Wednesday with Grandma & Aunt Meredith

Today Grandma came in to feed Grace lunch and play - it was awesome! After a very, very short nap, Grace went to Gymboree and then came home. The afternoon was a little cranky because of her lack of sleep, but Grace totally perked up when Aunt Meredith arrived. Gracie was so happy to see her and have her Auntie put her to bed. Tonight we went to the Medicare Rights Benefit.

Gracie Had a Little Lamb. And a Potato.

Grace went to Free to Be Under Three today and conked out afterwards. When she woke up after a long nap, she felt a little groggy but tried a strawberry for the first time. She loved it, and it really seemed to perk her up. Then she read her books from Grandma and tried to identify the animals with me.

This afternoon we met up with Jen & Jake Sussberg for a short, cold stroll. Tonight while I prepared dinner, Grace practiced her cooking skills by putting a potato in a pan, closing the lid, opening the lid, checking on it (testing it with her mouth), putting it back in, closing the lid, opening the lid, etc.

At the end of the day, Grace gets a little rambunctious - she crawls fusiously under the table, cruises on the furniture and climbs on everything, including her bouncey seat. She's very, very adventurous these days.

Metropolitan Baby Monday

Gracie went to Diller-Quaile for music this morning and had a blast. We walked home along Fifth Avenue and checked out the lights at the Guggenheim entrance, passed the Met and then entered the park to play in the leaves and on the playground. It was freezing cold fun!

Grace enjoyed lunch and a nap and then went to Ethan's apartment for Monday afternoon playgroup. These days Gracie is crawling to her high chair a lot - whether she's eating or not, she loves to sit up on her thrown. Speaking of eating, Grace shows a clear preference for fruit over veggies. She especially loves blueberries. As far as sounds go, she's still trying to talk, repeating short puhs, buhs, da, duhs, ma, muhs, tuhs and more. Today she made a lot of "ooh ooh" excited sounds. She also regularly uses signs for more and eat to communicate with us.

Sunday on the UES

This morning Grace and I met Nikki and George for a walk to Central Park. Grace ripped off her hat numerous times and tried to take off George's too. After a visit to the playground, we came home,woke up Daddy and then met Meryl and Joey for brunch. Then Grace and I took a 2.5 hour nap before retruning to the park to play in the leaves, which were spectacular!

Just How Old Am I Now?

Grace turned 11 months old today! Today we had brunch with the Winters, and then Grace went to Jake's bday party, where she enjoyed pizza crust, cake and seeing friends. Week 48 Album.

Tigey Time

This morning Grace went to the kid club at the gym and did ok. It was so nice today that we went to the park to swing and slide afterwards. Grace took a nice midday nap and was so happy when she woke up; she had a blast rolling around and playing in her crib. Gracie absolutely loves her stuffed tiger toy (I can't believe we haven't mention "tigey" on the blog before) and animal blankies. I tried to take her out several times, and she kept diving back in to play some more. This afternoon, she enjoyed hanging with her buds Max, Sam, Henry and Charlie at Rockin with Andy. Gracie loves her boys!

Gracie Goes to Work

This morning Grace and I went to the Post Office and pharmacy before coming home to try a new midday nap. It worked! When Grace woke up, we went to Greenwich to visit Daddy at work. It was awesome to see everyone, especially Kathy - who organized the trip. Grace waved, giggled and even had a crawl race with Daddy's colleague Mbago. When we got back to the city, we went to our Music With Brett group.

Rainy Day

Grace is slowly catching up from daylight saving, and it's made her a bit cranky. Poor baby. Grace went to Gymboree with Carolina today and then spent the rainy afternoon indoors. When I got home, we aired out with a quick trip to Duane Reade and BCBG, which are both around the corner. Grace ate a feast for dinner tonight - she was so hungry. We tried a bunch of options, but what she really wanted was breakfast for dinner: waffles, blueberries and watermelon. Here's a short clip from her bath.

Head to Toe

Grace went to the gym Kid Club and hated it today; she was hysterical when I picked her up. (They actually came looking for me.) After a quick snack, we hit the streets to check out the poll lines and go to storytime at KidFresh. The experience was so stimulating that Grace fell asleep on the walk home and took a great nap! When she woke up, we watched a little Sesame Street (see this video of Gracie rocking out to the theme song and imitating the characters' dance moves), pretended to talk on the phone, played in the kitchen and went to State News to look at toys and books.

