Do you know who is now a full-fledged two year old in all her terror and glory?

That is right! It’s Zoe Ellen Ruth Kyle!
We celebrated her birthday with the Wonder Pets. She loves Ming Ming. She thinks Tuck and Linny are awesome too, but she has a special place for Ming Ming. I think it is because Ming Ming is very similar to Z in personality. She is funny, independent, and likes to be the center of attention.
I checked a lot of invitations with the Wonder Pets on them, but decided to design them myself – to save money (with inspiration from here)….

And I got to break out my new sewing machine to make her a Wonder Z cape to wear on her special day…(and whenever else she wants since she is so into dressing up!)

I also made a special dress for her to wear. It should fit her for a while, but I tacked a 2 on it for the party.

She had a lovely time hanging with her friends and cousins. Everyone was cheerful, despite the previous evenings NFL Playoff loss by the Colts. It’s funny how football is so much less important these days – with two little ones to always make us smile.

When we sang Happy Birthday, she was a little overwhelmed. It is funny because she always loves to be the center of attention, but I don’t think she was prepared for the serenade. Since then she has been working on singing, ‘Happy Birthday’ with the Minnie Mouse card she got from her cousins.

The days fly by. She learns and grows more every day.
The rest of this is to remember Zoe at two…

She is still obsessed with books and the alphabet. She can count to ten. She loves to dance and jump. She doesn’t start eating the crayons until a few minutes after the coloring starts. And when I ask her not to eat them and tell her I will take away each crayon she puts to her mouth she continues to put each one in her mouth as I take them away. I am sure she is just looking for the attention, and she will enjoy coloring more than being scolded one day. She has been in time out a few times and she is very good at staying still until she is allowed to come out, although she sometimes cries through it, upset to be in trouble.
Every color is yellow, even though she has said red, blue green and purple.
Her favorite shape is the circle, which she calls werkle. She knows the rest of the shapes, but refuses to say triangle. She usually calls them werkles, even though I have heard her say triangle before. She is the master of the shape sorter – circles stars triangles squares.
She can do basic puzzles – and loves to take them out.
She plays with all of her stuffed animals, and calls them out by name. She calls the monkeys ‘bears’. Her method of playing is to take every animal out and put them in another place, whether it is on the couch or in her brother’s playpen while he is sleeping….She says ‘Here Bubby’ when she loads him up with animals.
She loves the moon. She looks for it every morning.

Last week we started a dance class! I need to get a picture of her at it, because watching a 2 year old at dance class is like going to the cute overload convention.
She works on kicks and spins and front rolls.
I started to write out what she is saying, but there is really too much to write.
She is smart and funny and great at being a big sister. She starts the day with ‘Hi Bubby!’ and continues to make sure he is happy throughout the day by giving him toys and kisses.
Some days she is an awesome napper. Other times she flat out refuses and will loudly cry in her crib until she is allowed to get up.
Right now her favorite song is ‘Where is thumbkin’ and she tries to sing the words, but you can only understand a few, like thumbkin and thank you.
There is so much more to say.
She is a fabulous two year old, so much fun to have around – even if she pees on the floor every now and then when we are trying to air out her bottom and potty train or whacks her bubby on the head handing him a toy.

Age: 9 Months

Physical Output:
Crawling all over the place
Pulls herself up to standing using anything she can find
Will stand on her own for a few seconds until she realizes she is doing it, then promptly sits down

Verbal Output:
says ‘Dada’ to everything
has also said ‘Mama’ and ‘baba’ but usually responds with ‘Dada’ when I try to get her to say ‘Mamma’
loves to babble and tell you what is what

Notable Events:
Went to GenCon
Went to the Zoo with her cousins DeLainey and Dillon
Spent the weekend at the Woods
Went to the Colts Training camp

Sleep Progression:
She sleeps in her crib at the beginning of the night
on a good night she will sleep from 7pm to 5-6am
has had a few ear issues, and doc thinks that is causing her to wake up
when her ears are bothering her she ends up with mommy
is refusing to take naps at daycare

Edible Input:
She just started eating cheerios and other snacks
she eats some jars of baby food, but also likes to try what mommy and daddy are eating
she had her first meal at a restaurant where we ordered mac – n -cheese for her , she ate it without incident (except for the noodles all over the floor)

Diaper Size: 3 – we have found that huggies fit her best

Length: 28 inches
Weight: 19 lbs 12 ozs
# Teeth – still only two – but ponds and streams of drool to show the top four teeth will be here any day….

