Big Fun in the Pool

Here are a few more pool photos of my little water lover.

Grace is One!!!!

The birthday girl waking up on her day!


Grace's Pappy took her and her baby on a morning ride in the wagon. Still in her jammies she had a great time.








We were all guessing - how would she respond? With the presents she had a look on her face like "This looks like something I could get in trouble for." She was unsure about tearing into the paper. Like we were enticing her to do something bad. After she started opening the gifts and didn't get into trouble, she went to town tearing at the paper and the boxes. The boxes were great!

She didn't immediately dive into the cake. She kind of began pinching at the icing. Then she really got into it. She had icing in her ears and up her nose! The chocolate icing looked kind of gross, but she loved it! She was licking her fingers so she wouldn't lose any icing.

We are going to do this all again on Saturday for her official party.

A Great Weekend

This weekend was one of the best weekends of my life! I am truly serious about that. My sister Terri and I drove to Nashville to visit some dear friends who both have daughters born in Vietnam. On Saturday the Que Son Girls had a reunion. No the Que Son Girls are NOT a band for tweenies, they are three lovely girls from the Que Son orphanage. Lucy, Lily Ana and Grace are from a tiny village in central Vietnam where they slept all lined up in a row.

The Que Son Girls




Grace's history is with Lucy and Lily Ana. She has known them longer than she has known me. I am so thankful that the girls will always have each other. I am also thankful that their moms are my lifelong friends.

Saturday was great. Lily Ana's mom was gracious enough to open her home to us. Very brave lady. There is no way I can describe to you how beautiful they were playing together on the floor. Little bitty Lily Ana was amazing the way she fearlessly kept up with Lucy and Gracie. She is three months younger, but she refused to be bested by the bigger girls.

Lucy and Grace had a great time checking out Lily Ana's toys. This was a favorite.




I was speechless when I saw how much Lucy had grown. She is almost as tall as Grace. It shouldn't be surprising. She and Grace are only two weeks apart in age, but Grace has always been so extremely tall.

I was anxious to see how Grace interacted with the girls. She doesn't go to daycare and her cousins are older. She hasn't really had the opportunity to play with other kids her age. They were all fantastic. If you didn't know better, you would have thought that they play together all the time!

We spent four hours at Susan's house where they played, ate and napped. Kelly, Susan, my sister Terri and I enjoyed the girls and each other's company. We ended the day at a restaurant where the girls were the center of attention. People would come up and say "I don't mean to be nosy, but what's going on?" They were always touched and amazed as we told them the story.

On Sunday we all met up for lunch where we were joined by the lovely Annslee and her parents. She is such a big girl and Grace would just watch her at lunch. Annslee would do something and Grace would just giggle. It was fantastic.

It was very sad to part. We stood around outside the restaurant and talked for a while. There were lots of pictures taken. I left my camera in the car, but check out the pictures that Kelly took. They are fantastic.

When we got home Grace was worn out and ready to get out of the carseat. She had been in a carseat, highchair or stroller most of the day. She was thankful to get down and crawl a while. Then she was out.

Tomorrow will be another big day. Grace will be a year old! Check back for birthday pictures.

Lucy looking like a beautiful little present.


Lily Ana getting some loving from her momma.

Gracie's Story

My baby will be one year old on Tuesday. I can hardly believe. It seems like it was just yesterday that I saw her little three month old face for the first time! I stared at that little face. I memorized it. Even though she has changed so much I can still see that little baby when I look at my big girl.

I wonder what her birth mother is thinking about right now? I know that her thoughts must be about her baby and the upcoming birthday. She must be wondering so many things. Where is she? How is she? Is she happy and comfortable and loved? I wish that I could tell her what a beautiful gift she has given me. I wish I could let her know that Grace is healthy and happy and loved by many. I wish I could thank her and give her a hug.

Most of the time in adoption you never really know the baby's history and what you find out is sometimes highly suspect. I wonder about the details of the report of Grace's abandonment. After visiting the orphanage I try to picture things. Did it happen that way? I don't know the answere to that but I do know that it is the history that we have to hold on to. Therefore it is the history I will tell Grace someday.

The report said that at about 4:00 p.m. the people inside the orphanage heard a big noise coming from outside. When they went to investigate they found a baby girl who was just a few days old. She was in a blue plastic basket with blue and white towels.

I imagine a girl bringing her baby to the orphanage and then making noise so they would come out and find her. Was she hiding, watching to make sure the baby was taken inside? It makes me think of the story of Moses - birth mother who loves her child and wants the best for the baby. This is the story I will tell Grace.

