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Baby girl Mead Gilheany has arrived!

As yet unnamed and unweighed, but screaming her delight in this world over the phone. And arrived like a hurricane on this night, August 25, 2008. She was in a hurry, after all of that waiting!!!

So much love to Hilary, Terence, Hannah, and my newest niece.

This is the photo that coined the nickname Gracie Big Pants. It stuck such that certain people still call Grace GBP. I love that she looks so indignant and cross – like, “hey, take these damned Big Pants off of me!”

We just looked at the Storypeople More than a Princess print that is hanging on Grace’s wall. I finally tired of Grace swanning around in her Cinderella dress and heels and jewelry and tiara and said, “Gracie, you are much more than a princess – they just don’t have a name for it yet on earth. And, you don’t need the tiara to make you a princess.” She responded by ripping off her tiara (which she was wearing with her pjs) and putting it on the table, then turning to me with a radiant smile. I burst into tears.
As we were lined up on the couch to read the Berenstain Bears, I took this picture. Gracie said: “Hey! All three Russells!” and then she quickly corrected herself: “I mean, all Eldredges!”
And, cue another round of tears.

This morning, lying on the floor in the living room in Marion.

Yesterday I bribed Whit to nap with a new toy and some cheez-it crackers. I’m ashamed and delighted to say it worked like a charm: he lay down in the king bed in my sister’s room and I lay down next to him and he was quiet for 20 minutes as his eyes slowly drifted shut. He slept for 2.5 hours and I finally woke him up at 4:30.

The new toy is a plastic track with a Cars theme (licensing fees no doubt account for the high price of what is just a piece of plastic). I was very proud of myself when I assembled the track, put in the batteries, and made it work. Even required a trip to the dark, musty basement to find a right-sized Phillips head screwdriver.

Anyway the thing is horrible. It is incredibly noisy and also super boring: it just flings a car around the track in a figure 8 at high speed. Of course he’s been playing with it non-stop. This morning he couldn’t make it turn on and started whining.

Whit: “Mummy! My new toy isn’t working!” (extend all syllables in high pitched whine to really appreciate this)

Grace: “No, Whit! Just bang it really hard – just punch it – and it will work.”

Whit: sharp fist to plastic, followed by “Ouch!” (and I’m waiting for the thing to fall apart)

And lo and behold it started working again.

And then this:

Grace: “Nobody will play cards with me, Mummy.” (I can’t face another game of Crazy Eights or Go Fish or I will poke my eyes out)

Whit: “la la la di dah” (just making noise)

Grace: “Whit, if you don’t play cards with me I won’t invite you to my birthday party.”

Whit: “Okay.”

Am now witnessing sheer comedy as she tries to teach him how to play Go Fish. Needless to say it’s a little above his head but man she is determined (and bossy! wonder where that comes from?).