First Babysitter

We did it! Our first babysitting experience with Zoe! Wednesday Kent goes golfing with his league. This is great, except for once a month when I have book club on Wednesdays too. We decided this month to both be out, so we looked for a sitter for Zoe. Our neighbor had offered and we decided to give her a try. I was nervous all week just thinking about it, but really wanted to go to book club (we were discussing Shades of Grey).

All day I worried and stressed about leaving Zoe. We have left her with family, but this was a big step. Our neighbor arrived on time and I was a mess. I just smiled after running through everything (literally everything) and told her it was our first time. She was great and understood :) I handed Zoe over and the crying began. I was crushed. I was upset but was able to leave. As I drove away I kept thinking I should head back, but I knew that it was good for us both. I made it to book club and sat with my phone the entire evening. It wasn't long, the babysitter was only there for two hours before Kent came back home to relieve her. He called me and let me know all was well, except that she didn't take a bottle. She was no longer fussy, but I knew it was time for me to head home. Overall it was a hard experience, but I'm glad we did it. Hopefully Zoe will be back on the bottle soon!

Success!

Zoe is amazing! Kent and I decided it was time for her to venture up to her nursery this week and it was done... seriously, it was that simple! Zoe had spent a few naps up in her crib but up until Sunday she spent each evening in our room in her pack and play or the bassinet from Papa. It was wonderful when she was getting up so many times a night I didn't have to venture up and down the stairs! But it was time, Zoe was sleeping longer and was really starting to interrupt my sleep because I'd hear every movement and think I needed to get up to check on her. So for the first night ever, Zoe slept in her crib Sunday night! It was a major success. She went down around 9 pm and slept until 5 am!!!!! That's eight hours and it was amazing! I wasn't quite ready to leave her so I slept in the guest room next to the nursery just in case :) Needless to say I was the only one up and checking on her throughout the night, but Zoe did great! At 5 she was hungry and then went right back to bed until 9:45 am! What a sleeper!

We tried it again last night and again Zoe went down around 9 and slept until 5! I got up to nurse her at 5 and she took a little longer to fall back to sleep but she was out and slept again until 9 am :) I even slept back downstairs in the master! It was wonderful! I think she slept better in a bigger crib (she was hanging out of both of the other sleeping arrangements in our room) and it was much quieter upstairs! Hurray! Zoe is seriously the best, most easily adaptable, and content baby ever! :)

Updated To Do List

Well it only took a year... but here is our updated house to do list with some of the things we have started and or finished :) Yes the closet has been cleaned, but somehow it got messy again! So it's back on the to do list! (I think it always will be on there!)

1. Master Closet - organize

2. Master Bedroom - find a bed set including night stand tables, and a dresser

-we got a new night stand table and a dresser from Ikea, Kent is making the headboard! 

3. Kitchen - organize pantry and rethink some locations of kitchen tools etc

4. Living Room - find a coffee table and maybe a cute table for behind the couch? add some cute decorations for above the mantle, add a picture on the large wall

-we found a beautiful picture from Home Goods (love that store) it fills the large wall and brings some color into the room! 

5. Mud Room - find cute baskets for the top shelf, find placemat/trays for dirty shoes below, organize the two closets

6. 1/2 Bath - Find a mirror that fits above the sink, maybe add a picture on the other wall?

-Yeah! First thing completely crossed off! We found a picture at Home Goods and a mirror at Home Depot

7. Front Hall - Find a rug for the area, find an entrance table add some pictures

-We are on a roll! Thank you again Home Goods for the rug, table, and accessories, we got the picture frames from Hobby Lobby

8. Office - find a desk? add bookshelves? add some filing cabinets? really not sure yet

9. Bedroom 1 - move dresser from master closet to bedroom?

10. Bedroom 2 - find a duvet that matches the room

-This became the nursery which we are still putting the final touches on!

11. Bedroom 3/teacher room - organize stuff, get closet organizers to help with clutter

-I did organize the closet and the books! Hurray!

12. Upstairs bathroom - get a rug for below the sinks, add some cute decorations

-We found a picture and I even painted a picture for in the bathroom, slowly coming along!

13. Upstairs hallway - add some pictures to the wall

14. Upstairs closet - organize with all linens

15. Basement finished side - no plans yet, more to come

16. Basement unfinished side - add laundry organization and place to fold laundry, organize storage

17. Garage - organize with workbench, tool storage, tall lockable cabinet for chemicals, maybe bike storage, recycling storage and set up

-We got a workbench, cabinet, and some shelving... now if only Kent would put things away! 

