Favorite Fruits

So now that Zoe is a little older, we have been trying new foods to see what she might like. She has made it clear that she does not dig the jars of food. Aaron made her a homemade mixture of apples and carrots and she went crazy. Ahe has definitely shown a preference for melon. And not just any melon. Honeydew is her favorite.

Let me just take a nibble

Diggin' in!

What a mess. This food thing is going to require a lot of towels and stain remover.

We are having a lot of fun in this new stage. I am going to try some new flavors and I have a feeling Zoe is getting the hang of all this. Those new teeth have got to be good for something.

The Perfect Day

Every day with Zoe is better than any that we knew without her, but Friday was a special day. We woke up slow and made breakfast. Then we spent the rest of the morning puttering around. In the afternoon, we decided to head to the Brooklyn Museum to check out an exhibit.

We grabbed a quick ice cream cone from the Mister Softee truck outside the museum and watched the animated fountain.

Then we headed over to the botanical garden to wander around and see some fishies in the Japanese garden.

It only seemed fitting that we make our way to our favorite Japanese restaurant in our old neighborhood. Zoe likes sashimi.

We finished the evening by meeting up with friends to hear some great jazz and blues in Prospect Park. It really was the perfect day. Here's to many more.

Even more fun in the park

This week, we hit the East River Park again for the Dirty Projectors. They were really great and the venue is fantastic. Even with a big turnout, it was a very comfortable space to hang with the babies and with the subway running properly again, it was a lot easier to get to. Check it out.

Zoe's doing her impression of a pretzel. Pretty good.

What a beautiful face!!!

Emma's overalls are awesome... and so is Emma.

There is a lot more summer fun on the way and I hope you follow us to see what kind of trouble we get into.

More Park Fun

One of the very best things about summer in NYC are all the free concerts. We have been hittin' the parks like crazy. So many good shows. The only problem we've encountered is a lot of thunderstorms but we go to as many as we can.

Zoe loves being out and about, which is great for us. We do too. As you can see, she is making the most of the summer and we are enjoying her.

Zoe and Emma are chillin' with their papas

All decked out for a day in the sun!

Who'da thought these girls would be so excited about Mission of Burma

Next the Dirty Projectors. BRING IT ON!

Summer fun in the park

Zoe and I traveled the subway and trekked the streets of Greenpoint to get to the Lanings' house yesterday. It was a great walk from the train and the park across the street from their apartment is an oasis.

Emma was sweet enough to let Zoe hang out in her Jumperoo before we headed out for lunch in the park.


After we finished lunch, we headed to the playground for Zoe's first swing. The girls had a great time.


Emma is such a giggle box!


WEEEEEE!!!


This is the coolest thing ever... until the next thing, I mean.

Play and Nap

So Zoe has been talking for a awhile now. She has always been an early morning chatter box. Now she is practicing some major squealing. She does a lot of mimicking which is hilarious when she gets going. This is going to be a lot of fun!



As hard as Zoe plays, she always needs to recharge her baby batteries. I caught her and Daddy doing a little napping the other day. Too cute!!

GOING! GOING! GOING!

Zoe is a maniac. My friend Candace told me that from 4-5 months, you get a new baby. She wasn't kidding. Zoe is exploding on the developmental front. Her dexterity has tripled in a matter of weeks and she is rolling all over the place. At her check-up last week, she weighed in at 17 lbs 3 ounces (up from 16 lbs the previous month) and she grew an inch and a half. AMAZING! Here are some of her newest moves:




The only discomfort she feels is from a perforated ear drum. We don't know how it happened but it did burst and we are giving her drops to prevent any other problems. We have a check-up in a few weeks to make sure it's healing and to take a hearing test. She's such a sport.

The teething goes on but she seems to be pretty content. We were eyeing a teether named Sophie and Nana Debbie read our minds. Moms swear by it and I think the introduction went well. Take a look.




Before Sophie came along, I discovered another way to soothe her aching gums. I took one of those fresh food feeders and crushed an ice cube. Zoe ended up being very moist but very happy. Check it out.




We are having a great time watching Zoe and wait eagerly for the next new thing. We hope you are all enjoying our sweet baby girl. We'll keep the cameras rolling!

Zoe's Camping Spectacular

We took Zoe on her very first camping trip last weekend. After making a stop near Atlantic City to pick up a tandem bicycle (unfortunately, it doesn't quite fit us), we joined our friends, the Lanings, at French Creek State Park for some fun in the dirt. They had rented the site for a few days and were nice enough to give us a patch of forest to pitch a tent and roast some dogs over a Duraflame log (Don't judge us!).

Hey Mom! Dad! Better get that tent up before dark. I'm not bear bait, you know!

Aaron roasted the weenies

Emma's first campfire. She was SO excited... future pyromaniac?

Emma made sure we didn't get lost on the way to the bathroom. Thanks Em!

After a night of blanket tugging, we enjoyed a breakfast of instant coffee and Cheerios. Since we did not bring all our supplies for the one-night trip, I attempted to fashion two spoons from a plastic bottle. We eventually shared one camp spoon, offered by our gracious hosts. The empty Cheerios cup made for the perfect hot cocoa mug. Now that's recycling.

We had some fun hangin' with the babies while deciding how to spend the few hours before heading home.

Emma is serious about breakfast and rockin' the wardrobe of a Miami retiree.

Guys... I was serious about the bear bait thing. This book isn't biographical is it? I mean... the bear doesn't see me, right?


My new hat is the coolest! Gotta love those Emma hand-me-downs.


We got a Yogi Bear on our hands! Better watch those picnic baskets!

We decided to go on a small hike before heading back to the city. Though it was a bit anti-climactic at the top, it was a fun stroll with our friends and a great way to end our short trip to Pennsylvania.

Our fearless leader (Nice butt Candace!)

When we got home, we were greeted with a great surprise. Aunt Bekah sent Zoe a handmade dress for the 4th. Thanks Bekah! It's super cute and Zoe still has room to grow into it.

Zoe's First Breakfast

So Zoe has been very intent on watching us eat for a while now, so we decided to try some solid food. Like most I started with some rice cereal to see if she was interested. Tell me what you think!




We have tried some pears after our first attempts with the rice cereal and we are still working on texture, I think. We are going to give bananas a go later this week; maybe even tonight. I am trying to find times I think she will be more receptive but it's hard right now with the teething. She is not getting much of a break between teeth and now her top two are trying to make an appearance. Poor baby girl! Teething is the worst.

Daddy said, "Think about it this way Zoe: you only have to do it once. It sucks and it hurts, but you won't remember it after it's all over" to which I replied, "That sounds like child birth".

We're here for you Zoe. Hang in there!