23 months... almost a two year old!

Oh man... I almost have a two year old and it's very bittersweet. On one hand, we have this innocent and loving little baby girl who always wants to lay in mommy and daddy's bed to watch "tvs". On the other, we have a little toddler who constantly says, "Here, Oey Oey can do it." (Insert LONG SIGH here.) So, life is definitely changing and our little baby girl is becoming very independent.
Zoe, Here are some things that you do now:

-Feed yourself. (almost every time unless it's tricky to stay on the spoon/fork)
-Sing and Dance that no one's business! You LOVE to dance around and make up songs.
-TALK. My mom told me that you would be like me, and boy are you! You can pretty much carry on good conversations and you have recently put together really long sentences. We are pretty proud of you. :)
-You love to climb and jump over things... you are pretty balanced and coordinated finally. No more trips and falls so often!
-You are pretty independent and know what you want. ( This causes you to battle with mommy and daddy frequently!)
-You know what foods you love, but still are hesitant to try many new things without us bribing you into it! ( You still love your staple foods: black beans, green beans, cheese, milk, yogurt, spaghetti, mac and cheese, olives, peppers, and sweets! You have a sweet tooth for sure... and you still love fruit, all kinds!)
-You have peed and pooped on the potty once.... but unless it's your idea to sit there, it hasn't been consistent. I plan to work with you when I have a couple days straight to be home. ( We are hoping over spring break and for sure summer!)
-You love playing with friends, but do not like to share your toys from your house. I am guessing you know they are "yours" and become territorial!
-You can undress yourself, and sometimes put things back on. You can put diapers on/off mostly, and can put most all of your shoes on yourself. Socks just aggravate you though!
-Your favorite things to say: "whoopy days", "Silly people", "See ya later", "C'mere Mommy/Daddy", "Watch tv's in mommy and daddys' room", "Milk please", "Help please", "Thank you you're welome" , and a few other funny Zoe words.
-You still call yourself "Oey" even though you can say Zoe just fine.
-You can count to 20, and always skip the number 4. (You are more solid on counting to 10, but randomly counted to 20 a couple of times... I think it was from a show you watched.)
-You know your ABCs song, and some identification of letters. Mainly when we play with them in the bathtub.
-You can spell your name: Z-O-E spells "Oey Oey" you say! ;)
- You are still a little spit fire, and will break out into a fit on occasion. When you don't get something you want, you turn around and take yourself to your room to pout. This makes time outs pretty easy for us! You have had a couple of spankings on your booty when you throw a huge fit on the floor. Then we talk to you and make you attempt to understand. Sometimes to say sorry on your own, and it's super cute. (We are smarter than you think though! lol.)

Zoe Kate,
As you get close to being a big two year old, I just begin to cherish you more! I remember two years ago so vividly. I remember every detail of your crazy entrance into this world, and the fears I had of being a mom! And for the first time, I realize that there are new fears arising as you get older. We want to raise you right, teach you discipline and manners, teach you about Jesus, and so much more! You are already showing me qualities of a good/independent leader! You are strong willed, and will set your mind to something until you make it work. You are very loving and charismatic!  I am learning more recently that you are very tender hearted... you watch things that have others crying or something lost from it's mommy and you sob! It makes me very proud of knowing your heart a little more. I can't express enough how I love you ; how your daddy and I love you. We sit in bed often and talk about how to raise you, and how we want to work together to figure out how in the heck we should deal with certain things! I already worry and dwell on silly stuff, but at the end of every day.... we pray together with you, and tell you how much you are loved. Zoe, there isn't a day that goes by that we don't tell you that we love you. I am very thankful for you and the joy you have brought to us! You will always be out lil punkin! I love you Oey~ Mommy

And.... your next post will be your Birthday Post!  You are totally a Sesame Street and Mickey Mouse clubhouse girl, so we chose to have a Sesame Street birthday party! We can't wait!

 You love blocks!

You were not very happy about mommy forcing you into that mean car seat!  

Mommy's sweet girl!

Time is flying!!!

