Lil' Miss

This is how Grace lets us know she doesn't want to eat something on her tray these days-- She stacks the unwanted items on her water cup. Today, it was peas and strawberries.













She now sports 18 month clothes! She's enjoying her new walking legs more and more each day and I think is realizing the independence from Mom and Dad they bring. But thankfully, she's still always up for the opportunity to hold mom or dad's hand while she strolls and the little extra support it brings!







When we get our produce, Grace loves to carefully go through the box and investigate each item (not to mention talk to them).

And so it begins...

Today Grace Glory took her first official steps! Jacob and I are so proud of her, but I think she's even more proud (and if you know Grace I think you'd understand why:). And we're off!

11 Months and Counting!

So Grace is now 11 mos. and 2 days old and is in what I'm calling the "figuring things out" phase. She's always been determined, but her ability to focus on a task at hand and execute it until she's satisfied with her results is impressive. She'll climb up in her chair and get out of it over and over again until she's figured out the best way to get her feet back onto the floor-- Sometimes she steps out forward, other times she'll turn around and try to scoot out of it. But she doesn't stop until she's got down the fluid movement she desires. It's fascinating to watch her dangle her shoe in the air and then try to manipulate her foot into it. She either eventually gives up and then returns to it later, or stays focused until she's satisified with the outcome. In this figuring things out phase she's also become an expert copy cat. From brushing her hair and teeth to clapping and laughing to playing peek-a-boo with her blanket, she enjoys doing just about anything that we might be doing at the time. She even raises her hands during worship at church:) And of course her latest venture is walking! She's sooooo close. She stands freely with a big smile, raising her hands and clapping as if she, too, knows that she's close, but she just can't seem to put one foot in front of the other yet. Any day now! We'll keep you posted!

Grace's August Whereabouts

Grace has had a packed August beginning with her friend, Ian's, first birthday party. Then, taking off to Tahoe for a Gaines-Lampi reunion at the Aldrich cabin-- 15 adults and 5 small kids! Next, it was off to Florida for a visit with her Great Grandpa. Grace was a wonderful traveler. Here's a couple of snapshots of the past few weeks.Grace in her party dress at Ian's first birthday. I think she ended up enjoying Ian's presents just as much as he did.
Beautiful Tahoe! This is on a hike to Floating Island Lake.
Snoozing on dad on the long hike.
Grace had a great time with all of the other kids... Especially cousin Cash!

The whole Gaines-Lampi Gang! The Lampi's our very close friends of the Gaines' from Michigan. The two Lampi sons grew up with the four Gaines boys and were all best friends. As adults their friendships continue to remain strong and now even all of the wives and children are like family. We hope to make get togethers a tradition!

Grace was absolute perfection on the plane to Florida to see her Great Grandpa. Both going there and coming back she was amazing. Not one tear or fuss! We were so proud! Grace has a way of bringing joy everywhere she goes. She has become very flirtatious with people around her, laughing and smiling at them until they respond back to her. She demands attention and once you give it to her, you just can't help but smile along with her.
Great Grandpa Hunkele by his house in Sarasota.
Unlike the freezing cold Pacific, Grace loved the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Daddy and Daughter

Quite a Mouthful

It's been quite a week for Grace in more ways than one. Earlier this week while I was off getting some supplies for a home project, Abigail called ecstatic because Gracie was crawling towards a ball and actually saying, "ball, ball, ball." Grandparents were called and the words were authenticated. Now, I must say as her father that she has been saying "da da" for quite some time now, but we're not sure that's directed towards me because she'll say it to Abigail as well.

After uttering her first word, Grace kept it going by cutting her first tooth. We've been waiting for months with teething gel in hand. She seems to be taking it pretty well, with not much fussing, though we've had some long nights of late.

All in all, summer's going well with a lot of daddy and daughter pool time at the grandparent's. We swim every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and she absolutely loves it! We also had a successful Jamba Juice field trip this week where we split a Banana Berry smoothie... actually Gracie slurped most of it and I had to fight it away from her clutches to get a sip. So, in the end, I got her her own little Jamba cup. Smart dad!

