More Playtime Videos

Have I mentioned how much fun Zoe is? SO MUCH FUN! She does so many amazing things. She likes to talk up a storm and she has been practicing her laughing skills. Almost there.



She grabs her feet and tries to stick them in her mouth. She takes her hand and sticks it in her mouth. Did I mention she likes to stick things in her mouth?

Back to Work

So maternity leave has ended and I am doing better than I thought. I still miss her when I am away but my anxiety has diminished in light of the great care she is getting from Daddy and Kellie. If it can't be me caring for her 24/7, it is wonderful to know that the very best have stepped in to take my place. At least, for a few hours.

Everyone has been very welcoming at work and excited to see pictures of Zoe. I kindly oblige, of course. It helps to be able to gush over her a bit during the day. And I thought I rushed to get home before. The trains definitely don't move fast enough. On a side note, I sure miss getting a seat on the subway. Not pregnant, good luck. Oh well, at least I can climb the stairs like a normal person.

Zoe makes her debut at the University Club!

Zoe and I decided to trek into Midtown to visit my co-workers at the University Club. I thought it would be a great opportunity to introduce her before returning to work on Sunday. I want to apologize to all those who held Zoe but did not get a picture taken. Due to the "no photography" policy at the club, I was only able to squeeze off one shot of the person who held her first. Zenia was the lucky winner. Quite fitting, considering they share the same first consonant.

Everyone was so happy to see her. I still greatly appreciate everyone's excitement. She is definitely worth all the "hubbub". Despite a relatively short nap, she was in a good mood during the visit. Next time she comes to the club, we may choose the morning instead. I hope to be able to share Zoe with everyone in the future. She really does give the world a good spit shine. Thanks to everyone who took the time to fuss over her!!

2nd day with Nanny Kelly

So Zoe seems to be adjusting quickly. If only we could be as resilient as our little ones. Zoe, Kelly and I took a nice long walk in the sun. It ended up being about 4 miles. Zoe got to try out her big girl stroller that Great Grandma Dodie got her. It was like riding in a Cadillac and she loved facing forward. The walk gave me the chance to get to know Kelly better. She is a very focused young person and a great choice to look after Zoe.



I have been worried that Zoe would not take a bottle. She really does not take one from me consistently and yesterday she absolutely refused to take one from Kelly, even though she had not eaten in 5 hours. Well, today was a big victory for us. I couldn't help but document the occasion. She took a bottle from Kelly while sitting in her bouncer. My friend Candace told me she had a similar situation with another baby so I felt reassured.

Even though I would love to be the one to stay home with her, I am feeling more settled during this time of transition and I am grateful to all who have helped to guide me safely through the beginning of parenthood.

Zoe meets Nanny Kelly

Reality came crashing down on me today when Zoe and I began to prepare for my return to work next week. I have been dreading this for a long time but it was inevitable. I had interviewed Kelly before leaving to go West in April and I offered her the job while we were away. I was relieved when she accepted the job and was looking forward to getting acquainted with her. She is studying nursing at Medger Evers and she is a very sweet girl who is already very fond of Zoe.


Today was kind of a rough day for Zoe. I think she is very tuned into the situation and she senses that things are rapidly changing in our home. She is doing her best to adapt but I know it must be difficult. Kelly is spending the week with us before she goes solo next week. Watching Kelly with Zoe today, I feel even more confident about my choice and am grateful that we are able to provide her with one-on-one care.

I am confident that tomorrow will be a better day and that we all just need the time to adjust to the changes ahead. Let's hope those changes include more time with my precious daughter.

Fun with Friends on Fulton

Zoe and I had such a wonderful afternoon hanging out with Barbara. She was my prenatal yoga instructor and was so excited to meet the little one she helped to strengthen during my pregnancy. It was so great to see her after so many months. She had exciting news of her own as her daughter just gave birth to her second child, May Rainbow, on May 1st. Her granddaughter Story got to pick her sister's middle name. What a great idea. Barbara is a special person with a special practice and I thank her for helping to guide me through a healthy and centered pregnancy. I have such an appreciation for the practice of yoga and hope to continue in the future.