 Well..... about three months ago I posted my last blog! Obviously, we have been BUSY!!! The last thing on my mind was to get the blog post done... but alas... I have a couple snow days stuck at home. Let me recap the last few months events!
-Zoe went trick-or-treating and was the cutest "Itsy Bitsy Spider" ever! We went around the neighborhoods, and some friends homes. Then, we let her eat a few pieces of candy. It's been downhill ever since because now anytime she sees candy she feels like she is entitled to try it! ( I have caught her a couple times finding lollipops and unwrapping them to help herself!)
-We got family pictures made. Let's just say that Zoe has the wit to steal the show and be stubborn or ham it up all in one session! She definitely has a mind of her own!!!
-For Thanksgiving we went to Chris' families in Central Arkansas. We spent the long weekend there and enjoyed visiting with cousins and grandparents. Zoe loves her older cousins so much and really had fun playing with the "bog kids". She kept up for the most part!
-Snow day! This week has been her first official "snow days" that she gets to play in. Last year she saw snow but was so little she didn't get to play in it. It's been fun!


Ok, here are the latest with our spunky 20 month old!
For the last three months, she honestly has become a little person! She talks up a storm and I can carry on an actual conversation with her! She is smart. I know that every parent thinks this of their child, but I am really impressed with how little minds work. She figures things out, and really understands things that I would never give her credit for. We have also been introducing the potty idea for a while because since 15 months, she has been ready. Honestly, I feel bad because I am really holding her back until I have a sold couple of weeks home with her. ( like the summer time?) We know when we potty, and how to put our pants and pullups on, and off. Although it still frustrates her when she can't get her legs through, and then there is a massive panic fit! ;) She tells us "pee pee" or "poop" and most of the time she is right. She wipes, and such... but she still doesn't go "on" the potty! We will get there when momma has some time to be thorough with her! Here are the latest things about Zoe...

-Weighs 28 lbs. and is 33 in. tall.
-Words mostly said: All names ( grandparents, family members, little friends...), church, baby doll, potty, pee, poop, snowman, santa, yes, no, pouch, snack, orange, apple, fruit, play, bye bye, see ya, hello, thank you, you're welcome, I love you, couch, Christmas tree, silly, yay, bible, i-pad, phone, computer, song, music, please, spaghetti, milk, water, ( All animals names), toys, and many many more that I can't remember at the time!  All I know is that you will be like your momma and be a talker!
-Songs: You love to sing! Love to dance!!! Your favorite songs are "Jesus Loves me", "Old McDonald", "I'm a little Tea Pot", "Twinkle Little Star", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", and made up songs! Oh, and it's cute because you sing along to your daddy's worship album and get a lot of the words right!
-Clothes: You love your boots... you didn't at first but now what to wear boots all the time. You really don't complain about any clothing I put on you unless it's itchy!
-Travel: You are a pretty good traveler, as long as you have color books, music, or something to do.
-Play: You love to play with dolls, and put your diapers on all of them! You also love mommy's old barbies and troll dolls... which is funny to watch! You get really frustrated when you can't get things on or off yourself though. I think you are a bit stubborn, so we have been working on asking for help.
You really like playing with other kids, and thrive on it actually! You do well in the nursery or play groups at church because you like the times every week that you get to play.
-You are beginning to be very much a momma's girl. You still have your moments, but you are extra clingy to me lately.. especially since I have been home for snow days. You want to sit on the on the counter while I cook, and stand next to me all the time. ( I will definitely take it because I know someday when you are a teen, you will not want me around so much!)
-You love outside. Still. You always throw a fit when we come in.
-You have started to whine alot... let's be honest, I realize this is the age!!! But, we are trying to stop that when it starts each time.
-You have thrown a few "lay on the floor fits", but overall you are still a funny and spunky sweetie!
-She hasn't had her paci for a while now... but still does get it only in crib to sleep. Surprisingly, she does well without it.
-She is still teething!!! We haven't gotten all of our eye teeth yet. One just popped through this past week, and there are three more to go! Ugh.
-Food: She was a picky eater, but I am hoping this is in the past. The last few days she has eaten like a champ and tried a lot of new foods. Her favorites that have always been a constant are: olives, green bell peppers, green beans, cheese, corn, black beans, spaghetti (homemade only!.. no spaghetti o's!), raisins, dried cranberries/ blue berries, most all fruit, and sometimes chicken. Lately, I finally got her to like Chicken and rice, hamburger steak, and bacon. I am trying to get her to like meat, although I know I am not a big meat eater either... We are adding new things each day. She's growing and healthy, so I am not gonna worry about it too much!