So, we are slowly making progress here :) We are also looking to add a few things to our list

18. Back yard - redo deck, add patio, maybe convince Kent we need a pool :)

19. Play room - set up the basement for Zoe!

14 Weeks!

Another week, and what a busy one! Monday, Zoe and I went over to Grandma and Papa's to pick up Petoskey. They watched her for us when we ran to Ohio last weekend. It was wonderful and we even got to go out to lunch! Zoe was much better this time compared to our last journey out with them :) Tuesday through Thursday Zoe and I went to Mimi and Papa's house so that I could work to finish my last paper for my Masters! Hurray! Mimi watched Zoe while I worked to finish my paper. I finished early so we got some shopping in too :) It was our first trip without Kent, but we all did great. Zoe didn't sleep very well but we have been to a lot of new places in the last few weeks so I'm sure she's just out of her routine.

Kent was very happy to see us Thursday evening and we relaxed and worked around the house this weekend. It's amazing how quickly the house can become a mess! It felt great to start to clean it up! Zoe is doing much better sleeping again, and she is moving up to her nursery for the first time tonight! Pictures of the nursery to come - the nursery is still getting its finishing touches because Zoe had been in our room so far.

Fourteen weeks! Zoe loves her owl toy from AJ and she has found that she can scream, and I mean an ear piercing scream! She does it when she is happy and Kent and I hope it's just a phase! She also has found out that if she starts fussing we come over to her to see what's wrong and she gives us a very big smile! She just wants us to pay more attention to her :) Too cute! Enjoy her photos from this week!

3 Months and 13 Weeks

Zoe is three months old and time is flying by! We spent the day enjoying finally being back home after a wonderful week of vacationing in northern Michigan and in Ohio too! We spent the week with family and there is no better way to spend your time :) We went down to Ohio to see Jaclyn and Dan on Friday and then we were off to Liz's graduation party on Saturday. Tons of fun!

Zoe is starting to enjoy tummy time, but only for a few minutes. She is holding up her head all the time now. Zoe loves talking, she is always talking to us and smiles every time she sees us :) Check out these three month photos! Thank you AJ for the beautiful blanket! Zoe loves it! I love the pic of Zoe talking to her monkey :)

12 Weeks Old

We didn't forget up north, I remembered to pack the monkey and a cute outfit for Zoe's 12 week old photo shoot! Zoe is really starting to laugh more often. Grandma Gayle and Aunt Kelly got giggles out of her all weekend. Even Kent got some giggles when he would bounce her on the bed :) Zoe is much more vocal this week. She babbles all the time, and will really let out a scream if she is tired or hungry. Luckily she isn't fussy, just a few cries to let you know she wants something. Zoe had her first trip up north to Lake Ann and Traverse City. We saw the Cherry Festival, but didn't venture in with her this year because it was too hot. She is getting really close to rolling over and gets frustrated on her play mat when she doesn't quite roll all the way. Zoe has great head control and is starting to enjoy being in her Bumbo chair and sitting up on anyone's lap! She's getting so big!

Lake Ann Adventures

What a wonderful long week up at Lake Ann. Kent, Zoe, and I headed up to northern Michigan on Thursday after Kent got out of work. We stopped first to pick up our canoe and strap it to the car... I was thinking we were absolutely crazy with a baby, a dog, a car full of stuff, and a canoe strapped to the car, but we made it! Zoe did great for the long car ride and we made it up to Lake Ann that evening.   Kelly and the girls were already there! We got up on Friday and Grandma Gayle and Papa Gary joined us that afternoon along with Chad, Patty, and Luka close behind. It was so wonderful to have everyone together again!

I made chicken tacos (thanks Pinterest!) for dinner. I also brought up a quadruple batch of cookies that were enjoyed all week! I even made up some spring rolls the following day for a snack :) Tons of fun getting back into cooking. Thanks again Sam for all the help making spring rolls and cookies!

We spent the week enjoying the lake and family! We made it into Traverse City for one day, but with the Cherry Festival and the heat, we didn't stay long. I did get a big pink sun hat for Zoe and a few charms for my Pandora bracelet. Thanks Kent for my wonderful mother's day present! I love my "Mom" charm! Even Kent enjoyed the shopping and bought a pair of sunglasses! We all met up for lunch at a pizza place in town and then we were off again. We found a life jacket for Petoskey and were headed back home shortly after lunch.

I got to help Grace and Libby try water skiing on the lake! It was wonderful. We tried last year and both girls were really close, but they didn't get up. We tried again and Grace got up and was able to do it all on her own! Libby was really close and will definitely have it next summer! Both girls worked hard and I had a blast jumping in and helping them learn to ski!

