...and then I went blueberry picking!Sunday I went blueberry picking with Mommy, Daddy, Grandma Martin, and Grandpa Martin. Grandpa is taking the picture! I had so much fun. Do you see me in my blueberry muffin outfit?! I helped Mommy pick the blueberries, in fact I also picked leaves and green (unripe) blueberries too! I tried to eat them, but Mommy didn't let me :)
...and more vaccine shots too.Today was my 4 month wellness visit at the doctors. I saw Dr. Ajay, and he was really nice. My stats were as follows:14 pounds23 1/2 inches15 3/4 inch headMy Mommy was informed that I'm doing well - actually ahead of schedule on my ability to roll over. Wednesday night I rolled from my tummy to my back! I only did it once, and Mommy & Daddy were so excited. I showed them I could still roll from my back to my side and my tummy to my side. Dr. Ajay said this was really great! He also said I VERY attentive for this point in my life, and my health is great as well!This was a MUCH better doctors visit than last month...at least for Mommy.
...and then my Mommy dressed me as a strawberry girl!My Grandma Martin and Aunt Sarah came over today. I told them all about my recent adventures, and I even sang them a song! I had such fun, but I know Grandpa Martin was very sad that he didn't get to see me today - oh well, there's always Sunday :)
...and Zoe Monster has a game!My Mommy loves to play games where she finds the items that don't belong. You know, when there are two pictures and you have to find what is different about picture 2, while comparing it to picture 1. Well online, Zoe Monster has a similar game, and it's pretty cool! Mommy wanted to share it with all of you! Click here to play!
...so I just haven't decided when I'm going to "really" roll over yet.I'm really close. Today Mommy laid my on my back, but made sure I saw my friend, Elmo, was next to me. I went from my back to my side to my back again. Sure, it doesn't sound like much, but Mommy was excited. Then I did a bit of tummy time. Mommy has eliminated the rolled blanket or pillow from the mix. I am doing well with lifting my head all on my own. I decided to roll to my side and then back to my stomach. Of course it's not rolling OVER, but it's making progress. I love the Elmo toy that my Aunt Kelly let me have. It's an original Tickle Me Elmo - from years ago. I think he's funny, and he definitely makes me laugh. The real Elmo has a show and website called, Elmo's World. He also has a friend named, Zoe. We have SO much in common :)
...this is a poem my Papa sent my Mommy.She thought it was appropriate, because she's been so down lately. Mostly because of her weight gain from pregnancy. She's down 30 of the 60 pounds, so I'm really proud of her. Anyway, she wanted to share the poem with everyone.Today, upon a bus, I saw a girl with golden hair.
I looked at her and sighed and wished I was as fair.
When suddenly she rose to leave,
I saw her hobble down the aisle.
She had one leg and used a crutch
But as she passed, she passed a smile.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine
I have 2 legs, the world is mine.
I stopped to buy some candy
The lad who sold it had such charm
I talked with him a while, he seemed so very glad
If I were late, it'd do no harm.
And as I left, he said to me, "I thank you, you've been so kind."
It's nice to talk with folks like you.
You see," he said, "I'm blind."
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 eyes, the world is mine.
Later while walking down the street,
I saw a child with eyes of blue
He stood and watched the others play
He did not know what to do.
I stopped a moment and then I said,
"Why don't you join the others, dear?"
He looked ahead without a word.
And then I knew, he couldn't hear.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 ears, the world is mine.
With feet to take me where I'd go.
With eyes to see the sunset's glow.
With ears to hear what I would know.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I've been blessed indeed, The world is mine.
...a new fun 15 minutes of my day :)
A new activity I do at 8am every week day is to watch Sesame Street. My Mommy is careful to only let me watch a little bit a TV, and we only watch 15 minutes each morning while she prepares and eats breakfast. Zoe is also the name of a monster on the show, but Mommy tells me that is not the reason they gave me the name. Zoe is a Greek name meaning LIFE.
...yeah for my Mommy!Today Mommy and I went to a Mother & Baby Support Group at St. Mary Mercy Hospital. It was really cool to visit my first memory! Yes, I was born at St. Mary Mercy, and it was our first trip back there since we left on Friday, March 25th. Mommy was in the hospital 2 days after my birth. The support group meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. This was the 4th time she could have attended, and finally she decided to try it. She's been suffering from a bit of postpartum depression the last few weeks, so it's good for her to meet new people - especially new mommies! We saw lots of babies there, and I got to talk and giggle and Mommy got to talk with other mommies. It looks like we'll be starting a play group with a few of the mommies there. How exciting!Mommy weighed me there - they had a scale in the classroom for weighing babies. I weighed 13lbs 6oz! I've really done some growing!
...and what a great family it is!
My Mommy & Daddy have never appeared on my blog, but they thought it was time for me to include a picture of them for all of you to see.
