My little girl's "big girl" room

These are pictures of her new "big girl" room. She likes it a lot. She runs in circles in the middle. She is growing so fast!

25 Questions of Xmas

I ganked this from my fellow blogger, Danica (Happy Girl).

(1) What is your favorite Christmas movie?

Tie: Christmas Vacation and Polar Express

(2) What is your LEAST favorite Christmas movie?

A Christmas Story

(3) What is your favorite Christmas song?

Baby It's Cold Outside from the movie Elf

(4) What Christmas song(s) drives you crazy?

Hippotamus for Christmas

(5) What is your favorite Christmas drink? (i.e. egg nog, hot chocolate)

Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks

(6) What is your favorite Christmas memory?

One Christmas, when I was in HS, we got gifts for a less fortunate family. I still cry about the little girl only asking for hair ties. I got her every damn hair tie I could find!

(7) What is the best toy/gift you've received on Christmas?

Probably my CD player in MS.

(8) What is the worst toy/gift you've received on Christmas?

Black Jordache jeans with yellow stitching (in the late 1990's) from my paternal grandmother.

(9) What do you LOVE about the holidays?

Spirit of them and Xmas tree light

(10) What annoys you about the holidays?

People who lose their minds and are rude. Tis the season yo!

(11) Do you prefer star or angel on top of a Christmas tree? Or something else?

Star or something fun!

(12) What is your family favorite recipe at Christmas?

Gramma's potato salad (we have it at all holidays)

(13) Are you a Grinch or a Who at Christmastime?

I am usually a Who, this year I am really Grinchy

(14) Christmas light displays - Love them or Hate them?

Depends on how much and when they go up!

(15) Santas at the mall - Fun times or Creepy?

Depends on if they look like pedaphiles or not. I was an elf at Easton for two years!

(16) Christmas cards - do you send them, yes or no?

Yes, photo ones. Gotta go get them this weekend.

(17) What is the best thing about Christmas, in your opinion?

Xmas Eve at my parents house. It is a tradition.

(18) What is the worst thing about Christmas?

Idiot shoppers and drivers

(19) When do you put the tree up and take it down?

Weekend after Turkey Day and the weekend after Xmas is over.

(20) Out of the 12 days of Christmas, which day and item would you want your truelove to give to you?

Golden rings and I'd sell them on Craigslist!

(21) Why do you think that Grandma got run over by a reindeer?

She was too damn slow!

(22) Who is your favorite reindeer?

Donner. He was a hard nose parent to Rudy

(23) Do you believe in Santa Claus?

In his spirit, yes. That is why, despite the fact that Gracie is Jewish, we celebrate Xmas secularly

(24) What is your favorite smell at Christmastime?

Sugar cookies and Peppermint

(25) What would make you happy at Christmas this year?

For everything that I am worried about to go away and their be a peace in my house and my family.

From the light of the holiday tree

I am sitting here in the light of my holiday tree (xmas tree). Dave and Nate are playing Halo in his room and Gracyn is sleeping in her newly toddlerized crib. Maryann holds watch in front of the front door, while Miles lies worthlessly under the tree. It is silent in my house for the first time all day.

I was reading some of the blogs that I follow and they got me thinking about some things. The first thing is that I have a great kid. Not in the since that I am biased or anything like that, but that she is genuinely a neat ass kid. Watching her do things, especially things that require her to problem solve using her left hand, fascinates me. Her little gibberish that she says that only she understands does too. Today, we got her saying the word "gross", and let me tell you it is hilarious to hear her say it. She is so willful and determined. I am grateful for that. I wouldn't want her to be timid and shy along with her disability. I am so glad that she is boisterous, forthright, and spunky. That makes me worry less about someone being mean to her and her not defending herself.

In addition to thinking about Gracyn, I also thought about how much I really love my life. Not in the trite, post-Thanksgiving way either. I mean it year round. I have a husband who works hard, is a fantastic father, and who loves me despite my obvious flaws. He trusts me, looks out for me, and convinces me to buy two purses while on sale. Now that is love! But, on a serious note, he is a good man and I am lucky to have him. I also need to pay homage to my career. I love those damn kids like they were my own. I get all excited when they do well and hurt when they don't. I cry when they cry and I laugh at their stupid jokes. I am a cheerleader for the poverty, circumstance stricken and, although it is a hard job, I love it. I miss my Canal kids, but I am the happiest I have ever been at a job and that is important. Lastly, I need to mention that I have a great family. My parents have been amazing grandparents to Gracyn and without them I don't know what I would do. And, as a piggy back to that note, I am so glad that she gets to spend time with my grandfather. Not only for her sake, but also for his. She lifts his spirits up and makes his day in ways that I cannot even imagine. Whodathunk that a 16 month old eating chicken nuggets would make an old man so happy, but she does and, for that, she is a blessing to him.

