Quick Update

School is great. I am taking six classes and have all A's. Yay for me. Grace is doing wonderful. Getting more and more spoiled every day. I am looking into child care centers. I think part time would be great for her. She spends so little time with children her own age. We live in a rural area so there are no Mother's Day Out kind of things. She sees her friends at church once a week. I am hoping to get her into the child care center where I am doing my child care practicum. I work there four hours on Wednesday and do activities, lesson planning, etc. The director is the instructor of a couple of my classes.

This weekend I got together with old friends. We had the best time. These four are true friends. My friend Sandra has a daughter, Kennady, who is a couple of months older than Grace. I wish we could get together more often. Even though we live 5 minutes apart, it is tough with work, school, etc. I am going to make sure I do better about getting these two together more.

Grace almost seemed like she didn't know what to do with someone her size. She was much more interested in playing with my friend Melissa's daughter Claire, who is quite grown up and in school now. Here are a few pictures.

Kennady and Grace were playing nicely. Until they both discovered a keyboard. They were trying to push each other off the ottoman.

Isn't Claire beautiful?

The Smile Award

Thank you, thank you, thank you to my dear friend Melissa for giving me the Smile Award. There is no way I can convey adequately my great respect for her and the fact that she thought of me just makes me smile.

The award was created by Laura. Here is the low down on the award:
Characteristics for the Smile Award:
1. Must display a cheerful attitude.
2. Must love one another.
3. Must make mistakes.
4. Must learn from others.
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world.
6. Must love life.
7. Must love kids.

These are the rules for The Smile Award.
1. The recipient must link back the the award’s creator.
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must chose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself.
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

People I’d like to give the award to:

I could never have gotten through Grace's adoption without Susan. She and I talked on the phone every night. She listened to my obsessing and my ranting. I am so thankful that we are able to visit each other and that our girls will grow up knowing each other.

Melanie is one of the strongest, Christ-centered people I have ever met. She has handled great adversity with grace and optimism. This woman is already a mom and her Kaylee will be blessed with a great mom.

I have always been very touched by Kelly O and her family. I was most touched by Kelly's boys. I, along with lots of other people, prayed that the boys would both join her family. I love seeing them on her blog. God is good.

Traci called me shortly after I brought Grace home. She was researching my agency. This lady has been through alot for her two kids. She loves her family. Her son was adopted from the same orphanage as Grace.

I first got to know Jonathan when we were both waiting for referrals. Then I had the privilege of meeting Jonathan's son Parker when he was just a few days old. He was left at the orphanage just before I arrived to meet Grace. He continually amazes me at the lengths he goes to to insure that Parker keeps in touch with his culture. He is a great dad.

Celebrity Crush

In response to Kelly's post, here's my crush. Justin.

It's been soooo long.

I have been a terrible blogger. Things have been so crazy and most of my free time is spent studying. School is great. I am having so much fun. All my classes are education and are interesting. Now I am going to pat myself on the back a little. I passed all my licensing tests. These are the test normally taken after you have completed classes and are ready to graduate. I took them on the front end, when I was hoping to get alternative licensure so I coiuld go to school while teaching. These tests are what they stress in all my classes and I have them behind me. I attribute my good fortune not to my amazing brain, but to the fact that I have spent my career writing grants for children's programs.

Gracie is doing fantastic. She had a hard day this week. She was whiney and nothing satisfied her. She was back to her old self the next day. Even little people have an off day sometimes. We are still working on potty training. I am happy to say she has not regressed. I was afraid that might happen when I started back to school and was not right there with her.

She is staying with Nanny while I am at school. She is getting so, so, so spoiled staying there four days a week(shocker huh). A recent conversation I had with my mother - "Mother don't pick her up every time she asks you to, she is a big girl and can walk on her own two feet." She replied "I am going to pick her up as long as I am able, I am not telling that baby no." Now who do you think is in charge while I am at school?

