Baby Grace Elizabeth

[Bella2]

Have had 2 very different weeks with Grace, last week she really wasn't herself and we were thinking perhaps she was teething again - she'd had high temperature for 3 days, was barely eating and not sleeping well during the day (waking up from naps really crying). After a visit to the docs he said it was unlikely teething would have caused a high temperature and that her throat looked a little red so we put it down to a virus.

This past week she has been a different girl - really happy, chatty, eating & sleeping better. Only thing is she has started waking really early - 6am and sometimes before, this is regardless of what time she goes to bed So I am pretty knackered! Weather has been a lot earmer this week though so wondering if perhaps she is a bit hot or the light mornings are waking her. This has led to her nap times being a bit all over the place as she gets tired earlier but we just go with whatever on the day - if she falls asleep in the car early than so be it.

Tuesday took her to Hollowtrees farm with Mark's mum, had a lovely day there feeding the animals and had a nice lunch in the cafe. She was a really good girl and actually sat and ate her lunch in the highchair which was a miracle. Was a little unsure about some of the bigger animals like the cows and pigs but there were some gorgeous baby goats there and rabbits and guinea pigs which she liked. Wednesday at tots group was fun, because it was warm & sunny the children played outside all morning and we had the parachute out on the lawn. Been lovely to get out in the garden at home too, has felt like such a long winter and Grace has loved having all that extra room to run around in. Hoping to take her swimming tomorrow with her daddy, last week when I took her she just wanted to get out and cried (was the start of her becoming ill) so hoping she'll be back on form tomorrow.

 

[Nurse 26]

Lovely to catch up on your diary. Hipe you guys are doing well. Harry has been waking at 6 for the lasr 2 week as well, must be something in the air

Sent from my GT-I9100P using Tapatalk 2

 

[Bella2]

Hi nurse lovely to hear from you! Hope you and Harry are doing well, can't believe where the time is going and how our little ones are growing up! xx

 

[Bella2]

Again we've had another 2 very different weeks with Grace, week before last she had a rotten cough and cold and was very clingy. Noticed as well that she was getting upset when either mark or I left for work which was hard. This past couple of months she would get upset if I even went to the toilet on my own lol and when I would go into the kitchen to make a start on dinner would just hang off my legs. It's like attention seeking behaviour but I don't know if it's a case that I give her so much attention all the time that she freaks out when I go off to do something else.

Have noticed a shift in the last week or so though in that she has been more content which has been nice, am making a few more toilet trips alone and shes been able to amuse herself a bit more. She's always busy doing something...her latest thing is to empty out one of the kitchen drawers and attempt to feed the cat!

We had 2 very sucessful trips out where we took Grace out to eat - normally this is something I dread but she was really well behaved on both occasions which gave me a confidence boost. The first trip was for lunch with a large group of friends and their children which was very relaxing as the children could all play together and the 2nd was a meal out on the docks with Mark's dad & family. On that occassion she was the only child there but I took a few books and things to keep her amused and she sat really nicely and ate her dinner. She managed to stay up till 9pm and I took her pjs with me and got her changed so she could sleep in the car on the way home.

She is quite a head strong little girl and we did have a couple of issues at the tots group last week where she pushed my friends little boy a couple of times. I know its perfectly normal for them to all go through a stage like this but at the same time it's quite upsetting when it's your child doing it. All I could do was to tell her off and move her away from the situation so she knew it was unacceptable; I think she's still a little young for the naughty step but even after telling her off she would get upset so hopefully getting my point across.

On the positive side she does have a great personality though and we get a lot of comments from people about how funny she is and what a character she is. Never a dull moment!

 

[Bella2]

I really need to start updating more often!!

Am really enjoying Grace at this age - she's progressing really nicely with her language and development and has us in stitches laughing at funny things she does. Wanted to make a note of things she can now do so here goes..

can undo and fasten zips
attempts to dress herself and can get trousers on (and often mark's boxer shorts which she is fond of!)
Can count to 3
Will put things back if you ask her to (and in the right place! )
Will often tell me if she's done a "poo poo"
Knows a lot of different words/objects/animals
Will concentrate for longer periods on activities such as colouring and sticking stickers
says yes more than she says no now

Since I last wrote and I was having that week where she was a bit pushy with other children she's calmed right down. The lady who runs the tots group actually commented this week about how nicely Grace was playing alongside other children..she even had a couple of children take things off her but didn't let it bother her so quite a turn around.

