23 months and almost a big sister

Hard to believe that in 3 weeks time Christmas will be over, baby will be here and Zoe will be turning 2. Oh and it will be 2014. Right.

So this post will be short and sweet. Zoe's vocabulary is blowing up and every day she is picking up new words and sounds. "See you soon" is probably her most common phrase. She keeps us laughing although she is definitely also testing her limits.

She can be quite whiny at times and full of joy and mischief at others. Curious George is her favorite right now and since mommy is 9 months pregnant she watches more than she should, I'm not too ashamed to admit. Its just for a time.

She successfully moved into her toddler bed right after Thanksgiving and hasn't looked back. Twice she has fallen out somehow, and once or twice she has gotten out of bed in the morning before we went to get her but she doesn't get out otherwise or put up a fight about bed. She points to the crib and says "baby" and seems content with the transition. Yay.

She loves drawing (coloring) and playing with her doll. I'm excited about the toys she is getting for Christmas- doll accessories and a play kitchen- that will help keep her occupied as we add a baby into the mix around here.
Speaking of which, unless baby comes early which does not look likely, I am scheduled for a c-section on December 30th. We'll have a quiet Christmas, just the three of us, and then my parents will come down that following weekend to celebrate with us and to keep Zoe while we're in the hospital. So yeah, just over a week to go! We can't wait!

Happenings

In October, during Geoff's furlough while the government was shutdown, we took a few family adventures! We spent time drinking coffee and walking around Old Town Alexandria, one of our favorites; we spent part of a day in Annapolis; and we spent a day "out west" in the mountains, picking pumpkins and enjoying a picturesque picnic. We loved the extra time with daddy home, and Zoe got quite used to all the attention - she had a bit of an adjustment when he went back to work.

 The second weekend of November, Geoff and I got away for a little babymoon while Zoe stayed with my parents. Mom and Dad had given us a gift certificate last Christmas for a B&B in Lancaster, where we stayed the first few days of our honeymoon, so we figured we had better use it before Baby2 arrives! They of course loved having lots of grandparent time, and we enjoyed 2 days of eating out, relaxing, and not following any sort of schedule. It was delightful.

Zoe was 22months old on the 12th of November, and her development continues to astound us. There is no way of keeping track of all the words she says now -- many of them sound the same so context is key, but its just amazing how much her vocabulary has expanded in a month! Some of her new words or phrases: "brrrzy" for cold, "bye mama, dadda" for goodnight, apple, draw, potty, phone, pray, and "yumyum" for hungry. We've introduced the potty but haven't started "training" yet. We also got her a toddler bed which she slept in once for nap (her request) and then refused to sleep in the next few days. After Thanksgiving and we're home again for awhile, we will (hopefully) make the official transition. We do have a bassinet for baby so we'd have a few months til we need the crib, but we're trying to make that transition before its necessary. Lots of changes coming and I don't want them all happening at once!

Zoe has spent the last few days in Lancaster with my family, and Geoff and I plan to join them tonight. I've been able to get some freezer meals prepared, cleaning and organizing done, and some relaxing, too. Plus we've had date night:) Its been a nice little break but we're anxious to be with her again soon.

Thanksgiving in my Heart

I'm sure its remarkable the number of blog posts, Instagrams, facebook statuses, tweets, texts, emails, etc. that will deal with "giving thanks" in the next few days... and the general absence of those types of messages during the rest of the year. I'm glad we have a day set aside to remember, to reflect, to focus on the things and the people and the gifts we have been given that we often overlook and take for granted the other 364 days of the year, but I know, for myself anyways, that being focused on giving thanks throughout the year makes a world of difference in my attitude and outlook on life. So I know its a bit early for resolutions, but I hope that between this Thanksgiving and next, my life will be marked by the giving of thanks for the big and the little, the momentous and the mundane, the ordinary and the extraordinary. I live a blessed life and I have every reason to be giving thanks on a daily basis, and my desire is that I would not get distracted by the misbehaving child, the mountain of dishes, the meals that need prepared... but that I would find something to praise God for each day. I don't have to look that hard.

