A new favorite

Grace has loved books for several months now: her first favorite was a plastic bathtime book called "Mimi's Toes". Next was a book that my mom had for my two little sisters about 20 years ago, "Babies". Then it was a touch and feel book about Colors; and this last week she discovered 'lift the flap' magic! She absolutely loves "Where's Baby's Bellybutton?" She was squealing and gasping and dropping her jaw at every page, much to the amusement of mom and dad.

Only a Month late...

I know, I know, Valentine's Day was a month ago and you've all moved on to the next holiday... but I was so proud of my heart shaped peppers and pizza... Ben loved them!

15 Years Ago

I came across this photo while I was looking for stickers for some Primary invitations. This is one of my best friends, Amy, and I, taken while we were in high school together at Pittsford Mendon High, NY. It brought back so many memories! Remember eating lunch in the Commons? Can you believe that was half our lifetime ago, Amy??

I don't feel too young to say "Ah, youth".

Smiling through the Spots

We just can't seem to win for losing. Gracie woke up covered in hives last weekend - an allergy to the amoxycillin she was taking for her ear infection. At first I thought they were bug bites, there were only a few on her neck and belly.
My immediate reaction was to swear that any bug that dared bite my girl would come to an unceremonious crunchy end. But as the day progressed, she got more and more, and they turned in to large welts covering her abdomen, shoulders, legs, arms, toes, ears... you name it. The doctor delcared her ear infection well enough to stop the antibiotics and start a heavy regime of Benedryl, while alerting all of Utah's Pediatric databases that she was allergic to amoxycillin.
Upon hearing that I was allergic to Tylenol(I thought that he should know in case Grace was too) he nearly fell over. He said that in all his 30 years of being a doctor, he had never met anyone that was allergic to Tylenol. "It's like being allergic to shoelaces." Well I guess I feel special.
And yet, as I gave Grace dose after dose of Benedryl, she did not react by being sleepy - rather the opposite: she was wired and agitated for hours and couldn't sleep. Another rare reaction to a very common medicine. So I just stopped ALL medicines (besides Tylenol, which she seems fine with) and pumped her full of fluids to get those hives gone.
Despite looking like a little red Quasimodo, and a little whining, Grace was her normal happy self, smiling and jabbering away.

My first...6...teeth?

So we went to the doctor the other day for yet another ear infection, and after he pronounced it ragingly infected, he took a look in her mouth. Well no wonder she's been fussy: she has 5 new teeth coming in, 1 more on bottom and all 4 on top. She's going to look like a teenager before she turns 1!

Look Mom!

Things that Gracie Lu can do:
Be absolutely adorable...

Flip my tongue over...

Get my daily reading in...

Smile big for the camera...

Sit up all by myself...

Make funny faces for mom...

Roll over...finally!

Have some serious bed-head...

Our Ray of Sunshine

Meet Grace. She is our happiness and joy. She always has big smiles and hearty laughs, and is non-stop jabbering away at who or whatever will listen. Born May 28, 2010, she is almost 8 months now. She inherited my straight, fly-away, white-blond hair, Ben's bright blue eyes, Grandpa Packer's height (she is almost 30 inches long!), and looks exactly like Aunt Alisha's baby pictures. She has both her bottom teeth in, and 4 more on the way. She just melts our hearts. Who could resist that face?