We're doing a lot better at shopping too, she still hates being in the trolly but will actually walk alongside really nicely and likes to "help" but fetching things off the shelves. I no longer absolutely dread taking her in a shop which is nice. That said she threw a massive fit at a carboot sale a couple of weeks ago (sat on a bike which I wouldn't let her have) so much so we ended up coming home early it was important to me though to make her realise she can't always get her own way.

Have taken her to the park more recently and she's actually enjoing the swings and slides rather than just running around like a crazy thing.

Are all off on holiday to Menorca on Friday so can't wait for that, am all packed already! So much to think about with a little one though so I like to be organized well ahead. Grace actually gets her own weight allowance this time which makes a big difference. Am going armed with lots of books, stickers and activities to hopefully keep her amused on the flight and transfer to hotel. Looking forward to some sunshine even if it probably won't be that relaxing with a toddler running around!!

 

[Bella2]

Pleased to say that the holiday was a success! Had a fabulous time Hotel was just lovely and had everything a family needs...toddler splash pool, playgrounds, soft play area and right on the beach. Even had a TV in the room which you could get CBeebies on!! Grace really enjoyed herself and was so good on the flight going out..although the flight home was a bit of a nightmare, after having a week of running around freely she was not impressed about having to be strapped in on our laps! Would deffo do it all again though.

Weather was great, high 20s but with a lovely breeze so comfortable. Slathered Grace in the factor 50 but she still got a little tan! Came home very exhausted; when she wasn't asleep Grace was on the go the whole time and the hotel was quite vast - despite being all inclusive with the food I actually lost a little weight chasing around after her lol. Days on the beach were easier as she would sit quite happily playing in the sand. We did hire a car one day and went into Mahon the old capital, then to the highest point on the island to visit an old monestry. Finally ended up at Cala Galdana and spent the afternoon on the lovely beach there.

Did have one night out just me & Mark while his mum & Graham babysat, had a meal & a bottle of wine at a restaurant down on the beach which was lovely. Really noticed how much more Grace was talking by the end of the week, seemed to have another leap with her vocab I guess from being around so many people and getting so much attention. She kept blowing kisses to the waiters which was very amusing!

Her routine was all over the place when we were away, she napped well (even in her pushchair at times ray!) and went to bed at various times, since getting back she has settled into her old routine. I have actually started working set days now which is great as I can plan ahead a lot more, general routine is to go to 2 different tots groups a week then on the 3rd day either play at home or in the garden, visit the park or see friends/family.

 

[Bella2]

Have a few developmental updates for Grace so thought I would jot them down! Over this past month I have definately noticed her concentration span becoming longer which is fantastic, last weekend we sat doing crafts for around 30 mins! I spread a large sheet of paper over her little table and cut out pictures of animals out of old catalogues/magazines. Grace then went wild with the pritt stick and stuck the pictures on the paper along with some glitter and then did some colouring on it too. Am aiming to get her to make a homemade thankyou card for her nanny & grandad for the holiday.

She's now starting to enjoy slightly longer story books, before I would always read her the shorter board books and in particular she liked the " that's not my" series with the toouch/feel pages. She will now happily sit and listen while I read her the the thinner paper type books which is nice so we do that a couple of times a day and she always has stories before naptime and bedtime.

She still loves nursery rhymes and will always join in with actions, a lot of the time from memory which is fab. She's great at "sleeping bunnies" and "wheels on the bus" is another firm favourite. As a result of a longer concentration span she will amuse herself a bit more which is nice, at the minute a favourite activity is carrying things around in bags and playing with her baby dolls.

We're working on numbers and colours, she can count to ten if we assist her but will often get to the no.6 then go back to 4 lol! We practice this sometimes when we're all eating at the table, taking it in turns to say a number each. Colours she's only just starting to recognise, she knows blue & white but unsure of the rest yet. However she can sort colours, putting like with like so an activity we do is lay several bowls out then get her to seperate her plastic balls into the bowls by colour. Can say the letters A, B & C as well.

