The Big Party!

We had a little shindig at our home to celebrate Zoë's Birthday.  That morning she woke up knowing it was her special day as she was a big cheesy goof ball.  I was worried with all the commotion getting ready for the party I would not be able to get her down for a nap, but she went down easy and slept for almost 2 hours.  We got lots of help from all the grandparents.  Almost all her buddies were able to make it over on her big day.  She had a blast and when it came to cake time she put on a show for everyone, at present time she got really excited about each gift.  She fell right asleep that night and sleep all night.

O my what a year that has gone by.

Well my baby cakes is now a year old and is learning faster then ever.  At her one year check up she measured 30 inches and 20 lbs.  She still does not have the confidence to walk on her own but has resortated to walking on her knees.  She still waves to everyone she see and loves to be outside.

Favorites things to do:
        -Look at books, have a book read to her, and also eat books.
        -Dancing and singing
        -Practice walking
        -Feed Blu her food from her highchair
        -Find leafs and then show them to everyone around
        -Go to the park and mimic the big kids
        -Give mommy kisses when she has food all over her face

I am amazed at how much she knows and understands now.  She knows her toys by name and will go get them when asked.  She loves music so some times she will clap her hands when she wants to hear Patty Cake or say "Ei Ei" when she wants to sign Old McDonald.  With how outgoing she is, it is making me have to be more outgoing too.

Dance Parties and Birthday Bashes

Last weekend we went to watch a children's Musician from Nashville.  She came to BG and played a free show at the Coffee Shop.  We met Whitney and Ellie there and they had a little dance party.

On Sunday Ellie had her Birthday party with her little buddy Catherine.  Ellie actual birthday is the 25th 4 days before Zoë's!  We had a lot of fun and ate Pomegranate flavored cake, which happened to be the best cake I have ever had.  I gave Zoë a little taste but she did not seem too excited and I didn't really want to share too much any ways.

Zoë supervising the Birthday Girls.

We are getting so close to a year.

Zoë is so much fun to hang out with these days.  She laughs when I talk and when I tell her I am going to "Get You" she laughs turns and crawls as fast as she can.  She points to her toes, belly, mouth, nose, ears, belly button, and eyes when I ask her where they are.  Her Sixth tooth is about to come in, its on the top left.  She seems to only want to practice walking when we are outside.  We have been trying to work with her on it but I do not want to push her to much.  Most of the time when I try and set her down on her feet she will just put them out straight in front of her.

She is still doing great at school and starting in November she will be going Monday thru Thursday 9-2, I am going to miss her so much.  I love that I open her backpack sometimes to find art work that she made.

Last year on this day my parents arrived to help us get ready for Zoë's arrival.  I was just getting very uncomfortable and was wondering if I was going to be able to handle birthing a baby.

Every thing is a phone

I think this may be a bad sign, but everything is a phone for Zoë.  She will put anything even her foot up to her ear and say "Hey" and then pretend pass it to someone else.

Weekend at Lake Cumberland

We  headed to Lake Cumberland on Friday for a nice weekend in the woods.  We rented a 2 bedroom cabin with our friends Hyatt and Olivia who we had not seen in years.  They just moved from Oregon to Cincinnati so we are excited to have old friends near by.  Zoë loved them and there super cute dog Mabel.  She also loved the cabin and was very excited to be outside a lot playing with leaves and rocks which she thinks taste good too.  When ever she wants to go outside and play she always says and waves "Bye-Bye" and points to the door.  We went to Cumberland falls and looked at the waterfall and a double rainbow.  The special thing about Cumberland Falls is that on a full moon and clear night the falls produce a "Moonbow" which is the only one in the western hemisphere.  Then we went to Natural Arch which was so pretty especially with all the leaves changing.  We spent the rest of the afternoon watching Daddy fish in the lake.

Today we drove up to Berea Kentucky which is my favorite city that I have been too in Kentucky.  It is the Artisan Capitol of the state.  The small town is home to Berea Collage which produces a lot of artist and craftsman, it is a free collage the students need to work in the community to help pay their tuition.  We had lunch at a little cafe down town and Zoë per usually said hi to everyone and yells at those who do not look at her.  I gave her my lemon slice from my water and she was so excited she was showing it to everyone around her.  when ever she would put it in her mouth she would just laugh and laugh.  She never really ate any of it and was super sad when she dropped it.  Luckily I had a straw to give her and this was the second best thing in her world.  After lunch we walked around downtown (about 2 blocks) which included a trip into a super cute toys store where I picked up a little birthday present for her.