The Zerker has had a busy week. She started saying something like ‘Dada’ on Wednesday. I say it was something like it because she wasn’t making the D with the roof of her mouth, but with her upper lip. It sounds close enough.

And Thursday she started pulling herself up to a sitting position all by herself.

And tonight….well we knew it was coming…she is crawling around. She isn’t too fast yet, but she is getting around.

She is soooo cool.

For a look at what the rest of the class is showing, check out Mel’s Show and Tell.

Children mentioned and pictured.

I made a tutu for the Zerker. A few people on facebook asked how I did it. It was super easy. Here is what I did…
Materials:
8-10 yards of tulle
Enough ribbon for the waist and a pretty bow. (I am waiting to cut the Zerker’s tutu ribbon until she is bigger….)
The tulle was by default 36 inches wide, since I folded it in half on the tutu it meant the tutu is around 18 inches long. I bought four different colors at 2 yards a piece. Tulle is pretty inexpensive. The stuff I bought was 50 percent off a 2 dollars a yard.
I cut the tulle into 4 inch strips, giving me many 4 inch by 36 inch strips of tulle.
Then I looped the tulle around the ribbon like this:

I made sure the colors were evenly distributed along the ribbon. The knots form a row of bulbs along the ribbon.

After I was done I took a quick picture of the finished project.

And today we had a photo session….

The Zerker has decided that rolling is way cooler than the Segue as a mode of transportation.

She also spent a good five minutes staring at patterns the sun made on the floor of the office on Friday. I thought it was amazing. She was so intrigued by the shadows. I wondered if she understood what was causing them or that she had the ability to manipulate the shadows. It reminded me of a For Better or Worse column where the little baby is staring at a sunbeam and the Mom says ‘And I thought it was just dust.’

She sat on the grass while we threw the ball into the pond for the dogs. She managed to get scratches on her face. Lets just say she won’t sit directly on the grass very often. She was just fine, really, it was just a little scratch from the grass. Who gets scratched by grass anyways? What a dork! Why do babies mark so easily? Oh maybe it has something to do with the fact that SHE WAS JUST BORN THIS YEAR! It will be gone by tomorrow. I did get some adorable pictures though….

Zoe is right on track, hovering in the 50th percentile in weight….

And 75th percentile in length….

Her head is in the 50th percentile too, but I don’t have a visualization for that….

She got her 6mos shots today. She is on antibiotics again, her ear is infected again and she has a lingering cough. The good thing is that she is such a trouper. She really doesn’t act that much different when she is sick. I wish all the people I am around were so congenial when they were sick!

At least she has normal poo now, and she is allowed to move to solid foods!

These graphs were done for free on a birthcare website I found….
Have a fantastic day, y’all!

This is a little late – but I think it is pretty normal for a quarterly review to take some time to prepare….
Zerker was born on 01/09…

Age: 6 Months

Physical Output:
Still smiles all the time – but only if her belly is full
Sits up all by herself
Rolls over front to back and back to front
Picks out her toys purposefully
Especially enjoys Flutter her butterfly and Jangles the Giraffe
Loves to stand with support

Verbal Output:
but now is a crazy giggler when tickled
even laughs at Mommy when Mommy dances in the store or makes funny faces
babbles on and on
we think she is ready to say Ohma and Ahda (momma and daddy)

Notable Events:
her bff DeLaney was born
Went to Cubs game in Chicago
Had her first ear infection
first round of antibiotics
first projectile vomitting
first flu
went to daycare
flew on an airplane
went to Florida
played on the beach
swam in a pool
was in the newspaper

Sleep Progression:
Still wants one bottle a night – ugh
Just moved to her crib – but slept in the bassinet most nights before
Prefers sleeping on her side

Edible Input:
eats 4 – 6 ozs at a time – but just at 6 mos is wanting 6 oz all the time
has solid food for dinner – likes peas, carrots, sweet potatos, not as fond of bananas or sweeter foods

Diaper Size: 2

Length: will find out this friday at the docs
Weight: around 16 lbs
# Teeth – Two!!!!!!!!!!!

We are so blessed to have her, it is so wonderful to watch her grow….

