9 Months

Dear Zachary,

You're 9 months old, sweetie! Can you believe it?! Mommy can't! Where is the time going?! You're growing up far too fast. Slow down!!

You're becoming more vocal. You "talk" to us all the time and have the sweetest spirit. You are such a happy baby, unless you're sleepy or hungry. Speaking of sleep and hunger, you're a great sleeper and a great eater. You are sleeping much longer stretches at night. For awhile I thought you were officially sleeping through the night, but you switched it up on us recently and started waking in the middle of the night again. I think we're close to you sleeping through the night consistently, though, so I'm not discouraged. You are a phenomenal eater! We recently discovered the one and only food you do not like (yet!), which is yogurt. You make some of the worst faces when you eat it. We'll keep trying. You absolutely love mangocado (pureed mango and avocado), though. New foods this month, besides mango and avocado, are carrots and apples. We'll start some meats and lentils next month. We are enjoying making your food. It's great knowing exactly what's going into your little body, which is nothing but organic goodness.

It looks like you're about to cut your first tooth soon because your gums are bulging in the area of your top front teeth. Your sister didn't get her first tooth until she was almost one, so I'm not ready for you to get teeth yet. This is just another reminder that you're growing up. :( I'm also nervous about biting since you're still breastfed, but I'm sure it'll be fine.

The big event this month is that you celebrated your FIRST CHRISTMAS!!! You had a great time opening gifts (read: chewing on the wrapping paper and bows). Your attention span for opening gifts was very low, but that's to be expected. You got a whole new crop of toys that are especially for you, including several really cool trucks and cars. It's fun seeing our home fill up with "boy stuff."

You continue to pull up to the standing position every chance you get, and you're starting to cruise more and more along items. I don't think you'll be walking anytime soon because you prefer standing stationary to cruising and you're not yet standing unassisted, but I could be wrong. Time will tell.

Zachary, you light up our lives. We are so blessed to have you. You truly make my heart smile. I love you so much, son!

XOXO,
Mommy

Self-imposed Time Out

Zoe put herself in time out yesterday. Why you might ask? Because, according to her, she was mean and didn't want to talk to the San.ta ornament on the Christmas tree. She sat in the kitchen for her self-imposed time out and when she was finished she told "San.ta" she would talk to him now. LOL. Zoe is a hoot!!! She makes us laugh every day.

On the 6th Day of Christmas....

...[Jesus] brought to me....a-sleeping-through-the-night-baby! At almost 9 months old, Zachary is officially sleeping through the night!!! Yay!!! Thank you, Jesus!! I'm still trying to master going to bed shortly after he does, but it feels so good waking up after several uninterrupted hours of sleep. Best Christmas present ever! :)

8 Months

Dear Zachary,

You're 8 months old! 8 months, as is 2/3 of a year old. Milestones and time seem to move faster with you than they did with your sister. Slow down, baby boy, you're growing too fast and Mommy's heart can't take it. I just love you so much, Zachary!

Your big development this month is you're standing up! Not in the unassisted, standing on your own, way, because you need support, but you LOVE to pull yourself up to the standing position every chance you get. Daddy recently pulled out your sister's old music tables for you to stand and play with, and you love these new toys.

You don't like to be held as much lately. If you're not being held to nurse, you want to be on the floor playing. You're still combat crawling, and you're still super fast. You are curious about everything. You definitely know your name, which has been the case for awhile, but it's fun when you come to us when we say "Zachary, come to Mommy (or Daddy)." It is also funny when you crawl and follow us around when you're tired and want to be picked up.

This is nothing new, but you love to suck on your fingers. Daddy often jokes and says your hands seem to be spring loaded to land in your mouth. Initially, we thought you might be a thumb sucker, but it is now evident that you love all of your fingers.

We've added more food to your menu this month. You have tried sweet potatoes, butternut squash, green peas and prunes (for constipation). You are such an eager eater. You love your solids.

Zachary, you add a special warmth to our family. Your sweet face makes me smile. You are a pure joy. I'm so blessed to be your mother.

