Ready for the Weather

Sleepy weekends are so nice and relaxing. Nothing planned, nowhere to be, just hanging out.

Here's a few pictures of Gracie bundled up before a walk. We're getting lots of walks in now while it's still nice.





Another layout:



And a few of the finer details:

Sleep Update

At seven weeks old, Gracie slept through the whole night! I fed her at 10 last night, and she slept until 8:15 this morning! She woke up twice right after I put her down at 11, but I never even had to pick her up, just patted her chest and talked to her and she put herself back to sleep.

Now, if only I had slept that whole time.... unfortunately, I woke up occasionally throughout the night to check on her and then from 6:30 on, I was awake alternating between cheering her on and checking her vitals.

Up and Down

Gracie has been sleeping really well, but there really is no pattern to her sleep habits... Thursday night, I fed her at 10:30 and she slept until 5:30! It was fantastic, but then she didn't sleep very well all day Friday. Just would not sleep. She was stretching to see the fan or look at a light or trying to squirm her way out of her swaddle and wasn't interested in closing her eyes. She slept okay last night, but she definitely isn't on a set schedule. Just when I think I have her figured out, she changes things up on me. At least she's always happy. Even with no sleep, she's pretty content.

I've been doing a little scrapbooking this week and last. Everytime I get a few minutes, I pull out some pictures and play. Here are a few of the layouts:







And no post is complete without a few Gracie pictures. I decided that if she won't sleep, she'll just do everything I'm doing with me. Yesterday, I layed her on my yoga mat and did some yoga around her. She seemed to like watching me, so I had to take a break to capture one of her big smiles. She liked the downward dog.

Bigger and Bigger

A few pictures of Gracie right after she woke up. Stretching and getting ready to play:







She's starting to reach for things and has more control of her arms and legs now. She even has a little laugh at the toys hanging above her every once and a while. Unfortunately, I can't catch her laugh on video. She's sneaky about it.

Here's a little video of her playing on her mat (you'll notice, she's like a wind up toy, she gets her strength by kicking her right leg).

Changes

Six and a half weeks old and changing every day. We gave Gracie a bottle for the first time Sunday and another last night. It took some getting used to, but once she got the hang of it, she fed pretty good and Brad got a chance to get more involved.







I think we'll keep trying this every few days to get her more used to bottle feeding and then make it a night time ritual. A little bit of quality time to spend with dad.

She's also started cooing back to me when I hum to put her to sleep. I hum lullabies and she gets a big, sleepy smile on her face and makes little noises in the back of her throat back at me. Poor girl will be tone deaf thanks to me, but she seems to like it.

Gracie is growing up so fast. I think she's stretching out more lately, getting taller, instead of just getting a bigger belly.

Before, when I fed her, her belly literally stretched out over her diaper on both sides, and now, her stomach goes straight from her armpits to her hips even after a feed. The photos I'm posting may not reflect that, but she's either hidden by blankets or wearing layers, so you can't really tell.

Brad and Gracie hanging out:



My favourite jacket:



If the cute ears on her sweater didn't convince you, here's one to ensure you'll fall in love. How cute is a sleeping baby?



She's so cute, that suddenly, I can't stop using pet names when I talk to her. I always thought they were ridiculous, and now I find myself hardly ever calling her Gracie. I call her Sweetie-Pie, Cutie, Gracie-Girl, whatever pops into my head.

And it's not just me. She wins over everyone that sees her. A friend of ours stopped by to visit the other day, a young, single guy who is afraid to have only one girlfriend, let alone kids, but when she woke up from her nap, he loved her. Loved her little mitts and said, "she doesn't even look all wrinkly and alien-like." Might not sound like huge praise, but it was a pretty big step for him.

Dating someone who needs to be convinced to take the next step? Give us a call.
:)

Happy Halloween!

Gracie's first Halloween was pretty quiet. She had a few costumes, so we dressed her up, even though she didn't know what was going on...



She doesn't look impressed, does she?



She's like Cher, needs a costume change halfway through the day...







We had about 30 trick-or-treaters here. About triple the number we ever got in Lake Louise, but I was still expecting more. Now we have tons of candy left and we both have a big sweet tooth. Could be dangerous. If Gracie doesn't sleep well, we'll know that the caffeine and sugar got to her.

Here are some cute pictures that Sam took when she was up here visiting:





I just love these pictures. She's not that small anymore, but she's still a cutie!

Lately, Gracie's been more awake during the day. She spends fewer hours sleeping and is more aware of everything happening around her. She likes to stretch out and really kick her legs and flail her arms.



(Notice her little Buddha Belly spilling over her pants. Too cute.)





When we were in Hanna last weekend, we looked at some of my baby pictures and Gracie and I look a lot alike. There are a few pictures that are so similar it's spooky. Brad even suggested he could put one of them in his wallet and say it was Gracie. Brad doesn't have any baby pictures, really. In the earliest pictures he has, he's around 1, so it's hard to compare him to Gracie now. In the next few months I'm sure we'll see more similarities.

