HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

From our monkey to you! Happy Halloween!! :)

Zoe did not go trick or treating this year, at least not around the neighborhood...she's still too little to really understand it. Instead, she had a party at daycare, a "trick or treat" (really, she just ran around the building) at Daddy's office, and then went to show off at Grammie and Papa C's house.

Oh, and if you called her a monkey, she wasn't happy. If you called her "George" (Curious George) she was all excited. seriously, I'd ask her if she wanted to get in her monkey costume, and she'd tell me, "noooooo". I then would ask her if she wanted to dress like George, and Zoe's response? "yeeeeeeees".

My little monkey! :)

What's the word??

That's now what we ask Zoe, and she says, "peeeeeease" :)

She also has asked for a ti-tue (tissue), ninnah (dinner), cake (rice cake), and said that she was sitting on a towel (really, it was a blanket, but whatever!). This was all today. :)

This weekend was a sleepover with Papa C and Grammie (or "rammie" as Z calls her). In true "sleepover" fashion (remember those sleepovers with your friends??), she didn't sleep. Ah well....you only live once, right?? She has certainly been making up for it now!!

Chatty Cathy

or, in this case, Chatty Z...

We all know Z's such a wordsmith, with a very large vocabulary. A large, ever expanding vocabulary...

I learned she knows "nicken", Cack (ketchup), knows grape (but doesn't say it *that* way, if you catch my drift!), WILL say "please" at daycare (but not at home!), and has picked up some new phrases lately...

"run kiki" (said as she runs around the kitchen table at warp speed, the cat just looking on, under the table or not even around!

"I coming, Kitty" when we're coming up the stairs. Zoe said that today when she heard Peanut crying on the other side of the door, as we were walking up the stairs from the garage.

"Kitty, have some" in reference to trying to give Peanut some frozen blueberries...Peanut had jumped onto the table as I was giving Zoe her dinner (hadn't been able to shoo her off, at that point).

I've also learned:

• Zoe will eat more if her food is on a "fancy" plate...I picked up some plastic plates with some cute designs on them. They have the little dividers that remind me of trays from the lunch room in elementary school. She likes them though, and that's all that counts.
• Zoe can get her brown mary jane type shoes on, ALL BY HERSELF.
• Zoe can take her own sweatshirts off, including the zipper, all by herself.
• Zoe equates going out with her daddy with him putting his hat on...she makes sure he has it on before they leave!
• When Zoe is holding two things, she will say so...:)
• She knows the letter L.
  
• Zoe definitely has favorite foods: frozen blueberries, frozen peas, chicken nuggets, french fries, cheese, yogurt (Yokids is her *favorite* brand), applesauce, mac and cheese, "lolis" (ravioli), goldfish crackers, and freeze dried fruits. She'll eat her weight in any of these foods.
• She loves to "text message" and talk on the phone (we're in trouble now!). She uses her old phone that Gaga gave her, and will talk to Daddy (when he's not around) or Papa, Gaga, or Gi....she says "heee-lo....Goon [good]...bye bye". I guess when she is at daycare, she is calling me. Aww :)
• Zoe loves to pretend to go "nigh-nigh" and ask us to "lay down", wrestle with her Daddy, and "fwing" by hanging from our hands.
  
• Zoe LOVES to sing The Wheels on the Bus and Twinkle Twinkle, and try to dance to Itsy Bitsy Spider...it's very cute to listen and watch to. We'll try to get it on video soon!

Fire Trucks and Hay!

First, Jacob had a chance to drive the truck....he wasn't too sure what to do with it, apparently...Or he might be saying "grampa, get your hand off....I got things to do!"

Zoe wasn't too happy she had to share the spot between the cab and the rest of the truck.

Zoe's turn in the front seat of the truck. She knew what to do immediately. She was so good, she did it with her eyes closed! :)

Walking around with Daddy and Papa C...I think this was when they were all drooling over either a sausage sandwich or deep fried oreo.

Zoe's dancing to "Hang On Sloopy"...

The HAAAAYYYYYY!

Ohboyohboyohboyohboy!

YAY Jacob! This is FUUUN!!

She was SOO happy!!

And, then, she had to climb the "mountain". There was a big pile of hay that she insisted on climbing up...and rolling off. Why? It was there! :)

Punkins!!!!!

If you come to the house these days with a round orange thing with or without the goofy looking face, it's a pretty good shot you're going to hear, "PUUUUNNNNKIIIIIINSS!!!" in a very loud, very excited shrilly screech that can only come from the munchkin. She LOVES her "punkin" she got from her Papa C, and today, when we were out getting her costume (you'll have to wait to see it on Halloween!), they were giving out free pumpkin candy buckets...so she got another one. Zoe carried that thing around most of the afternoon in the house!

This all started because at the Pumpkin Festival....she saw ALL those pumpkins.

Zoe was with her cousin Jacob, and HIS Grandma H gave the two kids each a "boon".

Zoe loves her cousin SO much she had to give him a hug...

See how much fun she had? We couldn't get her to look at the camera much after that.

But we DID get a shot with Mommy...

More pics to come later, but my dad just posted this video from today. It's from the Milford (NH) Pumpkin Festival we went to today....Zoe and her cousin Jacob had the BEST time with the hay. Seriously, like 15-20 minutes just "frow"ing hay around.

It's long, but enjoy. It's pretty cute!

1, 2, 3...

JUMP!

Yep, our little girl has finally successfully jumped and gotten air between BOTH feet at the same time. :)

Oh, and I looked at a developmental checklist, and Zoe's list of expressive vocabulary is better than the average 19-24 month old, and well in the range of a normal 2-3 year old. Yeah, pretty cool!

Words, words and MORE...

Here goes nothing...

cheese, apple, berries, raiin (raisin), peas, red (bread), humma (hummus), cookie, cak (cracker), cake, egg, bites (meaning yogurt bites), fruit, you (yogurt), sau (applesauce), roni (pepperoni), waa (water), milk, juu (juice), ice, poon (spoon), fork (which doesn't always sound like that "r" is there!), nana (banana), yum, mmmm

wa-ee (wally, as in the green monster), bear, puppy, kitty, monkey, whale, buggy, horsie (sometimes it sounds like hor, and other times, hussy), big bird, elmo, grover, cookie (for cookie monster), Abby, Telly, Bert, Ernie, lambie, bunny, duckie, Sid (PBS show), Ga (Curious George), Gi-go (Word Girl), "Rit" is froggie

Nate, Matt, Dougie (daycare provider's kids), Laura, Scott, Gaga, Papa, Dahhhcy, Gi, Mommy, Daddy, Grampa, Ella, Muvvy (Margaret), Phophie (sophie), Logan, Jack, Nana, baby, Mee-nuh (Peanut), Jacob

quare (square), numbers 1-9, hi, hello, bye, wait, no and yes (including the proper head shake), baseball, football, shoe, shirt (sometimes that "r" doesn't get in there), truck (sometimes that tr sounds like an "f" these days!), flag (can you guess what this sounds like sometimes??), book, goop (sounds more like book with an "oo" sound like goop), binky, light, blankie, i-key (turkey), po (pillow), ball

belly, bum, hand, knee, feet, foot, head, hair, eye, nose, mouth, teeth, ear, sock, walk, night-night, brush, go, away, woah, wow, yay, jump

I sit up, want some, what's that, i see you, i-lue (I love you, and she'll add our names too!), want to see, thank you, where ___? , sorry, more, all done, down, up, poopy, peepee, wet, bap (bath), outside, swing

Holy crap! I'm SURE I'm missing some, but I just went back to count. NOT including the numbers or phrases--there's over 120 words there. That's WELL above the average for her age.

Wow!!

Now, take into account to how many things she understands, and no WONDER we're amazed at what she knows.

As far as understanding--Zoe understands SO much.

She knows where all her body parts are--head, hair, cheek, chin, ears, eyes, nose, neck, arms, hands, fingers, toes, feet, knee, legs, belly, bum, back, belly button

She follows 1 step commands VERY well, 2 step are getting better and better. Zoe knows the difference between the two tables downstairs, kitchen, living room, when it's time to eat, she knows where to go, knows what it means to make something dance, and will be able to show you what SHE wants.

We know she's in the twos....how? We'll ask her to do something, and the knee jerk response? "noooo". she'll shake her head and just say it, politely, "nooooo".

Oh, and one thing, not related, if you ask for a kiss, lots of times, she'll move her nose to you and then go, "mmmmmmmmah" and giggle. LOVE it!!

It's been a long time coming!!

And here we are....I'm SO sorry for the delay in posting. I've been straight out crazy busy with the start of school, and FINALLY things are slowing down. Let's see, what's Zoe been up to?

• trip to the Vineyard
• 18 month doctor's visit
• more and more and more words and sentences
• learning how to do more and more things
• apple picking
• birthday parties, baby shower, anniversary, visits, and other fun stuff
• new games and happy times

Phew!! That's a LOT. Wanna hear about it all??

SUUUUUURE, I don't mind.

The trip to the vineyard, this year, we stayed at Grama's cottage again...we went to the fair, celebrated Uncle G's and Auntie Darcy's birthdays, and went swimming. The fair was great! Zoe was a bit apprehensive of the sounds and screams from the rides, but she was content watching the kids on the small train (next year, she'll be big enough that I think she could sit on it all by herself!). We enjoyed walking around and looking at all the animals. We had a chance to watch a little bit while a calf was being born! How exciting!

Zoe slept SO much while there...she had nice, long 3 hour naps, which was exciting for her Mommy and Daddy! She loved playing on the porch (which we gated this time, thanks to her Gaga and Papa). She was the official greeter of the campground again. And, as you might have noticed, she's given her Grandma and Grandpa B the names Gaga and Papa.

We got back from the Vineyard and had to go to the pediatrician for Zoe's 18 month appointment. Zoe weighed in at 25.2lbs and 31.5 inches. *I* think she may even be longer than that, but she was wiggling SO much on the table. So, who knows. I think things will better when they start measuring her while standing, but that isn't happening until 3, I think? Current sizes? She's basically in 18-24 month tops and 12-18 month bottoms. However, there are 18 month skirts that are still too big on Zoe, and some pants need the 18 month length, but the waists are HUUUGE. Whoever invented those waist band adjusters deserve major kudos!

Words....That'll have to be for another post. Suffice it to say, Zoe is far above where her peers are right now. I'll have to fill you all in on the words and SENTENCES our Z is saying on a regular basis. And, what she understands is just unbelieveable.

Learning to do more and more...
Zoe is a pro at climbing onto the couch and chair. She only needs help when she's wearing tighter pants...hehe She's trying like heck to figure out how to put the clip together on her high chair, and I'm sure it'll come soon enough. She's solid with a fork and spoon, and will help you clean up if you hand her a paper towel or wipe. Zoe has figured out how to get her jackets off, knows what to do when it's time to get dressed--what body parts to give us, how to "help" us. She's getting better about getting a hair clip/elastic in her hair, and LOVES to brush her teeth.

Zoe's biggest news, however, is WONDERFUL. Zoe has learned her numbers. She knows 1-9 (sometimes, 6 and 9 are both "six") but she can identify them in any order, at any time, and she loves it. She will SAY them in order when you ask her, and is SO proud of herself. So, at any time in this house, you might hear "one, two, free, four, five, sthis, sem-men, eight, nine" coming from out little Z.

I think what we're so amazed at is how QUICK she's picking things up. We tell her something once, and she has it. Sometimes it may take a second time, but not often. It's crazy how much she's learning and the connections she makes to things. Zoe can tell the difference between the coffee table and kitchen table, she knows the different names we've given to her different bears (well, understands that her princess bear is different than her other big bear). She will label things "big" if they're bigger than similar objects. She looked at a picture of Noah as a baby today, and when he asked who that was, she said "Youuuuu" (and no, that doesn't mean, "you daddy", that means "zoe"...more on that later). She did it to a picture of me as a baby as well.

What else has she learned? When it rains, or she sees even condensation out on the cars, she starts singing "rain rain go away" because I used to sing to her "Rain rain, go away, come again another day...Zoe and Mommy want to play...rainrainrainrain go away."

What did I mean by "youuu"? Zoe will NOT say her name. That and saying "please" are two things we KNOW she can say, but refuses to say. Instead, we show her a picture of herself, and ask her who that is, Zoe says, "youuuuu". Think about it, when you show a baby a picture of themselves, what do you say? you say, "oh, that's you!" and point to the picture and the baby. So, she says "youuuu" with a lot of inflection. Very cute.

Now, take it a step further. Show her a picture of the Zoe Monster from Sesame Street....she knows that they share the name. Of course, I tried, initially, to do it to see if she'd say "Zoe". But, our little smarty pants is TOO smart for that. Zoe wouldn't say it. Can you guess what she said? Yep, "youuuuu". HA!!

I'm sure there's more I"m missing. I'll get back into the swing of things and try to catch you all up. Oh, and this doesn't include all she's learning at daycare.

One more new thing....did you know how much fun it is to see Zoe try to jump? She's learning, and I think she's gotten air a couple of times. She'll go "one two three JUMP!" and then just go on her toes. It's very cute. Sometimes, she'll lift up ONE foot. It's coming! The one time I think she got air, she came down and then fell on her bum...

What else has been going on?

Zoe welcomed in a new friend, little miss Eliza Jane, who is my friend Christie's 3rd girl. Her older sisters are Grace and Abby. YAY!

Zoe brought us apple picking with Grammie and Grampie C, Auntie Jill, Uncle Jay, and Cousin Jacob. We went to a local farm that had miniature trees (but regular sized apples). The trees were so small that Zoe got to pick some herself and she didn't even try to run under the trees and away. She stayed right where we wanted her to. GO Z!!

If I've forgotten something, please let me know!!