The LoGrasso Family

Waving & Walking

2008-05-16T13:50:00.002-04:00

Here are some cute videos from the past few weeks...

Nine Months

2008-05-06T14:11:00.004-04:00

Grace will be nine months old this week!!! These past few weeks she has started intentionally waving 'hello' to people...as well as the cats, stuffed animals, the television and photos on the wall. It cracks me up to get her out of her crib in the morning and watch her scan the walls for the photos so she can wave to them.

She is also pulling up on everything including her walker and the stairs (she climbed the full flight this week for the first time...with us behind her of course).

Her personality is really coming out as well, and it's been so fun to watch her giggle and try to communicate with us.

Five Year Anniversary

2008-04-26T17:24:00.005-04:00

It was 5 years ago today that we were married not far from here in Clifton, Virginia. In some ways it seems like yesterday, but most of the time it seems like at least that long ago because our lives (and ourselves) have changed in so many ways that I can't hardly recognize the way we were back then. To list a few of the many changes:
THEN:
-we were living in Phoenix, AZ in an apartment
-I was working as Senator Jon Kyl's (Arizona) scheduler and working very much full-time wearing a suit everyday (and often nylons even in AZ) and also very much consumed by my political functions. In all honesty it wasn't until about a year ago that I stopped having nightmares occassionally about forgetting an event and receiving a call from JK about something...
-Chris was working at Sumitomo in Phoenix and was finishing up his degree at night
-we had just gotten our little babies Penny & Nickles (our kittens...)
-we were in debt up to our eyeballs (and beyond) and I remember painting and slipcovering nearly every piece of furniture in our home to make it cute (IKEA seemed pricey then)

SINCE THEN:
-we're living on the East Coast...
-I'm a stay-at-home-mom... MY DREAM job, and I've been able to stay home for the last 3 years thanks to Arbonne (and our campaign fundraiser who told me about it...Corinne, I'm ETERNALLY grateful for this uber-gift!!!!)
-Chris got his degree in Business.
-Chris is with a government consulting firm, and he loves it.
-now we have our most treasured baby Grace who is almost 9 months old AND Penny & Nickles have been seriously demoted...although Grace sure is fascinated by them.
-we are out of debt (and our home is furnished with REAL furniture), and God has done a true miracle in our lives financially through Arbonne, Chris' job and Crown Financial Ministries.

Anyway, enough about that...here are the pictures I know you relatives really logged on to see (:

Starting to Talk

2008-04-18T17:38:00.002-04:00

Yes, it's been a full two weeks since I've updated our blog because I was out of town last weekend to Atlanta for our annual Arbonne conference (the best yet!) Nana, Ompa and Daddy all worked overtime taking care of Grace, and she wore them all out! I of course had a hard time leaving her, but she did great and had a ball.

In the last two weeks she has started saying mama, dada, baba and nana. We don't think she is actually associating the words with anything yet, but at least they are understandable. She's started pulling up on everything including the ottoman and chairs in the living room, and she's successfully climbed the first step (scary!)...of course with supervision.

Almost 8 Months

2008-04-04T13:11:00.003-04:00

Not much new to report this week. Grace will be 8 months old on the 8th (WOW, I can't believe it!!!) Here are a few of the latest pictures.

Easter

2008-03-27T16:30:00.003-04:00

Grace spent her first Easter here in Virginia, and it was clear but brisk, but at least there was no snow like last year!

Crawling

2008-03-21T14:23:00.004-04:00

This was a week of many firsts...

This was the first week Grace crawled across the living room without falling to her belly.

This was the first week Grace sat up on her own from her tummy.

This was the first week she fed herself an entire bottle (this one we discovered quite by accident...I couldn't stop the car to feed her, so I handed her a bottle to see what she would do with it and after a few minutes of frustration she figured it out and downed the whole thing!)

Unfortunately, in all the excitement I forgot to take one single picture the entire week!

Here's a video of Grace chasing a pig my brother played with as a kid (20 years ago!).

There is nothing more attractive to Grace than the color silver...and the camera is no exception.

