Fast Forward, Almost 2 years later!

Of all the things that I get to see everyday, the one that makes me the happiest is watching Grace dance. She is every bit the entertainer. You can see the excitement in every one of her muscles. She goes completely bonkers when she hears a song she likes.
When we are in the car, Grace gets upset if you turn the music down. She asks for a different CD if she doesn't particularly care for the current one. She kicks her feet and bobs her head to the beat. I don't even have to see it, I just know and my smile seems bigger every time.
Terra was sitting on the couch listening to music and I had just about convinced Grace that it was time for bed. A new song came on and Grace went ballistic as usual. This video is the first documentation of my baby girl's true self. I can't wait to see what she does with a proper lesson. All the moves you see here where taught to Grace by my Cousin Asia. They have been working on this quite a bit lately and Grace absolutely adores Asia for this reason. It's their thing and I love watching it. I hope you all do as well.

Finally...Video!

We finally have a video! Thanks to Cousin Asia we have found an old video of Grace. I believe this was the summer after her first birthday.

Gathering Leaves

by Robert Frost

Spades take up leaves

No better than spoons,

And bags full of leaves

Are light as balloons.

I make a great noise

Of rustling all day

Like rabbit and deer

Running away.

But the mountains I raise

Elude my embrace,

Flowing over my arms

And into my face.

I may load and unload

Again and again

Till I fill the whole shed,

And what have I then?

Next to nothing for weight,

And since they grew duller

From contact with earth,

Next to nothing for color.

Next to nothing for use.

But a crop is a crop,

And who's to say where

The harvest shall stop?

Llamas, Emus, and Swimming at Grandma's

What a fun couple of months we have had. Gracie finally said "I love you". Of course, anyone other than family would hear "I emu" but we know what she means. The feeling that you get when you hear it for the first time is indescribable. I emu too, Gracie.

Grace is still receiving books from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library once a month. Anyone who has not heard of this wonderful program should definitely check it out. (I have placed a link at the bottom of this post) The look on my baby's face when she gets a new book is priceless. The last book she received was "Llama Llama Red Pajama" and I read it to her on a daily basis now. She runs around the house calling me llama mama and laughing at her own little joke.

Gracie loved swimming at Grandma's house so much that we decided to try and bring her to the new public pool in town. We told her that this pool had slides, fountains, and other kids to play with. She seemed so excited, I was becoming very optimistic about our adventure. We got to the pool and Grace dragged us to the pool all while screaming and laughing with delight. She did not want to go near the fountains and the various "spray things" so instead I carried her into the deeper end of the pool where it was a bit more calm. I am not sure what she didn't like about it. She was so ecstatic when we got there, but all of that went away when we got in. She was terrified. We spent the rest of our day walking around watching the other kids play. She especially liked watching the big kids on the diving boards.

Today as I was flipping through the channels Grace squealed when she saw the USA Swimming National Championships/World Championship Trials. I paused to see what she was so excited about and she climbed up on the couch with me and we sat and watched as numerous records were broken. Grace cheered all of them on screaming "Go, go, go" and "Look at 'em swim". Natalie Coughlin watch out, my baby has the ambition already.

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

http://www.dollysimaginationlibrary.com/splash_usa.php

Happy Birthday Gracie!

The report I received the other day from Kate (our wonderful caregiver) was that Grace learned how to draw a circle. They have also been working on their alphabet and I am proud to announce that Gracie can say every letter and even recognizes A and B.

Today is her second birthday and along with these accomplishments I reflect on how much she has changed. She is beginning to form sentences, although they are simple things like "more juice" or "I want", this makes it much easier when trying to guess her needs. Every night I lay her down for bed and say "I love you, Gracie" hoping that I will hear the same words said to me. On Monday I got a response that felt just as amazing as an "I love you". With a big hug she said to me "My mommy".

That's right baby girl, I am your mommy and I could never be more proud of you for the things that you have brought into my life. Every new word you say or new animal you learn is just another reassurance for me that everything we want for you will come.

My daughter, I will give to you the world. In whatever form you may wish. It is yours for the taking and I trust that you will know how to use it. If ever you doubt yourself, I will be there to support you and guide you to your dreams.

I will not judge or blame. Your happiness is important to me. When others say that you cannot, I will be there to show you they're wrong. There is nothing you can't do baby girl, I hope you know this. Your possibilities are endless.

I would also like to mention that today is an extra special day. It is not only Gracie's birthday but Auntie Terra's too. Terra and Gracie share an untouchable bond. It's as if God brought Grace to us on this day because he knew that she shares more than just a day with Terra. Grace absolutely adores Terra and is always anticipating the next time she will see her. So happy birthday Terra, and thank you for graciously sharing your day with Grace.

Hooray for New Pics!!!

Grace is getting better with the names of family and friends. She lovingly refers to Grandma and Grandpa as Nama and Tampa. Big thank you's go to Auntie Terra for taking these pictures.
So, without further ado, I give you "Swinging at Nama and Tampa's".