So today I got a video of my daughter doing her favorite thing in the whole world. Well at least for the last month blowing bubbles has been an obsession. Nana, aka Grandma Donna, bought a bubble gun today thinking it was the kind that you put bubble soap in and pulled the trigger. The whole family has been bubble blowing slaves lately and we needed some relief. However, this gun ended up being the same old dip and blow kind of gun, but it made a lot of bubbles in one shot so that was good.
Grace had learned with another bubble gun long ago how to load and shoot a bubble gun. However, that bubble gun had a more difficult trigger. Today she dipped, made bubbles and chased them with no problem. In addition today was great to watch because of all the words and exuberance she used. She would run around with a like skip in her step and babble Bubbles, POP POP. then, just as I turned the video camera off, she said "I like bubbles." It was very mumbled but you could tell what she said. So I countered with " You like bubbles? They do make you happy." To which she let out a musical yeah! and raced off in chase of more bubble adventures. Considering the drama in my life right now, that was about as good as it gets. Watching the joy in a 19 month old's eyes as she plays with bubbles makes it all worth it in the end.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
First Sentence
On Wednesday before swim we were having a snack. My parents were there too. As my dad was opening the refrigerator he was talking to Grace when she said said "Papa, I wana pickle." She and my mother eat pickles together occasionally. The first time I guess she ate a pickle she made a face and said yucky. But she came back over and over and eventually my mother said she ate her whole pickle. what a funny first sentence.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Singing, Talking, Swiming
Grace is growing everyday by leaps and bounds. What is funny is that it is hard to tell really how much until you stop and think about this time last year. She was only 8 months old last Easter and just pulling up and crawling. This Easter Grace was walking and putting Easter eggs in her basket all by herself. She now says over a hundred words and loves to swim on her own. She sings about 8 songs. Well she sings parts of the songs at the right time. Her favorites include: Kookaburra, Old McDonald, ABC Song and Michael Buble's Cry Me a River. We actually got a video of her singing this last song with her Dad on Easter day.
The last Saturday in March Grace did her first sleep over at our friend Chloe, Colby and Katie's house. This was following a play date the Tuesday before. When I picked her up on Tuesday she cried bloody murder. I guess she is ready for a more social atmosphere. It is really too bad that she is the only child because she loves other kids of any age. Anyway, Saturday went off without a hitch, so Katie says.
Grace is starting to say more complex things now. For instance when we read Dora the Explorer she can say " Swiper, no Swiping" and it sounds like it should give or take a bit. She is also a great mimic now. She knows a hand full of Spanish words including: mira, adios, hola, papas, and gato.
All in all it has been a hectic, but exciting month in Graceland.
The last Saturday in March Grace did her first sleep over at our friend Chloe, Colby and Katie's house. This was following a play date the Tuesday before. When I picked her up on Tuesday she cried bloody murder. I guess she is ready for a more social atmosphere. It is really too bad that she is the only child because she loves other kids of any age. Anyway, Saturday went off without a hitch, so Katie says.
Grace is starting to say more complex things now. For instance when we read Dora the Explorer she can say " Swiper, no Swiping" and it sounds like it should give or take a bit. She is also a great mimic now. She knows a hand full of Spanish words including: mira, adios, hola, papas, and gato.
All in all it has been a hectic, but exciting month in Graceland.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Singing Diva
Grace has really gotten into singing this week. She started a little while ago with Old McDonald. She sings the "E I E I O," and the "Old McDonald" parts of the song. What is great about it is that she can sing the "O" on key and if she is off from the rest of us she will raise or lower the note accordingly. This week she also started to say "Happy and know" which is of course her request for the If You Are Happy and You Know It song. She can clap her hands, touch her nose, touch her ear, splash the water, stomp her feet, turn around, wave, and kick the water when prompted to during this song. She can even stop and start the activity when you actually say "touch your nose" she will and then do it again again for the next phrase. She was singing in the water during swim class too. She was saying "town," and "up and down" during the wheels on the bus and "hehe and haha" during Kookaburra.