So for today, I'd like to give thanks for just a few things::: the changing seasons, a warm cup of coffee, clean water to drink, the ability to work hard and the opportunity to relax, salvation, a healthy baby on the way, a loving husband, a precious little girl, family, friends near and far, technology, the quiet, a warm place to call home, grace, & chocolate:::

Happy Thanksgiving!

Outer Banks Vacay

Hard to believe it's been a month ago already we were in the Outer Banks on vacation. We went with my(Danielle) family- parents, siblings, grandparents and aunt- and spent a week in Nags Head. It was wonderful. We found out last year that vacation with a kid is a bit different (read: less relaxing) but since Zoe was older this time and more independent, we were even able to enjoy some down time. There were plenty of people willing to entertain her :) 

Thankfully we had great weather most of the week and were able to enjoy the beach even though it was October. We're already planning our return trip next year!

Zoe was scared of the water at first but by the end of the week she was running into the water without any pause. It was fun to see her comfort level increase each day, and she loved playing in the sand!

Out to lunch on Occracoke Island- with Grandma and Unlce T

Ferry ride with Great Mama

Some things, like the Hattaras lighthouse, were closed due to the government shutdown, so this is as close as we could get. Speaking of which, we had another two weeks of "vacation" with Geoff at home once we left the beach... But I will save that for another post :)

21 months

Well I skipped 20 months altogether. Oops. I feel like Zoe has grown and changed so much just in the past few weeks it's hard to keep track of what happened when. I am realizing just how easy it is to forget the details over time so I know I will appreciate these little snippets as the years go by- and if you do, too, then that's a bonus. 

- Zoe is so very vocal right now! She's starting to have conversations with her animals or dolly and while I don't understand any of it, it melts my little mom heart. She says juice, here (sounds like chee), more, mama, dada, potty, draw, no, yeah, ball, shoes, see, done... And probably others that I can't think of right now

- she can sometimes put her shoes on by herself, and already has a love for shoes in general. She hardly ever has her shoes and socks still on when we get to our destination, but whatever makes the car ride bearable...

- Zoe loves playing outside, is getting pretty good at running, is much more opinionated about what we're doing and let's you know it, loves being chased or hide&seek, and continues to have an unfortunate obsession with electronics

- Zoe enjoys looking at books herself and having them read to her, has started "counting" her fingers, toes, cars as we go by... But each one is "two"; she started talking to herself at night when we put her to bed and could happily chatter away for an hour before falling asleep; she wakes up happy, jumping in her crib and plays games and babbles with Geoff when he goes in to get her

I'm sure there is more that I'm missing, but in general we are just having a lot of fun watching her grow and develop so quickly before our eyes. She can be very sweet at times and very naughty at others. Testing limits and running away when we say "come here" are some of the things we are working through right now. Parenthood is such a blessing and a challenge and we are enjoying it all. And we can't wait to add baby #2 to the mix in just 11 weeks!!

Big Apple Escape

Last weekend we left Zoe with my parents and spent most of the weekend in NYC, just the mister and me. It was wonderful. It's the longest I've been away from Zoe and while I wondered about her at times, I was having too much fun to worry :) 

We parked at our hotel in NJ and took the bus into the city, then caught the subway up to Yankee stadium for the afternoon game. The weather was perfect and we had an exciting game! The Yankees lost unfortunately but it was fun all the same. My favorite player, Derek Jeter, has struggled with injury all season and hasn't played much at all. I did get to see him play on Saturday before he injured himself in the 6th inning and will be out for the rest of the season!

After the game, we met up with friends from church who moved to the City almost 2 years ago after getting married. It was so nice to spend time with them, seeing where they live and hearing about life in the big city :) They took us out for dinner to this great new place in their neighborhood. The food and atmosphere were great- it's probably one of my favorite restaurants ever! We remarked with glee at 8pm that we hadn't even ordered dinner yet-- it's the little things when your schedule is usually dictated by kids bedtimes!! We enjoyed a great night and went to bed late without dreading an early morning wake-up cry. 

