The Last Month or So - A Retrospective

Since I took a little blogging vacation, I had a bunch of pictures stored up that didn't make their way into individual posts, so I figured I'd put them all up together since Grace's cuteness needs to be shared with the world.  Enjoy!

The best pic of Grace so far.

Gracie the Giant, The Eighth Wonder of the World

Well, maybe mostly head.

Height runs in my family.  I'm 6'0", my sister is 6'1", my dad is 6'3" and I've got uncles as tall as 6'5".  Not to mention Carrie, who checks in at an above average 5'7".  So we expected to have a tall baby, which was confirmed from her first sonogram pictures showing a baby that was all arms and legs.

That said, we were in a surprise when we took Grace to the pediatrician for her 4-month checkup.  We could tell visually that Gracie got taller since her 3-month visit, but when the nurse put her on the table she measured 26 inches, a shocking 2 1/2" inches longer than the last month.  So shocking in fact that the nurse was compelled to measure her a second time and then the doctor a third time, the both of them believing that such a spurt had to be a mistake.

Down for the Count

It's been a constant amazement to me just how quickly Gracie has learned new abilities.  New skills have debuted at a furious pace of late, all appearing out of the blue.  When I hold her, she can smoothly and rapidly turn her head all the way to the right, then to the left and back again.  At the doctor's last week, she was on the table and rolled over for the first time.  Just the other day, I was holding her binky until she pushed my hand away, grabbed it, spit it out and put it back in her mouth on her own.  And last night, she showed off her most impressive talent to date.

Feel the Burn

If you want to get in shape, skip the gym and just have yourself a kid.  I've only been a dad for 3 months but I'm already in the best shape of my life.  Granted, that's not saying much.  I've never been much of an athlete (unless you count playing Madden, which I do), and have had the build of a high school freshman through my twenties and beyond.  However, the steady baby lifting program that Grace has put me on is having major results.  Now I'm built like a high school sophomore after a growth spurt, albeit one with significantly less hair.

Grace is an awesome personal trainer, determined to push me to my physical limits every single day.  It's a severe approach but it certainly works.  To show you what I mean, here's a typical workout routine.

Demure No More

I've got a confession to make.  I don't know how to make myself burp.  Whether it's because of some odd reflex or an absurd mental block, I've never been able to figure out how to belch on purpose, which has been an endless source of shame for me as a fully-grown man.

One of my less rational fears upon becoming a parent was that Grace was going to inherit this flaw from me.  My fear only grew when she was first born and was struggling to get her gas up, in no small part because I hadn't yet figured out how to burp her either.  She'd wriggle in discomfort.  I'd furiously search for the magic spot to pat on her back.  Eventually, she'd let out a tiny, halfhearted noise and we'd both be eager to just move on.

Fascination

No commentary, just thought it was cool to show how totally enraptured Grace is with the world around her.  This went on for 20 solid minutes.

Wooby Versus Wooby

We've got a ton of toys in the house, but up until the last week or so, Grace hasn't had much interest in playing with any of them.  That's perfectly normal of course.  Like most babies, Grace has spent her first three months discovering herself and the world around her while receiving plenty of entertainment from her goofy parents.  I guess that Carrie, me and the house are getting to be old hat for our little girl though, because lately she's started interacting with her woobys.