Lets not do that again

We got take-out for lunch last Friday from our favorite Chinese place. Almost 3 yrs we've been eating there with no trouble, but unfortunately this time we got sick from my meal. Ugh. I don't know if you have ever had food poisoning or not, but its not.fun. I came down with it first and thought it was the flu because I had the chills, nausea, headache, the whole bit. By the end of the night all 3 of us were sick and thus began the longest {and most unpleasant} weekend ever. We felt so bad for Zoe who was so sad and pathetic when she threw up, not understanding at all what was happening. We watched A. LOT. of Baby Einstein. Yesterday was the first day I felt like a normal person again and we're slowly getting our appetites back. I wanted to lose a few pounds this year but not that way.

13 months

Its funny to me that almost every "month" post starts out with "I can't believe how quickly this month flew by..." and the month between 12-13 seemed to take for.ever. Maybe that's because Zoe was sick twice and our car was being repaired so we were holed up in the house a lot, or so it seemed. I don't know. But anyway, here's an update at 13 months...

The oh-so-funs:
- Zoe is incredibly expressive and vocal at this age. She makes us laugh. A lot.
- Her most common word is "hi" but she has added "bye" to the mix this month although she can't say the B so its just "aye". Its pretty cute. She is good at waving and giving kisses, as long as its mostly her idea/timing.

- She's slowly being weaned and is only being nursed 3x a day right now. She does not like milk so it hasn't been as easy a transition as I was hoping for but so far, so good. She still sleeps a solid 12-13 hrs a night and naps twice {usually}. Her morning nap is about 40minutes at 10am, afternoon nap is 1.5-2.5 hrs at 2pm.
- She's had the chance to play in the snow a few times and loves it! She fits in to this family well :)
- Zoe is not walking yet and doesn't seem all that interested in it. I suppose this could go in either category for different reasons, but its fun to watch her try and stand on her own for a second at a time when she thinks we're not watching :) She still cruises around on everything and gets into anything she wants so it doesn't seem to make that much difference.
- She is definitely a performer. When we Skype with her grandparents she loves to put on a show and be extra goofy. Its great fun.
- She clearly signs "all done" when she's done eating, but usually not before food has been thrown on the floor


The not-so-funs:
- She still throws food on the floor at meal time, and quite defiantly. Her taste buds seem to change daily so its always a guess as to what she will eat, but cheese and blueberries are consistent winners.
- She's learned how to push the buttons on the TV (yes,we still have an old one with buttons on the front) and gets pretty upset when told no or removed from the TV. It's usually her own program she's turning off so I don't mind that much, but still don't want to teach her that it's ok to touch.
- Zoe likes to gag herself, especially when she is told no. So far she's only made herself throw up once but its really not very fun to watch or listen to.
- I'm attributing it to teething because I do think she has some molars coming in, but she's pretty grumpy these days unless she is being held. And by grumpy I mean screaming crying.

Our sweet Zoe, each day is a new exciting adventure with you! You make us smile and laugh and we wouldn't trade you for anything in the world. Even when you're grumpy :)

White Stuff

Today we woke up to about an inch or two of powdery snow! It was beautiful. I happen to love winter and cold temperatures and of course snow is a big part of that. We unfortunately {in my opinion} don't get much snow here so it's extra exciting when we do! Schools were closed today so that gives you a good idea of how we {don't} handle snow around here. I took Zoe out to play in it this morning and she really enjoyed it. She will fit into this family just fine :)

Zoe's Winter "One"derland

 

The beautiful birthday girl

I'll admit, I had a hard time deciding what theme to go with for Zoe's birthday party. At this age, she doesn't really have any big likes or dislikes to help guide me, and have you ever searched for party ideas online? There are about a.million. of them! So after a few times of changing my mind I went with the winter "one"derland theme, figuring I should embrace the winter birthday~ and knowing that snowflake decor would be abundant and {more importantly} on sale after the holidays :) Plus I had picked up a sparkly silver tulle skirt for her last year that I thought would fit right in. And since Zoe will have no recollection of this party other than the pictures, I knew I had no reason to get carried away with it. Ultimately, I wanted it to be a fun time to celebrate Zoe with friends and family that was simple and low-cost. I think I achieved my goal.

I used scrapbook paper to create a birthday bunting

we hung white streamers and silver snowflakes from the ceiling to create a winter wonderland

I kept the food simple with chocolate dipped pretzel rods, vanilla and red velvet cupcakes, fruit, cheese and crackers, and meatballs, and I served coffee punch. I made cupcake toppers out of the leftover scrapbook paper. This was Zoe's first cupcake and she seemed to like it, especially the icing~ she ate it very daintily and left half of it. Her favorite part was probably playing with the other kids. She got some great gifts including clothes, books, videos and toys. Later that day she came down with a fever, so the rest of her birthday she was kinda pitiful, poor girl. Zoe, we were happy to have an excuse to celebrate you. You have given us a year of smiles and laughs, sleepless nights, dirty diapers, and love beyond comprehension... we've never been so dependent on God or each other... and we cannot wait to see what you've got in store for us this year! We love you.

12 months never went so fast

Happy Birthday to my precious baby girl! Zoe spent her birthday surrounded by friends and family, and I'll post pictures of her birthday party soon. But first, what she's been up to this past month...

So-Funs at 12 months:

- Zoe says "hi," "ma ma," and "da"; she also says "noiy"a lot but we don't know what that one means...

- She helps get herself dressed, putting her arms through the shirt sleeves

- Zoe loves music and does quite a bit of dancing- she also loves to entertain

- For the most part, she is sleeping great, but she does fight her morning nap on occasion

- She gives lots of kisses these days and is great at waving and doing "so big"

- She uses lots of things as a phone, holding them up to her ear (the remote, toys, blocks) which I find particularly funny because she hardly sees anyone talking on the phone

- She makes the "bub bub bub" sound with her fingers over her lips and thinks she's pretty big stuff

- Zoe loves her Animals Around Us movie from Baby Einstein -- this is great because I can usually get dinner started in the 25 minutes it plays without worrying about what all she is getting into :)

Not-so-Funs at 12 months:

- Defiance. Man it starts early! Touching the trash can over and over, throwing food on the floor, pulling at cords all while watching my reaction... I wasn't prepared to have to deal with this yet. Recommendations at this age?

- I think its partly that her appetite is decreasing, but meal times are much more of a struggle. She often doesn't eat more than a few bites of any one thing, and then it goes over her tray and on the floor. Piece by piece. While mommy repeatedly says "no, food goes in our mouth." As soon as I start taking her tray away, she eats something and then we start the process all over again. But, she likes a wide variety of foods and doesn't spit things out usually. Until she's done with her yogurt and sprays it all over herself and mommy...

- She still loves bath time, but yesterday she stood up in the tub for the first time. Here we go... 

- Poor kiddo got a fever on her birthday and has been sick ever since. She doesn't have any other symptoms other than being a little more lethargic and cranky at times, but its still not fun. But, she has been so healthy this first year that its really been an opportunity to be thankful.

We can't believe you're already 1, little one... we're so thankful to be your parents... you give us such joy and laughter... we love you more each day and can't wait to see what God has in store for your life!