I hate it when my bath starts to get cool. Grace however doesn't seem to mind. In this picture sheis cracking up at herself. She kept turning on the cold water to play in it as it ran from the faucet. I have the hot fixed where she can't turn it on, so her bath kept getting colder and colder.

Feeding herself has proven to be great fun for Grace.

Drama, Drama, Drama

I haven't posted in a while because I hate to post without pictures. This update needs no pictures, just imagination. I know that I have posted before about Grace's tendency to "fake" an injury to get her way, to get picked up, etc. This is no longer a tendency, it is a way of life. Seriously - she tried it at least three or four times before I left for work this morning! I am raising a drama queen. She understands that the head bump always gets attention. Some examples of her devestating injuries are:

• When she falls on her thickly diapered butt and immediately rubs her forehead and looks to you for a response.
• When Grace is STARVED for attention she will tap her head on/with something. Sometimes she will tap her head on the chair arm and other times she will use her sippy cup to tap her forehead. She is shameless when she does this. She will look you straight in the eye, tap the sippy cup on her head and her hand immediately goes to her forehead. Next the arms go in the air reaching for you.

How does you deal with this one? I am trying to deal by telling her "Grace you are not hurt and Mommy is not going to pick you up." The head injury ploy is also a favorite when she is in trouble. Then there is my mother who says "I am picking that baby up when she holds her arms up." What a sucker.

Anyone else raising a drama queen?

Grace Has Been Sick

On Sunday afternoon Grace woke up from her nap with a temp of 102. Her nose had been running for a couple of weeks, but so had everyone elses. Other the the fever she showed no signs of illness. We battled high temps, up to 105, all night. Before you panic Grace, like her momma, tends to run VERY high temps when she is sick. Monday morning we went to see Dr. Amy. She was surprised to see us, Grace has only been sick once before.

Grace had a very, very red throat and a RAGING ear infection in her left ear, the right looked perfect. She not only had an ear infections, there was pus behind the ear drum. This child had not tugged on her ear once. She had not exhibited any signs of illness until the fever. She got a big, bad shot and ten days of oral antibiotics. When I say bad shot, I mean bad shot. Has anybody ever had a shot of Rocephin? I had never heard of it. My sister in law, who works at a clinic, said that she had seen grown men with tears in their eyes after having a shot of Rocephin. It is very painful as it works it's way into your system.

Poor little Grace was hurting so bad. Grace only cries when she is faking it or she is truly uncomfortable/in pain. She cried her eyes out for an hour after the shot was given. I have never wanted to take her out of her car seat so badly. All I could do was put my arms around her.

She battled temps Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday night her temp went up to 105. Motrin/Tylenol wasn't helping. I bathed her with cold cloths and it finally went down. Wednesday her fever broke. Not being able to help your child is the worst. I can't believe that there were no signs that she was sick. My girl is tough.

Grace is on the mend and has had no fever for two days. I pray all signs of infection are gone by the time she finished the antibiotic.

It's Been a While

I have been trying to post for over a week. The problem is that every time I have the opportunity to sit and blog, I fall asleep. Last weekend was fantastic. My friend Susan, Petunia and Lela came to visit. Aren't they adorable playing?


We missed Lucy and her parents so much! Here is our attempt to get all three Que Son girls together for a picture.


Here's Grace all decked out in her cowprint.





As you know I have been dying to get pics of Grace smiling. I have to tell you...she's tough to get. She will be laughing and smiling but when she hears the click of the camera being turned on and there are no smiles. After working very, very hard I captured the smile I love. Now you all can see the sweet smile that makes my heart full.

I've been tagged.

