Six Months!

Happy half birthday to our sweet little girl!

Zoë can now:

-grab onto toys
-sit up in her Bumbo chair
-lift her head and chest completely off the ground while she's on her tummy
-follow objects all the way across her line of vision
-bury her head coyly in mom or dad's shoulder when she's smiling at someone new
-stand on her two feet while being held (barely) by the elbows/hands
-hold her hands over her ears when she eats

She weighs 12.5 pounds!

It is quite amazing to know that sixth months ago we had no idea what we would be in for with this little girl.  How many challenges she would have to face medically, how big or developed she would even be by this milestone.  We have been VERY lucky with how strong Zoë is and how few medical interventions she has needed.  The NICU seems like a world away and I've already let it fade into my distant memory how challenging it was to go back and forth to the hospital just to SEE her every day.  What a blessing!

Official Zoo Members

We went to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium last Friday on Chris' day off for Zoë's first zoo trip.  It was lots of fun and she seemed to enjoy the parts she was awake for.  Thank goodness for patient child-less friends (Drew and Michelle) who waited while we fed her, waited while we parked the stroller, waited while we put the stroller in the elevator, etc.  Since it was economical to do so, we are now official members of the zoo for the next year.  :)

Baba and Zoë

Go Cougs!!!

Dedo and Zoë take a nap

Ladybird is jealous of the Grandma and Zoë time.

The "Easiest. Baby. Ever." picture

Selfie in the backyard

I'll actually have to stop knocking Point Defiance, now, and stop comparing it to Woodland Park because it's a pretty good little zoo (my allegiance is still to King County, however).  Zoë seemed to like the aquarium best, probably the colors and all of the movement was what got her hooked.  It'll be fun to go often to see how much more interested she is in the animals.












Zoë has had a rough couple of nights the last two out of four.  She has been inconsolably crying (one during our weekly BBQ) which is so out of character for her.  We know it's a pretty common thing for this to be a deal in the evening hours, but it's just so hard since she's never been like this before.  I think God is punishing me for sending Angela a text Saturday night that said, "Easiest. Baby. Ever." and then BAM!  Crying for several hours.  Of course.

Zoë's future husband Max.

She'll be six months old on Sunday, that's CRAZY!  We'll update everyone on her new tricks then.  :)

Napping in her crib

Chloe is visiting while my parents are away...
having one more dog is like having five more.

Zoë is pretty much the coolest baby ever.  :)  She is on a pretty regular schedule...and when I say regular schedule, I mean she goes to bed between 8-10 every night depending on when her last feeding was and wakes up between 4-7am and then feeds every 3-4 hours during the day with a regular eat, playtime, and nap cycle.  I know this probably doesn't seem very regular, especially to people who don't have kids, but it IS and has made life so much easier!  She's still doing a lot of smiling and making tons of noises, but no official laugh yet.  She is not quite grabbing for toys on her own, but is definitely interested in them and gives her full attention to a rattle shaken in front of her.  She'll now hold them, too, if you put them close enough to her hands to latch onto.  One of her favorite things is a new stuffed teddy bear that was a gift to her.

Every baby needs a pair of Osh Kosh overalls!

We went and saw a new pediatrician last week who I LOVED and he was good to remind me to stop worrying about how much she should be eating and just feed her when she needs it. "She's only going to be this small for so long, Emily, you need to stop worrying about the numbers and enjoy it.  She's gaining weight just fine."  Huh, I feel like I've heard that before, but it's nice to hear again and again.  He said based on his observation of her neck control and the way she was sitting on my lap, she's probably gained a month (towards her actual age) developmentally.  Wow!  That's a big deal!



Good things are happening!

Good morning!
She's also such a happy camper when she wakes up.
Oh, and she turns herself around 180 degrees and shoves
herself in the corner, too.

Zoë now takes one or two naps in her crib during the day!  I think I've mentioned the awesome ninja roll I have developed to leave her undisturbed and sleeping on my bed when she falls asleep during the day.  Now, I can place her in her crib, close the door, and maybe get 45 minutes to an hour of stuff done.  Sometimes she needs an extra pat or two, but within about 5 minutes she's sleeping peacefully.  It's amazing!  I keep seeing these posts from moms of babies who are younger wondering when their baby will sleep in their crib during the day and I remember thinking a while back "this will NEVER happen with Zoë, will it?!" and finally it does.  Hurray!

Coug hat is still a bit big...

Zoë went in the pool for the first time on Monday, thanks to the generosity of Auntie Kari (and her parents) in having us over.  Zoë liked it, but seemed weirded out at first when we got in.  She swam in one of her Fuzzi Buns without a liner in it and it worked out just fine.  I lathered her in sunscreen (generally not something I would have liked to do, but no swim gear fits her yet and I figured sunscreen once and a while will be just fine during the summer- it's better than getting a sunburn!), she wore her floppy hat, and we both felt better being in the cool water on a ninety degree day.

Big girl!