I am really, really wanting to get her into childcare part time. However I am having a hard time gathering my courage. Last time was terrible for both of us. She went for three days and I was called to come and get her by 10am each morning. Now you might think I am exaggerating when I say my daughter can scream lounder and for longer than any other child I have ever seen. Hey all kids are loud right? Not like Grace. And she has amazing staying power. But I need to ease her into this very, very, very slowly. At a snail's pace kind of slow.

Visiting Good Friends and Big News

Recently Grace and I went to visit Susan and Petunia! My dear friend Susan is recovering from a very painful foot surgery. My sister Terri, Grace and I had the best time visiting with everyone. Petunia is the most petite little thing. Grace looked like Yao Ming standing beside her and Grace is only three months older.

Saying hello and getting reacquainted.

Looking at books with Petunia's Aunt Lulu. The girls are both standing flat on the floor.

Here Petunia is standing on the stool she uses while playing in her kitchen. Grace is standing on the floor. Grace loved that kitchen.

Grace really loved Petunia's Nana. I am not sure how Petunia felt about that.

The big news is that I start school tomorrow!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!? I have wanted to do this for years and on Thursday I decided to go back to school. Friday I registered. It has all happened very, very fast. A degree in Early Childhood Education will take about 50 hours for me to complete. I am so excited and nervous. I graduated from college in 1991. Things are very, very different now. Fortunately my niece Kristan (Grace's beloved former nanny) and I are going to the same university. She can help me get up to speed with how things work these days.

Up to this point my career has been in Resource Development, almost exclusively for nonprofits dealing with the education of young children and at risk children. I hope to finish up my degree in summer 2009. Please keep me in your prayers. As a grantwriter I am very aware of the educational needs of children and the obstacles they face. That is why I want to teach.

What will she eat next?

Grace is a great eater. I have always been very thankful that she will eat anything and I don't have to coax her during mealtime. Grace loves salads, tomatoes, grapes...all the stuff that is good for her. Grace also loves cookies and ice cream. She isn't crazy about meat but she loves bacon. She has a very diverse diet. Today Grace did some eating. After her nap she had watermelon. We were outside and had a great time. Later in the afternoon she had another snack. Crayons. She will be pooping a rainbow for the next couple of days.

What's been going on?

Today we had a glorious day! Temperatures were in the high 80s with a nice breeze. What a relief! Grace was thrilled to spend lots of time outdoors today. She would play on the gym set, run and swing in the gazebo and then run to the glider to sit. She did this over and over and over. She discovered the big girl swing and thinks that is the way to go.







While on one of her infamous indoor climbs Grace bloodied her nose. You can't really see it (even though she was trying hard to show it off) but she has a cut on her right nostril and a puffy lip. Do you think it stopped her from climbing? NO. But bless her heart after a bloody nose she still smiled.


We have also been working hard potty training. Grace has had several successes but she made me so proud yesterday. I was running her bathwater and she walked over and picked up her little seat that fits on the toilet. She laid it on the toilet so I asked her if she needed to potty. She lifted her arms up and when I sat her on the potty she immediately started peeing! Isn't it funny how the little things mean so much.

Hot, Hot, Hot

It has been in the high 90s here with 90-100% humidity. I was in Vietnam in December/January so temps were mild. However I can't imagine it is much hotter in Vietnam than it is here. I have no new pictures. When I walk outside my camera lens fogs up. When the sun hits your skin it feels kind of like it does when you first realize you are getting a sunburn. Saturday I was out with my sister and she said it was hotter than the hinges on the gates of hell.

Grace really misses playing outdoors. She has all this energy she needs to run off and she gets upset that Ellie gets to go out and she doesn't. Grace will do her best to escape when I let Ellie out. She will stand at the door and cry "OUTSIDE!!!!" Ellie takes care of her business and runs back to the door to come inside. She isn't a very outdoorsy dog.