I've been tagged by my friend Melissa who is mother to the stunning Mia. I cannot wait until I meet them. We live in the same state and I think it is a terrible injustice that we have never met. And Melissa's answers were just too good. I can tell we'd get along. I am tagging Beverly, Chandra and Kristin

1. What is your occupation? I work for a non-profit agency as Director of Development
2. What color are your socks right now? I don't have any on
3. What are you listening to right now? the dishwasher
4. What was the last thing you ate? peanut butter and jelly sandwich
5. Can you drive a stick shift? no
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? green
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Terri, my sister
8. How old are you today? 39
9. Favorite drink? coffee
10. What is your favorite sport to watch? football
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? yes
12. Favorite reality TV show? I already have too much reality, I prefer fantasy
13. What was the last movie you watched? Sweeney Todd. Yes that's what I said Sweeney Todd. It started slow, but it really picked up when they started killing people.
14. Favorite day of the year? The day of the fall time change - one extra hour in bed.
15. What do you do to vent anger? Oh I HAVE to tell somebody, if not I am quite sure that my head would blow up.
16. What was your favorite toy as a child? Barbie. I also loved my mom's shoes.
17. What is your favorite, fall or spring? I love them both but I must say fall. Winter is very mild here and summer is unbeleivably humid. It is so nice when the weather starts to get cooler.
18. Hugs or kisses? I am a hugger, but I absolutely agree with Melissa about the boobs
19. Cherries or blueberries? blueberries
20. Do you want your friends to email you back? Unless I am asking a question or need a response, I don't need emails or phone calls for that matter.
21. Favorite dessert? is there a bad one?
22. Who is least likely to respond? who knows. I was probably the least likely, but look at me
23. Living arrangement? Grace and I live in a house in the country with our dog Ellie. I live beside my parents and across the road from my sister. My brother is 2 miles away. With all these babysitters I never have to take Grace grocery shopping!
24. When was the last time you cried? I can't recall. Is that good or bad?
25. What is on the floor of your closet? I actually have a path down the center. Luggage, shoes, and (shamefully) clothes along the sides
26. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to? ??
27. What did you do last night? cleaned my house and did laundry. big Saturday night28. Favorite smells? coffee, bread baking, Grace after a bath
29. What inspires you? people who are always kind and thinking of others
30. What are you afraid of? It all revolves around Grace. Will she be bullied in school, will she be the bully, what if something happens to me, will I be able to meet her needs, etc
31. Plain, cheese, or spicy burgers? cheese
32. Favorite breed of dog? Yorkies. I love my Ellie
33. How many years at your current job? one
34. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
35. How many states have you lived in? one - Tennessee
36. Celebrity crush? Justin Timberlake, that boy sure can move
37. Ever driven a motorcycle or heavy machinery? no
38. Who is your favorite NFL team? Tennessee Titans
39. Do you have a house phone that is not cordless? yes
40. 10 inches of snow or 100 degree weather? It depends-can I hang out at the pool?

Company's Coming!!!

I am so excited. My friend Susan and her adoable Petunia are coming to visit one week from today! Susan helped me keep my sanity (and my friends) during Grace's adoption.

Susan and I talked on the phone almost every day. We talked about what our daughters would be like, if they were born yet, how big they would be (shopping purposes), etc. We talked about our girls incessantly. Without her as my sounding board I probably wouldn't have any friends left. Now that we are both busy, single moms we rarely get to talk. It will be so great to have the day to catch up and watch our girls play together. The only thing that would be better is if Lucy could come. Hopefully we will all get together soon.

You will never believe what Grace's new "thing" is. If she is down on the floor and needs some attention, she will touch her forehead to the floor (just a light tap). She will then put her hand on her forehead like she is injured. Then she starts the fake cry and walks up with arms outstretched. All that just to get picked up - and it works on everyone except for her cousin/babysitter Kristan and me. Here are a few pictures of my drama queen.

Christmas Pictures

I am a little late, but here are some pictures from Grace's first Christmas in America. Here she is at Nanny & Pappy's on Christmas Eve.

With lots of family and lots of presents soon Grace was getting tired. Here she is after changing into her adorable new pajamas.

And before we knew it, she was out like a light.

CHRISTMAS MORNING! Checking out her new horse from Santa.

<



She got this great doll with it's own bottle.

This is what she did with the bottle.


