And Then There Were Two...

..babies, that is. No, I'm not pregnant again, but I am taking care of a sweet little 6 month old a few days a week. That means I spend three days a week with two babies. So far so good (though it's only been two weeks)!

The first week was rough for Zoe. It was obvious that she didn't like sharing me. Every time I held little Anna, Zoe would instantly start to fuss and reach her arms out toward me. It was sweet, but made things difficult the first few days. This week has been better though. Every day this week when Zoe sees Anna she lets out a high pitched squeal and flashes a happy grin! So I think she is adjusting and is happy to have a playmate.

The two of them are very cute together! They are completely opposite, which I think makes watching them that much cuter. Zoe is dark and hairy...Anna is white and bald. They are both the happiest babies ever so together that makes for quite a fun little twosome. Just today real community was being built - Zoe had her fingers in Anna's mouth and Anna obliged by sucking them. Later, Anna gently pet Zoe's frizzy head of hair and then later pulled it. Ah...the bonds of friendship are being established with each new day of togetherness. It's fun to see Zoe interact with another little person. I think it will be healthy for her. Here are a few pics from that first day:

Little Anna is happy as a clam. Zoe looks devious...as if she's plotting away for Anna's ruin...
Their first attempt at sharing a toy. It goes well!
And then...it doesn't.
Two cuties
And Zoe's meltdown again. Funny how it's always Zoe who freaks out...she's such a passionate little one!!

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Hard To Get

Zoe and her buddy Zachary were hanging out the other day. We call them "Z and Z." They are quite adorable together. Zachary was a bit shy at first to show affection to Zoe while the camera was out. But eventually, he tried to hold her hand. Check out the progression:

Just hanging out on a park bench
Zoe touching Zachary but looking somewhere else. Poor guy...he's smiling but she's not really all that into him.
He reciprocates the affection with a little bit of head to head contact and a flirtatious smile
A few minutes later, they are sitting on the stairs together. Zachary is thinking: "I really want to hold her hand..."
Attempt # 1 is met with a scowl
Attempt # 2 causes the indifferent "look-away"
Zachary decides to sneak his way in during Attempt #3. Zoe is still clearly disinterested.
There's only so much one man can take. He's off, thinking "forget this girl!!" Zoe is left dazed and confused, thinking, "will he ever love me again?" Ah....the plight of young love...

Bath Time

Zoe loves taking baths. She spends most of them splashing around laughing and sucking violently on her rubber ducky. Enjoy these adorable pictures!

Happy

These pictures sum up how I feel about my life! My husband is wonderful and my daughter is awesome. I am a happy woman!

The Fam

We had a great time hanging out with my family on our vacation at the end of August. Zoe got spoiled with constant attention and she loved every minute of it! Here are a few shots from our trip, with more posted on shutterfly so check the link on the sidebar.

All of us together outside our cabin.
Mom and I look happy. Zoe is off in la-la-land.
Ah...yes...the foot. Now she is quite pleased and focused.
Trying to get a happy shot with Uncle Paul, but we'll have to settle for a sorta-smile.
Our pretty little Zoe...still not smiling. It seems that every time we actually TRY to take pictures of her, she doesn't want to smile.
Just hanging out naked with her very courageous grandma!

More grandma time. How fun!
Finally... a BIG gummy grin to sum up how she really felt about hanging out with the fam!

Fun With Mommy

I usually have to be intentional about asking Uche to take pictures of me and Zoe but this time he caught us while we were playing and got some cute shots. I just love playing with my little girl! She is so sweet and a lot of fun these days.

Golf Course

We thought it'd be cute to take some pictures of Zoe on the golf course. As soon as we put her down though, she got all glum. She looks so pitiful here, doesn't she?

We thought her friend Pigfried would cheer her up, but we got no smiles. A bit of curiousity, but no smiles.
Daddy came over and decided to play.
Daddy always gets the smiles!

Popeye

I think this is the best Popeye face I've ever seen.

