Zoe's First Photo Book!

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Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from Zoe Christine!

Yesterday was Zoe's 2 month checkup with the doctor. She did really well with her shots, but I sure hated seeing her in pain!

According to the doctor, Zoe is currently 10 lbs, 14 oz; 23 1/4 inches long, with a 15 3/4 head circumference. Her percentile rankings are 32nd for weight, 74th for height, and 88th for head circumference...long skinny baby with a big head! :-) The doctor said she is perfectly healthy girl!

Thanks to the snow that has stuck around from Tuesday of this week, we were able to take some lovely Valentine's Day pictures...Check them out! (A special thanks to her Aunt Stormy for the fru-fru dress!)

2 Months!

 Can you believe it?! It seems like a week has passed since "Zobot" has come home from the hospital, however, she is already 2 months old!! I just can't believe how big she already is. I really have no idea when she quit looking and acting like a newborn!

I feel like our lives are becoming slightly more routine. Zoe is doing great with her sleep schedule (her routine is now 6-7 hours between feedings!). We are still going to bed early, between 8 and 9 pm, but that is not that different than before I was pregnant!

As you know, I recently resigned from my job to take care of Zoe. It has been the best decision we ever made. I love watching how she changes each day. Things are about to get really busy, however, because we have decided to move (after all that work we put into the nursery!) We have sold our home, and purchased a slightly larger place in Moore (better school district). I am sad to leave the home that has so many memories for us, but will be glad to have the extra space! Let the packing with a baby begin!

Zoe is definitely learning and growing. She is officially out of newborn clothes (sniff. sniff), and is sporting 0-3 and 3 month outfits. She is getting in her eyebrows and eyelashes which seem to be from her daddy's genetics (yay!). She is talking now, but she is the quiet type, and only talks when she's excited. She also smiles at people she recognizes!

This is what Zoe is doing this month:

Favorite Thing to Do: Eat (still) She also really likes to sing songs!
Favorite Food: Moms Milk. :-)
New This Month: Talking and responding to people she recognizes
Growth: 12lbs? (2 month appointment is next week!)- 0-3month and 3 month clothes.
Sleep: 6-7 Hours
Speaking: She makes lots of different sounds, and loves to coo!
Movement: She has been sucking on her hands, and she is still straightening her legs! She has also been doing pretty good in her Bumbo seat!
Behavior: She has been recognizing both of her grandma's lately! She also loves when her daddy talks to her!

1 Month

One month has passed since Zoe joined our family. She is getting so big!

We visited the doctor last week, and Zoe is already 9lbs! According to the doctor, Zoe is in the 88th percentile on head size, 68th percentile on length, and 58th percentile on weight. She's a big girl!

This week, Zoe has been much more active. She keeps her eyes open more now (which are very clearly going to be brown- just like mine), and is noticing noises and voices. She definitely recognizes her mom and dad, and she even gave me a half-smile late last week (after a rousing rendition of the hokie-pokie). She is also trying to use her hands on occasion, and she straightens her legs when in my lap like she wants to stand up! Also new this week, we have been trying to get Zoe on a sleep schedule, which has been difficult. Usually, we get her to sleep 3-5 hours before she wakes up to eat, but sometimes its more like 2... If only it was consistent!

This is what Zoe is doing this month:

Favorite Thing to Do: Eat!
Favorite Food: Moms Milk. :-)
New This Month: Smiling and responding to voices.
Growth: 9lbs- almost in 0-3month clothes.
Sleep: 3-5 Hours
Speaking: Lots of Grunting, and the occasional coo.
Movement: Using her hands, lots of kicking, and straightening her legs! Has really good head-control!
Behavior: She loves her momma!

The Arrival of Zoe Christine

The last few weeks of pregnancy were busy and exhausting. I got several ultrasounds, promising a beautiful baby girl on the way. I spent quite a bit of time preparing my classroom, and putting the final touches on my sub lesson plans. I also had another beautiful shower at Southern Oaks Church of Christ in Chickasha.