We love a lazy weekend!

Every once in a while, you get to treat yourself to a lazy weekend. We finally got one! Yesterday, Aaron and I went to see Star Trek while Nana Debbie stayed with Zoe. We came home and got sushi down the street. Not too many more chances to eat there before we move.

It has been cloudy all day today, so I made breakfast and we just hung out. Zoe is really good at it.

She's also good at napping. Super chill.

We even got to enjoy story time with Daddy.

That Harold. He sure knows how to think fast with his purple crayon.

Good Times

One of the places we spend a lot of time is sitting at the computer. She'll eat, I'll check e-mail. She'll eat, I'll blog. She's taken to chewing on my arm and just last week, she gave me the biggest hickey. Here is a clip of her in action.




People say that when you have a baby, it is like discovering the world all over again. I find this to be very true. It is amazing the things you never noticed or found interesting until your child sees it for the first time and all of the sudden, it is the most interesting thing in the world. Take for instance, a screen saver. Nice but not the most exciting thing: until Zoe discovers it.

To play or to cry...

So Zoe and I are always looking for new things to explore and see. She really likes black and white and she is starting to enjoy more colors now. The bouncer and the floor gym have been great additions to her "stimulus package" but I can see that she already needs a bit more in the playtime repertoire. Check out this video.

More smiles

So here are some of those smiles I promised earlier. I did some more chopping and the video was small enough to upload.



Zoe was about 7 weeks old when I shot this video. It was the first time she really stared and studied my face.

It's so cliche to say that they grow up so fast but they really do and it makes me realize how precious this time is. It also makes me realize how unsupported families are in America. We shouldn't have to choose between meeting the needs of our children and being able to financially support them. Okay, so I am done venting.

I love you Zoe Renee. I hope you will remember that every day I have to leave you for something that is necessary but always less important than you are.

Smiles from Zoe

Okay so I promised you some smiles and I will deliver but the file is too big (HD is great to look at but hard to upload) and I cannot edit it anymore. I will bring you other goodies in the future. I still have lots of good stuff to show you anyway. This video was taken on our trip. Nana set up the floor gym and Zoe was checking it out. She took to it right away and we were rewarded with her first squeal. Enjoy!

More faces of Zoe

So one of the funniest things about watching a baby grow are their facial expressions. I thought I had a lot but Zoe beats me, hands down.

Just hanging around waiting for cousin Lily to be born

During the month of April, Zoe spent a lot of time in her car seat.

Check, please!

So I feel Zoe is on the verge of a great nickname. For some reason, her drool is always accompanied by lots and lots of bubbles.
Ladies and Gentlemen, BUBBLES DEETZ.

VIDEOS! VIDEOS! VIDEOS!

So I thought it would be fun to run a few videos back to back so everyone could get an idea of how Zoe has progressed in her animation capabilities, but it takes flippin' forever. So I am going to try to publish one a day. She really is amazing. That brain is firing some serious neurons and we are lucky enough to be here when it is happening.



So in this video, Zoe is a little over 5 weeks old and was very often surprised by me.

Stay tuned for a lot of smiling in the next clip.

More fun with Nana!

I couldn't resist posting more pictures of Zoe with Nana Donna during our trip. I learned a lot about the different ways I can stimulate Zoe's learning during such an active time in her development. Moms really do know everything.

It wasn't until the end of our trip that Zoe noticed my mom's dog Sadie but when she did, it was pretty funny. Sadie went on a sniffing fest and Zoe couldn't stop staring.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em

More friends!

Some of the friends that we met on our trip out west ended up on my mom's camera and I just got the images. We went to dinner with my oldest, dearest friend Becky and one of my mom's best friends, Tracey the last week we were in Oregon. I wouldn't dream of leaving them out of these memories. They have both been very important people in our lives and we had such a good time.