Starting to Crawl

2008-03-14T15:13:00.005-04:00

Grace took her first few baby steps crawling this week. The most she's taken is 5 steps before falling on her belly (and then usually ends up doing an army crawl to get her toy), but she's getting there and moves fairly quickly across the floor now.

William pushing Grace:

Gracie laughing at Mommy:

Grace taking one tiny (so tiny you might miss it at first glance) step:

7 Months

2008-03-06T19:46:00.002-05:00

Grace is getting closer to crawling each week, but it looks like she won't get there before she hits 7 months...It's so hard to believe that her first year is over half way through! We had to lower Grace's bed in her crib last week because she's starting to get close to pulling up on it, and we of course wouldn't want the first time to be an accident.

Grace's favorite activities at this age are walking around the house in her walker, walking with Mommy outside in her chariot (aka stroller), and swinging. (We captured a few pictures below.) This past weekend I went to a women's retreat here locally, so of course Chris was on 'daddy duty' for the day on Saturday...as were the hubbies of my girlfriends who went also... So, Chris and 3 of his friends got together and the 4 dads walked 5 children (all under the age of 3) to the park and Starbucks. I was so bummed he didn't capture a picture! They of course got a few honks, several comments and even more second glances.

New Tooth!

2008-02-29T09:42:00.009-05:00

Grace's first tooth has appeared, and the second one is close behind! Her bottom two front teeth are peeking through, and the one on the right has broken the gum line.

Now that Grace is older we've settled into a more predictable routine. For those who are far away, here's a run down of a typical day in our household:
7am-Grace wakes up
9am-she naps
9:45-she's up and ready to go (and 'go' is what we try to do...usually errands, Bible study on Tuesdays, or Nanna's on Mondays at this time because she's the most 'fresh,' and she LOVES going to the store).
11am-lunch
noon-nap (this is anywhere from 1 1/2-2 1/2 hrs.)
2/2:30pm-playtime and a walk (if it's above 45 degrees outside...which it hasn't been for a while)
3pm-Grace takes a bottle, and Mommy looks at the clock and can't believe there are still several hours until Daddy is home.
5pm-Grace eats dinner.
5:15pm-Grace watches "Praise Baby" while Mommy cooks dinner and waits with anticipation for Daddy to call and say he's on his way home.
5:30/6pm-Daddy is home!!!!! We are so elated!!! We both are so excited to see him!!!
6pm-Daddy changes clothes, and then plays with Grace, gives her a bath, reads to her, and prays with her.
6:30-Grace is down to bed and mommy and daddy eat dinner (yes she sleeps between 12-13 hours a night...I know we're fortunate).

6 Month Photos

2008-02-20T15:42:00.002-05:00

We had Grace's six-month photos taken yesterday...no there's no Easter dress because we're still deciding what she'll wear (and us for that matter!), so we'll be back to the studio next month.

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-15T08:52:00.003-05:00

Grace celebrated her first Valentine's Day yesterday with a trip to the Dr. for her 6-month checkup and some shots (fun for us all!) When we walked into the pediatrician’s front office Grace immediately got tense and seemed nervous. I thought, “There’s no way she could remember being here. I must be imagining that she's nervous.” Then, sure enough when we entered the examining room she instantly gave me her sweet pouty lip and burst into full-blown hysterics; her hands even started trembling…something I’ve never seen her do before. I was able to calm her down, but was so surprised since Grace doesn’t get scared very easily. (I think she remembered seeing Dr. Pfeffer, the tall deep-voiced Dr. we saw last time who is my personal favorite at the clinic and a grandfatherly teddy bear...when she saw him last time he had barely walked in the door when she became hysterically terrified at the sight of him and has never had this reaction with anyone since). This time we had a female CNP, so Grace was much better by the end and hardly cried at all for her shots.

She weighed 17 lbs. 4.5 oz (75th %), measured 27 ¾“ long (95th %), and her head measured 43 ¼ cm (65th %).

Six Months Today!