I spent too much money and Grace's room is overflowing with toys. But we had a fantastic Christmas together.

More Nostalgia

On our first Family Day (well actually the day after) Grace and I began a tradition. When I was in Vietnam, I got her tons of gifts. Things in various sizes and suitable for various ages. My plan was to celebrate our Family Day by giving her a gift from Vietnam each year. Looking through the trunk of treasures I decided that this pink ao dai might be too short for her next year. So I dressed her up for a photo and the ao dai went back into the trunk. I want these to be treasures she will have when she is old enough to appreciate them.


When I was in the trunk, I took out the bag containing the clothes she had on when they brought her to the G&R. I took them downstairs so my mother and I could look at them and be all sentimental. Since we were changing her clothes anyway, I decided to dress her up in her "orphanagewear." Check her out - then and now.

Happy Family Day!!!!!!

This is Grace on January 1, 2007. We were still in Danang anxiously waiting to head to Ho Chi Minh City.


Friday was our one year anniversary. It's only been a year, however I really can't remember my life before Grace. It feels like we have always been together. Our celebration was small - just the two of us. We have so little time together so it was very special to celebrate together - just the two of us. We did see Nanny and Pappy for a few minutes in the morning. And what Family Day would be complete without a visit from Aunt Terri who was along for the entire journey. Here's Aunt Terri feeding Grace dinner and helping her perfect her wink. It looks alot like the Elvis face when she winks.


Our G&R was on December 28. The nannies and orphanage director brought the babies to the government building where the ceremony was to take place.


We walked in and there they were dressed in their thick sweaters. It was about 85 degrees outside! The orphanage director was holding Grace. He immediately put her in my arms.


We all went to the room where the G&R would take place. While we were waiting for things to get started. The nannies were having their last moments with the babies. They would come and take them off to another room for a feeding or maybe just some cuddle time. It was so hard for them.



I couldn't believe that it was such a short and simple ceremony. I signed a big book then they asked me you to come up front where they asked me a few general questions about how I will love and care for her. Then they handed me Grace and some papers.

That is the moment we became a family. One year ago.

Merry Christmas!

I hope that everyone had a great Christmas! Grace had so much fun with paper and boxes. She got tons of stuff from friends and family. I wondered how she would react to her gifts from Santa on Christmas morning. They were unwrapped, under the tree in the living room. She noticed them immediately, threw down her cup of milk and went from one thing to another. I will post Christmas pictures ASAP. I left my camera at my parent's house today.

I feel so blessed this year, celebrating Christmas at home with Grace. We will soon be celebrating our first anniversary as a family. December 28 is our "Family Day," the day when Grace officially became my daughter. My thoughts are consumed by meeting Grace, Vietnam, and the friends with us on the journey.

At almost this exact time last year I was meeting my daughter for the first time. Our visit to the orphanage was originally supposed to be in the morning, but was pushed back until after lunch. We visited the Hoi An orphanage (where we got to see Debbie meet baby Lily) as planned that morning so we had time to kill until we could go to the Que Son orphanage to meet Grace, Lucy and Khai. I really don't remember much about what we did during that time, I just remember checking my watch constantly. It seemed like 1:00 p.m. would never arrive.

When we finally got to the orphanage Kelly and Terri began shouting "there's Grace, there's Grace." Even though I know it was only a second, it felt like it took me forever to locate her with my own eyes. Suddenly there she was, one of the nannies was on the porch holding her. I immediately flung my camera to Terri and took off. It was like seeing a superstar whose picture was plastered all over my house. It was very surreal. This was the first time I saw her, she took my breath away.


I am so fortunate to have friends like Kelly and Justin. They are wonderful people and we all feel it is important for our girls to always stay in touch. We have been able to get together a couple of times this year and I hope that we can do it again very, very soon. I am dying to see Lucy. I am so thankful that I heard from the other two families during the holidays. I am going to do my best to keep track of these families. I want to see how all the babies grow and change. Here are the mommies and their angels in Hanoi.