XOXO,
Mommy

Look Who's Pulling Up! (7.5 months)

Zachary has been pulling up to his knees for the past few weeks, but today he went a step further and pulled himself up to the standing position on the love seat. I can't believe how much faster he's reaching these milestones compared to Zoe. I guess it goes to show that every child IS different. I hope he doesn't rush to walk because he is ALL boy, and I know he'll be running us ragged! Oh, when Zachary stood up, I rushed to get my camera, of course. Being the camera lover that he is, Zachary got excited just as I was snapping my third picture of him and he fell straight back. Oops! He cried a little bit, but he recovered quickly. That was a good reminder that he's still unstable, although he's reaching milestones quicker, so we need to spot him more closely. It's funny what you forget the second time around (or how vigilant parents are the first time around). :)

Without further ado, here's our big boy:

7 Months!

**Family and friends (if anyone is still out there....I'm going to start working on updating my blog. Please be patient with me. I'm so excited to get back to blogging!)

Dear Zachary,

You are 7 months old! How can that be???? It seems like I was *just* gazing into your eyes for the first time. Wow!

You are such a blessing. Between you and me, I have always been so partial to girls. When I was pregnant with you, I couldn't decide if I wanted a girl or a boy. I now feel foolish for any conflict I had because you are a pure joy, and I am completely smitten with you. I feel so blessed that I get to experience the joys of raising "one of each."

In the past month you started solids! We started you with brown rice cereal, which you thought was just okay and then moved on to oatmeal, which you absolutely LOVE. You fit in quite well in our family because we are all oatmeal lovers, and it is a common breakfast around here. Vegetables are next. We can't wait, and I'm sure you can't either.

This month you perfected your combat crawl. Initially, you would rock back and forth on your legs and then drop to your belly. Now you don't bother getting on your knees at all, so you may be an exclusive combat crawler. You are so fast and so curious. I often joke with Daddy about the fact that you will require us to baby proof, which we didn't have to do with your sister. You are already opening the lowest drawer on the TV console and you love making your way to power cords. Oh boy!

You still aren't sleeping through the night, but you are falling into some predictable sleep patterns, which is nice. Mommy brings you to our bed when you wake up for the first time at night and you just side lie with me and nurse at your leisure for the remainder of the night. It works for both of us and allows Mommy to get a little more rest, especially on the days I work.

You are still such a friendly baby. You generously share your sweet little smile with new people and your eyes just sparkle when you smile. One of your favorite people to smile at, besides Mommy and Daddy, is your big sister, Zoe. It is very apparent that you already look up to her. You love to watch her and she can easily make you laugh. It is so sweet watching the two of you together.

The highlight of this month was the Sta.te Fa.ir of Te.xas! It was a first for Zoe, and you, obviously. Although you just hung out in the Bj.orn on Mommy and Daddy, you seemed to enjoy looking at all the bright colors, hearing all the new sounds and watching all the people. You also took time for a nice snooze.

I love you so much, Zachary, and I'm so delighted God chose me to be your Mommy! I look forward to what the next month will hold.

My love always,
Mommy

Zachary is Here!

We are officially a family of four! Zachary Alexander made his debut at 2:21am on March 29. He was 3 weeks early, weighing in at a whopping 5 pounds 3 ounces, measuring 17 1/4 inches long. I am so behind on my blog, and I really thought I would have time to update my blog before he was born. I guess not. The last 8 (or so) weeks of my pregnancy were quite eventful. My pregnancy went from uncomplicated to having some bumps in the road in the matter of one innocent ultrasound. All of that later, including Zachary's birth story (sneak peek: I had to have a c-section, which I DID NOT want...boooo!!!!)

Welcome to the world, Zachary! Mommy, Daddy and Big Sister Zoe already love you very much.

We Saw the Goods!

Monday was my second trimester screening. Everything looked GREAT with Baby D2. The heart had four chambers, the brain looked wonderful and all organs were present and accounted for. The doctor gave us a very high degree of reassurance that there's no concern for Do.wn Syn.dro.me or spi.na bif.ida. (Each of these are of high risk in an over age 35 pregnancy) Praise the Lord for a great report!!!

After the important stuff, we went on to the fun stuff. The goods! Girl or boy?! Well, we are excited to know we're expecting a baby boy! A son! Admittedly, I feel clueless about what to do with a boy after raising a girl for nearly two years, but I know we'll figure it all out. I'm thrilled to have "one of each" and to experience the joys of having a daughter and a son! We feel very fortunate and so very blessed!

Time to Potty Train?