So…wow..i have been really bad at posting…
work is really keeping me busy…i have this super big project that I had to have pretty much spec’ed out before my vacation and it has been taking my focus and creativity…

Our vacation starts on Friday! We can’t WAIT! We are flying to south FL – Gulf side – to stay at a resort my seester manages…
Well I can sort of wait – because
How do you pack for a 6 month old baby? Just how much money am I going to be spending in checked baggage? We couldn’t drive – the Zerker HATES being in the car too long unless she falls asleep….My cousin lives down there and a friend of hers is letting us borrow a stroller. We have to check the car seat…and the rest we will just wing…Zerker is pretty good at sitting without the boppy, she can sleep in her carseat or we can set up pillows around her on the floor…or I could rent a pack n play – or I could buy one on craigslist…

Oh and there is the fact that, um, I haven’t been able to eat anything but chicken broth and ice cream since Saturday. My throat feels like it got stuck in a garbage disposal, and my fever finally left….I am on antibiotics and I think it will pass – but darn I really want to be totally well for our vacation…nadie doesn’t have any more vacation days left because of the week zerker was born…

Oh and the Zerker had her first ear infection and was on antibiotics

Oh and she got her first tooth.

Oh and she is eating solid foods.
All of this happening when my new job is going full force…
Um…can you say crazy life?

ouch – not gonnna say anything…

She already looooved her feet….guess what she realized she can do now?

The Zerker is five months old today. She celebrated by sucking on her toes. And, of course, she practiced vocalizing (shrieking) as loud and high as she could.

She started at the daycare yesterday. She seems to like it. And, it seems to really wear her out. She comes home, needs a nap (even though she has had her daily naps – and usually has eaten), has a few pleasant hours and is ready for bed.

She is amazing…All is well….

It has been a month and I haven’t written one post.
I go through these phases, from one extreme to the next sometime, I guess.
And while I have been keeping up on my friends blogs (maybe not commenting as much), I think I bit off a bit more than I could chew with my google reader and I just can’t keep up. Argh! You mean I can’t raise a 4.5 month old baby, work full time, manage a household, do fun things with my family on the weekends AND ready 200+ regular bloggers? Nope – I guess I exceeded my limitations.

Sooooo much has been happening over the past month.
I have tons of re-caps….

4 month old well baby visit and immunizations. Zoe was super healthy and growing like a weed. 75th percentile in height, 60th in weight and 50th in head size….reaching beyond expectation in strength and capability…

Zoe had her first sicky. She still is a little congested. She was never full on sick and never needed to go to the doctor, but she got her first cough from her daddy and got congested. She never seemed fussy about it.

We went to Chicago for a cubs game a few weekends ago. The in-laws were in town and came with us. Zoe got to meet her grandpa(daddy side) for the first time. Zoe was a trouper and we had a great time with the BEST pizza from Gino’s East. Last year we had Giradanos and Ginos was just sooo much better for some reason.



Zoe visited the woods twice. She met my good friend Rosa.

My sister sang the National Anthem at the Indianapolis 500 race this past sunday. Nadie and I got to go to the race with my family. My cousin watched the Zerker. We had a great time, but I missed my baby.

This past week the Zerker seems to be teething very hard. Friday was the fussiest day of her life…I hate to see her in pain. I can feel teeth poking through, but I feel like there is very little I can do. I give her cool teething rings, frozen wash cloths, anything to get her through the worst of it.

In sad news, Zerker’s awesome caregiver on the days of the week that I go into the office has some other important priorities that mean that she can’t watch her anymore. We visited the daycare and made a deposit. Their are pros and cons to it. It is much closer to our house. It will give her a chance to socialize with other babies. But, it felt a lot more institutional than I would prefer. She will be exposed to a lot more germs. We have to get special Drs orders to keep her on the same formula. We tried her out on the kind that they give in the daycare and it seemed really make her tummy hurt. She will not get so much individual care. We can always switch to a different place or a home care if it doesn’t work.

She is getting SOOO big and SOOO strong. She can sit up by herself for several seconds now. She is trying new things out all the time. I am so impressed with her. She has gone to two baseball games (one was a minor league) and managed really well.

I love her so much it hurts. I saw my niece Bree graduate last weekend. It was sort of surreal. Bree was the first baby that I was around and babysat. The years fly and I am so scared that I will blink and it will be the Zerker in a cap and gown. On the otherhand…I am loving watching her grow and learn…So happy…