Welcome 2014! Is Zoie really almost 6 months old!?

And you know the best part about 2014? JAMES COMES HOME!

Finally, we can see the finish line! I can't tell you exactly when, but my hubby will be back soon from his deployment!

It's been quite the ride being a solo-mama for the last 5 months. Fortunately, we've been blessed to have a happy, healthy, easy-going little girl! Both our families have been a huge help with keeping me and Zoie busy - time has flown by! And what would I do without them to help take care of our house and vehicles? Zoie and I have been well cared for, and we're very thankful!

Zoie had her first Christmas here in Kansas with
both sets of grandparents, and her uncle Thomas!

Now that Zoie is nearing 6 months, her personality is blossoming. I'm beginning to see what kind of toddler and kid she's going to be. It's pretty exciting watching her become her own little person!

She likes to do things on her own!

So... about those [various] bottles I kept trying to feed Zoie with? She has refused every time. But a sippy cup with handles and a nice sturdy spout to play with? Zoie loves it! She can't get enough! She needs more practice with actually drinking the liquid (we've been practicing with water), but it's one of her favorite activities!

Zoie also insists on sitting up. Leaning back in a nice recline? Nope, not for her. She loves sitting upright in her Inglesina high chair and being involved at the table. The BabyBjorn bouncy seat I thought was so cool? Now she won't tolerate it for more than a couple minutes, it leans back too far!

It goes without saying that she still doesn't like being cradled when held... unless she's super super tired!

She has started laughing, rolling over, and scooting!

Zoie started laughing at Brownie chasing her tail last week! I mean, Brownie did look ridiculous, but Zoie found it hilarious! It was such a joy to hear. I get lots of little giggles and tons of smiles, but only that one true laughing spell. Since then, I've been trying all sorts of goofy things to try and get Zoie into another fit of giggles. I'm sure my dog is silently laughing at my crazy attempts...

Morning giggles!

This girl likes to move! I can tell she's going to be all over the place as soon as she's mobile. She's awesome at rolling onto her belly, but gets stuck (like a reverse turtle?) and can't quite roll back yet (besides a few surprise rolls!).  She has also learned to arch her back and push her legs to scoot backwards! Looks pretty uncomfortable to scoot on the back of your head, but I'm not going to judge.

And now introducing... FOOD!

I know it's recommended to wait until the baby is 6 months old before starting solids, but man that's hard to do! Zoie already steals fistfuls of food, grabs onto beverages (watch your beer and hot coffee!), and tries to suck on silverware and plates.

So, I've followed her cues and have let her taste a few things.

First up? Steamed carrots! Verdict: not a fan. To be fair, I did burn them a teeny bit... but I thought they tasted okay!

Next up? Apple! Verdict: an interesting flavor, and a good texture to gnaw on. The other day I was eating a tasty Fuji, and Zoie (as usual) wanted it. So I nibbled off the skin and offered it to her. She went for a combination of latching onto it, and gnawing it with her little gums. So funny to watch!

Nomnomnom... I even gave her a chunk to hold on her own!

I think baby-led weaning is the best route for Zoie, since she prefers to use her hands and be in control. For those of you unfamiliar with BLW, it just means giving your baby food they can pick up and feed themselves, instead of the parent spoon-feeding purees. Since she'll still be nursing until at least 12 months (probably longer, she's a big fan of the boob), we won't have to worry about her getting the nutrients she needs. The first year is all about practice and trying new flavors!

The next time I post, our little family will be TOGETHER again! Zoie can't wait for her daddy to return, she has so many exciting things to share with him! She was a tiny, sleepy 4-week-old newborn when James deployed - she is now a spunky, bubbly, chatterbox of a baby that's almost 6 months old!

Somebody's excited for their daddy to return!

Happiness awaits :)

Cheers,

Martha

Raspberries, Toes, and Shrieks!

Nestled in Grandpa's arms

Zoie's first time in the Pacific on Maui!

Our baby girl is 4 and a half months old!

