One night about two weeks ago (just after our return home from Madison), Zoe slept right through her middle-of-the-night feeding. This had already happened occasionally, so we didn’t think much of it – until it happened again the next night and the next night and the next night… Since it’s still happening, I’m confident to say that Zoe’s new sleep schedule appears to be 9 PM – 6:30 AM or so. And I’ve got tell you: we love it! (Am I nostalgic about getting up with her in the middle of the night? Uh, no!) Let’s hope she continues the pattern…

-M

Yesterday ended up being a pretty full day. After playing with Daddy, Zoe got to visit Amy, Doug, and Jack. Here she is with papa Doug:

Then we took a stroller ride around the area since it was so nice out:

We stopped to get something to eat, but Zoe was more interested in her bear:

Finally, she stopped playing with the bear and decided to eat something:

And to end the day, she got a visit from Uncle Dan and Jenny:

I hope Sunday is just as fun!

Jon Q

Saturday and Sunday are always fun days since Zoe gets to spend the whole day with both mommy AND daddy. Here are few shots from this morning’s fun time…

Jon Q

What can I say, she loves to play. She gets very smiley and loves to grab her little bumble bee! I could not decide which video I liked better, so I put them all up. Let me know what you think.

Zoe and her hippo 1:

Zoe and her hippo 2:

Zoe and her hippo 3:

Jon Q

As you can probably detect from the tone of my post below, I’ve been feeling a little nervous/anxious/sad about starting work and putting Zoe in daycare. The thought of leaving Zoe was difficult for me – as was the thought of placing her in the care of someone else. Well, I’m happy to report that things went really well today: both of us survived – and even enjoyed! – our first day apart. According to Elena, Zoe’s babysitter, Zoe spent most of her day eating, napping and taking in her surroundings with those big eyes of hers! (Zoe even mimicked her home schedule by eating at 11 AM and 3 PM.) Elena said she barely cried or fussed, and Zoe certainly did seem content when I picked her up. (She didn’t even seem that excited to see me - although I tried not to take that personally.) I know it will never be easy to part with her, but I am comforted that Zoe seems happy with her new environment!

-M

Feb. 26 has been circled on my calendar for many months. That date marks the official end of my maternity leave; I am, indeed, starting work this week. (I start on Thursday.) Although I’m working just two days for the next four weeks (before returning to a fuller schedule in late March), I view this as the start of a new chapter for Zoe and me. And over the past few days I’ve given a lot of thought to our time together these past few months.

The months I spent with Zoe were so much more rewarding – and fun – than I thought they would be. I had, quite honestly, expected the worst about maternity leave. I was afraid I would get no sleep and have no fun and never have a chance to shower or do anything on my own; I was afraid I would have difficulty soothing a constantly crying baby. The reality was quite different. I didn’t always get a lot of sleep, and Zoe wasn’t always the happiest baby, but we managed to have a good time together. The two of us developed a little routine, and we found ourselves out-and-about (usually walking, running errands or shopping) more frequently than I had anticipated. I had never had such a reliable companion before, and I quickly grew to love her constant, quiet presence.

In fact, when I look back upon my leave, I think the companionship is what I’ll remember (and miss) the most. Although I had been concerned (pre-Zoe) that having a baby would be somewhat of a burden, I actually wound up embracing the fact that I always had someone there with me.

I know it will be hard the first few times I drive to Stanford and see an empty backseat in my rearview mirror. (I have a lump in my throat just thinking about it.) But I also know it will feel good to get back in the swing of things at work, and I know Zoe and I will spend plenty of time together in coming weeks/months/years. The date on the calendar can’t change that…

-M

Zoe had another doctor’s appointment today and there was good news all around. First, her platelet count was over 500K. (For those who don’t know the platelet saga, that’s a good count. At one time, it was under 10K.) Second, she is now 14 lb. 1.5 oz. That is close to double her birth weight of 7 lb. 3 oz. And lastly, Zoe is now over 25 inches (up from her 21 inches at birth)! The doctor said Zoe is in the 90 percentile in terms of length, which shouldn’t surprise anyone (considering she has two tall parents). Sounds like she is following in her parents’ footsteps, but only time will tell…

Jon Q

You might be wondering what a 3-month-old girl does all day. Well, I thought I would share…

First, lots of sleeping:

Then after she gets up, she usually plays on the computer with dad:

Then more sleeping:

After her nap, she usually eats and then needs to be burped:

Then more sleeping:

She sometimes takes a bath before daddy gets home:

Then it’s happy time before she goes back for more sleep:

All in all, a pretty fun day!

Jon Q

It’s been three months since Zoe was born – which is terribly hard to believe! Time has gone really fast, but things with Zoe keep getting better and better. Just the other day, Q commented that he loves the three-month stage and that Zoe really seems more like a little girl than a baby now. (She’s certainly a BIG girl. Although she won’t be weighed again until Monday, I wouldn’t be surprised if she has doubled her birth weight by now.)

We saw a lot more of Zoe’s personality this past month, and our very early prediction (that she’s a mellow baby) seems to have been correct. Zoe spends most of her awake time just resting (on her Boppy pillow, in the stroller, etc.), looking around, cooing and smiling. She’s able to entertain herself doing this for good chunks of time; when she gets cranky, it usually just means it’s time for a nap. Speaking of naps, she gets about 12-14 hours of sleep a day, and she periodically goes the entire night without waking up to eat. (She’s actually had three 8+hour nights in a row, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that this is the start of something permanent!)

As mentioned here previously, Zoe discovered her thumb this month – and she still sucks on it quite a bit, especially when she’s hungry. Another big development (which is a recent one) is that she coos, talks and even sort of laughs ALL of the time now. Smile or say a few words to her, and chances are good that she’ll smile or say something right back to you. She’s even started to smile when picked up first thing in the morning, which is nice to wake up to. Lastly, she’s gotten good at recognizing her parents’ voices; she now turns her head in our direction when we enter the room and greet her. (She wasn’t doing that as recently as a few weeks ago.)

Like Q, I feel like Zoe is at her best stage yet – and I know there is more good stuff ahead!

-M