Too cute!

I hear that it is more fun to dress a little girl than it is to dress a little boy... and I can't argue with that! I love dressing Zoe in funky fun little outfits just because I can. As soon as she wants to have a say, she can, but until then...Punky Brewster will be no match for my child! Besides these cool shoes, she's got funky tights, mini high tops, and even a faux fur zebra print jacket. Funds are tight , so there's not a lot that I can buy (since for some reason funky=expensive!), but I can be creative with the hand me downs that our friends are so generous with! She's already into 12 month clothes and is quickly working her way into 18 month sizes - can you believe it?!

Safety First

So now that Zoe is a mobile girl, her world just got a lot more interesting! Besides the fact that she continues to be fascinated with eating every speck of dust she finds , she now likes to play with electrical outlets. We got the outlet covers so she can't stick her finger in them ,but she will find every one in a room in about 2 minutes flat. Then she's on to dog food, paperwork, fax machines, glass vases, dirty shoes, TV buttons, lamp cords, cable cords, drawers, cabinets...the list goes on...and on...and on. Now I know why there are actually people you can hire to baby proof your house!

Pretty Smart for a Dumb Dog

We have an 80 pound Rottie mix named Boston that is a sweet, sweet dog. We got him when I was about 3 months pregnant. Needless to say , it wasn't a unanimous decision, but I was determined. So fast forward almost a year and a half. Boston never really seemed to know what to think about Zoe until, that is, she started being able to feed herself solid food. Now he is a pretty big fan - especially at dinner time! The ratio seems to be about three to one. Three pieces of food get thrown on the floor, one goes in Zoe's mouth. Boston used to go get each piece as it fell. Now he just sets up camp under her high chair until dinner is over! And to think, most of the family thought Boston was a dumb dog!

Another Tracy Parenting Rule bites the dust....

"My child will not watch TV until she is at least 2 years old." This is what I have said with conviction for as long as I can remember. Today, I bought Zoe her first Barney DVD, and even worse -watched it with her! OK, here is my rationalization... In order for me to stay home with Zoe I need to be able to work from home at the jobs I have discussed in detail for months now. The operative word in "work from home" is WORK. I can not do this because Zoe does not really nap, so I don't have much time to do the aforementioned "work". If this keeps up , I can't stay home anymore. If this was to happen, my heart would break into a million pieces and Zoe would be scarred for life. OK, this is a slight (huge) exageration, but it is not what I want to happen. Since Zoe does not nap well, there needs to be a few blocks of time where I can make phone calls, talk to clients, and just work. This is where the videos come in. If I can get her to be entertained/distracted for a half an hour, I can work. She is even starting to play on her own, so that will add to the work window as well. I figure that the small amount of time a day that she will be watching TV is greatly outweighed by me being able to stay home with her every day. At least this is what I tell myself. And it helps that she absolutely loves the kids in the Barney video, and has quickly become a fan of Elmo as well!

Family Time

The three of us had some fun in the "Pig Pen" this afternoon!

These boots are made for walkin'

Zoe is on a roll - literally! She grabs her little push cart and takes off around the house. The first time she did the the other day I had a total Mommy moment. It was the first time I ever saw her walk away from me by herself and I got this warm fuzzy feeling combined with a little sadness. I was so proud that she is becoming a little girl, but a little sad about having to start to let go of my baby. But overall, it is fun to see her roll around the house, and so cute to see her pride in her new found independence!

Sprout

Is it such a bad thing that I am desperate to put Zoe's hair in a sprout- like pony tail on top of her head??????

Snow!

It snowed in Wilmington! It hasn't snowed here in years! The people around here always talk about the Blizzard of "89 when they got a foot of snow on Christmas day and it shut the city down for a week. This time, the day before it even snowed here (two inches were predicted), they cancelled school for the following day and then after it snowed about 1 inch they cancelled schools for the next day! So funny! As soon as it started snowing we took Zoe outside and she was looking around and laughing! We made her a snowman and Gramma fed her and Daddy a snowball. It was so nice to see snow even if it was for a short time. Yay!

Reading Time

Zoe has liked looking at books for a while now. Now though, she REALLY likes her books. She especially loves looking a books about other babies and animals. Cartoon characters don't keep her attention, but she loves looking at real pictures of anything. She has certain books that are her favorites, and she will pick them up and look at you to read to her. When I am sitting on the floor, she will get a book she likes and back up into my lap - so sweet!

Zoe walked today!

Zoe has been so close to walking for about a month now. This week, she started taking falling leaps in to our arms from a foot away. Today she actually walked completely by herself! She took a few steps between me and Uncle David then we had her going to each of us in a circle when Daddy came (Gramma was in charge of the video camera!). She is still unsteady, but each time she tries , she gets better. By the time bed time came, she was up to about 6 or 7 steps! She even stood a few times, though standing still doesn't seem to be of interest to her:)! I'm not really sure she gets what she is doing and that she is doing it by herself yet, but this is so exciting!!!!

Taking Turns

Being a past preschool teacher I know the importance of good playskills, so I am starting at an early age to teach Zoe all the things that every child should know (and you'd be amazed at how many parents are more worried that a kid can spell his name at 3 years old than know how to share! Don't get me started!). We are working on turn taking now. She recently learned how to shake a rattle, so we use that. I shake the rattle, then give it to her, and then she shakes the rattle and gives it back to me. We go back and forth from "Mommy's turn" to "Zoe's turn" a few times. She seems so proud of herself when she does it - it's so cute!!

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck?

Apparently Zoe didn't get the memo that she is a baby person and not a baby woodchuck. She has taken to eating her crib, and at the rate she is going, all we will have left of it by the time she is two is a toothpick. Her fancy-dancy crib is supposed to turn into a toddler bed then a twin size bed as she grows, but I'm not sure we'll make it to that! Because it has rounded and curved edges it is harder to find that plastic liner you can get to prevent such chewing...I hope there is something out there to help us! I guess we don't have to worry about her getting enough fiber in her diet though...

The Biggest Playpen in the Universe!

So apparently they stopped making playpens. All they have are "pack-n-plays" which are mini travel versions of playpens. So we decided that we would make our own super playpen! It's like a whole bunch of baby gates attached together that makes like 36 square feet of baby safe play area. It's perfect! We can keep all of Zoe's big toys in there that were overtaking the house and she can play with us in an area that we all can fit. She can also be in there by herself and be safe from all of the danger and grossness that is the rest of our house! Yay!

A Classy Bunch!

What can I say...Yes, that is my husband pulling my daughter in a cardboard box. Some might make their hoity toity comments about us being trashy (gotta say it crossed my mind:). But I say that even if we were millionaires we would still have fun in as many creative ways as we could with Zoe. She will learn how to make the most out of life with whatever and whoever she has around! (and, yes that is Daddy with two broken fingers:(

Happy New Year!

2008 was a big year for us...you know, having a baby and all! But now 2009 is here and what a year it will be! Zoe will learn how to walk, how to talk, and zillion other things that will make her the person she will become. Makes all of our "big" accomplishments seem to pale in comparison. Nothing like a baby to put things in perspective for ya! I hope 2009 brings all of us lots of happiness and a greater understanding of who we really are. My inspirational quote of the year is:
Make the most of yourself , for that is all there is of you. -Emerson