And she's already been to Hawaii. Lucky little baby! My family enjoyed vacationing with Zoie this last month - so many things have been changing with our girl! She's a completely different baby now than she was 4-5 weeks ago. Four months old is a magical age!

Hands

Slowly but surely, Zoie discovered her little fingers and realized their potential. At first, she would clasp them together over and over (she looked like she was plotting something mischievous). Then, she would stuff as many fingers into her mouth as possible. Sometimes a fist. Sometimes two!

She would sort-of reach towards toys, and grab them by accident if her open hand caught one. She'd hold onto something if you put it in her hand.

And then... She suddenly learned to pull objects into her mouth! This was a game-changer. She suddenly had a motivation to grab things! Fingers, hands, shirts, Sophie the Giraffe, burp cloths, water glasses, plates, and trying (with no success) to get a fistful of grown-up food. It's amazing to watch her move to purposefully.

Zoie having control of her hands is like she's speaking a new language - I know what she wants, likes, dislikes, finds interesting... and I've learned so much about her! I feel so much closer to her and love her even more as an individual.

Toes

Just over a week ago, Zoie found her toes! I've been waiting for this moment for so long! It's one of my favorite things to see babies playing with their toes.

It started with Zoie getting stronger and lifting her legs up higher when lying on her back. Her hands started reaching and exploring, and all of a sudden - she grabbed onto one of her feet! Soon enough, she grabbed the other! Now she happily plays with her toes during diaper changes (makes it easier to clean her up, haha!), and sometimes doesn't want to let go!

Now we'll wait to see if her toes find her mouth... I need my camera on me at all times!

Raspberries

Who taught this kid how to blow raspberries in the last week? I definitely didn't show her! I'll stick out my tongue at Zoie, but I don't think I've ever demonstrated a proper raspberry. Amazing how babies figure things out, they're so clever!

Zoie has so much fun blowing little spit bubbles and exploring what her tongue can do. She continues to make a lot of her normal coo sounds (ghee and hiya are some favorite words!), but now with her tongue out and blowing spit. She has never made me laugh so much, it's hilarious!

Shrieks

This little girl can SHRIEK! She can be so loud sometimes, it's really quite funny. Sometimes she'll make an especially loud high-pitched shriek (out of pure joy and happiness) that it's hard to believe such a sound came from such a tiny person. It's such a joy to watch her be sooo happy that she needs to express herself with such intensity!

Growth

This baby has steadily been growing! I haven't noticed any particular spurts, but she's getting much heavier and longer than before. She is fitting into lots of 3-6 month clothing, and growing out of many 0-3 month outfits! I've been warned about trying on outfits you think are still too big - babies will fit into them sooner than you'd think!

On Tuesday we'll find out Zoie's latest weight and length - she's going to her 4 month (well, 4 1/2 month) appointment with her pediatrician.

... Food?

Zoie has taken a sudden interest in food! It all started about 2 weeks ago while we were in Hawaii, with some delicious scrambled eggs I was eating for breakfast. I was holding Zoie on my lap, as I usually do while eating meals, when she suddenly realized that my food was FOOD. Oh boy, she wanted my scrambled eggs so badly! She was leaning and reaching, with her gaze locked onto the delicious eggy goodness. Her little mouth was open, and she started making chomping motions. She was almost trembling with excitement!

She has also discovered cups and beverages. She acts the same way; reaching and leaning and smacking her lips! I let her try ice water for the first time at a restaurant on Maui, and she LOVED it! She wasn't even phased by the icy cold temperature, she just kept sucking and licking the cup! She can't decide if her tongue belongs outside the cup, or inside licking at the water. Quite the dilemma.

It feels sad to deny Zoie the joy of food when she wants it so badly, but she's not ready yet! We'll wait until she's closer to 6 months to introduce any sort of food besides breast milk. I'm interested in baby-led-weaning, so it's going to be an exciting adventure!

Our tiny hula dancer on Maui

I can't wait to see what Zoie's 5th month brings us, I love watching her develop! Such an experience to watch how a tiny person learns about their world and herself. I love every moment!


Cheers,

Martha

Top 10 Zoie-isms at 3 months old

Quirky tidbits about our wee one...

