First Christmas!

Zoe has had a very exciting couple of weeks. She is now ably standing up and is thrilled to use her new skill to be in the center of the action (like when her sister is doing the Advent calendar).

She has also been lucky enough to have lots of family lately. Her Uncle Cris and Aunt Jen were here for her baptism a few weeks ago and now Grandma and Grandpa are here. Grandma loves to show Zoe all about Christmas decorations.

"What is that thing?"

"Woah, that is not what I thought that would feel like."

When we did presents, it took Zoe a little bit of time to figure out what was happening.

"So, what exactly is the big deal here? Don't get me wrong, I do like all this wrapping paper, but it's not like it's that hard for me to get my hands on something to chew on on a day-to-day basis..."

But once she did, she was thrilled!

"Now I get it! Thank you, Santa!!!"

And, of course, we all enjoyed a hearty Christmas dinner together. Here's a great shot of Zoe enjoying all the action.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Happy Baptism, Zoe!

 

 

Persistence = Results

Zoe on The Go

The last month has brought big changes for Zoe.  No longer our quiet, easy-going little lady, Zoe is getting to be a big girl with big plans.  She's very mobile now -- her crawl is not pretty, but it gets her where she wants to go.  And she's started pulling up on everything and anything.  She's not quite strong enough to stand, but that doesn't stop her from trying.  Zoe has been paying lots of attention to all of Tessa's talking and is starting to do some of her own.  She can now imitate an elephant for us (at least about 30% of the time, assuming no distractions) and she'll say "Ba ba ba" and "Ma ma ma" in response to our verbal cues.  We're also working on some basic sign language.  Zoe has been trying more solid foods too, including peas, which mostly get squished, and tiny cubes of cheese.  Zoe had a great time when the photographer came to take some photos.  She especially loved watching everyone play peek-a-boo for her behind the camera.  

 

 

 

Happy Halloween!

It's not always easy to get Zoe to look at the camera.  Especially when there are other fun things to look at, like pumpkins and Papa and Nani.  

Zoe absolutely adored her Halloween costume.  No, wait, that was us!  Zoe just wondered why she had  petals on her head.  

Oh...now I know why I have all of these petals!  They're for eating, of course.

Hey, Mom, hello!  There's a flower under here!  

Pumpkin picking, Zoe style

The family went pumpkin picking this weekend. And, while Tessa fully enjoyed all of the activities, Zoe was a bit more contained in her emotions. Of course, she loved it when Tessa stood with her in the pumpkin patch.

But, at the same time, she also wondered why she had to get all bundled up and strapped into the stroller. Couldn't we just do this kind of thing closer to home?

Once we got to the hay pile, though, Zoe really hit her stride.

Now I know why you brought me here!

 

 

Zoe News

Zoe has big news: a tooth!  Unlike her sister who cried for months before we actually saw any teeth, we didn't even realize Zoe was teething until we looked down and saw the tooth in her mouth.  (Of course, it's hard to say how much of that is attributable to her laid-back disposition and how much is the fact that our attention is necessarily divided between Zoe and her big sister.)  Zoe is also really moving around now.  She's not quite crawling on hands and knees, but she has mastered a pretty solid pseudo army-crawl.  Tessa didn't start crawling until she was 12 months, so we feel good about Zoe's progress. 

Zoe has recently started busting out with an infectious giggle. Sometimes it's Tessa who gets her laughing, and sometimes it's one of her parents.  A little tickling always does the trick:

And, of course, we've continued to explore our new environment. Today we went to Mt. Vernon, which was beautiful. We found a nice place in the grass, looking out over the Potomac, to stop and have a snack (shhh... don't tell anyone, because food isn't allowed inside the grounds, as we found out shortly after this photo was taken).

All this activity has made Zoe prone to fall asleep whenever she can. And, in what is becoming a running theme, we snapped a picture of her sleeping on our bed because it reminded us of another time that a little girl fell asleep sprawled out on our bed.

To hold you over ...

Here's a little video of Zoe playing with her ball to go along with Tessa's soccer highlights and hold you over until we can get the photos uploaded (which are very cute by the way).  

Posing with my big sister

Zoe and Tessa got new headbands, which they kindly modelled for us this weekend. So cute!

Mondays

My Monday morning was not off to a great start.  I missed the bus, forgot my wallet at home and couldn't take a cab, had to go home and get the car to drive to work, got stopped in downtown DC for the President's motorcade, and then hit myself in the head really hard with the car door when I finally managed to park.  I considered turning around and going home, but I thought to myself "What would Tessa do?"  So, I brushed it off, came into the office, and decided to share some photos with everyone instead of working (which I did all weekend, in case anyone is counting).  

Zoe likes to wake up at 5 a.m. because that's the time of day when she's an only child.  This is the face that we see bright and early every day (no, wait, it's still dark outside at 5).

 When it actually is daytime, we like to go to the playground.  Zoe loves to chase Tessa in the stroller.  Tessa says "I'm running, I'm running.  I'm so fast.  You chase me Zoe!"  Zoe says "Hahaha!"

