Zoe and I hadn’t been to a Little Learner’s in awhile and got to Gorilla day yesterday! We had plenty of fun making masks, playing with friends, jumping around, and we even got to pet a hedgehog. All in all was a nice little Saturday morning.

Jon Q

Last month, we blogged about converting our computer/guest-room into a new room for Zoe. We painted and put up drapes a few weeks ago, and we spent most of today getting her closet organized and her new furniture (which finally arrived this week) into place. It was probably a silly day to do everything (it’s incredibly warm and summer-like here), but I think all of us are excited with the results. Zoe seems to love her new room – plus, with every change, we’re inching closer to Poppy’s arrival!

-M

When I got home earlier this week, Zoe came running to me exclaiming, “Daddy, Daddy, Cousin is here!” Cousin Kim had come all the way from South Carolina to visit us. Of course, she was napping at the time and Zoe just had to wake her up, so we quietly said hello. Moments later they were best friends reading her new Panda book on the couch…

Jon Q

Okay, so it seems that Zoe is *really* getting excited for the baby’s arrival. This morning right after she woke up, she started chattering to Q about how “little sister be coming” and how she was going to push her around in the stroller. I don’t think Q and I have been talking about the baby more than usual, so perhaps Zoe has noticed my ever-growing belly and just assumed that her sister is about to appear.

On a related note, Zoe suggested to Q last night that we name the new baby “Doggie,” which made me laugh. We don’t have a name picked out yet – but I don’t think Poppy would be too appreciative of Zoe’s suggestion!

-M

As we were driving home from Walnut Creek on Sun., I asked Q if he was excited for the baby. Before he had a chance to answer, Zoe piped up from the backseat. “MY baby!” she called out. “My baby sister!” I turned to look at her and laughed. “Are you excited for the baby, Zoe?” I asked her. “Yeh,” she responded with a big smile.

-M

I was really indecisive about what I wanted to do for Mother’s Day this year (thanks for your patience, Q!), but what we wound up doing was a perfect balance of family and girlie/mom fun. We started with a brunch (overlooking the ocean) in the city, then we visited the amusement park Fairyland in Oakland. (When I was little I visited a similar place, Storybook Gardens, in Wisconsin Dells – and I figured, correctly, that Fairyland would bring back some happy memories.) Our day was capped off with some time in sunny and warm Walnut Creek, where we strolled around and did two of my favorite things: shopping and snacking.

Here are some fun pics from the day.

-M

We’ll post more about our Mother’s Day festivities later but Zoe wanted to wish all the mother’s out there a happy Mother’s Day…

Jon Q

Zoe enjoys reading – but she likes it even more when she’s accompanied by friends. Last night she grabbed Panda so the two of them could read Dr. Suess books together; this morning, she lined up some chairs and gathered an even larger group for storytime. Here are some pics.

-M

When I dropped off Zoe at Elena’s yesterday, I looked around and saw only girl faces smiling at me. When I made a comment to Elena, she confirmed that her girl-to-boy ratio is pretty skewed towards girls right now; along with Zoe, she takes care of five girls and just one boy. I’m not sure how I haven’t noticed this before (come to think of it though, Zoe does primarily talk about her girlfriends there), but I suddenly became extra grateful for all the little guys in Zoe’s life. Without Zander, Miles, Cousin Tanner, etc., Zoe wouldn’t know how much fun boys are!

-M

It’s been awhile since we’ve shared never-before-posted pictures. Below are a few recent ones that haven’t made it on the site but are kind of fun… (And you’ll notice that Zoe’s wearing pink in every one!)

-M

Zoe has always liked the rain and watching people carry umbrellas – so we bought a baby umbrella for her (see below) this weekend. Ever since Zoe got her new “toy”, it’s all she’s wanted to play with and talk about. She proudly carries it around the house, cradles it in her arms when she’s in her carseat (just like she does her stuffed animals), and tells everyone – even dogs! – about it. (“Hi, doggie,” she said to one spotted in the parking lot of a store last night. “Look at my new ‘brella.” And when she briefly talked on the phone with my friend Angela the other day, the first thing she told her was that she had a new umbrella.) For the past two days, she’s even taken it into Elena’s – insisting that she show it off to her friends there.

I’m glad something as simple (and inexpensive) as a polka-dot umbrella can bring Zoe so much happiness!

-M

From a conversation about 30 minutes ago, on our way home from Elena’s.

M: “I missed you today, Zoe.”
Z: “Oh! Thank you, Mommy.”

My heart melted a little bit…

-M

While sitting and waiting at my doctor’s appointment yesterday morning, another patient came in with her toddler son. “How far along are you?” she was asked by the receptionist, and I watched as the woman scrunched up her nose and paused before answering, “26 or 27 weeks, something like that.” She wasn’t alone: when I had checked in a few minutes prior I, too, had to pause and calculate my week. While I knew the status of my first pregnancy to the exact day, I’ve consistently lost track with this one – and I’m pretty sure it has something to with being too busy with another kid to dwell on the pregnancy. (And it’s likely the same thing for that other mom.) What I can’t help but dwell on, though, is how fast it’s all gone! How can 33 weeks (yes, it’s 33) have slipped by so quickly??

-M

Our friend Fink celebrated his birthday with a bowling party yesterday, and Zoe was invited. She had a lot of fun scoring the game and throwing balls down the lane with her dad – she even got a strike! – and her afternoon was capped off with an air hockey game (her first) with Uncle Dan and Jenny. To quote one of my fave movies, “Old School,” it was “actually a pretty nice little [Sunday].”

-M

When Zoe gets bored sometimes she picks up her phone and gives her friends a call – today it was Uncle Dan and Jenny. We didn’t catch the whole conversation, but did get the end. She is a very busy girl.

Jon Q