Ok, long post!!! Hopefully I will get to the blogging sooner next time! Christmas is coming soon, so I am sure there will be much fun to post about! Here are some pics:

This one above is the "proof" that she was being a little rascal at our photo shoot! She didn't want to sit down so she was saying "ahhh" while sitting there! lol.

 Christmas decor going up! And below is her first time to gear up and play in the snow! 

She was confused in this picture, but soon didn't want to come inside!

Zoe,
We love you and our family more than we ever thought we could. It's not perfect or always easy, but SO SO worth it. You have always been a joy to us, but we are experiencing so much as you grow and learn things. You are smart, independent, and beautiful. We love you punkin! Mommy and Daddy

17 months...

So, I really haven't been too great at keeping up with the exact monthly posts, but it is fun to update each month and note the changes that Zoe is making. Since the last post, I have started back to work and have been busy... but, I have noticed how much I enjoy and soak up my family time!

Zoe,
Here is what you are up to lately:
-You talk a lot more now! (baby, bye, hi, help, please, mommy, daddy, I love you, dog, cat, ice, pinky, right there, girl, pap pap, yes, no, hot, duck, music, EIEIO, spoon, all done, open, shut, ouch, and a few other random words. You also say all the sounds that the farm/zoo animals make.) Of course most of these sound a bit different and often you have your own language, but we think you are doing pretty well for your age!

-You RUN, jump, and have began to start balancing better. Oh, and you CLIMB! You have already freaked your babysitter, Amy, out by climbing out of your crib at nap time and opening doors. Thankfully, you haven't done this for either of us more than a couple times, so I am hoping you aren't interested in it anymore. :)

-You open doors, shut doors, slam doors, etc.

-You play well. We try and let you play with others as much as possible since you are away from kids in the day time. We take you to parks, play dates, church nursery, play gyms, and the library to make sure you get enough "kid action".... and you DO love it! We are still extremely blessed that we get to keep our babysitting situation with Mrs. Amy three days a week. We love her, and you Love spending the day there with her and her puppy! We are happy you get a little spoiled from someone besides mommy/daddy and grandparents.

-You give the best little kisses these days. We ask you and you lean over and give us a big smooch! You also give "nose" kisses and "eyelash" kisses. Then you giggle afterwards. You are truly a ham!

-You are 25-26 lbs, and getting SO tall! I am guessing you will be tall like we are. You are also thinning out since you are so active.

- You are very interested in the potty, so you have allowed us to easily start introducing you to it all the last several weeks. You even tell us when you have gone poop or pee in your diaper, so we think this might be an easier process for you when the time comes... you never know, we might start really "potty training" soon. You have almost mastered pulling up your own pants, so we will wait and see...

-Your favorite foods are : green beans, olives, spaghetti, black beans, any type of fruit, and sometimes mac-n-cheese. You also really like pizza, but we don't eat it all the time. You have gone through a picky time where you aren't really interested in anything but drinking your milk or eating a yogurt. Sometimes we think it's you being picky, other times it is teething. You are however, testing our limits and starting to push away things and say no! We are trying to take care of that immediately to show you that is NOT ok! ;) ( Easier said than done...)

Other than these things, you still love the same types of toys: baby doll, dinosaurs, outdoor toys, bicycles, and anything you can push around. You are recently been into shoes and purses... again, this is from your momma! IT starts early!