Grace is Seventeen Months Old

Today Grace is seventeen months old. She is not a baby anymore, she is a little girl. She looks so grown up to me. Last night I was looking at baby pictures. She was such a little chubby thing with big cheeks and no hair. It is funny looking at pictures of her at different ages. I can still see that little baby’s face lurking in the picture, no matter what age she is…just more and more beautiful each day. Grace is such a little individual. She has her own personality and is not afraid to show it. Some things about my little girl:

• She is 33 inches tall, weighs 22 pounds and has 8 teeth.
• Bubba is her word for “play this.” My mother has this doll named Bubba that talks when you squeeze his hand. Therefore any toy that sings, talks, etc. she will bring it to you and say Bubba. That means she wants you to play it.
• Duck is her favorite word. Go figure. I think it must have to do with her love for bathtime and the stuffed duck she carries around.
• She knows how to work the system. She uses the fake cough, fake injuries and fake tears. She takes it all in stride when we call her on it. She will just continue on about her business.
• She had her first haircut on Friday. It looks SO much better. I was so proud of her, she sat on the booster thing they put in the chair just like a big girl.
• I am blessed with an extraordinarily good girl. She sleeps well. After we got home it only took two weeks until she was sleeping through the night. Grace is a happy morning baby. She has always been a good eater. The only thing she won’t eat is Jello. She only cries if she is hurt, sick or faking it.
• Grace gives strangers “the stare.” She will let anyone hold her, but if she doesn’t know them she will stare them down with a solemn face. I get so tired of people saying -“she is such a solemn baby, doesn’t she ever smile?” Grace’s smiles, giggles and belly laughs are reserved for people she knows and things that crack her up. However I truly do hate it that she won’t smile for pictures. She has to be amused by something. Saying cheese and squeaking a toy doesn’t do it with her.
• She melts my heart when she blows me a kiss. It also cracks me up because she not only blows a kiss, but she has to pucker her mouth up like a fish to do it. It is so sweet.
• I think she wants to be a dog like Ellie. If I am not careful she will eat Ellie’s food or crawl into her kennel. I have a hard time keeping her from getting on her hands and knees in the tub and drinking her bath water. It is so disgusting I know. When Ellie growls ferociously out the window at some random dog, Grace does it too.

I could go on and on. I am truly blessed.

A Break in Routine

My morning routine usually begins the same. Normally when I hear Grace beginning to stir I get out of bed and put on the coffee, let the dog out, fix her milk and fix my cup of coffee. Then I go to her room to get her out of bed and change her diaper. Yesterday my morning was like usual until I got to Grace's room. I opened the door and there she was standing in her crib jumping and talking. When I saw her I died laughing. One of her arms was completely out of her pajama top and she was so happy and smiling. I broke routine and grabbed the camera. Isn't she precious?

Here is Grace in an adorable outfit her Nanny bought for her.

My Little Vietnamese Jumper

Grace loves to jump. She has since the first day I met her. I called my parents from Vietnam and told them to go buy a Jumperoo so she would have it when we got home. Unless you have witnessed it in person there is no way you can imagine what a jumping wild woman she is.

Because of her love for jumping, I thought she might enjoy gymnastics. I found a gym with a toddler class and we tried it out on Saturday. It was very informal and we just sort of played around on things for a while. She loved the spring floor. Her favorite part of the day was playing on the big mats. Her favorite was the huge triangle mat that you could slide down. Here she is sliding down on her tummy.


She jumped on the trampoline and in the big jumper. The big jumper's net sides amazed her. She thought it was so cool that she could lean on them and they would move with her and still keep her from falling.




The big foam cubes were awesome! There was an area filled with spongy, foam cubes that were great! She had a great time playing with them. She was amazed that everything had this bouncy kind of surface.


The day was just as much fun for me as it was for Grace. By the way, I thought the spring floor was way cool too. Maybe next time I will try the uneven bars. Maybe not. I shouldn't get too carried away.