The proofs from Grace's two year pictureswere FINALLY posted. My child doesn't smile for posed pictures. I tried all the little stuff that makes her laugh and she just looked at me like I was crazy. It occurred to me later I should have let her hold my car keys. If she gets her hands on a set of keys she will push the panic button over and over again. she thinks it is hilarious that she controls the car horn. We got one, little smile. And it is not one of the better shots. Even though there is no smile she looks so sweet and very grown up. I put her in one of the hand embroidered, smocked dresses I bought (for $5) in Vietnam and she looks so pretty. Yellow is a good color for her. The only smile came from a photo taken while chasing the photographer's dog.

It's Here!

A Party for Gracie

We had a very low key celebration on Thursday. Pappy brought her a tricycle that she loves, especially the fringe on the handlebars. She opened a few toys. Last night we had a big party for the two year old. My house was packed with friends and family. We had Grace's favorite for dinner - corn on the cob. Then came the presents!

The Dora tent was a BIG hit.

The Dora ball pit was a REALLY BIG hit. She jumped into it as soon as she got out of bed this morning.

She loved all her new Little People toys especially this house.

Kristan was shopping for books and look what she stumbled across.

Grace and her cousins Josh, Ryan, Crystal, Kristan and Kayla


At the end of the evening she was a sleepy little girl.


Her big present didn't get here yet. There was a delay and it just didn't make it for her birthday. But it should be here tomorrow...

Almost Two!!

In one hour Grace will be two. Another thing about Grace that amazes me is her deep love of animals. She isn't even scared of really big dogs (which means I have to watch her very carefully around new animals). She had her picture made on Monday and they had two dogs. She was in heaven! They got some great pictures of her chasing the dogs. Sometimes her animal love is a bit more extreme than I would like. She has this thing about eating Ellie's food. Science Diet small bites - apparently very tasty. If I mistakenly leave the door to Ellie's crate open she will run and get in. Her new thing is chasing Ellie around with food or the water bowl trying to get her to eat/drink. And she squeals and laughs when she does this. Sometimes Ellie will retreat to my bedroom for a little quiet time! I love that she truly enjoys animals.

NEWSFLASH - Grace pooped in the potty yesterday! We hope to have other potty training successes in the near future.

A few of the things I love about Grace

Since Gracie is going to be two on Thursday I thought I would take the next couple of days to share the small things I love about her. She has so much excitement for the things she loves. Music is one of her favorite things.

She sings constantly and when she is not singing she is standing by the stereo saying "music please." Then she will sit down in the floor and listen. She sits still and listens. AMAZING.

We watch the movie Annie all the time. Often we just watch the song and dance numbers. And it's not just Annie. She loves musicals - Hairspray, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Sound of Music you name it.

She also loves Justin Timberlake, her cousins introduced her to him. Non-traditional toddler music but she truly loves him. We have his concert on DVR and if anyone turns it on she will start waving her arms and dancing around saying Justin. The other day I was referring to Lucy's parents and when she heard me say the name Justin she started dancing in place and waving her arms.

I love the excitement and enjoyment she gets from music.

Gracie Goes for a Checkup

This week Gracie went for her 2 year checkup. All signs of her ear infection are gone and Dr. Amy doesn't think her ear infections are frequent enough to talk about tubes yet. She has had three in seven months. She weighs 25 lbs. and her height is in the 75 percentile. She has all of her teeth with the exception of her 2 yr molars. Hopefully when they come through she will cease being the queen of drool.

Not only has she become averse to medication, she now hates going to the doctor. She SCREAMED when Dr. Amy looked in her ears, throat, etc. When Dr. Amy was leaving the room she said bye in a not nice tone. Little did she know the worst was yet to come. Next came the immunizations and another crying fit. Then came the blood draw. She hated having her thumb pricked but that was nothing compared to her reaction to the nurse squeezing her thumb to get blood flowing. There was a consensus among everyone. She is a very, very strong little girl. I already knew this and I am constantly amazed at the things she can pick up and carry around.