WE love you punkin and you are always a bright light! Going back to work after the summer was over is tough, but I am loving coming home and soaking up our time. It's also great to see how happy you are being with other people and learning new things. We are blessed, and we can't wait to continue watching you grow!!!

Zoe Kate: 15-16 months old

Zoe,

You are changing so much every single day! Since the last post, you went to the beach! You were a little freaked out by the sand and waves the first night, however, you did just get off of your first airplane ride and were extremely tired! The next morning you fell right into place, and soon began to love the "beach experience" with your cousins. You bonded quickly with your cousins, specifically Ella and Lily. You followed Ella everywhere!!! It was a great time to spend with your momma's family, and we made some great memories of your first beach trip and flying experience. You were a champ on the airplane ride, and were quite the "ham" towards the other passengers. One thing that we will always remember about this was that when we took off our seat belts to get off the plane, you waved by to EVERY SINGLE PERSON we passed! You said "Bye, Bye" to everyone. Then, the pilot gave you his special Gold Wings, not the plastic ones that they usually give out! Mom and dad thought that was pretty cool! We were proud of you, but so ready to relax when we arrived. The week went great, and we saw several new milestones while we were there.

- You LOVE watermelon! You will choose to eat it and most fruits over anything else!
- You learned everyone's name and could point to them when we asked you. (This just showed us that you are beginning to recognize and understand more and more each day!)
- You are not scared! You are too "brave" for your own good when it came to the ocean and pool. You would jump right off or at least try to!
-You like to take things and "hide" them or get someone to chase you down.
-You don't like it when you aren't getting attention! You just get louder or start fake laughing, or whining, or something to get the attention back on you.

Here is what you have been doing lately, since we have been back from the beach:

-You love play dates. You are warming up to the splash park, but really would rather chase kids down to play with their toys.
-You LOVE slides and start clapping when you see one.
-You are coming into a "picky eater" phase which is making momma crazy sometimes! You are very inconsistent, and will eat everything one day, and only fruit or veggies the next. I never know!
-You have learned how to smile "on- demand". It's a rather funny CHEESE face where you scrunch your sweet chubby cheeks and nose.
-You are attached to me! (Mommy) Because I have been home for the summer, you are by my side all the time. And if I am not paying attention to you, you say " Momma, mommmmy, mommmmaaa, mom, mommma" as you huff and puff and pull at my leg. As much as it sometimes makes me crazy, I love it! I love that you KNOW me and want me to give you attention. :)
-You still like being outside, all the time. And, we know you love dirt.
-You have started showing signs of being ready to potty train, so we are on the first stages of that. You already point at your diaper sometimes, or tug when you need to go, or go potty. You flush the toilet and say "bye", and the other day you got out of the pool and went and sat on a chair and pee'd. :) ( You also hand me toilet paper if you are in the bathroom with me!)
-You sing a lot, and have just recently began to love watching animated things or songs on the iPhone. You aren't really into games yet, but you like this animal app that says the name and picture and sound of animals. Other than that it is nursery rhymes and songs that you watch.
-You are growing so tall that we are starting the "official" height door that we are going to use to measure your growth. We will put the younger measurements on there too.
-You are about 24-25 pounds still.
-You might be starting some "terrible two" actions with the sudden fits and whining... but i just keep telling myself your sweetness far outweighs the fit throwing... so far! ;) Just kidding!
-And finally, you still adore your pap-pap! But, we try to cut it down to mostly car rides and sleepy times! (Try is the key word!)

Zoe, You still bring so much happiness to our family. You are a little sassy thing, with such a love for people already! You are always happy to play in nursery, or with others. (And we are learning "how" to play each day!) We are still very thankful to be your parents, and can't wait to continue to see you grow! It's a little sad to watch you change each day, but it also makes me excited to see how much your surroundings affect your growth! We are doing our best to be mindful of that! We love you punkin!

Here are some pics! No specific order... 

Your first flight... and you fell asleep. 

Crazy life with a 1 year old!

The title of this post is exactly what is should be... CRAZY life with a one year old! Obviously we are so busy and crazy that this post is about my lil' 14 month old! I can't believe it! So, my goal is to update on what's been happening in our house for the last 2 months since her first birthday. Here we go!