1. She's ticklish - if you tickle her belly, Zoie will grin, squirm, and pull her knees up towards her chest. She's close to giggling!

2. She knows her mama - lately, Zoie refuses to let anyone else soothe her if she's feeling slightly fussy. It's wonderful to be her source of comfort and I'm glad she's well-attached, but I hope she opens up a bit towards others!

3. She's happy hanging out in her bouncy seat... as long as she can see me! - If I leave the room for more than a minute, Zoie starts yelling. Not crying, but yelling. It's actually pretty funny :-)

4. She loves to coo while nursing - once she's satisfied most of her hunger, Zoie will just start smiling at me and cooing softly, and continue nursing a bit. It's the cutest thing, I love our little milk chats!

5. She can be LOUD - Zoie loves to screech and yell when she gets excited, just like a toddler testing out her voice! Sometimes I'll hear a new sound, and not even realize it came from Zoie right away.

6. She likes to be held up on your shoulder - instead of being cradled in your arms (unless she is particularly relaxed or tired). This girl wants to be carried high to see the world!

7. She is a morning baby! - this is her happiest, most playful time of day. Once Zoie shakes off the groggy fussy just-waking-up feeling, she has tons of energy and smiles. (And as a solo-mama, this is the best time to take a shower! She'll hang out in her crib and happily chat to the sunshine dancing on the curtains for 10 minutes.)

8. She appreciates a good swaddle - as soon as her arms are pinned down and wrapped in a blanket, she'll relax instantly. As a newborn, she insisted on having her arms up by her head while she slept, so we obliged with a funky modified swaddle. These days, she's happy with her arms pinned to her sides (finally using those easy-Velcro-swaddle-blankets).

9. She wiggles in her sleep - sometimes she turns 90 degrees and wedges herself against the sides of the crib. And pretty regularly, her diaper will shimmy down her butt! Finally, after one too many pee-leaks in her crib, I've been switching to a disposable insert with a cloth diaper cover that hugs her tush. No leaks yet!

10. She loves to be carried around - her nickname is: she-who-must-be-held. This child can't get enough! She loves to be in arms. Sleeping, eating, playing, looking around - she LOVES to be held. Luckily, having several different baby carriers makes this a lot easier as a solo-mama.

I can't wait to discover more quirky things about our little girl, she's growing up so quickly! What a treat to watch her change and develop every day. Soon, her daddy will be here to join in the fun! We can't wait!

Cheers,

Martha

Zoie's second trip - Arizona!

Our baby girl turned 3 months old today!

We've just returned from another exciting trip - this time to Phoenix and Flagstaff. My in-laws took me and Zoie to spend a week visiting James' grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends! Our little girl is becoming quite the traveler. She loved meeting her extended family and friends, and got along really well with so much hustle and bustle.

Zoie with her Nana and Grandnana!

The 2-hour time change was a little rough to manage, since Zoie would get really tired around 6:30pm local time instead of 8:30pm in Kansas. Going out to dinner with big groups of family was really fun, but Zoie only had a short period of happy time where she enjoyed being held and played with by her new friends. Once she starts to get fussy, she really just wants to be held close by mama and rocked to sleep.

 How nice it was to enjoy some beautiful warm dry weather! Kansas gets so humid in the summer, so Phoenix was a welcome change. We drove up to Flagstaff for 3 nights, which was pretty chilly (almost 7,000 feet elevation!). Zoie got to try out her fleecy pajamas, warm sleep sack, and enjoyed wearing her pumpkin hat! Babies are so adorable when they're all cozy and bundled up.

Snug and warm on mama's lap

 
Our big girl is developing so much! Her smiles, her coos, her laughs - it's so much fun to spend time talking to her. Zoie loooves to have a conversation, and she's quite the chatterbox. Sometimes she gets so excited, she's just bursting to tell you her story! Her legs will kick, her arms will flail, and her whole body wiggles. I love being able to make her smile and give a little chuckle, it's the best feeling. I can't wait for full giggles to develop!

Baby smiles are the best!