Sunday we manged to sleep in a little and then walked down the street for breakfast at Starbucks. We took our time getting packed up and leisurely went on our way to pick up Zoe. Of course she was napping when we arrived at my parents house (she slept so well in their basement we're figuring our how to install one at our place...), so we were able to chat a bit before getting on the road home. It was a relaxing, rejuvenating and entirely enjoyable weekend. Thanks to my parents for taking such good care of our little girl, and for offering to do it again :) 

(Our memento mug from the trip-- possibly my new favorite)

A few winning recipes

Hello! I always love getting new recipes recommended to me. Trying a new recipe that sounds great but doesn't taste great is such a bummer. We've tried a few new winning recipes recently so I thought I'd share them with you in case you are up to trying something new this week!  {I got these all via Pinterest}

Last night we tried these Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. Oh my goodness. They contain no eggs or dairy and are gluten free as well. I made them with natural Peanut Butter, and I omitted the maple syrup. They didn't need any additional sweetness, in fact I might reduce the sugar a bit next time I bake them. And yes, that will be very soon. I tripled the recipe and got about 2 dozen cookies. Don't store them directly on top of each other, they stick.

For last night's dinner, we had this Crockpot beef stew. I love a good crockpot recipe, and since I'm so anxious for fall I've been dreaming of stews and soups all week. I got a good deal on stew meat at Costco so I knew this meal was going to find its way into our kitchen this week. It smelled heavenly all day long (I cooked it about 7 hours) and I loved the addition of mushrooms to this recipe. Besides the chopping of the veggies, its super simple and since all that can be done ahead of time its really an easy meal. Give it a try!

Ok lastly is a recipe for pancakes. We had them for dinner, but I ate the leftovers for both breakfast and lunch so its an all-around good recipe :) This was recommended by a friend on Facebook and the idea of Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes just couldn't be ignored, plus I was trying to pull dinner together without having to go to the grocery store. They were delicious and I had all the ingredients, so it was a double win! I might cut back just a bit on the chocolate chips next time to make them a little less desserty... but they were so, so good. Zoe's chocolate covered face was a ringing endorsement, and they will be made again soon.

Well, there are a few kitchen ideas for you, friends! Enjoy! Have any great recipes you've tried lately that you'd like to share?

19 months // 19 weeks

The last month of summer and I, for one, am glad. Not that I can complain about the weather we have been having, but I just love Fall. We've gotten a glimpse of it these past few weeks with cooler mornings and cool breezes. Bring on the chill in the air, the apples, the pumpkins, the baked goods and the sweaters! 

At 19 months, Zoe is full of energy and curious about everything. She wants everything named for her and points to each item over and over, especially her food on her plate, toys, picture books, etc. She makes the "aw" sound when giving hugs and if she's lazy she might just make the sound and kinda lean toward you as her "hug". Zoe loves helping- put groceries away, carrying things inside, putting things away in her room (always check in her second drawer, it's where everything ends up), put laundry in the washer and dryer... Seems like we will be pretty set with a housekeeper once baby 2 comes :)

Favorite activities include playing outside especially with sidewalk chalk, bubbles, or at the playground; watching Veggietale videos; reading books and trying to get her hands on whatever piece of technology is around and within reach. 

A few not-so-fun things right now: she's back to throwing food on the floor at every meal; picky appetite; blatant defiance. Her latest thing which is super naughty but super cute is closing her eyes and staying still when she's being told "no" or about to be corrected- like she's ignoring us or we can't see her anymore. Oh man it's so funny because where in the world did she come up with that? But man it is also so naughty. She is definitely helping to improve my prayer life. 

At 19 weeks, I'm feeling very pregnant but feeling good. Don't have much energy most days and am hungry all the time. Im definitely feeling flips and kicks which is one of my favorite parts. Our big ultrasound is on Friday! It's fun to see your little one in so much detail. We won't be finding out the sex of baby 2 again, it was a lot of fun to be surprised when Zoe arrived!

July Happenings

Hello there blog world! Once again I've been too busy with life to keep you updated so this will be a catch-all post for the past month. 

July 4th we had a cookout at our place and then went to the Air Force Memorial to watch the DC fireworks. Zoe did really well staying up hours past her bedtime... She wasn't too sure what to make of the fireworks but was captivated by them for sure. 

We spent a hot sticky afternoon exploring the Jefferson Memorial. July has finally brought normal hot and humid temperatures so our outdoor activities have been pretty limited. 

