New Developments

I was at work on Friday and I received a video email from Zach. It was Chloe CRAWLING!!! It is more of an army crawl, but she is moving and grooving now. She has also been sitting up better and playing with some of her toys while she sits up. She can't really make herself sit up, but if we put her on the floor sitting then she can stay there and play for a little bit.

It is so fun to watch her be able to move around!

Happy Father's Day!

With Zach working on Sundays we celebrated his first Father's day on Saturday and on Sunday. Our weekend started out on Friday night and we had a slumber party. We use to have slumber parties all the time before Chloe was born and we would bring our mattress down from upstairs and watch movies all night. It has always been a favorite thing of mine, but bringing the mattress downstairs is always a pain. This time Zach finally went with my idea. We put our two couches together to make a bed. I thought it was a great idea and we watched Dinner for Schmucks. It was a great night...well until about 1am. We both tossed and turned and woke up with very stiff shoulders and backs.

We spent most of Saturday morning just lounging around watching cartoons and we even took a nap, which is something that Zach never does. We had plans to go to the Diamondbacks baseball game in the evening. We went to the game and it was packed. It was probably the fullest the crowd has ever been when we have been at the game. We had a great time and although we were there for about 3 hours we only saw bits and pieces of the game as Chloe doesn't like to sit still for very long.

On Sunday Zach went to work, but Chloe and I met up with him for some lunch at Subway. Then he actually got home on time so we had pizza for dinner and he was able to play with Chloe before we put her to bed.

I would say that this Father's day weekend has been a great success!

7 Months

Zach and Chloe in the very cold pool while I am the photographer nice and warm

Chloe turned 7 months over this weekend. I feel like this month went by so fast that I don't remember what happened although, I'm pretty certain it has been a great 7 months. We didn't go to the doctor this month, but we weighed her and she weighs 15 pounds 3 ounces.

Chloe finally received her first two teeth! We had noticed over Memorial Day weekend that we could see two little white lines at her gums and sure enough on Sunday before Memorial Day her two little bottom teeth popped through. She has also been sitting up a little on her own. She is still a bit wobbly, but she can keep herself up for a little bit before she topples over to the side.

We've put Chloe back on solid foods and she is doing much better. She now likes green beans, green peas and carrots. We tried sweet potatoes again, but the made her gassy and she woke up through the night so we quickly threw those out. We are going to stay with vegetables for another week or so and then we will start fruits.

Chloe in her new swing

Chloe has also gotten some new toys this month. We decided to get Chloe an exer-saucer to help her stand on her own a bit. She likes it for about 15 minutes and then she is too tired. Her newest toy and our new favorite toy is an outdoor swing. She loves her swing. She immediately gets relaxed and it is hard to break her out of her relaxed state. A few nights ago she fell asleep for about 45 minutes in the swing. Its nice to be able to spend a little time outside even in the heat. It has been pretty hot here, but the pool is still not too warm. Zach and Chloe get in it for about half hour, but I just put my feet in the pool because it is too cold for me!

Chloe before the zooErmine, Chloe & Zach feeding the giraffeSteve, Chloe & Zach looking at the stingrays at the AquariumZach holding Chloe so she won't jump in with the stingrays

Zach's parents were also just here for a visit. They came for a long weekend and we really enjoyed having them here. Chloe was a bit overwhelmed when they came in as she had just woken up from a nap and was eating her lunch. She quickly got over that and started giving everyone smiles. We had a great time just hanging around the house playing with Chloe, taking a few walks and going to the zoo. We went to a different zoo than what Zach and I had taken Chloe to before. We went to the Wildlife Zoo and Aquarium. Chloe didn't care much for most of the zoo. She stayed awake through some of it, but right when she woke up we were at the Giraffe feeding station. Ermine and Steve were at the top feeding the giraffes when Chloe woke up. So since she was awake Zach took Chloe up to feed the giraffes as well. The one that they were feeding had a really long tongue and he kept sticking it out. She smiled and laughed at the giraffe. The other part that Chloe liked was the aquarium. She liked looking at the fish, but what she really liked was the sting ray and shark petting area. She wanted to get in and play in the water. She kept reaching out for the water while Zach was holding on to her. It was funny. It was about 98 degrees when we left. We were all a little tuckered out and Chloe came home and slept for a long nap then we walked to get some pizza. It was a great trip and Chloe really liked all the attention and getting to know her grandparents.

We should have a pretty relaxing month and hopefully we will be able to go in the pool a bit more with the warmer weather.

Chloe and Mommy Fun

Chloe has been really funny this past week and she thinks that she has been funny too. So I just wanted to share a few moments we had together.

Chloe has been doing much better with eating "solid" foods. We had her on green beans for about a week and so it was time to start her with something new, green peas. The video above is her eating green peas for the first time. I don't blame her for not really liking them. When my mom use to make us eat peas I would just swallow them whole like a pill because to chew them would be nasty!
This picture is Chloe laughing at herself because she won't eat. She was really happy and would just stare up at me and giggle. Which made me giggle so this circle of giggling went on for about 5 minutes. Then I had to get a serious face so she would eat.

