Zoe has been a Brett Favre fan since she was very little (see below), so – like her mom – she’s feeling pretty blue right now. Brett just announced that he’s retiring, and Zoe just can’t imagine what football season will be like without him. It’s a very sad day for her (and lots of our relatives and friends in Wisconsin), but at least she can tell her kids someday that she was around to see him play!!

-M

Well, Mommy made it back safe last night, so Daddy weekend is officially over. Thought I’d throw up some more “Daddy fun” pictures and Mommy’s reaction…

Jon Q

Fun at the computer (“You left her alone!”)

Fun in the bath (“She’ll get soap in her eyes!”)

Fun on slide (“By herself!”)

Zoe wanted to give a BIG shout out to her GREAT Grandma (otherwise known as GG-ma!) Don’t tell anyone, but today she is 35! Zoe can’t wait to see you next month so that you can see all her knew tricks!

Jon Q

Here is what we did the rest of the day (yes, I know she shouldn’t be doing that, Mommy). For those of you who are not Mommy, enjoy!

Jon Q

Having a nice glass of OJ (I know, not on the table!)

Eating pancakes at IHOP (I know, one hand at a time!)

Having coffee at Jenny’s (I know, she shouldn’t be playing with keys!)

Flying through the air (I know, not in the parking lot!)

Having fun at the Dog Park (I know, not so close to the dogs!)

Playing drums at Dan’s (I know, no drumsticks!)

This weekend marks a first for Zoe…tomorrow will be the first morning she wakes up without Mommy! Yes, Mommy actually got a weekend off and flew down to LA to party with Angela, so Zoe is all alone with Daddy this weekend. Of course, that can be a fun thing. Let’s just say that Mommy doesn’t let Zoe do as much as Daddy does. I’ll keep everyone posted (especially Mommy) as to our adventures the next 48 hours. Check us out so far:

Zoe sitting on the counter eating (a real no-no in Mommy’s book):

Zoe playing with her food:

Zoe eating sloppy food all on her own:

More to come…

Jon Q

I’ve been back at work for a full year now; a quick look at the calendar reminded me that my maternity leave ended one year ago this week. When asked by people how my working-girl-with-a-baby life is going, I usually answer the same way: it’s great, overall, but some weeks are tougher than others. Much of the time, I feel content and accomplished – work is going well, I’ve been spending lots of bonding time with Zoe and Q, my house is clean, etc. But then there are the darker moments, when I feel tired and grumpy – work is wearing me out, I feel overwhelmed by parenting responsibilities, I’m not in the mood to empty my dishwasher, etc. (Unfortunately, this week fell in the latter category – because my work has been crazy, crazy, crazy.)

Despite the dark weeks, I don’t think I would change this past year – even if given the opportunity. It’s not always easy, but the payoff from “balancing” career with baby has been so worth it. (Now here’s hoping next week is a more mellow one!)

-M

I recently tweaked my work-hours (I go into work later each morning), and Zoe is now one of the last children to be dropped off at daycare. The five or six kids already there typically run up to us when we arrive, but today they were particularly excited to see her. “Zo-ee! Zo-ee! Zo-ee!” they started to chant, as if at some sporting event, as they jumped up and down. Zoe was a little uncertain at first and leaned into my knee for comfort, but she quickly warmed up to her friends and ran off with them. What a fun way to start the day (for both of us)!

-M

Zoe was never a picky eater… until about two weeks ago. Starting around the time she got sick, she suddenly wanted nothing to do with her old faves (bananas, cereal, sweet potatoes, etc.) and only wanted to eat bread. I thought it would pass when she got better, but she’s still finicky – and still practically obsessed with bread. It’s gotten to the point where she shakes with excitement when she sees or hears the bread bag, and stomps her feet/cries/shakes with anger if we don’t give her a piece fast enough. (A few minutes ago she had a major meltdown while waiting for me to prepare her grilled cheese. It’s as if she thinks I’m just teasing her and not *really* intending to feed her.) Needless to say, Zoe has had a lot of sandwiches lately.

-M

Zoe loves watching babies – and that includes herself. Whenever we turn on one of our videos of her, she gets very excited: she’ll come running in from her bedroom, jump up in our lap to watch, and then smile the whole way through. One of her current favorites is the one below – taken just a few weeks ago – and, like Video Zoe, Watcher Zoe just can’t stop laughing. Needless to say, we’ve been playing this one a lot lately.

-M

PS- The best part – or, at least, Zoe’s favorite – is at the 27-second mark. It’s worth the wait.

Zoe becomes more and more like a little person each day. As mentioned last month, her level of comprehension continues to accelerate – she follows simple commands (last week, for example, I asked her to put on her socks and she grabbed them and tried to put them on her feet) and answers, in her own way, simple questions. (If I ask her, “Do you want to read a book?”, for example, she starts walking over or pointing to her dresser, where we keep a small stack of books.)

Speaking of books, they are some of Zoe’s favorite things. As discussed here before, she spends long stretches of time sitting by herself and flipping through pages. She often demands that Q or I pick her up and let her pick a book from her dresser – and she has emerged into a rather picky reader/listener. She is very particular about which book she wants at any given time; Q and I will often start reading one to Zoe, only to have her shut it closed and fling it towards the dresser. If you try to continue reading that book, she’ll likely grunt or squirm out of your arms.

Though Zoe loves reading and spending time on her own, she is still very much a social girl. She’s often smiling at strangers, and whenever a baby or small child passes her in a stroller she’s likely to yell out, “hi-yee!” (She also loves dogs, and whenever she sees one , she says “daw, daw, daw” repeatedly.) And she loves playing games – hide-and-go-seek and run-around-the-house, for example – with me and her dad.

Zoe talks more than ever (“beep” was a new word for her this month), and she recently said her first two-word sentence. Last weekend, she burst into our bedroom, saw Q was in bed and said excitedy, “Hi-yee, Daddy!”

Though Zoe is always doing cute things that make us smile, she does have her stormy side. We often get an early taste of the “terribly twos,” with grunts, dramatic crying and even some foot stomping. She’s been a bit finicky about eating lately (which might be due to her recent illness), and we’ve seen a lot of head-shaking and crying over undesirable food. (She used to eat everything!)

Speaking of food, Zoe has become a huge fan of a particular cupboard in our kitchen. It’s where we keep her snack food and several times a day now, she grunts and points towards the cupboard. I’ve become a bit strict about snacks, so now Zoe goes right to her dad when she wants access to the cupboard. (Needless to say, the big softie is likely to get something for her.) And another development: she is now able to feed herself with a spoon. She’s really messy, of course, but she gets the job done.

As for physical stuff, we found out at her 15-month appointment yesterday that she weighs 25 lbs, 5 ounces and measures 32 inches. As mentioned earlier, she is in the 75 percentile for both weight and height.

-M