baby

Nicknames:Little Z, Z, Zoe Bear, Bear, Cheeks, Lovey, Little Miss, Booger Butt, Monkey, Zo-Zo

Loves: Moving! Long gone are the days when you want to just chill. You are constantly crawling around and pulling up on everything you can get your grip on. Your favorite toys right now are your Vtech Walker, your yellow chair and  your activity table. You also like your tea pot and still play with your shape sorter and stacking cups.

Hates: All of a sudden you hate getting changed. Putting on your jammies at night is pretty much a melt down every time. It makes me so sad because you used to love our changing table talks. The second I sit you down there now, you either  scream or immediately turn over and try to crawl away.

Milestones: This has been the biggest month yet for change!!! You started daycare. You have adjusted pretty well, but you still cry some mornings when I try to leave and break my heart. You are crawling!!!! You can pull up to a standing position all on your own and have most recently just started using furniture to walk around a little. You mastered sitting up from the laying down position. It was really cute when you first were figuring it out because you “back in to” the sitting position. You play peek-a-boo with us now, wave purposefully and sort of have the high five down thanks to your daycare teacher! You also said your first word this month!!! It was mama!!!! You also now say baba and blah blah.

Clothing: For clothes, most of your stuff is 6-9 months or 9 months. We had to move you up to 12 month jammies a few weeks ago because you were too tall for the 9 month ones! Your 12 month clothes are still a little big on you though. You tend to outgrow things lengthwise first. You are still in a size 3 diaper, but I think the next pack of nighttime diapers we get are going to be 4’s. I like them to be big on you.

Feeding/Sleeping: We are on the same schedule this  month as last month with your feedings and naps when you are home. Daycare has sort of thrown you off a little on naps. You don’t really nap well when you are there and usually only take one short nap. You eat any puree that I give you, and your new favorite food is yogurt! You get so excited when you eat yogurt, and often times you scream at me when it is all gone. I tried to give you some yogurt melts and puffs this month, but I don’t think you are quite ready for them. You sort of just play with them and not really eat them.

Looks: Your eyes and hair have stayed the same color this past month. I have noticed that your hair has gotten a lot longer recently!!

Things I want to remember from this month…

–How excited you get when you stand up!!! You smile so big!!!

–You are really starting to belly laugh now. You throw your head back and really laugh and it is my most favorite sound ever.

–It is not often that you want to just snuggle and chill with me, but every once in awhile you lay your head on my shoulder and give me a hug. That is the best feeling in the world!

–Watching you roll a ball on the ground and crawl after is so fun!

–You take your stacking cups and put them up to your mouth and yell in to them. It is hilarious.

–The first time you said mama my heart stopped and I asked you to repeat it. You said it over and over and over again with the biggest smile on your face.

–Your obsession with books makes me so happy. Right now  your favorite book is Who Goes Moo.

This is a little late getting up, I took forever to get pictures this month since we were out of town on her actual 7 month birthday. It is crazy looking back on the previous months and see how much she has grown and changed. She used to be so tiny!!! These kids grow way to fast! This past month Zoe has gotten to go on her first vacation, and had a few other milestones.

Nicknames:Little Z, Z, Zoe Bear, Bear, Cheeks, Lovey, Little Miss, Booger Butt, Monkey, Zo-Zo

Loves: You are still chewing and sucking on anything and everything that you can put in your mouth. This month you have discovered the art of trying to pull up on things. You are still pretty wobbly, but gaining strength! Your favorite toys are your VTech walker, your apple with the worm that pops up, stacking cups and your shapes box.

Hates: You are not a fan of sitting in your car seat for long periods of time, you like to be out and seeing the world! Diaper changes have become increasingly hard, as you tend to be super wiggly and want to be anywhere but on that changing table. It sort of makes me a little sad, as one of your favorite places used to be that table. You would lay there forever babbling things and giggling to me.

Milestones: The biggest change this month was discovered a day before you turned 7 months, your first tooth!!!! And a few days later we noticed a second one popping up. They were the bottom middle two. You are sitting up unassisted much more sturdy these days. You have learned to climb up on me and items around the house, though you are pretty wobbly with that still. You are really close to sitting up from the laying down position without my help. You also started to go from a sitting to a laying position much more purposefully.

