Zoe is Seven Months Old!

Zoe is seven months old! That snuck up on me. I felt like six months went by so quickly! She has now moved up to a size in her clothing. I had to put away her 3-6 month clothes today. It was very sad. It is so bittersweet when your baby grows. I take her to the doctor and I desperately want her to grow at the rate she is supposed to but then I want her to be my little baby forever. No wonder moms are crazy. We are constantly in turmoil over our child(ren). Once one of my 8th graders said to me, "I saw a picture of my mom when she was young and she was so pretty." I replied, "You know what happened? She had you." I would sacrifice my sanity  and youthfulness any day for my Zobug.

Zoe loves:
Mommy and Daddy
Pretty much everyone she meets. She is a very social baby. 
Rain!
Pears
Green Beans
Squash
When Daddy feeds her
Sleeping on her right side
Paper
Everything she isn't supposed to touch
Bath time
Fredbird
Gilmore Girls Theme Song
Tutoring Middle Schoolers in Math
Exersaucer
Popular Songs that Mommy and Daddy insert her name into for example:
Millions of Zoes for Peaches by the Presidents of the United States of America
The Zoe-Bug Talk Show for The Barry Gibb Talk Show which is a Saturday Night Live skit that uses the theme of Nights on Broadway by the BeeGees

 Zoe doesn't like:
Avocado (sadly her love with this food has ended)
Peas
That she can't crawl. She tries all day and gets frustrated.

Zoe is undecided on:
Sleeping through the night

 What people say about Zoe:

 "She is such a happy baby."

"What pretty eyes!"

Mommy and Daddy's Nicknames for Zoe:
Zobug
Bug
Baby Bug
Bugaboo
Cheeks McGee
Pretty Lady
Little Bug
Little Baby
Mommy's Girl
Daddy's Girl
Little Snuggler
ZoZoBee
Buggy
Buggily
Little Mama
Baby Girl
Sweet Pea
Buglet
Bugsy Malone
ZoZo
Zo


How did this happen? She just keeps getting bigger and bigger!



Hey Mom! This chair moves!



"That's so funny!"


"Are you sure he doesn't have a fever?"


"Sit back here, please."


"Staring contest!"





I still can't believe she's ours. We love her so much!

That's all for now! God is good!


Zoe's Room, Crib Sleeping, Mommyhood is Beautiful and Gross

The past week has been crazy. Nate's grandmother, Grace Wollenberg, passed away last Friday, September 27. Please keep Nate's family in your prayers as they mourn and celebrate the life of this wonderful woman of God. Nate left on Sunday before Zoe and I returned from the Pastor's Wives Retreat.  We missed him so much! All in all Zoe was pretty good for her mommy last week.

When we returned from our trip from St. Louis, I decided I NEEDED to finish decorating and getting Zoe's room ready for her to sleep in. Thanks to our friend, Alan, who helped Nate put the furniture together a long time ago and to Pastor Lorenz for hanging all of her decor. Her room was finally functional a couple of weeks ago! I still want to create a picture wall for pictures of all of our loved ones. I also need to find something to hold all of her toys.




Since her room is finally finished, she has been sleeping in her crib. Up until the move into her room, she was sleeping in the Pack N Play next to my side of the bed. When she made the move she did great, Mommy didn't do as well. I was up half the night, not able to sleep. Nate woke up right before his alarm and went to turn it off so that it wouldn't wake me. Once he moved I was half awake and I said to him, "Stop making noise, you are making it sound like someone is trying to steal my baby." It is far harder on mommies than babies when they move into their own room. I still feel like I have to check on her a couple times before I go to bed every night.



September is the rainy month in McAllen. Most of the year it doesn't rain at all. In September it rains like crazy. Zoe LOVES the rain. She could be screaming and you take her outside to look at the rain and she is completely fine. She and Nate will sit outside all of the time and just watch the rain fall. Zoe loved how the rain comes off of the overhang outside of our front door. I wonder what she will think of snow. She might get to see it when she and I go visit Connecticut this November or when we go to, her godmother, Katie Lane's wedding over Thanksgiving. I would love to get a picture of her bundled up by some snow. There is just something about babies in puffy coats that is too cute!



I love being a stay-at-home mom. There are so many joys that I get to experience every day. That being said, some days the most trivial things will make my day. Last week I went on my weekly Target trip and I put the carseat and the diaper bag in the cart. I get inside and this cart feels different. They got NEW CARTS! I never knew that new shopping carts could bring a person such joy, oh but they did and it was fantastic. They drove so smooth on the shiny Target tiles. Zoe fell asleep because the ride was so smooth. I'm pretty sure these carts ride smoother than her fancy stroller. If you live in McAllen, try out the new carts. You will notice a difference.

Zoe is, as all babies are, growing up too fast for Mommy and Daddy's liking. She is doing great at sitting up and is so close to crawling. She can't crawl yet, but she sure can scoot around the room like a pro. If she wants something on the other side of the carpet she will roll like a ninja and scoot her way to it. Mommy is in trouble because she will be into everything soon. Hopefully, Zoe being mobile will mean that I can finally get off the last of the baby weight by chasing her around. Silver lining people, silver lining.





Last weekend Zoe and I attended the Texas Pastor's Wives Retreat at Camp Lone Star in La Grange, TX. Stephanie Lorenz and Kristine Wendorf were our traveling buddies. Stephanie kept Zoe company in the backseat. Zoe did great on the trip. We had a great time at the retreat. We did one of those cork and canvas things where you drink wine and paint. It was great! I did something artistic that I didn't want to throw away when I was finished. I am so bad at all forms of art that I dropped calligraphy in high school. I couldn't even hack fancy writing. I was only able to paint because some wonderful women held Zoe and we were coached every stop of the way. On Saturday night we ate fondue for dinner. Why don't I ever use my fondue pot?!? I have a bad habit of hoarding kitchen appliances because I really do love to cook, but I never have the time The fondue was so delicious! I ate WAY too much! We had great fellowship and made new friends.



In a prior post I mentioned that being  mom is beautiful and disgusting. It is. Here are a few examples why this is true:
- Beautiful: She falls asleep in my arms
- Gross: She pees on my only pair of clean jeans
- Beautiful: She smiles when I walk into her room to get her up in the morning
- Gross: She spits food in my face because she is blowing bubbles
- Beautiful: She smiles at her daddy as soon as he comes home
- Gross: She literally passed gas on my hand while I was changing her diaper
- Beautiful: Her smile and laugh are contagious and the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen.

I love being a mom. I love being her mom. I wouldn't trade my job for anything in the world.

Here are a few extra ones, just because she is so cute.


So pretty!


She has made a clear baseball team choice. She is very excited this post season for the Redbirds!



I love her little shoes!


That's all for now! God is good!