Hanging with Sofia on NYE

Henley and Sofia came up this morning, and the girls had fun playing together and dining at EJs. Grace had so much fun she didn't want to go down for her nap. Despite the snow, we had to resort to taking her for a walk outside to get her to relax and close her eyes. She was too excited to bring in 2009, I guess...

Road Trip

This morning we got up bright and early to visit GG Bess, Grandma and Aunt Katie in Marlboro. Grace had so much fun trying to stand on her own, playing, exploring, giving out kisses (lots and lots of kisses), unwrapping presents, barking like a dog (Hunter, the Gleser family pet, was locked upstairs and she was doing call and response with him), dining out at Mom's, looking at pictures of babies and staying up past naptime.

Gracie at the Zoo

Today we took Grace to both the Zoo and Children's Zoo in Central Park. She was fascinated by the rainforest and birds, the snow monkeys and the polar bears. The big hit of the day was the Children's Zoo - particularly when we fed the goats. She loved that! She also learned to snort, not joking, courtesy of the pigs.

Keller Day

Mom-mom, Grandpa and Aunt Meredith spent some time with Grace this afternoon, and Mom-mom and Grandpa stayed for the lighting of the last night of Hanukkah.

Back in NY

We hit the road early and came back to town. Katie came by tonight during Gracie's dinner, and Grace was happy to see her aunt. Week 55 Album.

Gracie in Winterland

We went out to Connecticut on Christmas for a few days to spend time with the Winters. Everyone had fun, especially Grace who enjoyed playing with best bud Charlie and his dog Rocky. Daddy was sure to keep an eye on Charlie and Grace; after all, he needed to make sure they behaved on their first sleepover. The days were filled with fun, food and playtime in the Winter's magnificent home, which was beautifully draped in snow during our stay.

GVG at FAO

In honor of Christmas Eve, we visited FAO Schwartz with The Meyer Family. Upon entering Grace totally lit up, particularly because the very first section is a row full of stuffed puppy dogs. Grace couldn't believe her eyes and woofed her heart out.

After that, Grace and George tested out the piano and then went down the baby section to play with all the display toys. The kids stayed really busy until the store closed for the night. Then we went to Serafina for dinner together. Here is a shot of Grace with the tree in the lobby of our building.

Spanish Snack Time

This morning Grace shocked me during her morning snack. I put some grapes on her tray, and she clearly said "uvas," the word for grapes in Spanish. I didn't realize that Carolina had taught her that and couldn't believe it. So I took some video so you could.

Afterwards we ventured out into the cold for storytime, which is a combo of singing and books. What's funny is that every time we go, it knocks her out for an awesome nap, more so than any gym class. This afternoon we went to free play at Kidville and then came home and walked the hall. It's the best runway for Grace to take off walking - that's NYC life, I guess. Tonight Gracie met Shawn Dym, who was in from Canada. Then Walter came to join.

Brrrr

Today it was freezing cold, too cold to take Grace outside. She hung out with Carolina while I went out to run errands and meet up with Tamara, who was in from Boston. Grace has been making lots of requests lately - from what she would like to eat (new favorite foods: cheese and strawberries, which she calls "beh") to what kind of light in which she would like to dine.

Snow, Rain & Fire

When it started to snow early this morning, Grace and I rushed out in pajamas, coats and boots to enjoy it. Good thing, too, because it turned to slush and rain an hour later. This afternoon we met Uncle Zac for brunch, and on the way Grace clearly said the word "umbrella" - just unbelievable. Uncle Teddy was here when Grace woke up from her nap, and we all watched a little Sesame Street. Uncle Teddy even dressed up as Elmo. This afternoon we took Grace to Barnes & Noble, where she stood on her own for 5 seconds or so a couple of times, and then to Luke's for dinner. Tonight was Gracie's first night of Hanukkah - fire and presents and singing, oh my!

Piece of Cake

Today Grace celebrated her buddy Andrew's birthday at Appleseeds and had a blast. She exhausted herself, played with her friends and ate pizza. She was so tired, she was practically sleeping at the table. After Andrew blew out his candle, we picked her up to go and say goodbye. Not kidding - as soon as she saw pieces of cake being passed out, she pointed at her mouth, said "eat, eat" and wriggled out of our hands to dive at a slice. After an extra long nap, we went to the Goldstein's holiday party.

It's been about 2 weeks since we took the bottle away from Grace. The biggest adjustment, at least for me, is bedtime. These days after her pajamas are on, we read Goodnight Moon quietly in her rocking chair 3-4 times, turn lights out and snuggle for a few minutes before she goes in her crib. What's hilarious is that she has figured out to to extend the process. Yes: Grace understands the concept of procrastination already! In order to draw out both the book and cuddle times, she sporadically makes eye contact, puckers up and plants kisses directly on my lips. She also likes to look up and wave hi at me. It's very funny, very sweet and very smart. Week 54 Album.

Snow Day

It snowed most of the day, and we only ventured out once to run a few errands in the morning. Grace was cutting a top tooth and felt pretty cranky and tired, poor thing. I could actually see it come down a little bit over the course of the day. This afternoon she played with Noah and then came home to eat dinner, read books and play with Daddy.

Grandma and GG Bess Visit

Grace tried out Tiny Tumblers this morning and loved it. Afterwards, we went to lunch at EJs with Grandma and Great Grandma and played until Grace's nap. This afternoon we went to Music with Brett at Brody's apartment.

Play, Play, Play

Grace has been gnawing a lot lately on everything...and has been a little touchy. This morning I noticed that she's cutting a top tooth. It looks like the one next to her fang is coming down first. This morning Grace went to Gymboree, and this afternoon she went to her Funworks playgroup. Tonight we went upstairs to play at Noah's before bed. After each fun event, she threw a fit when it was time to leave. She hates leaving the party! Here are some shots from her date with Noah tonight - they kissed, they crawled, they read, they fed each other toys. It was very romantic.