We included this picture in our letter to Abubakar - our African sponsor child. He is a 17 year-old orphaned, high school junior that needs financial help attending school. So we are helping him with his pursuits. His mommy and daddy passed away from AIDS (a terrible disease)! My Mommy & Daddy are also sending him school supplies for him. We hope that our little contribution will make a huge difference in Abubakar's life.
...the written word, my favorite!
Mommy reads to me all the time...and I really love it! Today while she was reading me my Baby Faces book I started to turn the pages for her. My favorite pages are the "where's baby?" and "peek-a-boo!" Mommy and I play peek-a-boo all the time. Today I held my dress over my face while Mommy said, "where's Zoe!" Then I pulled it down and Mommy said "peek-a-boo! I was so good at it! Such an exciting play time for me! We always have so much fun, Mommy & me!
...I just love to bounce.
Mommy had piano lessons today, and I played with the Crombez sisters again. It was fun, as usual. I didn't want to take a nap when they left - I was just to excited. I also am cutting teeth, and it's not easy to be away from Mommy. She is so comfy, I want to lay on her all day!
I'm going to see my Uncle Joe tomorrow! He needs to have a carefree day, so Mommy said he could go to lunch with us and hang out to get his mind off of stuff.
...and how much fun it is!Yesterday my Nana brought over a bouncy seat! It really is a great place to play and sleep. My papazon chair was my favorite thing for the first month of life, but then my Mommy was not able to carry it around the house as well (it got really heavy), and I was WAY TOO BIG for it! So now I have a new place to nap and play!
...and then I was a sock monkey!
Mommy grew up always wanting a sock monkey, so for her 29th Birthday she got Al - the sock monkey - from my Grandma & Grandpa Martin. Al has spent most of his life having really amazing adventures, so when he came to stay with Mommy & Daddy he continued to cause trouble. However, when Mommy found out she was pregnant Al changed his wicked behavior. To help him prepare for my birth, Al was given a baby sock monkey for Christmas. Then Easter brought the baby sock bunny - completing our sock family. My Nana & Papa bought me the sock monkey sweater for Christmas - even before I was born - so that I could be part of the cuddly family. Mommy & Daddy love dressing me up, as you can see, and I had a really good time posing with my sock friends.
I'm such a silly monkey! Don't you wish you could be a sock monkey too!?
...what a special day for me!Saturday we visited Tim & Teri. It was my first visit to Lansing (of course I did visit while in Mommy's tummy - but that doesn't count) and it was really not too bad of a drive. Yesterday Mommy & Daddy took me to a really wonderful store - Whole Foods! It was really fun there and so much to see. Mommy & Daddy bought me a set of vegetable people from Under the Nile to play with and suck on as well. I really like Mr. Green Bean.
Then Grandma & Grandpa Martin came to visit us yesterday. They brought Daddy some flowers to plant in the garden, and Grandpa helped him work on the yard. Grandma spent some very wonderful quality time with me and I really had a good time. Today I get to visit over at my Aunt Kelly's and Uncle Ed's. That means I get to see my cousin and best friend, Emma! My Nana and Papa, and Papa Ray will be there too! Such a fun holiday. If I was older we would get to stay for fireworks. Oh well. I had a hard time falling asleep last night because of our neighbors setting off fireworks. I don't think I'll be missing much...
...and my first Independence Day!I'm a lucky baby, as my Daddy has a three-day weekend! Mommy told me we are visiting Cousin Teri & Tim tomorrow afternoon! I'm really looking forward to it! I'm sure Mommy & Daddy will plan other activities for me to do the rest of the weekend.Yesterday I met Miss Karen, and her boys - Jacob and Zachary. Before they arrived a BIG storm came. Mommy & I were rocking on the front porch, and all of a sudden the wind blew really hard! Mommy could hardly open the door to get inside! When Karen and the boys finally arrived, we all went into the basement. I loved visiting with the boys! They have so much energy! I watched them talk and move and can't wait to be able to do that one day!Today Mommy has errands to run. She's even picking up school supplies when she's at Staples. Mommy & Aunt Kelly are helping orphaned children in Kenya, Africa go to school. They are hoping to give this children a better life - and maybe a bit of hope. I'm sure I'll have fun running the errands with Mommy - and maybe we can visit Uncle Joe too!
...and the power kept going off.Monday night we lost power again, at around 8pm. Mommy & Daddy were very upset, but they seemed to have things under control. We got to spend the night in the livingroom on a mattress from the spare bed. Mommy and Nana had to empty the food from our refrigerator. The power came back yesterday at 12pm, but unfortunately went off again before 4pm. I know this because Mommy came back home to turn on everything at 2pm and when we came home to put the food bad into the fridge at 4pm, the power was off! Luckily when Daddy came home to feed the cats the power came back on. It was 5:15. Almost an entire day without power. Mommy & Daddy were told that the power outage on Saturday had to do with a transformer in Taylor, and Monday the power house in Dearborn was on fire! Today Mommy and me are cleaning house, doing laundry, and washing dishes. Three things that were neglected since the power started going out!