Snapshots

Grace discovered drinking out of a straw a couple of months ago, so by 9 months she's got it mastered. Needless to say we can never drink out of a straw now without her wanting to get in on the action. Her newest craze is Jamba Juice! Sometimes when we don't feel like sharing we hide it behind our backs and then sip when she's not looking (it's always nice to know you can outsmart an infant).
Grace likes to get herself out of her carseat (high chair, stroller, etc.) we think she's really liking the new car.Everytime we open the refrigerator Grace makes a beeline for it. The other night as we were making dinner we didn't notice she actually got her hands on something until we turned around and saw that we she was helping herself to a piece of bread (Harley had already snuck his share of the loot to the living room).
She's such a cutie!

She's Back!

Those of you faithful Grace Glory blog followers may have noticed a slow down in the updates, which I can assure you has not been due to a lack of Grace doing new and exciting things. Rather, our camera's been in the shop for the past couple of weeks and it's been driving us nuts!
Grace is quite the firecracker and has amped up the anxiety levels in us times 10 over the past few weeks. She's constantly on the move, scaling furniture, mom and dad's legs, walls, and anything else she can manage to grab a hold of. Not to mention her particularities... Such as, only really liking foods she can feed to herself, never wanting to get dressed, having melt downs when you take a shower and don't bring her in with you, and night crawling around her crib which inevitably wakes her up and causes her to want to stay up and play (usually around 2a.m.). She's keeping us on our toes to say the least. And then there's the tender moments like her giving kisses on the lips, trailing you around the house so as not to let you out of her sight, and the big joyful welcomes when you get home from work (she actually claps now when I come through the door). I love it all because it's what makes her her and her uniqueness shines through more and more each day.
She's been spending most of her summer days hanging out with dad (as he's on summer break from teaching), going on walks to the park, and daily pool trips at Gramma and Grampas... It's such a hard life.

Gracie Gets Her Crawl On

Well, after weeks of lunging and not quite getting it right, Gracie has finally taken off and now there is no turning back. Take a look!

In a Conundrum...

Now that Grace has started to crawl, she is finding herself in sticky situations-- backed into corners and stuck in between furniture. It's fun to watch her explore her new found freedom, but also a little nerve racking as we are quickly finding out what is baby safe and what isn't!

Family Pics

Yesterday, Abigail, Gracie and I spent 2 hours with an amazing photographer named Jules Bianchi from LA who capture the essence of our daughter on film. Click here to get a sneak peak of some of the better ones that she's already posted on her blog. We are in awe!

Gracie's First Dip

Last Sunday, it was warm and sunny so we decided to head over to Gramma and Grandpa Aldrich's and let Gracie experience the pool with her new red bikini. As you'll see on the video, she rather likes to swim!

Memorial Day Skinny Dipping

We kicked off the first unofficial weekend of summer with quite a splash. After a late afternoon trip to Pooch Park in Claremont we had a BBQ at Gramma and Grandpa's where Gracie decided to take her first dip in the pool. She first started by dipping her toes in, and then wanted to go all in so shed her diaper and as evidenced by the photos below, she absolutely loved it. With the heat coming sooner or later, looks like we'll be spending lots of afternoons at the pool with our little guppie. She's also starting to try to crawl, so we're on borrowed time as far as that goes.

Mother's Day 2007

Gracie and I woke mom up early on Mother's Day cards in hand and bagels and juice to follow. Gracie's card was sweet. I helped her a bit with the handwriting, but she was the inspiration. Her card included the top 10 reason's why she's thankful for mom. Some of her list included... #1- For birthing me, which I know really hurt, but I hope was worth it, and #9- For marrying dad because he is the coolest, most awesome dad in the world (her words not mine!). Anyhow, we had a beautiful, sunny day, enjoyed a neat church service, then had lunch with Great Grandma Aldrich down in Irvine. Abigail amazes Gracie and I with her nuture and care. I'm so glad she's Gracie's mom!

