Grandmama is coming to visit!

Yay! Gracie's Grandmama (my mom) is coming to visit NEXT WEEK! We are so excited! Boompa can't come this time, but hopefully he will be able to come see us soon. Mom hasn't gotten to see Gracie yet, except in pictures. I know she is very excited.

I almost hate to put this in writing, but each night gets a little better for us. Last night Gracie slept from 11:00pm to 5:00am! 6 whole hours! And then went back to bed for a couple hours. We're definitely trying to stick to a routine, and to keep her awake more, so she's nice and tired. The only thing that sucks is that after she eats in the middle of the night, she goes back to sleep very fitfully- grunting and sighing a lot. But she seems sleepy, not like she wants to get up for the day. I also have a hard time getting a burp out of her at that feeding- I'm really trying to figure it out. I figure as soon as we can get her sleeping until 6:00 or 7:00 we'll move her up to her room. We still don't have a good napping routine for the day- it seems to just depend on what's going on. Oh well.

I had my 6 week checkup yesterday, and I checked out fine. Oh joy.

That's about it for now. Here's a couple of cute pics, and Gracie's portraits we had done.

Goodness Gracies!

A couple things:
*We have SMILES! Occasionally we can get a cute little smile out of Gracie- and I think they are on purpose! She sort of opens her mouth, then manages to create a little smile! So cute! I have a pic on my phone, but the quality is bad, so I will try to get a good one soon.
*We also have COOS! She makes the cutest little noise sometimes! We can't get her to do it "on command", but it just melts my heart when she does. I can't wait until she starts making more noises.
*We're trying to get into a better routine for the day. Right now, we get up around 8:00-9:00a, Gracie eats, stays awake for a while, plays with me or hangs out in her bouncer looking at Jacque the Peacock (her newest toy) or the kangaroo (I need to look up his name) that Erika sent her. Then we get dressed, Gracie eats again (around 11:00-12:00) and we go out to run errands. She sleeps the whole time. We come home, Gracie eats then may or may not stay awake a while. Daddy comes home and the evening consists of us trying to keep Gracie awake, eating dinner and getting ready for bed. I want to start a bedtime routine, but it isn't easy. I don't want to give her a bath every night (it is quite the undertaking), and it never fails that she's not even CLOSE to being sleepy at the right time of any routine. I try to give her the last bottle by 11:00p, and she goes to sleep. She usually sleeps until 4:00am or so, then gets another feeding, and lately has been waking up around 6:00a making all these crazy grunting noises and carrying on. That's the worst part of the day/night, because I can tell she's still sleepy, and not hungry, but she seems really uncomfortable and won't settle down and go back to sleep. Unless, that is, I lay her down on her belly with me, then we might can get a couple more hours of restless sleep. I am guessing she's gassy, but Mylicon doesn't seem to help. Don't know what to do about that.
*The pacifier. I caved. She wasn't interested in the pacifiers I had offered her before, but I kept reading that babies need to suck and in the evening Gracie seemed to want to eat ALL the time, and I don't want her to overeat just because she likes sucking. So I got a new binky that is shaped like her bottle nipples, and she likes it! We don't give it to her when she is interacting with us, in the car, or when trying to go to sleep. Only when she seems to be wanting something in her mouth, but we know she's not hungry. It really helps! At least we can take away the pacifier so she doesn't get hooked on it too bad.
*I have to go into work in a bit to get my maternity leave straightened out. Since Gracie came early, I had to go out a week before I had planned. So they put my leave in wrong and according to HR I'm supposed to be going back to work on Monday! Yeah, right! They told me I can take more time, but I have to do more paperwork for FMLA. Such confusion.
*Randy and I are thinking about going skiing at the end of the week. He has to go back up to the jobsite in Virginia for a couple days, and wants me to go with him, so we're probably going to let Gracie stay with Grandma and we're going to ski while we're up there. I LOVE to ski and have been wanting to go forever (I haven't been in over 4 years!) and Randy has never been. Should be fun!

