13 Months and a Soap Box

We love our sweet girl!  Sara English (we have many friends with the name of Sara) mentioned that in this picture, Grace and the kitchen  refridgerator have the same smile...hehe

Gone are the days of brushing with the soft finger toothbrushes...once a kid has molars, it's time to move on to the handle brush...for the sake of mommy and daddy's fingers!

Vivienne and Grace got creative with the box...okay, Madeline and I put them in it, but they got out on their own :)

My friend, Alison, at her baby shower.  We joke (but are half serious) about an arranged marriage between Grace and Alison's baby Gray due in June.

Jimmy's parents gave these to us over a year ago and now the amaryllis are blooming beautifully!

My first attempt at a decorative cake!  I had some assistance with the icing and piping, but I did everything else and was very proud of mysef.

After Uncle Jordan's graduation day we hung out around the pool...this time Grace enjoyed every bit of it! 

Not only does Grace have a fascination with rocking chairs but basically ANY type of chair.  She is trying to tip the chair over here...

Aunt lulu strikes again!  Loving the water play table...

This was daddy's idea

Snack time with Brooke

One of my favorite pictures EVER of Grace.  She is chilling (in some other girl's chair) at Jimmy's soccer game.

13 months and bundles of fun!  The older she gets, the more we learn and LOVE about her!

New blog template updates for Grace now that we are past the year mark:

Interests: toilets, taking outlet covers off (impressive), her rocking chair/glider, chairs, closing the door and thus herself, inside any room with an open door
Sleep habits: Nap 1: 9:30-11:00; Nap 2: 2-4 (most of the time); Bedtime: 7pm (sometimes before); Wake time: 7am
-this is her usual schedule but obviously sometimes she doesn't take as long of a nap or other factors contribute to sleep being a little off...
Favorite foods: Chick-fil-A grilled chicken nuggets, spinach and artichoke dip from Outback, haha!
Sign Language: "more" "please" "all done" (we are working on thank you now)
Teeth: Bottom: 6! Top: 6!  Still the same number but four molars completely came through this month as before they were really just barely cutting through. 
Words spoken: dada, momma,  num num, yehyeh, Sylva (Lindsay's dog...I kid you not), nana for banana, more (sometimes it even sounds like she says "some more" when asking for more food)

This month was mostly spent at home and this family will NEVER complain about that!  We have a lot  coming up in our near future as far as visitors and traveling is concerned and we are equally as excited about those adventures.  The only adventure we had this month was going to Columbia, SC for my brother's college graduation from USC (see list of posts in May about his graduation).

Grace has been walking pretty steadily now for months.  Whenever we go out in public, people ask how old she is and then if she is walking.  Usually by the second question she had already squirmed her way out of our arms and walking (fast now, too) down some aisle or out some door.  People seem pretty surprised to see a tiny little person like Grace is walking all over the place.  They also seem to be in some disbelief when we tell them she "really never crawled".  It's true!  Grace has been taking steps since she was 9 months.  Slowly over time she began walking on her own as Jimmy and I would sit in front of each other and let her walk back and forth...it was like a game for her, she LOVED it and we shared the love of watching her do it.  Grace began crawling shortly before her 1st birthday but it lasted 2 weeks.  She learned how to stand up on her own and therefore lost the interest and basic need to crawl over to things to pull up when she clearly was completely mobile.  This mobility has proved for some interesting times in the house and at public places!

People say that "it's all over once your child can walk everywhere"...are these the same people that say "get your sleep now" before you have a baby?  Or, "spend time with your husband now because you won't have that time later"?  All of these are quite silly comments and remarks.  I appreciate the "advice" but want to encourage new moms or soon to be moms...your life isn't over after you have a baby!!  Yes, you get less sleep, at first.  Yes, you have less time with your husband, at first.  These are sacrafices we choose to make when we are ready to have children and they are SMALL and temporary prices to pay for such a great gift from God.  Yes, Grace can walk now and life is more interesting but she can also say momma and dada and she couldn't do that when she was immobile and drooling on all of her toys.  Each stage of a baby's life is unique, but wouldn't you take a little less sleep, a little less time for your spouse (few months) and a more active baby to experience the miracle of being a parent?  Jimmy and I make more time for each other now than before Grace because we have learned that time together should be intentional and well spent.  God is gracious and knows what we all need as HIS children...so trust Him, and enjoy every stage of being a parent EVEN if you are pregnant and feeling well, not so enjoyable.