She loves physical activity and loves climbing, this kid has no fear!! She loves slides and even started climbing the ladder into our loft the other day!! So the playground was a big hit on holiday. She's attempting to string a few words together, yesterday she said "gandad! I love gandad!" and today she said "Hold tight baby" when putting her doll in the pushchair. Her hair is getting really long and she will tolerate me putting it up more which is nice, fits easily into a ponytail now although still trying to grow her fringe out.

Phew! Well I think that's it! Definately loving this age, (I'm sure I say that every month lol) that might all stop once the terrible twos and tantrums start!!

 

[Bella2]

This past month has gone so quickly...can't believe Grace will be 21 months tomorrow The weather has been fantastic this week so have been in the garden a fair bit, Mark has been working nights so he has been about in the afternoons which has been nice. Yesterday we took Grace to Rendlesham forest for a picnic; they had a lovely play area there with a wooden climbing frame shaped like a boat, logs that she could climb up inside and swings and slides. Was so peaceful, once she's a bit older we said we would do the nature walks and bike riding.

We're finding Grace is beginning to understand what we are talking about a bit more which helps when it comes to tantrum control! Have been reading the Jo frost toddler book which has some great tips in it, she recommends giving your toddler names for her emotions such as "you're upset because you fell over" etc, so far it's working well. If Grace gets frustrated if she can't quite do something we've taught her to say "please help" instead of whining!

She's going through a phase at the moment of making a fuss on fridays when I drop her off at mum & dad's to go to work, she acts shy and grumpy towards my mum & dad but I always go in with her and stop for around 20 mins and after 10 minutes or so she's okay again. Hopefully just a phase!

 

[Bella2]

Well this morning Grace was fine when I droped her off at mum & dad's horray! Think it helped that she took her cuddly dog on a lead with her so was concentrating on walking that up the path to the house

Has been another hot week weather wise so we've continued with outdoor activities, I made some cloud dough which is just 8 cups of flour mixed with one cup of babyoil, makes a lovely sensory material which you can mould but then crumbles. I enjoyed playing with it just as much as Grace! She also did some painting out in the garden but got more on herself than on the paper!!

Her communication with us is continuing to improve, yesterday she hit her head on the windowsill whilst I was upstairs, Mark was comforting her and when I came down she explained to me what happened by pointing to the window and saying "head! Ouch!" very sweet. She is starting to create again when I try to dress her in the morning, will run off and hide in the corner which is very frustrating! She's also becoming more fussy with food, she used to love fruit such as grapes and satsumas but she's started biting them, chewing them for a bit then spitting them out. Have heard this is the age kids can start getting picky with their food.

We put our house on the market again on Monday, as much as I love our 2 bedroom house definately feel it's the time to move to somewhere a little bigger. Had a lady view it on Wednesday and put an offer in which we accepted, unfortunately though she dropped out the next day saying she was worried about the conifer bushes out the front affecting the foundations of the house Have another person coming to view tonight so will see how that goes. Only thing I hate about having house on the market is having to keep everywhere tidy, although I am a neat freak it's an impossible task with a toddler creating a whirlwind as soon as you tidy up!

Tommorrow I'm off to Brighton on a hen do, just one night but know I will miss Grace so much. She'll be with Mark though and his mum is also coming down tonight so sure she'll have a great weekend. Am looking forward to a bit of "me" time with the girls, must admit it seemed weird packing my bag last night and not having to worry about packing for grace.

 

[Bella2]

Grace has been a little fussy this past week, convinced she is starting to teethe with her back molars as she keeps putting her finger in the back her mouth and would explain why she's not eating an awful lot. Does seem to be doing better with softer foods so have been giving her rice and mashed potato dishes and cutting up the meat and veg really small. Her nose is a bit runny at times too which is another sign poor baby Bought a pack of iced lollys which seems to help and did have to reort to calpol a couple of times.