Zoe has recently been showing an interest in using the toilet. We haven't purchased her a potty chair just yet, and I'm not certain we will. We may just transition her from her diaper to the toilet to make potty training a one-step process, rather than a two-step process (i.e., training first on a potty chair and later moving up to the toilet). Anyway, I digress. The first indication that Zoe may be ready to potty train is that she started grabbing at her diaper frequently after peeing and at times seemed bothered by her wet diaper. Zoe has never been bothered by a wet diaper; she never even cried when wet when she was an infant. Trevor bought her a book about potty training, which I read to her one night. Immediately after reading the book, she pulled down her pants, started tugging at her diaper and was saying "paw pee" (her version of "pee pee", which is so cute). I took her diaper off and sat her on the toilet, but she didn't do anything. I cheered for her nonetheless and SHE flushed the toilet (lol). For several days after this (and even still today), Zoe became obsessed with removing her diaper and wanting to sit on the toilet. She also started removing her diaper while in her crib. She went poo poo (or "paw poo") in her crib once, which required us to start placing her diaper on backwards during naps and bedtime. Trevor also bought Zoe a video about potty training, which we watched last night. Again, Zoe wanted to use the toilet after watching the video. Well, today Zoe said she had to "paw pee" and started pulling at her pants and diaper. We sat her on the toilet and.....SHE PEED!!!! After she peed she said "wipe?" and after we wiped her, she again flushed the toilet. She peed on the toilet a total of four times this evening, each time by her request!!! We don't want to rush her, but she's definitely starting to show signs of readiness. I guess we'll follow her lead.

Breastfeeding While Pregnant

When I was pregnant with Zoe, I knew I would attempt to breastfeed my baby. There was no question about it. Breastfeeding didn't start as a magical experience for us. Well, I guess it was magical the first night of Zoe's life, but before we even left the hospital the trouble set in and continued for the first 4.5 weeks of Zoe's life. Once we got nursing fully established, there was no looking back. Initially I wanted to make it to the six month mark. Made it. Then I decided I'd nurse Zoe for a year. No sweat! As I started contemplating weaning her, I realized I couldn't do it, and I didn't want to do it. We had a good thing going, she still really enjoyed it, so why end it. I decided I would nurse Zoe until she turned 18-months and if she hadn't started showing signs of weaning, I'd start the weaning process. Neither happened. My new timeline became 2 years or when I got pregnant. Well, I got pregnant and continued to nurse Zoe. After doing extensive online research, I found plenty to support our continued nursing relationship. While nursing while pregnant is ill-advised for women with a history of pre-term labor, that isn't my story. After my first prenatal appointment, I received Dr. S's blessing to continue nursing Zoe, particularly because we weren't nursing very frequently (at the time, 2-3 times per day). She just urged me to take a calcium supplement to compensate for the extra demand on my calcium stores. So, 20-months later, Zoe is still nursing. Unfortunately, nursing became extremely painful once breast tenderness set in around week 6 of my pregnancy. After two weeks of enduring horrendous pain, I decided to try to wean Zoe down to morning nursings only to manage the discomfort. She cooperated quite well. Now it seems she's ready to wean entirely. The past two mornings she has shown very little interest in nursing. She nurses briefly on one side and then she's "all done." I don't know if the weaning process is because Zoe is ready or if my milk supply has diminished to the point of making nursing pointless. Honestly, I think it's the latter. Regardless of the reason, I'm a little conflicted about the possible shift in our relationship. I'm so pleased that I was able to nurse this long, especially as a 1st generation nursing (and working) mother and given all the issues we had in the beginning. I'm also happy that Zoe is doing the weaning instead of the other way around. I really didn't want to "take" this away from her. I know I'll miss the extra cuddling that nursing provides, but I believe that nursing created an impenetrable bond between Zoe and me, for which I'll be eternally grateful. I'm also happy I've been able to give Zoe such a wonderful gift and lots of good antibodies! Assuming Zoe is in fact weaning, I guess this means I won't be tandem nursing once Baby D2 is born. Trust me, I was fully prepared and willing to do so if necessary. (I'm sure someone would've called Nati.onal Ge.ogra.phic on me!)

13 Weeks

Baby D2 is 13 weeks in utero today. Morning sickness continues to be the theme of this pregnancy, although it is dissipating. I'm no longer sick all day long. My morning sickness is now primarily late afternoon through the evening. I'm so anxious for this phase to end! Since this is my last week in my 1st trimester, I'm hoping good things are on the horizon. I've also started dealing with heartburn already and it seems that I have sciatica this time around, which I didn't have with Zoe. This pregnancy is starting out much different than Zoe's! I'm hopeful, though, that this pregnancy will be as great and easy as Zoe's.

