so fast.

Mommy and Daddy took you swimming to Como Park as well this month.  You HATED it at first...and then figured out splashing and were hooked.  We will take you again - you loved every minute of it.

We love you SO MUCH little girl.  Mommy and Daddy reminise about all the good times we've had with you and how we've loved seeing everything through your eyes.  We can't wait to experience it all.

Time Is Flying

I can't even believe how much fun Grace has been lately. She's such a happy happy baby and her ability to make anyone smile is amazing. I cant' believe how fast she's growing and how much I just want to soak up every minute with her.  After being home the last few weekends, Josh and I have really realized how happy we are.  Our little family is absolutely what we've both always wanted. 

Grace got to go to the pool this weekend! We took her to the Como Pool and she didn't know what to think of it at first...but quickly figured out how much fun splashing is!  The kiddie pool area was just perfect for her!

She's also been a lot of fun at lunch/dinner time.  LOVES it!

New Job...Radar Altimeters....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar_altimeter

This is what I work with.  Pretty crazy huh!

Grand Old Days

We had SUCH a great time at Grand Old Days.  I love parades and have for a very long time - and Josh has always loved Grand Old Days.  Put together this combination and you've got something that we look forward to each and every year. We've gone for the last five years and it's truly become a yearly tradition for us. Last year, when I was pregnant, I still remember sitting there with my husband and scheeming of whether or not we were having a boy and what possible names we could come up with. We watched little boys and girls around us gather up candy and couldn't wait to meet our little one and have this same experience!

Needless to say - we had a BLAST this year! Grace loved every minute of the parade and even collected a baseball and a frisbee herself! She loved the noise, the bands, the motorcycles, everything! She even ate some sweet potatoes as quickly as possible so she could continue to watch the happenings:)

The prior day, we went to a grad party.....and Grace was again the life of the party. See the picture of her with Jayne:)

Eight Months

Yikes.  Where do I even begin! This has been such a big month for you Miss Grace.  Primarily because Mom and Dad both left you with Grandma for four full days while Mommy met Dad in New York for a fun weekend.  Dad left you for a full week and missed you so much - but Grandma took very good care of you and you were so good for her.  You slept every night through the night, you ate all your bottles - and played so well with Grandma.  Grandma was able to give us an update about all the things you were doing since we don't get to see it often.  We are too busy holding you and playing with you on weekends!  You are in to rolling around like crazy these last two weeks.  You move around the floor so quickly and really want to crawl.  We laugh when you stick out your arms and legs at the same time and make actions like you want to move. We know you'll figure it out soon.

At daycare, you've also been transitioning back and forth to the medium bear room.  You like playing with your older friends and are starting to figure out that you can talk.   You have really found your voice and have no problem talking to us now.  Mommy also went to her first parent-teacher conference at daycare and they told us what a good girl you are.  You really are one of the best babies they have ever had there and it's so good to hear what we already know.  We are very proud parents.

You are liking baby food more and more each day.  You aren't as interested in your bottles, but you LOVE chowing down on real food.  We try to give you a little bit of everything and we haven't found anything that you won't eat:)   You also had your first sleep over at Auntie Sara's house (Mom and Dad went to PwC Formal) and you did such a good job!  You slept all night for her and even slept in a little bit.

I won't write a lot this month Miss Grace, but we want you to know you are VERY loved.

New York City

So - New York was pretty amazing.  I totally didn't know what to think when I first landed at LaGuardia....but in the end I could not believe how easy it was to get around the city and how much I really enjoyed it.  On Friday, Josh went to work for the first part of the day.....so I tooled around on my own and found Grand Central Station.  The blocks are all in numerical order and then there are the "main" streets that run north to south - so I figured out what to do pretty quickly.  Grand Central Station always looks so cool in movies....but it wasn't that cool.  Still - amazing the number of people going in and out.  When Josh was done with work, we headed to go to Mesa for lunch.  We had two hours to walk there...through Central Park....and we were really enjoying the park and the view....until we realized that Mesa was in completely the other direction than what we were headed.   We cancelled our reservation.  Instead, we headed back south to where we came from and enjoyed walking through the neighborhoods.  By 3:30pm though - we were STARVING and went to eat some AMAZING pizza at a place near the hotel (where we started).   After the good meal, we napped and got ready for our dinner reservation (which was 9:30pm at Tao).  We got to Tao early...had a drink (expensive....) and realized it was not our joint.  We turned in our beeper and said "see ya!".  Instead, we had a "to go" dinner close to our hotel. 

