Two Going On Sixteen

Little Spaces

I love our daughter so much.

She is totally her own little person and she bends for no one.

Even when she's throwing her binky because I've made her mad and I'm wondering just how young is too young for time out (kidding!) I can't help but smile inside at the strength of her tiny (not so tiny?) spirit.

She is just amazing every day.

Like when she puts herself under the couch.

 Seriously?!?

Is it just me or is this the most charming quirk ever?

My mom and one of my friends recently acted a little surprised when they realized Grace still gets swaddled up tight, at nine months old, when she sleeps.

What can I say?

She likes tiny, little, confining spaces.

If she gets sleepy she likes to wiggle up under the couch and take a little rest.

Cozy.

I'm not really sure how this all started.

One day I was in the kitchen getting lunch ready and Joey said, "Mommy, come help Sissy!!"

She had indeed backed herself up under the couch and was not happy.

Really though, how could you not chuckle at this scene. I had to grab my camera. I figured I'd never see it again.

Joey was very concerned.  When he couldn't coax her out he tried to join her.  

I helped her out, came back, and found this.

And so it began.

Sometimes she'll bring two binkies with her and switch them in and out while she dances under the couch to music from the t.v.

Unbelievably charming.

This is why she gets away with throwing those same binkies across the room when she's mad.

 Joey likes to bring her little toys to play with.

He's always looking out for her. 

 In case you're concerned, Grace it not actually allowed to sleep under the couch.

Obviously.  She sleeps in her crib like a normal baby.

Butttt it will be a sad day around here when she is no longer small enough to wiggle her way into her little snuggle spot. ;o)

Little Happies

Our happy rainbow girl

 Best brother sister pair ever <3

 Buzz watching Buzz.
This is childhood.

 Breakfast with the Bunny.

I'd like to add that the first thing Joey said when we took him to get pictures with a bunny was,

"This is a different Easter Bunny, Mommy?"

Ugh!

 Joe said, "There's only one Bunny, he's just wearing different clothes."

My heart sank a little when I realized he wasn't satisfied with that. He's only two! We're going to have to be very careful with things. He's too smart for his own good sometimes.

 Sissy tries to throw herself into the ballpit any time she's near it.

She likes to hand balls back and forth and claps for herself because she's such a good little sharer.

Very modest :o)

 Water table and bathings suits during a 76 degree March day.

 Practicing for Summer.

 Joey with Easter cupcakes he made.
It's taking every ounce of self control he has for him to not stick his finger in the icing right here.

 Tiny Sissy trying to walk.
Don't be fooled.

Right about now, with the progress she's making, we estimate she'll be ready to walk somewhere around her twentieth birthday ;o)

Pretty Ears

We took Gracie Girl to get her ears pierced yesterday after the kiddos went to see the Bunny.

I had made the mistake of telling Joey that it would hurt a little bit and he did not want her to get it done. Joey is telling me something about how he doesn't want anyone to touch her ears and how they should not hurt her, here.  He was dead set against it.

Grace was more open to the idea.

Joey held his ground that this was a very bad idea.

But Sissy was ready for her pretty ears. :o)

This is the last picture of our girl pre-ear piercing.

Joe signed everything

and then it was time.

Look at how serious Joe looked! He really wanted her to have her ears pierced but he didn't want her to actually have it done. He's been saying he wants me to take her without him (so he doesn't have to watch), but at the same time he doesn't want it to be done without him there.  In the end, he wanted to be the one to hold her.



Continuing the trend, this was very hard on Joey.

He had to look away and kept telling the lady that he didn't want her ears pierced and not to hurt his Sissy. 



Both kids ended up and tears, but they didn't last too long.

A little distraction and a few Mommy snuggles and our girl was doing better.

Joey's woes were put to rest when the woman who pierced Grace's ears offered him a lollipop for being so brave. Ha!

He also got to pick where we went for dinner

The Chinese Buffet was his choice, in case you were wondering.

Both kids got to have ice cream for being brave. :o)

Comfy jammies and snuggle session in the car, and Grace was back to normal.

She chowed down on mashed potatoes at dinner and thoroughly enjoyed her droplets of ice cream.

And that was how Grace got her ears pierced. :o)

Back to Work

I could seriously eat this child up.

Our little love muffin, who basically has about a two hour time limit as to how long it's acceptable to be away from Mommy, will be spending the day with Daddy tomorrow.

I prepped her for it and this was her response.

I feel ya, baby girl.

On that note, we decided to break the news to Joey in the morning.

He can actually verbalize his thoughts which, I'm learning, makes this sort of thing about a trillion times harder and sad for the parents.

Please say a prayer for all involved as we nagivate this transition.

Ugh.

My Curly Girl

 When I was pregnant with Joey I hoped he would come out with dark curly hair and blue eyes.

He came out with blue eyes and blonde straight hair, which we didn't even think was possible.
Actually, he basically for all intensive purposes had no hair until he was fourteen months old.

By the time Grace was growing in my belly I was just hoping for hair, any type of hair :o).

You know .. hair for bows.

 And my girl was born and she deliverd, a mop of almost-black hair topped off her tiny little head.

She looked just like I had pictured her brother would look.
She had her George Costanza phase, as we called it, where all of her hair on top fell out.
It quickly came back though, just a little lighter and equally as eager to curl as before.

 As her hair has grown longer it has become possible to let it curl a little bit without it quickly transitioning into a little mohawk.
And so I let her sport her curls from time to time :o).
With her bright big blue eyes, her firecracker personality, and her curly little hair that lets me satisfy my longstanding desire to adorn a tiny little head with not-so-tiny bows .. I just could not love her more.