2008-02-08T09:05:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's so hard to believe that Grace is six months old today! The first three months crawled by (no pun intended) but the last few months have really flown. We are enjoying her more everyday. Chris seems to have the magic touch when it comes to making her laugh (as you can see below). Although NOTHING makes her laugh like watching him burp! She throws her head back in truly hysterical laughter and sounds like a little kid. We've tried to capture it on film but haven't been successful yet.

Now that Grace is more predictable, we're trying to slow down a bit and do more family outings. Last Saturday we took our first 'family trip' to Middleburg (about 45 min. from here). There's not a lot to do there other than shop and see horse property (lots steeple chases and horse races here...Christopher Reeves had his unfortunate accident not far from here in Culpeper). It turned out to be a beautiful day, and we shopped and had a picnic lunch (albeit in the car on the edge of a museum parking lot, but the scenery was still pretty). It brought back fun memories for me as well because we often drove out here on Sunday afternoons as a kid and got ice cream (it's a pretty drive and my parents got some much needed peace and quiet since we often fell asleep on the way).

Videos

2008-01-29T17:10:00.000-05:00

Now that Grace is talking more, we're finding more reasons to pull out the recorder. We know our home movies aren't all that entertaining, but we thought some of you might enjoy watching her in action.

Gracie had a 'date' with her friend William Johnson watching Veggie Tales at our home while his parents went on a date of their own. William tried to cozy up to Gracie (can't wait until they see this when they're older!)

William is 4 months older than Gracie; she was VERY impressed with his agility and crawling skills, and she was trying to tell him so (or really yell this at him) and he started crying.

Photos from the last 2 weeks:

I've Been Tagged!

2008-01-24T12:37:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I've been delaying this for over a month now, but finally I've gotten around to fulfilling my 'tagging' obligation to my dear friend Drea. She 'tagged' me on her blog and asked me to share 6 things about myself that most people probably wouldn't know. I'm supposed to 'tag' 6 others who have blogs, so I'm tagging Eve, Amy, Alicia, Becca Hughes, EB, and Becca Holt because I'd love to hear about you, but please don't worry about it if you're too busy--just thought I'd ask!

1.I was named "Anne" after the Anne in the "Anne of Green Gables" series. My mom and dad went to Prince Edward Island (where the books take place) on their honeymoon, and I was conceived only a few weeks later. To this day these are some of my favorite books (and movies! Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea are simply the BEST!)

2. Much like "Anne of Green Gables" I'm an avid reader. While most people know this, but what they don't know is that I read so much as a kid that I actually read an entire book (I mean a chapter book over 100 pages usually) EVERYDAY during my summer vacation between third and fourth grade. I did this for 2 reasons: 1. because I LOVED 'The Babysitters Club' series and these accounted for the vast majority of my reading material 2. I'm slightly competitive and driven (okay, maybe a little more than slightly), and I wanted to win the summer reading competition and earn the McDonald's party at the end. I was sorely disappointed when I returned to school and people had a hard time believing me. (If you are wondering if I ever left the house, the answer is yes. We lived in a neighborhood with lots of kids which meant lots of socializing and sleepovers--and Super Mario Bros. of course--and I would bring my book with me if I didn't finish it during the day)

3. I LOVE frosting. At sleepovers my friends and I would often raid raid our parents' canned frosting stash. Chris reminded me the other day that when he met me in college I always had a can or two of open frosting in the fridge to snack on.

4. I am a pianist at heart. I've played since I was five, and I accompanied the worship team at our church, competed a bit in high school, and even majored in it at the beginning of college, but soon I decided that I might burn out if I were to continue playing 5 hours a day (for those of you who majored in piano performance you know what I'm talking about!)It's still so strange to me that I don't use this skill much anymore (except to entertain Grace for brief periods) since it was such a huge focus of my life for so long.

5. And while pizza and chocolate were my favorite foods back then, they are still my favorites today. While other kids talked of becoming doctors, nurses and teachers in school, I often said that I wanted to be a Pizza Hut waitress when I grew up (Yes, Arbonne friends, I am the original 'big dreamer'..haha!)

