To celebrate our anniversary, Q and I took the girls to Santa Cruz for the weekend. Our hotel, the Dream Inn, was right on the water – and we got to both play in the pool and on the sand. (In typical Northern California style, the ocean was too cold for swimming in – but it was certainly pretty to look at!) It wasn’t exactly a romantic get-away, but hanging out with our girls is never a bad way to celebrate! Here are some pics.
-M
As mentioned before, Avery and I do a mom/baby work-out – the same one that Zoe and I did when she was a newborn – several mornings a week. Our new routine is to drop Zoe off at preschool and head across town to Crissy Field, right near Golden Gate Bridge, to meet the other mom/baby duos. It’s a great way to start the day: I get some exercise, Avery gets exposed to the crisp ocean air, and we both get to enjoy the gorgeous view of the city. Here’s a recent pre-exercise pic of the two of us – check out Avery’s work-out “sweats” and hoodie.
-M
Today marks five years that Q and I have been married. It’s a pretty big milestone (as I jokingly said to him recently, we’ve already out-lasted most celebrity marriages!), and it’s one that makes me reflect on our biggest accomplishment to date: the doubling of the size of our family. It’s funny to think that when we said our vows on that warm evening on Monona Terrace, Zoe and Avery didn’t exist – and we weren’t even aware of their eventual arrival. There was no way then to know how many kids we’d have or what they’d be like – or how it would feel to be part of a family of four.
Being a parent is a wonderful thing, but being part of a family – with a partner you can always count on – is even better. I’m grateful (and blessed!) not only for my girls, but for Q. And I can’t wait to see where the next five years take us!
-M
Much of this week’s focus has been on Zoe, but there’s some exciting news about Avery as well. She had a doctor’s appointment (her belated 2-month one) yesterday, and because her platelet count is again normal – and high – her blood tests are officially over. (Yippee!) She’s also continuing to grow at a healthy clip: she’s up to 13 lbs, 10 oz. and 24.5 inches. She’s in the 90 percentile for both weight and height. Again, yippee!
-M
So, Zoe seems to be liking school. I didn’t get terribly many details on her first day, but she did tell me yesterday afternoon that she liked her teachers and that she was able to nap – and when I asked her what her favorite part of school was, she said “My lunchbox.” Last night, I suggested that we pack her lunch for today’s school, and she looked at me with big eyes and said, “Oh! I’m going back?”
Jamie, the head teacher, told me today that Zoe has been just fine (quiet at first but then engaged), and she got a big good-bye hug from Zoe today – which is a good sign! Overall, I think the transition is going fairly well for Zoe (certainly easier than for me – but that’s a different post), and I’ll be sure to report on her future school adventures. For now, here’s a second-day-of school picture.
-M