She also sat in her Bumbo chair for the first time this week.  I think it's funny, and I have to remind myself, that sometimes she doesn't like or won't do something and if I just try again three days later it sometimes works!  She sits great in the chair now and I put a toy on her lap and she's happy for a while while I make lunch or fold some laundry.

Baby's first Red Robin trip.

Our little fire cracker.

Happy Fourth of July!

Yesterday, we went to the Des Moines fireworks show.  Zoë was almost asleep when the show started and then she was mesmerized the entire time.  She even went to sleep just fine after and slept until 7:30 this morning.  What a good girl.  We booked a long weekend in Sunriver in August (yay!) and other than that we're basically just doing our thing this summer.  Our own little backyard pool arrives today from Amazon (yay for Amazon Prime!), so we should have fun splashing around in that, too.  What a fun first summer with our little girl!

Being a baby is exhausting!

Five months!

Today Zoë is five months old, I can't even believe it.  This little peanut (oh my...I SWORE while I was pregnant I would not call our child that!) is changing by the day!

She has definitely found her hands and has them in her mouth every chance she can get.  I SWEAR she is so close to a true giggle.  She does an adorable silent laugh that looks like it takes a lot of work so she's got to be nearly there.  She loves to look around and most times would rather look around than face inward when we hold her.  She can follow people across the room and even smiles at me in the mirror in the car (while I'm NOT driving, Chris!).

Five days ago I would tell you that she hated tummy time.  I timed her on Tuesday while we were practicing and she hit 8 minutes, twice as long as she had ever done it before!  That resulted in a very excited text to Chris at work.  On Wednesday at baby group at VMC she stayed content on her tummy for a while just scanning the room.  Lots to look at, I think.  Also on Wednesday I noticed that she was kicking with her right foot into the ground and craning her neck to the left at whatever she wanted to look at.  It looked like she was trying to flip over to see whatever she could!  I had never seen her do that and since then she does it every time she's laying on her back.  I'm sure she's a ways away from rolling from her back to her tummy, but it seemed like progress to me!  We've been practicing every day.  Here's a video.  Oh, and yes, we practice on the floor, too, this just happened to be on the squishy bed.

She's still sleeping a good 7-8 hours every night, eating really well, and does pretty well when her routine is off (we spent the morning at Nelsen on Thursday with lots of people and noise, she did ok, slept a lot in the Moby!).  I can't wait to see what she does before her six month picture, it seems like she is changing so fast!

This summer is going to be a fun one!

Taking after her dad.

Weekly run to the Farmer's Market. 

Poor neglected puppy...even when we go on a run it's not the same when we get home, is it?

Dad and Zoë at lunch after Connor's graduation.

At Connor's graduation party. 

My little gangster.

Practicing tummy time at playgroup.

More pouting from Fiona.

Are you talking to me?!

Happy Father's Day!

Let me tell you a little bit about Chris as a father.  He is amazing.  He is patient (of course we knew this already, he married me for heaven's sake!).  He works hard at work and then comes home and works even harder (you don't have to convince me that sitting and holding your daughter for hours on end is hard work!).  He repairs dishwashers, toilets, broken chairs, plugged garbage disposals, bad paint jobs, and anything else that I break around the house.  He talks to Zoë and he tells her all sorts of silly things from the plot lines of Dr. Who to why she will not be allowed to wear certain things when she's 16.  He cheers ("ha HA!" with both hands in the air) when he opens a diaper and finds that it's not pooped in.  He laughs when Zoë coos or toots loudly.  He insists that "she needs an outfit with ruffles!" every once and a while.  He pushes the stroller up the really steep hill at the very end of our walks.  He tells me to get out of the house when I'm feeling especially cooped up, even if he just walked in the door from work.  He supports me when I need it, tells me I'm being ridiculous when I should hear it, and loves both Zoë and myself even when we're crabby (and when that happens to be on the same day, he's especially a saint).

I knew when Zoë came along that I would see Chris in a totally different way.  I can't say I love him more because of her, because frankly I've loved him more every day since the day we met.  I can say I love him differently (in addition to) and with more appreciation for all that he does for our little family.    I am thankful for the man and dad he will be for our daughter as she grows up.  Every girl needs a special, patient, and loving dad and I'm so excited to share this parenting adventure with Chris, who fulfills all of those roles and more.  I love you!

So much to be thankful for (play dates included)

Love that smile.

This past week has been a really good one for us, and not just because Chris had two three day weekends in a row.  :)  I've really enjoyed just being together as a family.  We've finally gotten a routine down that doesn't drive us crazy.  We've figured out Zoë's curious eating problems.  We can get projects done around the house (we take turns holding Zoë and getting stuff done).  We're running and taking care of ourselves health-wise.  Chris is enjoying his new job and I'm enjoying preparing for going back to school in the fall (I'm sure I'll do a complete 180 on that one, but we'll worry about that in August).  Our lives are so good and we have so much to be thankful for!