The Fortress of Solitiude

Superman had The Fortress of Solitude. So does Grace. It is laughingly huge but, for her safety and my sanity, she must be contained. It is big enough that she can entertain visitors and there is still tons of room. So far she loves it. I am so thankful. And it has a playwall with a mirror. Grace can look at herself as long as she wants to!

Grace's Playzone has two extension walls. It snaps together easily and the size can be changed depending on your need. I highly recommend it. I can now go to the bathroom without fear of what will happen when I leave the room.

Gracie's First Professional Pedicure

As you may have seen in pictures, Grace has had her toes polished by her cousins. Well on Wednesday she had her first professional pedicure.

My mother has had the same people doing her nails for years. They are Vietnamese and have followed the whole adoption process. Before I left for Vietnam they translated a note for me to give the ladies at the orphanage. They have been very excited about the adoption and they talked so much about Vietnam before Terri and I left. They were so excited to see our pictures from Vietnam.

Mother went to get her nails done on Wednesday and took Grace and Kristan with her so everyone could see Grace. They all call her Thao and love to hold her and talk to her in Vietnamese (sidenote: she doesn't respond to the Vietnamese language or name like she used to). One of the guys that works there has a little girl that is about 3 years old. When he held Grace she starting crying and said "you can hold her but you can only love me". She is obviously a daddy's girl.

Before they left Kelly, one of the manicurists, offered to polish Grace's toenails. Hi picked out a color. No one can pronounce his Vietnamese name and since it sounds alot like "Hi" that's what everyone calls him. Kristan held her foot while Kelly polished.

Her toes are glow in the dark neon pink. Aren't they lovely?

The Lost Pictures

Yesterday I found a disk of photos and video from our time in HCMC. Amazing. I remember taking them but I completely forgot about them. Here are a few.

Look how much she has changed! She was such a little bald baby.


Grace looking incredibly adorable in her stroller I bought in Danang. That stroller was a lifesaver, best $30 I have ever spent. I last saw the stroller in Taipei. I am sure that it made it to LA at some time. Wouldn't it be hilarious if it showed up on my doorstep?


Kelly, Justin and Lucy in the lobby of our hotel in HCMC. One of the servers from the lobby bar was playing with Lucy. All the Vietnamese people I met had a special love for children. You could see it in their eyes.


This is Amigo's, a restaurant that was beside our hotel in HCMC. It was fantastic. My sister and I were thrilled to have a steak (real Texas beef), baked potato with sour cream and a salad with honey mustard dressing. It tasted just like home. It was a nice change.

Eleven months old.

Grace is eleven months old today. Next month is the big one. I can't believe that my baby is almost a year old. This also marks another milestone. Grace was 5 1/2 months old when we had our G&R. She has now been with me as long as she was in the orphanage.

She has six teeth - two on top and four on bottom. She has two top teeth that are about to break through.

She hates baby food. She eats steamed vegetables, baked sweet potatoes and white potatoes, a variety of fruit and deli meat. She eats deli turkey and chicken because her mother finds baby food meat revolting. Thinly sliced deli meat is the way to go.

She chews. People always laugh at the way she will work her food to the front of her mouth and chew with those six little teeth! I think it is adorable when she eats crackers. She takes petite little bites.

She is still wearing the same size clothes she wore in Vietnam. She just keeps getting longer!

She is extremely social. She loves to be out and about and is happiest when we are out shopping or in a loud restaurant.

She loves the water. In the big pool I will put her in her float and she will kick her legs like crazy. In the baby pool it is splash, splash, spash.

She pulls up on everything. She will walk up and down the couch holding on.

She is such a big girl.

Bad Hair Day?

Recently my friend Kelly wrote about how her Lucy's bangs were so long they were always in her eyes, hence the trademark Lucy bow. Grace has the same problem. Her hair is constantly in her eyes. Today her cousin Kristan thought she would try and put her hair up in pig tails. It was adorable! Well it was until Kristan and my mother took them down. Is this what they do to my daughter all day while I am at work?

Adorable Gracie


Scary Gracie


Having a conversation with the baby doll.

Bathtime Revisited

In a previous post I talked about my love of bathtime. Gracie used to lay on her little yellow sponge and splash happily with her feet. It doesn't happen like this anymore.

She's everywhere. Now I just wash things as they present themselves to me. She's up on her hands and knees and there's her butt - quick wash it! That's how it goes. She is crawling in the tub. She is inspecting the drain. She tries to stand up. Bathtime is hard work. Keeping her safe in the tub and getting everything washed is the hardest job I have all day! At least she still has a ball!

How Far We've Come

After I read my friend Nicki's comment on how much all the babies have grown and changed since Vietnam, I thought I would post some pictures that prove it. You have probably seen most or all of these. But I thought it was nice to look at them together.

Gracie at six weeks


This is the first picture I saw of her, the first time I saw that beautiful face. She was three months old.


Last pictures I received before going to Vietnam.



Home from Vietnam. Six months old.


Eight months old.


Nine and a half months old.


Now - Ten and a half months old.

Teeth

Grace now has five teeth-two on top and three on bottom. A fourth bottom tooth will be breaking through any day now. She is drooling like crazy and is biting at anything...the couch, a bracelet, my nose. Nothing is off limits. I am very good at predicting her, therefore I have been able to avoid serious injury. She doesn't sneak in and bite, she will just bite at something if it happens to be there. I am really hoping that this is just a teething thing. She also grinds her teeth sometimes. Her pediatrician said it wasn't a big deal, it would just drive me crazy.

Now that I have addressed all of the negatives about Grace's new teeth I will move on to more positive things. I just love to watch her eat now. She doesn't eat baby food anymore, she refuses. Instead I will bake her a sweet potato or steam some vegetables. She also loves deli turkey and chicken. When I feed her a bite she will move the food to the front of her mouth and chew! It is the cutest little thing. I can't remember any of my nieces or nephews doing that. She looks so grown up.

She looks more grown up each day. I thought I would miss the baby, but my little girl is so much fun. Each day she does something new. We are on the fast track to Toddlerville. Here a few photos of my big girl.

Here Comes Trouble

My sweet angel has a personality that is always evolving. She has a gift for squeezing into small spaces and finding any nearby cord to pull on. The only cord that is still accessible to her is the phone cord. Whenever she has the opportunity Grace will crawl under the end table and search for the last cord standing. When I snapped this photo she was about to dive under the table.

In other news...Ellie's food and water bowls have been relocated. Grace loved playing in the water bowl. It was just a matter of time before she sampled the food. What will she get into next??

A Visit to See Dr. Amy

Grace had a well baby check-up yesterday. She is a very, very healthy girl. At 10 months old she weighs almost 21 pounds and is 29 1/2 inches long. Do you think I have a Yao on my hands? She just keeps getting taller. She still wears 6-12 months clothes (as long as they aren't pants)and they are big in the waist. All her growth has been in her height.

The highlight of her visit to see Dr. Amy was sitting on the exam table. She was a maniac for the paper on the table. At home she is always diving for a newspaper, then getting it taken away. She'll grab tissue paper and then I will take that away before she eats it. The exam table paper was fun and I didn't take it away from her. She was twisting all around on the table. I had to hold onto her so she didn't fly off the table.

Afterwards we went to Sam's to stock up on diapers and other supplies. She looked like such a big girl sitting in the cart I had to snap her picture.

Unbeknown to me, while I was at Dr. Amy's with Grace my best friend Karen was having a baby down the street at the hospital. I didn't find out until I got home last night. We spent the entire day just shopping and stuff. I wish I had of known and could have been with her. Reilly was born one month early. She is in NICU and working had to get stronger. Keep Karen and Reilly in your prayers. They want to be home together.

Personality Plus

Grace's personality is certainly evolving. I will probably regret this later...but I love that she is stubborn and inquisitive. She really studies people and things. Here are some more photos. A couple are from her photo session. The last is Grace being Grace.

My Favorite Face

As you are reading this I hope that you will take a moment right now and say a prayer for a very dear friend of mine. She is facing some possible health concerns. She is a great wife, mom and friend. She was one of the first people I told about my decision to adopt and she has always been so supportive. I love her very much.

This is my favorite face. This is also my favorite expression on that face. Some in my family call it the "Elvis Face" while others call it "The Bad One Eye." Whatever they call it, I call it beautiful. This is Grace's signature look. I will ask her a question or say something to her and she gives me the look. I crack up every time.

My friend Amee took some photos of Grace about six weeks ago. She is an extraordinary photographer who always manages to capture a child's personality. We got some of the usual photos. But what I treasure are the ones that capture Grace's personality. Below are two more of my favorites. The first one...she was still getting used to her two bottom teeth and she was constantly running her toungue over them. I got the sweet pink dress in Vietnam. The second depicts the true love she has for her feet.

I am so thankful that Amee captured this face and these expressions so I can always remember. My baby is growing up. Grace is ten months old today!!