happy girl

Gracelyn has a second tooth coming in, on the bottom, right next to the first one that still isn't even halfway in, after almost 3 weeks. She is such a trooper though. Nothing seems to help ease the pain but not every day is full of crying. I think mostly because physically she is able to do more things now.

Miss G is able to sit from her tummy (which I have yet to capture on video) and can pull to a stand, which she does at the very very end of this video...



and even cuter, she absolutely L.O.V.E.S. to wave now. I mean if she even hears you say "hi" to someone else and she is just nearby, that arm will start moving and a HUGE grin spreads across her beautiful face...


the video ended because I promptly removed the blanket that Britton placed on her head.

Nine is Divine!

As of last Friday, the 16th, Gracelyn is 9 months old now!!

I believe I said this last month but WOW. where had the time gone? She is ¾ of the way to one year and she's is doing so much now!!
A month ago her tongue thrust prevented her from eating solid foods without me watering them down for her to slurp off the spoon. It's no longer the case anymore! She's still on very well pureed foods but it's fantastic! Miss G is handling her sippy so well. and speaking of handling, her fine motor skills are improving greatly! She can pick up her little Gerber puffs one at a time, off her tray and put them in her mouth! She actually will pick up anything and put it in her mouth. another thing she couldn't do last month! Gracie's still army crawling but now she is an ATB, all-terrain baby. She tackles anything and anyone! if she sees something she wants and an object or person is in the way, watch out because she charges over or through to get to her goal. It's awesome! She so very close to sitting from her tummy, she gets halfway there! Gracelyn is standing better. She still has the hoolla hoop action going on, not nearly as much though AND she is starting to move a foot. She's yet to take a step but you can see in the picture below where she moved her right foot back! G is standing for about 5 minutes now!
She's jabbering and laughing, cracking up and blowing raspberries constantly. I don't have to give daily suppositories anymore either, it's every 2-3 days now!!! YAY!!!

raspberries!

Her main battle right now is her tooth. The tooth that she began cutting a week from last Saturday, um, she is still cutting it. You can finally see it now but just barely. It's so sad and such torture for her. Poor girl, she's in pain and I've tried everything to help ease it. She sleeps even less now though. like waking up hourly and taking 20 minutes to go back to sleep, only to sleep about 30.

Last Friday, when she turned 9 months old, Gracelyn had her first swim!

She wasn't much of a fan, which surprised me. She preferred observing...

...and playing with her friend Emily!

Emily turned 10 months old that day. They just have so much fun and smile and laugh at each other!!

teeth hair and laughs

Teeth: Gracelyn will be 9 months tomorrow and started cutting her first tooth last Saturday. I have been anticipating this for months. I honestly think she was teething back when she was 4 months, before she was diagnosed with botulism. Her 3 brothers were all early teethers and she was showing all the signs then. I think, and her therapist agrees that late teething is just another symptom of the toxin. Another part of her little body that was paralyzed. This first tooth is taking it's toll on her. You still cannot see it yet, only feel the top of it, still a week later. It's been a rough week.


Hair: Another victim to the toxin. Poor girl has had no hair growth and it is finally starting to fill in! on the top first. that bald spot that a lot of babies have on the backs of their heads, yeah she still has hers. hopefully it starts filling in on the back soon too! It's exciting though because sooner than I thought I will be able to do more things with her hair!!

I don't think you can tell but she does have a lot more hair now

Laughs: Her vocal sounds have been gaining in the last month. Her voice was a major casualty of the botulism. She started jabbering a little over a month ago, which is music to my ears and my heart and recently started giggling. But today she was cracking up, a laugh that I have not heard from her. Boy did we all need it and God knew it. With her teething and not feeling well because of it, she has screamed a lot and not been eating and actually wanting to sleep (which she hasn't wanted to at.all since she got sick) BUT she wants to sleep in the DAYTIME! not cool. On top of her teething, I had already decided to start potty training her littlest big brother (who is incredibly strong willed) and that has been a challenge, to say the least.



she is sitting in my lap, which explains the crazy angle and movements and she was cracking up laughing at Britton, who will probably be the only one, for at least a little while who can get her to laugh like this. she adores him.

the graduate

Gracelyn had her first graduation last Wednesday. It was not an official "ceremony" or even a graduation common to most babies but one that was filled with tears from me, her mother. After 16 weeks since she was discharged from the hospital and began therapy, Gracie graduated from physical therapy!!

she army crawled over to me and they tried to get her to pull up on me.
She didn't but they stood her up and gave me this adorable face!

It was definitely not a surprise. I knew it was quickly approaching with how incredibly well she was doing AND was told that Monday (before leaving on our camping trip) she would just come in last week for a sort of "check."

a pep talk from Mr. Derrick when she wouldn't do anything.
she looks like she's really listening but she wasn't!

Once again, she blew us away. Mr. Derrick laid her on the mat and she immediately got up on all fours. She paused there for a moment and then laid back down. PHENOMENAL! She amazes me!

LOOK AT THAT FORM!!