Saturday we took off around 9am (it was amazing to sleep in) and walked towards Times Square.  We saw Rockfeller and Times Square without the lights.  Then, we started to walk south since we knew we wanted lunch at Katz Deli near Little Italy/Soho.  Katz was AMAZING!  Pastrami, fries and soup.....and the experience was ENOUGH.  IT was chaos - but fun!  We walked for almost 3 hours straight - but it was great to see the ENTIRE city!  We saw all the parks, some famous buildings, etc.  After eating at Katz, the plan was to stay near SoHo and have some drinks in the beer garden. Unfortunately, we figured out that I didn't have some "essentials" I needed and we were forced to figure out the Subway system.  Surprisingly, it was EASY and NICE!  We went back to the hotel for a bit and then headed back south where was saw the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center Towers, Wall Street, etc etc.  We were really happy with ourselves - we felt like we saw everything we wanted to!  That night we ate near Times Square (Ruth Chris - free!) and then checked out all the scenary at night. Amazing.  Stopped in to a local bar for awhile and this was by far our latest night.  It was SO nice to hang out and have a few drinks!

Sunday then....we took it easy. Slept in, met a Partner from PwC for brunch in Tribeca (which I had seen Bethenny Frankel eat at previously), walked around a bit, napped, and just sat together.  Such a great weekend.

I am going to miss this

It has been insanity trying to get ready for meeting Josh in New York...and I'm going to miss her. 

Seven Months!

Baby. You are now seven months old. I don't even know where the last month has gone - but I feel like that with every month.

This month you had your "six month" photos taken.  You are such a pretty baby and you were so good during your pictures.  We did them at 10am - thinking you would have gotten your morning nap in and eaten and you would be good to go.  However, half way through you got very very tired . Understandable since you normally take a morning nap around 8:45am to 9:30am and then typically want another nap after your lunch.  Brandis was patient and you took a 20 minute nap - and then woke up ready to finish your pictures with an Easter dress on.

We went to Black River Falls for Easter and you met the Easter bunny as well as Mollie Caldwell.  You loved being in your front carrier and really checked everything out.  Your picture with the Easter bunny went well and Grandpa Wiersma snuggle with you afterwards as you started to get tired.   While we were in BRF, Mommy and Daddy went out with Uncle Lance and had a great time and you struggled to sleep.  While you still are a great sleeper, every once in awhile you fuss here and there as you fall asleep.  As you become more and more aware of everything, you want less and less to fall asleep. We won't complain though as you still sleep from 7:30pm to 6:30am each night.  You are such a good girl.

From an eating perspective, you still wake up and eat at 6:30am with Mom and then you have three bottles at daycare every 3 hours.  You eat once, sometimes twice, more with Mom and then you go to bed.  You also eat lunch at daycare (a vegetable) and then dinner at 5pm (fruit).  We just finished all the fruits and you love all of them.  Mommy gets you naked to feed you prunes, since you tend to make a mess and prunes are so dark and hard to get out of fabric.  Daycare tells us you are a good eater and really like everything. We haven't met a food you don't like yet.  Mommy even gave you a lick of ice cream (which you LOVED) and some cantalope. 

