Zoe has seen the beach before, and she has done plenty of swimming (in pools), but she’s never splashed around in the ocean. (We live in Northern California, after all – only surfers go in the water here.) That will change soon, though, as we’re heading to Maui today. The trip marks not only Zoe’s first dip in the Pacific, but also her first plane ride over the Pacific. And Q and I are also pretty excited to return to the state where we honeymooned four years ago.

We’ll try to post pictures when we’re away. Until then: Aloha!

-M

When Zoe and I get together with our friends on Fridays, we’re usually at an outside spot. The kids need plenty of room to run around – and the thought of three toddlers in one confined space is pretty scary. Yesterday, though, my friend Susan decided to brave it by hosting a playgroup. The kids were really well-behaved, and they didn’t create *too* big of a mess. Here are a few pics.

-M

Waiting for Miles:

Checking out Zander’s chair:

Sitting – but only for a second:

Zoe might enjoy a good game of football, but she also has her girlie side. Q’s mom recently sent a box of purses to the house (thank you!), and Zoe spent a good chunk of time this weekend playing around with the different bags. One of the purses is about as big as she is, but that didn’t stop her from carting it around.

We’ve already established her love for shoes; it only makes sense that handbags are a favorite thing too!

-M

“Cheese!”

“Better put the purse here, like Mommy does.”

The scene at our house yesterday was pretty typical of a football Sunday – with Q in his red-and-gold and Zoe cuddled up besides him, watching the game. Zoe might grow up to hate football, in an act of rebellion against her parents, but so far she seems to be a fan. (And she especially likes it when her dad reads to her during the commercials.)

-M

So, we’ve been loving watching Zoe’s hair grow longer and curlier – but it recently occurred to me that a trim might not be a bad idea. (Poor Zoe is often pushing the bangs from her eyes.) Q has been going to his stylist for years, and when we found out she cuts babies’ hair too, it seemed like a no-brainer for her to cut Zoe’s.

Zoe often looks like a little girl (versus baby) to me – but she’s never looked as big as when she sat in the stylist’s chair, wrapped in an adult gown. She seemed a bit uncertain at first, but she didn’t squirm or get upset – she just sat there patiently. Q and I had so much fun watching and laughing and snapping photos, and my only regret is that we didn’t have our real camera with this. (Luckily, my Treo produced pretty good pics.)

We have a lot more haircuts to look forward to – and eventually Zoe will be old enough to enjoy pedicure and spa appointments with her mom. I can hardly wait!

-M

Her first haircut! Her hair was getting a little long and since Daddy was getting a haircut we thought it would be a perfect time for Zoe. She sat patiently waiting for Daddy to finish and then jumped up on the chair like a pro. She didn’t cry and fuss once, she just sat there and had fun. Check her out below…

Jon Q

One of my favorite things about Zoe these days is that she’s constantly learning and saying new things. She seems to pick up things overnight; almost every day we’re treated to a word or phrase that she had never before said. (“Did you teach her that?” Q and I often find ourselves asking one another.) Her sentences have started getting longer, also; the other day, for example, she said “I want a banana.” And one of her favorite things to call out is, “Mommy/Daddy, where are you?” (Needless to say, she likes it when we’re around.)

As a parent, it’s great fun to hear these new words on a daily basis, and it’s particularly rewarding to actually understand what could otherwise be dismissed as jibberish. Zoe kept asking for something over and over the other morning, and Q and I were quite relieved when we finally figured out that what she wanted was stickers. And just yesterday, when I put her down for a nap she repeated the same (hard-to-understand) sentence over and over until I figured out what she was asking for. “Oh, you want me to read the bumble-bee book?” I asked her (after inquiring about a few other things), and she nodded in a victorious manner. She was probably thinking, “finally!” but I was pretty proud of myself for finally figuring it out.

-M

Zoe and I took advantage of our Friday together by strolling through the neighborhood and playing at the West Portal Playground. We also met up with Susan and Zander, who really made Zoe laugh at one point. See below!

-M

Last Friday afternoon, Q’s mom and Zoe sat on the steps leading to our garage, waiting for Q to get home and chanting “Dad-dee! Dad-dee!” (Zoe loves it when Q gets home in the evening – she always makes a mad dash to the door to greet him.) Flash-forward to yesterday afternoon, when Zoe, who was on her way upstairs with me, suddenly stopped and plunked herself down on a middle step. I wasn’t sure what she was doing at first, until she started saying, “Dad-dee, Dad-dee.” She was obviously thinking of her time with Safta – and thinking that Q was on his way home. I had to gentily explain that Daddy wouldn’t be home for a few hours and walk her upstairs; then I made a mental note to blog about this sweet moment!

-M

I often go on lunch-time strolls at Stanford Shopping Center (probably the best outdoor mall in the country, IMO) – an especially nice activity on warm, sunny days like yesterday. I usually see lots of moms and little kids, and yesterday one such duo caught my eye. The mom was relaxing on a bench and enjoying a snack while her little girl (probably about a year old) was snoozing in her little pink stroller. I watched the sleeping blond girl for a few seconds and immediately thought of (what else?) Zoe. At that moment, I so wished she was there with me, in her own pink stroller – kicking her legs, soaking up the sun and pointing out “doggies,” “birdies” and “babies” (her favorite things to spot).

I love my job, my schedule and (especially) my alone-time, but there are times when I wish every day was Friday – my Zoe Day!

-M

One of the highlights from Safta’s visit was a trip to Wine Country. Zoe took a quick snooze while others did some wine tasting; then we all picnicked at V. Sattui (our favorite winery) and did some shopping at the Napa Outlets. Some of our favorite pictures are below.

-M

A drink for the road:

Enjoying the sun with Safta:

Sneaking around the store:

Taking a shopping break with Jenny:

“Time for night-night!”

Safta (“Shasha” to Zoe) is here for a quick weekend visit, and Zoe has been eating up all the extra attention and affection. Here are a few fun pictures from their time together this afternoon.

-M

Zoe’s had some restless nights lately, which means that Q and I have had some bleary-eyed days. I don’t deal well with sleep deprivation (how did I ever have a newborn??), and I’ve said to Q more times this week than I’d like to admit, “I’m tired! I can’t do this anymore.” By this, I guess I mean parenting – because the mom thing can, at times, feel pretty overwhelming. But then, right after I complain to Q (and am about to further sink into a pit of dispair and exhaustion), Zoe does something so sweet/funny/endearing that I feel energized again. And I’m reminded: that’s why we do this.

-M

When I was little, my dad would sometimes call me a “bigger girl.” (“Bigger than what?” I would always ask him, and he would just laugh.) I’ve thought about this nickname a lot lately, and especially yesterday when I was reminded of just how big our little girl is getting! We (finally) put up Zoe’s growth chart, and her first official measurement came in at just under 34 inches.

Bigger girl, indeed!

-M

Visiting the aquarium wasn’t our only activity this past weekend: we also did lots of eating, hiking, swimming and sunbathing. Some of the best pictures are below; my favorite is the last one. (Check out that pose!)

-M