01-9-2010 - 19-23mths

My mood while writing this blog: So happy

I know it's a bit long but wanted to cover the past few months! Well the last few months have gone so fast. I now think that this second year has flown by much quicker than the first!

We haven't had her height or weight checked since her last check up. I can feel the weight gain and it looks like her little legs have grown. She has just outgrown 9-12mth bottoms although yesterday she wore the skirt we brought for her first birthday party! She wears 12-18mth tops with room but the 12-18mth bottoms are still alittle big! Boy can she now climb, we feel like we are forever taking her off things! She loves to jump and be outside either on the trampoline, in her sand pit, looking for insects or playing football! Oh she hates flies, bees or wasps and runs after them shouting 'away' She is so funny!

Grace is amazing and learning so much every day, she often surprises us with what she has picked up. Whilst on holiday she learnt the signs for sand, sea, grass, boat, bus, fun/funny and biscuit. She has been able to say her own name for a while now. We ofen hear 'Grace's go' 'Graces turn' Shes's speaking in 2-3 word sentances, a couple of 4 word sentances and is quite the little chatter box! She's getting bossy too often telling me to 'come on mommy' which sounds more like 'ham on mommy' She's still a mommy's girl but loving having Daddy time too!

She loves to sing, her favorite songs are somewhere over the raindow, The raindow song, If you're happy and you know it, Heads shoulders knees and toes, Little green frog and Baa baa black sheep. She will start to sing the first word to let us know which song she wants us to sing. She recongises and signs the colours red, green, yellow, orange and pink and can count to 5. Something special is still her favorite show and was a proper little groupie when we got to see Mr Tumble visit our local park. Her favorite films are Wizard of Oz, Monsters Inc, Any Toy Story film and Tinkerbell

We have had a few successes on the potty but nothing other than pot luck really, the funny thing is she is convinced that her poo is in fact chocolate! When she first saw it in her potty she got excited that 'chocolate' was in there, it was so funny =) When we have tried her without her nappy the floor gets way more than the potty that we are now leaving it a few more months. She does know when she is wet or pooed and asks for it to be changed or will let us know that she has done it straight away. I know that it's only a matter of time and in no rush the later we leave it the easier it will be. I will just follow her clues.

We started Grace at a nursery for just one day a week so she can learn more social skills. As it's just one day it took her 6 weeks before she felt settled enough not to cry when I left her. It was so heartbreaking to leave her, as I left her I always said 'Mommy loves you and will see you soon' Grace loves it there now and I'm so glad to have found such a rich environment for her to be in. Ther have a selection of 'pets' ducks, chickens, rabbits, fish, turtles, and hamsters that the children help look after. They also have a very large garden area for the children to play in, during a hot spell they even got the paddling pools out which Grace loves!

When Grace turned 23mths we took one of the cot sides down so that she can get in and out herself. We only did this as when we were on holiday Grace slept on the bottom bunk with a bedgaurd and did brilliantly that we thought that we would continue it once home. The bedgaurd didn't go down so well at home as she kept getting trapped in it so we just put a few cushions on the floor, for when she falls out as she's such a wriggle bum in the bed! We turned her door handle upside down rather than have a gate to stop her getting out and that has worked well. She still sleeps 12hrs straight and now lets us know if she wants Mommy or Daddy to take her to bed.

Last week Grace had a strange episode where we ended up phoning for an ambulance which resulted in Grace being taken into hospital to be checked they put it down to a virus but also picked up that she had a heart murmur. We took her back to been seen by the Cardiologist who said that she has an Innocent heart murmur which in nothing to worry about and won't need any ruther checks as it's something that is commom in children and they outgrown them. That was a relief to hear...

So that's Grace up to now, she really is such a happy, confident funny girl who really does amaze us every day....