Our Valentine's Day

First, I have to brag for a minute about my fabulous husband. He is the sweetest guy I have ever known! I *thought* we had agreed not to get each other anything for Valentine's Day. Well, ok, I knew he wouldn't stick to that, and that he'd end up getting me something, but I wasn't expecting what he got me. I couldn't think of anything to get him, so Gracie and I baked him some cupcakes, and I bought some champagne (which we didn't end up drinking- we went straight to sleep!). Randy got me and Gracie a diamond necklace! He said he bought it with the intention that I will wear it for now, until Gracie gets old enough and then it will be hers (maybe on her sweet 16, or graduation or wedding day...). It is absolutely beautiful, a tension-set solitaire that is internally flawless. He said that he got a flawless diamond because there is nothing else in the world so flawless as our perfect daughter, except for maybe that diamond. Here are a couple pics (sorry, all I have is a digital point and shoot- I can hear Erika cringing at these pics from all the way in NH!!)




Randy said he thought the setting looked like the stone was in a cradle, which is why he liked it and that it would have significance for Gracie's birth. I absolutely love it!
We also went out to dinner at Bogart's, which was good. Gracie spent the night at Grandma's, so the best part may be that we got at least 8 hours of solid sleep!! I feel very refreshed today, and Gracie has been good as gold since she got home. So a great V-day all in all!

Gracie's first kicks!

Gracie got her first pair of shoes! Converse Chuck Taylors! These were her Valentine's Day gift from her Grandmama and Boompa in Las Vegas (my parents). Aren't they too cute for words?

They are a bit too big for her, but I had to put them on anyway. Mom sent me a matching pair (but I am going to exchange them for some low-tops, which are more comfy on my feet). We had a great Valentine's Day, but more about that later. Here's one more funny pic of Gracie:

80's Quiz

1 How old were you in 1980? 2
2. How old were you in 1989? 11
3. Were you a Toys R' Us kid? No, I was more of a K-mart kid
4. Did you watch Transformers? Not often- I was into Voltron!
5. Did you see E.T. on the big screen? Yes
6. Did you own a Lite Brite? No! I really wanted one. I had to play with them at other kids' houses. I can still sing the commercial jingle though! (I planted a song-bomb!!!)
7. Who is your Favorite Golden Girl? Sophia- she's spunky!
8. When someone says " Who you gonna call"? Ghostbusters!
9. What was your favorite toy? Sit-n-Spin, when I was really little
10. Did you have a Hyper-color shirt? YES! One that was pink and turned purple, and one that was green and turned yellow. I think I still have them, saved in a box somewhere. They still work!
11. Did you listen to New Kids on the Block? Yes.
12. 'Forever Young'- Alphaville or Rod Stewart? Rod Stewart.
13. Freddy or Jason? Neither... I thought those movies were lame.
14. Did you have a Swatch Watch? Yes ! Several, that I wore at the same time- and you HAD to have the Swatch guard!
15. USA for Africa or Band-Aid? USA for Africa "We Are The World"
16. Ferris Bueller's Day Off or Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure? Ferris Bueller! Love that movie! "With a TV and a BAR!"
17. Star Wars Toys or GI Joe? Star Wars! I had a Return of the Jedi sleeping bag
18. Did you ever play MASH? Heck ya...Mansion, Apartment, Shack or House!
19. The Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles? Both!! I still love them both!!!
20. Did you have a crazy hairstyle? I was all about the bangs, dude
21. What was your first bike? A purple unicorn themed bike with a banana seat
22. Name one thing you still own from your childhood? My Tee-Bear
23. Did you have a Cabbage Patch doll? Yes! I think my mom had to beat up another mom for it.
24. Madonna or Cyndi Lauper? I was more into Tiffany
25. Night Court or Cosby Show? Cosby. But I did watch Night Court
26. Did you watch Miami Vice? No. I was into Knight Rider, though (did you know they have made a remake of Knight Rider? KITT is a Mustang in it. It starts soon.)
27. Tight Roll your pants or Parachute Pants? Tight roll, which we called "pegging". I did own some Hammer pants
28. Did you own a Trapper Keeper? Yes, but I liked another brand better than the Trapper.
29. Atari or Comadore 64? Atari- loved me some Frogger.
30. Did you play Pac-Man? I played it, but wasn't that into it.
31. Which was better: the Goonies or Stand By Me? Both- I used to watch Stand By Me all the time- had it on video. Thought I was cool b/c of all the cursing in it. That flick TAUGHT me how to curse!
32. Say Anything or Better Off-Dead? Don't remember those.
33. What movie scared you the most? Poltergeist- I still cringe when I think about that mom and her kid in the bathtub with all that jelly-stuff on them. EW.
34. Did you try to dance like Michael Jackson? of course! I failed miserably. I loved him back then... when he was normal.
35. Rolling Stone said U2 was the band of the 80's, Who do you think was? Hmmm- Toto? They are a good representative 80's band. I love them.
36. Do you remember the founding members of Depeche Mode? Not their names.
37. Wham! or George Michael? Both!
38. Oingo Boingo or Talking Heads? Talking Heads
39. Blue Monday; 1980 version or 1988 version? there were two versions? huh
40. Back to the Future or Indiana Jones? Back to the Future
41. Izod or Rugby shirt? Rugby shirts.
42. What were you doing the day John Lennon was shot? I don't know... I really don't remember that day.
43. What about when the Challenger went down? I was home from school- I had had a dentist appt. that morning. I watched it live. I remember running upstairs and telling my Nanny that it had blown up and she didn't believe me.
44. Did you ever wear one silver glove? No. I wasn't that big of a dork
45. What rock star did you copy, fashion-wise? No one, really.
46. Who was your 1980's movie crush? Jonathan Brandis
47. Who shot J.R.? I don't remember! I wasn't that much into Dallas
48. Name two rather odd regulars/guests on General Hospital in the 80'? I never watched that show.
49. Did you watch the wedding of Charles and Di on TV? No.
50. Did you ever use Valley Girl lingo? Like, Oh My God! Like, of course! I was totally rad! Totally!
51. Do you remember the Tylenol scare?no, but I remember when they started making red M&M's again!
52. Did you really think Bo Derek was a "10?" Um, no
53. Do you own the magazines with nudies of Madonna and Vanessa Williams? No, but a friend of mine had the Madonna "Sex" book. I was too afraid to look at it!
54. Did you mousse? Yes, but I was more into hairspray
55. Did you like New Coke? No. Loved Pepsi Clear, though!
56. Do you know who the Split Enz were? no
57. Did you have a "Baby on Board" sign in your car? well, I had one that said "Cat Lover on Board"
58. Do you remember Baby Jessica? Yes- watched the whole thing live. That poor kid. I read something about her recently- she's stayed really private since then.
59. How about Jessica Hahn? sounds familiar- does it count if I google her to refresh my memory?
60. Could you solve the Rubix Cube? Sure! Just peel the stickers off and put them where they go!

I'm tagging all my readers... Have fun!

More funny pics

Some funny pics

She gives us this look all the time...Hangin' out in her papasan chair
Daddy's lil' cupcake (at least that's what her shirt says)
She reminds me of Maggie from the Simpsons in this one...
Huh?

Attention Moms-to-be!