This week Baby D2 is forming teeth and vocal cords. The baby has formed its fingerprints and veins are visible through his/her see-through skin. The baby's body is becoming more proportional with the head now making up one-third of the body instead of one-half. If Baby D2 is a girl, she already has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. 2 million eggs?! That stat amazed me when I was pregnant with Zoe, and it still amazes me now. The human body is simply amazing!

This week Baby D2 is the size of a peach:

Week 8 (and first prenatal appointment)

Baby D2 is 8 weeks inutero today. My morning sickness is still in full force and effect. Today was my first prenatal appointment. It was so great seeing Dr. S again. Seeing her today reminded me of how much I like her. I'm so excited she'll be delivering Baby D2. She seemed excited to see us. She greeted me with a hug, which was endearing. It was also her first time seeing Zoe since she was 6 weeks (and fast asleep in her car seat). After my 6 week postpartum check-up with Zoe, I decided to return to my old gynecologist, whom I love (she doesn't deliver babies). I'm quite certain my time with Dr. S will be limited to the delivery of Baby D2, but it's nice being back with her even if for a short few months.

Dr. S prescribed me a new prenatal vitamin with extra vitamin B6, which may help with my morning sickness. I have to take three pills a day, which concerns me because I'm a horrible pill taker! She also wrote me a prescription for an anti-nausea medicine (Zo.fran) if the vitamins don't work. I'm hoping the vitamins do the trick. We'll see.

Baby D2 looked great on ultrasound. We took Zoe to this appointment to include her in the excitement. She whined and was reaching out for me most of the appointment. I think she was a bit afraid by all that was going on. (Dark room, trans vaginal ultrasound, a new person talking to her, Mommy lying back on a table, etc) She quieted down and listened intently, though, when we heard the baby's heartbeat. It was cute. Baby D2 had a nice strong heartbeat. 161 bpm, and s/he was measuring 8 weeks on the dot. My official due date is April 20. I'm curious to see what happens with this little one's birth since Zoe came at 38 weeks.

Baby D2 is growing like made. Over a millimeter per day. Although it's too early to feel it, the baby has started moving his/her tiny little legs and arms, although its toes and fingers are still webbed. Eyelids almost cover the baby's eyes (I wonder if s/he will have blue eyes like Zoe, although they are now turning grayish/greenish in color). Breathing tubes extend from Baby D2's throat to the branches of his/her lungs. The baby's brain continues to develop as nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another. Despite all this development, the baby's external genitalia still haven't formed enough for us to know if it's a boy or a girl. The gender doesn't matter. We just want our little one to be healthy (but who doesn't, right?!).

This week the baby is the size of raspberry (wish I wanted to eat one...):

Week 7

Baby D2 is 7 weeks inutero today. Similar to Zoe's pregnancy, this first trimester is creeping along. Perhaps the persistent morning sickness I'm experiencing is to blame. My morning sickness has worsened. Thankfully (or not?), I'm not vomiting, but I'm very nauseous. So very nauseous. I'm really anxious for this to pass so I can begin really enjoying my pregnancy. I determined a couple of weeks ago that I was going to exercise regularly with this pregnancy. That worked well until my morning sickness struck. Now all I want to do is lay down every chance I get.

This week we'll call Baby D2 a brainiac because his/her brain is generating at an astonishing one hundred new cells per minute. Wow! Arm and leg joints are starting to form and Baby D2's permanent set of kidneys are forming. The baby's liver is hard at work already, and the pancreas and appendix, which are already formed, will soon begin doing their job as well. I'm truly amazed, even with a second pregnancy, at the work of God. I still do not know how people deny He lives and that we are indeed wonderfully and fearfully made.

This week the baby is the size of a blueberry (I wish I could stomach the idea of eat a blueberry right about now....blah):

Week 6

Baby D2 is 6 weeks inutero today. This week kicked off my morning sickness. This is different than Zoe's pregnancy. My morning sickness with Zoe started at 10 weeks and ended by week 12. This is only week 6!! Oh Lord, help me!! I'm sick all. day. long. Blah. And I'm soooo tired. Beyond tired. I'm praying this all passes soon, but definitely by the end of my first trimester.