Zoë is continuing to grow and astound us with what she can do.  New things that are Exciting are:

• She's using her hands more.  She's found her mouth, though she won't suck on her hand or fingers yet.  It's more of a random shoving it in there and ramming it over and over again against her gums.  
• She's rubbing her eyes.  CUTE!
• She has graduated to about 5 minutes of tummy time at a time.  FRUSTRATING, but I guess it's better than nothing.
• She's still sleeping 6-8 hours per night consistently (and it's HEAVEN).
• She LOVES to look around and is extremely observant.  She watches people and things as they move.  I think she prefers to look around now to having her head buried in one of our shoulders.  She enjoyed a few clips from Sesame Street on the cell phone with Dad the other day and was totally into it.
• She has a new mobile that hangs above her crib and she's absolutely mesmerized by it.  We can lay her in there for 20 minutes to get something done and it's glorious.
• She had her four month doctor's appointment (and vaccinations!) last week and STILL has not passed the 10 pound mark.  She was 9 pounds 12 ounces.  So close!!!

New things I worry about:

Smiley girl!

• I am all of a sudden OBSESSED with the shape of her head.  I saw a picture the other day on Facebook on a preemie group I'm a part of comparing two babies' heads and one was SO flat.  I DO NOT want Zoë to have a flat head and I can SEE a little flatness in it.  I would like to have her sleep sitting up.  Is this reasonable?  Absolutely not.  Do I let her sleep for longer on my chest than I should each eating/sleeping cycle because I'm worried about her head?  Yes.  I want her to do tummy time for an hour at a time so that we can combat the flatness, but of course she's not excelling at that right now...we've got a small pillow on loan from one of the moms in my mom and baby group that is better than the huge Boppy pillow we were using, so hopefully that will help us increase from the 5 minute record we have right now. 
• Now that she's an excellent night-time sleeper, I want her to conquer the daytime, too.  She still demands to be held most of the time and if I can get away it usually means pretending like I'm going to snuggle with her in the bed and then half rolling, half crawling off the bed in a ninja-like fashion to get away from her once she's asleep and PRAY that she doesn't feel me jostle the bed.  I'm sure this looks absolutely ridiculous and I'm so glad Chris isn't home in the daytime to see this ridiculous feat of acrobatics.

If you didn't know, I've been going to this mom and baby group at VMC for about a month now and it is the highlight of my week.  There are about ten other moms and babies that come and the leader, Denise, always has an educational topic to talk about (emergency preparedness, water safety, last week we learned about baby massage!) and then we spend time just talking and playing with the babies.  Oh. my. goodness.  It is fantastic.  I love all of my girlfriends who have had babies and ALL of the advice and guidance they give me (I NEED IT, don't get me wrong, and you're STILL on my speed dial), but there's something about being with moms who are doing the exact same thing I'm doing RIGHT NOW.  We talk about how little sleep we're getting (I keep quiet about how much Zoë is actually sleeping, I need FRIENDS, for heaven's sake!), challenges in eating, clothing tips, our husbands, breastfeeding, expectations of motherhood and more.

And one awfully cute pout.

If I've spoken to you since last Wednesday on the phone or in person than you know the greatest thing to ever happen to me has happened.  Zoë and I were INVITED TO A PLAY DATE by one of the moms in the group.  Chris likened it to being asked to Prom today, and I completely agree.  I was giddy with excitement when a mom asked me to join her and a few others at her house for a play date with our babies tomorrow.  I feel like I'm attending the first day of middle school, I'm so nervous and excited at the same time.  What if I don't know what to say?  What if they don't like me?  What if Zoë is so high maintenance tomorrow that we have to leave and then they talk about us?  And of course, in my head, I envision a play date filled with the babies rolling around on the floor together (uh, two of them can't roll yet) and the moms drinking several bottles of white wine together.  This is my idea of a play date.  :)  UPDATE:  The playdate was cancelled because her baby is sick.  I am very appreciative, though, because I don't want Zoë to get sick at all!

Four months!

Zoë is four months old today!  Woo hoo!

Yesterday Zoë did something really cool.  She grabbed onto a toy and shook it!  Yes, it was attached to her play mat, so she was really just wiggling her arms like usual, but I swear that she was moving her left arm (the one with the toy) more than her right.  It was pretty cute.  I'm sure she's FAR from actually grabbing toys and playing with them, but she hadn't done it before.  Even if it was a fluke, it was fun to celebrate.

Last weekend Chris' Grandma Carol and Ralph came up to visit.  I think it's fair to say she was smitten with Zoë and we loved having her visit and see our house, too.  They took us out to a lovely lunch and brought us a rose bush for Zoë that we've planted in a special place in our yard.  Since we've done so much work around the yard these past few months it's nice to have plants that hold some meaning back there.

Great-grandma Carol and Zoë

That's all for now, we just can't believe how much FUN our little girl is becoming.  Each coo and smile makes our hearts swell even BIGGER.