6. I am a bit of a drama queen (which of course is not the 'little known fact'), and when I realized that waiting tables at Pizza Hut wasn't going to happen, I decided I would become an actress instead (because that's always the way it works, isn't it?) This dream fizzled out by the end of high school thankfully, but the drama queen in me unfortunately still lives on!

Baby Einstein

2008-01-18T21:33:00.000-05:00

No, we are not bragging about how bright our baby is (although of course like most parents...especially new ones like us...we think our child is just so smart). No, we are proudly showcasing how much our daughter can look like Baby Einstein (I've included a picture for those of you who are not familiar with the Baby Einstein logo on those oh-so-popular DVDs no parent seems to be able to live without). With two parents who have very curly hair, Grace we assumed was destined to have curls herself.

For those of you who knew me when I was younger, you don't need to be reminded that my hair was my #1 source of frustration. Born into a family of straight-haired blondes, I was the lone curly-haired brunette. Whether by accident or subconsciousness most of my closest friends had straight blonde hair as well growing up. If I were less vain I would show you pictures of me arched over an ironing board trying to iron my hair at my friend Becca's home (yes, she had straight blonde hair too, and I know she was never more thankful for hers than when helped me with this ordeal); or you would see me in a bathsuit with goggles and my hair pulled back as I 'chemically relaxed' my bangs (yes, just my bangs because I was too chicken to do the rest and this was the biggest source of my headaches); or perhaps you might just see a picture of me confidently thinking I looked cute for 13 when really I looked like I was taking tips from Chelsea Clinton (I of course mean before her makeover). All that to say, I so often wished back then that my daughter would have straight hair so she would never have to go through the 'torment' I went through; however, now I find myself hoping she has curls herself! I am longing to show her the world of straighteners and gel, and eager to coach her on how to say 'no' to say to the hair stylist who tries to convince her that bangs and short hair will make her locks 'more manageable' (remember when Kerry Russell cut her hair on "Felicity"? I'm sure she won't make that mistake again.)

However, at 5 months Grace has less hair than when she was born, and because of her serious cowlick in the back of her head we're never sure if she's growing some 'wave' in her hair or if the 'lick' is just acting up....we shall see in the months to come if she's got our curls or not!
(DISCLAIMER: obviously, Anne was having fun with Grace's hair immediately before the photoshoot.)

Exciting Updates!

2008-01-04T17:34:00.000-05:00

There were many milestones this week, but the most exciting one was that Grace was able to switch from Nutramigen formula to regular formula! She seems to have outgrown her milk protein allergy already (earlier than what the Dr. predicted, so this is a huge praise!). This will save us at least $100 a month in formula if not more, so it's a belated Christmas present for sure! Not only that, but it means that we should have an easier time introducing dairy as she gets older. We are rejoicing immensely this week, and just keep praying it continues.

Grace also started sitting up unassisted on New Year's Eve. She's not as much a fan of sitting as she is of tummy time, but she does love playing more with her toys this way.

Here is a video of Grace eating. She talks through her entire meal each time.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-28T23:46:00.000-05:00

What a blessing to celebrate Christmas with a new baby! We've enjoyed a 'vacation-at-home' this week.

Lots of shopping!

2007-12-22T10:33:00.000-05:00

With the cold weather and last minute items, Grace has gone to the mall more times than we care to mention this week...our litte shopper-in-training. She's also starting eating solids twice a day now since she can't seem to make it more than 2 hours without eating otherwise. She loves squash and apricots so far...

More Firsts

2007-12-14T20:20:00.001-05:00

Gracie has done a LOT this week. We are busy as usual, and she's keeping us even busier...

-Grace rolled over for the first time from her back to her stomach. (She has been rolling from her stomach to her back since 7 weeks). She seems frustrated sometimes to be trapped in a ‘baby body.’ Though she is able to roll over, she doesn’t do it easily, and when she doesn’t get it on the first or second try she gets mad and starts to cry, but then promptly tries again. She is persistent and ambitious but also a bit impatient. She gets frustrated that she doesn’t quite have the skills to pick up her passy or to craw yet. She couldn't try any harder to put her knees up underneath her and crawl or to put her passy in her mouth, but she is simply bound by her body at this point. She gets frustrated so quickly that she can’t do what she wants, yet just when we think she’s given up, she tries again! Praise the Lord for that determination...

