It’s Zoe’s four-week birthday, and she spent it (like most of her other days) with family. Here are a few pics of Zoe with Uncle Dan and his girlfriend Jenny, who came over last night for Hanukkah. I also like the one of the three of us!

-M

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how our lives have changed since having Zoe. For me, one of the biggest adjustments has been coping with the unpredictability of things. Although Zoe remains a fairly mellow baby, she certainly does have her “moments” – we just never know when they’ll occur. Sometimes she goes right to sleep after eating, while other times she won’t stop howling and refuses to fall asleep. Sometimes she seems to enjoy riding in the car, while other times she practically screams bloody murder when I put her in her carseat. Sometimes she is soothed by her pacifier and (amazingly) my off-key singing, while other times it takes a lot more than that to comfort her. I could go on and on (and I’m sure all the parents out there have their own list for their kids) but the point is that she continues to mystify me (in a good way, of course). Maybe it will be like that for awhile…

-M

Last night was the annual Kuvata holiday party (Kuvata is the company I work for) and not only was Zoe invited, she actually went. This was her first party, and she was excellent. Not only did she make it through the poker dart gift-giving tournament (we won some great prizes), she actually slept the whole time. She went nearly 5-and-a-half hours between feedings and didn’t make a peep at the party. (Must have been all the eggnog we gave her…just kidding!) She was content to sit in front of the fire that was airing via DVD on the TV and listen to the soft music coming from the speaker behind her. We’ll have to get our hands on that DVD for when she needs another long nap!

Jon Q

Q has been known to sing the Sesame Street rubber ducky song (“Rubber ducky, you’re the one/ You make bathtime lots of fun”) to me in Hebrew. I’ve always been a big fan of that song – and now Q has someone else to sing it to! Zoe doesn’t mind bathtime as much as I thought she would; check out a few pics from her most recent experience. (Note that it’s Q bathing Zoe. I’m still somewhat intimidated by the whole bath thing!)

-M

This is the first year I won’t be in Madison for the holidays (it just didn’t seem feasible to travel this year), and I’ve been feeling a little blue about it. I was thinking about my situation last night, when I got an e-mail from a good friend who is also facing a tough holiday season. (This is her first Christmas without her father, who passed away this summer.) She commented that she’s been focused on counting her blessings these days – and I realized I should take a cue from her. Instead of focusing on what I’ll be *missing* this year, I’ve decided what I should do is focus on what I’ve *gained* and what I’m blessed with – namely, a sweet little baby. Another friend, as well as my mom, suggested I consider Zoe the ultimate present – and that also comforted me.

I might not make it to Madison this year, but Q and I do have a lot to be thankful for. And there is always next December to look forward to!

-M

 

The Redskins finally won a game this week and I think we owe it all to Zoe. She is finally big enough to wear one of her Redskins outfits and I think the extra rooting really helped the Skins to victory. I’ll let you decide…

Jon Q

While Michelle and I get sleep in small spurts, Zoe doesn’t seem to have that problem.  Zoe’s day consists of eating, crying, and mostly sleeping.  So, in honor of the sleeping princess, I am posting some pictures of Zoe sleeping in different rooms today and last night!

Jon Q

Last night was Zoe’s first Hanukkah, and she had lots of fun (and so did we.)  Below are some fun pictures of her during candle lighting and shortly after…

Jon Q

We know where we’ll take her! My best friend, Angela, is an instructor and owns a studio in Madison. Angela and her studio are prominently featured in today’s New York Times (!) and – although this blog normally focuses on Zoe – I just have to boast a bit about her here! This is great coverage, and I’m very proud of her! (On a note, I have done PR for her in the past but, sadly, I can’t take credit for this great article.)

You should read the New York Times piece when you can and also check out some pics of Q and Zoe from last night. (Aren’t the two of them cute together?)

-M

Today was the first day that Zoe and I ventured out on our own. We first went to her doctor’s appointment, where we discovered that she’s up to 9 lbs, 3.5 oz and 22 in. (She’s getting so big!!) Then, after a quick crying session (from Zoe) and lunch, we headed to the mall – where I did lots of shopping and Zoe did lots of sleeping. She was such a good baby, and I felt so proud when people made comments about her! She also proved to be a great shopping partner: she went wherever I wanted without complaining, and she seemed happy with everything I tried on!

