18 months! Can it be?

As always time continues to march on and Friday Grace turned 18 months old. I was in the dressing room at Kohls recently and heard a mama whispering soothing sounds to her crying baby. What a sweet sound to my ears and how I miss that infant cry in some ways. Thankfully, Grace is very much still a baby to me. First of all, she looks like one with the small amount of hair on her head. Second, she still wakes at least once a night with her cries. And she is still eagerly nursing. I am enjoying every chance I get to cuddle my precious girl.

Mommy and Gracie at the Botanical Gardens in St. Louis

She is petite but not as much as her sister was as evidenced by the fact that she is currently wearing the clothes Missy Blue wore at the age of 2 and much of it is too small. She has been in size 18 months for the past few months. She is at the height of hitting her head on tables and weighs just 21 pounds, which she has been at for awhile now. Gracie has hair mainly on the back of her head and I love how it curls up, especially in the humid air down in Alabama. George had curls when he was little. Maybe my little girl will too?

This girl and her goofy grin. I keep trying but she will not sit still long enough to pose for me anymore. This is about all I could get.

Grace likes to eat "chee" (cheese) and "nana" (bananas). I haven't found anything else to be a real favorite except desserts. I am afraid she is going to have a sweet tooth like a few of us do. If she doesn't want something she will shake her head no, scrunch up her nose, and say "uh uh". She is drinking water from a sippy cup and can drink from a big cup as well otherwise she is still nursing.

Rolling out dough with Grandma

New words are forming more with each week. Grace attempts to say her siblings names and can say "Noah" and "Kay-ee". And she does know the difference between Pete and Re-Pete. She says a breathy "woof" for dog and "ki-ee" for cat. Her latest is hiding then coming out to say with a song"Pete-A-Bee" (Peek-a-boo). That is my favorite! When putting on her socks I'll say "one" and she follows with "two". She can also say "she-oo" (shoe). She likes to say things are "pretty" and when she is hurt she expresses that with "ouwie" and of course she says the basic -- Hi and Bye. Grace is getting to the point where the kids will ask her to say a word and she will try to repeat. At this age Zippy could repeat any word clearly, although he was our unique child in this regard.

Gracie with her dolly and Missy with hers :)

Grace is into absolutely EVERYTHING! We thought she was different than her siblings but then I looked back at some posts I did about her brothers and I realize that maybe each child was like this and those are the memories we tend to forget. She loves to climb and especially onto tables which we will not allow. However, once in awhile she climbs on the coffee table and dances and is so charming that we can't help but let her. Haha!

Exploring the Fort in Alabama

Grace loves to play in the toilet any chance she finds it open. And this past month she realized she can lift the lid herself so we now have to keep the door closed. Otherwise we will find her splashing in the water of the toilet bowl. I am often heard calling out "Where is Grace?" and when no one knows, we run to the bathroom. She has been found brushing her teeth with a toothbrush she had swished in the toilet water. Of course it was right after her sister had thrown up (and flushed) -- oh my! At least everyone remembers to flush.

Grace is a happy girl and loves to smile at everyone she meets. She'll often look at a person until she is noticed and then grin. Of course she has her moments of grumpiness, especially in the evenings, but for the most part she is happiness.

Grace is a Daddy's girl. John has said that she is the one who has cuddled with him the most. I don't know but she certainly is giddy with excitement when she hears the garage door open around 5:30 p.m. "DA-ee?" and runs to the door waiting for him. She squeals and gives such a big hug patting him on the back. What Daddy doesn't melt at that?

 

Now that it is beginning to get warm Grace wants to be outside any chance she can get. She stands at the window or door calling "going, going". She seems to be a little explorer noticing her surroundings. She has taken to various animals and this morning I observed her delight in watching ants only to squash them with her foot. Grace seems to love turtles. At a nature center in Gulf Shores she followed one around trying to pat it's shell. In St. Louis she did the same and then picked it up. We took it away when she decided to throw it to the ground.

She enjoyed carrying around a worm her cousin Conner gave to her.

Grace is a joy and a delight. It is difficult for me at times to see each milestone pass and even more this time knowing that she is our last baby. And so, even tho Grace still wakes in the middle of the night, I am content in that because I know that the day she stops crying out for me will mean I never again will wake in the night to comfort my baby. I could say much more on that. Maybe another day. The Lord has blessed us beyond measure and we are truly grateful!

Having fun on stage with her brother's hat from the play he was in.