-Grace is officially teething. The drooling, fussiness, constant gnawing, refusal to eat for very long, and low-grade fever have all been present the past few weeks. The Dr. warned us that this could continue for up 7 weeks since some babies are more sensitive than others...and Grace has definitely proven to be a sensitive baby.

-Grace had her 4 month checkup this week and is almost 27 inches and 15 lbs. 2 oz. She's off the charts for her height and has made it up to the 80th percentile for her weight.

-Grace giggles more and more, especially when we blow on her tummy. She is definitely a skeptical baby though, as she doesn't 'give' smiles away to just anyone. Despite the fact that her parents try to keep her socialized with other children and adults several times a week, she is still scared of strangers (and even familiar faces) sometimes. She burst into tears when we tried to introduce her to our favorite bank teller today.

-Finally, Gracie started walking backwards in her walker this week. Until now, she has only been able to sit in it, but now she can push-up and walk backwards. She loves to sit in it in the evening and scoot around the kitchen while mommy cooks dinner.

Elf Yourself

2007-12-11T14:02:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I'm sure many of you have already received several emails of your favorite friends looking funny, but we had to try it ourselves. We've officially been 'elf'ed!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1306451897

First Snow

2007-12-07T15:17:00.000-05:00

Grace experienced her first snow 2 days ago. We only got a few inches, just enough to really make it feel like Christmas! Grace also started eating cereal consistently at night this week as well.

Baby Pictures

2007-11-30T17:10:00.000-05:00

When you have a new baby you always get a variety of opinions about who the baby looks like and what features come from where. So, for fun we're showing you our baby pictures to compare. Our opinion is that Grace is a pretty good mix of both of us, and also has some unique characteristics of her own.

Grace at 3 1/2 months:

Anne at 3 1/2 months:

Chris at 4 1/2 months:

Thanksgiving in Arizona

2007-11-24T17:14:00.001-05:00

This week we spent Thanksgiving in Arizona and Grace had many firsts: first airplane trip, first time meeting most of the LoGrasso side of the family (including her cousing Gabby), first week sleeping through the night consistently and first professional photoshoot (by our good friend David Anderson http://picasaweb.google.com/davidanderson51).

Here are the best photos we've had of Grace:

Here are other photos from the week:

Thankful for our Bible study

2007-11-15T11:11:00.000-05:00

As we head into Thanksgiving week, one of the things we are most thankful for is our friends (and of course family!). You all have truly been an encouragment, support and source of fun for us out here and are truly irreplaceable.

Here are a few pictures taken this week of some of the kids in our Bible study.

Best Week Yet!

2007-11-11T20:13:00.000-05:00

Well, Grace slept at least 6 hours between feedings at night every night this week which is a record! We are shocked since just last Friday we had one of our worst nights ever and were up every 45 min-2 hours all night long with her. To say we are THRILLED with this progress is an understatement. We've weaned her off the Zantac too for her reflux and she seems to be doing great. She still wakes during the night needing to be comforted, but most nights we have been able to settle her with a passy instead of a bottle, so that's great! We are praying this continues! As an FYI--we haven't used any cereal this week either because she isn't very 'regular' and has been doing okay without it.

I love cereal!

2007-11-02T11:24:00.000-04:00

Okay, so yes, we broke down this week and gave Grace cereal for the first time even though she was only 11 weeks. As many of you know, we have really been hoping Grace would start stretching her nights, but alas she is still sleeping about the same amount she did during her first month. Grace consumes a 32 oz. can of Nutramigen formula everyday (and formula is supposed to be more filling than breast milk)!