We are working on potty training. She hasn't actually used the potty, but she will sit on it. But not a potty chair she wants to sit on the real thing so we have a little Elmo seat that fits on. Maybe she hasn't gone on the potty, but she is champion hand washer. She will sit on the potty just to get to wash her hands after. She loves having a little stool by the sink so she can do it on her own. In the past when she got quiet I would find her in the bathroom dunking a roll of toilet paper in the toilet. Now when she gets quiet I will find her in the bathroom washing her hands (pretending to wash her hands but really playing in the water).

In a week and a half my baby will officially be two years old.


Grace has a shoe thing now. Everytime she gets a flip flop it ends up on her leg.

I really can't beleive that Grace is almost two and it has been a year and a half since we came home from Vietnam. This time last year I was preparing for her first birthday. In additional to celebration there were practical things on my mind. Things like switching from formula to milk, facing front in the carseat and saying goodbye to bottles. As her second birthday approaches I again have practicality on my mind. This year it is potty training, behavior and manners. It amazes me. Now we have big girl issues. Here she is playing outside this morning.

Feeling Good and Ready to Go!!

Grace is back to her busy life. This includes playing outside in the morning. It has been 95 degrees and humid so afternoons outside are spent in the pool! Grace adores animals and isn't afraid of them at all. She loves the big labs best! Of course that also means you have to watch her closely. Here she is when she spotted Tommy the cat taking a nap.



She is very nurturing (ha ha) and loves pushing around her baby.



When pushing the grass proves too tiring ...



...something else catches her eye and she abandons poor baby!



Doesn't she look sweet? Not at all like her normally crazed, almost two year old self!

After the Illness

When Grace is sick I cater to her every wish (with the exception of giving medicine, but I'll get to that later). Thankfully now she's feeling better. But now life must get back to normal and first on the list is behavior. When she is sick she whines if she wants something. Now that she is well she demands it and I am not kidding. The last couple of days her favorite words have been NO and STOP IT. The capital letters infer yelling.

She has spent many minutes in time out today. I am very pleased to say she even cried when I put her in time out. I am not saying that to be mean, but time out has never been very effective for Grace. Normally she will busy herself by poking at her belly button, playing with her shoestrings, etc. You know that it is not working when your child is giggling to herself while she is in time out. Well today she was upset. Not to the point of being sorry for her actions, but just being sorry that she got caught. It is a definite improvement. We are getting back on track with bedtime. She is still resisting going to bed, but tonight it only took about five minutes of crying and pleading before she gave up and went to sleep.

Her eating habits are back to normal. She would not eat or drink while she was sick. The drinking part worried me tremendously. I could not get her to drink anything. She ate pedialyte freezer pops ok, but that was about it. **WARNING** BAD MOTHER ALERT - I was so concerned about her lack of fluids that I tried everything I could and I found one thing that she drank. Yoo-Hoo. Terrible I know, but she did drink it.

Grace has always taken medicine well. She is older and more mature now, she is not going down without a fight. I tried to get her to drink it herself, you know make her feel like she had some control. No way, if I wanted her to have it I'd have to give it to her. She was poised to spit it out as soon as she saw me coming toward her. I had to hold a struggling child, tilt her head back, give her the medicine and blow in her face so she'd swallow. Did anybody ever see the HBO movie with Hillary Swank about women's suffrage? Her character was on a hunger strike and they forced a tube down her throat to force feed her. That is the image that was going through my mind everytime I had to give her medicine. Fortunately her antibiotic is sweet and I put it in a little cup with a straw and tell her it's a milkshake. Deceptive but it works. Here she is feeling better and enjoying her chocolate. Chocolate it the one thing she automatically says please for, she sees you with it and she walks up and says please!

You give me fever...

at least that how Grace is feeling. Another ear infection in her left ear. This is the third in about six months. Temp started on Wed, but her infection doesn't usually present itself for a couple of days so we managed the temps of 102 for a couple of days. No biggie for her.