 Don't worry, though, Zoe gets her turn too.  Here she is saying, "Push harder, I want to go sooooo high on this swing!"

Hope everyone has a good start to the week.  I feel better already.

Family Time

We spent the weekend at the pool and the beach, which was very relaxing (aside from the fact that Zoe had a lot of trouble sleeping in the hotel room).  Zoe enjoyed splashing her feet in the kiddie pool.  We'll have to post a video of Zoe laughing soon because it's hilarious! 

Tessa has noticed that we take a lot of pictures and videos of Zoe and she didn't want to be left out of the action.  So, here is Tessa's very first video of her sister.  

Sisters

When you have children, no matter how you try, you find yourself comparing them to each other - not necessarily in a competitive, preferential way, but in more subtle ways. For example, the other night, after her bath, Zoe had the towel wrapped around her head with a finger in her mouth. She looked adorable, of course, but it was the way she was looking at me with an intensity and seriousness beyond her 7 months that caused me to pause. 

I knew immediately that I had seen that look before. We had even had the premonition and fortune to capture that look and post it on her blog.

I can sit up!

Zoe has been working very hard on her sitting skills. The hard work has paid off, because she can now sit on her own (under the watchful eye of a parent, ready to catch her if she tips over).

She's very proud of her new skill, as you can see:

Zoo Babies

We took a family trip to the National Zoo today.  The stars were aligned for a favorable outing -- and some pre-planning by Mom and Dad helped, too.  We had the place almost to ourselves when we first arrived.  

Zoe found one of the stroller straps and it must have been pretty tasty.  

The zoo had a very special exhibit today -- baby cheetahs!  We got to see the babies running around and they were so cute.  They were pretty small, even though this one looks big thanks to our incredible zoom lens.  

Zoe thought the cheetah babies were cute, but they weren't nearly as interesting as watching her big sister.  

Okay, Zoe, if you had to pick cheetah cubs, big sister, or mommy, who would it be.... Don't answer, it's a trick question!

 

Finally, Zoe had her six month check-up yesterday.  (Yes, she did just turn seven months, but who's counting?)  Zoe weighed in at 16 pounds, 9 ounces (40th percentile) and is 27 inches long.  A lady never publishes her head circumference, but suffice it to say that the doctor had to re-measure Zoe's head because she thought the nurse had gotten it wrong.  Nope, she's just got a lot of brains in there!  

Chill Baby

Zoe is one laid back little lady.  (I think it may be from all the meditation and acupuncture I did while I was pregnant with her.)  She is always up for anything and she rarely ever complains.  In fact, Zoe has perfected her "happy dance."  When she gets excited, she wiggles her whole torso back and forth.  It's so cute!  She's also getting to be a big girl!  She can sit up on her own now -- even if she loses her balance after a little bit.  And she's pushing up on straight arms when she's on her belly.  

What are you holding Daddy?  Oh, it's a smart phone.  Why is Tessa always saying "I wanna see it?!?"  

I am ready for this walk!  Bring on the sun.  

Is anyone else tired or is it just me? 

Zoe's first swing

The other day at the playground, Tessa insisted that Zoe wanted to go in the swing. Normally I don't take parenting advice from my two year old, but for some reason, I had a feeling that Tessa was on to something.

As you can see, she was...

In fact, it went so well that Zoe got to go in the swing again the next time we went to the park.

And this time, Tessa even helped push.

Interview with Ms. Zoe

Rolling, rolling, rolling...

With all of our recent activities, including playgroups and museums, Zoe has been very busy!  She had fun at the play group with Tessa -- she loves watching other kids.  And she had a great time learning about protection from the sun during the princess play this morning.  (Frankly, she was really tired and then fell asleep in the Beco, but I still give her credit for being present.)  Zoe has also expanded her food horizons to include sweet potatoes and squash.  She's already learned that some food is more desirable than other food (see photo).  But by far the most exciting development is that Zoe has now rolled over twice from her back to her front.  Like Tessa, she is behind in her motor development because she's a preemie, but that just gives us even more cause for celebration at every milestone!  Unfortunately, I have not witnessed either roll.  The first time, I put her down in her crib while I was getting Tessa's bath ready and she rolled over to get a toy.  The second time, I was preparing breakfast when Tessa came running into the kitchen yelling "Zoe roll over! Zoe roll over!"  Sure enough, she had rolled over and we treated her to a chorus of "Hurray, Zoe!" 

P.S.  Happy Six Months, Zoe!

Settling in and growing up

Just like the rest of us, Zoe has started to settle into her new home. We've found it challenging to keep taking pictures when we're playing with both girls and trying to unpack. That's why when one of them falls asleep, the camera comes out.

Zoe has also been working on her sitting up skills. Here she is in Daddy's arms, sucking on a thumb and strengthening her core body.

One of the most exciting developments of the week is that Zoe is starting to eat solid foods. She's been sitting at the table with us for weeks and she finally grabbed our plates and silverware enough times that we decided to serve her something of her own. Like her big sister, after a few meals of rice cereal, we promoted her to mashed peas, which she promptly devoured, except for the bit that missed her mouth.