We spent part of a weekend with dear friends in Pa. Don't be fooled by the expressions, these two have a budding romance in their future :)

Geoff and I went to see the Brewers play the Nationals when they were in town. Good thing it was $1 hot dog night so the night wasn't a total bust ;) of course they won the games we didn't go to...

Our sweet Zoe turned 18 month old! Wow! She is talking so much now, though we don't understand most of it. She's starting to mimic us more, loves playing outside, loves trying on shoes... She wants to be the center of attention and hams it up when we Skype with her grandparents. She says "hi" and "bye" and waves to just about everyone we pass in the store, on the street, etc and keeps at it til they acknowledge her. Her appetite fluctuates a lot but fruit continues to be the consistent favorite. She is down to one longer afternoon nap now, although this latest teething episode has interrupted her sleep more than any other time I think. Poor girl takes so long to get her teeth it's like a continual cycle. These should be the last ones til she's 2. She is more of a mommy's girl right now for sure, and has started hating going to nursery at church. She cries and cries and cries. Hoping this doesn't last too long! She whines and is starting to tantrum when she doesn't get her way. Which is often. She is very opinionated and has a strong personality, but makes up for it with lots of hugs and kisses these days. The sweet moments certainly outnumber the terrible, but it's hard to remember that in the moment sometimes! My need for patience and grace grows daily, which is such a glaring reminder of my own need for my Savior. Parenting is truly designed to make you more holy!

Baby 2 is just about 17 weeks and growing big and strong. I had some bleeding this month that turned out to be nothing but scary, so we are extra grateful for a healthy baby so far! I'm getting some of my energy back and feeling good overall. Entering the stage of the continuous appetite though I fill up fast, but only for 30minutes :) It's definitely different the second time around when you just don't have so much time to think about it! Hard to believe in 6 months we'll have another!

Well I think that hits the high points of the month. Thanks for catching up with us!

Baby #2

Well I guess that title pretty much sums up our news :) We're thrilled to be welcoming a second baby into the family, and maybe just a little bit scared. Mostly thrilled :) How much harder can 2 be than 1, right? Don't answer that sweet, wise friends who have more experience at this than we do. We'll find out in due time. Speaking of which, my official due date is January 4th. That's 2 days before Zoe was due (she came late, on the 12th). Do we know how to plan or what. So Zoe should be just about to turn 2 when we welcome #2 home! If its another girl, it will work out well since clothing sizes should match up, and I can reuse my maternity clothes since I'm pregnant thru the same seasons. Of course this time at 12 weeks I'm about as big as I was at 18 weeks with Zoe... the second one doesn't play around! Since I ended up with a C-section with Zoe, we're still deciding whether to schedule a C-section at 39 weeks or try for a VBAC. So baby could be here before New Years.

In general I'm feeling good, just super tired. I can finally get through the day without napping but then I'm pretty much done by 7pm. Geoff has been an amazing help in the evenings! Thankfully I have a lot less food aversions this time and am mostly craving veggies and fruit. I also have less of a sweet tooth than normal, so that's been a nice change. A chocolate bar lived in the cabinet for over a month... unheard of!

We're staying in our 2-bedroom house so the kids will have to share a room. We'll have baby with us at first but not for too long hopefully. All of you who have done the baby/toddler room-sharing transition before, we'd love your input! Parenthood is hard but Zoe has been such a blessing and a joy, and we're so excited to expand our family! Can't wait to meet you, little peanut :)

Some May, Some June and 17months

May was a whirlwind for us. If June didn't have special days in the beginning that I needed to take note of, I'm not sure I'd believe it was already June.
* Geoff and I spent our first night away from Zoe in May. We took advantage of a free night we had with Marriott and stayed in downtown D.C. We went out to dinner at Matchbox, where we split the spicy meatball pizza and finished with a tower of donuts with chocolate dipping sauce. Yum. We had planned to go see Gatsby afterwards but it was sold out, so we saw Iron Man 3 instead. Since it was an after 10pm showing, the action of Iron Man might have been a better choice anyways... we got back to our room after 1am which is quite late for these parents. We "slept in" til 8 which was glorious, enjoyed a free breakfast, walked around the city a bit and then were admittedly anxious to get back to our little girl. A big thanks to her aunt Kara for staying with her, which gave us peace of mind. We might even do it again :)

* The following week we went to Wisconsin to visit Geoff's family. We had a great time visiting with them -- since we only see them about 2x a year it's fun to see how much Zoe has changed between visits. She helped Opa make the coffee everyday, and Oma got to show her off to friends and old teachers of Geoffs. We went to a wedding for one of Geoff's friends from high school... All in all Zoe kept everyone pretty entertained!