Though this can be typical, and she doesn't cry all night so it's not unbearable, both of our parents started us on cereal in the evening by 3 months and attribute our great sleeping at night to this. So, after talking with our Dr. who said it actually may help Grace's reflux as well, we thought we'd give it a whirl. Well, we haven't seen a huge change, BUT we are still hopeful because she got her first cold the night we gave her the cereal and has had one ever since, so of course she hasn't been sleeping quite as soundly because of the sniffles too.

In addition to having her first bites of cereal and catching her first cold, Grace also picked up a squishy ball for the first time on her own and put it in her mouth. She can't quite grab everything yet, but is definitely learning to hold things more tightly.

Dedication

2007-10-22T16:47:00.001-04:00

This Sunday we dedicated Grace to the Lord at our church. She also went to the nursery afterward for the first time and did great! Our good friends Matt & Eve just had their baby Noah, and the dads looked so cute with the kids that I couldn't resist a picture.

Here are a few updates on Grace as well:
• Grace is our own resident ‘princess in the pea.’ She is just like her daddy and Nana Basham and does not like anything constricting her body in anyway. She won’t sleep if her diaper is slightly damp, if her pjs are even slightly too short or if she has pants on where she can feel the waistband (unlike her mom, she doesn’t put fashion over function). She hates being swaddled or having her arms held down in any way, so the challenge this time of year is keeping her warm at night. I will even wait until she’s asleep to cover her legs and she still kicks them off in her sleep!
• She is cuddler. I know all babies like touch, but this one would be held all day if she could. When we first brought her home I couldn’t take her 10 inches from my chest (even when she was sound asleep) without her starting to cry because she didn’t want to be laid down. The Baby Whisperer calls this the “He Won’t Let Me Put Him Down” syndrome, and she said it could take 25-30 attempts to get the child to be okay (and it has taken at least this many!) Against some people’s advice (you know you get so much conflicting advice as a new mom…especially when you don’t have a textbook baby!) when Grace was first home from the hospital I slept her next to me (securely) and put her head under my armpit and she would go right to sleep. I tried to then transition her to a box bed in our bed with us and would lay my hand on her in there, but no can do. Either on our chest or tucked up next to me. We had to break her from this obviously, but man was it tough! We still hold her all evening most nights to make sure she gets lots of cuddle time that’s not associated with feedings. We love having a cuddly baby and don’t want this to change; we just want her to be secure enough to know that she can sleep and function in the world happily apart from us as well.
• Grace loves having her eyebrows stroked. It’s my way of saying, “I love you,” to her at this point. I stroke my finger across her eyebrows and down the side of her face and she just melts and gets all moony eyed and often cracks a little smile.

Our Little Chicklet

2007-10-22T16:42:00.000-04:00

We couldn't resist the urge to dress Grace up for Halloween this year. As you can see from the pictures, she was a bit skeptical of the whole thing, but at least she graciously humored us and didn't cry!

Meeting Grandma

2007-10-16T14:37:00.000-04:00

Grace met her Great Grandma (Anne's Grandma) for the first time this week when she was in town. She has loved getting to know her.

Here's a few quick updates on Grace:

* First, it's hard to tell in the pictures, but her hair is crazy! She has a massive cowlick in the center back of her head that looks like a horizontal mohawk! It literally stands straight up. Despite attempts to 'tame the mane' it has become her signature look, and we love it.

* Grace continues to make the funniest faces. We joke that she has a thousand different expressions—not all of them pretty, but definitely all are cute.

• Grace is an incredibly wakeful baby (she is sometimes up for 3-5 hour stretches during the day and sometimes 1-2 hours in the middle of the night still). Friends and family have tried to comfort us as they have seen the months of sleep deprivation take their toll on our home by saying that wakeful babies tend to be smarter--however, Chris joked that at this point we might be willing to trade sleep for IQ! She doesn't have colic like she used to, but she still has so much energy that it's tough to get her to wind down and sleep!

* Though Grace is not a great sleeper, mom and dad are learning to read Grace’s cues about what she needs. For example, though she doesn’t often yawn when she’s ready for a nap, we can guess she's ready for a nap because her eyes suddenly turn red and she does the ‘cough cry.’ She is so good about going to sleep in her crib without even crying usually (she just talks to her mobile or dozes off). We can also put her right to bed after feeding her at night without needing to rock her to sleep each time which is so great as well. She may not go to sleep right away, but at least she's able to talk and entertain herself in her crib. We thought she might never learn to put herself to sleep calmly!