I digress. I never want to be that person that always post sappy, melancholy, reflectionary b.s. to her blog, so I leave you with this: You might be a red neck if your sno-globe inflatable is larger than your house :)

Some things don't change...

and that is a good thing. There is nothing sweeter than when she sleeps.

My Baby Can Read...

Let me start by adding three new words are Gracyn has been saying this weekend:
"wurn" as in learn
"wurd" as in word
"Ausdum" as in awesome (when she says this it cracks me up!)

Now back to the main topic, My Baby Can Read...does it work? Yes, she has successfully read "Keys", "Bubble" and "Blanket".

Does it work well? It is too early to tell. She is now getting really verbal on purpose, not repetition of words from others.

So, I bought it on Ebay for $52. At this rate I am at $17.33 a word and we are on video #3. My hopes are that we will hear more as she grows increasingly more purposefully verbal. We shall see.

Can fetishs and addictions be genetic?

She shares my love of purses (and yes that is a Vera in Cupcake Pink). This, and the fact that when we were at the Coach outlet she pointed at a hot pink one and said, "URSE!", makes me certain that a purse fetish can be genetic.

"Uster!"

Newest word:
"Uster" as in Buster from My Friends Tigger and Pooh

Thanks.

As I am home sick, for day two of this week, I have a lot of free time on my hands. I have been doing some thinking and have decided that I have a good life. I really do. My husband is fabulous and supportive. My daughter is awesome. My step-son is one cool kid. My extended family is amazing. I love my job and my kids there; it is so rewarding. I have super friends who would do anything for me and often do.

I am blessed. I am happy.

Gracyn Happenings

Words of the week:
Blankie
Boggies (as in doggies)
No, No (as she points and shakes a tiny little pointer finger)
Dinner (all meals are dinner)
Shh...(including finger at mouth)
She's gettin' it

She figured out how to open the leather toy chest. She still eats as she desires, but is (knock on wood) drinking her milk with the Carnation in it.

She weighed 18 and half pounds and was 31" long at her last appointment on October 16th. She is totally mobile now, holding your hand and taking you places around the house. If I say take me to your room, she does, and etc.

Today, she followed Miles around yelling at him all day and shaking her finger at him in anger. I still have no clue what it is that he did, but she was not happy with him at all.

A case of the Mondays'...

I was awakened by a very sick 15 month old at 1, 2, 3, and 445 this morning. She was coughing, sniffling, and had a fever of 100. I called in and elevated her mattress with some of her books. I put her back to bed with a dose of Tylenol. She woke up at 1130 am, not her norm at all. I fed her her regular (mini pancakes and milk) for a very late breakfast and called the pediatrician. Got there and she showed off her new walking skills for Dr. Barnes. We found out, after some battling with a tongue depressor and ear looking at thingy, that she has a cold AND an ear infection. Lovely. Poor thing. We then drove to Giant Eagle to get her Amoxicillin. As an aside, I heart Giant Eagle because a. her antibiotics were free and b. with her cookie card she got a cookie while we waited. We also had lunch there (me a salad and her mac & cheese). We came home, changed her into her pajamas and laid in the "big" bed (our bed) and watched Despereaux. She fell asleep and, eventually, so did I.

On top of this frustration, I spent the morning fighting with CVS about my prescription. I'll fast foward and say that it all ended with me calling PWH and transferring my prescription to Giant Eagle. Eff you CVS.

On a positive note, I did find this great thing for us to do in December. http://www.hvsry.org/home_page/northpole.htm
We are going as part of her Hanukkah gifts. Yes, I know taking her to something related to Christmas (or Xmas as I call it) seems a little oxymoronic, but we celebrate the secular aspect of that season. So many people view Hanukkah as something totally unrelated when the message if so similar. Peace, goodwill, miracles, etc.

My Monday sucked overall. It has been a long day.