Yes, it has been seven months now that Gracie has been home and we have been a family of four. If Molly were looking over my shoulder as I write this she would say, "and Maybel."
Gracie is doing amazing and as hard as those first couple of months were for all of us, it is hard to believe where we are now. Every day Gracie is happier and more confident. She still falls back on whining and crying when things don't go her way but is getting better at using her words every day. Now every time Molly starts to whine or cry Gracie looks at her, puts her hand up and says, "no whine, no cry."
Gracie has been potty trained for a month now! She uses pull ups at night and nap-time but usually stays dry during nap. She was easy to train, and it only took about a week! She loved the rewards with her Elmo sticker chart, m&m's and picking out her big girl panties.
Gracie got to attend movie night with Molly at Happyland (Molly's Preschool) while Mom and Dad had a date night. The teachers were all so impressed with her speech, maturity and ability to follow direction. They all wanted to take her home and can't wait for her to start school in January.
Gracie is so polite and uses please and thank you all the time and if anyone gets hurt she is always there to offer a kiss.
Gracie has been busy going to music class, swimming lessons, story time at the library and play dates with her play group. Our little girl that used to throw a book across the room is now in love with story time and is always asking for one more book at bedtime.
Molly has a week of vacation from school and then goes back to join the "Peaceniks" (the big kid class) and she is so excited! It is amazing how much she has learned over the last year. Happyland's motto is Peace, Love and Hope and Molly is happy, confident and thriving in that environment.
Molly started playing soccer and is fast and focused on the field. We think she will be on the track team one day and be a sprinter because she loves to run fast and be first. She can be the last one to start running and still finish first.
The summer has been good to us, Eric has had a reasonable work schedule and been working close to home and gets home early so we have lots of family time. The girls love each other and have so much fun just playing at home that we do spend more time just nesting in the house these days. There is the occasional fight over a toy but, all in all, life is good. The best part of it is hearing the laughter of two little girls coming from the other room while Eric and I grab a few minutes alone and share a smile while we take in the beauty that is our life.