Then we were off to the Artisan Fair just down the road.  I have been wanting to go to this event since we moved to Kentucky.  We had a lot of fun and saw a lot of really beautiful things.  Derek got a print and I got a new pair of earrings that I am hoping Zoë doesn't pull out of my ears.  Zoë was so good just waving to people and looking around I would forget she was on my back sometimes.  We are going to make plans to go again next year.

The drive home was less fun, we were all tired and my hope that Zoë would sleep on the drive home since we planned it during her normal nap time did not work.  She only took a short nap this morining and sleeping on the drive home would have been to perfect.  She cried most of the way while I tried to invent new fun toys that each on would only buy us about 30 minutes.  Her favorite was a gallon jug with just a little water left in it.  Once we finally got home she was so happy.  It was a good weekend!

11 Months Old!

I am so impressed with how quickly my baby girl will learn new things.  She is really funny and is very outgoing.  Climbing, dancing and seeing how loud she can get are her favorite things to do.  She is getting really close to walking just in the last week she seems to be more interested in it.  She has been able to take about 2 steps at a time for the last month.

This week at Daycare she did not cry when I dropped her off and it made me so happy, but at the same time I was kinda sad.  She even reached out for one of her teachers which is way different then a few weeks ago when she would have a death grip on me as soon as we walked into the classroom.

We went to see the Doc last week since she had had a running nose for about a month and a cough with a fever.  I went back and forth on taking her and then she twice last Wednesday coughed so hard she vomited I decided I better get her check to be safe.  We went saw the Doc and he checked her and said "every thing looks okay" but he wanted to have her blood tested and chest X-rayed.  My poor child has veins like me in that they are very hard to find.  They tried her right arm first and she watched the needle go in and was doing so good, until she had to wiggle the needle to find the vein.  Then they did the other arm and were able to get enough blood.  She was pretty mad by this point and so holding her down for the X-ray was no fun either.  All was good nothing was wrong with her, which is great but man if I did not feel so horrible for putting her through all that.  While there she weighed in at 19 lbs., 31 inches tall, and 45 cm head.

Zoë is so much fun right now I love playing with her.   She waves to strangers every where we go and loves to see new things.

I can't believe it has been a year since I was begging her to come out of my belly so I could meet her.

They were so tired of photos

10 Months!

Well we have been a little busy around here so this blog has been very neglected.  We did not have a 9 month check up due to a change in insurance so we had a 10 month check up.  Z is 29 and 3/4 inches tall which is in the 95% she weighs 18 lbs. and 14 oz. which is in the 10-25% this one has me worried but the doc says she is fine.  Her giant heed comes in at 45 cm which is in the 95%.

She is really loving going to daycare twice a week, I love getting her daily report sheet from them.  She has been doing a lot better letting other people besides her mama hold and play with her.  Her teacher told me she goes to the refrigerator every day and plays with the picture of our family, and never even touches the other babies family photos.  They have to keep the door closed in her classroom specifically because Zoë always tries to escape.  On some days they go to the classroom next door and play with the kids who are 2 years old, and this is Zoë's favorite.  It was fun to get her school photos done for the first time yesterday, but unfun to already have to deal with crazy mom's.

We have a Dancing Queen on our hands she absolutely loves to dance!  The other day while eating dinner Blu came in the kitchen to get a drink of water and Zoë started to dance to the beat of Blu lapping up water.  She also loves to sing and tries so hard to sing all her ABC's.  Some of her favorite songs are:

Home by Edward Sharp and The Magnetic Zeros
Tighten Up by The Black Keys
Hey Me, Hey Mama by Ray LaMontagne
Party Rock Anthem by LMAFO


...and anything with a banjo

We are getting very close to her walking she takes a couple steps here and there, and she gets so excited about it.  She also loves to give kisses to every one and thing.  It is so funny she opens her mouth wide and just pretty much bits my lips to give me a kiss.

There are now five teeth in her mouth 3 on top and two on the bottom.  Some nights she does so well and sleeps from 8pm until 4am nurses and then goes back to sleep until 6:45.  Other nights she is up every 2 hours, a lot of it is she has been sick more since she started Daycare so she has trouble when she is congested.

We are getting really excited for her first B-day and starting whole milk!

Hanging out with her buddy Tripp

(Not) Working with Zoë

Zoë's and her friends

We have been so lucky to have many friends with babies the same age as Zoë.  Her boyfriend Tripp lives just a few houses down.  Her best friend Oliva is just 5 weeks older, and her new friend Ellie lives only a short walk away and they are just 3 days apart in age.  Larkin was her first friend and they are just a week apart.  Her new daycare boyfriend Beck is just 2 weeks younger then her.