Zoe, here are the things that you are up to, the updates, the milestones, and all in between:

-You are beginning to lose your baby chubs... this makes momma sad. :(
-You are SOOOOOO active and walking/running all over the place! (part of why you are slimming up.)
-You LOVE to dance. We turn on music and you begin to shake your booty and nod your head. ( I think you have daddy's looks, but you definitely have momma's rhythm!)
-You are about 24 or 25 pounds, and are getting really tall! You still have little cute feet. You are currently wearing size 18 month clothing, some 12-18 fits, and occasionally a size 24 months will fit.
-Here is what you are eating these days: green beans, black beans, french fries, chicken, crackers, cheese, olives, some baby food, fruit/veggie smoothies/pouches, yogurt, cheese bread, pizza, cuties, cantaloupe, bananas.... but these vary because one day you love it, the next you don't!? We are going through the transition of trying new "big girl food", so it's been interesting! :)
-You drink milk, but we are currently trying out lactose free at the moment.
-You SOB if you have to quit playing outside... you absolutely love being out. You love climbing jungle gyms, sliding, and swinging. We have several parks around the house that we go to often, and we take many walks/rides with your new red wagon on the trails around the house.
-Here are the "words" you say and use correctly: "momma", "daddy", "dog"(daaahh), "up/down" (up/daa), "open/close" (ohh/cuh), "yes" (big nod and "eeh"), "dinosaur" (danahhh)... There are many other things you go around saying, but we haven't figured them out yet! :) Oh, and "pap-pap" which us your pacifier.
-You are learning more about following directions or tasks. We will say things like, "Go get baby doll and take her to daddy", and you will. You do things like this often, which helps us know that you are understanding us more these days.
-You discovered how to jump in your crib... jump and jump and JUMP!
-You are great with strangers, although you still cling to me lately. You don't usually get upset or throw a fit when we leave you in church daycare or the daycare at the gym. You enjoy playing with the other kids.
-You still have an "outtie" belly button. ;)
-You give the best kisses, and lots of hugs. You blow kisses well, too.
-You are getting long hair, and it's still got some curl to it.
-You giggle and laugh a lot, but you are also extra fussy when you don't get your way... Phew, I think I am safe to say that you have a little "drama queen" in ya! We will work on this! :)
-You want to do things yourself, and drink out of cups like us, use forks like us, etc. I also think you are very independent. ( again, I think you got this from me!)
-You take everything out of drawers, too. EVERYTHING! :) Shockingly, you sometimes put it all back... sometimes! :)
-You are in a big girl car seat now, and love the new views!

Zoe,
Since you turned One a lot has happened.Your daddy got a new job as the worship leader at Keypoint Church, which has allowed us to go to a lot of events and meet new friends. You have been staying with mommy since school is out, and we are on the go and having lots of play dates. You will be going to your first Beach Trip next week, and you will be flying for your first time! You are still the most wonderful person to hang out with, and I am loving summer days with you. I was sitting with you today as we were having our "dinner picnic on the floor" since daddy was working late. I looked at you as we were laughing and "playing" and thanked God for giving you to us. We are learning each day, and are doing the best we can to help you grow into your own little personality! We love you! The next post will be about our first beach vacation as a family! I can't wait! We love you punkin!

Our little One year old!

Well,
As much as I want to sob and whine about time going by too fast, I can't. Although time has FLOWN by this past year, it has also brought amazing milestones and memories for our family! Seriously, all that blog know that we mostly post the best things about ourselves. We do. It's true. :) But, for most of us, it's the things that we want to remember about our children! lol. I have tried to think hard about this post and post all I can remember about the struggles AND the excitement of this past year. I hope to look back and read this while I am holding baby number two ( someday!). Here we go down memory lane for your first year, Zoe.