This week, Baby D2's eyes, ears, nose, cheeks and chin are forming. The baby's hands and feet are webbed like paddles and his/her heart is beating up a storm. Blood is starting to circulate as well. The baby's intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will become lungs is taking shape. Additionally, the pituitary gland, brain, muscles and brain are starting to form.

This week the baby is the size of a sweet pea:

Week 5

Baby D2 is 5 weeks in utero today! (According to my calculation) Baby D2 and I are at the start of our special journey together. These updates will get longer as we go along because the baby will be growing like crazy and I will have various symptoms to report.

I'm feeling good so far. I'm starting to feel more tired than usual, but that's normal at this stage of pregnancy. I've also been experiencing a lot of abdominal cramps, but that's normal as well as my uterus begin to stretch and expand to host Baby D2 for the next 8+ months.

This week some fun stuff is going on with the baby! All the books say the baby resembles more of a tadpole than a human being. In that case, I'd say this baby is the cutest tadpole ever! :) S/he is made up of three layers--ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm. Each of these layers will form his/her organs and tissues. Notably, this week the neural tube, which will form the baby's spinal cord, brain, nerves and backbone, is forming. Also, the baby's heart and circulatory system are starting to form.

This week the baby is the size of an apple seed:

Letter to Our New Addition

Baby D2,

Hello, my sweet little one. I'm your Mommy. Well, Daddy, Zoe and I learned today that you'll soon be joining our family. We now eagerly anticipate your arrival. You're the luckiest baby ever. You have a Mommy and Daddy waiting to shower you with love, and you have the most amazing big sister to show you the ropes. We can't wait to find out if you're a boy or a girl. Regardless, we already love you and can't wait to see your sweet little face.

Grow nice and strong for us, sweetie. We all love you!

Love always,
Mommy

Zoe Is....

...going to be a big sister! Although we were trying for this baby, it's still surreal to think that our little family of three will soon be a family of four. We know Zoe is going to be a wonderful big sister. She's such a sweet and loving little girl. The next eight months will be consumed with showering Zoe will the love she's already accustomed to receiving and preparing her for the arrival of her baby brother or sister.

Unlike with Zoe's pregnancy, I didn't test alone today. I purposely waited to test at a time we could be together as a family. Before leaving for work, I told Trevor that it was time to take a test. I took the home pregnancy test and promptly delivered it to Trevor to keep an eye on it. I asked if the window said anything yet and Trevor said "no, it's still thinking." About 5 seconds later his eyes got slightly big and he said "it's done thinking." He then handed the test to Zoe and told her to "take this to Mommy." Zoe, being the eager little helper she is, promptly complied and came to me with a huge smile on her face as she delivered the test into my hands. In my heart I already knew what the result was. I peered down and saw the word "PREGNANT." Trevor, Zoe and I had a family hug and then Trevor and I began telling Zoe she was going to be a big sister, to which she replied "huh?" LOL.

I'd be less than honest if I didn't share that shortly after rejoicing at the news, a bit of panic suddenly hit me. I began to cry as I explained to Trevor that I was worried about what this pregnancy means to my relationship with Zoe. I also want my love for this new baby to match the love I have for Zoe. I've heard countless times that God has a way of expanding parents' hearts to fully love all of their children. While I know this to be true, I can't wrap my head around that right now. Zoe and I are so bonded, and I don't want that to change. Of course, I want to share the same bond with Baby D2. I guess the fear of the unknown is consuming me, but I trust the Lord, and I know it will all work out.

We're pregnant!!! Wow!!!

Hide-and-Seek, Zoe Style

Zoe has long been fascinated with cabinets, drawers, etc, but recently she's discovered the art of sitting inside cabinets. She has a favorite cabinet in the kitchen that she likes to use to play hide-and-seek. When she goes "in" the cabinet (her feet are still hanging out...lol) she says "bye" and when she pops out she says "hi." Of course, we act shocked every time she pops out. She's a hoot! We love this girl to pieces!!! She is so much fun!

Where's Zoe?!

There She Is!

