Happy Birthday Grace!

Today is Grace's big day - she turns 6!  And while it is "her" day it is also "our day".  It's the day we were blessed with our Grace Hannah. 

We were so excited for her arrival.  We finished her room a few weeks before she was born.  I remember we would walk in there at night and look at the crib and hold her little elephant that played "twinke, twinkle little star" and think how our lives were going to change once she arrived.  We had no idea!

I wasn't going to recap the story of her birth, but I haven't wrote about it yet on my blog and I wrote about Abigail's so for prosterity sake, here we go...

Grace was due on Feb. 4th but decided to join us a little early.  I fully anticipated that I would be late, as many women are with their first child.  And I had a job where I worked from home so I didn't think too much about not being home when I went into labor.  So, on Jan, 22, 2004, I ventured off to a meeting in DC.  I parked my car at the mall (it is a cheap place to park for the metro and just so happens to have lots of shops - ha), hopped on the metro and went to my meeting at the JW Marriott.

And then, during our lunch break and sparing you details, I went into labor.  I called the dr. and she suggested that I go right to the hospital (my water had broke which is why I need to go to the hospital rather than wait it out at home).  So I frantically called Bruno and told him to meet me at home.  I didn't have a bag packed and wasn't ready for this at all!  We were in the middle of our birthing classes (which I did manage to get a refund for the classes we missed - ha), we hadn't had the hospital tour yet, we didn't have diapers, etc.  I had planned to do all the final preparations that weekend. 

I hopped in a cab and realized there was a problem.  January 22 marks the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision.  This is not a date I knew until that day when I tried to get a cab from the JW Marriott to my house.  The propopents and opponents of Roe v. Wade held a march in DC that was so huge that many of the streets in DC were closed.  So, after some stressful moments, the cab figured out a way to get me home... he didn't know I was in labor.

Bruno and I met at home, packed a bag and headed to the hospital.  The dr. told me that since my water already broke, I would probably need to have the baby within 24 hours.  I called my mom and told her the good news.  She said she would try and come as soon as she could.  In what was an amazing feat, she managed to go home, pack and book a flight (using frequent flier miles no less) within about 45 minutes.  She arrived right before Grace was born (just a little over 10 hours after I went into labor) and she was able to be in the room with us to witness the miracle.  And Kerri was just outside the room and joined us minutes later.  My dad was able to join us just a few days later and Bruno's family joined us a couple of weeks later.

Bruno and I were just amazed and awe-struck and instantly in love with our precious little angel.  We called everyone we knew (even though it was after mid-night at that point).  We cried and laughed and held her.  She was perfect and beautiful with a full head of black hair and healthy. 

Grace has brought so much joy and love and happiness to our lives ever since.  She makes us laugh and makes us think about things.  She is smart and friendly and is slowly starting to realize that she can have fun with her sister!  She was very excited about today for many reasons:

1)  She will get to hear her name announced on the PA at school for birthdays.
2)  She has art class - one of her favorites.
3)  She is bringing in cupcakes for all the kids in her class.
4)  She is starting Global Arts this afternoon (an after-school program that she loves)
5)  She gets to pick what we have for dinner.
6)  She will get to open presents tonight and have more chocolate cake and ice cream.
7)  And most of all, she gets to see her Jamma and Poppy tonight - wahoo!

Our dear Grace - we wish you a lifetime of happy birthdays! 

Love,
Mom and dad

The double-check up

It seemed like a good idea at the time.  I was scheduling Abigail's 15 month check-up and realized that it would be just a few weeks prior to Grace's 6 year check up.  I asked the receptionist if I could schedule both appointments at the same time.  "Sure," she said.  "Great," I responded. 

It wasn't so bad but needless to say, we spent 1 hour at the doctor office with both girls getting their check-ups.  There was a lot of waiting - to be called back - to wait for the dr. - to wait for Abigail's shots - to wait to pay.  But the doctor is so sweet and very thorough so that is good.  And the bottom line is that we feel so fortunate to be blessed with two healthy children.  Waiting to hear your children are perfectly healthy is not a bad thing - it is a good thing.

For the latest statistics:
Grace remains in the 75th percentile for weight - 49 lbs (she is too young to care if I post her weight) and 48 inches tall (95th percentile).  She proudly told the doctor that she eats pancakes for breakfast EVERY day and her favorite activity on the weekends is watching the Brady Bunch.  I was so proud - ha!  (See my post last year about the question/answer session with Grace and the doctor.)  I did tell the doctor that Grace really eats very well.  In fact this morning, I asked her if she wanted chips with her peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. She responded that she would prefer lima beans.  Oh, she is so Bruno's daughter! 

And she was quite disappointed when the doctor told her that she was caught up on all of her shots and wouldn't need any.  Yes, I said disappointed.  The doctor was very impressed with Grace's vocabulary and social skills.  So maybe she is my daughter - ha!

Abigail is almost on the same growth curve - 75th percentile for weight at 23.4 lbs and 95th percentile for height at 32 inches.  She is eating all kinds of foods... the doctor said we could try peanut butter soon - yipee!  We are all peanut butter freaks so we'll keep our fingers crossed for no allergies.  She is saying so many words and wants to know what everything is.  And she loves to do whatever Grace is doing - especially coloring.  She is such a happy little girl and so much fun!

Next time - separate appointments!

Because they are so cute

I meant to post these around Christmas but December just got away from me so here are the adorable little ones that keep us on our toes and who we love more than anything!

