Joy and a lot of xoxo's

It has been tooo long! I feel like every time I write on here, so much has changed, and she has grown sooo much! As Grace gets older, there is no doubt that I am busier and busier during the day, and also more exhausted at the end of the day! She is fully mobile (well as mobile as she can be without actually walking or crawling yet). What I mean is that she is constantly bouncing, walking in her rolly chair, or rolling on the floor on or over my lap.  It's safe to say she doesn't like to sit still, unless (the only exception) Sesame Street is on.. haha. She looooves that show and our favorite character is definitely Elmo. :) I think it's probably good for her to hear conversation (that's not my one-sided everyday talk) and be exposed to all the learning things (alphabet, counting, etc.) too. I know she's still really little, but I think she's pretty smart. One of these days she's going to wake up, walk, and start speaking full sentences.. haha! I can't wait!

Each day that passes, you can see her little personality more and more. She is pretty easygoing and soooo loveable. She gives hugs on a consistent basis and smiles all the time and she still loves books more than all her other toys combined. These are the things that inspired my title for this blog post. :) She is full of joy and it is contagious. These are also the things that make me love this baby sooo much!

She turns one year old in a few days! I told her mom that they should do what the Koreans traditionally do on a baby's first birthday. They place a few things in front of the baby within reaching distance, such as money, a pen, a book, a ball, a piece of clothing, etc. Each of things symbolizes a career or their 'destiny,' and the Koreans traditionally believe that whatever the baby grabs, represents what their future will look like. It's more just for fun these days.. but I'm curious about what Grace would choose..!

Firsts..

Grace has officially said her first words..!!! Mama was the first and Dada was soon to follow; all amongst the babbling that she is very determined to get out. Her parents fondly refer to it as German. Each 'phrase' is usually said with a very serious face and obvious meaning. I can't wait to learn what words the babble will soon turn into.. :) Oh an another big milestone; she started eating fooooood! WOOO! Well, just rice cereal for now, but no surprise that she loves it!

It's interesting to think back to right when I started this job, and wondering if I would be bored out of my mind, you know, just sitting with a baby all day every day.. but I have come to find that that isn't the case at all. I actually look forward to coming every day (besides waking up so early sometimes..) and really miss her on the weekends! I love this little girl so much. I feel so blessed to have found such an amazing family and a job that I am truly happy with right now. God has proved his faithfulness for the bajillionth time in my life.. and I am grateful.

Baby's Breath

Maybe it's because they only eat formula.. maybe just because they are new.. and everything of theirs smells good and is so soft (minus their poo)! But I realized the other day that there is definitely a reason there is a flower named after it.. baby's breath that is. The flower itself is little and fragile and the flower's meaning is 'innocence.' It fits, doesn't it? When Grace woke up from her nap the other day, and snuggled up to my face (haha she does that a lot and I think it's the cutest thing ever) I realized how good babies smell. Like flowers and innocence I guess.  :)

Also, I just need to point out that watching a baby fall asleep is equivalent to taking a dose of nyquil.. every time I put Grace down for her nap, I get soooo tired (whether I was tired before, or not). Watching her eyelids slooooowly close as she drifts off to sleep.. yeah, never fails.

The things Grace thinks are funny.. sometimes..

1. monkeys

2. talking gibberish

3. saying "don't" haha

4. blowing my lips together

5. dancing

6. baaaing like a sheep

7. blowing on her tummy

8. looking in the mirror

9. watching videos i make of her

...I'm sure there are more, I just can't think of them right now.. mostly just when i act a fool.. haha but seriously, her laugh is the best thing ever. And when she thinks something's funny, she'll scrunch up her face, smile, and she's been working on a pretty good belly laugh for a while now. Haha, I try to get it on video when I can. You never know what's going to make her laugh though.. so it catches me off guard sometimes!

We're working on rolling over and crawling.. good things! :)

Baby Dreams.

So.. the other day I was feeding Grace her bottle and she fell asleep (as she does a lot during/after eating) and I always let her sleep propped up for about ten minutes before putting her in bed, so her food can digest a little. Well, she had been passed out for about three minutes, when all of a sudden a smile spreads across her face (eyes still very much closed) and she giggled. It was so cute! Then, she kept on sleeping.. haha. It made me wonder what babies dream about.. As I told this story to a couple friends, one suggested that babies probably dream about puppies running across an open field.. I thought that was a pretty good guess. Haha, but I guess we'll never know! It's these little things that make every day so good. We're bonding a lot these days. I feel like every day she has a little more personality and we have a lot of fun and laugh together a lot! I was thinking about it the other day, and realized that I spend more time with Grace than with any other person.. crazy but I do love it!

Buble and Books and Walks..

Since I am with Grace for 10(ish) hours a day and she only sleeps for 2(ish), we have some time to kill! What do you do with a baby for that many hours..? Haha, well I'm still working on figuring that out too, but so far our favorite time passers are singing and dancing to Michael Buble, reading stories, and taking walks. Since Grace is still so little, you can imagine that when I say 'we' what I really mean is 'I.' Haha. I basically make as much of a fool of myself as I can to entertain both of us.. :) Surprisingly though, it seems to work the majority of the time! She either thinks I'm funny or really crazy. Either way, it's fun! I've played her a lot of different kinds of music and so far it seems like Buble is her favorite.. she has been sucked into his charm already.. :)  When I am trying to get her to fall asleep though, I'll play her Nora Joans and that seems to do the trick for nap time. Either that or I'll sing"Amazing Grace" to her because I think it's fitting.. and I think she likes it.

I loooove children's books.. well most of them. And she has quite a little library already started.  Grace loves books! I read her probably at least 10 books a day.. my favorite is one called All the World. If you have never read it, DO IT.  It's definitely a keeper. The pictures are great too. I was reading it to her the other day and she laughed every time I turned the page.. haha.  She just recently learned how to laugh and so I think she's getting as much practice as possible, which I of course greatly encourage!

Walks.. a perfect way to break up the day.. unfortunately we live in Florida, so it is already getting soooo hot outside! I only take her out for about a half hour at a time, because at that point I am all sweaty and so is she.. and we go at about 8am and 4pm.. crazy Florida humidity. But since I'm there for so many hours of the day, I like to get as much some exercise in as possible! I also love being outside, so it's good all around.

Snuggle time.. My other favorite part of the day.. and she is a pro! My back is starting to hurt a lot as a result, buuuuut it's so worth it! Such love!

Baby Therapy.

When else in our lives do we only want what we absolutely need, we know exactly what those needs are, and are satisfied after having those needs fulfilled.. it begins at birth and probably ends around the age of 18 months.. haha. Babies are so wise! Eating, sleeping, cleanliness and love. That's about all that's necessary! I wish I was that easy to please. :)

I realized yesterday that another reason why this is the best job ever.. it's kind of like puppy therapy. I read that some college campuses bring puppies on campus during finals week to relieve stress. '"It has been proven that having a dog helps relieve stress, so we thought it would be a cute idea if we brought some furry friends on campus," said Jennifer Heinz, a sophomore and integrated educational studies major who helped organize the event.' The reason why I think this is such a valuable form of therapy is because puppies don't ask for anything but love and attention. They don't take a lot of work or stress, but consistently give joy and unconditional affection. Well, I feel like I can relate this kind of therapy to spending time with a baby..or "baby therapy." Haha, I mean how different is it really? Besides the diapers and crying, it's basically the same thing! They are just begging to be loved.. and let's be honest.. it's not only easy to do, but pretty enjoyable.  So again, best job ever!