Life has been busy here at the Saavedra household. Gracie’s become a little person and walks around with her little walker, bumping into walls, doorways, and chairs. She’s a fast crawler now and makes a beeline for any kind of cord (computer, fan, extension). We haven’t really baby-proofed the house because most of the time, she plays in her play jail yard and is, for the most part, content to play with her toys. When we do let her out to crawl and walk around, she’s supervised. But, she always goes for stuff she’s not supposed to touch. Why is it babies want to stick their little bitty fingers into wall sockets? She tried that once, but Michael was fast enough to pull her hand away. Looks like we’ll need to get some wall socket covers.
As I watch her grow, I am reminded of how important life is and how important family is to me. I am so thankful to have Michael’s family for support because lately, I’ve been feeling very much like an orphan. My mom (she’s my step-mom, but she raised me, so she’s my mom) lives in Montana and I only see her once or twice a year. My dad, well, let’s just say his actions have left much to be desired and because of that, I haven’t spoken to him since Father’s Day. My uncle, his brother, I haven’t seen in almost three years. I just don’t get it. I’ve called, left messages, and get a phone call from them maybe once or twice a year. I’ve talked to Michael about how incredulous I am regarding my family’s actions and how I would never treat Gracie like this.
Bah. My immediate, closest family is missing some of Gracie’s most important moments and all I can do is shake my head at the stupidity of it all. It must be the Danish stubbornness coming out. That’s all I ever heard about growing up, how my Danish relatives all hated each other and some didn’t even bother to show up at funerals. What kind of life is that? I don’t want that for Gracie. We’ve tried as best we can to give her a home full of love, laughter, and joy. Why surround her with that other stuff? That’s no way to live.
Gracie took her first “step” yesterday. She tried to take one step forward, then plopped to the ground. She did it once more, and same result. I spent a little time last night going through all the videos I took of her. I had forgotten just how tiny she was. How we thought it was the cutest thing, her laying there and waving her arms and legs back and forth. Oh, and her swing. Ha ha! I took at least FOUR videos of her in her swing. I watched them, and there she was… swinging. Not doing much else… just swinging. I was like the stereotypical first-time parent (we all know at least one, right?) – taking videos of her every little move and taking pictures of her every smile. In those first several months she was home, I took hundreds of pictures and lots of video. These days, I take pictures of her doing her “firsts.” Her first stroller ride without her carrier. Her first swim lesson with me. Her first swim lesson with Michael. Her first swing at the park. Her first bike ride (although, that one’s kind of silly looking because her helmet is so big, you can hardly see her eyes – just a bike helmet and a big cheesy grin) at the beach. I’m so glad for these moments.
I look at her a lot lately and still can’t believe she’s real. Like, here’s this little person with a fighting spirit and a beautiful soul staring back at me with twinkling blue eyes and all I can think as I look into them is how incredibly thankful I am for being able to do so.
Here are her firsts these past few months.
First Swim
I love this one… she’s like a little motorboat:
Now, she gets in and kicks like a little frog. She seems to enjoy the water and we’re glad about that. However, I want her to love swimming but to also have a healthy respect for the water.
First Pool Hair
I can’t even begin to describe how funny this picture is to me. She’s got Pool Hair! She hardly has any hair as it is and when she got out of my in-laws’ pool, this was the result: a cottony, wispy fluff sitting on top of her head. She also has tired eyes. Swimming is tough!
First Swing Ride at the Park
Gracie has really enjoyed all the new things we’ve introduced to her. And, what kid wouldn’t? Swings, swimming, pool hair. Are those the quintessential things of summer?
Next up, bike rides, our anniversary, and her first high chair experience. <3