Tuesday, January 12, 2010

A NEW Year

Wow weee! It's been 6 months since I last blogged. Bad Audrea! It’s now 2010. When did that happen? Time goes by too quick. This year I think I’ll make my resolution to blog more. Now, when I say blog more, I mean that not just in quantity but it quality. I want to blog more about my ideas, ideas I find and yes, more about my family. It will still be about the Ratliff’s but with a little more in there.

To start off, I will catch you all up to date. We are pluggin and chuggin along. Nothing new family wise. Codey and Alyssa are still doing what they do best – acting the wonderful part of teenagers. Alyssa’s 17 and Codey’s 15. And as every other red-blodded teen, they still don’t like school but they are in the final years of it. Woo! I can’t wait to have a graduation party for them! I love parties what can I say? Hee hee.

Anyhoo, Alyssa is still texts waaay too much. I think her last bill said she was up to 32,517-ish. Yes that’s right 32 THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED SEVENTEEN-ish. That girl has thumbs of thunder!

Codey is still in band. He has a drum set now up in his room so he is loving that. It’s nice because he can practice before Gracie goes to bed and she claps along with him! Yes ladies and gentlemen, we have yet another drummer blooming. She LOVES drums, she can find the down beat in music and claps along. She also love to play the drums. All of this and she’s only 16 months old. She’s gonna give her drummer daddy and brother a run for their money!

Gracie is growing too fast! My baby’s not a baby anymore. Literally. Gerber says she’s a toddler now. Ugh. Who gave her permission to grow up? I surely didn’t. But she hasn’t forgotten me so that’s nice. She still clings to me when she’s scared or needs something or it’s bed time. Other than that, it’s her world and I and the rest of you just live in it. She now has 13 teeth and they hurt. I speak from experience. Like me when I was little, she bites to say I love you. And I seem to be the only one she loves because I am the only one she bites. Who knew a “toddler” could institute “tough love”? Again, I just live in her little world; of which, she is constantly exploring. If it can be climbed, she’ll be the first to the top. If it can be moved, little Hercules is the first to move it. She has now mastered how to grab your hand and pull you where she wants you to go. She is a master of using people for her gain. And if you don’t go? The yelling and admonishing in sues. Yes, you will get scolded if you don’t aid her in her plans of escape, play, or demise of hose-hold objects. The newest skills added to her repertoire, are trading and distracting. A few weeks ago, she saw Codey laying on the couch with his new belt. She point and “OOo ugh!” were her exact words. Codey said he couldn’t share as his new belt was holding up his pants and he was sorry. Well of course this wouldn’t do. In a hmph she turned and we thought she went to play. Nope. She immediately returned with her new favorite pjs. They are very pretty with ballerina’s that sparkle on them. At which point she laid them on the couch and patted them. Then she pointed to Codey’s belt, again. And with more oomph shouted, “OOOOO ahhh ugh!” By all of this we took it to mean and it was quite plain that she wanted to trade Codey her pretty pjs for his belt. The girl can’t even say an entire sentence but she can point, ugh and let you know what she wants. Who knew she was so smart? We didn’t but we quickly found out. Then, about a week ago, she noticed Codey’s new Netbook that he got for Christmas was sitting on the couch next to him. She point at it and said “Uh!” He said it was for big people and she couldn’t have it. By now I’m sure you realize she started formulating a scheme to get it. This scheme was her best yet! She turned away but looked at him from the corner of her eye. Yep, he was watching her. Good. Part 1 of her plan was working. But what was her plan. I sat back and watched it unfold. She went and got her favorite alphabet book. She had me read it. Then took it to Daddy and had him read it. All the wile keeping Codey in her peripheral vision. After Daddy read it, she took it to Codey and said, “Book!” I told Codey that she wanted him to read it. Now Part 2 to her plan was coming along very nicely. As he read her the book Part 3 began to slowly and sneakily take place. As he read, her little hand slowly crept over to his Netbook. What a sneaky girl! Well, Part 3 of her plan was a little harder to pull off and took quite a bit of convincing since Codey then noticed her hand creeping toward his goody. He said, “Ha! I caught you!” to which she quickly replied “Book!” pointing to the book he held. So Codey went back to reading it. Her little eyes shifted back and forth from Codey to his Netbook. You could almost hear the swoosh of how quick her little eyes moved. As soon as she was sure he was back to reading the book her hand went back to inching it’s way to his prize. He again caught her and she again got his attention back to the book. As he was reading her book, he said that he would let her go and see how far she could take it. Again her little eye’s swooshed back and forth and again her little hand inched till at last! Her little devious plan was complete! She had the electrical device that she so desperately desired. Codey then looked at her and said she had to give it back. Needless to say, she was less than thrilled that her little diabolical plan had been foiled.

These are the adventures of Gracie we encounter every day! Along with scheming plans and silliness, she’s also built her library of words. Momma, Mamaw, Dadda, Pap-pap, Co! (Codey), Dell (Adele). Car, Call (Phone or the action of calling), Cuh (Cup), Cool, Cood (Cold), Box, Ball, Bok (Block), Yum num (food), Nana (Banana). Goo (Goof), Go, Vroom, Muk (Milk), No-nos(Long o sound) (Nose), Beh-buh (Belly-button), Cah (Cat), Mouw (Meow – the sound the kitty makes) , Pah (optional Pah-hee) (Potty), Puh or Puhr (Purse) and other’s I’m sure I’m forgetting. But on to the good stuff! She knows all of her body parts. Yep. I taught her to point to the following body parts when I ask where they are. Head, hair, nose, eyes, ear, mouth, hands, arm, foot/feet, leg, belly and belly button. You read that right. Belly-button. She will tap her belly when I say belly and find her little belly-button when I say belly-button. Last but not least she knows to tell me right before she does number 1! She will grab her diaper and say “Pah! Pah!”. She also grabs her diaper and says “Pah!” and will run to my bedroom door when she does number 2. At 16 months she hates being wet. Even the slightest tinkle and she lets you know she wants to be dry. Kev and I will be buying her 2 pottys this week. One for home and one for Mamaw and Papaw’s. I really think she’s ready to start. This will obviously be at her own pace. It’s not something I thought I would start right now but she hates being even slightly wet. I don’t blame her. I would hate it too. See, that’s the thing. She is a miniature version of me. She looks like me, sounds like me and acts like me. She loves all the same stuff I do and it was her own choice. Her favorite color is red like me, she loves lions like me and we are both quite fond of yogurt. I couldn’t ask for a better side-kick. She really is my little side-kick. She doesn’t behave for anyone better than me, she always has to have what I have and is clinging to my side most of the time. And that’s the update for Gracie.

As for me and Kev, we just do our best to keep up with her.

Stay tuned for more adventures in the Ratliff house.

Only this many more days!

Lilypie Maternity tickers