Tonight we went to Max's to play with him and Charlie. Here are a couple videos post-dinner - forgive the wobbliness from one-handed filming. They're worth it though! The first is of Grace identifying parts of her body, and the second is of her acting out her new "Head to Toe" book from Henley & Xabi. She not only IDs the parts of her body, she executes the action and even anticipates what's next in the book. You'll see what I mean. She understands so much these days; it's wild. What's also wild: Gracie is going to have a new best friend this March; Baby G-Wiz is a girl cousin!

Gray Monday

Grace went to Diller-Quaile in the morning and passed out on her walk home. She woke up in such hysterics, writhing and crying for 40 straight minutes, refusing to eat, cuddle or even be on her own. It was so strange that I rushed her to the doctor. As soon as we arrived, she perked up and returned to her normal self. The episode was so strange. Grace spent the afternoon playing, visiting the pet store and hanging out with her bud Charlie Winter. The two of them play so nicely together and took turns giving kisses to the other. Gracie didn't want to see him go and practically climbed into his stroller as he was leaving. Recently Grace has been climbing into her infant bouncey chair (she still loves that thing) and book bin.

Celebrating Sofia

This morning we went to Battery Park City to celebrate Sofia's 2nd bday. Grace had a great time napping, playing, eating and exploring in Henley & Xabi's apartment. This afternoon she took a late afternoon nap (daylight savings is very confusing for babies and parents) and woke up to Great Grandma, Grandma, Aunt Enid and Cousin Greer.

Something new that Grace understands is when a question is being posed. For example, in one of her books where the theme is Peekaboo, she lifts her hands, turns her palms up and raises her shoulders when we ask Where is Baby? It's hilarious.

Ooks & Cookies

The weather was beautiful today, and we ate lunch outside at Luke's while Grace snoozed in the stroller. After lunch, we hit the park and then Grandma came to visit. Today Grace said the "ook" for book, which was very exciting. This afternoon Grandma taught Gracie the word cookie. Happy Birthday, Aunt Enid! Week 47 Album.

Trick or Treat, West or East

Grace is doing all sorts of new things, and I keep forgetting to post them. She understands so much now in both English and Spanish - eyes, head, ears, nose and mouth, for example. She also understands "blow a kiss" and "snuggle." Lately she has been giving out lots of snuggles, where she wraps her arms tight and then rests her head. I love it.

This afternoon we went to Rockin with Andy on the west side. Miller was dressed as a Ninja, Sam was a lion, Henry was a monkey, Jordan was a horse, William was Superman and Ryan was a butterfly. After RWA, we rushed to Big Daddy's diner for an East Side Halloween party. Here is Grace with Caroline the flower and Ethan the monkey.

Care Bear Stare!

This morning I took Grace to the gym with me, and she loved the kid center there; she cried when we left! After a bottle and snack, we headed to Gymboree and then came home for lunch and a nap. This afternoon we went to Brody's for special Halloween Party. As you can see, Grace is dressed as a Care Bear. She looked so cute and cuddly that a couple of kids pet her. All of the costumes were amazing - Max was a cowboy, Charlie was a pumpkin, Brody was Elvis, Anabel was Supergirl, Jackson was Superman, Hudson was a golfer, Jackson Lean was a monkey, Remi was a witch and Peyton was Elmo. On our walk home, we met up with Rachel Bowie so she could see Grace in all her Halloween glory. Doesn't Grace blend in with all her toys?

Wednesday Play

Grace took a midday nap through her Gymboree class but woke up and went to her new Funtime playgroup with Carolina. It's a nanny/kid play group in a play space - perfect when you can't go to the park in the cold weather. Tonight Grace's friends Andrew & Noah came over to play before bedtime.

Mount Refrigerest

Today we spent a lot of time inside because of the weather, although we did venture out to go to Free to Be Under 3 and the pet store midday. We played in the afternoon, and as you can see, Gracie's new favorite thing - besides talking on the phone - is to empty the recycle bin and then pull it over her head.

A messy diaper and outfit change later, Gracie was ready to play with her friend Ez for a little while before meeting Henley for dinner. Grace was thrilled to see her! Henley reached out for a "finger touch" with Grace when we first sat down, and Grace kept reaching out to her the whole meal for attention; it was so cute. When we got home, Grace practiced scaling the inside of the frig. She's really good at that now.

Monday Fun

Daddy had a lunch meeting, and so Grace had the pleasure of keeping an eye on him today. While I went to Jury Duty, Grace and Carolina went to Diller-Quaile and the park. When I got home, Grace and I went to State News to check out the toys and books. Tonight we met up with Max and Chrissie. Max kept making nice to Gracie, patting her on the head and giving her kisses. It was too cute! He's such a nice boy.