Update

Well it's been a while since I've posted anything. Life has been busy. We moved. Again. That would make FOUR times in less than 2 years since we've been married. YIKES! We hope to actually STAY here for a few years. We're enjoying our new place. It's more spacious with 3 bedrooms and a beautiful layout, newly renovated kitchen, a peaceful patio which we have just put a BBQ grill on (yum) and one more highlight...a laundry room. It is so nice to have my own washer and dryer! It truly makes life much easier, especially with a baby. I'm thankful.

The move went well overall. We thought it would be easier to move in slowly but by the time everything was over we decided it just takes more work. Next time we'll just pack up the whole place, move in one day, and then unpack. The back and forth of moving in slowly is exhausting. It has some benefits (getting to set a few things up beforehand) but overall, it just wiped us out.

Moving is a big job. I've moved many times in my life and consider myself quite "good" at it. But this time...with a baby...it was a different story. It didn't matter what all of my grand intentions were - I just wasn't able to get things done when I wanted them to get done. Admittedly, there were times when I felt quite alone and really longed for my family and good friends. It was hard to not be able to call up my mom or others and have them pop over to watch Zoe while I accomplished something. It felt very isolating to have this huge task ahead of me and know that somehow I had to get it all done while taking care of a baby. I am thankful for God's gift of my friend Stacey here in Chicago. I finally took her up on her many offers to help on moving day. She kept Zoe ALL DAY and was happy to do so. I simply drove back and forth to feed her, but was otherwise able to leave her with Stacey, clean our old apartment, help move stuff to the new place, etc. It was an exhausting day but we couldn't have done it without her help. So Stacey....THANK YOU. I appreciate your very willing and cheerful heart toward taking care of my little Zoe.

In Zoe news, life has changed since she passed the six month mark. Sleeping has regulated. We have finally let her cry it out and it seems to be working. She no longer gets herself all worked up. She cries, but settles herself eventually, and never cries more than half an hour. When she does get herself to sleep, she basically sleeps through the night, or at least for a good 8 hours straight. Her bedtime is as close to 7pm as we can get it and usually she gets up around 7:30am. A few nights a week she does wake up around 3 or 4 in the morning and I sometimes feed her then, but there are other nights when she'll sleep straight through. All in all, I am quite pleased. Her naps are going well, too. The morning nap is fairly short but her afternoon nap is consistently 2-3 hours long. I feel like it has taken FOREVER to get where we are now. I'm thankful. I know it can change but we are enjoying the predictability right now and having our evenings back.

We're off for a week's vacation with my family on Sunday, heading to the Wisconsin Dells. We've never been there, but have heard lots of great things. When we get back, the fall schedule kicks in immediately. Uche starts classes, I start my babysitting job three days a week, and the craziness of life resumes. I'm looking forward to it though. I always love fresh starts. I'm excited about getting more involved at church and starting to carve out more of a life for myself here. I feel like I am finally at a place with Zoe where I can do that, and not feel overwhelmed.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Milestones

Zoe reached a milestone today - sitting up by herself without support. How fun! She also put herself to sleep for her nap without crying! Another huge success! (but I didn't video tape that one...I simply enjoyed the moment!)

Chatterbox

Goodbye Shots

We took some pictures the day we left. Zoe started off all smiles....
Mommy tickling Zoe's feet
Zoe communicating that she's had it. Enough with the pictures. Someone put me to sleep, STAT.

Ma-ma

We tried to get some video of Zoe saying "ma-ma." Everytime she sees the camera, she freezes up. This was the best we could get, but when she's on a roll, she just doesn't stop saying it!

Pacifier Fun, Part 2

We walked in on this the other day. I'm telling you, this pacifier is her best friend these days.

Solid Foods

We've started. It's been a week of rice cereal. So far so good! Zoe seems to be getting the hang of things. She really likes grabbing the spoon away from me. I think she'll be an "I'll do it myself" kind of girl in no time. Here's a shot from her first day in her high chair, chowing down on some cereal.

6 Months

I can't believe that Zoe turned 6 months old on July 14th! In honor of this special milestone, I thought I'd share six of my favorite things about Zoe these days:

1.) I love going in to get Zoe from her naps. She usually wakes up cooing and making all sorts of cute sounds in her crib. Uche and I sometimes fight over who gets to go in and get her. When she is well-rested and happy, we both want a piece of the action!