Andrew and I went to the hospital around 12:00 on December 7th. By 8am, I was feeling some pretty strong contractions, was dilated to a 6, and decided to give-in and get the epidural. The epidural worked its magic until about 5pm when it started to wear off. I was starting to get very tired, and the new dosage of epidural made me so sleepy, that I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. There was another problem too...Zoe wouldn't turn the right way (she was sideways). We began pushing around 6:30 pm, while the Doctor attempted to turn her. She would not budge, and ended up getting stuck. Around 7:30, we made the decision to have a c-section.



They did not let Andrew into the OR until they had me completely prepped. The wait was a bit scary for both of us. They were already cutting when they let him in. I was so tired that I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open, but he helped to keep me awake.

Zoe Christine was born Friday, December 7th at 7:42 pm by C-Section. The sound of her first wail made me cry with relief and sheer joy. I was not able to hold her immediately like I had planned, so Andrew went to where they were cleaning her off. I could barely see her, but couldn't take my eyes away. Andrew soon brought her to me, but I couldn't hold her, and could only look at her and touch her face. They finally wheeled me back to my room where I FINALLY got to hold and meet my daughter (terrible picture to the left!).



The evening and night passed in a blur. I was sick from lack of food and medication, as well as extremely tired. More than once, I fell asleep in mid-sentence. Andrew and the nurses were amazing though, and we managed to get some rest.

We were released on Sunday, and have been enjoying our time at home. We have decided that I will stay with Zoe, and not be returning to work for now...something that I have always dreamed of doing. I will be continuing to occasionally blog about Zoe, with the intention on turning it into a scrapbook of sorts for her!

Baby Shower!

I had my baby shower today. It was so nice to see and visit with a few friends. I am so thankful! I could post a ton of pictures, but here are some highlights:

The adorable table of snacks:

The AMAZING Diaper Cake my mother-in-law (Ileta) and sister-in-law (Alana) made:

One of the many amazing gifts- Cupcake Onesies:

Opening Presents- The tub next to me was FILLED with stuff from my sister!:

A gorgeous dress from my sister-in-law, Stormy:

Third Trimester Update...

It has been awhile since I posted. Way too long. Life got ahead of me, and I have had a lot on my plate!

So since I last posted- I am now 5 1/2 weeks from my due date, and my baby shower is next Saturday (11/10)!! My sister, sister-in-law, and mother-in-law are throwing the shower for me at my house, and I couldn’t be more excited about the hot chocolate bar! I really hope everyone can come. I have been sooo busy with my job that I have not been able to catch up and stay in touch with so many of my friends! It will be so nice to see everyone!

Zoe is getting bigger- somewhere around the size of a large cantaloupe…. and my stomach is looking like a watermelon! I am quickly running out of room, and as such, I can feel the tiniest of her movements. It is so weird to see my stomach shake and move. She is really more of a ballerina than a soccer player…she doesn’t kick as much as she rolls and twirls. I really love feeling her move all the time…even IF it keeps me up at night!

With the third trimester has come typical aches and pains of late pregnancy. I am super tired, and could probably spend 12 hours a day sleeping if I had time! I have managed to ward off swelling (so far), but have had some issues with blood flow in my legs- causing the need for prescription compression hose (sexy!).

I recently changed physicians/hospital, which is a scary thing to do this late in pregnancy. OU was not what I thought it would be, and I felt like I was a number, not a name. I have a lot of friends and family that use OU (my sister included), that have had a wonderful experience, but something just did not feel right for me about delivering there. I feel like I made the right decision, and am so happy with our new doctor at St. Anthony.

I have my bag pretty much packed for the hospital, but I am worried that I have forgot something (someone, help!) I also have picked out Zoe’s “going home” outfit, which includes an heirloom-christening gown from Andrew’s recently deceased grandmother. I can’t wait to see her in it!

Overall, I feel ready for Zoe to come. Her nursery is done (pictures on The Duffle Baby Nursery page), her car seat installed, and her clothes washed and put away.  I also took maternity pictures this last weekend (see highlights below). Now if she will just decide to come!