* Memorial Day wknd we spent in PA with my family. We had a cookout, did some shopping, visited with extended family, played games, celebrated my dad's birthday early... it was great!

*So far June has been much more relaxed but still eventful. Geoff and I just celebrated 6 years of marriage on the 9th. Aunt Kara willingly babysat again so we could go out -- we enjoyed a nice brunch at one of our favorite restaurants and then played a round of mini-golf. Pretty sure I beat Geoff for the first time ever so it was extra exciting :) What a blessing it has been to walk with this man by my side for these 6 years.

* And now today, Zoe is 17 months old! This is such a fun age, we're really enjoying it. Watching her learn so much and try to imitate us and wanting to do things for herself like buckle her car seat strap... its just amazing what they learn to do in a year! She's getting in 4 bottom teeth which have been giving her some pain but she is being a trooper about it. She loves to "help" unload groceries, load the washer and dryer, throw things away, and carry items for us. She understands so much of what we say (probably more than we even realize) and tries earnestly to respond. She speaks with conviction though we usually don't know yet what she is saying. Last night to said "oh no" for the first time and its pretty much the cutest thing ever. She says "no" and "yeah" and "hi" and "bye". She knows her ears, nose, eyes, tummy, teeth, mouth, head, hair, hands, feet, fingers and toes.

16 Month Update

** Disclaimer: I started this post 2 weeks ago...*
I'll start off by saying "happy mother's day" to all the lovely moms reading this. I had a wonderful day feeling cherished and spoiled -- my man takes good care of me. Mother's Day was also Zoe's 16month birthday. Most of the days between 15-16 months were pretty terrible if I'm being honest. There were great moments in there, don't get me wrong, but the overall month was not a fun one. Poor girl was cutting her top molars and she did not deal well with it. Short naps, lots of crying and fussing, waking up at night, poor appetite... but the good news is that the past few days have been much, much better. The napping still isn't great but in general she is a different child and we are so grateful to have our happy girl back!

Funs:
- She truly has the hang of this walking thing down, including standing up on her own
- She has the funniest expressions and mannerisms that make us laugh over and over
- Beginning to see more ability to occupy herself for periods of time with toys or books
- She is really loving books right now and I love watching her get so absorbed in the pages
- Geoff and I were able to spend a night away while Zoe stayed with her Tia Kara and it went really well!
- says "hi" to lots of people when we're out and about, finally waves goodbye before they are out of sight :)
- we generally get out of the house between her morning nap and lunchtime, whether its going to the library or park or shopping -- she enjoys seeing other kids or "helping" me hold something in the shopping cart
- she often squeals when happy - a loud, piercing sound- especially at the library between books or songs which draws lots of attention from other parents. Yep, that's my loud child.
- Probably my favorite thing is how she wants to sit in our lap and crawls right up or backs herself into our lap. *sigh* melts my heart.
- Giving out kisses much more freely :)

She's loving her doll and stuffed animals a lot right now

Not-so-Funs:
- See first paragraph, RE: teething
- back to throwing food on the floor and in general showing much more defiance
- hates having her diaper changed and will fight it the entire time
- Again with the food in the hair- perhaps its her ploy to get more baths since she loves them so much?

15 months

This month I'm keeping it short and sweet. Zoe's biggest accomplishment during the past month is walking! She can't quite stand up on her own yet, but once she pulls up on something she is going, going, gone. She loves it. Its fun to watch the excitement and pride on her face as she gets better and better.
The other big news is that she is officially weaned. Yay. She's drinking vanilla almond milk 2x a day and while I know we'll try to transition to unflavored milk eventually, I'm fine with it for now. She doesn't drink that much of it anyways.
She's got a molar coming through up top and her bottom front teeth should be popping up any day now. Her sleep and attitude have taken a bit of a hit from teething, so I'll be glad {for all of us} when its over.
I'm sure there is more to tell but instead I will leave you with some recent pictures.