2.) I absolutely love hearing Zoe say "ma-ma" these days. It's a new thing, and she doesn't quite associate it with me yet, but it is still so precious to hear! Many times when she's nursing, she'll abruptly pull herself off of me, stare in my eyes and loudly proclaim "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma" and then whip herself around for more food. It's hilarious and adorable at the same time! We can't wait until she starts talking! We're anxious to hear what her cute little voice will sound like.

3.) I love how Zoe can spot me from across the room, fix her gaze on me, wait for me to look at her, and then flash her gummy grin. It is priceless! She often does this when she's playing in her exer-saucer. It's almost like she can't enjoy it until she knows someone's watching her.

4.) I love how ticklish she is! There doesn't seem to be a place on her little body where she is NOT ticklish. This provides hours of fun for us and her!

5.) I love the fact that she recognizes when I leave the room now. This is challenging as sometimes she'll let out an annoying shriek when she can't see me, but it's awesome, too, to realize that she knows me and realizes when I'm not there.

6.) Finally, i I love watching her sleep. She is so precious. Sometimes i just stand over her crib and stare at her, amazed at how much my heart is full of love toward her and so thankful for God's gift to us.

So those are six things! Overall, I just treasure my little girl!

Pictures

Jersey pics and various July shots are posted. Click the link on the sidebar to view them. Enjoy!

Splish Splash

My mom couldn't resist buying Zoe a little baby pool. Though she can't do much in it yet, we just HAD to put her in it. She didn't quite know what to do, but she sure did look cute sitting in the water.

Not quite sure if she likes the hat...

..that's better!
Grandma introducing Zoe to the pool
Zoe looks bored and somewhat puzzled. She's probably wondering why her diaper is suddenly very wet and cold.
Starting to kick those feet...
...and beginning to enjoy it!
When we lifted her out of the pool, all she wanted to do was suck on her feet. I guess it just doesn't take much to entertain this girl at this age. If we'd all just be satisfied with sucking on our toes, we would probably save a lot of money. :)
Thanks, Grandma, for my first swimming pool experience!

Jersey Recap

We're back! We had a great time in New Jersey visiting my mom, sis and extended family. We not only survived the plane ride, but we were actually quite impressed with how well Zoe did. She slept for 45 minutes the first flight and an hour and a half on the flight home. Not bad for a two hour trip! I'm sure the people sitting next to us were thankful, too!

We arrived on a Sunday afternoon and my mom had a huge family gathering planned for that evening. It was so great to see everyone and to be able to introduce our little girl to the rest of my family. Zoe was a trooper...she held it together for most of the night but eventually sleep overcame her and she simply fell asleep in my cousin's arms! Poor thing was pretty pooped from her travel adventures!

Here are some highlights of our family get together:

Hanging out with Thea Effie
Meeting her great grandparents for the first time. She was all giggles for my grandpa! My grandma couldn't get over how tiny her feet were!
Uncle Adam and Thea Georgia were happy to meet her, too!
My cousin's daughter, Eleni, was so sweet with Zoe. She gave her lots of hugs and kisses. I can't wait until Zoe is old enough to play with her.
Anthia accusing my cousin Perry of being a baby hogLoving on Thea Anthia's shirt. Yum...
Zoning out while Nona Dee enjoys her. This is when Zoe begins to fight against her sleepy eyes...
She doesn't actually fight for too long. Within five minutes of meeting Theo Demetri, Zoe went from wide awake...
...to finding a comfy place to rest her head!
Zoe laughing at the fact that she has more hair than Nono Chris!
Zoe trying to eat Eleni's hair bow. I hope Eleni likes to share. She is going to have her hand's full with this little cousin of hers!And of course...last but certainly not least...lots of Grandma time!!!

It was such a fun evening! I really appreciate my family and always look forward to the opportunity we have to spend time together. It is such a blessing to see people that love us, love our daughter too. We were so happy to be able to share our life with Zoe with them and look forward to more times like this! For more pictures from our Jersey trip, click 'Jersey Pics' on the sidebar link.