Zoe's "One Year" Photos

It seems somewhat silly to post Zoe's "one year" photos now that she's 18-months, but we just received our photo disk from the photographer a couple of weeks ago. Memories are extremely important me, as is capturing major milestones (and simple moments) via pictures. For that reason, we've had quarterly professional pictures taken of Zoe starting with her newborn photos. Unfortunately, we hit some bumps in the road with Zoe's one year photos because of inclement weather in February and March (we did an outdoor session) and then a mystery rash that covered Zoe's face, neck, chest and back for over a month (poor baby!). We finally took pictures at the end of April, just before Zoe turned 15-months old. Better late than never, right? The remaining delay was on the photographer's end. Anyway, we're happy to have the photos in hand, and we are so pleased with the way they turned out. Without further ado, here are some of our favorites:

17 Months!

Dear Zoe,

You're 17 months old, pumpkin! My, how time flies. You have become so much fun. Although it's sad thinking about how fast you're growing, I can honestly say that every new stage is more fun than the stage before. You are doing so many new and exciting things.

First, in terms of physical development, you're getting your 5th tooth. You've handled teething really well. Besides drooling like crazy and chewing on your fingers, occasionally, you wake up at an odd time in the middle of the night or you'll be a little clingy, which I attribute to teething, but you have not experienced any extreme discomfort...at least not that we're aware of. You're becoming very skilled at going up and down the stairs. In fact, you literally try to walk up and down the stairs now. Mommy and Daddy watch you very closely. You've pretty much mastered crawling up and scooting down the stairs. You can point to 15 body parts (hair, ears, eyes, face, nose, teeth, belly, belly button, hands, arms, fingers, legs, knees, toes and feet), and you can point to the same body parts on Mommy and Daddy.

Your speech is really starting to explode. You have added "down, sit down, sit (sounds like an expletive), more (along with sign), "nah" (no), hi and bye (instead of simply waving), up, hot (which sounds like "ha ha hot" as you fan your hand), chicken, "tay" (okay), jeans, spoon, shirt, shoes (also sounds like an expletive), book and bow." Also, when we ask you questions, you respond with "mmm hmmm" (which is your "yes"). It's so cute! Sometimes you also respond to questions or directions you don't understand by responding "hmm" (huh?) until you figure it out. You can understand and complete quite a few multi-step directions. You've mastered five animals sounds--cow, sheep, bird, duck and dog. ("Tweet tweet" is Mommy's favorite....you sound so cute saying it (sounds more like "teet teet"). You're such a fast learner and you're so observant. You amaze us, Zoe.

Oh, you love talking on the phone. Your phone conversations go like this: "Hi! Mmm hmmm, mmm hmmmm, mmm hmmm, Bye!" It's hilarious! You think everything is a phone--remote control, your hand, and recently you used a computer mouse as a phone. LOL.

You continue to use your sign language, although Mommy and Daddy haven't done a good job of adding new words now that you're talking more. The funny thing is the sign for "all done" has become a universal sign for you. In addition to signing "all done" when you're finished eating, you also sign "all done" when a game is getting old to you, if Mommy kisses you one too many times, if you're tired of being chased (which you still love), etc. Sometimes you add "nah" to the "all done" sign....that's when we know you're *really* "all done". LOL.

You love to color. You started art class in June and since then you've wanted to doodle nonstop. Mommy and Daddy bought you an art easel for the house, which you love to stand at to doodle. (We hope this will save our walls...fingers crossed) The funny part is sometimes you try to color with your crayons and pens wrong side up. When Mommy and Daddy attempt to turn your writing tool around, you flip it right back over and try to continue with your doodling. It's pretty funny.

Zoe, you love to dance. You've got rhythm, girl! Recently you added twirling to your dancing. You're becoming such a big girl! You really love music, especially participatory songs. You love to hold Mommy's and Daddy's hands and twirl for "Ring-Around-the-Rosies" and you fall just before "we all fall down" and say "down" as you're falling. You can do all the hand movements for "Itsy Bitsy Spider", you point to the relevant body parts for "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" (although there's always a little delay) and you bark when you hear "B-I-N-G-O". You're hilarious!

You're still a little peanut (you weighed 20 lbs. and you measured 31 inches at a recent doctor's appointment). You're a picky eater, although you like to eat things that are good for you. Your favorite foods are broccoli, green beans, yogurt, rice, black beans, various types of fruit and pasta marinara. You're suspicious of meat, but occasionally you'll surprise us and down some chicken or fish.

I'm sure there are many things I missed, but these are the highlights I jotted down over the past month. Zoe, Mommy and Daddy are in awe of you and remain incredibly proud of you. I can never say it enough....you are the light of our lives. We love you so much, sweet girl. I can't wait to see what the next month holds in store!

My love always,
Mommy