OMG, I just looked at the top of the site and noticed that Zoe is 327 days old today! How did she get so old?

Jon Q

This past weekend, Zoe got some visitors. Her cousin Rachel came over to watch some football with Zoe. Zoe taught her all about fantasy football and Rachel was impressed. Then as a bonus, her friend Jack came over to help her play with her toys. Pumpkin patches on Saturday and visitors to play with on Sunday, what more can a little girl ask for?

Jon Q

Well, Zoe graduated from her baby bath to the big-girl bath this weekend. She was excited to have so much room to move around – it was like a mini swimming pool for her! Check out how much fun she was having.

Jon Q

Our second stop in Half Moon Bay was at a real pumpkin patch. Here are a few thoughts from Zoe while picking out her very first pumpkin!

Jon Q

“What’s this used for?”

“Looks like a big orange!”

“I have to choose just one?”

“I could get used to this…”

I’ve wanted to go to the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival for years. It’s a big event – typically attended by more than 250,000 people – and it always seemed like a fun way to kick off fall (and prepare for Halloween). With Zoe around, we had no excuse *not* to go this year – so the three of us headed down and spent the morning looking at, sitting on and picking out pumpkins (and doing other cool stuff). No pony rides or hay rides for little Zoe this time around – but there’s always next year!

-M

Zoe and I braved the cold and rain and headed down to Stanford this morning. It was my day off, but I wanted my co-workers and friends to see Zoe before she gets even bigger. (She’s only been to the office once before.) Zoe got a taste of my commute and then spent some time meeting new friends, exploring the office and observing my co-workers in action. I think she enjoyed herself and, who knows – maybe our trip will inspire her to pursue a career in a medical field, too!

-M

“This commute just wipes me out.”

“Where am I?”

“Hey, this doesn’t look like Daddy’s head!”

“I’m Mommy’s new assistant.”

It’s been a pretty uneventful week for Zoe, but we couldn’t let any more time pass without posting a picture. Here she is the other day: just hanging out – and showing off her little rabbit teeth.

-M

Zoe had a fun relaxing weekend. She got to spend some time in the park with her good friend Zander:

She had some time to lay around and watch football:

And of course there is always time to horse around:

Jon Q

Zoe is catching on quick… First “good”, then “no”. Check her out in action:

Jon Q

I always assumed we wouldn’t see Zoe’s sassy/bratty side until she was closer to two. (They call them the terrible twos for a reason, right?) I guess this was pretty foolish (or optimistic) thinking, because Zoe – fourteen months shy of her second birthday – has definitely had her share of temper tantrums/crying bouts lately. The tantrums usually occur when something (a toy, a shoe, a potentially dangerous item, etc.) is taken away from her; she’ll sometimes also throw fits when she doesn’t feel like having her diaper changed or a shirt pulled over her head. Though she’s still a happy baby overall, she has definitely given us a taste of the more, er, challenging side of parenting.

Even when Zoe’s throwing a fit, though, I can’t help but think she’s pretty cute. And I just had to snap a few before-and-after pictures from one of today’s in-the-crib tantrums.

-M

Zoe’s been saying “dada” and “mama” for awhile now, but I’ve been hesitant to declare these her first words. (Does she really know their meaning? It’s hard to say.) This weekend, we heard Zoe utter what sounded like another real word – but we weren’t sure whether she really knew what she was saying. After what happened this afternoon, though, I think she probably did. We were just playing a game and, when Zoe did something very smart, I commented, “Zoe, good girl!” She looked up at me, smiled and very clearly said, “good!”

And so, I am officially calling it. Zoe’s first, real word is “good.” (And thank goodness it’s that and not “bad” or “no.” We would have really felt awful!)

-M

When Zoe begged Mommy to get the same shirt as her, I totally didn’t think they would look this cute together!

Jon Q