These two pictures are from when Chloe and I took a walk (in 90 degree weather) to Subway for lunch. She was really slap happy. She played with her toy for awhile and then every time I would look at her she would just start laughing and smiling. Even on the walk back anytime I would peek around her sunshade she would just giggle.
Anyway, I thought that these were too good not to share. Enjoy!

Fun in the Sun

I've been itching to get out of town. I think that with me working from home most of the time that it has created more cabin fever than what I expected. Chloe and I try to get out of the house every day even if it is just for a walk, but now that the weather has been getting warmer we (I) are not as motivated to get out. When Zach and I lived in Quincy and the first few years here we would get out of town often, but now it's not as easy to just pick up and go.

I was really itching to get out of town over Mother's day, but we didn't think of it until it was too late. So we decided that we would get out this weekend. We wanted to go to California and the beach for a quick trip, but Zach hadn't taken the Sunday off and we had Chloe's doctor's appointment on Thursday so it would be a really really quick trip. So we decided to stay in town, but just go out to a resort in Phoenix that is an all suite hotel and has great heated pools. We've stayed there before and the side pools are always warm so we thought it would be great.

The weather was in the upper 90s and now that Chloe is allowed to go in the pool we would hit the pools as soon as we got there. And with my two kids (Zach included) we threw our stuff in the room and threw on our swimsuits. This time Zach decided to put on Chloe's sunscreen. We were so excited.

Because we have stayed here a few times we knew a little secret, well at least we think it is a secret. There is a main pool and then another area with a huge pool, waterfall, slide, lazy river, lap pool and sports pool and then there is the little gem. It is a smaller pool away from the main areas that is for people who rent out their "casitas" (or anyone who knows about it). Whenever we have gone in the past there are few if any other families there. So it was our first stop with Chloe. A little chillier than what I expected, but we got in and swam. It only took Zach and Chloe about 5 mins to get use to the water, but I took a bit longer. Most of my time was on the step or the side. I didn't get in until the last 15 mins or so.

Chloe was a little uncertain about the pool. I think we made the mistake of assuming she would just know that a pool was fun. We had a little floaty thing for her and we put her in it, but she wasn't excited about that. So Zach picked her up and held her and swam around the pool showing her that it was the same as her bath and then she started to splash and enjoy herself. She even liked her floaty as she could kick her feet and splash while Zach would pull her around the pool. I think we have a fish on our hands. We spent about 45 mins in the pool until she was getting pruney. Then we went back on Saturday morning for another swim. The morning swim there was another family and they had 2 children ages about 4 and 7. Chloe was glued to them as they jumped in the pool and splashed around.

There are a few things that I think every vacation should have. I think that there should be putt putt, Denny's for breakfast, donuts for breakfast and pizza for dinner. This wasn't a full blown vacation so I was happy that we had donuts for dinner/breakfast and pizza for dinner. We had gotten some powdered donuts for Zach for breakfast, but he surprised me on the way to the resort and stopped at the nearby Dunkin Donuts. That was a great surprise, but a big mistake. We got 25 munchkins and all of them were gone by 2 hours later. Donuts are a weakness of mine and munchkins are even worse. I couldn't stop eating them, but hey we were on vacation. After our pool time we ordered pizza because when you are having a pool day no one wants to get dressed and go out to eat. I want the food brought to me.

It was a great quick trip and on our way home we stopped at this little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant for lunch. It was good and we have decided that we are going to search out new little Mexican restaurants on our side of town because its great and its cheap.

6 Months

Chloe & Buster

Chloe pushing up tall

Chloe proud of herself after she pushed up with her arms

Chloe looking at the monkeys at the zoo All 3 of us at the Hole in the Wall

Well Chloe is now 6 months old. She is changing daily and from what I hear it won't stop! One of the new things that she loves to do is to blow raspberries and make funny faces. She will go the whole day and all it seems like she does is blow raspberries and make bubbles. She thinks it is funny when you do it to her and she thinks it is funny when she does it. Sometimes she doesn't make the sound or the bubbles, but she pouts out her lips and buffs up her cheeks like she is going to, but then just decides to make the face.

I don't know when you are suppose to teach children words, but we figure that it is never too early to start. So for some of the simple things we make sure to tell her multiple times what it is or rather than saying our dogs' names we say doggies. Then of course we ask her if she can say "ma ma" or "da da" and of course she can't. But what she does do is smile from ear to ear. As if the whole not smiling for the camera didn't show us enough that she may be a bit stubborn like her mom, her grin tells it all. It is like she is saying I know exactly what you want me to do, but I'm not going to do it for you.

