Grace at 12 months old

Miss Grace is 12 months old and officially a toddler now.  There is so much to say regarding what she is up to these days, that it is hard to know where to begin?  I guess the most notable thing is how social and friendly she is.  Her favorite thing these days is saying “Hi” and “Bye” to everyone.  This is of course, accompanied by many waves.  She also loves to give kisses and opens her mouth really wide when she goes in for a smooch.

Words that she says these days are, “Mama,” “Daddy,” “Ba ba E (Eli),” “Dog,” “Ball,” “Baby,” and she says “baa baa” when she sees a sheep.  She signs dog, cat, ball, baby, hat, more, and all done.

Grace is getting into everything these days.  You literally cannot take your eyes off of her for a second.  Her knew favorite thing to do is crawl up our stairs.  I have to barricade it, so she can’t get to the stairs, but when it is time to go upstairs, she will not let me carry her up.  Oh no, Grace has to crawl up our big stair case all by herself. 

She knows when she is doing something that she is not supposed to do, and will just look over at you while she is doing it.  If you tell her know, she shakes her whole arm at you and says, “Na, na, na…”

She acts like a pro wrestler when you try to change her diaper.  She does better on the changing table, but when I change her on the couch I literally have to pin her down to get a new diaper on her.

She is cruising all over the place and likes to walk if you hold her hands.  I imagine she’ll start walking really soon.

She is loving books now, and I imagine it has helped to observe her brother constantly reading.  She definitely has her favorite books (Peek a Boo, Goodnight Moon, Animal books (dogs & cats specifically are her favorite), and she’ll listen while you read those, but mostly she likes to flip through the books on her own.  It is really precious to watch her “read.”

She just loves hats and as far as Grace is concerned, everyone should always wear a hat.

She adores her brother and her dog Frank.  She still faithfully follows Eli around and wants to do whatever it is he is doing.  She has a pesky side to her, and messes with him a lot.  For the most part, he is doing much better with her, but every once and a while gets upset with her. 

She loves her doggie Frank and has developed a habit of feeding him.  She throws him food from her high chair and if she has a snack out of the high chair, she has to find Frank and feed him.  She is into feeding Jered and I too now, so I guess it is her new thing.

Grace definitely has a strong personality,  but she is so filled with joy.  She is happy and loves people, experiences, etc.  Watching her reminds me of how I want to be and what I need to strive for each day.  She has taught me so much and I admire her.  She has a magnetic personality, and everyone that meets her loves her. 

I never thought I would have a daughter, and then God sent me this sweet angel.  She is the light of my life and I fall more in love with her everyday.  She is a great blessing to me and I am honored to be her Mama.