Jonah slept without his pacifier for 2 nights in a row. The bedtimes were heart-breaking, but he worked through it, and we were so proud that he had no waking spells in the wee hours of the morning.

His reward was a Buzz Lightyear that he has asked for several times. All day Friday I heard, "Buzz ligh year to duh resCUE" and, "to firbibi n eeyon" (to infinity and beyond). Buzz helped us string up popcorn for our resident finches later that afternoon. I suspect he ate his fair share too.
Help us pray that Jonah will quickly re-learn how to relax without his pacifier. Until he gets to that point, I think naps are a thing of the past (sigh).

There's a new play place in town called A Little Surprise. It's a miniature version of our fair city, inside an air conditioned building. Jonah had so much fun playing there, I had to drag him away kicking and screaming after being there for more than 2 hours. I think what most impressed me about the place was how it inspired kids to use their imaginations. There were 10 to 15 kids in the building, and they were all strangely quiet, playing in their own little worlds. Even my little extrovert quietly played in the fire station for close to an hour. A Christmas miracle! Seven months early.

Yesterday, I let Jonah color with some washable markers. This is a rare treat for him, because markers mean more mess for Mama to clean up. He was so excited to be able to use the markers, he created his first masterpiece...If you can't tell, He drew 2 long legs with feet at the bottom, a head at the top, and arms stretching out to the sides. Then he added a big golf bag (the red blob), and told me that this was Meemaw. I was so excited about this portrait because I've never coached him on how to draw a stick figure. All we've ever "practiced" drawing are letters, numbers, shapes, and smiley faces. He's a genius, no?

Baby Grace -

She probably weighs more than 5 lbs now and measures 17 inches in height. Lots of movement and she's still breech.

I picked up a children's book at Barnes & Noble this weekend called, "Hello, Baby!". The little boy in the book is just Jonah's age and has big blue eyes. Plus his mom looks a little like me, and the dad looks a little like Michael, AND there's a grandma in the book that could pass for either Meemaw OR Marmee. In the book, the little boy goes to the doctor with his mom and hears the baby's heartbeat. Jonah went with me today to the doctor and asked me three times on the way there, and five times in the waiting room, if it was time for the heartbeat. He could not WAIT. When it was finally time to hear the heartbeat, he sat in Michael's lap and watched with his mouth hanging open and his eyes big as saucers. Priceless.

One more thing I almost forgot...Jonah was singing the word "tuba" over and over to the tune of Twinkle Little Star on the way to the doctor. He stopped with no warning, and without missing a beat says, "Mama? Gracie's gonna break your tummy?". I guess he was suddenly wondering how she's going to get out of there.

Mama -

Still no swelling! I think Gracie shifted into a transverse position for a while last week, and I could have done without that. It made EVERYthing hurt. She's back to breech, and I can deal with that.

Blood Pressure: 112/72
Weight: holding steady since last doctor's appt.
Cravings: milk

Other baby news -

This is the outfit I'm planning to bring Gracie home from the hospital in. It's one of my favorite hand me downs from the Rowdy Girls. I love a baby girl with a ruffle bottom. It'll be around the 4th of July too, so the colors seem appropriate.

This little quail chick followed Jonah around for a long time tonight at Michael's parent's house. It kept trying to climb on his shoes. We never did find it's mama, and that was just too much drama for my hormones to handle. I cried almost the whole way home.

It's a little embarrassing that Michael and I thought this was so hilarious at the time of filming. Cheap thrills, I guess. Jonah was 4 months old at the time.

Almost every morning, I make up our bed in the master bedroom and then move on to other parts of the house. I usually don't make it back to the bedroom again unless I need to change clothes, but when I do go back in the bedroom, I will most definitely find mysterious indentations on the bed. Where the sheet and quilt were smooth before, they are now wrinkled.It's like crop circles! Where do they come from?!?

I've ruled out Jonah. He would never voluntarily get back into bed after he wakes in the morning. And if he did, for some reason, play in my bed, he doesn't leave a perfect bowl impression. No, he leaves pillows on the floor, sheets ripped off the bed, and takes the quilt with him when he leaves.

Dixie (our jack russell) is too short to get on the bed. Besides that, if she DID make it up there, she wouldn't feel any shame in staying there. She's just a punk like that.

So, by process of elimination, I've decided it must be Lucy. Sweet, obedient, Lucy. Who is not allowed on the furniture or beds. EVER. I have never been able to catch her in the act. If I go back in our bedroom, she's always on her dog bed where she's supposed to be. I suspect she sneaks up on the bed, catches some zzz's until she hears me coming down the hall, and then quickly, quietly hops off the bed and onto her dog bed so I won't know. Maybe I'll set up a surveillance camera and find out what's really going on.

It's really windy today, and has been sprinkling off and on, so poor Jonah hasn't had his usual full access pass to the backyard. I could tell by 7:00 am that this was going to be a problem.

