- Grace had her 15 month check-up in early February: 31in (67%), 20lb 7oz (17%!). Great progress!! At that appointment, the doctor said, "I think we can start treating her like a normal baby now!" Music to my ears. (As of now, I'm sure she is beyond the 17th percentile for weight. As I've been trying on her spring/summer clothing, I'm realizing that, at 16 1/2 months, she is almost too big for her 12-18 month clothes. Quite a feat, considering she just started outgrowing 6-12 months since January.)
- In keeping with being "normal," Grace is becoming a little less picky and easier to feed...many nights, I can feed her the same thing that the rest of us are having, and she will eat it. Along with her more-than-adequate weight gain, this has taken so much stress out of my life!
- Grace is walking! Now she is seriously walking and getting faster every day. Because of this, her appetite has increased significantly. Somehow, I just never thought she'd be this normal.
- Grace has lots of ear infections. This is completely unrelated to last summer's illness, but just something we are dealing with right now. She will likely be getting tubes in her ears soon, and I am honestly ready for her to be consistently well. Even still, recurrent ear infections are so manageable compared to all we've been through. It's nice to have a "normal" problem!
Pray for Grace
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Back to Normal!
Welcome, 2011!
It's been quite a while since I updated this blog...and that's a good thing! No news is good news, you know?
Grace hasn't been weighed since early/mid-December, at which point she was 19 pounds and in the 11th percentile. She had gained another pound and a half in just one month. I'm sure she is over 20 pounds at this point, if her chubby little cheeks and thighs are any indication. She is also starting to outgrow some of her 6-12 month clothes.
As far as food is concerned, Grace pretty much called it quits on baby food shortly after Christmas. It's nice that she is eating table food now, although her preferences are pretty limited. She likes pizza, grilled cheese, yogurt, eggo waffles, bananas, grapes, spaghetti, mandarin oranges, and Goldfish graham crackers. And, on any given day, she may decide that she is not interested in what I have offered her. This is actually not too different from what my boys were willing to eat at this age (14 1/2 months), but Grace pretty much gets whatever she asks for. That stomach bug created a monster! :) I think we are nearing the point where we can have a little more wiggle room and not be so concerned about her weight. Soon, we will take her bottles away completely. She drinks out of a sippy cup now, but she won't drink an entire cup of milk like she'll take it from a bottle.
In other news, Grace has sprouted lots of new teeth...since December, she has gone from three teeth to eleven! This has helped a lot with eating. She has also finally started to walk. She is definitely not what I'd call "a walker" just yet, but she's getting there. I think yesterday we counted 9 steps.
So, that's the latest. People are so kind to ask us how Grace is doing and it gives me such joy to say that she is doing so well! I continue to be humbled by the number of people who have prayed for her and our family over these last few months. I mean, truly, it is amazing how God has provided for us! Not only has he sustained us spiritually and emotionally but He has provided for our physical needs, as well. Through the generosity of our friends and family, we have not had to pay for any of Grace's medical expenses. And, let me assure you, the expenses were great! Again, it is so, so, so humbling.
This past weekend, I attended the RUF Wives' Retreat. It is probably my favorite thing I do all year. It's hard to top an entire weekend in Atlanta, kid-free, spending time with women who are so much fun and encourage me so much. During our prayer group, we were supposed to share the best and worst thing about the past year. Obviously, it was easy for me to think of the worst thing: Grace in the hospital. In trying to think of the best thing, though, I honestly came back to the same thing: Grace in the hospital. I'm sure that sounds crazy that the best thing about my year was that my precious 9-month old baby spent 25 days in the hospital. Don't get me wrong. It was horrible. (The worst thing about my whole year, remember?) But, the whole experience changed me so much in good ways. I learned what it means to need God, to have to trust God. I learned that I really can and do trust God. I learned that God really is good, no matter the circumstances. I learned what it is to hurt, and, therefore, I now know what it is when others hurt. Truly, my heart is heavier for those who are struggling. And, because of that, I learned to pray more often and more fervently. And, for those things, I am so, so thankful. And, really, could I trade that experience? I'm not sure I could have learned these things any other way.
To God be the glory, great things he has done!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Got Pediasure?
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Got Milk?
Monday, November 8, 2010
Grace is ONE!
She got Chick-fil-a for her birthday lunch! Again, she's not quite ready for the chicken nuggets -- only two teeth and a little behind in her feeding development -- but, she really enjoyed her french fry!
Her mommy likes owls, so I'm sure Grace does, too, right? I love making my children's birthday cakes, and this one was no exception! (After I made it, I decided maybe it should have said, "Hoooo's 1?")
Knox and Owen were really excited about cake. I mean really excited. Owen had actually been crying off and on the entire day because he could see the cake but was not allowed to have any. Knox loved singing happy birthday and helping Grace blow out her candle.
Precious birthday girl!! She liked the hat and the attention but started crying when we brought her the cake and started singing. I will refrain from posting those pictures on such a happy post.
...she warmed up to the idea of birthday cake pretty quickly, though! She didn't make a huge mess. I'd say she gets 2nd place after Owen in the first birthday mess contest. She had a big handful of icing but didn't get too much of it anywhere else. Can I just say how thankful I am that she was able to eat birthday cake?! I have been concerned about this moment ever since she came home from the hospital in August!
Birthday love from Daddy :).
Miss Jessica, our RUF intern, stopped by to help us celebrate, too!
(Grammy was also here, and I failed to get a picture! :( Grammy, I'm so sorry! You may not be as upset as I am, but I wish I hadn't made such an oversight!)
Look at our growing family! Now, the kids are 1, 2, and 3. It's hard to believe they are all growing up so much!
Twitter Feed
My baby girl is ONE today! Happy birthday, Grace! Thursday, November 04, 2010 10:35:50 AM via Twitter for iPhone
Had a hard time getting out of bed this morning. Found my kids eating Halloween candy for breakfast. Tuesday, November 02, 2010 8:12:44 AM via Twitter for iPhone
Pray for Gracie-poo. Fever, runny nose, not eating/drinking as much last few days. Has lost a few oz. Pray that she gets well SOON!! Thanks! Monday, November 01, 2010 6:10:52 PM via web
One kid down, two to go...I know it's only 6:00, but it's been a LONG DAY! Monday, November 01, 2010 6:07:54 PM via web
Grace is 17lb 3oz...4th percentile! Yay for being back on the growth chart!! 11:05 AM Oct 18th via Twitter for iPhone
While discussing fall break plans, Knox asks, "Do they have a nice potty at the hotel...to poop in?" 8:28 AM Oct 9th via Twitter for iPhone
Grace update: Eleven Months and improving day by day! http://t.co/VD4qtES 11:14 AM Oct 5th via Tweet Button
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Eleven Months
As of today, she is 16 pounds, 9 ounces, just shy of getting back on the growth chart. We are so thankful to see this kind of progress! Our goals now are to get her to take in more calories by food and less by formula and to transition her to whole milk.
Development-wise, she is catching up -- she is still crawling on her belly, but she is fast! She's attempting to pull up and has been successful from the sitting position. She is developing quite a temper and is sure to let us know when she is not happy about something. Something tells me that Grace is going to continue to keep us on our toes and demand a lot of our attention... :)
September was a hard month, and we are still not quite caught-up from August. We are hoping for a happier and more restful October, enjoying the last month of Grace's first year. One more month and she will be ONE!
Thanks to those of you who have continued to ask about Grace's progress and pray for her!