Highlights and Lowlights

Hope you all had a lovely holiday.

While this weekend was both painfully long and exasperatingly short, due to Grace's new round of congestion, there were some definite highlights.

- Saturday
In an attempt to get Grace to take a nap, we drove to Virginia. We had one destination in mind- Trader Joe's and their Two Buck Chuck. Well, $3.49 on the east coast, but still, how do you complain about that.There is nothing like walking out of a store with a case and a half of wine, no matter what the price.

I could, however; complain about the fact that despite the 3 hours in the car Grace REFUSED to sleep more than 10 minutes, but what's the point of that.

- Sunday
We took Grace to mass again Easter morning.

(Yes, I said again. She and I went Palm Sunday too. Two weeks in a row, we are on a roll...)

Unlike last week, she was fussy from the moment we sat down. And unlike last week, 8am mass was full which gave less wiggle room.

Just as mass was beginning, the cross and processional making its way down the center isle, Grace let out the loudest, rip-roaring belch I have ever heard come out of that small body. The 15 year old boy, stuffed into a suit in front of us, turned around chuckling and said, "That was AWESOME! Way to go kid!"

Matt and I just looked at each other. Holding in our own laughter. I made some comment about the things that 18 month old kids do. Lucking the mass started moments later.

She was also the first screamer of the day.

Last week her outbursts were cute, in her baby babble she continued singing after songs ended. She was mesmerized by the music and singing and entertained by her book and purse full of Cheerios in between.

Yesterday, she was pissed.

She wanted to rip apart collection envelopes, dump her purse of snacks on the floor and pull / shred Kleenex. None of these (obviously) were acceptable. Timing herself well, she let out the first rappel of "No, No, No, NO!" shrieks during the first moment of silence she could grab onto. That's when she and Matt made their first, of several, trips out to the vestibule.

Leave it to Grace to feel the need to compete with the smell of Easter Lilies and organ music bouncing off the rafters.

Leaving the church though, EVERY. SINGLE. passerby comments how beautiful she was. Grace is a sucker for compliments, so she (and her attitude) became brighter with each complement.

Back home, she was thrilled with her Easter basket. A pop-up book, bathtub crayons, bunny ears, and eggs full of Nilla Wafers, yogurt bites and Cheerios.

What could be better? Matt's basket with Starbust jelly beans apparently.

We keep forgetting that her reach is extending. I put both baskets up on the sideboard in the dining room. During the first chance she got, Grace snagged an egg full of beans and popped it open.

I'm sure (I'm hoping) that the dog ate the majority of them, but she still had her mouth packed full when we found her.

Jelly beans are not like most other candies. They are all sugar and food dye.

Ever hold one too long or get it wet? Yeah, the color immediately runs off.

Now imagine 15 multicolored beans in a child's mouth. Way too many to chew, so they all just sit there in an expanding pool of saliva until she realizes they need to be spit out in a rainbow of drool that now covers the floor along with her shirt, hands and chin.

One more year until we do it all again.