Oh my Grace

I decided I had to sit down and write about the change that I have been seeing in our little family. The change is this little Gracie girl. Remember when she used to look like this? (photo taken by Jamelle, thanks!)

It is no secret that children grow up fast - way too fast. Many times the change is gradual and since it is always right in front of your face sometimes it is hard to see. You just look at an old photo and think of an old memory and wonder where the time went. Well the past week or so I have seen the change. Gracie is starting to talk and the words she can say are more everyday. She says Mama, Dada, Whi-wa (William), qwa-qwa (cracker), ma (milk), nana (banana - or any other fruit in the fruit bowl), ho-do (hold you), sha (soft), ni-nite, bee (blankie), choo-choo, sh-shoe (shoe or other articles of clothing), diap-ee (diaper), peese (please), ah-dah (all done), and probably more that I can not think of right now.
It is amazing what a difference it is that she can communicate with me with words and body language. Man is she a spit fire. She squints her eyes when she does not like something and hits and waves her arm about hitting anything in her way. The other day when I told her not to get huffy she bowed her head and sobbed. Now when she starts swinging (it is usually at my face while I am holding her) I say, "soft". Then she repeats me and calms down.


She brings me books to read to her all the time and she always backs her little self up to my lap, she HAS to be in my lap while I read her a book. She says "mow mow" when she sees a cat. In one of her stories it says that the mother bear kisses her baby bears head and Gracie always leans in and kisses the book.
(Here she is after backing herself up into my lap that is loaded with all the animals she could carry and a couple of balloons and pointing out the bears "no", you would probably call it a nose)
The other night during a family pre-bed wrestling session I realized that our family would be so incomplete without her little pop belly on top of the dog pile and without the sounds of her little squeal. Squeal on my dear.