I got some blankets out of the hall closet and made a tent. Jonah decided to add the cozy little touches. He got a night-light, his Nannie blankets, the old coffee maker (so he could make "coppie"), some mixing spoons/cups, a big bowl, and his sippy cup. He announced that he was ready to make pancakes and coppie. Later he added some pillows to his tent and the dogs joined him. It brought back happy memories of Nannie blanket tents with my sisters. Nothing better on a gloomy day!

Baby Grace -

Jonah has discovered that Gracie can interact with him. A few days ago, I was laying on the couch and he was playing "Mama is a Hotwheels racetrack". I took one of his Hotwheels trucks and propped it on my belly. Gracie started moving and rolled the truck right off my belly. Jonah was definitely intrigued! He put the truck back on my belly and waited patiently for Gracie to move. Every time she would wiggle the truck, his little face would light up. He "played" with Gracie, and talked to her, for half an hour!

Mama -

Can you say, "hot flashes"? We hit 106 degrees yesterday, and it's supposed to get hotter than that today. Hello?! I'm hot already! I don't need triple digits to help me out! Besides that, Braxton Hicks contractions and lower-back pain are regular visitors, and I'm pretty sure I peed myself the other day when I sneezed. Woohoo!

Blood pressure: 110/76
Weight: holding steady
Cravings: chocolate milk (and a sudden aversion to grilled chicken)

Other baby news -

This is Michael's "Granny" (his paternal grandmother)...
Her given name is Florine, and she is why Gracie's full name will be Grace Florine. Michael and I agreed years ago that this would be the name of our first daughter. Granny went to be with the Lord in 2001, but I had a chance to get to know her. I'm so thankful for the Scrabble games, dinners, and visits I had with her while she was with us. I know Michael misses her terribly, and I hope to be able to communicate to Gracie what an amazing woman she is named after. One of the projects on my to-do list is a storybook of memories about Granny. I hope to read it to Gracie at night, or whenever, and pray that she will feel some kind of connection to Florine through the stories. If Gracie turns out even half as selfless, loyal, and loving as Granny was, we will be truly blessed.

My sister, Christel, and I were talking the other day about our babies, and how they love the show Super Why on PBS. The Rowdygirls and Jonah all love to do the Super Why dances and call out the letters on the screen.

Christel and I were laughing about the hustle-style dance that the Super Why characters do at the end of each episode...



Jonah created his own version of this dance after watching Super Why a few times. I mentioned this to Christel and she asked me to try and capture it on video. So, this post is for Aunt Christel. Call it a pre-birthday gift. Because, it is HER BIRTHDAY!!!

Jonah was "singing" Twinkle Twinkle Little Star the other night, and it apparently inspired THE DANCE. You can tell when he catches a glimpse of his reflection in the sliding glass door. Totally out of control. Happy birthday, Christel!!!

Baby Grace -
babygaga.com tells me I can expect my miracle-gro muffin to gain about a half a pound of weight per week from now until about two weeks before birth. They also estimate she already weighs about 4 lbs and is 17 inches. So, with 7 or 8 weeks to go, that would make her...about 8lbs at birth? We'll see.
I've been having some major paranoia about the gender. Our new OB, Dr. Zhang, did a quick ultrasound in the office yesterday after I worried out loud (bless her heart!). She pointed out all the girl parts, so I'm feeling much better! She also pointed out the strong heart beat, and I got a glimpse of how much Gracie has chubbed up.

Mama -
Dr. Zhang asked us to start coming in every two weeks, instead of once a month. Also, no gestational diabetes! Thank you, Lord. I've been sleeping better, except for the crazy dreams about having a boy instead of a girl. Still having backaches, but they're tolerable. I'm getting really good at kicking things around on the floor so that they're in one big pile. That way I only have to bend over ONCE to clean up the living room floor, instead of 20 times. Don't ask me why I can't just wait for Michael to get home and help. Clutter makes me crazy.

Blood Pressure: 110/74
Weight: +2 lbs since last appt
Cravings: alternating salty with sweet

In other baby news, look at the cute "umbilical chord" beanie hat Aunt Joy made for Gracie!

Jonah had one just like it when he was born...

My brother-in-law, Mike, was in the Phoenix area last week on business. Joy was able to fly in from D.C. on Thursday to meet him, and they drove across the valley on Friday to spend some time with us. Yay! It was soooo good to see them!

They got to our house while Jonah was still napping, but as soon as he woke up, he plastered himself to Uncle Mike. In fact, he dragged Mike around the house on the nickel tour, then threw in a bonus tour of the garage. He was very excited to show Uncle Mike all of our yard tools.

Friday evening, Jonah stayed with Michael's parents while we went to eat at Babbo's Italian Eatery. The weather was beautiful and we were able to sit outside on the patio and get in a really great visit.

Saturday, we took a little sight-seeing trip to Sedona. ..
We strolled along the street, lined with specialty shops, ate lunch at Open Range Grill (the view was gorgeous), then stopped in at the local fudge shop. Jonah and I shared a huge chocolate chip walnut cookie, and Aunt Joy walked away with truffles and fudge. SO yummy.

