Check out our Z...

Zoe's playing...check out her "toy", the package of rings to put toys on things for her. Seriously, why do we spend money on REAL toys?? She likes these things so much better! DOn't forget, she still likes water bottles and wet face cloths, too...



Sleepy Z...When she's tired, she'll pull on her ear and yawn like crazy. When she's really tired, she rubs her eyes so hard, you swear she's going to rub them right out!



Zoe particularly proud of a meal...I THINK what we have here is chicken and avocados, with a side of cheerios.

New Firsts!

Today, Z had a couple of firsts--

First time in her "big-girl" bath tub....a blow up tub shaped like a duck that fits inside our regular sized tub. She wasn't so happy about the change, but when she realized that it still means she can splash in the water, she was ALL for it! We'll get pictures the next time she's in it!

First time eating chicken....the other night, I made chicken in the crock pot with some apples and a little apple juice. It was REALLY good, so I pureed the extra breast I had cooked up, and Z gobbled it up and wanted more!! I'll up her chicken amount when we know it doesn't bother her!

I knew I'd come up with some more developments!

Zoe can clap and make sound when she claps...she gets better EVERY day.

Zoe LOVES to stick out her tongue and shake her head (not at the same time, though) and get you to do it....she'll also repeat it when you do one of those things.

I told you yesterday that Zoe has figured out how to pick up her gerber puffs....well, today, she has figured out how to SHOVEL them in her mouth like some eat popcorn. We're going to have to watch her. I thought most would be in her lap when I picked her up, but I only found 3 wayward puffs! What a piggy!

New Developments

In the land of Z, I realized that she's doing ALL kinds of new things, but I haven't listed what lately.

• Zoe sleeps 12-12 1/2 hours a night, pretty much straight through now (YAY!)
• Zoe is putting herSELF to sleep now...we put get her ready for bed, rock and read her a couple of stories, and then put her down with (usually) very little protesting...she's usually sleeping by the time we get downstairs!
• Zoe gets up on all fours for a few seconds...today she was lifting a knee like she knew what she was supposed to do next, but didn't quite know how to get all the parts moving!
• Zoe is just about able to sit up on her own...but she will get distracted and fall back (her Daddy would say that is just like Mommy)
• She likes to push herself backwards (I keep trying to get video of it, but when I pull out the camera, she just stops to smile pretty)
• She has had butternut squash, sweet potatoes, avocadoes, apples, applesauce, bananas, carrots, and green beans. The only thing she REALLY has had an issue with has been the carrots. All of the food is homemade. Her favorite, I must say, are the apples and applesauce.
• She's figured out how to eat those Gerber Puffs (sweet potato flavored ones are the only ones lil Miss Sensitive Stomach can eat), and LOVES them. Go pinscher grasp!
• Favorite toys at this point? Her hair brush, water bottle, nesting cups, and anything she can throw off her exersaucer!
• She's discovered the wonderful crinkle of plastic (including bags, so those have to be kept out of her reach).
• Zoe loves to play on her Daddy's computer...she loves to do what HE does (pound on the key board)
• She continues to be mesmerized by her friend in the mirror. Today, in a feverish fussy time, her friend was the only thing that got her to stop crying!!
• Zoe loves to tell us about her day, her dreams from nap time and bed time...it's usually VERY fun stuff she shares!
• And, I think we're close to dropping that third nap (much to my chagrin!)
• FINALLY--She has, with the most recent weight gain, officially outgrown the bassinet portion of her pack 'n' play!

I'm sure there's more things that she's doing on a regular basis. I'll try to remember to update this as soon as I know more!

Anyone for some apple pie??

Or at least apples in a mesh feeder?

Zoe has something that we picked up. You can put pieces of food in it, and because it's just mesh, she can chew on it all she wants and get the taste of it, but we don't have to worry about her choking. Her first taste of something in it was a piece of apple..fresh off the tree. She loves apple sauce and apple juice, so I was sure she'd love this, and I was right. She sucked on it so much that it shrunk to half its size!!

Zoe decided that it'd be fun to take her Grandma and Grandpa C, Auntie and Uncle J, Cousin Jacob, and us apple picking today. We went to the Nashoba Valley Winery (where we got married last July) and had fun trying to find the PERFECT apple. That was particularly difficult to do this year because the apples had a run-in with some hail earlier, so a lot of them got damaged....but I think we found some winners. After, the adults enjoyed hunting around the wine shop, and we even got to see a wedding underway too! Zoe did a great job supervising us in her overalls and chewing on a piece of apple.

This morning, before we took off, we discovered that Z has 2 more teeth...not the ones I THOUGHT she'd get, but two more on the bottom. That makes 4 on top (with the eye-teeth threatening to pop through) and 4 on the bottom....she's not even 8 months old and she already has 8 teeth! I know kids who don't have any teeth yet and they're Z's age!!! Craziness!! Other than a little more drool and not really taking much from a bottle last week, we really had no idea she was getting teeth...they don't seem to be bothering her as much as some babies (thank goodness!!).

