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.