On Sunday, Zoe got a visit from Jeanene, Glen, and Leah. They came over for Sunday brunch and Zoe got a treat; Leah was nice enough to share her dolls with Zoe and read to her. Zoe had a great time and can’t wait for them to come over again.

Jon Q

Leah reading to Zoe:

OK, I am so excited to show everyone this! All those other crawling videos were just leading up to this…Zoe crawled for REAL tonight! Proud Dad couldn’t wait to show everyone her major milestone.

Jon Q

It all started on October 26th when Zoe was just Sesame and we were only 30 days to her due date. Well, 280+ posts later we are approaching a milestone – 10,000 views! That’s pretty good for less than 10 months. In honor of this feat, we are going to give a prize to our 10,000th visitor. If you come to the Zoe site and see the 10,000 marker at the bottom of the page, you win! Just send us a screen shot of the moment so we can post it and you will receive a surprise. Thanks for making Zoe’s site such a hit!

Jon Q

Friends mentioned on Friday that Zoe is looking really long, so I decided to go back to some old photos and look for the difference. The second picture below is from early January; the first is from Saturday – and I must confess that this side-by-side comparison left me with a huge lump in my throat. Look how small she was! Look how big she is now!

-M

A few people have asked that we post more crawling video of Zoe. This is from yesterday… Enjoy.

Jon Q

It’s been a few weeks since Zoe and her boy friends, Miles and Zander, all got together; the gang finally connected on Friday morning. Us moms couldn’t help but marvel over how big and active our babies are – they’re now sitting, rolling and moving all about. (That’s a lot different from our first get-together, when the four-month-olds spent the entire time lying on their backs.) As for Zoe, she was excited not only to see her friends (and play with their toys) but also to try out Miles’ Jumparoo. Just like at home, she got a good amount of air and couldn’t help but squeal with excitement. What would she do if she couldn’t jump??

-M

Zoe often takes a late afternoon nap after I pick her up from daycare. Last night, she was more in the mood to cry than sleep – so, to cheer her up, I initiated a game of crib peek-a-boo. This seemed to do the trick: she didn’t wind up napping, but she sure was happy!

-M

So, Zoe did the traditional crawl (up on all fours) today. She hasn’t perfected it yet, but she’s well on her way. (No more inchworm for her!) It’s exciting – but it does make life a bit more challenging for us. We have to watch her more carefully, of course, but that seems like a piece of cake compared to changing her! Every time we plunk her on her changing table these days, she flips on her tummy, rolls around and, now, gets on her knees. This mobile, independent stage is entertaining – but, unless we get creative, I’m afraid our days of the quick-and-easy change are long gone.

-M

In honor of my Mommy’s birthday, I thought I would write a post. I guess I only have a couple questions – who looks cuter and can you tell which one is me?

I hope you have a fun day, Mommy. Love you!

Zoe

Big changes this month – as Zoe continued to develop and become more of her own person. (A girlie, independent person, that is!) One of the biggest developments, of course, involved her mobility: she spent most of the month rolling and using her tummy and hands to scoot across the floor; more recently she started using her legs to actually crawl – in a very inchworm-like way. (She also likes to get on all fours and move back and forth – kind of like she’s revving her engine. See below.) Her favorite things to move towards? Her yellow whale or duck, and pretty much anything food-related.

Speaking of food, Zoe has proven – in a big way – that she loves to eat. She still enjoys her baby food (cereal, various fruits and veggies, and most recently egg yolk), but she is way more interested in OUR food and drink. Take a bite or swallow of something and she is likely to a) stare at you with huge give-me-some-of-that, puppy-dog eyes, b) open her mouth up VERY wide and start to shake in excitement, or c) actually grab for the food item, bottle, etc. (It’s actually become a bit difficult to eat or drink around her; we have to be very sneaky at times!)

Probably due to her love of food, Zoe has gained a good amount of weight this past month. As mentioned a few days ago, she came in at 19 lbs, 2 oz. at her last weigh-in; and she’s now in the 80 percentile for her age.