There's Just Somethin' About Grace...

Each day she does something new that completely amazes me. I'm sure every parent feels this way about their children, especially when they're so new, but it's true! She just has this way about her... It's captivating!
Today was a hot day in SoCal. I couldn't help but think back to last summer; braving the triple digits pregnant. I remember the hours I spent sitting in her room, rocking in her rocking chair, staring at her lavendar walls, just waiting for her to come. I would dream and hope and long for the moment when I would finally get to hold her. And now, every night I sit in that same chair with her in my arms and I rock her to sleep. I smell her hair, I kiss her cheeks, I sing to her, and I pray over her life. And within a matter of minutes she drifts off to sleep. I cherish these moments knowing that they won't be forever. She's such a blessing. I'm so glad she's here!

Gracie Finds Her Voice

Tonight at dinner, Gracie went into one of her screaming routines that have become the norm ever since she got an audience on a recent trip to Michigan. Believe it or not, this is happy screaming. We spiced it up a bit to make it kind of "scary!"

In other news, at her 6th month check-up, Gracie weighed in at 16 lbs, 4 oz (54th percentile) and was 28" long (98th percentile). A healthy and tall baby girl!

Grace's Frist Trip to Michigan!

Grace made her first plane trip to Michigan for Spring Break! On the way there we graded her a B, but on the flight home she earned and A+! We had a wonderful time visiting Nana and Papa Gaines and her Great Gramie even flew out from Missouri to see her. Also, she met her cousin Cash for the first time! We had a terrific time hanging out with some of our closest friends and their children. Grace soaked up all of the attention and I think was a little depressed on her first day home. We couldn't have had a better time and already miss Nana and Papa!!

Jacob and Grace with good friends Ben and Brooklyn, Jeff and EdenMary and I with our girls! Grace and Cousin Cash
Grace with her Great Gramie
Adoring her Uncle Wes!

Easter Pics... A Little Late

Grace was absolutely adorable on her first Easter in her little blue dress! We spent the day first at church (where she is gaining a reputation for singing during worship... Well, it's more like yelling!). Then, we had Easter brunch at Grandma and Grandpa Aldrich's. She's sitting up all on her own now and daily does something new and amazing!

Cwazy Gwacie

Last week I was changing Gracie's diaper on her changing table, when the following unexpected game began that we now call, "Cwazy Gwacie." The things you'll do to make them laugh!

Gracie van Gogh

Gracie made her parents proud today at Ms. Ruth's as she completed her first masterpiece. I can definitely see the influence of her mom in her artistic expression, and know that this piece will fit nicely next to some of Abigail's finest. If you can't read the Spanish on top, the translation is, "Thank you God for my hands and my feet. They are for You" May this be prophetic in her life. Amen. Gloria Dios!!

She "Graces" Homework House Fundraiser

Nana Gaines caught this photo just minutes before Gracie's big debut at the HH Fundraiser. She donned Baby Versace, white tights and sparkly shoes, and wowed onlookers on the red carpet as she made her entrance carried by one starstruck dad. She and her dad were so proud of her mom who dazzled on stage, and showed off some of the HH's finest. The weekend with Nana and Papa from MI was a great time, and we couldn't get over how funny Gracie thought it was when Nana asked her, "Who's your daddy?" or said, "Buca di Beppo?" She thought this was knee-slapping funny everytime (except as we entered Laguna Beach and she had a slight meltdown). Big news... Grace has started rolling over, and is looking forward to making a Midwest curtain call over Spring Break as she flys cross country for the first time. Look forward to seeing all in MI and IN. See you in early April!

Gracie Meets Her Great-Grandpa and the Beach

This weekend the Gaines family traveled to Coronado to spend a night visiting Gracie's great-grandpa and getting her first introduction to the Pacific Ocean. We stayed at the Hotel del Coronado and though her mom got a touch of the stomach flu, it was a magnificent trip and as you can see below, we enjoyed a spectacular sunset with Point Loma in the distance.