For some things, Zoe takes after her father. Like horsing around…she loves it!

Jon Q

One year ago today, we found out I was pregnant. We had just got done watching American Idol, I remember, and I was going to put off taking a test because it was getting late and I was feeling tired. But Q suggested I take one – it wouldn’t take long, he said – and so we found out. I wasn’t initially super excited, I remember; I felt more nervous and freaked out than anything. It took about a week for it to stop feeling totally surreal and odd – but it took many, months to feel even remotely ready for the baby.

If I had known then what I know now – that Zoe would be the most amazing person I’ve ever met, and she would make us feel utterly, deliriously happy – I would have jumped for joy the second I found out I was pregnant. The journey we’ve been on this past year has been so amazing, and it’s been great fun to watch Zoe grow from the size of a sesame seed to the big girl below! I can’t wait for more.

-M

Today Zoe went to the Dr for her 4 month checkup…and lucky for her, she got a fun set of shots. I am happy to report that she was very good at the Dr’s office and has been in good spirits all day (the Tylenol helps I am sure.) We also got her measurements – she is now 14 lbs 11 ozs and just about 26 inches long! The Dr was happy that she was both getting bigger and longer (so are we…)

Jon Q

I was putting Zoe down for her morning nap yesterday when another “first” took place. I started to sing the ABCs to her, and she looked up at me and laughed. It was louder than a giggle and longer than a squeal, and she kept it up throughout the entire song. I know I’m not the best singer, but, wow – isn’t Zoe a little young to be poking fun at her mom?? (Regardless, it made me and Q incredibly happy.)

-M

Zoe squealed for the first time last night. We weren’t doing anything exciting – I was just putting on her pajamas – but she was obviously feeling really happy. Her squeal not only drove me and Q crazy but also reminded me of how innocent and easy-to-please babies are. Wouldn’t it be great if adults were more like that?

Anyway, here are a few recent pics of Zoe in some playful moments.

-M

I’ve thought for awhile now that Zoe is a terribly sweet, mellow baby – but I’ve also recognized that, as her mom, I’m completely biased. Imagine my happiness, then, when someone outside of the family agreed with me! Yesterday, when I picked up Zoe from daycare, Elena commented on what a good baby Zoe was. Most babies have a hard time adjusting to daycare – to the noise, other kids, etc. – but Zoe, she said, seemed to have no troubles. She has fallen into a regular schedule (which includes two long naps), and she spends much of the day just looking around at the other kids, smiling. I, of course, have *nothing* to do with Zoe’s easy-going nature, but I can’t tell you how proud I felt when Elena said that!

In other news, I’ve seen a real change in Zoe’s little face lately. She’s starting to look less like an average (generic) baby and more like a unique person. Her nose, in particular, is really starting to take shape – and I actually think it might look like mine. I also noticed a tiny, dark fleck in her right eye, and I suspect her eyes (still now a dreamy grey-blue) are starting to change. The big mystery is – to what??

-M

PS – Can you believe she’s almost four months old already? People warned me that time flies with a baby, but I had no idea!

I’m the type of person who always likes having something to look forward to – a weekend get-away, a shopping spree with a girlfriend, a tropical vacation – and when I’m really excited about something, I get a happy, butterfly-like feeling my stomach that’s difficult to shake. I’ve had this feeling for the past few days now and I wasn’t sure why – until it hit me today that what I feel excited about is Zoe. She is at such an amazingly fun and cute age – she’s always smiling or giggling, or eating her hand (like below); and every day she does something that makes us laugh – that I can’t help but look forward to spending time with her. And I know that even when I return to a fuller schedule at work (which happens in two weeks), we’ll have our evenings and weekends with her. She’s like a built-in vacation (not from work, of course – but certainly from unhappiness or boredom), and I feel so lucky to have her!

