11 months

This month has been amazing…. Grace learned to crawl on her own (or do a 4 point creep as we OT’s know it to be) and speeds around everywhere. She now pulls up on everything and is getting to be a little dare devil by transitioning from one standing object to another. She crawls into cabinets, stands in them, and even crawled up 3 stairs yesterday (with her mother spotting her of course). We are on red alert around the house and have corrals up for playtime and barricades in several of the doorways. She nearly climbed into the shower with me the other day, pulling the suitcase over that I used to block her. Dora the Explorer has nothing on Grace!

Not only has she learned to travel around the house, but she’s also travelled to the West Coast too! Doug worked a week at Stanford and so Grace and I ventured out for a few days. She played with the girls at the clinic in the fun sensory equipment and loved it. She also got to touch and taste grass for the first time (lots of green out there)! We ventured over to the Pacific Ocean, the Palace of Fine Arts, the San Francisco marina, Sausalito, the park by our old place, downtown Palo Alto, and surprise, surprise… Napa! She had a ball the entire trip and was a super plane traveler once again.

I also now believe that there isn't a conspiracy out there against Grace looking like her mother, rather it is highly likely that Grace looks a great deal like her Daddy. Upon arriving at the clinic, the girls immediately stated she looked like Doug. Even the Chinese gentleman who drove us from the car rental to the terminal looked at me, then Grace, and back at me before saying, "She look like Daddy."
But she is getting some curls in the back......

Grace also entertained lots of visitors this month as my friends Buffi and Ann visited with their children. She was so happy to play with other kids and laughed at them quite often. It was fun to see her silly side come out (who knew she’d have a silly side with her parents?).

Her first Easter was wonderful with a satiny pastel dress (doesn’t that feel great in the mouth) and a smock bonnet. Mom and Dad took care of the chocolate while she hugged on the stuffed bunny.

The past 2 weeks we have really focused on getting Grace outside. She adores the swings and has learned to slide backward on her belly on the slide. While not crazy about teeter totters, rocking horses, or glider swings yet, we know this will soon change. She loves to have the wind blow through her hair (plenty of that here in Nebraska); while riding in the car with the windows down in Napa, she got so excited she yanked her pacifier from her mouth, exclaimed out, and tossed it in the air. It appears she’s going to be a convertible girl when she gets older. Like father like daughter once again.