Ellie and Zoë playing in the princess tent.

Zoë meeting Beck for the first time.

On a park date with Tripp.

9 Months Old!!!

At 9 months Zoë can pull her self up and does so any chance she gets she also has gotten really good and getting down from standing.  She can walk around furniture.

Her favorite song is Itsy bitsy spider, and she tries to sing along and do the hand motions.

Her best friend is Blu, she follows him around and waves to him

Words she can say: MaMa, PaPa, Da, bye-bye, hi, blu (it sounds like bo).

When carrying her she puts out her arm and I say "Super Zoë" and she smiles then babbles I image she says: "Off to fight crime in another room."

Her second tooth is getting ready to pop through, she did not quit eating with this tooth like she did with the first one.  It's her top right incisor.

The new noise of choice is smacking her tongue.  She also always has her tongue out of her mouth and puts her fist in the air.

Upset that she could not eat my phone

Some one was having too much fun at Concert in the Park

I am a little worried she is going to bite her tongue off when she gets all her teeth

Action Packed Weekend!

On Friday night we went to Concert in the Park downtown, where Zoë had a picnic date with her Boyfriend Tripp.  It has been very hot here and we got lucky it was only in the low 90's.  Zoë had a great time, her and Tripp played and danced.



On Saturday morning Zoë and I met up with Karla and little Olivia for a hike to the Butterfly Sanctuary.  After that we headed to the pool.  The girls had a fun swimming and playing.  They mimicked and followed each other around.

Next it was off to Daisy's 5th birthday party.  Everyone was so excited to see her that she just jumped from person to person.  She loved all the attention.  With all the small kids running around Zoë seemed to be studying what they were doing I think trying pick up tips on how to walk.  A local Magician was doing a performance for the kids and it was pretty entertaining (Parent behavior).

We ended Saturday at a friends house and once again baby girl got to do some swimming, this time with Daddy.

Sunday we stayed mostly around the house getting it cleaned up and doing some much needed organizing. In the process of putting Zoë's large pile of no longer using items into Attic we found a Princess Tent left from the previous home owners.  We saw it when we moved in and completely forgot about it.  I did not get it cleaned up until after Zoë went to bed so I will have to wait until tomorrow to to see how she likes it.

Zoë has the biggest fear of the vacuum cleaner.  I have to add that we have hardwood floors so it just makes it out to get the couches.  I turned it on and I have never seen her so scared, I tried to show her that it was okay and well that did not go so well.  Now when she even sees it she get upset, so Derek had to turn on music and play on the other side of the house so I could vacuum the couches.

Then it was of to my office so I could pull out all the extra furniture to make more room for Zoë to crawl around.  I also had to do some climb proofing since she try's to climb any thing she can.  I keep telling her she is not allowed to climb until she can walk but she does not care.

Next we pulled some giant cucumbers from our garden and walked them to our next door neighbors and then down to Boyfriend Tripp's house.  The Cucumbers and Tomato's are growing like crazy.

Finally it was time to get down to some play time before dinner.  I got to hear a good "Mama" with Zoë reaching for me!  (Tear)  At dinner she was doing really good with her sign for "more".  Then in the bath it was the same splashing and sliding fun it always is.


Everyone cross your fingers she sleeps through the night tonight.

4 years in Bowling Green

Derek and I landed in Bowling Green Kentucky four years ago.  It is amazing how our lives have changed.  We had just gotten married and were rolling into a city we had never even been to before.  That idea was just a little crazy and really fun 4 years ago, today the thought of not only moving across country (again) but to a city I have never been too well that is just insane.

We are now in love with our little city.  I laugh at my self when I start to get irritated with traffic as I can be any where in 15 minutes even in traffic.  Just about any where we go we see a friend or neighbor.  For a small city we usually have some sort of event about every weekend.  Nashville is very close so any of our big city desires can be fulfilled in a short drive.

Zoë is so lucky to have so many friends her age to play with and if we stay in this house she will be attending the top elementary school in the state.

New to BGKY

Our first dinner at our house.  Electric wasn't turned on until the next day and we were still sleeping at our apt.

This was about 2 weeks before Zoë arrived

Early labor

She insists on feeding her self.  Every other bit goes in her hair.

The First Fourth of July!