One thing that has been very evident this past month or so is that she loves to be on the move. She loves to kick her legs and kick her legs and kick her legs. I feel like she won't learn to walk, but she will just learn to run. Its rather amusing to us, but what is really amusing is when other people notice it. We will be out at a restaurant and she will kick her little legs in her car seat the whole time and people walking by and waitresses always comment about it. To Zach and I it is normal, but everyone else thinks it is strange and will ask if she always is like that. Yes...yes she is. She loves her belly. Ever since she learned that rolling over was fun we can't really keep her off of her belly. She plays on her belly and she can even scoot around in a circle to reach for other toys to anything else that she wants. Within the past week she has really been lifting up on her arms and each time we give her praise for doing so and then she lets out a big grin and falls back onto her elbows. It has been very rare but I have seen her pull her knees under her so I'm sure within the next few weeks she will start to pull them up more and then crawling will be right around the corner.

Chloe has also become much more interested in the dogs. Buster is her dog as he doesn't care if she pulls at his ears or fur or lays on him. He is just happy for the attention. Daisy on the other hand still just wants to come around on her terms or when Chloe is in her booster seat having rice cereal. One of these days maybe Daisy won't be scared of this little baby.
We took our first trip to the zoo. It was beautiful outside in the 80s and it was the perfect time to go. We all put on sunscreen and headed out for a day in the sun. I'm not sure why I was in charge of the sunscreen as I always get burnt, but Zach put me in charge of it. So I lathered up Chloe and off we went. We walked the entire zoo and Chloe stayed awake the entire time. She was sleepy at times, but she did not want to miss anything. Although, I'm not quite sure what she was able to see in her carseat/stroller, but she seemed to like it and we caught her looking at some of the monkeys. Later that evening we were giving Chloe a bath and I asked Zach what the red marks on her knees were and if he thought it was from the carpet when she kicks while she is on her belly. He then told me it was sunburn. Oops...maybe I shouldn't be in charge of the sunscreen after all.

The past few weeks since we have been back from Indy we started "Operation No Swaddle". Chloe was getting out of her swaddle and rolling over so we decided it was time. We decided to stop cold turkey. No swaddle, no pacifier and no middle of the night 2oz snacks of formula or water. I thought it was going to be terrible and we would be up for nights with barely any sleep. Nope...it wasn't too bad. There were a few nights where she would wake up 2 or 3 times, but we weren't up for hours. She is now taking all naps and night time sleep without her swaddle and just with a little blanket. She's back to sleeping through the night so hopefully this continues now that she has learned to put herself to sleep.

Our doctors appointment went well. She weighs 14lbs 6oz and is 26in long. She is still in the 75th percentile for height and is between the 24th and 50th percentile for weight. She did not like the doctor this visit. He has a loud voice and I think that is part of it, but she was giving him the pouty lip as soon as he started talking. He did say that now that she is 6 months and normally parents are a little more calm that he is going to send us to the Phoenix Children's Hospital to see one of the skin specialists there. Chloe has a large strawberry hemangiomas on her belly and our doctor wants us to get it checked out because he is afraid that it will start bleeding when she starts to crawl since it is right on her chest. He said that if it does bleed to just put a lot of pressure on it and to remember that all bleeding stops eventually. I hope this never happens while I am home with Chloe by myself because I'm afraid I may freeze and panic rather than just put pressure on it. They said it may take a few weeks to get an appointment so until then we will just wait.

The next month should be pretty relaxing. The weather is getting warmer so outdoor activities will be limited, but now that she is 6 months we can put her in the pool when the weather is right.

Happy Mother's Day to Me!

Well it is my first Mother's day with Chloe not in my belly and it has been a great day so far. Zach actually works on Sundays so we have been celebrating all weekend. I told Zach that all I wanted was for a family day and he make the plans. So on Saturday morning we got up and got Chloe fed and played with her and then we watched a little Saturday morning cartoons together and put her down for her first nap. Zach then told me that the plans were to go to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and then out to Ikea for a little family shopping and then to Dairy Queen for some mid-day treats. Now if you know Zach very well you know that his favorite place to eat is Texas Roadhouse, he loves Ikea and he loves ice cream. So who was this day for again :) I loved it though, because I love those things as well. Maybe not as much as he does, but I didn't care as long as we had the day together. When we got home we took a walk since the sun was down and it was only in the 80s then we put Chloe to bed and watched the movie Night and Day. Don't waste your time on the movie it was better to laugh at rather than laugh along with. It was a perfect day.

So today it is Mother's day and Chloe and I get the whole day together! We did let Zach join in the fun and met him for lunch. When Chloe and I came home Chloe decided to give me her present. See below.

Yup, if you can't tell that is poop on my shirt. She decided to poop on the way home from lunch and I didn't know and she was wearing a dress so when I picked her up the dress folded on my shirt. I had no idea that she had pooped until I headed upstairs to change her and get her ready for bed. As soon as I lifted up the dress I smelt and saw it. The poop was oozing out of the diaper. Yuck! Then I noticed it on the dress so I put it the sink to soak. I continued to get her ready when I still smelt the stench and then noticed it on my arm and soon after noticed it on my shirt. Thank you Chloe! Happy Mother's Day to Me!