As mentioned many times before, Zoe and I get together with our friends Polly (and Miles) and Susan (and Zander) about once a week. During our last get-together, on Friday, us moms were marveling over how big our “babies” have gotten. They really are like little people now, aren’t they??

-M

Zoe has done all sorts of new things this weekend. Ever since coming home from daycare on Thurs., she’s been walking up a storm – and she’s getting really good at staying up and going long distances. Her dad also taught her a new party trick yesterday: when you ask, “where’s your foot?” she lifts up her foot and smiles. (When she did it for the first time, we screamed in excitement. You would have thought she had just won the Nobel Prize or something!) And this morning, while playing with one of her stuffed animals, she said another word for the first time. “Dog.”

I can’t wait to see what she does *next* week!

-M

I’m not a big fan of bathing Zoe. It’s not that I don’t like having a clean, fresh-looking Zoe around (I do!); it’s just that the whole process is a bit of a grind. (There are just so many steps: take off Zoe’s diaper and clothes, head to the bathroom, fill up the bath with water and toys, clean Zoe, dry Zoe, head back to the bedroom, put on Zoe’s diaper and clothes again, etc.) I *do* bathe Zoe, of course, but I must admit I don’t look forward to doing so.

Regardless of my bathtime issues, I can certainly appreciate how cute Zoe looks when she’s being cleaned. So next time I start dreading the thought of giving Zoe another bath, I should probably just watch the short video below. It’s from last weekend, when PopPop was here, and it’s enough to make anyone want to plunk Zoe in the water and start scrubbing (and playing) away!

-M

When I picked up Zoe at daycare tonight, Elena commented that she was doing a lot of walking. I brought her home and plunked her in front of Q, and – sure enough – she started walking all over the place. I’m fairly certain that Zoe decided that walking (for real) would be the ideal present for her dad… So (again): Happy Birthday, Q! (And for the rest of you, check out the video we just took.)

-M

Today is Q’s birthday, and Zoe is quite excited about it. (She’s high-fiving her dad about it below.) Q and Zoe are like two peas in a pod (he’s pretty much her favorite person in the world), and Zoe is hoping her dad has the best day ever!

-M

I have about a million memories of giving birth, and one of my most vivid involves a comment about Zoe’s hair. Just before I actually delivered, my nurse told us that she could see the baby’s head – and it looked like we would be having a curly, black-haired little girl. I was so excited to hear that “Sesame” was going to take after Q, and I was a tad surprised when, once in the outside world, Zoe’s hair was actually straight and brown.

Well, it turns out the nurse was only half wrong. One year later, Zoe’s hair (while still light brown) is actually quite curly – and it gets more so the older she gets. (And when it’s wet, she really looks like her dad. See below for the evidence.) I’m sure her hair will continue to change, and my new (totally shallow) hope is that Zoe winds up with blonde curls. I think that would suit her well!

-M

So, Safta and Pop Pop headed home this morning. We were sad to see them go (our house is so quiet now!), but we were glad they had so many fun moments with Zoe. Below are some pics from the past few days.

-M

One of Zoe’s little friends recently started walking, which reminded me that we haven’t given an update on Zoe’s walking in awhile. Zoe has taken quite a different path (no pun intended) than her friend, who just got up one day, took a few steps forward, and then never looked back. Zoe first took a few steps on our bed, right around her birthday in late Nov.; from there, she would walk a few steps every couple of days. (She showed off her walking for our friend Fink during his early Dec. visit, for example.) When we were in Madison, she took her longest walk (about ten steps) to date – and this week, during Safta and PopPop’s visit, she has been on her feet (shuffling both sideways and straight ahead) constantly. She still likes to crawl – probably because she’s gotten so fast – but we can start seeing a real change in the walk-to-crawl ratio. I have a feeling crawling is going to feel like old-hat to Zoe one of these days, and she’ll soon use walking as her exclusive form of transportation. (For now, I think her hybrid way of getting around is super cute.) As always, we’ll keep you posted!

-M

Zoe is at that age where she reaches for and gets into *everything* – so things tend to disappear when she’s around. PopPop, who arrived from DC this morning, experienced this firsthand when Zoe snatched his glasses. She gave them back, of course, but it took a stern look and some persistence!

-M

Zoe has had lots of fun, family bonding time lately. After returning home from Madison, she got to spend the week hanging out with her Safta, and also Dan and Jenny. Things will be even more fun tomorrow, when her PopPop arrives for a quick weekend visit. For now, here are a few pics.

-M

“Yea – I love hanging out with family!”

“Hi, Uncle Dan.”

“Kissie, kissie!”

The other night – thanks to Safta, who babysat – Q and I had a New Year’s Eve date night. I asked Q that evening what he thought was the best thing about 2007, and his answer was simple: Zoe. I have to agree with him; watching Zoe grow from a baby into a little girl was incredibly special – and an incredible honor.

It’s 2008 now, so here’s to an even more incredible New Year – for Zoe and everyone else out there!

-M

PS. We’ll post more pictures soon. I promise!