8 mos "Corrected" 2:25pm

Grace is 8 months corrected today.. that means on Tuesday, she'll be 11 months old.. time to get those birthday invites in the mail..

Today, is "Homecoming Day" in our hometown, Fairhaven..

and Fairhaven is celebrating 100 years old! wow!

We took Gracie for a stroll thru the homecoming fair..and it was very nice.  Breezy under the trees, and humid & hot in the sun.  We ran into a number of people

that I went to High School with.. it was nice to run into them, and they were

 all eager to meet Grace.  She was a celebrity!

And every person she met, she looked at & smiled!! She's such a smiley girl!

Tonight, is my 25th high school reunion, although I'm not going..

it definitely always nice to see people you graduated with.

Here's a few pics of Grace today:

Holding her spoon at breakfast.. she had some squash..(i know not breakfast food..it's Gracie food!!)

What a love!! :)

Thinking of Max today too!

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & Maxwell



Pictures! 7:47pm

 The picture on the left is from 6/19 pre-helmet.. & the pic on the right is today..
Can you see a little difference with her forehead? Or is it my imagination??

Here's Uncle Ross & Gracie..

see that smile that she's giving Uncle Ross!!

Soo cute!!



And here's mama & Gracie playing "honk! on mama's nose!!"

Grace did great with OT today.. it's Jess/OT's last day with us, as she goes out on maternity leave.  We wish her the best!  And we'll see her in the fall.

She went out with a bang, as Gracie was holding & reaching for her toys & rattles.

She as very impressed with how well she's doing!!

Go Gracie!!

Love her!!

Thanks for reading!

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & max

Reaching........... 9:36pm

Grace had a great day today.  She was on her back on her mat, and I looked down at her and she was reaching for the toy in the middle..this is a

HUGE DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONE

it made me tear up a little!!

Here she is (above) just laying there eyeing the toys.. then on the (right) she reaches up & grabs it.  She's getting big..and doing so well.  We are happy Mama & Dada!!

She's doing great with the helmet too, I'm thinking it's starting to work already..and it'll be only a week on Friday.. but what the helmet will do is move her head & bones

to make her head more round/ammetrical.. I see some changes already in her face.

We do get to take the helmet off 1 hour a day, usually at bath time.

She sleeps all night with it.. such a good baby!!

PT was here today & she really "works" Gracie.. who did very well.

She sat upright with the pt's hand around her waist.. soo good!!

It's really great to see her doing more things, and being healthy!!

We are very grateful!!  Thank you, God!!

Grace is not picking her nose..lol.. just likes being on Daddy's legs!!  This was her hour off!!

And here's the close up from today.. she smiles alot, just never when I have the camera in my hand!!

Thanks for reading!

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & max



Our Warrior Princess 9:34pm

Our Warrior Princess slept great last night with her Brave gear!!

(I want to see that movie Brave!!)

Here she is!!  (Still favoring her right side of course, that's okay!)

Today, she wore her helmet for 8 hours..off for 4 (it was suppossed to be 1, but because she's wearing it sleeping..we gave her a little break).. tomorrow, starts her wearing it 23 hours a day, with a 1 hour break (bath time).

We go back on Friday for a follow up.  She's actually doing very well with

it.  It doesn't seem to bother her, only when we take it off & put it back on..

so I know she'll do fine with it for 23 hours straight.  She's such a brave little girl!

We played today..sang songs & teaching Grace sign language with

her speech therapist.  Her friend, Mollie came over & watched her for an hour, while Daddy & I went grocery shopping! (lol.. you know the last time we did that together?)

Our date of the week!!  Thanks, Mollie!

Going to bed early tonight..had some crazy dreams last night..

I think yesterday just being an emotional day, it got the best of my subconcious.

So, this girl is off to sleep..(not after the ending of Bachelorette.. :)

Thanks for keeping up with our family!!

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & maxwell

p.s. HI to my friend KC in Maine!! I miss our chats!!



Our 1st Annual Walk.. 9:01pm

Our 1st Annual walk for March for Babies was today.. it was very nice!!