In the last few weeks, Zoie has really begun to explore her hands. She constantly holds her hands together, playing with her fingers and marveling at her own movement. Laying on her activity mat, Zoie gets intensely focused and excited about her dangling toys. She moves her hands towards them, but isn't directly grasping them yet - though she is very close! She'll hold onto a toy if we help get her fingers around it.

Papa playing with his granddaughter!

Zoie had a checkup with her pediatrician two weeks ago, and she weighed in at 10lb. She's grown quite a bit from 6lb 4oz at birth, but she's still petite. In fact, she wasn't even on the chart yet for height... she was only 20.5 inches! Little shorty baby in the zero percentile. However, her noggin measured in the 50th percentile. Yay for big brains!

We've had so many fun changes in the past few weeks! Zoie is sleeping up to 6-7 hours straight (not every night, but it's happening more often!), she's holding her head up even higher during tummy time, and she's sooo interactive with talking and making funny faces. She's such a joy to play with! She loves to lay on her back and kick, she loves to stand if you help her balance, and she loves to be carried up on your shoulder to watch the world around her. She loves windows, bright lights, fans (even if they're not moving), TV screens (though we're trying to avoid her viewing the TV until she's at least 2), and shirts with interesting patterns (i.e. several of Nana's shirts!).

It's nice to be home in Kansas again - reunited with our puppy Brownie and sleeping in our own beds! We'll soon be gearing up for another trip to Seattle (and from there to Maui with my parents!) in November. It's been so good to stay busy traveling and visiting family, otherwise missing James would become too much to bear. It's only been two months since he left, but it feels like much longer. Zoie can't wait for her daddy to get back, she loves his deep voice and loves to snuggle on his chest. Just a few more months to go!

Ahhh back in Kansas. There's no place like home.

 Cheers,

Martha

Two and a half months old - Zoie's first trip!

What can I say, I LOVE the Northwest!

Zoie and I have been enjoying two weeks on Whidbey Island and visits to Seattle. It's been awesome introducing her to my friends and hometown community, she's like a little celebrity! Two months old is such a fun time to share with other people - the smiles, the coos, the intense eye contact - Zoie knows how to welcome friends and make them feel special.

Our first experience on the plane? Pretty easy! Zoie didn't even notice take-off and landing, so at the moment it doesn't seem to affect her ears. The plane was much like a car ride - the bumps and vibrations soothed her to sleep. She woke up when she was hungry, and I nursed her under my nursing cover several times. She even wanted to play for a bit, and made some coos and looked around at the people next to us. She received lots of attention and smiles from our fellow passengers! As we were getting off the plane, people who hadn't seen her yet were shocked to learn there was a baby near them and they hadn't heard a peep. Way to go, Zoie!!

Sleepy happy baby...

Bird's eye view! Zoie would switch between napping on my
chest and laying back on my diaper bag like a pillow.

I asked the attendants at my gate if I could board early so I could get situated before the plane got crowded, and boy I'm glad I did! The narrow aisle quickly became crammed with people trying to stuff their bags into extremely full overhead bins. Luckily, I had time to ask a nice fellow next to me to load my carry-on into the bin, and get seated by the window with Zoie before my seatmates, a large elderly couple who required seat belt extenders (I had never seen those before!) got settled in next to me.

It's a little tricky finding your rhythm when carrying a hefty travel bag on your back, a baby on your front, and a diaper bag slung on your shoulder. Tricky, but doable. Makes you feel a bit like a sherpa!

When my parents picked us up in Seattle, they already had a car seat installed and ready to go. Saved me the hassle of transporting a bulky car seat and trusting that it was handled with "care" in the cargo section of the plane! I also ordered several things (diapers, nursing pads, disposable changing pads, and an infant bath cushion) from Amazon and had them shipped to my parents' house - saved quite a bit of room in my bags. I'm sure most people know about Amazon Prime, but it's soo convenient and almost always cheaper than regular stores!

My favorite thing I brought on the trip? Baby carriers! Zoie loooves to be held and cuddled pretty much all the time, so she rides around in her Boba 3G, Maya ring sling, or Happy wrap when we're out and about. Makes it easy to go anywhere - malls, festivals, Pike Place Market, restaurants...