Smiley Girl

Gracie has really started smiling in the last week. She smiles in her chair, on her mat, when we're changing her, when we tickle her, and especially if you give her a big, goofy smile. I love it. At 3 in the morning, when you're getting sick of pacing the floor with her, she gives a big smile and you can keep walking for hours. Very motivational.

Here are a few shots of little smiles. I haven't captured a really good one, yet (notice they're all in her chair, the happiest place on earth).







Actually, she's sleeping really well. Last night, I fed her at 9 pm, 3 am and 7 am. Not too bad. I'm just getting up once a night, really. She's getting better at going back to sleep now, too. I'm up for about an hour each feeding and then she crashes again. I even got 7-8 hours of sleep the last two nights! Life is good.

Since we're sleeping more, apparently, we have more time to enjoy every little thing Gracie does. Brad took a video of her dancing along to the music from So You Think You Can Dance in her chair (yep, we're those parents). Use your imagination folks, this one's a stretch.

A Few of Her Favourite Things...

Gracie may not be old enough to sit up by herself or see long distances, but she definitely has a few favourite things.

Curtis and Brandi gave me a little aquarium for the crib that plays lullabies or soothing ocean noises and has little bubbles and bobbing fish that light up and I kept thinking she's too young for that. Then I tried it.... best invention ever. No need to rock her to sleep or anything with the aquarium on, just lay her in front of it, push the button and she'll drift off by herself.

Fantastic!

This is her other favourite:



My grandparents got this chair for her and it is so great! She loves it. Her favourite part, amazingly enough, is the stripey material on the sides. She just stares at it. She is more smiley in this chair than anywhere else.

Last night, she was a little fussy, Brad put her in this chair and turned it to vibrate. She quieted right down and just sat enjoying her little seat.

Got to love the little things that make life easier.

Gracie's One Month Old!

Can you believe it? Gracie is one month old today. I can't believe how much she's grown and that we've spent the last month getting to know each other.

I took her to the Health Clinic today to get her weighed and measured and she's all ready 9 pounds 11 ounces. She's growing like crazy! She's taller and her head is bigger than last time, too. I've officially put away almost all of her newborn clothes. She's definitely in the 0-3 month category for clothes, now.

She's really grabbing things now and she's got a good grip. She grabs for hair, necklaces and anything that swings through her line of sight. She doesn't let go when you ask her to either so if you're holding her, consider yourself forewarned. She's tough.

Another two piece outfit, from Meagan, complete with frogs, her favourite. I think it looks like scrubs. Is there a medical career in Gracie's future, perhaps?




Gracie playing on her little gym mat. She likes to swat the bird, but only for a while and then it starts to freak her out a little bit. A bit overstimulating, perhaps.



I love the little bunny hands on this nightgown. Cute, right?! I tried to get a good picture of them, but she likes to really kick out and it's a bit too big for her, so you can't see them very well.




This was taken today, before we went to the Clinic. Just to capture her on her first month birthday (and wearing my favourite little hoodie).

Back to Gracie...

Two posts about other topics, and we're back to more updates on Gracie. Seems she's taken over our lives.

Here's a picture of her in Hanna with her Aunt Brandi and Uncle Curtis. I really like this picture of the three of them.



And the first time we put her in pants, instead of a sleeper. She looks so much bigger dressed like this. Anyone wanting to look a little smaller after eating too much at Thanksgiving, remember this, wear a sleeper. Apparently, they're the key to looking smaller. Pants just cut you in half.
:)




A photo of her playing on her tummy. It doesn't look like it in this shot, but her neck is really strong all ready. She really likes to be held up on your shoulder, so she can look around. Lights and fans are the big attraction so far.



Tomorrow, she'll be one month old! Time is flying by, but she's doing well, has a good routine and is a very content little girl. I'm hoping to take her in to the clinic to get weighed and measured so there should be an update tomorrow.

A Change of Pace

Thought I'd change things up a bit, today. Seems Gracie has taken over my blog as of late, so I'm going to take a little break from baby updates today to share a few pictures of a project and a new recipe that I like.

In August, we went to an Eskimos vs. Stamps CFL game here in Edmonton with my family. It was a fantastic game and we had a great time, so I made a little mini album with some of the pictures. Thought I'd share it, quick.








This was all made in September, B.G. (Before Gracie), and most of it was made during a meet up with a friend. It's quite simple, but I like it.

Now, the recipe.

I tried a new recipe last night and it's really good, super easy, and fairly healthy, so I thought I'd share it. It's Butternut Squash and Pecan Soup and it's from Rachel Ray's magazine, originally. I changed it a little, because I am not good at following recipes, but here's my take on it.

Ingredients:
2 butternut squash, chopped (4.5 pounds)
or two bags of chopped butternut squash from Costco :)
3 tbsp. margarine
1/2 onion chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. chili powder
1 cup pecans, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups skim milk

Cook the squash, celery, and onion over low heat until soft. Add everything else and bring to a boil. Pour into a blender and puree until smooth. Enjoy! Serves 8.