Another big development is the immersion of Zoe’s independent, curious personality. As is the case with most babies this age, Zoe is interested in exploring *everything.* If she sees something she likes, she’ll open her mouth, shake her legs and arms and try to make her way towards it. (If you’re holding her in your arms when she spots something, watch out – she’ll lunge!) Unlike in months past, Zoe will also express her displeasure if a desired item drops or is taken away; she’s adopted a bit of a whine, and sometimes she’ll even grunt.

As mentioned here a few weeks ago, Zoe is talking a lot more. She did say “dada” a few weeks back (although it’s unclear she knew exactly what that meant), and she has most recently favored her “b’s” and “v’s.” She tends to chatter most often in the morning, right after having her breakfast of milk, or when she’s in a particularly happy mood. She is also fond of making a half-coo/half-laugh sound when she sees something funny or something makes her happy. She often makes it, for example, when her dad walks into a room and says “hello” to her or when her mom starts singing one of her favorite songs. (Itsy-Bitsy Spider is her current fave.)

Long gone are the days when we could plunk Zoe in a chair or on a bed and have her just sit there and take in the world around her. These days she’s always on the move, and she always wants to part of the action. It makes taking caring of her a bit more challenging, of course (I could, for example, do without the whining); but I think Q would agree that this is her best stage yet.

-M

Vroom, vroom:

Zoe doesn’t often get to hang out with girls as all of her close friends are boys. But Sunday we got to head up to Giselle and Jon’s house to see Lila, Elena, and Margo. Zoe got tired quickly so we couldn’t spend much time, but she had a chance to swim and play.

Jon Q

Zoe with the Girls:

Zoe Getting Ready for Swim Time:

Relaxing After a Swim:

Girls Say Goodbye:

In honor of Michelle’s upcoming birthday (and Zia Angela’s actual birthday), we decided to head up to Napa on Saturday and spend the night. Here are some fun pictures of Zoe with Daddy, Mommy, and Zoe’s new found friend…

Jon Q

When Zoe was very small, we visited her doctor almost weekly. (Those pesky blood tests!) Now that’s she older, we go for much longer stretches without seeing Dr. Fernandez; Zoe’s visit today was her first since early June. “She looks so different – and so big!” was the first thing the doctor said upon seeing her, and she noted that Zoe had a lot more hair. (It’s also a lot lighter; her new hair is growing in blonde.) Other observations/developments:

-Zoe is up to 19 lbs, 2 oz – which puts her in the 80 percentile for weight. She’s also just over 27 inches.

-Zoe’s eyes are still a light greyish-blue. After a quick inspection, Dr. Fernandez said she thinks the color will stick. (I have a feeling, though, that they’ll change.)

-There’s still no sign of teeth.

-Dr. Fernandez commented that Zoe has a lot of funny facial expressions. (Given her parents, is anyone really surprised by this?)

-Most exciting, Zoe’s platelet level remains nice and high. She’s in the clear for any pesky long-term problems, and we’re pretty sure this is the last time her platelets will be checked. Hooray!

Unless Zoe comes down with something, she won’t be seeing Dr. Fernandez again until she’s 12 months old. Wonder what she’ll look and be like then??

-M

When I picked up Zoe from daycare the other day, Elena commented on how entertaining it is to feed Zoe. When I probed further, Elena explained that the minute Zoe sees food – any food, including Elena’s lunch – she shakes in excitement and opens her mouth very wide. I told her we’ve seen plenty of this at home, too, and then asked, “But don’t most babies open their mouth when they want to be fed?” (I figured Elena should know; she’s been caring for babies for 18 years, after all.) “Yes,” Elena answered slowly. “But not as wide as Zoe!”

-M

When I used to vacation and wake up from a pina-colada-sweetened slumber at 9 or 10 in the morning, I often heard splashes and shouts and wondered who in their right mind would be at the pool at that hour. And now I know the answer: parents. Now that Q and I have joined the parental ranks, we found ourselves at the pool at 8:30 each of the mornings we were in Phoenix. We were up anyway (thanks to Zoe the Alarm Clock), and it was a good way to avoid the hottest part of the sun. Our experience was certainly a lot different than our pre-Zoe vacations, but we still had a blast. Here are some more of our fave pics from the trip.

-M