*Grace is talking up a storm! She babbles at everything in sight and stares at our mouths when we talk to her and tries to make hers move like ours.

*Finally, Grace's Ompa (Anne' Dad) can calm her like no other. He walks her around their home and sings old songs like 'oh, susanna.' Since Grace was only a few weeks old she has recognized him and smiles when she sees him (or cries if he's not holding her). With Chris on a business trip this week, Anne spent every evening over at their home so Grace could get her cuddle time with him, and Anne could get a much appreciated break before the long nights began.

2 Months Already!

2007-10-03T14:41:00.000-04:00

Grace is 8 weeks old today! It feels like 8 months in many ways, but of course in other ways I can't believe she's already 2 months old! She rolled over from her stomach to her back for the first time 2 days ago and LOVES 'tummy time' and trying to scooch across the floor. As you can see from the pictures she can hold her head at a 90 degree angle and loves looking around the room. She also smiles all the time and has started giggling. She is a VERY alert baby and sleeps far less than average (which is great for learning but isn't so great at night when she still isn't sleeping more than 5 hours straight).

As for the colic it is GONE! As it turns out Grace has a cow's milk protein allergy that caused severe cramping, constipation and gas (even despite cutting out lactose from my diet). But she's been on a hypoallergenic formula call 'Nutramigen' since 2 weeks ago and is symptom free and doesn't cry nearly so much or have any gas. She can once again sleep on her back as well! The only downside is that the formula is mucho expensivo ($300 a month!). Of course, well worth it since she feels good and we don't have a colicky baby.

Here are a few pix. For those of you in Arizona you may recognize Jess and Jeff Koldoff.

Nana and Papa in Town

2007-09-15T21:03:00.000-04:00

We had so much fun this week with Chris' parents, Nana and Papa, who flew in from Phoenix. Grace had fun getting to know them, and we had fun having the extra sets of hands so we could catch some much needed sleep.

Grace at 3 Weeks

2007-09-04T05:43:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone! Here are some pictures from the last week. In some ways it is hard to believe it's already been 3 weeks, but in many ways it feels like 3 months! Grace is such a blessing, and we have really been able to enjoy her more this week. She has had colic since her first week, so as anyone knows who has had a colicky baby, each day can seem like an eternity. We are thankful though that she seems to be settling down easier in the last few days and sleeps more as well. Perhaps we may all get a little more sleep soon!

Grace at 2 Weeks

2007-08-24T19:55:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos from the last week.

Grace's First Blog Video

2007-08-17T23:38:00.000-04:00

Well, I have never done this before, so I thought I would give it a try. Please excuse the simplicity. The video is of Grace at 1 week old (looking around and sleeping). I hope you enjoy...

Chris

Introducing Grace Anne LoGrasso

2007-08-11T20:27:00.000-04:00

Anne and I are pleased to announce the arrival of our little miracle, Gracie. She was born on 08/08/2007 at 1:42pm EST. She weighed in at 7 lb 15oz and measured at 20 3/4 inches. She is beautiful, healthy, and has stolen out hearts!!! Here are a few pictures from her first couple days.

Pregnancy Progression

2007-07-20T13:11:00.000-04:00

The big day is almost here and I'm still getting bigger by the moment!!! I really can't wait for those numbers on the scale to start doing a downward slide. I'm due in just 3 weeks and I am feeling very ready to have her. Here are some pictures of my growth...

37 Weeks

30 Weeks
24 Weeks

22 Weeks

18 Weeks

Grace's 32-Week Ultrasound Pictures

2007-06-13T18:43:00.000-04:00

Anne had an ultrasound today at almost 32-weeks. Though the ultrasound was scheduled because she had been measuring 'small' and they wanted to make sure Grace was growing properly, we were pleasantly surprised that not only is she not 'small' for her age, but she is actually measuring over a week bigger than normal! They estimate that she weighs 4 lbs. 7oz. (69th percentile)! So, all is well, and baby Grace (and Anne) is growing just fine.