Clothing: For clothes you have a few 3-6 month pieces that you still fit in to, most of your stuff is 6 month or 6-9 months. You are starting to get too tall for most things that are less than 9 months.

Feeding/Sleeping: We are on the same schedule this  month as last month with your feedings and naps. While we were on vacation earlier this month, we pushed back your bedtime a little to prepare for when I return to the office full time. I hate the thought of only getting to see you a few awaken hours each day, so I had to add some more time! As far as solids go, you have tried so many! Sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin, carrots, spinach, peas, green beans, pineapple, pears, apples, blueberries, bananas, mangos. You pretty much eat anything that we put in front of you. Except, sometimes you refuse green beans. Honestly, I wasn’t a fan of them until I was an adult and even now they have to be prepared right for me to eat them. So I can’t blame you there!

Looks: Your eyes and hair have stayed the same color this past month.

Things I want to remember from this month…

Your laugh has gotten harder and louder. There have been a few times when you have thrown your head back in a deep belly laugh, and the is the best sound in the entire world!!!

You have started giving deliberate hugs. Often times while I am carrying you in to your room for sleep, you squeeze me a little tighter and lay your head on my shoulder. It is the sweetest thing ever.

On your Vtech walker, there is a barn door that you can open and close. Anytime we open it, you immediately have to close it. You can’t stand to have it opened. It has been quite the fun game for daddy and I!

I will never forget how much fun you had riding in the wagon at the beach. You were all kinds of smiles and I really enjoyed our walks each night with it.

We have been doing  a lot of playing on the floor on a blanket these days. We just sit down together with a few toys spread around and have lots of fun.

How most of your communication is babbles and growls. The growls seriously crack me up!

Watching you try to crawl has been so cute. I know that you want to do it, you just haven’t figure out that you need to be up on all fours to do so. You lay there in a superman position with your arms stretched out and your legs stretched and off the ground a little and scoot and make all kinds of noises. I know it is just a matter of time before you take off!

Six months. Half a year. How???? You internally roll your eyes when people tell you how quickly the time goes once you have kids, but seriously. They were right! You can’t even imagine. It blows my mind to think that six months have gone by since the nurse was tossing Chris some scrubs and everyone was frantically unpacking tools in the operating room for the c section. It has been six months since I stared into those beautiful blue eyes of Zoe’s for the first time. Six months since our lives were forever changed.

This month has had some pretty big moments! Zoe is now sitting up completely unassisted, she is not just grabbing but pinching items to hold, she started eating solid foods and we have really settled in to a great schedule.

Nicknames:Little Z, Z, Zoe Bear, Bear, Cheeks, Lovey, Little Miss, Booger Butt, Monkey

Loves: You are still constantly chewing/sucking on your fingers and hand, squealing, smiling, giggling, pulling mommy’s hair, and your new favorite thing is sitting up unassisted!!! You sit for long stretches at a time and rarely tumble over. Your favorite toys are your stacking cups, Beat Bo, Minnie Mouse and your crinkly book.

Hates: You still aren’t a fan of loud noises, they usually make you cry. You are starting to have some stranger anxiety and get upset when someone else holds you that you do not know.

Milestones: You have changed so much over the last month!!! You are sitting up completely unassisted, you have been eating solid foods (your first was sweet potatoes), you are able to feed yourself sometimes with a spoon, you started sipping water from a 360 cup and a weighted straw cup,

Clothing: We just moved you up to size 3 diapers. You still fit in size 2, but at your doctor appointment last week you were 16 pounds and sort of on the higher end of 2’s and lower end of 3’s so we went ahead and moved up. For clothes you have a few 3-6 pieces that you still fit in to, most of your stuff is 6 month or 6-9 months.

Feeding: You are still on a similar schedule from last month. You wake up and go to bed a little earlier than before. You take 5.5 ounces around 530am, 800am, 1130am, 2pm, 530pm and 7pm. You go down for your morning nap around 800-830am and your afternoon nap after your 2pm bottle. You usually go down for bed after your 630-700 pm bottle and sleep through the night. Your 1100-1130 feeding is where we have introduced solid foods so we have been doing a smaller bottle and offering you food and a straw cup with water first.

Looks: Your eyes and hair have stayed the same color this past month. Most people say you look like your daddy with my eyes.

Things I want to remember from this month…

The way you growl as communication. Sometimes it makes me laugh so hard, which makes you giggle too!

