Christmas is almost here!

I love to get mail. And you know what I love the most about mail? Getting cards from people! Especially at Christmas time. I LOVE Christmas cards, especially the ones with pictures of families, super cute babies, or pets on them. They bring such a smile to my face, and I love to hang them up in our home, just like my mom used to do. Every time I see them, I think of the family that lovingly sent it to us. Cards are great- they're like ready made decorations, sent straight to you! I have a great card hanger that my mom bought, and I look forward to sharing the cards that come in the mail with our little family every year.

Mark and I have been married almost 3 years (Dec. 15!), but have never sent out Christmas cards before. For one, they're expensive, and let's be honest, we're not the most photogenic people. But guess who is? Our little cutie Zoe. I mean, who wouldn't want a Christmas card from our sweet baby?

We're on a tight budget, so I was excited to learn that bloggers can get 50 free cards this year from Shutterfly. Go here to check it out: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

We've always used Shutterfly as a place to order prints from and share our pictures with others, so this year I'm excited to choose from one of their great Christmas cards! Help me choose! http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards

I can't wait to see who we get cards from this year!

6 months!

Is Zoe really 1/2 of a year old already? It can't be... but it is! Our sweet pea has been with us for 6 months! Time is such a funny thing when you have a baby, isn't it? These last 6 months have gone by so fast, but at the same time, it seems like she's always been a part of our lives. She's getting to be quite a chunker, weighing in this month at the doctor's at 16lbs. 14 oz. Chubby thighs and cheeks are the best! What a fun part of our lives she is... this girl is hilarious!

Zoe still loves it when her daddy sings her silly songs, but she's starting to be quite impressed with mommy too. It doesn't take much these days to get a big cheesy smile out of this little girl, and believe you me, we are soaking it up! I love how she can be in her crib screaming (I don't love the screaming part), and if I go in to get her, the second she sees me, I get a HUGE smile. She's had a little bit of stranger anxiety, but once she studies their face enough, she'll usually not. stop. smiling. So cute.

What an explorer we have on our hands, and she's not even mobile yet. Oh dear, the thought of her being mobile scares me quite a bit. She touches everything her little chubby hands come in contact with, and most of it ends up in her mouth. Even our faces. Especially Marks nose : )

She stares at the computer screen or TV if it's turned (or anything with bright lights for that matter). Zoe loves books, and when we read to her, she sits in our laps and fingers the pages and gets quite excited. I love it! She has started rolling around all over the place, and can push herself backwards.

This past month she had 2 sets of visitors. Her Mama Robertson came for a few days and babysat her while mommy and daddy were at work/school, and then Poppy and Grammy came to visit the next weekend. We took her first trip to Grant's Farm and she got to ride in a trolley/bus thing too! She liked the wind blowing in her face : )

Because of her rolling skills, Z has started sleeping on her tummy, which scared me for about a day. And then I realized how much better she started sleeping. Don't get me wrong, she's still not a great sleeper (in part because she had so many tummy troubles for so long that were keeping her up), but we're working on it. She has a lovey that she adores, and the second we hand it to her, she rubs her eyes and knows it's time for nigh-nigh. What a cutie!

Big milestones this month- sitting up and food! What a big girl we have! She still topples over to the side or face plants, but she loves her new perspective of the world. She still loves to "stand" with us holding onto her, but now that she can sit, it's getting easier for her to play with toys. We started her on oatmeal baby cereal, and it was a hit. It did give her horrible gas and messed up her tummy again, so we're stopping for a few days before starting some veggies. Yum yum!

6 months. Wow. Before we know it she'll be 1, which just makes me want to cry! We love how much joy Zoe brings to our house, and we thank God every day for her!

Going private?

So, we've been getting some spam comments on our blog, and I'm considering making it private. Let's be honest, it's a little creepy to see random, strange comments on a post about my 5-month old baby. So if you read this, please email me to marci.robertson@gmail.com and let me know so I can add you to the list in case I make this private.

5 months

(this is being written a few weeks late!)

We can't believe our little sweet pea is 5 months old already! It seems like she was a teeny newborn not too long ago, but it also feels like she's always been a part of our lives. We can't imagine life without her! It has been such fun to watch her little personality develop, especially over the past month. She loves to smile, and she really laughed for the first time this month (at daddy of course. he's quite silly). It was the sweetest sound, and we look forward to many, many years of giggle from this girl. Mark really likes to sing her the song by Michael W. Smith that goes "looking for a reason, longing through the night to find a place in this world, a place in this world", and he sings it kind of like Kermit the Frog. That always gets a smile or laugh out of Z : )

Zoe is easily entertained, but when she's had enough of something, there's no question about it! She got a great present this month- her jumperoo from her Mamaw Robertson, and let me tell you- girl can't get enough of it. She loves being able to "stand" and play with the toys, and when her feet get going, it looks like she's doing a jig or tap dance. We do have to put a big book under her feet, because she's still too short to touch the ground. She has noticed that her feet are there and will sometimes touch them, but is generally uninterested in them.