I remember day one like it was yesterday ( minus the pain meds from the C-section!). I remember the nurses bringing you to me after they cleaned you up. Although things had been very hectic and scary leading up to your exit/entrance, I specifically remember the way that I changed when they handed you over. I saw and touched you immediately after you arrived, but I didn't get to hold you until they took care of me for a few minutes. I remember when the two nurses brought you to me and I just held you... I stared at you and wondered what in the world I would do with you! I didn't know exactly how things would play out... how to nurse you, how to bathe you, how to love you?! But, in the second that I held you I knew you were ours! You were immediately going to change our lives forever, and I knew that it would be a good change. Some people dream of being mommies their whole life. I didn't, I mean I always knew I wanted children, but I didn't know what I would be like. That changed me... I now can't dream of NOT being your mommy... However, From the labor on into the first few weeks of your life, things were a challenge... in adjusting that is. I couldn't get around much, so daddy and Mims helped us out a ton! I remember you being a good baby, but you had some lungs on ya! ;) You had a touch of colic, but it was controllable after we figured out some moves and some gas drops. I was able to get the hang of nursing.... but my word, I never realized how much of a challenge this would be for me! I am very stubborn... SO, We did great and exclusively had breast milk for the first 6 months. Then, we started doing a mix of breast milk and formula. ( I have pumped for a whole year! Still going, but going to be stopping soon now that it's been over a year! You still get your bottles with a mix of BM and formula each day.) Phew.... although it was a struggle for me, you clearly benefited. You are a little chunky pie! I love every single roll! We never had a problem with your eating habits, and you still try pretty much anything we give you. ( You weren't a huge fan of broccoli and cheese though). A little after 6 months you started crawling, doing pushups, hanging on things, and picking up things. You were an active little thing. Once you got crawling down, you took off like a speedy pro! You LOVE pointing at everything, too. You began to do funny squishy faces, fake laugh, and pull up on everything. You also loved to make strange noises all the time! I remember asking our friends if the sounds were normal... they lied and told us yes, but they didn't know either! You would make these gasping/growling noises and I am sure everyone we were around thought you were sick or choking! You just thought it was funny and liked that it tickled your throat. You have ALWAYS been a little trickster and funny girl. I am not going to go through every single milestone, but you have been a joy to watch grow! I was always scared that I would mess something up, or when you were even younger I would cause you to not grow right, or do this or that! Boy... I have realized that parents really just do their best, and then sit back and remind themselves that God has this is control. HE equips us to do the very best we know how. You had your first birthday party yesterday. I have always wanted a reason to be able to decorate up the house with all things "pink and fun" and you were my perfect reason! We did Minnie mouse/ polka dots/ and zebra. Your great grandparents, grandparents, and several friends came to the party. You are one loved chic. When I think back at this year, I just embrace it. I love you dearly, to the point that I am bawling thinking about how the first year is over. BUT, I am smiling thinking that I know for a fact that we loved you and embraced you everyday of your first year.... you have set a pretty high bar for your future siblings! ( Shhh... we will read this to them someday! ;)))) We love you punkin'... Thank you for keeping us smiling all year long. I can't wait to continue watching you grow.

Here are your 12 month latest things:

- You have walked several times. The most that you have walked unassisted is 10 steps. We were so happy for you! You walk around with your shopping cards and walker all the time, though.

-You love people food, drinking from straws/cups, and sharing bites with momma/daddy.

-Your babysitter thinks you are one of the sweetest/happiest babies! We think so, too!

-You were super "neat" while you ate your first bites of cake at your party... So, your daddy smashed your hands all in it to get your "messy"!

-You LOVE to dance, and LOVE music...

-You smile and make the funniest faces!

-You give us a ton of kisses these days! And you even share your paci and try to get us to put it in our mouths... we pretend! ;)


Ok, so I know this was long, but a year is a long time to post about! We love you and are thankful God gave us you. You are spunky, wild, and just beautiful! We love your personality and we pray for you and your future each day. God has great things planned for you Zoe. Just like that song, "It's gonna be wild, it's gonna be great, it's gonna be full of ME." We can't wait to see what those things are. Love you and happy first birthday, Mommy and Daddy