Looking Back 2013

Because I am not at home, I am having a hard time uploading this video. I posted it to FB so you can click on the link below to see a video of some pictures highlighting 2013.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10153695082355455&l=8375107390272056675

 

So excited for 2014 and what it has in store for us.

 



Merry Christmas

Even though Z woke up running her first fever on her first Christmas, she still was a trooper when it came to opening her gifts.

She opened gifts from Nana 

Gifts from Grandpa 

A gift from Uncle Eric 

And face timed with Grandma to open gifts from her

She even had enough energy to help Dad open gifts

Last but not least, she opened her stocking

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Now we are off to the South to celebrate Christmas with my family.

Christmas Party

Z got ready for her first Christmas party. Doesn't she look excited?

While she was sitting by the tree for a quick photo op. She decided she was going to unwrap a present and it just happened to be her's. 

Here she has spotted the gift.

Then she pulled out the tissue paper.

Then she decided that the bag is much better than the actual present inside.

That handle is a lot of fun.

Then off to the party we go.

And of course I didn't get any pictures at the party because I was too busy chatting and didn't take the camera out. 

7 months

In the past month, Z had a tooth come through on the bottom.

Her favorite thing to say is, "Da da da da da da".

And we finally discovered two things she likes to eat, peaches and mangoes.

Here is a video of her eating some mangoes. She thinks they are lip smacking good!

Z still loves those same two fingers and her dogs, of course. Matilda decided she needed to get in the photos and she wasn't going anywhere if Z was going to pet her.

6 Month Photo Session

Even though Z will already be 7 months this weekend, we got her 6 month photos taken today. We also snuck in some Christmas pictures. Tis the season!

Joann, photographer and friend, is so great. Z was such a trooper and didn't pee on Dad : ) But I'm not sure if we got any pictures of Z without her two fingers in her mouth.

It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas ...

with the help of Zelena.

 

Thanksgiving

Our Turkey day trip to Michigan was wonderful. Snow on Thanksgiving day and Z's first parade. It was great spending time with all our friends and family. We have so much to be thankful for ...

Friends

Music class in Chicago with Sara and Matty was a lot of fun.

 Z watching snow fall for the first time with Matty.

Thanksgiving day parade buddies.

Cousins

Grandma and her LOVE

and Family

Part Two: Carrots

Me, trying to be the best "Seattle" mom I can be is determined to cook all of Z's organic baby food. So I first tried out my Beaba BabyFood maker with carrots. This little machine makes it so easy that it's hard not to make all Z's food.

First I cut up the carrots:

Then I put the chopped carrots in the basket:

Then hit the steam button and it takes about 15 minutes:

After they are nice and steamed, I dump the basket in the blender and puree it up:

And this is the face I get:

I'm starting to think someone doesn't like my cooking.

Solids: Part One

The week before Z turned 6 months, we decided to start trying out solids. I decided to start with avocado. Don't ask me why. Just wanted to give it a shot and see what happens. Well this is what happened:

I tried the avocado on my finger first ...

then with a spoon. The spoon ended up being handed over because someone wanted to feed themselves or just play with the spoon.

For the next two days we tried avocado and these are the faces I got:

I even mixed breast milk with it. Still not a fan.

The only reason I got a smile is because I was saying yummy, yummy, yummy.

Stay tuned for Part Two: Carrots.

Happy Half Birthday Zelena Mae

Half way there and so much fun!

Z is such a lovable little snuggle bug. She loves to smile and giggle except right after she has woken up from a nap. Occasionally she will give you a serious look like the weight of the world is on her shoulders (is what Nana likes to say). She just started sitting up within the past couple days. We also started solids but as of right now she hasn't shown much interest. She loves to grab for anything in her reach. Most everything she grabs goes straight to her mouth. Her front, bottom teeth want to come in so bad. I'm hoping that is the reason for the lack of sleep the past month. Besides the fact that she transitioned out of her swaddle, which involved several nights of no sleep. Z still loves her left hand two middle fingers. As you can tell, I can't keep them out of her mouth if I tried. I just like that it makes the sign for love. I have started using sign language with her in the past few weeks, in hopes that she will pick it up. I swear she did the sign for milk to me the other day. Or I could have been delirious from the lack of sleep. 

Besides the sleep, I couldn't be happier. This little bundle of joy has blessed her dad's and my life more than she will ever know. I seriously can't believe the love I have for this little human being and how much it grows more and more everyday. I am one lucky mommy to be able to spend every minute of the day with this adorable chunky monkey.

The sticker didn't last long ...

After some six month picture taking we headed to the doctor for Z's check up.

In the picture above she is telling me all about how she does not want the shots she is about to get. 

Surprisingly she only cried for a second and then started smiling at the nurse. Best shot response thus far.

Z has gained 2.5 pounds since her 4 month appointment, weighing in at 15.5 lbs. in the 40th percentile. She is 26 inches long, putting her in the 70th percentile for height and 55th percentile for her head.

I know every mom says this but I really can't believe Z is six months old. 

Looking forward to the other half and many more!

Nana's Visit

We hated to say goodbye to Nana today. So many new and fun things happened while she was in town visiting.

Z had solids for the first time.

More post to come on starting solids. 

 Nana helped Z practice sitting up.

Just within the past few days, she has become a pro at sitting up on her own.

We even celebrated Z's 1/2 birthday a few days early so Nana and I could have a good excuse to get a cupcake. 

We enjoyed Z's too since she isn't able to have a cupcake yet.

Nana even entertained Z while I got to shop and take care of errands.

But most of all Nana is a lot of fun and great at making Z smile and laugh.

Look Who's In Town

It's Nana! We have been so busy having fun that we haven't posted on the blog lately.

Stay tune for all the details.

Happy Halloween

On Halloween afternoon Z and I joined Jill, Johanna and Boden, a.k.a. Spiderman, for some trick-or-treating in the Ballard neighborhood. 

Most all the businesses open up their doors and hand out treats from 4-6 p.m.

 And the sidewalks were packed with adults, kids and dogs all dressed in their Halloween best.

Even though Z couldn't partake in the treats, we still had a good time walking around, as Mary had a little lamb, checking out all the costumes.

Once we got back to the house, James was waiting with the pups so we could pass out some candy to the trick-or-treaters.

The squirrel and the bull were very excited as you can tell.

Before changing Z out of her lamb costume we decided to take a few pictures in front of the house with the Halloween decorations. 

Then Z waited patiently for trick-or-treaters ...

and waited.

Finally we got one, Simon (the Lion) from next door. He not only picked some candy out of the pot but he came in and played with Z. He even tried sharing his candy (wrapper and all) with her.

Besides Simon, we got two other trick-or-treaters. Bummer! Other than the lack of trick-or-treaters and the fact that we have way too much candy in our house now, we think Z had a great first Halloween.