Half and half

No, this post isn't about coffee cream....

It is about fate, destiny, a higher power, a plan that is set for all of us. If you know me, you know that I am not very "religious" in the traditional sense of the word. Maybe going to Catholic school did that to me. But after having Grace in my life, I have become more "spiritual" and, for her, I would like to think that there is "something" or "someone" out there...Today is December 17, 2008.

I started this blog exactly one year ago today on a whim. We had a snow day and I was bored - stuck at home because the roads were too bad to navigate. At the time I didn't know how much or how often I would write. I didn't know when Grace would be coming home. And, I had no idea what challenges and celebrations 2008 would bring.

But how is this for coincidence?.... TODAY - December 17, 2008 - exactly one year to the day that I started recording our history - marks the day that Grace has been with me longer than she was with her foster family during those first months of her life.

I could not have known that back on December 17th last year. What made me pick that particular day to post her baby picture and start this journal? I had thought about starting the blog off and on for a couple of weeks before that, but didn't take the initiative and get it started. Why then, did I choose to start on this day that would eventually mark a special date for Grace and me? A little spooky...but it certainly makes you think there is a plan out there. Somehow it was all meant to be. And it is only one of so many coincidences that surround Grace coming into my life.

For example....
Did you know that weeks before Grace was even born my horoscope (which, by the way I rarely read) said that at a Gemini was going to change my life? Why did I end up reading my horoscope on that particular day?

They also say that there is often a connection between people we love who die and babies that are born. My grandmother died on a Wednesday that was the 23rd of the month and Grace was born on (you guessed it) a Wednesday the 23rd day of May.God's plan? Destiny? Fate? I certainly don't have the answer...but whatever it is, I am sure Grace and I were meant to connect at that exact moment. We needed each other. I know she has enriched my life in so many ways already and I hope that someday when she can speak for herself she will say the same thing about me.

I read a quote recently, that seems to fit the way I feel right now:

"So when they ask how far love goes, when my job is done you'll be the one who knows..."

The Polar Express

Last night we went on the Polar Express! If you are familiar with Chris Van Allsburg's Caldecott Award-winning children's book and the movie based on the book, you know that the story is about a nighttime train ride to the North Pole where children get to see Santa and his elves in action.

This is an illustration from the book

Van Allsburg's Polar Express is an old-fashioned steam train that takes children to the North Pole on Christmas Eve to meet the red-suited gentleman and to see him off on his annual sleigh ride. This is a personal retelling of the adult storyteller's adventures as a youngster on that train. The book's message is for young and old alike - belief keeps us young at heart - if you believe, you too will hear the ringing of the silver bell that Santa gave him and taste rich hot chocolate in your ride through the wolf-infested forests of reality. Van Allsburg's express train is one in which many of us wish to believe.

In our area, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad offers its version of the Polar Express - a 2 hour round trip train ride where the story is told to pajama-clad children just like in the book. This holiday program has been enjoyed by thousands over many years. At the "North Pole", through train windows, children see holiday characters, the silhouettes of elves hard at work, and Santa. It is so popular that you have to get in a lottery starting August 1st of each year, just to get tickets.

This is the actual train we rode

We went with Kellie, Dawson, and Kellie's mom. Thanks to Kellie, we got the tickets last week from someone she knows who wasn't able to use them. We hear that something like 32,000 people will ride the Polar Express this year with 10,000 others who didn't receive tickets in the lottery.As we arrived at the station we could see lots of other people waiting in their pajamas to board the train. When it stopped the conductor called, "All aboard". We found our seats as we were greeted by three elves for Grace's first train ride. The elves told the Polar Express story and shared hot chocolate and cookies with us until we got close to the North Pole. Grace really like Elf Janet who was wearing a necklace that lit up! Then, all the lights went out and outside the windows we could see tons of elves, reindeer, snowmen, Christmas trees, and colorful lights at the North Pole. There was a candy cane factory and a toy factory right near the train station! Santa even drove by our train in his sleigh!Pretty soon the train started moving again and we sang Christmas carols all the way back home. I think Grace and Dawson heard that a special someone boarded the train at the North Pole. They kept getting up an looking for him.But when Santa finally came into our train car and picked Grace up this is what happened! He gave us a magic bell from his reindeer, but that didn't seem to make her feel better until after he put her down.