Becky













Tracey

Happy Mother's Day!

What a wonderful day to celebrate all the beautiful women who have helped nurture and protect us. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and made for a great trip to New Jersey to see Aaron's mom. I couldn't resist dressing Zoe up for the occasion.

Thanks to Erica for the adorable dress and Julia for the sweater.

Zoe had a great time just hanging out








Aaron had a fantastic plan to make brunch for the three of us. We were banned from the kitchen left in the living room to sip mimosas. Oh, life is SO hard.

Aaron planned an elaborate menu and I have to say, it was executed beautifully.

He started with Swiss toast as the appetizer. It was like mini eggs Benedict. Yummy!


Can't forget the bacon! That would be sacrilege!!

AAHH.. the feast. A baked omelette with sauteed onions and cheese, a fruit salad with homemade poppyseed dressing, and Belgium waffles.


Let's eat and keep the mimosas flowing.

It was such a wonderful meal and the perfect way to show his ladies how much he loves us. We love you too!

Fun with the Lanings

Well, it didn't take long for Zoe and I to hook up with our good friends Candace, Jason and Emma. We sure missed them when we were gone. Emma is now 7 months old and growing SO fast. She is scooting herself across the floor like a pro and getting lots of new teeth. She is still so sweet even while enduring the pain of new choppers.

Emma loves babies and she seems to have taken to Zoe.

Look at those biceps. She's bringin' sexy back.


We were hanging out at their apartment and it got really warm. Thanks to Candace and Jason, Zoe was able to chill in style.
It's tie-dyed and says Coney Island. PERFECT!


Candace was so excited to see Zoe. We love Candace!

So the fun didn't end there. After leaving their place, the Lanings decided to follow us over to our apartment for a BBQ with our friend Ryan. It was a great chance to break in the grill and enjoy the great weather. Thanks for coming guys!

Bath time

So there was a time when Zoe was a newborn that she hated having a bath. She would scream the whole time. And forget about the massage afterward. Well, those days are long gone. The girl loves the water and I am grateful that stage is over. She is starting to get into the massage and I love the time we spend together.

Play time

This kid is growing TOO fast. We were not home two days before I had to search craigslist for new baby goodies. She really needs to be stimulated and I had underestimated how quickly this would happen. During our trip out west, she took to the bouncer and the floor gym. I was able to score them both for a good deal. Next will be a jumperoo and an exersaucer. She already likes to stand up so we are going to be in for it in a few months. Of course we will keep you all informed of the mayhem to come.

Back to Brooklyn

For our last night in Oregon, we got the whole family together for dinner. As crazy as it sounds to have 6 children under the age of 7 and 3 infants along with 6 adults share a meal, it was absolutely wonderful. The kids were pretty well behaved and everyone was able to eat and that alone is quite an accomplishment.

We seem to be missing a few. I'm sure they're around here somewhere.

Zoe looks like a giant compared to her newborn cousins.

I have to say that for such a long trip, it did not seem like that much work. I want to thank all the family members who housed and hosted us along the way. You made us feel so welcome and I know Zoe will look back on this time and know she is loved. I know I am and grateful to know such wonderful people. Okay enough of the mushy stuff. On to Bed-Stuy!

Road Trip to Roseburg Part 2

So after we left the baby shower, we went to visit my cousin Scott at his new house. He bought a forclosed home and he and his wife Christina have been working hard to fix it up. They remodeled everything and I can't wait to see the final product. Congrats to you both!

Cousin Scott

Scott and Tina

After leaving Scott and Tina's, we headed for one of my favorite family get-together spots: Abby's Pizza. Kayla was so sweet and called ahead to have our favorite pizzas and chicken ready for us when we arrived.

Thanks Cousin Kayla. You're the coolest!

I know it makes me sound old but I just can't believe how grown up Tim is. WOW! And great with babies too.


Congrats to Cousin Mickey for getting the best shot of the night.
'Nuff said. AWESOME!

We love you all so much and hope to see you soon!