This week we went to the allotment with the Wednesday tots group, Grace planted a sunflower and helped take broad beans out of the pods. Has been so hot again though, have struggled to know what to do with her really so one day monday we spent the morning in her room with the fan on reading books and listening to her nursery rhyme cds which she loves.

Is starting to string a few more words together, this week she said "Want the Peppa" as she pointed to her cuddly Peppa pig, and is repeating words and small phrases she hears on TV or the radio as well as things we say. Had a great time on the hen weekend in Brighton, Grace had fun here whilst I was away as MIL was down. She took Grace to toys r us and bought her a slide for the garden and a lovely set for her baby dolls which was a cot, buggy, bouncer and dolly activity mat. Felt bad that she had spent so much but I think she does it as she doesn't get to see her that often. Grace has not stopped playing with it all since.

I did take her out early one morning before it got to hot for a little walk and she pushed her baby doll in the buggy, I then had Grace on reins. We went to the co-op and she put some of the shopping in her own little bag and hung it on the dolly's buggy

 

[Bella2]

Have had a better fortnight with Grace, weather has not been so hot so been a lot more comfortable getting out and about. Went to mum & dad's yesterday, dad commented on Grace's language explosion just in the space of a week! She's definately putting together more short sentances now such as "It's mummy's bag!" and tries to explain to you when something has happened or what she has done or seen. Other changes I have noticed is that she has had another growth spurt and is looking noticebly taller than a couple of her friends..still fits into 12-18 month clothes though!

Managed to sell our house after being on the market 12 days, bit of a difference from last year when it was on market for 12 weeks and no offers! Then had a rather intense week of viewing houses. Grace seemed to enjoy having a good nose round, particulary if she managed to find a child's bedroom! Not so enjoyable for us chasing around after her! After 10 viewings we found a house we love and had an offer accepted, will only be 5 minutes from mum & dad which will make life a lot easier.

Had a couple of playdates last week, the first was to a relative's children, a 4 year old boy Ryan and 1yr old daughter Isobelle. Unfortunately Grace was massively jealous of Isobelle and got really funny if I picked her up or cuddled her. Although she's so used to being around other kids she's not used to me cuddling them so the next day when my friend Helen came I made a point of holding her 8 week old baby lots. Funnily enough Grace was fine and actually loved kissing him and looking at him!

Other things we did last week was take her raspberry picking, she loved carrying her own little punnet and sneakily eating the raspberries in between picking them! Also went on a big group picnic over the park with friends and their children.

 

[Bella2]

Can't believe only a couple of months till my little monkey will be 2!! Don't think I'm going to do a party for her this year, last year we had one as it was her very first birthday but have a feeling our moving date may be around the time of her birthday this year so will be a bit manic trying to arrange a party! Will have family over then might arrange a casual get together at Birch farm or somewhere instead for her little friends.

So excited about the prospect of moving, just hope all continues to go through ok. Are really getting stretched for space now in our little home, what with all the stuff we've acummulated since having Grace. The new house has a lovely big garden too which will be great for having her friends over in the summer.

Grace is continuing to be a little chatterbox, yesterday she got hold of my eyelash curlers and said "eye scissors!" then handed them to me and said "careful mummy!" It's so nice being able to communicate with her better now she understands more.

 

[Bella2]

Have had a bit of a tough weekend with Grace, Mark went away to the lakes with friends so it was just the two of us and found it quite hard going. I think seemed quite under the weather, she didn't go the toilet for 3 days and had a temperature, was very grizzly and clingy. Not my little Gracie at all Found it difficult doing simple tasks like preparing dinner or even going to the toilet as she cried and wanted picking up the whole time, not sure if it was because she was feeling unwell or if its just a phase. He's back today though and taking care of her whilst I'm at work, apparently she's been a lot better so maybe she was just missing her daddy! Having dinner out with my friend Helen tonight as desperately need a drink and a bit of me time!

 

[Bella2]

Grace has been a lot happier this past week, we have had a really busy one and been out and about lots! Last Saturday me & Mark took her swimming with Grandad David, Kerry & Ethan who is 18 months. Was a bit apprehensive as Grace wasn't overly keen last time we took her swimming but what a difference this time! She had so much fun and loved jumping and splashing in the water! she even laid down on her tummy in the shallows After naptime she played with Ethan in our garden then on Sunday her Auntie Ro Ro and Uncle Ryan came round.