How sweet you are when you lean in and “kiss” your stuffed animals.

The way you smile when your daddy or I walks in to a room.

How high you can jump in your bouncer!!! Sometimes you really get going in there.

You have started dancing to music when you are seated. Mostly rocking back and forth. It is the cutest thing ever.

You really like Bruno Mars. Anytime one of his songs comes on, you always have a big smile on your face. I think you favorite is Uptown Funk.

You are really in to reading books. You like to chew on them and you pat the pictures each time I turn a page.

You are super ticklish under your arms, around your neck and sometimes on your belly. You giggle and giggle and giggle when I blow raspberries on your belly.

You love your cousins. Christopher and Cooper spent a few days with us since they have been out of school and you get so excited to see them!!! You love to have Cooper read to you. You tried to tickle his neck when he was reading and it was the sweetest thing! Christopher picked you up and held you for the first time and you loved laughing at him when he said “yeah” to you in your face.

After you take your bottles before your naps or bedtime, sometimes you pucker your lips and stretch out and look away like….ok I am through, time for sleep. So cute!!!

You really want to crawl. When you are on your belly, you scoot your legs and butt a little but don’t really get anywhere. Then you get frustrated and start squealing and sometimes crying and you lay your head on the ground in defeat. I know it is just a matter of time before you are mobile!!!

The monthly pictures are getting harder to take!!! I will share some outtakes at the end.

Zoe,

A week ago you turned five months old. Five months. I don’t even know how that is possible. Yet here we are. I have to say, your doctor was right. The four to sixth month age has been my favorite so far! You are discovering and learning new things all the time. Your personality is coming out more and more. I think we finally have you on somewhat of a schedule. *crosses fingers* And this month has been filled with smiles and giggles and squeals. Sqealing is your new favorite.

Nicknames:Little Z, Z, Zoe Bear, Bear, Cheeks, Lovey, Little Miss

Loves: Chewing on your fingers, squealing, smiling, giggling, pulling mommy’s hair, your O-Ball, Mickey Mouse and Sophia the First, “standing,” bouncing in your jumper and laying on your activity mat.

Hates: Naps. You are still fighting most of your naps like crazy!!! Can mommy have them then, please??? You also don’t like to hear yelling. I took you to your cousin’s baseball game and every time someone shouted, you had a complete breakdown. We had to leave early. You better get over that before football season my love. We are Bama fans and we are loud.

Milestones: You pretty much can grab anything that you want these days. You can sit up unassisted by us, with your hands on the seat in front of you to balance yourself. You have held your bottle alone a few times. Not only are you rolling without any issues, you also move a lot when you roll. This past month you started sleeping in your crib in your own room. I think it was harder on me than you. It only took about 3 or 4 nights and you had it all figured out.

Clothing: You are still wearing size 2 diapers and either 3-6 or 6 month clothing. A few 6-9 month things as well.

Feeding: I think we are finally on a feeding/sleeping schedule. You take 5 ounces around 630am, 800am, 1130am, 2pm, 530pm and 7pm. You go down for your morning nap around 830-900am and your afternoon nap after your 2pm bottle. You usually go down for bed after your 630-700 pm bottle and sleep until 630am the next morning.

Looks: Your eyes have stayed the same light blue this past month, and your hair has gotten even lighter. I have noticed that you are losing your baby hair.

Things I want to remember from this month…

–The way your eyes light up and you smile so big and proud when you roll over onto your tummy.

–How you sleep on your side with your arm bent up around your head for hours.

–The way you smile, open your mouth and close your eyes when I lean down for a kiss.

–How you smile when I say bless you when you sneeze.

–The way you run your little hand up and down your bottle when you are tired.

–The way you reach up grab my cheek and mouth, or pat my face. Especially when you are feeding.

–Your giggle and how when you get really excited you snort laugh.

–How excited you get when I “stand” you on my lap. You squeal and bounce on your legs so much!

–How obsessed you are with the “Zoe” door sign that your Aunt Tracy made you. After every nap and diaper change you see it and want to go over and for me to say the letters out loud and point to them for you.

–When we stand near the refrigerator you look at all the pictures of your cousins and then I say “where’s daddy” and you put your tiny little hand on his picture and just stare and smile. You also like to look at your sonogram picture of baby Zoe in mommy’s tummy.

And now for some comparisons!