Even though Grace was afraid of Santa we had a really nice time. But, I think for the rest of 2008 this will be the only type of Santa we get close to!

Chocololic Chunk

There is nothing "chunky" about Grace which is why I don't really care that she really loves eating ice cream. The problem is letting her hold the container and a spoon in her clean pajamas!

Have you noticed...

...that Grace rarely looks at the camera?

Today we went to a Christmas party with the Guatemala play group. It is always fun to see the kids together, but, of course, I mostly just watch and try to capture pictures of Grace.

Here she is in various moments throughout the morning.

Sampling her first candy cane

Sitting with the bigger kids to watch the magician

He set a rope out to mark the area where the kids were supposed to sit. Of course, Grace had to touch it! I mean, it was right in front of her...wasn't she supposed to touch it?

Sharing with Dawson

And just enjoying the warm sunshine on her back by the window(This first one is dark because I am still learning my
new camera and I didn't realize I needed the flash.)

Bubbles!

"Catching" bubbles is a favorite game in our house and Grace has just been starting to say "bubbles" which sounds a lot like "baa-bles".

The real Father Christmas?

A real-life bishop in what is now Turkey, Saint Nicholas earned his sainthood for numerous miracles, but his neighbors knew him best as a kind and generous man with a great fondness for children. He was known for his good deeds and generous spirit. Legend has it that he was the real Father of Christmas, "St. Nick". In many parts of the world Saint Nicholas delivers gifts on the eve of his Feast Day, December 6, and December 25th is reserved for the religious observance of Christ's birth.

The most famous tradition on St. Nicholas Day is that children put their polished shoes or socks by their bed, outside the door, or on a windowsill and at night St. Nicholas fills them with little gifts. Kellie encouraged me to start this tradition with Grace, so I did! St. Nick brought Grace a snowman stuffed doll, a new book called Ten Christmas Lights (it lights up!), and a snack tucked into her boots. You can see she liked the book. Here she is "reading" it. I also want her to grow up being conscious of people who are less fortunate. So we did two things: we boxed up many of the clothes that don't fit her any more (and some old clothes of mine) and brought them to Goodwill. And, on Monday night we are going to spend an hour ringing the bell for the Salvation Army outside a local grocery store. I have a feeling, dressed in her Santa outfit, that she is going to earn a lot of donations!

Fresh from the bath and ready for bed

Grace is a good sleeper. Most nights she goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:00 and once she is in her crib, I rarely hear a peep out of her until I have to wake her up in the morning. When it is getting close to bedtime all I have to do is ask her, "Do you want to go night-night?" and she will walk to the bottom of the stairs and wait for me to open the gate so she can climb up.

Here she is in the 5 minutes before bed tonight.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

Or a Miss Claus....

It's good to be small

We had a busy day of doctor's appointments. Grace went to the dentist for the first time this morning and for her 18-month check-up with the pediatrician this afternoon. In between, she napped!

I found a new pediatric dentist who just started his practice in our area. It was pretty interesting how he examined Grace. The dentist and I sat in two chairs knee-to knee with Grace sitting on my lap facing me. Then I leaned her back so she was resting on his lap and he could look into her mouth and "count her teeth" (he uses all these kid-friendly terms for the examination and dental tools) and give her a fluoride treatment. Considering some strange man had his hands in her mouth, she did pretty well. He told me that she has all her teeth except for her 2-year molars which can come in at any time now. I also learned that her mouth is crowded and it it likely that when her permanent teeth come in they will also be crowded. It sounds like braces are in our future! The dentist also warned me about dental trauma at this age. He said he sees a lot of toddlers who have fallen and had injuries to their teeth. When Grace does things like this I can understand why!
At the doctor's office, Grace weighed in at just over 23 pounds (2 pounds more than in September) and she was 32 1/2 inches tall (an increase of 1 1/2 inches since September). That translates to being in the 31st percentile for weight and the 70th percentile for height. Grace is taller and lighter than other kids her age. She is up-to-date on all her vaccinations and she even got a flu shot.

She cracks me up, too. While we were waiting in the examination room she noticed that the seat of doctor's stool spun in a circle. So she put different objects on it to see what would happen. Her sippy cup, some books, tissues, and my car keys all went for a ride!