-M

Zoe’s been keeping busy the past few days. On Sunday, another gorgeous day in the city, she hung out (read: napped) at Golden Gate Park and then did some playing – on her new, leaf “tummy time” mat and on her dad’s head. Yesterday she did some more napping and shopping, and today she and her mom went to the library for a sing-a-long. (Zoe’s voice is getting really good!) Check out a few pics from the last few days…

-M

 

 

 

One of my favorite memories of early labor (believe it or not, I have one) is of me lying on the ground in our bedroom – trying to control my breathing and avoid thinking about the increasing discomfort – while Q is running around the room with a variety of tools and bassinet parts. We hadn’t yet put “Sesame’s” bassinet together, and once Q realized that I really *was* in labor, he figured he better get the baby’s bed ready!

Q, of course, managed to finish this task before we went to the hospital – and Zoe has been happily sleeping in that little bassinet ever since. Well, at least until last night. We finally got her room insulated (a task we *didn’t* manage to accomplish before her arrival), and – confident that her room is now warm enough – we put Zoe in her crib, where she slept all night. (See below.)

I think it’s safe to say that Q and I have mixed feelings about this transition. It’s definitely been over-due – at more than 14 pounds, she was ready for a big-girl bed – but we had gotten used to having her near us, and hearing her sweet little sleeping sounds, every night. I’m a little sad, also, because all these milestones means she’s getting older and older, and bigger and bigger. (Where has my little 7-pounder gone??) BUT I know, ultimately, that that’s a good thing. We want her to grow and thrive – and to be happy in her warm, comfy bed.

-M

Zoe is now getting jealous of Daddy typing. So, I thought I would give her a chance to write her first post on her own. Here it is:

7ynnn y7muj mnkimmmmmnh j=-/I,mn er .mll,,;.56566666tgqc

Someday she’ll have to tell us what it all means.

Jon Q

Zoe’s cold is still with her, but she keeps on with her busy schedule without missing a beat. This past week she got to go see her friend Ari (if you don’t remember, Ari was the one that took the great no-head pictures of his dad Elan and me.) It also happened to be Elan’s birthday party that night. Then today, after watching the Badger win with Daddy, she got to see her Uncle Dan’s new apartment. And with all of this, she only really cried when she got hungry. Of course it is now a cute sultry kind of cry because her voice is a bit hoarse. Here are some fun pictures from today…

Jon Q

Zoe has had four full days at daycare now, and she seems to be adjusting quite well. She eats and naps around the same time every day (she certainly likes to maintain a routine!), and Elena today commented that she’s been smiling and giggling a lot. She did wind up with a little cold this week (it can’t be a coincidence that her first illness followed her first few days at daycare), but it seems to be getting better.

As for Mom… well, I think I’ve adjusted pretty well also. Jumping back into things at work was easier than I thought, as was actually dropping off Zoe each morning. (It helps that she’s usually smiling when I leave her.) I must admit, though, that I’m pretty wiped out by the end of the day. I wish I had more energy when I pick Zoe up – but I’m also grateful that she seems to enjoy cuddling and watching 90210 re-runs with me when we get home!

-M

We promised to show her growth, but keep forgetting. We did a comparison of 4 days old and 100 days later!

Here she is on November 27th, 2006 –

Here she is on March 7th, 2007 –

Here is some video from her photo shoot:

Jon Q

It’s been deliciously sunny and warm here the past few days, and Zoe and I have been taking advantage of the nice weather. Yesterday (after our morning work-out at the mall), we strolled over to the neighborhood park and watched the big kids play. After a quick bite at a coffee shop around the corner, Zoe helped me do some gardening in the front yard. (Green thumbs we are not, but we tried our best!) Today, we met our friends Polly and Miles – who is four days older than Zoe – for coffee and a little walk on 24th St., a cute strip of restaurants and shops not far from our neighborhood. Zoe then accompanied me to my hair-cut appointment, and we are now relaxing and waiting for her dad to come home. It’s supposed to be warm and sunny (75 degrees!) again this weekend, so I’m sure we’ll do some more fun outside activities then…

We love San Francisco when it’s like this!

-M

Zoe has been doing lots of her own talking these days. Here she is in one of her more talkative moods.

Jon Q