It was almost as if she knew this session was it for her because she didn't really listen all that well. And aside from the crawling position stance she performed right off, that was the extent of her tricks. She ignored Mr. Derrick and crawled toward me and also posed often for all her admirers. She got up on all fours a few times throughout the session just to show-off but that was it.

posing

He really tried to get her to either sit from a lay or attempt to pull up but she wasn't really interested in either idea. Gracelyn is very close to sitting up from the floor and he predicted her to be crawling by this week. Now that I am just blogging about her graduation and it is a week later, I can report that she is not sitting up from the floor or crawling on all fours.

the light up flower is tempting but not enough...

I might have mentioned a time or two, or twenty, she is a miracle. In 16 weeks she has made so much progress. SO.MUCH! To go from a 5 month old baby that was truly at a newborn level to an almost 9 month old that is close to an almost 9 month old level, WOW!! It makes me cry and gives me chills.

I will miss the staff at Jim Thorpe sooooooooooooooooooooooooo much. They mean so much to me and to Gracie and have worked so hard with her. I can not thank them enough.

Mr. Derrick.
he pushed her like I never did and made her mad like I never did but she really does love him. (despite how she looks in the picture, it was naptime!)

Gracie and Ms. Bev!

Bev is the glue that holds that place together and keeps those boys as in line as she possibly can! We love her so much!!!

last but definitely NOT least, Mr. Rusty!
He is a goofball and no matter what Mr. Derrick was making her do, if Mr. Rusty walked by or Gracie heard or caught sight of him across the room, she stared and smiled.

nature baby

Our family just returned from a week long camping trip at Roaring River in Missouri. It was Gracelyn's first. I actually hadn't been camping since last summer when we went there and I was 7 months pregnant with her.
She did pretty well. She didn't sleep much, but that's no different than at home. She never sleeps. She did really enjoy watching all the boys run and ride around. Another family in town has a family, exactly the same number as ours. Their oldest is a day older than our oldest with 2 more boys, like us and then a baby girl born exactly one month before Gracelyn. It's uncanny. So there was plenty of action for her to take in.
She did have some firsts on the trip. She drank from a sippy cup and enjoyed teddy grahams, broken in 2.
I was hoping somehow nature would help with her bowels but it didn't. wishful thinking.
She was a trooper though. She lasted on a mile long hike in a backpack carrier and only fussed a couple of times. She sat in the stroller watching us slide down a water slide and relaxed in the hammock, stroller or on the pallet while her mom and dad fixed supper for everyone so that she could eat her food. I was proud of her for that.

the first morning, in the tent!

looking through the tent screen at Gracie with her friend Emily and Emily's mom, Kathy

she absolutely LOVES looking at herself.

mom and G on mom's birthday

yes, that is Gracelyn, in her tub, in the great outdoors.
She loves baths anyway but she had so much fun.
She was pointing at Berkley, our lab.

ready for the mile hike to the caves!
She just recently started waving and she was waving to me!!

drinking from a sippy!
I don't know if it was just because she was so thirsty but I have been offering her a sippy for a couple of weeks now and she's had no interest.
She acted though like she had been using a sippy for months, no problem whatsoever. And the cup had a filter so she had to really suck, which I have been concerned about those muscles because she still seems weak there.

family picture, post hike!
Gracelyn did excellent in the backpack carrier!

G ready for the waterslide.
and NO she did not participate,
she merely dressed for the occasion and acted as our cheerleader.

I've been saying this for weeks but I really think she is teething.

while the big boys went to the swimming hole, the little ones were left with 2 wash tubs to play in. They had fun. Some may call it a redneck pool, we call it improvising.

at the snakes show.
It was way past bedtime and I think she was in a state of deliriousness.

the hammock was a favorite hangout of hers

she loved the pallet for a few minutes each time before army crawling to the side and grabbing a handful of grass, root and all and eating it. Then she threw it up. lovely.

Gracie having a blast in the hammock with her dad and 2 younger bros.
The boys only enjoyed her activeness for a few minutes before asking me to get her.

Gracelyn NOT looking thrilled to get in her car seat for the 6 hour drive home.
She did really well though. It helps that she can see her brothers since she sits in the middle row.

PT, nearing the end

Gracelyn is getting very close to graduating physical therapy! It's amazing, fantastic, and most of all, a miracle from God! She is a little over 8 1/2 months old and has pretty much met all the 6 month requirements, in a MUCH shorter time than was ever predicted.
For me though, it's bittersweet. Obviously I am elated, I mean completely over-the-moon, excited to see the progress she has made and how well she's done with all hurdles she's barreled through. She began immediately after being discharged from the hospital, not even able to hold her head up or put weight on her legs when being held to now moving across the floor, army crawling, sitting unsupported for as long as SHE wants, sitting and reaching for objects, initiating steps when you hold her hands and she's so close to getting up on all fours! I am also a little sad. The entire staff has seen the progress that we, as her family has. From the limp baby girl who could do nothing now the baby girl who is unstoppable. They are truly family to us. Even though Gracelyn only sees them once a week, she loves them, even Mr. Derrick who makes her work sometimes against her will. Gracelyn Paige is my sunshine. She has taught ME so much.

Mr. Derrick wanted her to transfer her weight to the table.
She wouldn't without help.

She is standing better.
She still is unsteady and her belly moves all around, I call it her "hoolla-hooping dance!"

Mr. Derrick helped her climb on his legs and she thought being taller was so much fun!

look at that form!

real love.
Mr. Derrick, checking for teeth...
none.

initiating steps on her own!!