Sleepover at Grammie and Grampie's

Zoe had her first sleepover at Grammie and Grampie C's last night. Apparently, she had a lot of fun walking, crawling, being carried down the hallway, played with a VERY fun tree, tormented their cat (good for her!), played her little fanny off, and slept well. Apparently, she played SO hard in the morning, she crawled up to Grammie, Zoe put her head in Grammie's lap, and fell asleep face down!

There are pictures, and we'll update with a picture as soon as they're sent. It sounds like they had a VERY good time, and we all look forward to more sleepovers (as soon as Grammie and Grampie recover! They're not used to running around with a 1 year old!!).

Growing like a Weed...

Yes, Z continues to grow like a weed. For Christmas, we got Zoe lots of 12 month (and beyond) clothes...most of what she got for her birthday was 18 month clothes. I thought, regarding the 12 month clothes, "wow, this will be good for her in april"....Um, they fit her NOW. While I know she's 12 months old now...you have to remember, her first 6 months, she was in 0-3month clothes!

I was telling Grammie and Grampie C that this week, especially, Noah and I have noticed that she's just GROWN. Not just comparing from when she was a newborn, but just in this week!! It's incredible. I am not sure WHAT the change is, but I look at her toddling around, and she's not a little little baby any more. Is it that she's walking? That she's a year old? That I know she's starting to bust out of some of her clothes again and needs a new size? That she's talking and picking up language? That she's pointing to everything and demonstrating that she wants to learn? That she is repeating everything we say in her own way (she's quite the mimic!)? That she responds to some requests?? I don't know. I just know that my little baby is growing up SO fast.

An example of this happened today. I saw Z was playing with the dog she is sometimes skittish with...petting it and poking it in the mouth. So, I ID the tongue and mouth that she was looking at. Then, I said something like, "Zoe, doggies bark. A doggy says, 'woof'. What's a doggy say?" I had to repeat it a couple of times, and then she started saying, 'oof' when I asked. we repeated the "woof" "oof" a couple of times, and then Noah came home. After a few minutes of him holding her, I wanted to show him. She did it again! Even if she doesn't understand what all of that is, I'm still very proud!! If I can get her to repeat it, I'll try to get it on video!

Speaking of video...I took some cute video of her walking even better, trying to sneak around the kitchen table, and getting ready for baseball. I'll have to post it tomorrow (it's a little late now!). I tried to get video of Zoe enjoying her new horsie, but as soon as I pulled out the camera, she started crying (she was really tired at this point!). Ah well, another day!

A Budding Picasso in the House!! :)

Can you SEE the creativity in the drawing?? :) If you look closely, you'll see the small, light marks that Zoe made ALL BY HERSELF (in between trying really hard NOT to eat the tempting crayon!!). The darker marks, she made with Miss Laura's help at daycare. This was done a number of days ago, but Daddy just got it scanned into the computer. We have the original with the date and all other pertinent information!

The BEST NEWS!!!!

We just got a call from the nurse at the pediatrician's office....

Her stool is CLEAN!!! We can continue the dairy!!!! YAY!!!!!! We get to continue weaning to whole milk!! YIPPEE!! So, in as little as a week, she can be OFF of Neocate!

We are still going to stay away from soy protein and egg until we see the dr in April...but this is FANTASTIC news!!!

Vocabulary time!!

Zoe can SAY: hi, uhoh, mama, daddy, dat (means that), kitty, yeah, various repetitive consonant-vowel combos like nanana, yayayaya

Zoe seems to understand what hi, uhoh, mama, daddy, that, kitty, and yeah mean. However, "hi" gets used for "hi" and "bye". That's okay :) She also says that when the phone rings! :)

Milk Mania

We're continuing our experiment with milk. Z seems to like it, or at least hasn't seemed to notice a change in her bottles. It also doesn't seem to be bothering her, causing her pain, or whatnot....well, no change except a little gas (phew!). We have to test her poop, and as long as it is all clear (well, you know what I mean) we can continue!

Sooooo...I guess what I'm saying is, Zoe's doing well! We'll know for sure in a couple of days!

1 year stats...WOW!!

Just got back from her 1year appointment...

born: 8lbs 3oz and 20 inches long.

today: 20lbs 10oz and 30 inches long....if this is accurate she gained a POUND since last monday at the GI drs AND an inch!!

Percentiles:
Weight: 43rd percentile (YAYAYAAY!)
Height: 78th percentile
Head: 84th percentile

I mentioned to the dr that she's just going to keep that melon head....she said, "Oh, it is probably genetic". Don't we know it! HA!!

Fun times!!

It's a little long, but the end includes a commentary by Zoe on why she does what she does. :) Enjoy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZOE!!!!!!

I snagged these from Grandma B....Here are the first pictures of Z and her FIRST BIRTHDAY!!

Zoe had a great day, and really really enjoyed the cake, as you can see. She had fun playing with her cousins Jesse and Megan and Jacob, and her friends Grace and Abby and Michael. She wants to thank EVERYONE for being there and helping make her day so great, and all the cool new gifts she got. She got lots of clothes, toys, shoes, and books. She was, of course, also very interested in the tags, envelopes, wrapping paper and tissue paper. An early favorite is the handheld radio (looks like a toddler version of an ipod) Grammie and Grampie C got her!! I'm sure she'll enjoy all the other things when we bring them upstairs and set everything up for her!

I'll be sure to post more and share more about the big day soon. We're all very tired from a long, but very fun, day.

Let's All CHEER!!!

We had a FANTASTIC doctor's appointment today!! Zoe weighs in at 19lbs 10oz and 29 inches long!!!!!!!

Best part??? Zoe had another clear (as clear as a dirty diaper can be!) diaper and the dr gave us the go ahead to start some milk/dairy. We're starting VERY slow (1tsp at a time) and we have to check her diaper in 2 weeks. Of course, if we have any symptoms, we stop. But this is VERY VERY VERY encouraging news!

Zoe had her first taste of whole milk today...sorta. She had a teaspoon of it in her bottle of neocate today. :D

Miss Mini's Milestones

Sooo...it's been awhile, I know.

As you saw in the video, she's a walking machine. This weekend, she spent more of it on 2 feet than she has in past days. Noah and I couldn't stop talking about how quickly she's learning that walking on 2 feet is more fun than on her hands and knees! She's SO brave and shows NO fear. She walks with her bottle in her mouth (clenched with those teeth of hers) or a sippy cup, waving a toy or piece of clothing around, waving her arms to us, it doesn't matter. She's on the MOVE!!

Another thing Zoe's found fun is to push the kitchen chairs around. The problem is, she gets stuck after a short time....so we pulled out the walk behind toy she has, and she LOOOOVES to move with it. I was afraid that she'd push it too fast and face plant (it is NOT slow) but she is SOOO fast. She came zipping in from the kitchen to me in the living room in about 2 seconds flat! Trying the other way is a little more difficult though....going from the living room to the kitchen there's a small lip going UP that she hasn't figured out how to get over yet with the walker. Whoops!!

What else is our little monkey up to? Oh, she LOVES to look at things and point to them. We've been trying to label everything we think she's pointing to. :) It's easier when we open a book and she wants us to read. She's able to sit more and more to listen to a story, and really enjoys looking at the pictures. Most of the time, I'd say, we sit there and just describe the pictures!!

Favorite toys lately? Her Laugh and Learn Home (more specifically the radio on it that she likes to play and dance to) and her Laugh and Learn Stage. She just sits there and "plays" the band and dances away. I'll have to try to get video of her playing it. She'll shake her head and say "yeah"...just like a rock star!

This week's events include the drs visit from the previous post and getting ready for Zoe's first birthday! We can't wait! She will also have a small birthday party with her friends at day care. I'm going to make a special treat for the kids and Miss Laura. It should be a lot of fun for her! Oh, and I nearly forgot! Daddy gets to spend the day with Z on Friday because daycare is closed! I'm sure they'll be up to no good!

Time to Weigh In

Okay, everybody, it's time for another game of "Guess Zoe's Weight". Monday, we go to see the GI dr for a check up. They'll be weighing and measuring her, so we're VERY excited to see how big she's gotten in 3 months!

Don't worry, this is just a routine check up. As long as the diapers are "clean" (meaning there is no blood), then we can discuss the possibility of introducing dairy or soy (or eggs, for that matter) into Z's diet in a few months.

Sooooo...what do you have to do for this game? Just put your guess in the comments section. :)

For a frame of reference, Zoe was 17lbs, 12oz and 28 inches at 9 months.

Here's the Proof...

She walks!

These Boots Are Made for Walkin'....

and walkin' is what she'll do...

Zoe has been getting MUCH better at her walking.  Normally, she takes 3-4 steps and then falls on her bum and crawls.  For the last few days, she's been doing that more and more and more.  Today, our Z took about 10 steps before crouching down, picking something up and then sitting ever so gently on her bum.  What was so funny was that as I was cheering wildly after, she looks up at me as if to say, "What?!?  What's such a big deal??"  :)

Love that girl!