Zoie has grown quite a bit over the last couple of weeks. Her feet amaze me! Little booties that looked like clown shoes several weeks ago now fit her perfectly. She's getting so much sturdier and better at controlling her head, which makes me a lot more comfortable letting friends hold and play with her (still, I've had those moments of panic when someone doesn't know to support her head properly!).

When Zoie is first waking up in the morning, she's always a bit grumpy. Fussing, stretching, squirming, and serious fussing when I change her diaper. However, once she adjusts to a wakeful state, she is the happiest little morning baby! Big smiles, funny giggles and shrieks, and lots of happy wiggling. It's my favorite time of day!

Hooray it's a new day!

Our little girl has developed so much personality, I could write a book about her preferences and little quirky tendencies. It's amazing that newborns can be so particular and develop into such individuals after such a short time in this world. I love going to sleep every night, knowing the next day is going to bring new surprises in her personality and development. Such a joy! I'm so thankful to be able to spend each day with her.

Right now, our world continues to revolve around breastfeeding, sleep, and diaper changes. We've gotten a pretty good rhythm down with all three areas, but there are definitely hiccups!

Since Zoie is sleeping much less during the day than she used to, I really have to be diligent about providing her naps throughout the day. More naps = less fussy! You'd think a baby would just fall asleep when she's tired, right? Nooo... Zoie needs help getting asleep. If she gets fussy and doesn't want to eat, it means she's tired. A few minutes of holding her close, swaying with a little bounce, and talking to her softly usually does the trick. You'd think you could just lay her down and she'd keep sleeping, right? Not exactly. It does work about half the time, but often she'll wake up and start fussing, and usually won't fall asleep until you pick her up again. Thus enter, the baby-carrier nap! Or, the one-handed-holding-and-getting-things-done nap! Or, the chill-on-the-couch-with-baby-on-your-chest nap! It's good to be flexible :)

Grandma enjoying a baby nap

We've had a great time seeing our friends and family here in the Northwest, but it will also be nice to be home in Kansas again. Time has flown by! I'm pretty excited it's almost October. Every day passed is one day closer to my husband being home again! We still have several months left, but Zoie and I can't wait for him to return from his deployment.

Bring on October! We're ready :)

Looking forward to cooler weather, brightly colored leaves, and all that the new season will bring!


Cheers,

Martha

Almost 8 weeks old - Little Zoie is growing quickly!

Life with a newborn has been pretty amazing.

How awesome it is to watch Zoie grow before my eyes! Every day her clothes become a teenie bit more snug, her face more mature, and her personality a little bigger. I've been loving every moment, soaking up her smallness and enjoying her newness!

Zoie at 2 weeks, and 7 weeks!

Even the moments when Zoie is crying and fussy and it's hard to understand the problem, I still try my best to keep it in perspective. This stage in her life is so temporary, and I'm honored to be the one to guide her through these newborn months. It's so fun to watch her develop!

Soon she'll be grasping at her toys!

These last two weeks were great - my mom and dad were visiting! Since James is deployed, having someone to spend time with Zoie while I get things done around the house is such a luxury. I can take a nice long shower, do some cooking, vacuum, sort laundry... It's amazing how long these tasks can take when I'm the only one in the house. Uninterrupted time doesn't really exist when I'm on my own with Zoie and my puppy Brownie. But that's okay - we're finding our rhythm!

We've been out and about quite a bit in the last two weeks - restaurants, visiting family, the zoo, pedicures, shopping, long walks in the stroller, and a 4 hour (round-trip) car ride to Kansas City. Zoie has loved her time with Grandma and Grandpa (and they've loved being with Zoie!).

You know how everyone says, "enjoy these moments, they grow up so fast!" sort of thing? Well, I don't think we could be enjoying them more!

