Actually, she's been a sweetheart and rarely acts terrible (at least so far). She has started to whine when she doesn't get what she wants (like when she wants to eat raisins for dinner and I don't let her), but no tantrums or breakdowns yet. (Knock on wood!)
New Words:
run - mun
crab - dab
stand up - dan-dup
touch it - dutch it
Nelson - Elnun (as in, Grandma Nelson)
princess - pih-push
dirt - dutt
try it - tie-ut
purse - pirsh
ride - wiiide
whale - way-o
pirates - pie-bits
amazing - may-ming
As usual, that's just a sampling, 'cause I'm not good about writing them all down. But the most exciting development was that she said her first (short) sentence! My mom was in town for her birthday, and one day we were all in our living room and Gracie needed help with something. My mom said, "Gracie, do you want me to help you?" and Gracie said (politely), "No...Mommy help." :) It was so exciting! She's been putting other words together too, but that's the main one I remember. It's crazy to think that within a year I'll be able to have a real conversation with her! (It's a relief too--I'll admit we both get a little frustrated sometimes with our current "conversations.")
Gracie and Grandma Nelson
We've also been trying to help her understand the difference between "up," "down," "in," "out," etc. For example, when someone else is holding her and she wants to come to me, she usually says, "Up!" so we say, "No, 'over'." Anyway, I guess all those words got jumbled up in there, 'cause tonight she came over to me, wanting me to pick her up, and she said, "Out!" I laughed and she said, "In?" It was pretty cute.
New Foods: Actually, I'm gonna write about something that happened back in June. Gracie and I took Dave to Red Lobster the night before Father's Day as a treat for him. We ordered an appetizer that had clam strips, lobster-stuffed mushrooms, and scallops on it. We also ordered our meals, including macaroni and cheese for Gracie. She doesn't like the Kraft stuff, but I thought she might like restaurant-quality macaroni & cheese, so we ordered it despite it costing $5. Well, they brought it out and it was Kraft macaroni & cheese! Isn't that annoying?! Anyway, she wouldn't eat it, but she absolutely loved all of our appetizer foods and the shrimp from Dave's meal. So we've decided we're in trouble, 'cause she will not settle for any cheap kids' foods--she wants the fancy stuff! Bring on the clams, lobster, and scallops! :S
She also tried her first sucker at Candy Heaven in Old Sacramento. It was a big hit. (She even shared with Pooh, who was quite sticky by the time it was gone.)
New Injuries: Nothing serious, although she's formed a funny new habit when she falls down. If she's running and falls, she just lays there until we come and get her, as if moving by herself would cause more damage! The other day she was running around the corner at Nana's house and fell down. We were in the other room but could see her, so we sat there and watched to make sure she was ok. She just lay there, so I went over to her, and when I got there she was drumming her fingers impatiently on the carpet like, "I've been waiting!" What a crazy girl!
Other:
She is becoming quite the girly girl these days. She likes to walk around with her purse and talk on her cell phone. She enjoys pushing her baby doll in the stroller and trying to dress herself with clothes, hats, and sunglasses she finds around the house. She's a big fan of the Disney princesses and can identify Snow White (wo-wite), Ariel (areo), Cinderella (ella), Belle (boll), and Jasmine (na-meen), and sometimes Aurora (lorla). Her favorites are Belle and Cinderella. She also tells me (usually when my hair's wet and straggly after showering) "Hair...so cute!" :)
Dave's learning to play the guitar, and she's been a big help.
One of her favorite things to do is play in her little pool outside. She'll even sit it in when it's empty and is as happy as can be. (We know this because we don't fill it up on Sunday, of course, but she still climbs in and plays in there.)
One of her favorite things to do is play in her little pool outside. She'll even sit it in when it's empty and is as happy as can be. (We know this because we don't fill it up on Sunday, of course, but she still climbs in and plays in there.)
Finally, a good portion of her day is spent climbing on anything and everything that she can. This is a common sight in our house:
Notice that she's doing sign language for "Help." Because she's so short, she often finds herself in places that she can't get down from or off of. (How's that for not ending a sentence with a preposition?!) Her Nursery leaders were laughing yesterday because they couldn't figure out why she didn't leave the snack table to go play; then they realized she couldn't get off the chair to join the other kids!
That's all for now! See ya next time!
That's all for now! See ya next time!
