Family of three! Yipeeee!

It's about time! We're all together again!

Finally, our lives have returned to normal! It's been so awesome to have the three of us together again. James returned from his deployment in Afghanistan mid-January, and it's been such a luxury to relax and settle in to the comforts of family life.

Five months as a solo-mama was an interesting challenge. Thank goodness Zoie is such an easygoing baby, otherwise I can't imagine the difficulties we would've faced! We had lots of support from my parents, James' parents, and our friends. I also made new mommy friends with babies, and having regular playgroups kept the days zooming by!

Nights were always the loneliest, but luckily I got to talk to James almost every evening. Skype and FaceTime made it feel like he really wasn't so far away. We'd share stories, swap pictures, discuss problems, plan goals for the future... just like like we were hanging out face-to-face. James even "helped" me unbox our new iMac and set it up while we were video-chatting! He also participated in our big family white elephant swap during Christmas via Skype (although he had to wake up before dawn to chat with us, haha!). And of course, Zoie had plenty of video daddy-time, so he saw her growing and developing over the 5 months. 

What an amazing day when James finally returned safely to the US! Although we live in Kansas, James flew into Seattle, WA because he had orders to spend a few weeks training the next group deploying to Afghanistan at Fort Lewis before he returned home. But hey, what luck! I'm from Seattle! So of course, Zoie and I hopped on a plane (her 5th trip in her 6 months of life!) and met up with our beloved soldier.

When James stepped off the plane at the airport, Zoie and I were waiting at the gate along with my mom and dad. I couldn't believe he was finally here!! We tossed aside the Welcome Back sign we made and all hugged him. Zoie didn't even seem hesitant, she definitely knew her daddy. It was so sweet to watch the two of them together! James spent time taking her on escalator rides and showing her all the visitor brochures while we were waiting at the baggage claim. I think my heart melted just a bit :)

We got to spend three weeks in the Northwest with James, my family, and our wonderful Washington friends. It was awesome, having James return AND getting a vacation! We enjoyed some good seafood, explored Pike Place Market, visited the aquarium, and ate at our favorite restaurants. Also during our visit, the Seattle Seahawks WON the 2014 SUPER BOWL!!! The entire city was wrapped up in bright green and dark blue, it was an awesome time to be in Seattle!

Back to Kansas - there's no place like home.

At last, we've settled back into a routine together at home. Babies really do thrive with consistency, Zoie has been a happy baby! It's been such a joy to see her bonding with James again. She loves playtime with her daddy, being tipped upside down and zooming around the room like an airplane! Zoie also loves sleeping on James' chest. Much better than sleeping on mama's chest - the milk is too distracting!

We took Zoie sledding for the first time!

This girl has been busy growing. She is now 15 pounds, and measures 25 inches from head to heel. Still a shorty, but she's steady on her own growth curve. Hard to believe she'll be 8 months old in a week!

Yum, food!

Food has been a fun adventure. I was all excited about starting Baby-Led Weaning and going straight to food Zoie could pick up and feed herself, but it was not working so well. She gagged on everything! It was hard to watch. So we started spoon-feeding, but letting her help hold the spoon. She still gagged on pureed food! But after a week or two, she became comfortable with texture and swallowing food. She enjoyed applesauce, yogurt, mashed avocado, sweet potato, egg yolk, and sauce from dinners we cooked. 

And then we got bold and started giving her chunks of fruit to gnaw on. And it worked! She didn't gag or choke, and she loved holding the food herself! Now that we've overcome that hurdle, Zoie doesn't love spoon. She would much rather attack a whole strawberry or chew on a piece of cheese. It gets pretty messy... but that's okay. We've had lots of laughs and some great photos!

Sleep... or lack thereof.

It's kind of funny, the most common question I get when strangers ask about our daughter is, "does she sleep through the night?" - I'm not sure what they're expecting, but the answer is always no. I'm sure she will one day! I usually get up 3 times/night to feed her. We just started feeding her greek yogurt about 30 minutes before bedtime, and it seems to keep her tummy full for longer so she doesn't wake up to nurse so often. I'm optimistic that sleep will continue to improve, but for now waking up a few times isn't that big of a deal.

Speaking of sleep, I love her little floor bed! Having her sleep on a twin mattress on the floor instead of a crib makes it so easy to nurse her at night - I just lay down next to her! She crawls off occasionally, when she's looking for me (well, my boob more specifically) in the night, but it's not an issue. Her whole room is baby-friendly with a gate in her doorway.

New developments!

• Sitting - she can sit independently.
• Standing - she just started pulling herself up to stand (without help!), and will take steps if you guide her along.
• Crawling - still not a full crawl, but she can get places quickly with her inchworm-crawl. She also scoots upside down backwards on her head (it's pretty weird!)
• Teeth - Zoie has her first two bottom teeth.
• Bath time - she loves to splash and play in the bathtub! Definitely a favorite activity.
• Imitating - if you click your tongue at her, she quickly replies with her own tongue clicks.
• Playing with the dog - our dog Brownie is the best form of entertainment for Zoie! She'll just watch her and laugh. She especially loves to be held while we chase Brownie!
• Potty - we've introduced a tiny potty chair for Zoie. We offer the potty (balancing her on the seat) right after naps, and whenever her diaper has seemed dry for a little while. So far she pees in it 1-2 times a day!

Zoie's signature "upside down head-scoot"
- a surprisingly effective mode of transportation!

So happy for BATH TIME!

I love each stage as Zoie develops, it's such a joy to watch her grow! We're really getting to know her little [big] personality and see glimpses of what she'll be like as an older child. I feel so honored to be her mama! She brings so much happiness to our lives, and to those all around us.

Cheers,

Martha