Her ability to talk and mimic is great. Just the other day she said a whole sentence that I understood "oh no, bow-wow barking." She has said other sentences,but that is the one that stuck. She can currently say around 100+ words. She can also recognize letters. She calls them ABC's. And she understands that there are words, but thinks that they all say "dad."
Her ability to talk and mimic is great. Just the other day she said a whole sentence that I understood "oh no, bow-wow barking." She has said other sentences,but that is the one that stuck. She can currently say around 100+ words. She can also recognize letters. She calls them ABC's. And she understands that there are words, but thinks that they all say "dad."
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Swimming Mania
I still remember when Grace was not yet one when she climbed into a bounce house without me and walked and jumper around. It amazed me how brave and physically capable she was at such a young age. Well, swimming is no different. Before we were sick for the whole month of February, Grace had wondered out by herself a few times during the independent play time at the YMCA swim. So, I knew that she would take off soon, but I thought we had a few more sessions before she really went for it. Boy was I wrong. Monday the 8th started rocky with Grace letting go of the wall and falling in. I swept her out but not before she had water up her nose and was coughing. When I tried to put her swim belt on and she pushed it away, I thought it was going to be a clinging night. However, once I told her we were going to play with the rubber duck, already floating in the water she let me put on the swim belt. As I pulled her into the water I readied myself for the death grip around my neck and started to pull her in close. However, I got a big "no," followed by a shove with her hands and she started floating by herself. The next thing I know she's swimming along 3-4 yards away to see Colby and her dad. What a great night! Russ got it all on video with his phone.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Hodge Podge
So, I've been very busy lately stressing over my solo art show in June. So this will be a highlight of all the things Grace has been doing these last weeks.
Slumber Wars
Accept for a few brief weeks before her teeth came in, Grace never slept through the night and has always been a fighter when it comes to sleep. My husband and I got into the habit of nursing her to sleep because she would cry bloody murder otherwise. Then when she woke up in the night we would wisk her into bed with us which was great for a while. Then she got big and wiggly. After we started to wean her night nursing became painful and so she and I were up a lot more. So I figured if she was already up so much at night I would start sleep training her. I bought her a new monkey to snuggle with and turned her bed into a toddler bed on a Thursday the last week in February. She loved the bed!! she got in and out and played on it. This was good since it had been her time out space and I liked that it changed to a more positive space for her to be in. We now use a "naughty step." The other great thing about changing her bed was we could talk about how this physical change meant a psycological change for her as well. I told her that we were going to learn to sleep like a big girl and in some way I think she got it. I thought sleep training was going to be horrible, filled with long sleepless nights and lots of screaming. No. The first night there was a little crying (less than 5 minutes), and she woke up 10 times. But the next day there was even less screaming and she woke only 4 times. We now have had nights were she sleeps all the way through the night. In fact some nights she wiggles in my lap until I put her in the crib. She actually likes it. We still snuggle at 6:30 when she wakes every morning though:)
Potty Success
So I have been off and on potty training Grace since her first birthday. I would let her off if she was sick or grumpy, but now I have decided to stick with it. We got a sticker chart about 5 weeks ago. She loved that and still does although I am not above bribing her with whatever she wants at the time which can be anything from toilet paper rolls to her favorite book. the potty sticker chart also gave me the feeling of progress since it charted her increase over time. We started at 9x in the potty the first two weeks and moved to 15x the third, 16x the fourth and now 25x in the fifth. Go Grace!! Not only that she is starting to wake up from her naps and sometimes in the mornings dry.
Talky talky
Grace is now saying crude sentences about her favorite objects. Like "dancing doll," "run bow-wow run," and "I said no." And no the last is not learned from me. Apparently she didn't want to do something Grandma said she had to do and she used it on her own. I swear it is not a staple of my vocabulary. She has even taken to bossing the dogs around by telling them no bow-wow and sit bow-wow.
Grace continues to be a surprising adventure. I feel that there is nothing that she can not accomplish if she really puts her mind to it. I am so happy she is turning into a feisty girl who loves to talk to everyone, shows empathy and manners and can't help giving kisses and hugs to every baby she meets.
