First Trip

Grace and I had the pleasure of going to visit my best friend, Jamie and her family in San Jose, CA over the last weekend. We had so much fun! Grace warmed up to them all so fast.

Grace was especially excited to be around Jamie's two darling kids. She thought Charlie was so cool because he could do "big jumps" and play with blocks and run around. I loved watching her watch him...sometimes she would just look over at him and smile and smile. It was adorable.

One of the funniest moments came towards the end of our trip when Grace and Eliza first "found" each other on the floor. They both just stared at first...

 

 

And then decided they liked each other. Grace was super excited to be by Eliza...I had to referee a bit to make sure Grace didn't try to grab her in her exuberance.

Despite having 2 nursing children and an inquisitive toddler between us, we had some great adventures and went out to some delicious food! Jamie and Mark were so generous and kind not to mention brave to go adventuring with us.

1st adventure was the beach at Capitola, which Grace absolutely loved!! When we got out of the car and the cool sea breeze blew in her face she got so giddy. I couldn't see her smiles, but she was kicking and kicking and making her happy noises. This is a beach girl for sure!

 

 

There is something about being at the Ocean that always makes me feel hopeful and at peace. Being there with Grace was a delight. She fell asleep and we had a nice stroll around the town.

This is Grace on our Sunday walk. What a cute little acorn. We also got to go to this amazing Creche exhibit at one of the LDS wards nearby. It had nativity scenes from all over the world. I loved that and really felt lucky to have been able to see the event. It really helped me get in the Christmas Spirit seeing all the varied testaments to the birth of Christ. My 2 favorites were a Japanese kimono-wearing Madonna and Child and a Uruguay scene with the Holy Family, heads bowed to show off big sombrero-type hats. I also got to see my good friend Tyler there and that was a real treat too.

Our next big adventure was going to San Francisco. It was a frigid night, but we took a nice drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and braved the cold for a few photos. Grace wisely fell asleep and stayed in the warm car.

We ended the San Francisco visit with some delicious Chinese food and then Grace and I headed home. She was the best baby on both flights--never cried once. What a traveler. When she got home she was soooo excited to see her Daddy! We really missed him a lot on our trip. Thanks again Jame and Mark for the fantastic time and for all your kindness to us. Hopefully there will be more travels to come soon!

"Sweet Baby Grace, bum, bum, bum" (Niel Diamond, our style)

This is kind of a random sampler post. Read on at your own risk for incoherance.

Grace is growing up so fast and becoming more and more fun to hang out with. Last Sunday she was playing with Grandma Joy and laughing and laughing (which of course gives her the cursed hiccups) So adorable!

She loves to dance with mommy while we look in the mirror, and she even braves the cold to go on walks. The below picture is actually Grace and I getting ready to "trudge" through the snow back to Church a few Sundays ago. Steve had left after the sacrament so he could go home and sleep before going back to work that night. What a trooper. Kindly, he took my bag from Sunday School home with him per my request. The only problem was the fact that I had put the keys to my car in that bag. Oops.

So, luckily Grace and I realized this before everyone left Church and we were able to get a ride home (and luckily it is very close by since I had to hold her in my lap). Once home, however, we were faced with the conundrum of how to get back to get the car. Steve needed to sleep, Grace's stroller and baby bjorn carrier were in the car and she is too heavy for me to hoist around too long, and it was snowing. So--Grace and I bundled up and I smooshed her into this sling and we headed off! She never liked the sling when she was little (very sad),  but this time around she loved it. In fact, halfway to the church I realized she was asleep, like a baby kangaroo in its pouch.

You can't really see, but she is wearing her Super Cute Acorn hat (Love that hat, Miriam!)

Here it is in another shot:

Another fun thing that has happened recently is that Grace has found her feet! She loves to grab them whenever she can find them. A toy that goes everywhere she goes...brilliant.

We have had a great Holiday season so far! Thanksgiving was delicious and delightful and I am getting very excited for Christmas. Steve put the Christmas tree up the other day and Grace was mesmorized...

Watching daddy put up the tree

Smiling at mommy as she jumped around the room singing "We need a little Christmas"

Well, I was going to blog about my weird thought process the other night at 2am as I was feeding Grace in bed. I had this elaborate metaphor come to my mind about how my decisions on nursing her/getting her to sleep/ keeping her asleep as I scooted away from her etc. were like U.S foreign policy decisions, especially concerning Afghanistan. I will just have to leave that to your imaginations, however, as Grace is waking up from her nap. Suffice it to say, as my husband did the next morning when I told him my comparisons--"Only you" True enough.

And with that, I will end with a darling picture of Grace and Jenny...who wins the prize for being the most photogenic person in Grace pics thus far. Go Jenny!

Our ladies in pink

4 Months Old

Grace has grown up so much in the last month...it is truly amazing!

She has gone from mobile novice to veteran---now she likes to pull the mobile toys down off their rings so she can put them in her mouth.

3 at a time...no problem.

  But perhaps her greatest feat is her roll. She rolled over onto her stomach a few weeks ago out of the blue. Then she practiced and practiced for a few days until she got it down. After she had the roll at her beck and call, she decided to give it a break for a week, but since then she now rolls over every chance she gets. In fact, if I lay her on her mobile mat, she quickly rolls over and starts to check out the mat itself rather than the mobiles.

 

She is just starting to figure out how to get her legs up under her and can "crawl" over a pillow. Watch out!! This girl REALLY wants to be able to move.

She is also liking sitting up with some support--here she is on her pillow throne.

For Halloween Grace wore a darling halloween outfit my mom gave her and also a lamby jacket ( I thought it was a bunny, but the consensus is that it is a lamb...since it was Miriam's girls' she probably knows for sure...but either way she was a "boo"tiful ghoul ;) sorry, had to do it.

At Grandma Nan and Grandpa Bob's Halloween party--checkin' things out.

On spooky Halloween night with Aunt Jenny

Grace's newest toy is her Jump'n'go that Jamie and Angie are letting her borrow. She loves to spin around and bounce on one leg and then the other. She loves to be upright.  I think she will just like it more and more in the next little while as she learns to really jump.

 Last weekend Aunt Karen was in town, which was so much fun!! She was always so willing to hold Grace and play with her. I am really glad they could meet. We are heading back to DC in the Spring to see the rest of the Hanneman clan (thank you Aunt Karen for making that possible) and we are so excited!

Tomorrow is Grace's 4 month appointment so I am excited to find out how much she has grown. She is just getting more fun every day. It was exactly a year ago I found out I was pregnant with Grace...what a miracle and blessing that she made it here! We love our Gracie girl!

 

 

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy Birthday to a wonderful husband and father!

From being a super supportive and loving husband during my pregnancy and labor, to being a cute and loving dad, Steve has been such a fantastic partner in this adventure of parenthood. Many times over the last year I have been so thankful for his unique ability to support me, love me, and adore our daughter.

Whether it was helping me to feel gorgeous as my pregnant belly grew and grew, or never tiring of the excitement of feeling Gracie kick inside of me, Steve was the perfect husband for me during my pregnancy, bar none. I always say I loved being pregnant (except for the 2 weeks of horrible morning sickness) and he is a huge reason why.

 

Grace looked SO MUCH like Steve right when she was born...esp. her wild hair!

The LONG night of labor and the following days in the hospital after Grace was born were also moments where Steve's love and support were amazing to me. It is hard to know exactly how to handle a woman who is in painful labor and adjusting to being a new mom, but Steve seemed to be a natural.  He was so helpful with Grace from the very beginning--swaddling her, changing her diaper, getting me ice cream-- that many of the nurses commented about how lucky I was (that's what you get for marrying a nurse, I guess =)...I had to agree.

 Daddy and Gracie take a much needed nap in the hospital

Lastly, Steve has been such a sweet and loving father to Grace. He adores his girl and wants so desperately to be a good father to her. I love to see her smile at him (see below) and I love it when he wakes up after a hard graveyard shift and says down the stairs, "hello family." 

A big Sunday smile for Dad

It has been especially nice to see more of Steve these past few weeks when he has had a few days off work with no school. Grace and I love to go on walks with Daddy...even in the cold.

All bundled up

 

Sweetheart, happy birthday. I love you and Grace loves you. Thank you for all your sacrifices that allow me to stay home with our baby and for all the love you give both of us. What a difference a year makes. Here's to a great first year of fatherhood. Aja Aja Highting! Sarang hae!

 

Autumn Adventures

Whenever I take Grace out of the house I ask her, "do you want to go on an adventure with Mommy?" This seems appropriate since every time we venture out of our little enclave it feels like we are embarking on a trip to the unknown. And while going to the store with a baby can certainly seem exciting, this week Grace and I made it a little further a-field. Thanks to Mom (Grandma Nan) for being the catalyst for these mini trips and the brave soul willing to go in the car with Grace (who usually cries, but proved wonderfully behaved on both of these occasions. Yeah for Grace!)

Grandma Nan and Grace at Silver Lake

Mommy and Grace

What a beautiful scene...and just minutes from our house!