-M

PS – The doctor just called. Zoe’s platelets are up to 325K! Yippee!

Zoe is three weeks old today, and I feel like time is really flying! In honor of this new milestone, I thought I’d outline a few thoughts about Zoe and being a parent…

-Best thing: the look on Zoe’s face after she eats. It’s one-part Yoda and one-part princess, and it’s totally cute.

-Worst thing: trying to get Zoe to stop screaming on those rare accounts that she does. It’s not always clear what she wants, and it can be very trying.

-Best moment: a tie between meeting Zoe for the first time (at delivery), watching Q roll Zoe’s bassinet into our hospital room (a few hours after delivery), and (a few days later) finding out Zoe’s platelet count was way high and she could come home.

-Worst moment: a tie between first learning Zoe’s platelet count was low (and she wouldn’t be coming home on schedule), and bursting into tears as Zoe got her blood taken by her pediatrician for the first time and started wailing. (At the hospital, they drew blood from her foot – but now, her doctor goes for the arm. Ouch.)

-Moment I really felt like a parent: a tie between being thrown up on for the first time, and (see above) bursting into tears when Zoe got her blood taken by her pediatrician for the first time. It was so hard to see this little one in so much pain, and poor Q wound up having to comfort both of us!

-Thing I did that I’d read in all the books I’d do: periodically check on Zoe to make sure she’s breathing. At least once a day, I think, “Is she okay??” and I make sure her chest is moving.

-Best advice: a tie between being told that life after baby would be total chaos (and it’s best to just embrace it all), and being told to consider staying at home with the baby a new full-time job. Reminding myself that taking care of Zoe is *work* – and might not always be so easy – has been somewhat comforting to me.

-Worst advice: Luckily, we haven’t gotten much.

-Thing that no one tells you: a tie between the fact that babies are VERY loud when they’re falling asleep (Zoe often sounds like she’s choking to death; I almost had a heart attack the first time I heard her hacking and gasping away), the fact that most of my clothes and Zoe’s clothes would wind up smelling like milk, and the fact that I could spend *hours* staring at my kid’s sweet little face.

-Cliche that has proven true: You really DO forget about the pain after you have the baby. (I always scoffed at moms – including my own – who used to tell me that.)

-Thing that has taken me most by surprise: How quickly I took to Zoe. I’ve only known her for three weeks, and I just can’t get enough of her. (And, again, I’m not even a baby person!)

-M

Last night, as a sleepy and content Zoe snuggled up against me (and before that, Q), I decided that human babies are very much like little koalas. Check out the pics and I bet you’ll think the same thing.

-M

 

The good news is that Zoe is a lot happier today: she is napping as I type, and she actually slept almost five hours straight last night! (I think all of yesterday’s crying made her super tired.) The bad news is that her mom hasn’t been so lucky. Although I try to sleep when she does, it usually doesn’t work – I wind up lying in bed with my eyes wide open, wondering when she’s going to cry or need something next. (That’s what happened last night, when I only slept about an hour out of her five.) I haven’t perfected that sleeping-on-demand thing, and I really hope to soon! Walking zombies don’t make good moms…

-M

As Michelle mentioned, today we have an empty house.  However, for the past week Zoe has been able to see all of her Browdy side of the family.  With both uncles, sabba, and safta around, she certainly had lots to look at.  A big thanks to everyone who helped clean, cook, and babysit.  I am sure Zoe will miss everyone…maybe that is why she is crying today.

Jon Q

Although I stopped working a month ago, I feel like my maternity leave really started today. The house is empty – Q went back to work and his family left this morning – and Zoe and I are on our own. Although things with Zoe have gone swimmingly these past 18 days, today (admittedly) has been tough. For some reason, Zoe decided today was the day she would cry for long stretches and refuse to sleep in her bassinet.

I have three theories for what has happened: 1 – someone replaced my sweet baby with a demon one; 2 – Zoe decided to test me on my first full day on the job; 3 – it’s just a coincidence that my first day alone coincided with her fussiest day yet… I’m going with #3. (Please, God, have it be #3!!)

-M

PS – Because I didn’t see much of this today, I’m posting a picture of cute, sleepy Zoe.