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!!

My First Mother's Day

I got the greatest Mother's Day gift - Gracie finalllllly said Mama on
Saturday! Grace looking in my eyes and saying Mama, that is the best. My mom also got me some lovely spring flowers for my front porch. The card was signed by Grace, Mother helped Grace sign the card with her handprint and footprint! What a treasure.

I must mention a couple of great gifts that two of my friends received. Susan is home from Vietnam with Lily Ana! And Jo finally got to see the beautiful face of Miss Cami Anh and she is precious! I'll be praying for quick travel approval so they can be together soon.

Mother's Day has always been a big deal in my family. We always went to my grandmother's outside of Memphis, that is where my mother grew up. Everyone was at Memaw's for Mother's Day. It was the one time that you saw all the cousins, aunts and uncles, family friends, etc. When my Memaw passed away the tradition continued at my Aunt Florence's house. She is my mother's only sister and they are extremely close, they were born only 10 1/2 months apart!

Last Mother's Day I remember being at Aunt Florence's and praying that I would have my daughter with me on Mother's Day 2007. Well this year Grace was the belle of the ball!

Her is Grace with her Aunt Florence. Grace really checked her out. I think it is because she and my mother look so much alike.


This is Grace getting some loving from Aunt Dee.

I am not making this up.

This morning Grace was playing in her room while I was getting ready for work in bathroom that is between our bedrooms. I walked into her room to check on her and deja vu - she was underneath the chest of drawers.

This is a recurring thing for her. She got stuck underneath a chair a few weeks ago, she has been backing up under the sofa and now under the chest of drawers. I am trying to stay on my toes so she doesn't pull something over on top of her head.

Last night Grace started something new...instead of pulling up into the walking position, she tries to stand right up. She will be on her hands and knees then she will put her left foot on the floor and she just can't understand why she can't just stand up. The lazy days are over, it is a job keeping up with Grace!

You just gotta laugh.

This morining I was running around the house getting ready for work and Grace was playing in the living room floor. As I was in the next room getting dressed, I heard Gracie's cell phone ring. Gracie has the Baby Einstein calling plan. Her cell phone says hello in English and Spanish and makes these other musical sounds when opened or moved. However I knew that the cell phone was not one of the toys I put in the floor for her to play with. I went to investigate.

I find Grace up under the couch with her head peeking out. She just looked up at me with those big eyes. The phone was under the sofa and her foot was causing it to make noise. I just had to look at her and laugh. She was so adorable and innocent looking I picked her up and kissed her over and over.

Bliss

I took a one hour nap today. Pure bliss. I NEVER get to take naps. Whenever Grace is taking hers I always have something that has to been done. Well not today. I napped. Try it whenever possible. I highly recommend Sunday afternoon naps.

We had a great weekend...just by doing nothing. The princess is in bed now. I am on my way to bed as well. However I wanted to share a few photos with you.

Grace is quite sneaky. I love her, but it's true. She is a mess. She was a little bored and looking for trouble this afternoon.

The boredom sets in.










Grace thinks the living room curtains would be fun to pull on. She decides to nonchalently make her way to them.











Grace thinks she is undetected. She gives reaches out to give them a tug.













Then she hears the phrase she has recently learned "no no Grace" and she makes a quick, well relatively quick, getaway.

A Small Gesture Can Bring Much Joy

As I have said before, the nannies at the orphanage loved all the babies tremendously. They were sobbing when saying goodbye to the babies that they had been taking care of for months. You could see the pain on their faces and in their eyes. Below is a photo of Grace at the orphanage. You can see the pain on the nanny's face as she gives her a bottle.
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My dear friend Susan is in Vietnam as I write, she is bringing home her daughter Lily Ana. Lily Ana was only 2 1/2 months old when I went to the orphanage to get Gracie. Susan took a small photo album of pictures of Grace to the orphanage for me. Kelly also sent one of Lucy. I really tried to send photos that showed how much she has grown and how happy she is. I did not add the photos of angry, sad or pouty Grace. I left the pictures of those three personalities here in Tennessee.

Susan emailed me that the nannies loved them! She said they laughed and smiled while looking at the photos of Grace and Lucy. They were especially happy when she told them the albums were for them to keep. I hope that I can continue to send them updates. Susan was also sweet enough to send me pictures of the ladies looking at the photos. One of them is below. Their expressions are so happy.

The Life of a Single Mom

It seems like everyone is posting about child rearing and motherhood in general. I thought I would add my two cents. I am a single mom by choice. I have no husband, never have had one. Still waiting on my prince charming. Mmmmmm, maybe that's my problem...I am waiting on something that doesn't exist. I digress.

I decided to adopt because I wanted a family, a child who I could love and who could love me in return. At least until the teen years. Girls tend to go crazy at age 12, so who knows what will happen then! Again I wander off point.

Becoming Grace's mom is the best think that has every happened to me. However the life of a single mom is guilt ridden. That is one thing I was not prepared for when I was waiting to be united with Grace.

I have to work. Grace likes having formula, diapers, etc. I want to send her to college someday. An income is necessary. But I still cry sometimes when I have to leave for work. What is particularly hard are the days when she reaches for me as I am about to walk out the door. By the way; this was not one of those mornings. Grace has a new toy with a mirror on it. As I said, she is captivated by that beautiful baby and she can't seem to get enough of her. I don't think she even realized I was leaving.

I am very fortunate that my 22 year old niece comes into my home to take care of Grace each day. My daughter is surrounded by family- my sister and parents are always in and out during the day. Even so; the guilt is all around.

I only see her for about 45 minutes in the morning. Then I have to leave and go to work. Roughly 10 hours later I return home. Terrible I know but when you add work, commute time, stopping to pick up diapers or groceries...sadly enough it's true. Then in about 2 hours she is ready for bed.

I feel quilty if I try to keep her up later. She gets cranky and unhappy. I feel guilty when we've had so little time together. I feel like I am letting her down. Sounds depressing I know. But she is the light of my life and my little blessing sent from God. What is great is that we make the most of our time together and make the daily tasks special.

My favorite time of the day is bath time. Grace loves her baths. She can splash the water and the floor will get wet four feet from the tub! As I have said many times she adores her reflection. She has recently seen the baby in the little chrome thing that closes the drain. She has fallen over in the tub looking at her. Bathtime is the greatest.

A close second is bedtime. Grace lets me rock her to sleep at night. Most nights I keep rocking long after she is asleep. She is growing up so quickly. We spend all weekend together. That is so fun. Especially when we do nothing all weekend but hang around the house and go to church. We make the most of our time together. Do I wish I could stay home with her? Of course I do!

Sometimes I wonder if I am cheating her somehow. But I can't imagine that a father or a stay at home mom could provide Grace with more love than she already receives. My entire family simply adores her and spoils her shamelessly. Everyone in our little town knows who she is, even people I don't know. She is a celebrity.

She is definitely a celebrity to me. I loved her in pictures before I ever met her face to face.

Waiting for News

Susan posted. We learned a bit about Lily Ana. But sadly there were no pics. Susan is having trouble uploading. I remember that. HCMC will be better for communication, it was for us. I keep checking for pictures. I want to see Lily Ana!

To pass the time until I check Susan's blog again, I thought I would share some more pictures. I know...I haven't posted this much since I was waiting to travel.

Grace's cousin Kayla did her toes. They are quite lovely and she admires them so.






I know it looks like Grace is always in her Jumperoo. You have to witness her jumping firsthand to understand. She is constantly on the move. Honestly she won't sit still. Her are some snaps of her in her favorite. The Jumperoo.