...yes, and green too, Daddy :)
My Papa is a BIG (did I say BIG), yes, B-I-G U of M fan. When Emma was a baby he bought her the little onesie I'm wearing in the picture above. My Daddy went to MSU, which is U of M's big rival. So Daddy wasn't thrilled to put me in this outfit, but Papa and Mommy had fun posing me for pictures. Daddy will have to get me some MSU stuff to wear...if he wants to see me in their colors!
Another week has started, with lots of new adventures for me. I can't wait to share them with you!
...yes, and you Mr. Franklin.We lost our electricity a few times yesterday. At 1pm the power went off, came back, went off, came back, and went off. The third time proved to be final for awhile. We ended up eating dinner at Nana & Papa's house. However, Daddy came home at 7pm to find our power was back on! So Mommy & me came home and started preparing for bedtime. I had a bath and went to sleep around 9:30ish. Then at 11:30 the power went off again. Mommy & Daddy were awake, but I slept like a baby (hehe). Since Mommy & Daddy have interruptible air conditioning, the house wasn't even cooled back off since the power was off before. So the upstairs was incredibly HOT! Daddy took the mattress of the spare bed downstairs, and Mommy & Daddy tried to sleep. This really didn't prove successful for them...but I never woke. Then at 2am the power was back on. Daddy set up everything, and they came back upstairs to sleep again. I woke up this time - however, I was easily relaxed by having a liquid snack. The power is still on today - and Mommy & Daddy are VERY HAPPY that it is... It is amazing how many things in life revolve around a discovery and invention over 100 years old!
...and more shots, how fun.Today was my 3-month doctor visit. I was 11lbs 9ozs and 23 3/4 inches. I'm still in the 50th percentile - average isn't bad. We saw a different doctor today - Dr. Kohn. Mommy & I didn't really like her all that much. She made Mommy feel inadequate. She seemed surprised that Mommy wasn't using a supplement besides breastmilk - but said I'm gaining enough weight so it isn't necessary. I think it was the way she asked the question that sounded condescending. She said I was healthy, and gave Mommy information for solid food feeding. Apparently she felt I should start solids next month. However, Mommy got upset because the information sheet stated:WHEN IS BABY READY FOR SOLIDS?- Doubles birth weight and weighs at least 13 pounds.- Seems hungry after 8 - 10 breastfeedings a day or drinks 32 ounces of formula a day.- Lifts and supports head.I have to weigh 15 pounds before I double my birth weight, and I don't think I'll be gaining that much in one month. I'm never hungry after I breast feed. Mommy makes lots of milk. However, I can lift and support my head. But I've been able to do this for a month now (yay me). So Mommy is not too happy about starting solids. Unless she is convinced otherwise. She needs to talk to friends and ANOTHER doctor before making a decision. Mommy asked if Dr. Kahn was a new doctor at the office, but thankfully she just fills in when others are on vacation. Phew! She didn't even know what vaccines I was supposed to have today - there is a chart...you'd think she'd know it. I gave her nasty looks (Daddy calls them surely) and said nasty things to her (but they came out as grunts)...and then she left the room. I had to get two shots - Polio (IPV) and Pnemococcal Conjugate (whatever). The first shot was really easy...I didn't even flinch. The second one hurt a bit...I cried...but not that long (maybe 30 seconds). Mommy has a fear of shots, and she is doing her best to have me grow up not having that same fear. GO MOMMY! We left after that and Mommy cried the whole way home. She really didn't like that doctor. I have to agree. Dr. Marcus and Dr. Jackie are really great. Mommy called the office back and found out that a new doctor is starting next month - Dr. AJ - and he wants to meet all the patients, so we'll meet him next time. So Mommy is going to give Dr. AJ a chance. If he doesn't meet her standards, then she is going to request we only see Dr. Marcus or Dr. Jackie. And if that isn't possible, she's going to go to another office. My Mommy loves me very much :)
...Mommy took this cute picture yesterday!
Daddy helped position me to look extra cute! I really loved the dress...especially the square of flowers by the neck. I liked sucking on that most of the day. My clothes are very interesting to me, and I love putting as much of them in my mouth as I can. Of course at least one fist accompanies it as well :)
We have a bird's nest in Mommy's hanging plant. Daddy bought the hanging plant for Mother's Day and not too long ago a mommy & daddy bird made a nest in it. My Mommy told my Daddy that she saw all the activity, but he figured birds wouldn't bother to lay eggs in a plant. But guess what?! They did! And then the eggs hatched and there were four baby birds. Daddy has been very careful watering the plant so that the babies would be ok. This morning my Daddy took a picture of one of the baby birds sitting in our evergreen bush. Isn't he (or she) so cute!