We celebrated on the 3rd of July and rested on the Fourth this year.  Derek cooked two Boston Butt's on the grill for 12 hours.  We had many friends and Derek's parents over.  Our friends Brooke and Dave happen to be driving back to Louisville from Tybee Island so we got to see them, and meet little Sully for the first time.  Zoë's new pool was a hit with all the kids so I feel it has already gotten its $10 worth.  That night someone just up the street let off huge fireworks that we could see perfectly from our back yard.  I was amazed the noise did not wake any of the sleeping babies.

Zoë had a great weekend with her Grandma and Pop, and I think they had a lot of fun with her.  She is wild so very fun and stressful to watch. 

Her new sound is ma.  I am very excited about this, although she does not just say mama.  If you have ever seen the "Family Guy" episode where Stewie is tugging at Lois saying "Mom Mama Mum Mother Mom Ma" for long time well that is what Zoë does.  I guess she is learning the different sounds she can make with M.

Yesterday July 5th I saw one of her teeth starting to show!  Finally.  So I guess that is why she has been waking up so many times during the night.  It is her bottom front right tooth.  I am hoping soon the drooling will slow down.

Zoë is now 8 Months old!

So this is a little late.  Sorry.

At 8 Months old she can now pull her self up to standing and kind of walk around the ottoman while hanging on.  Her feet get a little tangled after a few steps usually so she will fall.  She wants to stand all the time so she pulls her self up on any thing she can find.  She can not stand only yet but is getting close.  She will pull up and let go but just fall.

I have been getting lots of hugs and kisses and it makes me so happy.  She is starting to pretend to be scared of Blu and will try and climb up me when he is headed her way.  She will be laughing and climbing then turn around and try and pet him, then act scared again.

In the food department she has added Tomato's, Zucchini (her new fav.), Blackberries, and Broccoli.  She is doing good mashing the food up with her gums so I have been making her food a lot chunkier.  She does awesome with a sippy cup even ones with out handles.

It was a pretty great month.  She made some new friends and did a lot of playing outside.

Daddy got a new J.O.B!

We are very excited here in the Roberts household, Derek got a new job.  He starts his new job with Rexel Electric on Friday and will now have weekends off.  This is so exciting we can now go on some family adventures.  I believe I have most weekends booked for the next year.  Camping and going to Chicago are big ones as well as getting to drive down to Georgia to visit family.

Danger Zoë

My baby girl is fearless!  She is now pulling her self up and attempting to stand on her own.  Derek and I are like jungle gyms to her, she will pull her self up then attempt to launch herself over us.  She is very difficult to hang onto as she is alway reaching for something.  Her crawling skill have gotten really good, she is so quite I can not hear her glide across the room.  I am a little worried she will be climbing up furniture and jumping off soon.

A day at the park

Today was another nice day.  It only got into the low 90's instead of 100 like it has been.  This humid heat makes being outside in the summer misarable, sure makes me miss Oregon summers.

After work today Zoë and I played in the yard for a while then walked up to the park.  She had a great time swinging.  Then we played in the grass for a while.  I had envisioned her taking a nap and me reading, not quite sure what made me think that would happen.  So instead she tried to eat my book and then she tried to eat my leg then my face.  She did deciede to take a nap on the walk back home.

My beautiful daughter is very long, and I am alway having trouble finding PJ's for her.  So I deciede to cut the feet off of her PJ's, and now they are a perfect fit.  She hates to have anything on her feet anyways.

We are still waiting on her teeth to arrive.  There is no sign of their arrival either.

First hike at Mammoth Cave as a Family

We finally had a not so flippin hot day!  So we took advatage and spent it at Mammath Cave National Park.

Living in the now.

When Zoë was a newborn I could not wait until she was more interactive and crawling.  Now I kinda miss little bitty Zoë.  It was so easy to change her diaper with out her rolling over and over and over.  We are having so much fun with her now I don't want to think about future Zoë, exept when I see Tweens then I just hope she jumps right over that.

Ba Ba Ba Ba

Zoë says "BaBaBaBa" most of the day now.  If she is not saying it she is moving her mouth like she is saying it.  This is very serious when she is making this noise but if you make the noise back it is the funniest thing in the world.

She has been for a while now moving her mouth like she is chewing something.  We started the Puffs which she loves and it is so much fun watching her try and get them in her mouth.  She is good at picking them up but not good at getting her thumb and index finger to her mouth first she goes pinky first.

We started using the big bath this week.  We could have started using it a while ago but I needed to give it a good scrub and I thought it would be difficult to bath her in it.  It is actually easier and she loves it.