Last Week

   This  last week was a very exciting one for Graceyn.  I can't believe how much she has changed in just 10 short weeks.  It's amazing how much babies grow and change in just one year.  She went from a newborn who mainly ate and slept, to a baby who is so much more aware of her surroundings.  

     Graceyn is finally getting on more of a schedule.  Her naps have become a lot more predictable.  She usually sleeps for 1-2 hours, wakes up, eats, plays, and is ready to do it all over again.  It makes things very easy.  She really is a very easy baby.  Her night time routine is getting pretty structured too.  She always goes down around 7:30-8:00.  She goes down like a champ in her cradle next to our bed.  She will sleep there anywhere from 4-6 hours.  (Usually more like 4 hours).  She usually wakes up every two hours after that.  I know a lot of babies are sleeping much longer stretches by this point, but I still think she is doing better than her brother and sister were at this point.  I am feeling a little bit more rested. 
     Graceyn really became a lot more aware of her surroundings this past week.  The first big milestone she met was "discovering" her hands.  Since she found them, she now loves to put them in her mouth.  It's really very cute.  The other HUGE milestone she met this week that I have been waiting for, is grabbing toys.  She absolutely loves her play gym.  She lays under it and looks at all the dangling toys.  She is so content and happy under that thing.  Up until now, she has just looked at the dangling toys.  This week, she reached up and grabbed one.  She then proceeded to do it over and over.  Now she loves pulling on the toys.  I knew it was just a matter of time until she mastered this.  She is really into playing with her toys now. 
     Graceyn has also become very "talkative".  She loves "talking" back when we talk to her.  I think I might actually love the first coos and sounds more than first smiles.  It is just too sweet to watch.  She especially loves talking to Ashlyn.  I told Joey, if she is anything like her sister, we are never going to get a word in edgewise. 
     Up until this week, Graceyn has still been taking her baths in the kitchen sink.  She hates baths and always cries the entire time.  I decided last night that she was getting way too big for the sink, so we gave her first bath in the big tub.  She has a special seat that she sat in.  She LOVED taking a big girl bath.  She had the biggest smile on her face the entire time.  She was getting a little cranky because it was close to bedtime, and once she was in the tub she was such a happy girl.  I am so glad that she finally enjoys baths. 

Here are some pictures from this week. 

Bubble fun at Auntie's house

These kids can't get enough bubbles

Joey with Ella and Graceyn

Looking at her toys.  (This was before she was able to grab them.)

Love those smiles

Happy girl

We bought her this frog so she could practice sitting up. 

There's that hand in her mouth. 

Ashlyn is always reading to her.  She loves it! 

I put Gracie in a lot of dresses.  Her new "trick" is pulling up her dress and "eating" it. 

Joey has been working really hard on adding lots of plants, flowers, and bushes to the front of the house.  Its really looking great.  The kids helped plant some flowers. 

Ashlyn dumping out her flower. 

She loves to plant

All three kids cuddling one morning.  Every morning, they surround Graceyn and they talk to her and play with her. She soaks up every minute. 

Her first time grabbing a toy.  Luckily, I keep the camera nearby. 

Look at that pro!

My pretty girl

Memorial Day Weekend

   
    Joey and the kids headed to the cabin over Memorial Day weekend.  The kids were so excited to go to the cabin after a long winter of not going.  Graceyn and I weren't able to go.  She is still a little too young to be going up to such a high altitude.  She will soon get her chance and I am sure that she will love it just as much as the other kids.
     The weather was pretty cold when they were up there.  In fact, it even snowed.  They didn't let the cold weather ruin their fun.  They still had a great time.  They are ready for a summer of fun at the cabin.  Here are some of the pictures that Joey took. 

Feeding the chipmunks.  Ahslyn said that they missed her. 

After a long winter, they were hungry!!!

I miss that view!

Alli by the water. 

Throwing rocks into the river.

Some of the snow/rain coming down. 

The trees around the cabin have seriously gotten so much taller since my dad bought the cabin. 

Joey decided to buy a B.B. gun for entertainment at the cabin.  Ashlyn had a great time shooting cans.  Joey said she got pretty good at it. 

Already a pro!