Sunday, we met Joy and Mike for breakfast. Jonah was so anxious to see them again, he parked himself at our front window and watched for their rent car.
Since it was Mother's Day, all our normal breakfast stops were super crowded. We ended up at the 5 & Diner. Jonah was cool with the location as long as Uncle Mike and Aunt Joy were there.
Especially since Aunt Joy taught Jonah how to do this...

We went to the city park yesterday. It's every toddler's dream! 6 slides, multiple ramps, bridges, steps, climbing walls, and tunnels. Of all the fun things to do there, this is where Jonah ended up...



I had to strip him down to his skivvies in the car since we had no towel or change of clothes. He rode home wearing his Nannie blanket and a big smile.

Baby Gracie -
I've noticed that she responds to the sound of a piano. I finished the West Valley Chorale concerts a couple of weeks ago and we performed the Beethoven, Choral Fantasy. At one venue, I was practically sitting on the piano bench with the soloist. When he played the opening chords of the Fantasy, Gracie went crazy! When the orchestra came in, she went still. At the piano cadenza later in the piece, she started dancing again.
In terms of numbers, she weighs around 3 pounds 12 ounces (or more!) and is nearly 16 inches long.

Mama-
I ventured to the lab yesterday to take a glucose tolerance test, which meant drinking a neon orange glucose concoction, sitting for an hour in the waiting room, then having my blood drawn. My family knows how much I dread blood work, since small rolling veins are genetic. However, this blood draw was the best I've had in ages! Relief! We'll get the test results at our doctor's appointment on Monday.
Blood Pressure: 118/70
Weight: -2 lbs since last week (that's not a bad thing!)
Craving: anything tart (lemonade, key lime pie, etc)

Nursery Progress-
Gracie's nursery is really coming together! She has a chest of drawers full of sleepers, onsies, socks, and cute little outfits (ALL courtesy of family and friends!). Her closet is quickly accumulating dresses with matching bloomers and cute little hats.
Of all the fun things in her room though, I'm most excited about these...
-A precious smocked bonnet (with matching dress!), hand-made by my mom
-A box of adorable Trumpette Baby Ballerina socks from my sister, Christel
-A Janie & Jack bubble outfit with matching hat from my sweet friend, Kara
-AND, Gracie's Nannie blanket came in the mail on Monday. It smells like my Nannie's house and I LOVE IT!

I'm also in love with these bibs that Kara had her friend make and embroider. They are so cute!

The dogs love playing in the sprinklers just as much as Jonah. He sprays them with water and they try to catch it in their mouths. If the dogs don't come out to play, Jonah doesn't enjoy the water near as much. It's a group activity, I guess.

Right before Michael turned on the camera, Jonah said, "crackers n' milk is my fayv-oh-rit". Yuck!!!!

My Jonah Bear is one picky eater. I know this is a toddler thing, but his daddy has been known to pick at food too, so I was thinking it may be genetic. When I first met Michael he had never even tried Chinese food (now he loves it).

After this week though, I'm starting to think I may be the pickiest eater in this family. Michael has a favorite snack he occasionally eats at bedtime. It truly disgusts me. (I find myself snarling at the computer even as I type this.) It's saltine crackers crumbled in a cup of milk, and he eats the soggy nasty crackers out of the cup with a spoon. He tells me it's just like cereal and keeps nagging me to try it. Call me crazy, but I just don't want to eat salty cereal.

The other day, Michael sat down with his crackers and milk, and as I began to tell him how gross it was, Jonah wandered over and asked, "whas dat?". I watched in horror as Michael scooped up a soggy cracker and fed it to Jonah. Then I hear Jonah say, "Mmm! Dat is gooooood"! I think my eyes bugged out of my head.

I discovered on Tuesday that they both like french fries dipped in chocolate milk shake. Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

They've bonded nicely over Tom and Jerry cartoons as well. It's the one TV show they both sit and giggle at. I'll have to catch that with the digital camera soon. It always makes me smile.

I knew this was going to happen. I keep remembering things Jonah says that I don't want to forget, so here's a mini version of an older post.

The Latest in Toddler Slang (continued):

"frig-ee-aye-tor" (as in the Terminator, Texan style)
Translation: refrigerator

"gotta get Daddy's last chance"
Translation: I don't want to ride in the grocery cart. I want to walk. I will stay with Daddy in the store and not run away, and I understand that I only have one chance to prove that I will stay with you or else I have to sit in the grocery cart. (Yes, it really means ALL that.)

I was cutting up an apple for Jonah this morning when he asked me if he could watch Little Einsteins. I guess I was preoccupied and didn't answer him right away because he yanked hard on my shirt and demanded, "Mama! Little Einsteins"!

Then, in a very low, stern voice, he said, "Yes or no, Mama".

Is it obvious I've been having a hard time getting him to pay attention lately?