We've definitely had our fair share of challenges, but I still think Zoie is pretty easy to care for. I've learned that sleep and naps are extremely important, and determine how well the day will go. If Zoie doesn't get enough sleep throughout the day, she'll be so fussy she won't nurse, and then she gets so hungry she can't fall asleep! It's tricky to navigate that situation, so it's best avoided. I try and nurse her often, and give her lots of opportunity for naps. Luckily, she naps pretty well in her carriers and wraps, and loves to snuggle on her lion play mat. Naps are wonderful little pockets of time to quickly get things done! It's amazing how productive you can be when you have a ticking baby time bomb.

Next week we'll be in the great Northwest - I can't wait to introduce Zoie to my friends and family! I'm a little uncertain about Zoie's first plane ride to Seattle, so we'll see how that goes. Fingers crossed. My plan is to nurse her during takeoff and landing to help with her ears, and wear her in my carrier for most of the flight. Hopefully she'll have a niiice long nap...


Cheers,

Martha

5 weeks old - Now begins the solo mama-ing

Hello everyone!

Our little Zoie is just over 5 weeks old now, and she has changed so much! She's right at 8lb (according to our scale), and her face is maturing more every day. She has gotten so good at breastfeeding, sleeps longer stretches during the night, and seems happier during her awake time. I'm so thankful that James was here for the first month of Zoie's life so we could work through the tough newborn issues together!

Now that James is deployed overseas for several months, Zoie and I are working on our daily schedule together. I'm learning to do more things one-handed while carrying Zoie, and we've been using our different wraps/baby carriers around the house. Zoie LOVES to be held! It pretty much soothes any fussing unless she's hungry.

Breastfeeding

I've learned the art of breastfeeding while carrying Zoie in one arm! This frees me up to walk around and do things around the house. Of course, I can't imagine this will work when she's older/heavier, but I'm enjoying our flexibility for now.

Breastfeeding has become sooo much easier - it might hurt for a second as she's latching on, but it's not uncomfortable once she's eating. One of the most frustrating obstacles we overcame was latching on when my breasts were too full. Understandably, Zoie would get really frustrated if milk was squirting out onto her face! She kept slipping around and couldn't latch on, which made me have to put her down (fussy and upset) to hand-express some milk into the sink. SO glad those days are over, she finally got the hang of it! She can latch onto a fire hose now :-)

Sleep

Sleep has improved a lot. Zoie suddenly changed from waking up every 2 hours to feed, to sleeping for 4-5 hour stretches! It's amazing, and the timing couldn't be more perfect now that I'm her only caretaker during the night. She's also getting better at falling back asleep after I change her diaper and feed her. Being less delirious at nighttime makes me enjoy our night feeds a lot more!

As much as she loves to be held, Zoie is pretty good about sleeping in her mini crib at night. Once she is nursed, swaddled, and rocked to sleep, I'll lay her down and keep my hands rocking her gently until she drifts deeper into sleep. This usually works (and she falls asleep fast!), but sometimes she'll wake up shortly after (sometimes several times...) and I'll need to sooth her again.

As of the past 2 weeks, Zoie has been waking up around 2:30am for a diaper change and feeding, and again around 6:30am. During her first wake-up, Zoie stays pretty drowsy and falls asleep quickly when I lay her back in the crib. The after the 6:30am wake-up, she's a bit more chipper and I'll pull her into bed with me, and she'll sleep on her tummy on my chest for another two hours. We usually get up around 8:30am, and head out on our daily 2 mile walk!

Diapering

We haven't started really cloth diapering yet, our Thirsties Duo Wraps are pretty big on her. However, we have four Tots Bots TiniFit Cloth Diapers, which I use every couple days when I do laundry. They're adorable, and they're made out of this plush minky material on the inside! They are all-in-one (cover + absorbent layer), so you use them like you would disposable diapers. Remove the diaper and toss it in the diaper pail. Wash them with Rockin Green detergent and you're good to go!

It's been about a week without James here, and it's definitely been a little more difficult. Luckily, my in-laws live 30 minutes away, and my parents are flying in soon for a visit! It's nice to have so much family around. I can't really complain when my life revolves around my baby, my family, and my puppy. Life is good :-)

Cheers,

Martha