We walked down the cape cod canal, a great breeze (but it was hot, too)..

lots of our friends were there to support us & walk with us..it was nice to have them all.  Grace did great.. (helmet on the whole time), she slept & when she was awake

she was smiling at everyone.. soo bright-eyed.. very cute!!

We walked in Memory of our little baby, Maxwell...

& to honor our beautiful Grace:

Without them both,

we wouldn't be who we are!  Thank you for being in our lives!!

 Here's Daddy pushing Gracie at the beginning of the race.

 Here's our team (except for the cute girl in white right in front..lol) at the finish line!

And our Team Photo again..

Thanks to those who walked:  Joe & Dalila, Heather & Ross & the kids, Grampie & Adam, Paula, Lisa, Scotia, Shawn & Sharon, Stasia, Natalie & baby & husband,

Linda & Jared

Thanks for supporting our team!  Hope to see you all next year!!

Thanks again to our sponsors, we raised just over $1,000.00.. :)

YEA!!

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & max

Going well... 9:30pm

Grace is doing well with her helmet.. so I might've told you all wrong..

today she wore the helmet, 2 hours on/1 hour off.. thru out the day, she

didn't have to wear it for naps, but if she fell asleep with it on, we didn't take it off.

And she did great with it.  Tonight, as she sleeps she's not wearing it.

Tomorrow she'll wear it 4 hours on/1 hour off.

She's a real trooper, for sure!!

Playing "hi-ten" with Daddy..

Look at Mommy!!

Always looking up at Daddy..

Ok, now I'm looking at Mommy..

Our March for Babies walk is tomorrow..it's bittersweet! We are walking certainly in memory of Maxwell; but also for our blessing of little Grace... she's come so far.

Thank you for all of you, who has helped up surpassed our goal of $1,000.  It's not official yet, but I think we'll just be right over our goal.  Impressive for our first year.

We couldn't do it without you!!  Thanks!

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & maxwell

p.s. Thanks Mr. & Mrs. Foley..for always reading about Gracie..

and thinking & praying for us.  One of these days, we'll catch you home..for sure!!



Pretty in Pink! 7:41pm

Drum Roll, please!!!

Gracie's new accessorie:

This is when we put the helmet on at the office!!  I think she liked it!

 Grace in her chair at home in her room (until about 4pm, it was the only room in the house with the ac in it!!)  She looks soo cute with her helmet!!

How it works is, today was 1 hour on, 1 hour off.. doesn't need to wear it for nap or sleeping at night.  Tomorrow, is 2 hours on/2 hours off, no wearing for sleeping.

Sunday, will be 4 hours on/4 hours off.. & if she puts up with it for sleeping, she'll wear it.  So, it's gradual so she can get used to it & of course we can get used to

putting it on/off.    She only wore it for a few hours today, because she had a pretty good long afternoon nap & she did fantastic.

Around 3:30ish, we played in her room on her mat, she had it on & was rolling all over the mat with it.. trying to grab at her binky..so I think she is doing okay with it!!

Let's give her a week though!

When she gets up to it, she'll be wearing it 23 hours a day!

For probably, 3-4 months.. unless she has a good growth spurt & it resolves the head shape before that. 

 This is a picture from this week, on her belly.. she is doing so good on her belly now.  But even in this picture, you can see how flat her head is in the back.  Not anymore!! We had PT on Wednesday & she did

great tolerating being on her belly, sitting up (assisted).. she's getting chubbier & loves to hear me sing :) :) & music.. starting to really pay attention.  She's getting big!!

Her birthday invites came in the mail today..they're beautiful!!

Can't wait for her birthday party!!

And on Sunday, is our 1st annual, March For Babies walk a thon.

We have many friends & family walking with us, as well as donations coming in.

We have raised $810. toward our $1,000 goal!  Just want to THANK everyone who've made a donation for team: Maxlove!

We wish we were pushing a twin stroller, but we are pushing Grace at almost

14 lbs. & she was born at 1 lb. 13oz... for that we are grateful!!

There's still time to donate.. there is no little amount.. please donate to help support all premature babies & parent support!

www.marchforbabies.com/maxlove

Thank you!!

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & max