Check out some shots of Zoe playing this weekend. She is all smiles…and doesn’t Mommy look good!

Jon Q

When I went to check on Zoe during her morning nap yesterday morning, I was startled to see two big blue eyes looking my way. Zoe had flipped over on to her stomach and propped herself up with her arms – and was now just looking around, waiting for someone to come get her. I wasn’t surprised that she was awake or that she was on her stomach (she’s shown a preference for sleeping on her tummy for the past few weeks now), but I had never seen her in that position – holding her head up so high – in her crib before. I excitedly called Q to come look, and I couldn’t help but think of what a big girl she’s becoming.

Later in the day, Zoe again reminded me that she’s getting older by sitting up – unassisted – for one of the first times. (Luckily we snapped a good few good pics before she toppled over.)

Although a part of me still gets sad when I think of how big (and old) Zoe is getting, it’s hard not to feel excited (okay, thrilled) when Zoe does new things like this. It may sound funny to be so proud of someone for merely sitting up, but I blame it on being a mom!

-M

Zoe is a girl of many faces. Tough to say if the cute look or the cool look from today is better…you decide.

Jon Q

Zoe is just a bundle of talk these days. Here she is expressing her joy over her fun swing!

Jon Q

As mentioned below, Q dropped off Zoe at daycare today – so Elena got the chance to see him and Zoe together. She reported to me this afternoon that Zoe’s a nice mix of me and Q: she can see both of us in her. She has Q’s mouth and smile, she said – and my eyes. (She didn’t mention Zoe’s pretty, long eyelashes, but those are clearly from her dad!!) It’s always fun to hear who people think Zoe looks like; I see her so often (and have such a skewed perspective, I guess) that I have no clue. I just hope that she winds up with Q’s curls and that her eyes don’t change. (Although, really, who am I kidding. I’ll adore her no matter what her hair and eyes wind up looking like!)

-M

Today, Daddy got to take care of Zoe in the morning since Mommy had to leave really early for work. Zoe got up around 7am (she was actually talking in her crib since around 6:45am) and she seemed very happy. After a quick change, we went right for a nutritious breakfast of steak and eggs (well, it was actually a bottle, but steak and eggs sounded better). Then we watched Zoe’s favorite show, the Little Einsteins. Today’s episode was how the Little Einsteins started. She really liked the red rocket. After the show ended, she changed into one of her favorite laying-around outfits, her pink froggy. Then it was time for Daddy to get ready. Zoe hung out in her bouncy chair while Daddy washed up and got ready for work. After some play time, she was ready to take off for day care. She looked a little tired when I put her in her car seat to go over to Elena’s and she fell asleep in the car (about a 7 minute drive). Elena was happy to see her and was impressed that her Daddy dropped her off. All in all it was very successful and I am sure Mommy will now give Daddy plenty more chances to be on his own…

Jon Q

It’s been a few days since I’ve posted anything – mainly because things have been sort of nutty here. Work has been particularly busy, and Zoe and I have been spending lots of time with my sister (while trying to recover from the shock of seeing her at all!).

As Q mentioned below, Sandy’s visit was a complete surprise to me. When she last visited in Jan., we talked about her coming back out in April – but she seemed somewhat wishy-washy when I mentioned it several weeks ago. Airline tickets were expensive, it might not be the best time to leave work, etc. etc. I was disappointed, but I finally just accepted the fact that we likely wouldn’t see her until this summer. So, naturally I was totally-utterly-completely shocked when she walked into our bedroom on Fri. night. She and Q (as well as my parents) did SUCH a good job at hiding her little trip from me, and the surprise made her visit that much sweeter!

Also sweet: seeing Sandy play with Zoe (who just adores her). Zoe and Sandy are two of my favorite people ever, so having them together just thrills me. Being so far away from family is difficult at times (I hate that Zoe can’t hang out with loved ones any old day), but it also makes the time we all spend together that much more memorable! So… thanks, Sandy, for coming. ZoZo misses you already!

-M

Well, both Mommy and Zoe got a big surprise on Friday night when Aunt Sandy came walking in the door. Daddy was supposed to have been off selling tickets, but instead picked up Aunt Sandy from the airport at 11pm at night. Needless to say Mommy was QUITE surprised on Friday night when Daddy came home with no ticket sales and Aunt Sandy in tow (Michelle had absolutely NO clue she was coming, which made the surprise even better!) The next morning Zoe got the treat of being woken by Aunt Sandy. Below is a morning picture of the two of them. I am sure many more pictures will follow as Sandy is staying until Wednesday afternoon.

Jon Q

As Jenny mentioned, Zoe got another night without Mommy and Daddy this past Thursday. Jenny and Dan graciously lent their babysitting skills so that Mommy and Daddy could go see Blades of Glory. We were told she was a perfect angel and went to bed right on time. Below are some fun pictures of the babysitting duo at hard work. Thanks, guys!

Jon Q

Zoe and I did one of our stroller work-outs – this time outside, around a lake – this morning. She was pretty mellow most of the time – just sitting there and looking around – but she became very giggly towards the end of the work-out, just in time for the lunge portion. As I lunged and pushed the stroller uphill, I started feeling pretty tired – but Zoe provided incentive to keep going. Every time I lunged, she let out a big laugh – which made me not want to stop. I would have lunged all day just to watch her giggle!

-M

So, I haven’t blogged much about being back at work or Zoe being at daycare. The truth is there hasn’t been terribly much to say; things are going well for us. I’m working four days a week, and the three of us have a nice little morning routine together. (Zoe and I get up around 6:30 for breakfast; at 7 or so, Daddy plays with Zoe while I get ready. I typically drop off Zoe between 7:30 and 8, and I’m on my way.)

I love the fact that I have my Fridays with Zoe (tomorrow we’re going on a walk with other moms/babies at Lake Merced; napping and – shock of all shocks – shopping are also on the agenda), but I also love that Zoe seems happy on her days away from us. Elena seems to really care for Zoe: she always says sweet things about her, and today, when I picked up Zoe and reminded Elena that we won’t be there tomorrow, she said “oh…” in a sad voice. It made me happy that she was disappointed she won’t be spending time with Zoe tomorrow. Perhaps we’re not the only ones who are smitten by ZoZo – ?

-M

Happy 20 weeks birthday to you Zoe. You are getting so big! Zoe is a lot more fun to play with these days as she is good at picking out the toys she wants to play with. Here is a cute picture of her playing with the toys she picked out this morning…

Jon Q

Always the shopper, Zoe recently turned her attention to hair accessories. (She’s too little for handbags and shoes, after all.) She tried on this hair-clip yesterday and thought it was kind of cute… But she wasn’t terribly sure. What do you think?

-M

Zoe’s new favorite thing is to laugh. She laughs when Daddy dances around for her and she laughs when Mommy tickles her. Check out this cute video of Mommy making Zoe laugh!

Jon Q

Zoe gets a bath (or shower) about every other day at this point. After this morning’s bath time, she was all smiles. Here are a few pictures. Check out her curls when her hair gets wet. I wonder who she gets those from?

Jon Q