A Fun Day

Grace had a half-day at school yesterday.  Usually she goes to extended day because Bruno and I work full-time.  But I decided that I would take the afternoon off so that she could be a "car-rider" (which she found very exciting) and we would spend the afternoon together. 

First, lunch at the food court.  In a shocking decision, she chose McDonalds.  Why go with anything else when there is McDonalds?!  In my attempt to eat slighly healthier this year, I chose Subway. 

Then we did a little shopping and perfume smelling at Macy's.  I don't usually wear perfume because it makes me sneeze but we had fun smelling all the different brands - including Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, etc.  Who knew?!

The next step was off to see the Princess and the Frog.  I bought popcorn... yes, we had just eaten lunch but it is a MUST to have popcorn at the movie theater.  And we somehow managed to almost finish the bag.  The movie was cute but not enough "princess" for Grace.  Without giving too much away, the princess turns into a frog and much of the movie is spent with her as a frog.  But we had fun.

Then it was back home to clean out Grace's room.  One night, when I wasn't paying attention, a tsumani struck her room.  It flipped over boxes, opened drawers, and tipped over books.  You could barely see the floor.  So, we (ok, I ) seriously organized and cleaned her room.  It is spotless now. 

I think it's a sign that I know I am getting older when I get joy from organizing two linen closets, two kids closets and two kids rooms all in one week.  So sad, I know!

Then my fun day ended with dinner with Kerri who I have not seen since Thanksgiving  - how did that happen?!?  Oh, snow storms, trips away for Christmas, sickness... that will do it!  We had a yummy dinner of salad (see, me, trying to be healthy) and pizza (oh well, there is calcium in the cheese, vegetables in the sauce (at least tomatoes)).  A girl can only be so healthy.  I did add a link on my blog to "Hungry Girl" which is a great blog about making yummy food more healthy. 

After dinner, Kerri and I went to see Young Frankstein - a GREAT musical at the Kennedy Center.  Normally would not have been something I would have thought about going to but thanks to my mom and Nora's recommendation, we decided to go.  I'm so glad we did - it was hilarious! 

So, today I am back at work and the stress from December is slowly peeling away - yipee!

Good-bye Michael and John

It's been a few months now and I just realized that we haven't heard from Michael and John.  We don't get the daily updates on where they are living or what they are doing or their latest adventures... We just stopped hearing about them.  Strange thing is that we aren't sad and we don't necessarily miss them... we just realized one day that they were no longer a part of our lives.

Yes, this deserves an explanation...

About two years ago, Grace watched Peter Pan for the first time.  As with most kids, she watched it over and over and over and over.  Then she started re-enacting the scenes.  Of course, she was Wendy and her yellow bear with the rainbow ribbon was Michael and her brown bear with the red bow tie was John.  She played with Michael and John for hours and made up fabulous stories.  (She never really got that Michael was a boy so in her mind he was always a girl.  I guess in the movie, Michael is just a baby so maybe he looks like a girl to a then three-year old.) 

Grace has an amazing imagination and it just grew and grew.  Soon Michael and John became her very close imaginary friends.  It seemed every day we would hear new escapades about Michael and John - they got married, had children, moved all around the world.  When we traveled to Michigan, she would point out the houses where Michael and John had once lived or went to school.  The stories became more and more elaborate and detailed as she grew older.  We egged her on with questions about Michael and John.

I knew kids had imaginary friends but I didn't expect the phase to last almost two years!  And then one day a few weeks ago, I realized that I had not heard about Michael and John in quite awhile.  So, I asked Grace, "hey, what's up with Michael and John?"  She looked at me funny and said "what do you mean?"  So I asked again and she just shrugged her shoulders and said "oh, I don't know."

So, farewell our dear friends Michael and John... it was nice knowing you!

Happy 2010

I was going to write an eloquent post about our New Year's Eve, but my friend Fannie beat me to it. Lucky for me, she is a fabulous writer so I'll refer you to her blog for the description of our evening.

Here is the menu which Bruno developed and executed to perfection. (And of course the flash on our camera broke right before dinner so I don't have any pictures - boo.)  I wish I was a food blogger, as I'm sure this would peak a lot of foodies' interest.  In case you can't read the menu, Bruno prepared and served the following 5-course meal:

• Carmelized onion, gueyere and bacon tart
• Cream of Aspargus Soup
• Lobster, Shrimp and Avocado Cocktail served on Wasabi Flan with Sriracha Tomato Glaze
• Lemon Sorbet
• Zinfandel and Rosemary Braised Beef Short Ribs with Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes and Wilted Spinach
• Tahitian Vanilla Cheesecake with Raspberry Lemon Sauce

A few year's ago, we started a tradition with our friend's Fannie and Tim.  We take turns hosting phenomenal New Year's Eve meals.  Lucky for me and Tim, our spouses, Fannie and Bruno are AMAZING cooks!

We try to out-do each other each year... the best linens are on the table, the good silver is polished and the crystal is sparkling.  There is never a lack of wine or champagne and the food surpasses expectations each year.  We are lucky to have such good friends to share a great night with.

And I am lucky to have such a wonderful husband who is the most fabulous chef.  He creates dishes from scratch and he perfects dishes that he tries at restaurants.  He has even strayed into my world of baking and has perfected the red velvet cupcake and dark chocolate mousse.  He really should have his own food blog - except he doesn't like to share his recipes - that may be a problem!  Maybe someday, he'll sell his cookbook!

Happy New Year to all of our friends and family!