Cold Day

Today was FREEZING cold, -1 with the windchill. We braved the weather to go to Parkbench and afterwards had lunch with Max and Chrissie. Grace passed out on the way to Free to Be so we skipped class. This afternoon we celebrated Charlie's first birthday with pizza and cupcakes. Happy Birthday, buddy! Tonight Grace decided to bare some midriff a la Uncle Teddy and Daddy circa 1983/84 (?).

Big Girl Skills

Grace loves walking the halls and asks for "o-too" or "ow-tigh" when she wants to go in or out of our front door to stroll. She also loves using utensils to eat. If she sees a fork or spoon in my hand, she takes it (more like rips it away) and insists on feeding herself. She has gotten pretty good. Last night she speared every piece of food with amazing precision. Sorry, Uncle Teddy, but we think Grace's mastery of utensils may have just passed yours.

Kellers In Town

Mom-mom and Grandpa came in today. They took us - and Aunt Meredith and Jason - out to Atlantic Grill. Afterwards, Mom-mom took Gracie shopping for her first pair of shoes at Naturino.

They're big. They're white. They're comfortable. When the guy measured her foot, Grace loved it. Seriously - she asked for more. The salesman laughed but totally humored her and measured her again. (She's a 4.5.) Grace is supposed to wear this pair for a couple of months before she can move on to other styles. After her nap, Grace and I strolled down to FAO to pick up a few things. Grace loves it there. Who doesn't? Here are some shots from this evening of Alex and Grace.

Brunch

Today we had brunch and hung out with Lauren, Burke and Rabia. Week 64 Album.

Walking & Rocking

It's Miller Time!

Miller came over early this morning to play, which was a lot of fun...for Grace. Poor Miller took a bit of a beating; Grace pulled on his nose, head butted him, took his snacks and more. Grace is lucky he's so good natured! Grace is picking up a lot of words these days. Tonight she practiced saying and showing "all done" and "in/out."

And she's off!

Grace started walking today! She went from taking a few steps at a time yesterday to totally taking off today. Although it's exciting to watch her toddle, there is no question the best part is to see how proud she is of herself. The look on her face is priceless - a combo of amazement, pride and disbelief.

Baby Steps

Grace started taking a few steps at a time! She jumped from crawling to stepping, skipping the standing on her own phase. So I took her to get her foot measured, which she didn't seem to mind. She wasn't quite ready to test out shoes though. We tried. We'll go back again when she's really walking.

Happy Birthday, Sam & Henry!

We lounged in our pajamas most of the rainy day until it was time to celebrate Sam & Henry Schiffman's first birthday.

Grace had a blast rocking to the music, walking around the room and celebrating with her buddies. Things got so wild, she emptied a bowl of Cheerios to fashion a party hat. She also enjoyed the pizza, candle lighting and cake.

Whenever it's time to eat cake, Grace proudly shows off her fork skills. She rarely misses a scoop, gets almost everything in her mouth and cleans the plate. This cake was so good - no joke, the best I've ever had - that at one point Grace forgot she had the fork and went mouth to plate.

Little Mimic

Grandma came to visit this morning, and Grace had the best time with her. The two of them could play for hours. This evening Grace enjoyed reading the NY Times, particularly the Arts & Leisure Section. She's become quite the mimic (or should I say actress?!) lately - with emotions, facial expressions, language and more. As you can see, she's getting excited for the Oscars. Week 63 Album.

AB...Cbiscuit

Gracie is teething really badly right now. She constantly has her hands in her mouth. Teething biscuits have helped too. Just moments after this picture, she kindly offer some of her soggy biscuit to Daddy. Mmm.

Big Girl

Grace loves to be a big girl, and a new way she expresses that is by climbing and sitting in chairs. She pulls off the pillows and cushions (to make room and/or to lower the height), climbs on and tries to act grown-up.

Hanging with GG

Grace sat in a shopping cart for the first time ever today - she's such a city baby! Then we went to visit Great Grandma Bess - who Grace affectionately calls GG - with Aunt Dina and Uncle Teddy.

Fun with the Fam

Mom-mom and Grandpa came to visit today, and Grace couldn't have been happier. She enjoyed every last minute with them - and with Aunt Meredith. Grace showed off her new walking skills and loved the cheers she earned from the crowd. She gave out kisses, practiced her alphabet and read lots and lots of books with them. At the end of the day, Gracie cried when they left :(

Downtown

This morning we went to Battery Park to spend time with Henley, Xabi and Sofia. Grace and Sofia greeted each other with kisses and played so nicely together. Grace tried smoked salmon and capers for the first time at lunch and enjoyed them. That's our girl! Week 62 Album.

Elmo On/Off

This afternoon we met up with Max and Chrissie for a walk. After a few blocks, we realized it was way too cold to walk so we played inside. Something that cracks Grace up is her Elmo towel from Ella Charron. When she comes out of the bath, she loves looking in the mirror and seeing Elmo sit on her head. We play "on"/"off" until it's time to head into her room for the rest of her nighttime ritual. Aunt Meredith kindly babysat tonight - thanks, Boosh!

Up High

Grace is now using her first two word combination: up high. This morning it was 51 degrees, perfect for an outside adventure. We hit the Zoo and Grace went wild. She LOVED it. It was so quiet, and all the animals (she can say animals now) came out to play.

They literally performed and danced before her eyes, and she enjoyed every show. "Up high" came in handy today. Check out the before and after shots of Grace motioning and talking to the polar bear. It was awesome.

Grace especially loved the petting zoo (big surprise) where she could get up next to the sheep (baa, she says when she sees them), the goats and the turkeys. Something else she loved doing was pushing through the plastic door things that look like they belong in a car wash. After lunch, we stopped by Erza's, but Grace had had too much activity and was too tired to play. This afternoon we went to Penelope's for Music with Brett, and afterwards Max and Chrissie came with us to eat and play. The kids get along so well; it's really cute.

Ellen Visits

Ellen came over to visit Grace tonight and showered her with her favorite gifts: books! Grace was so excited to see her. Recently - as you may have noticed in the pics - Grace has expressed a serious interest in jewelry, especially necklaces. She will put anything over her head to wear. Usually it's a necklace or ribbon, but tonight she was innovative with a shopping bag.