We went to the dr yesterday. Her pediatrician was on vacation so we saw a partner. Her temp had been fluctuating up to 104 but was still manageable. Of course it was down to 99 at the dr's office. Left ear was fire red so we got a shot of Rocephin and 10 days of antibiotics. My mother drove us and on the way home (takes about 40 minutes from my house to dr)she got the chills and was shaking terribly. My mom stopped and ran in a store to get a blanket. I was unprepared I know. I had given her motrin about five minutes earlier and her temp was 103.5. I took her temp again to see how things were working.

Prepare yourself. In the span of a few minutes her temp had gone from 103.5 to 106.5. I almost freaked, however she was alert and responsive so that was good. I had my mom continue home. There was a hospital on the way. I continued taking her temp and it was going down. The motrin had kicked in. By the time we got near the hospital it was down to 103. We opted not to stop. Her temp was going down and my friend Karen is a dr. Karen's house was only about 15 minutes away. I knew she was home taking care of her sick son. Thankfully her temp continued to go down and was about 102.5 when we got home. That's nothing for Grace.

By ten last night fever was gone and so was the constant stream of snot. The rocephin had kicked in and I was thankful. Last time she got rocephin it didn't kick in until the next day. Today we started the ten day antibiotics. She has no fever and is feeling much better. We are dealing with intermittent bursts of whining but she deserves that. We are watching Baby Einstein non stop. She doesn't like cartoons just stuff with real people and animals. She likes Einsteins (as she lovingly refers to them), Sesame Street and the Wiggles (the freak me out but she likes them). So today when one dvd ends she'll bring me the dvd remote and say "einsteins".

I am so thankful that she is better. I am thankful that I was a kid who ran high temps like that, so I know how to get them down and when to get help. I am thankful that I live next door to my parents who have dealt with crazy high temps.

She will have a recheck on July 2. That will also be her two yr checkup. TWO YEARS. Her second birthday is on July 17. And that is a whole other story...
'

Thanks!

Thanks for all the great feedback. It helps to know that others are fighting the same battles. We have tried redirection, explaining that I am afraid she will get hurt, time out, etc. She climbs with a purpose - to get things that she knows she is not supposed to have. Things such as the CD player and night light on her dresser, the pictures on top of the bookcase, etc. I have read before that human behavior is based on pleasure and pain. I think that she figures the pleasure of retreiving the forbidden is worth the pain of sitting in time out. Her eyes just glow when she does get that picture from the shelf.

I am definitely going to look into some appropriate climbing alternatives. And I think she is just going to encounter a few bumps (hopefully not injuring herself) and maybe that will overshadow her love of climbing. Please let me know if you have any more advice.

Calling All Moms - HELP

Grace is a climber, I have written that before. Things are now out of hand. It has become hard for me to get anything done without fear she will fall and break her neck! In the past I have been able to put her in her room with the gate up and have no fear. Now I will walk in her room and she will be climbing up on the chest of drawers. She will stack toys, table, glider...whatever she can come up with. She a smart girl.

I can't take her into the laundry room with me when I am washing clothes. She is two and will be pulling something onto her head, unplugging the freezer, etc. So what can I do? If I am loading the dishwasher she will be climbing on the door or grabbing a knife. If I leave her in the living room watching Sesame Street while I am doing it she will climb onto the big chair and straddle the back like a horse. If she fell that would be an awful fall. She has climbed onto the dining room table and the buffet. You name it.

She is strong and can relocate things where she wants. Help!! I have baby proofed, etc. to try and make things safe. But I have to go to the bathroom quick or she will push a dining room chair over to the bookcase and be attempting to climb onto a shelf.

No exaggerations here. I could give you a million examples. Advice please.

Hot Days

The temps are really heating up. Grace loves to play outside in the afternoon, but has been so hot that running in the grass is now reserved for the morning. She plays in her little pool in the afternoon. She adores Kristan's dog Nanook and they have been having a big time in the water.

In other news...stubbornness abounds at our house. Grace walked up to me a few minutes ago and opened her mouth wide so I could she bits of chewed up orange crayon she was enjoying. Crayons are a constant battle. She loves to draw but when left alone she will munch on the crayons.

Playing with Nanook




Guess who got in trouble?