On our last night up north, Grandma and Papa offered to watch Zoe and Luka so we could go out to dinner. Chad, Patty, Kent and I jumped at the opportunity and ran into Traverse City. We enjoyed a new brewery with very good flat bread pizza, and then we stopped for ice cream on the way home at Moomers! My favorite! It was a great night out! Thanks Grandma and Papa :)

Zoe did get to put her feet in Lake Ann for the first time, but she stayed out of the sun for the rest of the trip. Enjoy the pictures below!

4th of July

Zoe's first fourth of July was wonderful! We went into Clio for the third and fourth and it was great to spend the holiday with family! Tuesday we packed up and headed over to Kent's parents house. We ran out to dinner in Frankenmuth! We ate at Tiffany's and had a delicious pizza dinner. Only one problem, Zoe decided she wanted nothing to do with being out. As soon as we sat down she was fussy and cried the entire time. I even tried to go out to the car to nurse her and that helped temporarily but as soon as we were back in the restaurant she was upset again. Papa Gary and I took turns holding her and eating. Needless to say it was a quick meal at a unbelievably slow restaurant :) We headed back to their house and enjoyed a much quieter evening.
For the fourth, Zoe wore an adorable outfit (picture to come soon). We didn't catch any fireworks, but we had a blast with Kent's family celebrating with a delicious cookout. Kent made pork tenderloin and his famous potatoes. It was delicious. We headed back home that evening because Kent had to work on Thursday. Looking forward to his week off starting on Friday and seeing Chad, Patty, and Luka who are coming in on Thursday evening!

Sorry for the delay in pictures :) Thanks Gayle and Kelly for the wonderful pics!

11 Weeks Old!

Zoe is amazing! She is sitting up in her portable high chair and her Bumbo seat! She holds her head up and is even playing with her toys while she is in the Bumbo! It's so much fun watching her learn! The portable high chair is set up so Zoe can watch what I'm doing in the kitchen and she loves it, she follows me around while I cook :) She even started laughing last night for her 11 week old birthday! It was such an amazing sound. Kent and I were watching a movie and Zoe was working on falling asleep... She kept smiling at me and I kept giggling and smiling back at her. She was being bashful and she'd smile and then hide her head in my arm, so I tried tickling her neck to see what she'd do because she was being so silly. She let out a giggle! Kent paused the movie and we sat there and tickled her neck to make her laugh for a few minutes. I was laughing and crying because I can't believe how big she is getting so fast. It was an amazing milestone! Of course as Kent got out the camera to video tape it, she decided to pose for the camera and stop laughing. Seriously, she froze in the same beautiful smile and looked at the camera for her picture! Silly girl, we have to teach her about the video feature :) Enjoy the pictures and the video of her sitting up! Bonus bath time picture, and I even made the 11 week old pictures!

Sam and Lesi's visit

What a week! Sam and Lesi flew in for the long weekend on Thursday and Zoe and I went to pick them up at the Grand Rapids airport. We drove back and grabbed breakfast at a local restaurant. It was fun and Lesi really liked seeing Zoe. After that we ran to Meijer and I got the first taste of what it would be like to have a zero and a two year old... no thanks! Lesi was tired after flying and had several temper tantrums while at the store. Plus Zoe was tired and fussy trying to stay awake so she wouldn't miss anything. It was wonderful getting out of there and back home where both girls fell asleep! Sam and I enjoyed catching up during nap time! After the girls woke up we had a quick dinner and then we were off to feed the ducks at MSU and get some ice-cream from Tasty Twist (the Dairy Store was already closed on campus). Tons of fun, but it was still really hot out!
On Friday we got up and headed out to Impression 5, a children's museum here in Lansing. The building was crazy hot, so we spent most of our time in the smaller room for kids 0-4 years old. Lesi had a blast playing and Zoe took her morning nap :) We went home and the girls both napped. We stayed in for the rest of the evening and played with the girls!
Saturday we went shopping because a trip with Sam is never complete without some retail therapy. Our plan was a few stores, but we made it to two :) At least we got to shop! Then we ran back to Meijer to pick up some yummy things to make chimichangas, cookies, mee hoon, and spring rolls. We had a blast cooking and freezing all the yummy meals for Kent and I!
Sunday we ran to the zoo in the morning and then out to lunch at Traverse Pie Company. It was a lot of fun! The best part was Lesi watching the lions. We told her if she roared at them they would roar back... she roared and a few tries later they roared back by chance. She looks back at Sam and I, said "Oops" and then jumped into Sam's arms saying "They are going to kill me"! It was so funny. Everyone around us erupted into laughter. The poor cat just had a hair ball, but Lesi thought she was going to get eaten! After a fun few days, David came to pick them up and they were on their way up north for a few more days. Thanks for all the fun Sam and Lesi! Until our next adventure!