On the way back down Big Cottonwood Canyon

 Bridal veil Falls,  Provo Canyon

We also went with Grandma Nan to Provo to visit Jenny at BYU! We had a great lunch at the MOA (to help Jenny use her dining money on her card...ah the freshman dining cards!) and then walked around the museum's new exhibits (a FANTASTIC Victorian art exhibit on loan from London, and an inspirational exhibit called "Intimations of Divinity"). We then headed home via the Alpine Loop.  It was grand to be with Jenny and Mom and quite nostalgic to be back at "the BY." (I am glad, however, that I was walking around campus with a baby AFTER graduating and not before =)

The Elusive Smile

Perhaps every parent knows the angst that accompanies trying to catch your child's darling smile on camera (then again, I have seen so many smiling pictures of my nieces and nephews, it makes me wonder...) For many a week now, I have been pulling out all tactics trying to catch the perfect shot of Gracie's grin.  I just want one picture of her smiling that is taken at just the right moment and is not blurry...just one. Is that too much to ask? Apparently so.

Grace is professional at smiling, cooing and grinning...and then spying the camera and immediately stopping.

"Who Me?"

Yes, Gracie, you. 

Steve has come to call me "the paparazzi" because I am constantly pulling the camera out from behind my back, or holding it out to the side in the vain hope that I can outwit my 3-month old daughter. Alas, so far I have only gotten snatches that hint at the beauty of a genuine, one-dimpled, Grace smile. 

So, below are my feeble efforts...and soon, before her teeth come in, I WILL take and post that elusive perfect smile picture.

 

 

Of course, the greatest moments in life can never fully be captured in a picture. And surely no picture will ever be able to express the feeling Steve and I get when Grace looks right at us and smiles from her soul. There is no better medicine in the world.

The last 3 months in Pictures

July 1, 2009 was the 11 year anniversary of the day Steve and I first met. We decided to celebrate early (so we could go to Johnny's birthday ) and so on June 30th Steve and I celebrated with a 3-d viewing of the movie "UP" and some burgers and fries.  Here we are sporting our stylin' 3-d shades. As it turned out, I went into the early stages of labor after we got home that night--our last date B.C (before children).

 

40 weeks pregnant! (Little did I know I would start labor hours after this picture was taken)

Right on Time! July 2nd, 2009 at 9:04 am Grace Josephine Scoville made her debut. 

She was 8lbs and 20 inches long...and had a head of dark hair! Where did that come from?

 

 The happy, exhausted family

We had so many wonderful visitors at the hospital. Everyone was so excited about "Baby Grace"

                                                                

                     At first Grace was a "perfect baby"...all she did was sleep and sleep. Like all good things, it was under-appreciated at the time. In fact, it made her mom a bit stressed out because she wouldn't even wake up to eat!

                                                         Our Beautiful Dreamer

Then...our little sleeper morphed into a little crier and couldn't stay asleep for anything. But she remained as cute as ever and after 2 harrowing weeks at the Thorups while Steve finished Nursing School, Grace settled into her new life.

 

Nose kiss from Daddy

                                         Kylee with her newest niece

 

Great-Grandma...two "Jo"s 

(Grace's middle name is in honor of my Grandma, Gladys Josephine Wise)

"I made a wrong turn out of heaven"

Angie gave Grace this beautiful outfit and made the headband. I think she could be a little nymph with her spiky hair coming up in the back. It kind of reminds me of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". This was what she wore on her first appearance at church.

We LOVE the bjorn! Thank you Miriam and Dave!!

What a cutie...kind of like a little flapper, don't ya think?

Classic Grace--such a funny kid.

She has the sweetest smile---she is especially happy after she eats. Here Daddy made her smile so mommy could snap the picture. Usually whenever the camera comes out, the smile disappears...she is too interested in the camera to smile =)

This is at Nathan's Baptism. I love this dress our neighbor gave us.

And last of all--Here we are after Grace's Blessing. It was a beautiful day. I added a little drama to the Sacrament Meeting by having Grace in the wings up until the Bishop announced the blessing (just keeping the congregation on their toes!) Despite giving Steve a heart-attack, he recovered beautifully and offered an amazing blessing for our sweetheart.  By the end of the meeting, Grace was exhausted but we all had a nice picnic at Murray Park in her honor anyway. 

I have learned 3 valuable lessons from Grace's Blessing Day:

1) If you have gotten the baby to sleep, DO NOT try and remove her pacifier for the blessing!

2) Babies are blessed BEFORE the sacrament is passed, not after.

3) The meat tray takes longer to put together than one would think--it must be all done the night before--no excuses.

Thanks to everyone who has made these last 2.5 months wonderful for our new family. Apologies for the marathon opening blog. Hopefully we will be able to offer wittier, shorter snatches going forward.