I’ve been back at work for a full year now; a quick look at the calendar reminded me that my maternity leave ended one year ago this week. When asked by people how my working-girl-with-a-baby life is going, I usually answer the same way: it’s great, overall, but some weeks are tougher than others. Much of the time, I feel content and accomplished – work is going well, I’ve been spending lots of bonding time with Zoe and Q, my house is clean, etc. But then there are the darker moments, when I feel tired and grumpy – work is wearing me out, I feel overwhelmed by parenting responsibilities, I’m not in the mood to empty my dishwasher, etc. (Unfortunately, this week fell in the latter category – because my work has been crazy, crazy, crazy.)

Despite the dark weeks, I don’t think I would change this past year – even if given the opportunity. It’s not always easy, but the payoff from “balancing” career with baby has been so worth it. (Now here’s hoping next week is a more mellow one!)

-M

I recently tweaked my work-hours (I go into work later each morning), and Zoe is now one of the last children to be dropped off at daycare. The five or six kids already there typically run up to us when we arrive, but today they were particularly excited to see her. “Zo-ee! Zo-ee! Zo-ee!” they started to chant, as if at some sporting event, as they jumped up and down. Zoe was a little uncertain at first and leaned into my knee for comfort, but she quickly warmed up to her friends and ran off with them. What a fun way to start the day (for both of us)!

-M

Zoe was never a picky eater… until about two weeks ago. Starting around the time she got sick, she suddenly wanted nothing to do with her old faves (bananas, cereal, sweet potatoes, etc.) and only wanted to eat bread. I thought it would pass when she got better, but she’s still finicky – and still practically obsessed with bread. It’s gotten to the point where she shakes with excitement when she sees or hears the bread bag, and stomps her feet/cries/shakes with anger if we don’t give her a piece fast enough. (A few minutes ago she had a major meltdown while waiting for me to prepare her grilled cheese. It’s as if she thinks I’m just teasing her and not *really* intending to feed her.) Needless to say, Zoe has had a lot of sandwiches lately.

-M

Zoe loves watching babies – and that includes herself. Whenever we turn on one of our videos of her, she gets very excited: she’ll come running in from her bedroom, jump up in our lap to watch, and then smile the whole way through. One of her current favorites is the one below – taken just a few weeks ago – and, like Video Zoe, Watcher Zoe just can’t stop laughing. Needless to say, we’ve been playing this one a lot lately.

-M

PS- The best part – or, at least, Zoe’s favorite – is at the 27-second mark. It’s worth the wait.

Zoe becomes more and more like a little person each day. As mentioned last month, her level of comprehension continues to accelerate – she follows simple commands (last week, for example, I asked her to put on her socks and she grabbed them and tried to put them on her feet) and answers, in her own way, simple questions. (If I ask her, “Do you want to read a book?”, for example, she starts walking over or pointing to her dresser, where we keep a small stack of books.)

Speaking of books, they are some of Zoe’s favorite things. As discussed here before, she spends long stretches of time sitting by herself and flipping through pages. She often demands that Q or I pick her up and let her pick a book from her dresser – and she has emerged into a rather picky reader/listener. She is very particular about which book she wants at any given time; Q and I will often start reading one to Zoe, only to have her shut it closed and fling it towards the dresser. If you try to continue reading that book, she’ll likely grunt or squirm out of your arms.

Though Zoe loves reading and spending time on her own, she is still very much a social girl. She’s often smiling at strangers, and whenever a baby or small child passes her in a stroller she’s likely to yell out, “hi-yee!” (She also loves dogs, and whenever she sees one , she says “daw, daw, daw” repeatedly.) And she loves playing games – hide-and-go-seek and run-around-the-house, for example – with me and her dad.

Zoe talks more than ever (“beep” was a new word for her this month), and she recently said her first two-word sentence. Last weekend, she burst into our bedroom, saw Q was in bed and said excitedy, “Hi-yee, Daddy!”

Though Zoe is always doing cute things that make us smile, she does have her stormy side. We often get an early taste of the “terribly twos,” with grunts, dramatic crying and even some foot stomping. She’s been a bit finicky about eating lately (which might be due to her recent illness), and we’ve seen a lot of head-shaking and crying over undesirable food. (She used to eat everything!)

Speaking of food, Zoe has become a huge fan of a particular cupboard in our kitchen. It’s where we keep her snack food and several times a day now, she grunts and points towards the cupboard. I’ve become a bit strict about snacks, so now Zoe goes right to her dad when she wants access to the cupboard. (Needless to say, the big softie is likely to get something for her.) And another development: she is now able to feed herself with a spoon. She’s really messy, of course, but she gets the job done.

As for physical stuff, we found out at her 15-month appointment yesterday that she weighs 25 lbs, 5 ounces and measures 32 inches. As mentioned earlier, she is in the 75 percentile for both weight and height.

-M

Zoe had her 15-month appointment today. She made it through her three shots with only a few tears, and we found out she is up to 25 lbs, 5 oz and 32 inches. (This puts her in the 75 percentile for both weight and height.) Weight gain usually slows down for kids Zoe’s age, her doctor said, but our little – er, big – Zoe is still packing on the pounds! (She’s gained 2 lbs since her 12-month check-up.)

-M

It’s been awhile since we’ve posted a bath photo, so I thought I would share this one from the other night. Q (who was in charge of bathtime) was doing his best to make Zoe’s hair as curly as possible… and I think he did a pretty good job!

-M

Most afternoons when I pick up Zoe at daycare, she’s standing right by the door – all ready to go. Yesterday, though, she was playing with a toy in the back of the room – and she didn’t hear me come in. I watched her for a few seconds and then called out her name; she looked up with a surprised expression, which melted into a huge smile, and started waddling/running towards me in her little pink coat. Scooping her up was the most amazing feeling; to quote Zoe’s Safta, I’m in love with this child!

-M

PS- Needless to say, Zoe is feeling better.

Though Zoe was a bit sniffly and rather grumpy, we couldn’t let the gorgeous, 3-day weekend pass by without having *some* fun. The three of us wound up taking a quick day-trip to Napa, and we all enjoyed ourselves. Zoe did a lot of sleeping, eating and hanging out with her dad (three of her favorite things, really), and I got to take a few fun pics.

-M

The good news is that Zoe’s fever has been gone since Sat. The bad news is that she’s still not 100% and has been pretty grumpy – and clingy. As she sat screaming while I tried to feed her this morning, I realized that the past few days have reminded me of the newborn stage, when a baby cries a lot and is extremely needy. (Newborns don’t usually throw tantrums, but that’s beside the point.) As sad as I sometimes feel about Zoe’s independence (“it’s like she doesn’t love me,” I occasionally comment to Q), I see now that it’s a lot better than the alternative. And I’m looking forward to her getting back to normal soon!

-M

I mentioned below that taking a photo of a 15-month-old can be a challenge. Indeed, my recent attempt to get a nice, simple picture with Zoe holding a red rose turned into quite the production.

First, Zoe just stared at the flower…

Then, she refused to look at the camera.

Next, Zoe decided it would be fun to pick off the flower’s petals…

And she got upset when I tried to take the flower away.

Eventually the battered flower wound up on the floor…

And Zoe was left to wonder what happened.

We managed to get a few good shots that day, but I think I’ll leave future photo shoots to the professionals!

-M

Zoe was too sick yesterday to wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day. She’s much better now, though – and she was even feeling well enough to (try to) re-create a favorite picture from last year. (Note: it’s nearly impossible to stage a photo shoot with a 15-month-old. But that’s another post altogether!) Check out the new and old pics below, and have a wonderful day-after-Valentine’s Day!

-M

Zoe was still feeling sick yesterday*, so Q stayed home with her. I had a super busy day at work, but I couldn’t help calling numerous times to check up on them. I even sang Zoe one of her favorite songs over the phone, and it was that precise moment that it hit me: ‘wow, I’m a mom.’ (I mean, really – that’s a pretty mom-thing to do!) And I also felt very mom-like when I rushed home and scooped Zoe up in my arms. That was the best part of my day, obviously…

-M

*It’s a virus, according to her doctor. I hope she gets it out of her system soon!

I’m not ashamed to admit that nap-time is one (or two) of my favorite parts of the day. It gives me a little break, a bit of quiet time and also something to look forward to: Zoe waking up! I always love seeing her little face, and she’s usually quite entertaining when she greets me. Check out the video below, and I think you’ll agree. (On a note, this was taken when she wasn’t feeling well – so imagine how much energy she has when she’s 100%!)

-M

Zoe wasn’t feeling well yesterday, so she stayed home with me while I worked. She was pretty easy to take care of: she took two naps and spent most of her awake-time sitting in her room (adjacent to our computer room), playing with her toys and books. When she got particularly lonely, she would wander in by me and start playing… with the wastepaper basket. We don’t normally encourage her to go through the garbage, but its primary contents were just paper – and she looked awfully cute sitting there. Check out the view from my computer desk.

-M