2 Months

    Yesterday, my little angel turned 2 months old.  I'm not going to go into my usual rant about how fast time is flying, etc.  But just know that I am thinking it.  I know it seems impossible, but I swear each day we fall more and more in love with this girl.  She is just such a sweet little thing.  She has fit into our family so well.  It just seems like she has always been here.  The kids love her so much and they love interacting with her.  She is one lucky girl to have such an awesome big brother and big sister.  We are all lucky to have Graceyn in our lives.
     On Monday, we went in for Graceyn's two month checkup.  She now weighs 11.8 pounds (66%) and is 23.3 inches tall (86%).  So she is clearly growing like a weed!!!  In two months she grew three inches and gained about 4 1/2 pounds.  She is doing a great job growing.  Her doctor said she looks great again and I told her I don't really have any concerns for Graceyn.  She is just doing such a good job of doing exactly what she is supposed to be doing.  Yay Gracie!
     Some of the things that Graceyn loves are: laying under her play mat, looking at her brother and sister, smiling, being read to (her favorite book is Snuggle Puppy), being rocked, cuddling with Mama, sleeping in her car seat, sitting in her swing, and being talked to.  She has started to coo back and "talk" back and I love every second!  It's so sweet.
    Some of the things that Graceyn doesn't like: taking baths, taking her reflux medicine, being tired, not being able to see someone, and tummy time (sometimes).
    All in all she is a pretty laid back baby.  She has her fussy moments, but for the most part she is pretty calm.  She usually only cries when she is hungry or tired.  So that makes it easy for me.  If she recently ate, I know she is ready for a nap.  If she recently slept, I know she's hungry.  She is still eating about every two hours during the days.  Sometimes more, sometimes less.
     Sleep is still touch and go with her.  She continues to take really good naps during the day.  I have noticed that the days she actually sleeps more during the day, she sleeps better that night.  Nights are still hit or miss.  This past week she has been having some longer stretches.  Last week, she would go maybe 3 hours for her first stretch and every 2 hours after that.  Last night was great.  She fell asleep at 8:00 and then woke up to eat at 10:00.  I immediately thought that it was going to be a rough night since she woke up so soon after falling asleep.  I was amazed when I looked at the clock when she woke up next and it said 3:45!  She almost went 6 hours!!!  Those 6 hours of sleep were the best sleep I have gotten since she has been born.  I'm not getting too excited yet because Ashlyn and Dawson had nights like that and I got my hopes up and it didn't happen again for a long time.  I'm just really, really, hoping she is turning a corner with her sleep. 
   Here are the two month pictures I took yesterday.  I plan to take a shot like this every month so we can see how she has grown.

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7 and 8 Weeks

   My goal is to write a post every week. Every week, it seems that time just gets away from me and I don't post as much as I want.  With summer approaching, I will have lots and lots of posts and pictures to share.  I have just got to get better about posting.  In my defense, I don't know how to upload the pictures, only Joey does.  He has been super busy.  It's something we will both work on.  Here are some pictures from the last two weeks. 

Dawson talking to Gracie during tummy time. He is such a good brother. 

Ashlyn wore this same shirt. 

She just loves her play mat

She's getting good at holding her head up

Smiles

Love all the smiles

This was also Ashlyn's shirt.  Love that she gets to wear her old clothes. 

As the weather warms up, we have spending a lot of time at my sister's house in her backyard.  The kids literally spend all day out there running around playing.  We just can't wait for Ashlyn to join us.  Here is a picture of them eating lunch. 

She loves it when they are around and they love playing with her.  Melts my heart. 

Day at the Zoo

    As the weather FINALLY starts to get nice, we are finally getting to get outside more.  We headed to the zoo yesterday for some fun.  The kids have such a blast at the zoo.  They just love looking at all the animals. Here are some pictures from our most recent trip.

Katy and Ella feeding the giraffes

The giraffes are always a hit

Silly boys

Best friends enjoying the meerkats. 

The lion was resting right next  to the glass.  It was pretty neat to see one so close. 

The kids love playing in this plane.  Dawson dove right in. 

Our zoo has tons of peacocks that roam around.  Usually they are kind of nuisance since so many people feed them and they are always just begging for food.  Today, we actually saw one with its feathers out.  That was a rare treat. They are pretty cool with their feathers out. 

Where did the otters go?

Riding the carousel

Ella feeding the chickens.  She was really good at it. 

Dawson got to try too.