Lambie Found!

The great Lambie mystery has been solved! As is often the case, as soon as you give up looking, you tend to find what you are looking for. I ordered a Lambie twin (with no regrets!) and the next morning I found Lambie (the original) in an unbeleivable place.

I was changing Grace's crib sheet, and saw beady eyes peeking out at me. Grace has a cloth teether on her crib, held together by velcro straps. Grace must have amused herself by sticking Lambie inside. Check out the photo of the discovery (see those beady eyes?).

And the reunion photo (note: Grace has been in exceedingly good spirits all day since the reunion!).

Case closed! Woohoo!

The Case of the Missing Lambie

So Grace's best friend is a plush lamb that we call Lambie. She loves Lambie. Sleeps with Lambie every night. She wakes up and talks to Lambie until I pick her up out of her crib. She cuddles Lambie and gives Lambie kisses. Her face lights up when she sees Lambie. A week ago Lambie disappeared.

Lambie was last seen on Wednesday, March 17th. We have searched high and low for that lamb. Both Pat and I have checked under the couch, under the bed, under the crib, in bins, behind cabinets, in the laundry basket...no luck. No Lambie.

There was a Lambie sighting reported at Grace's Abuelita's house, but after investigating the matter, it was a case of mistaken identity. Lambie is still missing one week later. I am afraid the prospects are not good. When a missing lamb is gone this long...well, let's just say we hope Lambie found a good farm.

Apparently Lambie is worth a lot of money. I checked for a Lambie replacement and found they ran $50. I did come across a used one and ordered it for a fraction of that cost. Hopefully it will be in good shape and Grace can find happiness in Lambie's twin. : ( I realize that she may very well decide she prefers another animal...and ordering Lambie would have been futile. But. I remember that her face lit up every time she saw Lambie...and I can't help it. It's the first toy she's ever been attached to...so if not for her, then it will be for my own sentimentality. Hopefully we'll find the original, but if not, I hope new Lambie finds a place in Grace's heart.

Grace at the Zoo, part 2

I am still figuring out our technology, but was able to put together some photos along with video of Grace's trip to the zoo. Enjoy seeing Grace in action!

NOTE: I had to compress the video file. If you want a copy at higher quality, let me know and I can send it to you on CD!

Grace Visits the Zoo

Finally, the sun shines on NYC! Grace and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather. We phoned Abuelita and Grand to see if they wanted to join us for a day at the Staten Island Zoo! It was Grace's first zoo trip...and she enjoyed it! She loves seeing animals. The biggest adventure of all was that Grace decided to walk the zoo herself. She has been hesitant to walk outside up until now. So she traversed many lands today...and now mommy is looking into getting shoes with a thicker sole! We all had fun in the sun!

Note: I forgot to add a music credit to the slide show--Chris Kuffner is the musician playing the accompaniment in the video. Enjoy his awesomeness.

Grace's Latest Tricks

• Awesome little Grace is now toddling away. She loves to walk, and she walks more often than she crawls.
• She walks on her knees sometimes.
• She has increased her vocabulary and says: ball, bottle (sounds more like bah'le), hat, clock (though she has trouble with the "l" sound), cheese (sounds like "eeze" most times), uh-oh, bye (sounds like ba), hi, and 'lo for "hello"...and today she copied mama when she went "bac bac bac" like a chicken. She likes to buzz like a bee, too.
• She twisted a Snapple lid onto a Snapple bottle the other day.
• She can stack up to five blocks (and knock 'em down).
• She waves hello/goodbye.
• She claps.
• She dances...on beat. She has done that since she was born really.
• She likes to play "mirror"-with mama imitating her moves or vice versa.
• She loves kisses...getting them from mom and dad, from her "lambie"--from just about anyone. One day Grace even took my face in her hands, adjusted the position of my head, and leaned her forehead in for a kiss.
• She is really good at remembering things and making connections. I was wearing a shirt with a monkey on it the other day. She pointed to the monkey on my shirt, then to a stuffed animal monkey in her room. When we read "Where's Baby's Belly Button," there is an interior page with the same illustration as the cover page. When we read the book the first time, Grace stopped at that spot in the book, then flipped back to the cover to see the same image.
• She likes to place objects inside containers (e.g., bags, tupperware, boxes).
• She shares. When she is playing, whether with me or another little one, she is far more interactive than I would expect at this age. And she is always willing to share--handing one drum mallet over as she bangs her instrument with the other, for example.
• She loves to read. And reread. Over. And over. She will sit in my lap and have me read a book 5 times in a row.

Grace is an awesome little kiddo...and I love watching her grow and develop...and surprise me with new achievements!