I thought I would post a list of the items I have found to be most useful for Gracie, so far. I'm sure the list will grow as she does, but as you are considering your registries, these are items that I would rather not do without:
* The Arms Reach mini Co-sleeper. Ours is in the lovely color of fern. We don't use it attached to the bed, but we have it in our room at night, and the wheels on it allow us to wheel it into the living room (or wherever) so I can keep an eye on her as she sleeps. We carried it with us to Viriginia last week, and it was great! It takes a couple times before you get good at collapsing it and setting it up, and it is a bit heavy, but it folds up pretty small. We love it!
*The bottle brush. I have no idea what brand it is, but I think they are all good. It makes washing bottles SO easy.
*Playtex drop-ins bottles. These rock. I like the fat nipples on them (Gracie seems to like them, too), and the disposable liners are very convenient. Plus, they heat up really quick (which, when the baby is screaming her head off for food is a VERY good thing!), and they do seem to reduce the amount of air she swallows. She's gassy enough as it is!
*The little mesh dishwasher thingies that hold the small bottle parts (nipples and rings). They are very stretchy and can fit a lot more pieces-parts than you'd think. I don't wash bottles very often in the dishwasher (we're in a drought, here!) but when I do these are great.
*Pampers Swaddlers diapers. They are very soft and quite absorbent, and they really do seem to keep her bottom dry, even when soaking wet. They do leak poo sometimes, but Gracie pushes them to the limit with her gigantor poos. I have some Huggies but they just seem uncomfortable and don't seem to absorb as much.
*Huggies wipes. They are much thicker than the Pampers wipes. Thick=good.
*A bottle drying rack. I don't know what brand I have, but this is something I didn't think I'd need. WRONG! I love it. Keeps things very organized.
*Fisher-Price Baby Papasan Chair. Gracie likes the vibration, and even though it eats batteries, it does automatically cut off after 15 minutes.
*DIAPER GENIE II- This thing ROCKS! It totally contains the smell, even when changing it. It is very easy to change, too. Holds plenty of diapers.
*Bibs. I totally underrated bibs and didn't think I'd use them much until she was eating solids. I had no idea how much milk can leak all over a baby! I have a zillion of them, and go through them like crazy.
*Wipes warmer. What a luxury, but I know Gracie appreciates it- I hate to use the cold ones when we're not at home, it just seems cruel to our spoiled child...
*My small diaper bag. Fits just what we need for a day out of the house, and isn't so big you hate to carry it around. Don't buy a huge diaper bag for everyday use- a small one works just fine.
*Kiddopotamus Snuzzler head support. This thing looks SO comfy! I want one! Gracie got too hot when I had the side supports in her carseat, but I took them out and just use the head part. Keeps her head very well supported.

That's all I can think of right now. I'll post more as I think of them.

Just chillin'

Not much has been going on around here lately. We're just hangin' out. The weather has been really nice yesterday and today (highs in the 70's!!), so I'm waiting for Gracie to wake up and eat so we can go for a walk around the neighborhood. It is supposed to be nice tomorrow, too! We went out yesterday to Old Navy, and to work so I could do my timesheet.
Really that's about it. We had a fun diaper blowout this morning. How sad is it that the most excitement I get in a day is dealing with poo? LOL
We're getting professional photos of Gracie done on Friday- we have a coupon for free ones! Soon after we're gonna have a family photo done (not free), and I'm looking forward to that. I was able to use my gift certificates to Mitchell's Spa over the weekend and had my hair done (it was so nice!) so now Randy needs to get his cut before we have pics done.
Wow. I can't think of anything else to write right now!!

Date Nite!

So we are back in Raleigh (yay!), and Randy and I had a real date last night! Matt Williams came to Raleigh to do a show, and we haven't seen him for over a year. We were really excited! So Grandma got to watch Gracie for the night, and she even kept her overnight for us! I got 8 hours of sleep- in a row!! It was fabulous. And Gracie did fine. I missed her, though! But I didn't go get her in the middle of the night.
The show was a big disappointment. It was a really swanky place, Oliver Twist, which is a tapas/martini bar. The food was really good (if pricey). But the show got started late, and it was a variety show, so there were several performers (musical and one comedian, who sucked!), and Matt as supposed to be headlining. It was midnight before he started playing solo (he did some jamming with the house band), and then, he only got to do 3 songs!!!! And they had his mic all messed up for the first two! Evidently, the manager (?) wasn't very musically inclined, and she didn't like that Matt was playing without drums (even though his music has obvious rhythm even without traditional percussion!) so she sent the house band drummer on stage to play with him, unrehearsed. Then they cut him off so that another performer could play. We were so upset!! Matt and his parents were really pissed, and we don't blame them. He apologized to us for the show, even though it totally wasn't his fault. He had driven 6 hours to do this show, and got totally gypped. And I had a migraine through the whole thing, which made it miserable for me, and the house band (et al) had their bass turned up way too loud, which just made the migraine even worse. At least I got a full night's sleep- I am very grateful to Randy's mom for taking Gracie for the night.
We're glad to be home. It has taken me most of the afternoon to get my house back in order, and I haven't started on the kitchen yet! Gracie is snoozing in her papasan chair- she was fussing, so I put her in it and turned on the vibration, and she was out like a light! The batteries were near death, so the vibrating only lasted a few minutes, but it was enough to do the trick.
I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend. The weather is supposed to be pretty nice- it's about time!