Mary Grace is walking pretty well these days, although she still prefers to scoot on her bottom when covering long distances. She can scoot very fast, much faster than she can crawl or walk, which is why it remains her preferred method of travel. She will usually take a few steps, drop down and scoot across the room, and then get back up and walk the last few steps. It seems like a pretty efficient process despite the fact that she has worn through about 50 pairs of tights. She is beginning to experiment with running, which has led to a few bruises and a big scrape on her nose. Although I clapped and cheered, I was actually kind of sad when Mary Grace took her first steps. I imagine I'll have these mixed emotions with every milestone in her life.
She is getting very good at recognizing foods, body parts, animals and colors. Sometimes it can be a little scary because she seems to be absorbing a lot more than we might imagine she was capable of learning. It really makes us think twice before opening our mouths. I love to have little conversations with her; she always surprises me with how much she seems to understand.
In other news... I could say that that Mary Grace has taken a liking to Krispy Kreme doughnuts, but that would be a drastic understatement. Considering we live in Winston-Salem, we have made it a Saturday morning ritual to get her a mini glazed doughnut on our way to get breakfast, coffee or whatever we might be doing that morning. We try to balance out the doughnut with other healthy breakfast foods, but it is hard to get her excited about finishing her raisins when she is eating a big ring of grease and sugar. At times, Molly and I also partake in the doughnuts, but we try to resist as much as possible.
Here are a few pictures we took of Mary Grace eating her doughnuts last weekend, followed by some other recent shots.
They gave her a little hat the last time we were there.
"Dad, can I please take this stupid hat off now?"
Big smile.
Mary Grace playing with her first purse.
Answering her little cell phone.
Modeling her Easter bonnet from the Shealys.
More smiles.
Climbing down the stairs.
Profile shot.
Having fun with Mommy before bedtime.
Helping Drew get some practice playing the role of Daddy. Thanks for coming to visit us Drew!
Fun in the snow.
Our house in the snow.
This picture is here because Aunt Johanna is coming to visit today!!!
In closing - and most importantly - we are all getting VERY excited for the arrival of Mary Grace's new baby cousin. Mary Grace will no longer be the only granddaughter on the Iauco side of the family, and she cannot wait to have a little partner-in-crime. We will be heading up to Washington at some point towards the end of the month to meet James and Owen's new little sister.