Her face.

Her face again.

Her profile and 2 fingers (on the left).

Baby Grace's Room

2007-06-04T22:12:00.000-04:00

After two months of work, Grace Anne's room is finished! All we need is our little ladybug to make it complete.

Our two cats worked right alongside Chris the entire time.

Virginia Baby Shower

2007-06-04T15:44:00.000-04:00

This Saturday Anne's mom and sister (see below) threw her a beautiful shower here in Virginia.

The yummy chocolate and strawberry cake!

Anne with her friend Danielle who flew in from Phoenix.

Anne with her friends from "Club One," the Young Marrieds group at McLean Bible Church.

Anne with her aunt Sarah and cousin Katherine.

Babymoon to Chicago

2007-05-17T15:27:00.000-04:00

We had our last 'hurrah' in Chicago this weekend before our little girl arrives. We had great weather and actually saw almost all of the major sites in just 3 days even though Anne moved slowly (well, more slowly than her usual self).

One of the highlights was seeing Anne's dear friend since 4th grade, Audra DeKorne, and her fiance Cullen who live in Chicago.

The view from Lake Shore Drive along Lake Michigan. We walked 6+ miles this first day in Chicago! Our feet hurt the rest of the trip.

Chris 'walking on water' in Millenium Park.

The park Anne played at as a child in Park Ridge (a suburb of Chicago).

Can You Guess Which One's Chris?

2007-05-03T11:16:00.000-04:00

Chris and his identical twin Mike are now about the same weight, so they decided to get similar hair cuts and facial hair to look like "twins" again while we were in Arizona (yes, Chris has since shaved the beard).

Can you guess which one is Chris? If not, don't feel badly...about 1/3 of the people we've asked got it wrong.

Answer: Chris is the one on the left in the top picture and the one on the right in the bottom picture.

Arizona Baby Shower

2007-05-03T10:42:00.000-04:00

My sister-in-law Amber and my good friends Heidi Anderson and Lisa Kai were gracious enough to throw us a beautiful baby shower while we were in Phoenix on April 21st. We had a blast!

Four of us were pregant at the same time!
From left to right:
Coley Arnold (12 weeks)
Anne LoGrasso (24 weeks)
Heidi Anderson (32 weeks)
Christina Spencer (36 weeks)

This is my darling 20-month old niece Gabby.

Me and my sister-in-laws Amber (left) and Hanna (right )

Some of the gal pals (left to right):
Christina Spencer, Coley Arnold, Lisa Kai, Julie Phair, me, Heidi Anderson

My sister-in-law Amber, my niece Gabby and my mother-in-law Pam.

The yummiest cake I've had yet!!!

Part of the group during a game.

Snow for Easter

2007-04-07T07:04:00.000-04:00

If April showers bring May flowers, then what does April snow bring?

When we woke up we were surprised to see that is had snowed Friday night. Three days earlier we were wearing shorts and going for walks in 80 degree weather. We are still going for a walk this morning, but we probably won't wear shorts.

Cherry Blossoms

2007-04-04T17:02:00.000-04:00

Welcome to our first blog! With so many family and friends so far away, we hope this helps us to stay connected even though we're miles apart.

Here are some pictures of our trip downtown to the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. For those of you unfamiliar with this Washington tradition, the National Cherry Blossom Festival annually commemorates the 1912 gift to the city of Washington of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to enhance the growing friendship between the United States and Japan. The Cherry Trees only bloom for 2 weeks, so the city is packed with people from all over the globe which of course adds a great international feel right here in our backyard.

We're standing next to the the Tidal Basin facing the Jefferson Memorial which is where most of the trees are. The Washington Monument is of course behind us.

The Jefferson Memorial

We are so excited that our friends from AZ, the Johnsons, have just moved out here!

The Washington Monument

We're standing in front of the Washington Monument facing the Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool.