One Year Old!

So I am a little late on the birthday post but if you're a mom you will understand! We have been super busy the past few weeks. Her birthday & Thanksgiving have come and gone and soon Christmas will be here!
Zoeybug you are a year old!! This year has just flown by. You are still the happiest little girl I know & I love you more and more everyday. Here are a few things you are up to:

• You are talking even more. You now say touchdown & throw up your arms. You also learned to say peek-a-boo!
• You want to play patty cake every time we change your diaper.
• You point at everything and say "what's that??"
• You're not walking but today you were standing on your own a lot.
• You don't like to be fed by anyone but yourself.
• You are off formula & drink regular milk out of sippy cups. You are also off baby food completely. We usually give you whatever we are having.

We had a small birthday party for Zoey in Oklahoma. It was mainly family and a few close friends. I didn't want to overwhelm her with a bunch of people. She had a lot of fun playing in her ball pit with her friends though.

I am excited for Christmas this year. Last year Zoey was only a month old so this year she will actually be unwrapping her gifts. She is definitely my daughter. She loves the lights and the decorations. She points and says "What's that??" or "Aww!" We already have her big Santa gift and her stocking stuffed. We didn't get too carried away since she just had a birthday and to be honest, Christmas is more than just presents. For the most part, it will be nice to be with all of our family again too.

Only one more month til Zoey is ONE!

Holy cow, where did the time go? Zoebug you are starting to look like a toddler more & more everyday. I can't believe next month we will be having your first birthday party. Here are some of the things you are up doing now:

• You now have 7 teeth and possibly an 8th about to break through.
• You can stand on your own for little bits at a time and also take a few steps before you get excited and fall over
  
• You are a talker! You point and say "was tha" (what's that?) ALL the time.
  
• You are drinking out of sippy cups like a pro.
  
• You are Mickey's biggest fan(or Cici according to you). We watch an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse every morning so you can dance to the Hot Dog song.
• You LOVE when daddy plays his guitar. You dance & sometimes sing along.

This time last year Josh & I were impatiently waiting for her to get here. I was huge & uncomfortable. It's crazy how much changes in a year.

More Zoey Updates

Zoey had her 9 month check up on Friday. Yes, I know, she is 10 months old but we were not here and it took us a couple weeks to get her into the doctor. She had a great check up. She hasn't gained any weight this month but she grew almost 2 inches! She jumped from the 50th percentile to the 75th to 90th! Her big head is still in the 75th to 90th percentile and her weight is in the 25th. She is probably going to be tall like her Daddy :-)
Now that that's out of the way here are some Zoey pictures:Zoey, mom & I took Jeff out for lunch on his birthday last week.
She loves to point at everything now
Buddies :-) They are waiting for Josh to get home from work.
I love this little girl! I can't believe we will soon be celebrating her first birthday.

10 months old!!!

I can't believe you are 10 months old already, Zoey! This year has gone by way too fast for me. You are still changing each month. Every new thing you do becomes my favorite thing. Here are some of the things that you are up to:

• Still crawling like a pro. You have stood a couple times on your own but only for a few seconds.
• You talk a lot! You say a bunch of things: ma ma, da da, uh oh, Eeyi!(Eli), hi, bye, cat, & dog.
• You love giving kisses. We just have to say "Give me a kiss" and you pucker up. This really is my favorite thing.
• You have 4 teeth and 2 about to break through.

I can't believe Zoey's birthday is 2 months away. I have an idea how I want to do her party but I need to start planning soon. We have decided to just have a family party this year since it'll probably be our only year to do so. Hopefully that will make it a little easier on me too :-)

9 Months Old

I can't believe you are already 9 months old, Zoebug! Pretty soon you will be a year old. I don't know if I'm ready for that! I have already started planning the party because it will be here before I know it.
You are doing so much & still changing everyday. Here are a few of those things:

• You are crawling everywhere and pulling up on everything. Keeping up with you is like a workout itself.
• You give kisses if someone leans in to kiss you and sometimes you just want a kiss :-) I love your slobbery baby kisses :)
• You are in LOVE with Jack & Rocky. You like to follow him everywhere. If one just walks by you start giggling. Rocky likes you too because you give him some of your food sometimes.
  
• Your new words are daw for dog and ca for cat. Daddy also taught you to say hi & wave. You still say ma ma, bye bye, and your favorite- da da :-)

After 5 1/2 months, Josh will be home from Yuma for good. He was supposed to be there until September 2nd but they will be finished a week earlier. I am so excited to be back together as a family. Zoey definitely misses her Daddy, she talks about him all the time :-)

8 months old

Zoey Grace, you are growing up way too fast for me but I love seeing your personality develop more everyday! You are definitely a little ornery but still a happy, laid back baby :-) Here are a few things you are doing these days:

• You are talking constantly. Mostly cute baby chatter but you do throw in "da da" & "ma ma" You are waving bye bye too.
  
• You LOVE to dance when daddy whistles or music is on. It is the cutest thing, you are a dancer like your momma :-)
• I think you miss Rocky & Jack because when that ASPCA commercial comes on, no matter what you're doing you stop to watch it.
  
• You're almost crawling. You rock back & forth, go backwards, or do this inchworm thing to go forward. She rather stand than crawl right now.
  
• You still only have one tooth but your second is about to break through.
  
• You are like your momma. Your favorite food right now is mac n cheese!
• You are an amazing napper! You get 3 hour and a half naps & go to bed at 9 PM and wake up around 7:30 AM.
  

We love you so much Zoebug! If you wanted to slow down on the growing up, though, that'd be ok with us ;-)

7 Months Old/Father's Day

I think it's kind of cool that Josh celebrated his first Father's Day exactly 7 months from when he became a Dad. She is doing so much since last month.

• She now rolls back to tummy & tummy to back
• She can go from sitting up to the crawling position. I bet she is crawling pretty soon :-)
• She had a tooth break through. Let me tell you, a teething baby isn't fun at all. She's fine during the day but at night she wakes up every couple hours crying. Usually we can put some gel on her gums , give her a binky & she goes back to sleep
• She's talking and laughing all the time. She says "ma ma" constantly which makes me smile every time :-) We're working on "da da." She has said it once or twice but never around Josh.

Since this is Josh's first Father's Day I thought I'd include some Josh/Zoey pics. He is such an awesome Dad. We are both so lucky to have him. He provides so much for our little family.First time holding his little girl.

She loves him so much!
Also, I have a pretty awesome Dad too! Happy Father's Day, Daddy!! We love you!

Half a Year Old!

Zoebug, you are growing up way too fast. You are now 6 months old!! You are doing so much and you are learning new things every day.

• You weigh 15 lbs even
  
• You've started enjoying tummy time.
• You can stand while holding on to something. Pulling up is not far off, I have a feeling.
  
• Your favorite food is sweet potatoes. I can't feed you fast enough when you eat them.
• When on your tummy you scoot backwards, it's the cutest thing!
• You are wearing size 6 month & 6-9 month clothes and 9 month sleepers because your legs are long. You are going to be tall like your Daddy.
• You get really excited when any of the animals come near you. Rocky lets you pull on his fur, his ears & poke him in the eye.
  

Easter & Mother's Day

So much is going on that I feel like I need to be updating more than once a month. Since Zoey turned 5 months she had her first Easter & I had my first Mother's Day. Josh flew in for both holidays so that was great!

Zoey in her cute Easter dress

Playing with all her new goodies she got for Easter

Easter Sunday Zoey went to her first church service. She slept through most of it. As the speaker was praying at the end of the service, Zoey decided she wanted to help out & started talking so Josh took her out to the lobby.
Zoey also went to her first baseball game. We went to the Owasso/Bartlesville game last week. She just looked around at everything. Josh joined a softball league so I think Zoey will like to go watch him play.

At the Owasso/Bartlesville game

Me and my baby girl on Mother's Day

I couldn't have asked for a better Mother's Day. Bell flew Josh home, which the originally weren't going to. Then, as a bonus, he got Monday off so he got to stay an extra day. We celebrated with my family on Saturday & his family on Sunday. Monday Josh let me sleep in & woke me up with breakfast in bed :-) We then went to Tulsa for lunch at The Brook then he took me to Vintage Pearl to pick out a necklace. I got one that has a moon with the saying "I love you to the moon and back" and Zoey's name on it.
Zoey is doing so much! She has such a big personality already. She is the happiest baby I have ever seen. We started just laying her down because naps were becoming a battle. She falls asleep within 10 minutes & sleeps longer than if we rocked her! It is great! She takes 3-4 hour & a half naps now! Here's some other things she is up to:

• She says "ma ma" all the time now. I love hearing her talk.
• She tries to imitate us when we blow raspberries at her. It is the cutest thing.
• She is starting to be leary of strangers. She's fine as long as mom or dad are nearby though.
• Once she sees you are ok, she is a big flirt. She talks and gets so excited if you talk to her.
• She sticks her feet in her mouth all the time.
  
• She just started sitting up on her own this morning.
  
• We're working on crawling, she just hasn't figured out how to move her arms.
  
• She loves Jack & Rocky. She gets excited when they are near & puts out her hands to grab them when they walk by.
• Everything goes in her mouth. If it's in her hands it goes straight to the mouth and she grabs for everything.
• She now eats cereal in the morning & a fruit or veggie at night. Right now it's apples. She loves them!

I'm sure there's a lot more but I figure this is a long enough post for now.

5 months

Zoey turned 5 months old yesterday. It seems like these month birthdays are coming faster & faster. She is changing so much each week. Josh is away on a business trip & he says she has changed a lot since he's been gone.
Here's what she's been up to:

• She rolls from front to back. She also rolls from back to side but she hates being on her tummy so it might take awhile for her to completely roll back to front.
  
• She eats 6 oz each feeding
• She is now eating cereal at night so she sleeps better during the night.
  
• She only wakes up once in the night around 4 am then sleeps til about 8 am with 2 big naps during the day & 1 0r 2 small naps
• She grabs everything! Faces, glasses, toys, animals, etc...
• She weighs 14 lbs 4 oz. She wears size 3-6 months & 6 months clothes & size 2 diapers. She is getting so big!!

Josh has been in Yuma, AZ for 2 weeks for a business trip. He is flying home for Easter and Zoey & I are both excited to see him. She had an ear & respiratory infection over the weekend. She was really fussy but everytime we skyped with Josh she got very excited. After this weekend he has to go back to Yuma for 3-4 weeks. He has to miss my first Mother's Day so if anyone wants to fly him home for me for Mother's Day that would be ok with me! :-)
She is definitely a Daddy's girl!

4 Months Old & Belly Laughs

So I'm a little late with Zoey's 4 month post but when you have a baby, a blog post is low on the priority list! Zoey turned 4 months old last Saturday. Her are some stuff that she is up to:

• laughing all the time. We have a very laid back, happy baby :-)
• She has just started rolling from her tummy to her back. I think she started doing it because she hates tummy time!
• She can almost sit up by herself but still needs something behind her for when she falls back
  
• She weighs between 12-13 lbs. We'll find out for sure on Monday though.
• She wears 3-6 months & 6 months size clothes depending on the brand.
  
• She eats about 5 1/2 oz every 3-4 hours
• She usually only wakes up around 5 am to eat then goes back to sleep until 8:30.
• She looks more & more like Josh everyday. She has my eyes but everything else is Josh! Well we both have brown hair so I think I will claim the hair too :-)
  

We go to the doctor on Monday to get 4 month shots & to talk about starting Zoey on cereal.
Zoey also experienced her first car wreck last week. We were stopped at the stop light in front of the high school with a truck stopped behind us. An older lady was talking on her cell phone & not paying attention & ran right into the truck which then hit us. I am just thankful that truck was there otherwise it could have been a lot worse. Everyone in our car was ok. I don't think Zoey was even sore but she was falling asleep so it scared her but she calmed down once I got her out of her car seat. I am thankful my parents were with me!
On a happier note, Zoey is laughing or smiling all the time. Here's a video of Josh getting her to laugh while having the hiccups. She really gets going around the :44 mark if you don't want to watch the whole thing.

Day 6, 7 & 8!

Wow, I really fell behind! So here we go...

Day 6: A picture of a person you'd love to change places with for a day:So they aren't people but they have a pretty easy life! They lay around a lot or just play outside without any cares!

Day 7: A picture of your most treasured item:So, again, she's not an "item" but she is more important to me than any materialistic thing.

Day 8: A picture that makes you laugh:
If you can't tell, our animals are very spoiled!

Day 5 Photo Challenge

Day 5: A picture of a favorite memoryThis is the moment I met my daughter. I told everyone there would be no posting photos of me right after labor but this is my favorite memory so I thought I'd make an exception. This was extra special because I had an infection & spiked a fever during labor so Zoey was put in the NICU & I didn't get to see her for 24 hours after I delivered. Right after they cleaned her I got to hold her for maybe a minute then they whisked her away from me. That was the hardest 24 hours. Josh got to see her so I made him take the camera & bring back tons of pictures of her. Anyway, this is my favorite memory because even though she's only been here 3 1/2 months I can't imagine my life without her.

Day 4 Photo Challenge/More Zoey pictures

Day 4: A picture of your favorite night
This is a picture of July 19, 2008. This is the night Josh proposed :-) I picked this night because this is when our life together as a family started. I love him so much & so happy he picked me to be his wife. He really is my best friend!
Ok, so here are a couple pictures of Z that wouldn't load yesterdayWorking on sitting up! Excuse the mess behind her. If you have a baby you understand how sometimes you just don't have time to clean.We have a very happy baby :-)She looks so much like her daddy!

Day 3 Picture Challenge & Zoey pics

Day 3: Post a picture of the cast from your favorite show
So far Josh & I are doing good going to the gym & working out. It is only Wednesday but I've set a goal for myself!This is what I looked like before I had Zoey. I only have about 8-10 pounds to go. Hopefully posting this will help keep me motivated :-)
Now for some Zoey pictures:

She was doing tummy time and pretty much climbed over her boppy. I have a feeling she is going to crawl earlier than usual. She is always moving!
I had more pictures but blogger was being dumb and wouldn't upload them so I will try again tomorrow. She has been working on sitting up now. She is just doing something new everyday!

Day 2

Day 2: A picture of you and the person you have been close with the longest.I'm lucky to have two brothers but Jeff & I are only 15 months apart so we did a lot together. We had some of the same friends too. We haven't always gotten along but over the past 10 years or so we've become very close. He's getting married in May & I am so happy for him & his future wife! I love you Bubbs :-)

30 Day Picture Challenge

Since my last post, we found out Josh has to work 4 PM til midnight for the next few weeks. Today was our first day on this schedule and it's not too bad so far. Usually when he gets home at night we're both so tired that we just hang out with Zoey and the TV is usually on. This morning Josh was playing with Zoey while I got to shower and actually fix my hair and put on make up. We then went and walked around the mall to get out of the house and get some exercise. While we were out we signed up for a gym. I think we're going to like going. They have a child care so Josh and I can work out together and stay motivated. I think I'll like working out there because there are big windows into the kids area so I can see Zoey while I work out :-) I don't trust my baby with just anybody!
Since I'll have my evenings free I thought I would try out this 30 day photo challenge. I got it off Facebook but I thought not everyone will want to see it so I'll just stick it on here :-) So here it goes:
Day 1: A picture of you with 15 facts1. I'm not the kind of girl who takes pictures of herself all the time so this is pretty much the most recent picture of me by myself.
2. I have the best hubby ever. I know he was made for me :-)
3. I grew up with mostly boys (even cousins) so I was shocked to have a baby girl.
4. Zoey is the best thing that has ever happened to me & Josh
5. I love to read. If I get into a book I will stay up to finish it.
6. My passion is dance & I hope to start that back up soon.
7. I would love to move back to Oklahoma.
8. I just recently became obsessed with scrabble.
9. I want to travel to Paris soon
10. I'm addicted to Dr Pepper
11. I love running
12. I call my mom or she calls me everyday & probably will be this way forever
13. I'm definitely a daddy's girl :-)
14. I don't eat healthy at all
15. I have the best family ever!!