At your six month appointment (on Mommy's birthday) you were actually 6 1/2 months old and weighed 15lbs 2 ounces and were 26inches long.  You really are a peanut since Mommy and Daddy moved you to size 3 diapers since we thought you were bigger! Just a little girl with a big head!  Speaking of Mommy's birthday - we went to Erte with the Krogman family.  There was music (a small band) and you loved listening to it and really enjoyed dancing with Grandpa.  You were well behaved and loved the noise - but when we got to the car you were angry.  It was past your bedtime, you were hungry, and you didn't know how to tune it out.  Grandma gave you a bottle and you fell asleep quickly.

You are starting to sit up now.  You aren't very good at it (I blame your head) but you are getting better and better each day. It's so fun to see you progress.  Such a big girl!   You are also standing up well when we put you next to your toys.  You are so much more aware of everything and love anything that Mommy and Daddy have. You often grab at the remote and our iPhones.  You don't want your toys - you want ours.  You are also getting a tooth!  We can see the white buds on both sides - but they haven't emerged yet. It's amazing, you've teethed so well.  You have not been fussy, haven't been complaining about them coming in, and haven't woken up in the night out of pain/transitioning. 

We can't believe how much we love you Grace.  Dad travels for work and can't wait to see you when you come home. You are so lucky; you have so many people that love you.  Aunt Sara always brings you something when she sees you; Uncle Lance drops off gifts often; and Uncle Royce always wants to do "facetime" to see you.  You are a good little "Skyper"....you see everyone every week. 

MWAH.

Daily Pic - April 19th

Big girl can sit up on her own for a couple minutes at a time!

More Photos

After a temperature of 101.4 on Sunday....Grace woke up Monday a.m. in a GREAT mood without any sign of being sick. She giggled all night long for me after taking a 2.5 hr nap at daycare! Then...woke up THIS morning with an INSANE amount of booger crust....and only in a mediocre mood. I can't figure this girl out!

Happy Easter

Grace had a wonderful time in Wisconsin this weekend. We hadn't been there since January - so it was ABOUT time. She walked in the door and immediately had three new toys thrown at her! She especially liked the noise one with lots of colors. Gma spoils her....

Josh and enjoyed having some help - taking naps and just having a good old time. In typical fashion, I freaked out all weekend that our house was on fire because I thought I may have left my curling iron on....

Grace had TWO new Easter dresses. The one she wore was her dad's choice...and it was PRETTY cute.



Josh is traveling yet again this weekend. I'm stressed, since not only do I have to work, teach two jobs, and take care of a baby - but we have guests staying with us this weekend which means trying to keep the house in okay condition and not knowing exact plans. Being a mom is tough - especially with him traveling. Look at these two pictures below. Isn't it CRAZY how much two months can change a baby....



On the brighter side - it's my BIRTHDAY on Wednesday! I can't wait! Josh and I are having some cake and a pizza on Wednesday night and on Friday - we get to go to ERTE!! My FAVORITE!

Happy Wednesday!

Man - I feel horrible. Grace gave me her cold. I've been so good about not taking her on walks this week because I wanted her to feel better - that I forgot to take care of myself. It's been crazy with Josh gone - I'm not sure how long I am going to last. I seriously get up at 5:30AM and don't stop moving until I sit in my desk at work. Then work for 8 hours, pick her up, and then feed her and play with her until she's in bed at 7:30PM. In the meantime, I feel horrible about the dirty house, trying to teach after she goes to bed - plus prepare for the next day. It's truly a grind.

I shouldn't complain - I'm extremely lucky and each time I look at her I just smile. She loves her jumper these days and just gives me the most love when I need it. Holding her last night I was reminded to just slow down and enjoy her cuddles.

Pictures are from this A.M. New outfit from Aunt Sara - but it's getting harder and harder to get a good picture of her! Becoming more and more active and wants to grab the phone each time!

Morning Snapshots!

Oh man - when Josh travels - I become exhausted. I just don't sleep. Go to bed at 9, wake at 10, 1, and 2. I usually get up - maybe I just need to learn to stay. in. bed. Anyhow - this little girl has no problem sleeping. When he is gone - I try to send at least one picture a day. When I was in Florida, I realized how much fun it was to get pics!