Slumber Wars
Accept for a few brief weeks before her teeth came in, Grace never slept through the night and has always been a fighter when it comes to sleep. My husband and I got into the habit of nursing her to sleep because she would cry bloody murder otherwise. Then when she woke up in the night we would wisk her into bed with us which was great for a while. Then she got big and wiggly. After we started to wean her night nursing became painful and so she and I were up a lot more. So I figured if she was already up so much at night I would start sleep training her. I bought her a new monkey to snuggle with and turned her bed into a toddler bed on a Thursday the last week in February. She loved the bed!! she got in and out and played on it. This was good since it had been her time out space and I liked that it changed to a more positive space for her to be in. We now use a "naughty step." The other great thing about changing her bed was we could talk about how this physical change meant a psycological change for her as well. I told her that we were going to learn to sleep like a big girl and in some way I think she got it. I thought sleep training was going to be horrible, filled with long sleepless nights and lots of screaming. No. The first night there was a little crying (less than 5 minutes), and she woke up 10 times. But the next day there was even less screaming and she woke only 4 times. We now have had nights were she sleeps all the way through the night. In fact some nights she wiggles in my lap until I put her in the crib. She actually likes it. We still snuggle at 6:30 when she wakes every morning though:)
Potty Success
So I have been off and on potty training Grace since her first birthday. I would let her off if she was sick or grumpy, but now I have decided to stick with it. We got a sticker chart about 5 weeks ago. She loved that and still does although I am not above bribing her with whatever she wants at the time which can be anything from toilet paper rolls to her favorite book. the potty sticker chart also gave me the feeling of progress since it charted her increase over time. We started at 9x in the potty the first two weeks and moved to 15x the third, 16x the fourth and now 25x in the fifth. Go Grace!! Not only that she is starting to wake up from her naps and sometimes in the mornings dry.
Talky talky
Grace is now saying crude sentences about her favorite objects. Like "dancing doll," "run bow-wow run," and "I said no." And no the last is not learned from me. Apparently she didn't want to do something Grandma said she had to do and she used it on her own. I swear it is not a staple of my vocabulary. She has even taken to bossing the dogs around by telling them no bow-wow and sit bow-wow.
Grace continues to be a surprising adventure. I feel that there is nothing that she can not accomplish if she really puts her mind to it. I am so happy she is turning into a feisty girl who loves to talk to everyone, shows empathy and manners and can't help giving kisses and hugs to every baby she meets.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Musical Episodes
So this last week we have had the plague of a cold. However, a few fun things happened. Most of them happened to be musical in nature.
Grace has always loved music. This week she learned to play the flute- well to blow into it and play one note. She use to put it in her mouth and suck or wail a high note to mimic playing. This week she got it and now she likes to walk around playing. She also understands the word "blow" now. She will blow on her food if we tell her it is hot.
In addition she had a dancing doll episode. A song came on the TV and she took her doll and shook it around saying "dan bebe, dan bebe." It was the cutest thing.
Lastly she has taken to pointing to the stroller and saying "ride." This week we did not brave the weather as chest colds can be tricky for a mom who gets asthma at the drop of a hat. So when she pointed to the stroller I drove her around the house. As "Life is a Highway" came on the radio, Grace had her feet on the steering wheel toy at the front of her stroller and the bottle in her mouth. It was so cute I had to videotape it. I not only got her "driving" with the radio blasting, but I also captured her stopping to kiss her baby and give her baby a bottle. Great video.
Grace has always loved music. This week she learned to play the flute- well to blow into it and play one note. She use to put it in her mouth and suck or wail a high note to mimic playing. This week she got it and now she likes to walk around playing. She also understands the word "blow" now. She will blow on her food if we tell her it is hot.
In addition she had a dancing doll episode. A song came on the TV and she took her doll and shook it around saying "dan bebe, dan bebe." It was the cutest thing.
Lastly she has taken to pointing to the stroller and saying "ride." This week we did not brave the weather as chest colds can be tricky for a mom who gets asthma at the drop of a hat. So when she pointed to the stroller I drove her around the house. As "Life is a Highway" came on the radio, Grace had her feet on the steering wheel toy at the front of her stroller and the bottle in her mouth. It was so cute I had to videotape it. I not only got her "driving" with the radio blasting, but I also captured her stopping to kiss her baby and give her baby a bottle. Great video.
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