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Sunday, May 30, 2010

Gracie at 15 and 16 Months

Gracie, where does the time go? Forgive me for not being as diligent with your blog as I was with Libby's. Life has changed much since the days of having just one baby. You keep me busy all by yourself, but add your 4 year old sister and the adoption of your 6 year old sister and you can understand why I am not so on top of things this go round. But, my love is not measured by the number of blog posts so know that mommy loves you so very much. Every ounce of you is precious to me. I love the way you express yourself with your eyes and eyebrows. I love how you pout with your bottom lip and sad eyes when you want to get your way. I love how you flirt with everyone you meet. I love how you grin like a zebra, rolling your top lip back so everyone can see your one and only top tooth and 2 bottom teeth.

While you have been walking for nearly 2 months, you are a clumsy little thing. You tumble and fall constantly, but seem to love it. You have the chubbiest little legs and feet - which make you all the more kissable and huggable. Your hair is growing very fast. Every curl is delighted in each morning as I work your Kinky Curly through every strand.

You still love to dance. You roll your shoulders and hips like no baby I've ever seen before. You've got groove! When you hear the beat, your body moves before your mind even realizes it.

You don't sit still for a second (which is partly why I have only a few good pictures of you from the last 2 months). You LOVE the water. We've been to the pool a few times this season and you are a little dare devil. You stick your entire face in, blowing bubbles. I drop you in and quickly bring you back up and you love it. If you're not being splashed, you are completely bored.

You love to kiss your sister and sit in her lap. But if she has a toy you want, you pull her hair - hard! (see last photo). You are into everything she is holding and the two of you can really get on each other's nerves. But most of the time, you play very well together and love on each other. When the two of you make each other laugh it is the highlight of my day.

The day before you turned 15 months, I fed you your last bottle (see first 2 pictures). I was so sad to end that sweet routine, but it was time. I realized that night that you are probably my last baby and so I had to take pictures of your last bottle to remember how precious that time with you was. 

The day before Easter, you started walking. You've not stopped since. In April we traveled to 3 events and took a week long trip to Charleston, SC. During that time I was also juggling the majority of Keemberlie's adoption paperwork. April was a challenging month. Then, in May I took a trip with your sister, Libby, to visit Keemberlie and you had an entire week with your daddy and Grammy Foote. You received more attention in those 5 days than is even imaginable! You were spoiled rotten in the best of ways! But I missed you soooooooooo much!

Can't believe you're 16 months already. By this time last year we had already passed court, claiming you completely as our own and we were prepared to travel in just a few days to receive you in our arms. You were finally starting to put on weight and look healthy, but we found out you had chicken pox. Today, your skin is still healing from that horrible case of chicken pox. But it looks sooooooo much better now than it did the day we held you for the first time. So very happy you are with us, baby girl. My world would not be half has full of joy without you in it!

Here are some pictures of you over the last 2 months:

your last bottle.... i cried.