I can't believe it!

Zoe is growing so fast - I just can't believe it. At her doctor's appointment last week she weighed 10 pounds already! Here's a peek at what she's been practicing.

Zoe says hi

I'm just trying to learn how to upload videos. Here's a little clip of Zoe saying hi and smiling (kind of). Please ignore my high-pitched voice.

The Great Zo-dini

The other day I mentioned to some friends that we don't even try to swaddle Zoe anymore - she doesn't want anything to do with it. I have many friends who swear by swaddling. They say it is the best thing to calm your baby and help them sleep. The problem is that Zoe just gets even more upset when we try to swaddle her. My friend suggested that I try those specialty swaddling blankets that have the velcro on them so that you can wrap them really tight and make sure they stay that way. She even loaned me a couple of the blankets that she wasn't using. We decided to give it a try last night. I wrapped that thing as tight as I could get it - far past the intended velcro fasteners. For the first 10 seconds of swaddling, Zoe was quiet, but looking at us with these huge eyes that said "what do you crazy people think you're doing?" 30 seconds (and some loud screams) later, she had managed to do this:

She pulled her arms out of the swaddling blanket that was specifically designed to keep the arms in. At least she knows what she wants :-) I'm thinking of buying some straight jackets so that she can practice her escape and make us some money in a travelling circus. What do you think?

The Last 2 Weeks

Wow! I can't believe that it's been just over 2 weeks since the little Zoester was born! Time is flying by already. Here's what we've been up to in the last 2 weeks (minus the eating, pooping, sleeping, trying to sleep, etc)

My mom came to visit for almost a week and was a huge help. She stayed up with Zoe every night so that we could really rest for the first week - I know, we're spoiled. But seriously, I think it helped me recover from the c-section 10 times faster than if I'd been up all night that week. Thanks, Mom!

I don't know exactly what she's doing in this picture, but I thought it was SO cute!

This is actually her second sponge bath, but we were unprepared for the camera the first time. She doesn't really enjoy getting bathed. But then again, she hates it when we take her clothes off or change her diaper too. Modest little girl :-)

These are a few pictures that I took today. She had her 2 week checkup today. She is now 8 pounds, 10 oz (50th percentile), 20 1/2 inches tall (50th percentile), and her head measures 37 1/2 cm (75th percentile).

Every day she changes her mind about which binky is her favorite. For the last 2 days the purple binky has been her favorite - she even keeps her hand on it to protect it from falling out.

All in all, we're pretty lucky to have such an adorable, good baby. Hopefully she stays this way!

She's Here.........

Zoe Kate finally arrived on April 21 at 11:26 pm. She weighed in at 8 pounds, 2 oz and 20 inches long. We got home from the hospital on Saturday afternoon and are enjoying every minute with her! Here are a few pictures:

Finally Finished!

I finally finished Zoe's quilt and I LOVE how it turned out! I started it over Christmas Break, but got distracted and didn't finish it until last night. Moose picked out all of the fabric - isn't it cute?
The front:

A close up of the raggedyness:

Part of the back:

I'm Lazy

I don't know why it's been so long since I've blogged...........there are really no good excuses besides laziness. In the last 4 months since I blogged there has been a lot going on with us. Here's a list of the highlights:
-School has been going good for me. I'm having a great year NOT being the Student Council advisor. While I enjoyed doing it for 3 years, I'm loving having more time to do other things.
-Moose started a new job working for a specialized foster care company. He is working in a group home for kids who have a dual-diagnosis of mental retardation and another social or behavioral disorder. It is a very challenging job, both physically and emotionally and has definitely been a big adjustment for our family. He has to work most nights from 2-10 so we really don't see each other very much besides on Sundays :-(
-We moved WAY across town. We are loving our new place, but it has definitely added to our commute times. It has been fun for us to explore our new area, get to know new stores to shop at, and living next door to our good friends, the Pullins'.
-As most of you already know, we are expecting a baby GIRL in April. I'm about 21 weeks along and feeling great. I have had a very easy pregnancy so far (knock on wood) and my belly has really started to grow in the last couple of weeks. I know that lots of people are really into posting the belly pictures on their blogs, but that is SO not me. Sorry.
-We are going on a cruise for Christmas this year!!!! We're going to the Carribbean and are VERY excited about it. It will be a much needed break for both of us. It will be a great last hurrah vacation before the baby is born and will be fun to spend some time with Moose's family. We LOVE to cruise, but have never cruised over the holidays, so it should be fun. I will definitely post some pictures when we get back - you might even be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the belly from those.

One more thing - we're getting ready to register for our baby shower and are a little bit overwhelmed by all of the "gadgets" out there for babies today. Experienced moms and dads, please comment and tell us what your "must haves" were when you had infants. What were the basics that you just couldn't live without that we should definitely get? I don't want to waste our money on things that are just not worth it. Thanks for your help!!!