She has started exploring with her hands, which is so amazing to watch. She touches things and will run her hand over and over them, learning from what she feels. Zoe has really started exploring faces, and she loves to touch our faces when we talk to her. She also has started grabbing at food when we eat and hold her. We're thinking she'll be ready for solids soon, but we need the go ahead from her tummy doctor first.

Everything goes in her mouth now. Everything. Toys, our hands, blankie, paci, all toys, books, nasal aspirator (it's clean, don't worry). She loves to put her little hands up on her bottle, and she even "helps" when we give her medicine by holding onto our hands.

Speaking of medicine, this was a huge month for Zo in terms of her tummy troubles. I had cut dairy out of my diet back in June because we were noticing a diaper rash, gas, and fussiness when I would consume it, but I was only cutting out raw dairy. Her regular doctor (who we LOVE), was trying to help us out with adjusting the medicine she was on for her tummy, but things took a turn for the worse in late August. Her reflux and gas got worse, and for about a month, poor Z got up about every hour at night, crying in pain. She would want to nurse because it would temporarily relieve her pain. What a long month that was. It finally got to the point where our regular doc wanted her to go see a pediatric GI doc, and things have greatly improved. They switched her meds to help her feel better, and I'm now cutting out all dairy and soy (even reading labels). This is really hard to do, because soy is in everything, but I'll do whatever it takes to make my baby girl feel better. Within a few days of starting this, her sleeping and pain got so much better!!!

Happy 5 months, sweet one. We couldn't be more in love with you!

4 months!

This was a busy month for little Zoe! She had her first roadtrip, which was a busy weekend. We went to Louisville on Friday for Ellie & Simeon's birthday parties (which were Saturday) then drove to Robertson's house on Saturday evening, where we celebrated her Mamaw's birthday on Sunday before driving back to St. Louis! She was in 5 states in 48 hours. Besides having a little trouble sleeping (especially in the car), she was a real trooper. It only took us 8 hours coming back instead of our usual 7, which is pretty great for such a little traveler.

Zoe started sitting while supported, either in her boppy pillow or bumbo seat. She also really found her voice and starting talking & squealing a lot. While playing with her feet one day, we discovered that she is quite ticklish! She can also reach out and grab at her toys now.

At the end of August we had our most challenging time yet with Z. She went on a 7 day nursing strike... she would only take milk from a bottle and wouldn't let her momma feed her at all. It was incredibly frustrating (especially in the middle of the night). After seeing a lactation consultant, we realized that she was just liking the bottle because she didn't have to work to eat. We made it a little harder, and after a month of striking off & on, she's doing much better!

Zoe's first plane ride was this month too. She went with mommy to Ohio for Labor Day weekend, while Daddy stayed home and worked. That is going to be a post all in itself... it was fun to see family, but was quite a challenge!

After our trip to Ohio, she started blowing bubbles . We noticed a little tooth bud, but it has yet to make it's grand entrance. Mark got a tooth and 4 months and I was 7 months, so who knows when it'll show up!

This month ended with Zo's first cold. What a sad milestone to record! It only lasted a few days, but she was very stuffed up, with a cough and runny nose. It's so sad knowing your baby doesn't feel well, but you can't really do much for them.

At her 4 month doctor's appointment, we found out that she is in the 90th percentile for length. This girl has a long torso just like her daddy!

We continue to be amazed by this little girl. What a challenge parenting is, but what a blessing as well. She gets smothered in plenty of kisses, and does this cute thing where she opens her mouth whenever we kiss her on the cheek. We love you, Zo Zo!

Hello?

Just checking in to see if anyone still reads the blog. If someone is out there, please leave a comment so I know I'm not alone on here : )

3 months!

Little Z is 3 months old already! She has the sweetest, biggest smile, and just seeing someone she loves (mainly Mommy & Daddy) makes her whole face light up! She has started to laugh a little bit and really thinks Daddy is funny. We read her the book Snuggle Puppy, which has a little song in it that you sing, and she really enjoys that too! Car rides are much better now, and bath time is becoming fun too.

Zoe is quite strong. She can hold her head up when held at your shoulder, and when on her tummy she can push up and hold her head almost at 90 degrees. She recently has started to sit in her Bumbo chair a little bit, which she really enjoys because it helps her see what is going on- she is quite nosey! She only likes to be held upright, unless she is sleepy & has her paci. Speaking of Paci (I feel like it's a part of our family so it should have a proper name), Zo LOVES her paci.

During this month, she found her hands and now is constantly chewing on them! We've had to start swaddling her again when she sleeps so that she doesn't startle herself awake. She can be very tired & upset, and the second we lay her down & start swaddling she gets very calm. She had been getting up only 1 time at night, but has recently started getting up 2 times... sometimes more, if it's a rough night.

We love her more & more each day, and are so thankful for the joy that she brings us! We love you, Sweet Pea.