Monday morning we went to see my friend Susan & her new baby girl Ruby who Grace just loved, she has a real thing about babies at the moment. Then Mark's mum came down so we have had a busy week with her. Wednesday we went to Wolton Beach was just gorgeous, Grace had a great time playing in the sand and running into the sea, she enjoyed it far more than on holiday! Just shows what a difference it makes being a couple of months older. She also loved making alittle bed underneath the unbrella and kept bossing poeple about telling them to lie down beside her She did have a bad melt down Wednesday night though, I think she was just overtired and I struggled getting her to sleep so had to take her for a drive. Hence yesterday and today had quiet days!

Again she is continuing to string words together and remember things and people she has seen and will attempt to tell you about them. Very cute age

Although we have yet to get a moving date the solicitors have said it won't be that much longer so have made a start on the packing..bit shocking how much we actually have to take/do

Lastly been discussing when to start TTC for baby no.2, ironically this time Mark is much more keen than me and is happy to start soon! Think we will at least wait until we're in the house though and maybe start trying November/December time. Eek!

 

[Bella2]

Can't believe in less than a month my baby girl will be 2!! Where has that time gone? Mark celebrated his 30th birthday this week and we went up to Liverpool to stay with MIL for 5 days. Did lots of lovely things, took Grace swimming, went to the museum of Liverpool life which had lots of interation things for little ones and on his actual birthday went to Knowesley Safari park as the tour of Britain were holding time trials there. Was a wet day unfortunately but still had fun, Grace loved the sealion show and was great for her to see actual elephants & giraffes in the flesh. Only had one tantrum the whole time we were there so she did so well.

She can now count to 12 quite quickly and wiithout prompting but tends to miss out the numbers 3 and 9 for some reason! Also attempts to receite her Alphabet as we have been playing her the alphabet song on youtube, so funny to hear her try to sing it. Other favourites she likes singing are twinkle twinkle, incy wincy spider & humpty dumpty.

Tomorrow Mark is having a big birthday party/bbq and the theme is hillbillies so we all have dungarees, checked shirts & straw hats to wear, Grace looks adorable in hers.

Well after last time writing about our plans to TTC in a couple of months time, on Monday we threw caution to the wind and Bd'd without using protection, after looking at an on-line ovulation calendar it looks as if it was right in my fertile time eek! Feel a bit nervous as have so much on at the moment with the house move but if it happens it happens! So I guess we're now NT/NP! Test day will be 30th september....

 

[Bella2]

So Mark's party went so well at the weekend, Grace really enjoyed herself playing with the other children. Everyone made an effort with the fancy dress, even the babies there were in checked shirts, very cute!

This week Grace has been very clingy, I think as a result of being around so many people last week when we stayed at MIL's, then getting home and not having so much attention all the time. If I even just nip into the kitchen to make a drink or some lunch for us she will follow me in and say "picky up!" or "carry!" she just wants to be held all the while and if I don't she will cry and kick off. I'm managing to overcome this a little by letting her stand on a stool and see what I am doing ie. preparing food, this has helped as makes her feel included and she can see whats going on.

I do think she is suffering again with back molars, I have felt in her mouth and the gums feel hard so guessing she is having some movement there, she's been putting fingers in her mouth and dribbling a bit, also waking early in the morning (5.30-6am) crying. She had no less than 3 meltdowns at our little singing group yesterday, didn't want to join in and just kept wandering off when she normally loves it. So definately starting terrible 2s!

Mum is taking her to a new tots group this morning which is at a church near her, think mum & dad are finding it harder to keep her entertained all day at home (whilst I'm working) so hopefully they will both enjoy it. Can't wait to find out how they got on, think it will be good for Grace to try a group up there as hopefully will be same group of kiddies who will go onto the playgroup we want to get her into.

