Almost 8 weeks old

I'm not sure what was so funny, but Zoe was really happy this day!





I can't believe I haven't updated since late October. Well, I guess I can believe it. Things have been busy around here. We celebrated Halloween and Zoe rocked a mohawk. Well, not really -- I just washed her hair and it dried like that. Really! It was definitely festive!

We had a whirlwind weekend visit from Steve's brother, his wife, and our nephew. It was wonderful to see them, and they got to meet Zoe for the first time. It was very cool to see our children together.

I spent some not-so-fun time at the dentist this week. I needed to have a tooth prepped for a crown. I have had really horrible experiences at the dentist in the past (anesthesia not working, incredible pain with drilling, etc.) so even though I love my dentist, I was pretty tense about it. So far, I think it went okay. My jaw and gum are pretty sore, but I think that's to be expected. Hopefully it will be better in a couple days. I have to go back in early December for the actual permanent crown to be put on.

We had a call from Z, Zoe's birthmother, last week. It was SO nice to get to talk to her. She had received the photos and letter we sent at the 6 week mark and just wanted to let us know she got them. She wasn't able to email, so she called. We had a great talk - we were on the phone for almost an hour. She sounds like she's doing well and was happy to hear about how Zoe is doing, too. I'm so glad we got to talk.

This past week I also had my work baby shower. It was so nice of my coworkers to throw one. They were very generous. I took Zoe with me, and she was quite the social butterfly. Well, that is, until she fell asleep after her bottle! But that's okay. She was happy. My family is throwing a shower at the end of the month. We're looking forward to that get together, too.

Zoe is playing with her Brenda doll on her playmat. (My friend, Brenda, sent it to her, so she is now named after her.) She loves it!


Overall things are going well. Zoe is starting to sleep about 3 hours at a time at night. Sometimes a little longer. She's had a couple nights where she managed 4 hours in a row before she got hungry. I'm not sure who's more tired in this picture!She's been really active and has managed to hold her head up for a pretty long time when we're holding her. She can also do it for a little bit when she's on her stomach. It looks like she's doing baby push-ups. She's cooing and making sounds and loves to smile if you smile at her. She's such a sweetie. Oh, and you probably won't believe me, but she gave me a high five a few times. Steve saw it, so he'll back me up!

I'm really happy. We're both really happy. I can hear Steve talking to Zoe out in the living room right now, and I can hear how happy he is in his voice. It's definitely hard work to take care of a baby, but she is worth every second. And when she smiles, your heart just melts. I know I sound very mushy, but it's true. I said to my sister, Tracy, just the other day, I can't imagine our life without her. I just can't. I'm so glad that the path we were on led us to her.