Update !! I'm B A C K !

First of all ... Happy Mid-Autumn Moon Festival !!!!
Eat a mooncake, go outside, and look at the moon. Be thankful for your friends and family.

Mari-Grace is sleeping peacefully. I look at the moon and send a wish filled with gratitude to Mari-Grace's birth mother in China. I hope that she is happy, and healthy. I hope that she has peace in her heart and knows that Mari-Grace is safe, happy, and thriving.

Ok ... on to other things.

Mari-Grace is potty trained now. She hasn't had a poop accident in 6 weeks. She stays dry at night, and has for a couple of months. As far as pee ... she is actually telling me now that she needs to go. She knows the sign for potty and says "gotty".

She can dress herself ... and she knows her left from her right.

We started gymnastics 2 weeks ago. I chose gymnastics because MG has very muscular little legs. She jumps across the house, non-stop. She loves to jump off of the foot stool, and can stick her landings. She does a great job of turning a somersault. She has very good balance and coordination. I figured that If we choose a sport, we have to choose something MaMa likes ... so it was swimming or gymnastics. In Arkansas, college scholarship money is better for gymnastics.

So far, her Aunt Kelley has come to the rescue ... Aunt Kelley has to take her to class when I have to work. The first night, MG stuck to me like glue. Last week, she at least sat on the floor. This week ... she did her donkey kicks, her barbie walk, jumped on the trampoline, and did her stretches. LOL. Aunt Kelley got a work out too...Aunt Kelley had to get out on the practice floor with her and do all the things too. God Bless Aunt Kelley's Heart !!!

MG is going to start a dance class at preschool. We shall see how that goes.

We just got approved to start speech therapy thru the program that is free in the public schools here. The speech therapist will come to her preschool 2 days a week.
We will be comibining this therapy with the private therapy she already gets twice a week ... giving her 4 days a week of ST.

Mari-Grace LOVES preschool !! She comes in happy, and singing the songs and doing the hand motions. Last Thursday night, she came home saying "Wooo" "wooo" "wooo". She was raising both hands from waist level up above her head. Me and my Mom tried to figure out what in the heck she was doing. Come to find out, she had learned how to call the hogs at pre-school ... instead of Wooo Pig Sooie ... we were just getting the Woo part.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the hog call ... here in Arkansas ... we have a religion called college football. Our focus is the Arkansas Razorbacks. At the ball games ...we call the hogs .... "Wooo Pig Sooie ... Go Hogs Go !!!" Thus ... the Razorback Hog call !

Let's see ... oh back to potty training. Mari-Grace is hilarious. She has to wear her panties (aka ... nannies) 24/7. At night .. I still put MG in a pull-up. She never has night time accidents, but I don't want her to pee on me. She wears her pull up ... under her nannies ... and then her PJ's on top.

Her favorite are her Ninnie Nannies ... translated .. Minnie panties.

MG is too funny. She pretends all the time. She likes to feed her baby. I bought her one of those silly Baby Alive dolls ... that eats and poops. What was I thinking? Anyway ... we were at Aunt Kelley's the other night. Here is how our conversation went:
MG ... "eat".
MaMa..."you ate already ... a lot ... you can't possibley be hungry."
MG ..... "eat ... NayNey" (translated ... eat ... baby)
MaMa ... " What ... Eat Baby? You want to eat a baby?"
MG ... " Home ... eat ... nayney"
Ma Ma " you want to go home and eat?"
MG, stomping her foot with her hand on her hip " NO ... HOME .... NayNey ... EAT !!! "
MaMa ... " ah ... you want to go home and feed the baby ?"
MG ... "ES !! "
At that point ... she got me by the hand ... took me to the kitchen, and wanted me to fix a plate of mashed potatoes to feed her baby doll.

TOO FUNNY !!!!!

She likes to play pretend with her toy food. She is starting to make her "dolls" in her doll house talk to each other.

She is sleeping great at night. Still in my bed, but who cares ... we both sleep this way !!!

What else ?
It has been a year since her palate repair. The healing has been beautiful !!!! She has had absolutely no problems. Her biggest issue right now is the 2 cavities in her baby teeth that we have to get filled. Her enamel is very thin ... so I am brushing her teeth for her. MG doesn't like it ... but sometimes, MaMa has to win !!

We went to the Memphis Zoo last week. She LOVED it !!!
MG Loves animals. She would walk up to the animal ... wide eyes just a sparkling ... look at the animal a minute, and yell MORE !!! She has talked about the "hipkos", "ayigayors", "hosses", and "monnies". ( translation .. hippo, alligator, horse, monkey)
We will see a picture of an animal in a book ... she'll say "zoo .. with MaMa".

She is growing so quick. It is amazing to think of how tiny MG was this time last year. This time last year .. she was in 18mths to 24 mths size clothes. She was wearing a size 5&1/2 shoe.
Now she is in a 3-4T and wearing an 8.5 shoe. WOW !!!
Her palate has healed so well. Her speech is improving quickly. She is just a phenomenal little girl!!!

It is almost midnight ... and I am rambling.
So I'm going to quit while I am ahead.

Good night !!!