 

[Bella2]

Feel so bad as been such a long time since I updated, but so much has been happening! Firstly we moved house the weekend of Gracie's 2nd birthday so that was pretty chaotic, however still had family over for birthday cake and she had a lovely day We got her a lovely wooden kitchen and other presents she recieved included a baby annabel, microwave and hoover, as well as lots of clothes so she did very well. She's settled in to the new house pretty well, baring in mind moving week she was with a different person everyday so we could get on with things.

That said since turning two and moving she has had a lot more meltdowns, can be very defiant and had a few days with her recently where I was at my wits end. Even my friend Emma who has her Tuesday while I'm at work commented saying "where has our little Gracie gone?" thankfully the past 2 days she has been much much better and I am making an effort to keep my cool! She has been refusing to nap lately as well which hasn't helped, she's not a happy bunny when tired! If I take her up to her rom she just screams and gets in a real state so some days I take her out in the car and a couple of days she actually fell asleep on the sofa. She still definately needs the sleep but is reluctant to give in, I'm trying not to make a big deal out of it though and just take each day as it comes. Thankfully she has adapated well to her new room and is sleeping well at night

On top of the move I am also pregnant! Had a scare at the start with some bleeding (full details of which I have put in my pregnancy journal) but after an early scan at 6 weeks it was revealed baby is fine So I am 8 weeks today and due on 13th June! Very excited for Gracie being a big sister, she will be 2 years & 8 months when baby arrives which I think is a lovely age gap. Going to wait a while before we tell her though as not sure she will understand fully yet, perhaps when I start getting a bump I can then explain mummy has a baby in her tummy.

 

[Sarah13]

Congratulations on new baby! Glad everything is ok, hope you have a happy healthy 9 months x

 

[Bella2]

So this week our heating broke and as a result Gracie woke up the other night upset, certain because she was cold. Has still been in sleeping bags but thought the time has come where she would benefit from having a proper quilt and pillow, would be much warmer for her and will also make the transition into a big girl bed easier if she's used to having proper bedding. So made a big deal out of it so Gracie would think it was something new and exciting, she came up to her room with me while I set everything up and just loved her new bedding! That night she slept soundly She's still getting used to the pillow, that first night she moved her head off it so thinking I might need to get her a flatter one. Thankfully getting new heating system installed in a fortnight yay!

She's been pretty good, been to a couple of groups this week and she's playing quite nicely alongside other children, is getting the hang of the concept of sharing too which is great. Nap time still poses a problem, it's pretty much a car job everyday now which is not ideal as I could get on with so much round the house when she slept in her cot. She gets in such a state when I try to put her up though it's just counterproductive. At least the drive gives me a bit of time to relax too!

 

[Bella2]

Lots to update on this week!

Forgot to mention in the previous post that we went to Mark's dad's for fireworks, he had a few quiet ones in the garden for the kids followed by sparklers. Grace wasn't overly keen on the noise as there were a couple that banged but she loved the sparklers. Then we went indoors to watch the big display from the nearby park out of the bedroom window..had a fantasic view and Grace loved it, kept singing twinkle little star!

A couple of weeks ago we took Grace swimming and she managed to tread water on her own with armbands on had a lovely time and she's definately gaining confidence. Noticed a couple of nights ago whilst brushing her teeth that she has cut her bottom 2 back molars! She has been very dribbly but that aside hasn't seemed to suffer with them. Hopefully the top ones won't be so bad either.

Yesterday I took her to get her feet measured, was dreading it as she normally plays up but she was so good and in her element being fussed over and trying on shoes Has only gone up half a size since June..size 5.5...but wanted to get her some decent shoes for winter so decided on some warm shoe/boots in a Taupe colour with pink stars on..very cute!

Starting to teach her her alphabet, she's great with numbers and can confidently count on her own up to 13 so thought I would start on letters. Got her an alphabet peg puzzle from Tesco so after dinner Mark & me took turns holding up the letters and saying "A for Apple" and so on. She seemed to enjoy it and can partially sing the alphabet song.

Nap wise have managed this week to take her out in car for 10 mins to get her off to sleep initially, then bring her in the house and lie her on the sofa where she will have a good 2 hours. Been lovely as I've been able to get on with bits. That said yesterday was feeling a bit off colour with pregnancy nausea so once she was napping I had a lie-down too. Need to make the most of it while I can!