I'd like to point you to the right side of the screen, under the section "Blogs and Stuff". I added a link to Noah's Flickr site where he's uploaded all of the pictures and videos. Please take a look there! And, if you want to order any pictures, you're welcome to do so.

More pictures to come....we didn't manage to take any pictures of Z picking apples...but Grandma C is never without her camera, so she managed to get a LOT. Maybe she'll be kind enough to share them with us so we can post them!

Oh, and an update on the week?? Z still loves day care, gets excited when Noah drops her off, and just has a ball. She's sleeping much much better, including putting HERSELF to sleep (without us rocking her). The last few nights, she's slept a MINIMUM of 12 hours and WE have even had to wake her up before I go to work to nurse her! WOW! She's growing up before our eyes...when you look at those pictures on flickr, you'll see a huge difference!

What else? She's scooting everywhere, rolling where she can't scoot, and has begun to get onto all 4's. We saw it today...all fours and starting to rock for a few minutes and then slips back down onto her belly. Soon enough, I'll be making dinner in the kitchen, and she'll be playing in the living room, and I'll find her near me, I'm sure!!

Visits from the Vineyard

Zoe would like to let everyone know how much fun she is having on the Vineyard. She has tried to put her feet in the ocean again, but it's still too cold for her. She's been in the hot tub and LOVED it. We did take a kiddie pool to the beach, filled it with ocean water, and Zoe liked it MUCH better.

Zoe has been to the Agricultural Fair....she got to see alpacas (getting a small stuffed one from Unka G), donkeys and mules, horses, bulls, oxen, geese, cows, pigs, bunnies, and llamas. She had fun trying to taste my humus (getting it on her fingers), watching Unka G play a quarter game in the carnival section, and was overcome with excitement watching the people riding the rides. She fell asleep in the front pack and slept for over 2 hours!!

Zoe has had fun shopping with Grandma B, Auntie D, and me, getting some cool things in the process.

She has gotten toys (including a ladybug that moos--yes, I said moo), books (a favorite has become a cloth book called "Where did it come from?"), and clothes. She made friends everywhere she went, including dogs!!

She had fun playing on Grandma's computer, getting up early, singing and telling everyone jokes, watching the dogs play catch, and dancing. Unka G's and Auntie D's birthday parties were especially fun times for Z.

Zoe also met her great-aunt M, who she hadn't been able to meet the first time she came to the island.

All in all, Z's had a great time, and we're not done yet. Tonight, if she gets up from her nap in time, we're going to venture out to a beach (away from the crowds) and watch the fireworks. Then, tomorrow it's a quiet day at the house, I think, and then off-island to meet up with Auntie D before heading home.

I promise pictures when I get home! I forgot the cord to my camera to upload pics to the blog...Grandma B and Unka G got some pics too...maybe I can snag some of those too!!

Reviews Ahead!

Today was an eventful day for our Z. She went to visit her new day care, and met 4 other young kiddos, as well as the boys of our new provider, Miss Laura. Everyone was VERY interested in spending time with Zoe, but she was less enthused, apparently. While Zoe had fun listening to the music the kids played, watched them play on the porch when everyone went outside, watched a little t.v. when some of the others napped, AND got a 1 hour nap herself in, she spent a good chunk of time crying and wouldn't take her bottle AT ALL! Good thing I only left her for about 4 hours, and had fed her before I dropped her off. I'm sure when she gets used to being there, she'll settle in nicely and eat for Miss Laura. We have more days that will get planned very soon, depending on Miss Laura's schedule (she can't have too many kiddos at a time right now because of the state restrictions). It wasn't all tears for Zoe, but she was certainly glad to see me when I came to pick her up! I was also very glad to see Zoe, too!

On a much more positive note, Zoe tried sweet potatoes for the first time today. She LOVED them. She didn't even scrunch up her face when she had her first taste....she opened her mouth RIGHT up for more. If all goes well in the next few days, we'll be introducing Z to something new soon! YAY!

Mmmm...tasty!

Mmmmmm....SO good!
Mommy and Daddy...I think I'll feed myself!
Keep it coming!!
I want to do it myself, but I don't know if I am getting it right!
YUMMY!! So good!! Can I have some more?

Z got to try rice cereal for the first time yesterday. She LOVED it! There was no pushing out with her tongue, no funny face, nothing but smiles, laughs, and pure bliss. Noah got it on video, and as soon as we figure out how to put it on the computer, we'll do it.

We got the okay to start cereal at 5 months by the dr at Z's previous appointment. We waited until after the adventures in Virginia because I just didn't want to bother with all that would have been necessary to have the cereal...so we waited. This weekend, Z proved to us that she was ready for the food, anyway! She was grabbing at our food, drinks, and anything that was near her at the table. She has become grabby, and even more so with the food and drinks...she was watching us like a hawk!

Z really enjoyed her cereal, and today at the drs appointment, he gave the go ahead to give her as much as she wants, not go as slow as he had told us previously...so today, she got two servings of cereal, one at lunch and one at dinner time (by her Daddy, too). She LOVED it! She did discover that it's fun to suck on your fingers between bites, but I think that's because she's soooo close to those teeth popping through on the top! Soon enough she'll be eating squash, sweet potatoes, and peas!