Zoe had her 15-month appointment today. She made it through her three shots with only a few tears, and we found out she is up to 25 lbs, 5 oz and 32 inches. (This puts her in the 75 percentile for both weight and height.) Weight gain usually slows down for kids Zoe’s age, her doctor said, but our little – er, big – Zoe is still packing on the pounds! (She’s gained 2 lbs since her 12-month check-up.)

-M

It’s been awhile since we’ve posted a bath photo, so I thought I would share this one from the other night. Q (who was in charge of bathtime) was doing his best to make Zoe’s hair as curly as possible… and I think he did a pretty good job!

-M

Most afternoons when I pick up Zoe at daycare, she’s standing right by the door – all ready to go. Yesterday, though, she was playing with a toy in the back of the room – and she didn’t hear me come in. I watched her for a few seconds and then called out her name; she looked up with a surprised expression, which melted into a huge smile, and started waddling/running towards me in her little pink coat. Scooping her up was the most amazing feeling; to quote Zoe’s Safta, I’m in love with this child!

-M

PS- Needless to say, Zoe is feeling better.

Though Zoe was a bit sniffly and rather grumpy, we couldn’t let the gorgeous, 3-day weekend pass by without having *some* fun. The three of us wound up taking a quick day-trip to Napa, and we all enjoyed ourselves. Zoe did a lot of sleeping, eating and hanging out with her dad (three of her favorite things, really), and I got to take a few fun pics.

-M

The good news is that Zoe’s fever has been gone since Sat. The bad news is that she’s still not 100% and has been pretty grumpy – and clingy. As she sat screaming while I tried to feed her this morning, I realized that the past few days have reminded me of the newborn stage, when a baby cries a lot and is extremely needy. (Newborns don’t usually throw tantrums, but that’s beside the point.) As sad as I sometimes feel about Zoe’s independence (“it’s like she doesn’t love me,” I occasionally comment to Q), I see now that it’s a lot better than the alternative. And I’m looking forward to her getting back to normal soon!

-M

I mentioned below that taking a photo of a 15-month-old can be a challenge. Indeed, my recent attempt to get a nice, simple picture with Zoe holding a red rose turned into quite the production.

First, Zoe just stared at the flower…

Then, she refused to look at the camera.

Next, Zoe decided it would be fun to pick off the flower’s petals…

And she got upset when I tried to take the flower away.

Eventually the battered flower wound up on the floor…

And Zoe was left to wonder what happened.

We managed to get a few good shots that day, but I think I’ll leave future photo shoots to the professionals!

-M

Zoe was too sick yesterday to wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day. She’s much better now, though – and she was even feeling well enough to (try to) re-create a favorite picture from last year. (Note: it’s nearly impossible to stage a photo shoot with a 15-month-old. But that’s another post altogether!) Check out the new and old pics below, and have a wonderful day-after-Valentine’s Day!

-M

Zoe was still feeling sick yesterday*, so Q stayed home with her. I had a super busy day at work, but I couldn’t help calling numerous times to check up on them. I even sang Zoe one of her favorite songs over the phone, and it was that precise moment that it hit me: ‘wow, I’m a mom.’ (I mean, really – that’s a pretty mom-thing to do!) And I also felt very mom-like when I rushed home and scooped Zoe up in my arms. That was the best part of my day, obviously…

-M

*It’s a virus, according to her doctor. I hope she gets it out of her system soon!

I’m not ashamed to admit that nap-time is one (or two) of my favorite parts of the day. It gives me a little break, a bit of quiet time and also something to look forward to: Zoe waking up! I always love seeing her little face, and she’s usually quite entertaining when she greets me. Check out the video below, and I think you’ll agree. (On a note, this was taken when she wasn’t feeling well – so imagine how much energy she has when she’s 100%!)

-M

Zoe wasn’t feeling well yesterday, so she stayed home with me while I worked. She was pretty easy to take care of: she took two naps and spent most of her awake-time sitting in her room (adjacent to our computer room), playing with her toys and books. When she got particularly lonely, she would wander in by me and start playing… with the wastepaper basket. We don’t normally encourage her to go through the garbage, but its primary contents were just paper – and she looked awfully cute sitting there. Check out the view from my computer desk.

-M

Zoe has been walking for awhile now (it’s hard for me to remember what it was like when she only crawled around) but it’s still new enough for her to get excited about it. She loves it when we plunk her down on a playground or mall or other wide-open space and just let her go – so she really loved enjoyed herself this weekend… Here’s a little video of her waddling around the Lafayette Reservoir on Sat.

-M

The three of us decided to get out of the city this weekend, so we drove across the Bay Bridge and landed a few miles away from Oakland, in Lafayette. We stayed at a fun hotel, walked around and paddleboated at the Lafayette Reservoir, and shopped and ate in nearby Walnut Creek on Sat.; then today we visited a wildlife rescue museum, hung around at a playground and did some more shopping and eating in Walnut Creek. It was great fun to get away and do some real family activities – and it didn’t hurt that it was unseasonably warm and sunny outside.

I should mention that Zoe wasn’t crazy about the paddleboating part (she got a little scared – and the pictures below were in between some big tears), but *I*, for one, had a blast. One of my favorite childhood memories involves paddleboating on the Minnesota lake where my aunt and uncle lived – and I felt like a kid again on the water. I bet Zoe will feel the same rush when she’s a little older – so I think we’ll have to plan a return visit.

-M

Arriving at the Reservoir

Checking out the water

“I’m ready to walk, Daddy!”

“I see a dog!”

“Don’t I look cute in this?”

Ready for the water – ?

Breakfast in bed

“Um, Dad… Is that a bear looking down on us?”

“These woodchips are cool!”

Zoe has been a little grumpy this week, and we’re pretty sure it’s due to a lingering cold. (Or maybe teething. As a friend at work said to me yesterday, it’s always safe to blame things on teething.) Luckily, though, she seems a bit happier today. This morning she was particularly animated in her crib, and I managed to capture a few of her funny (er, happy) faces.

-M

There was a fun article in the New York Times the other day; once I spotted the headline (Coping With the Caveman in the Crib), I knew I had to read it. The piece focused on a pediatrician who has written a book on how to best handle and communicate with toddlers. From the text: “In his view, toddlers are not just small people. In fact, for all practical purposes, they’re not even small Homo sapiens… Dr. Karp notes that in terms of brain development, a toddler is primitive, an emotion-driven, instinctive creature that has yet to develop the thinking skills that define modern humans. Logic and persuasion, common tools of modern parenting, ‘are meaningless to a Neanderthal,’ Dr. Karp says.”

I’ve never really thought of Zoe as a cavewomen, but I guess given that her main forms of communication are grunting, pointing and talking in what this doctor terms “toddler-ese,” it makes a bit of sense. I think we should buy this guy’s book! Or maybe just start grunting back at her…

-M

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but Zoe is quite the independent girl. Though she enjoys hanging out and playing with others (especially her dad), she’s often just as content being on her own, quietly playing with her toys or reading. She has even created a little reading nook for herself; it’s quite common these days to find her nestled between the crib and the dresser in her room with a bunch of books opened in front of her. I love that she has a little space of her own, and I’m thrilled that she’s showing a passion for books at such a young age. I just had to snap a few pictures to share here; the top one is from last night; the other is from this morning.

-M