Here Comes A New Shelmet

Zoe didn't sleep well on Saturday night, so when Sunday rolled around, she was more than a little tired. While she was sitting on Cheryl's lap and we were all enjoying some new episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba, she just passed out. This is what she looked like. On Monday I had to stay late at the office to get some work done. I wasn't able to get home in time for Zoe's bed, but while I was at the office I was surprised by a text message. Apparently Cheryl gave Zoe her phone and Zoe composed and sent it all by herself. This is what it said. She needs to work on her spelling, but this crazy new world of technology will be second nature to her in no time. Kind of scary. Kind of awesome. I can't wait to see what she does with it.

On Saturday morning, Cheryl dropped Zoe and I off at the park so we could enjoy the beautiful weather. Usually Zoe loves to play on the slides, but that morning she just wanted to roam around. We made our way into the dust bowl and there she found a sizable log. I took some video and put it all together. Later in the day we had a visit from the Strouts, who spent the night. We had a great time hanging out with everyone and it was great for Zoe to see the Ben and Julia. We spent some time outside at the park and did some relaxing in the play room. Here are some pictures. I can't wait to see the twins again. Check out Zoe's set on Flickr to see even more pictures from the weekend.

This afternoon was Zoe's first trip to the dentist. It was a nice new office that is just down the street from her doctor's.While we were waiting for Dr. George, Zoe was relaxing on Cheryl's lap in the chair. There was an overhead television, a pink dental mirror, scratch-and-sniff stickers and lots of baby teeth. Here are a few pictures. Apparently Zoe did really well, even though she was quite unhappy having her teeth counted. Once her canines are in, she shouldn't get any more teeth until her two year molars. Hopefully then she will sleep soundly and consistently.

This past weekend, Cheryl and I went away and left Zoe with Mimi and Joe Pop. Apparently everyone had a great time. We're super glad that Zoe got to spend so much time with her grandparents, we're incredibly thankful that they watched her for the long weekend, plus, we were just happy to get away by ourselves for the first time in 17 months. That being said, I have no pictures of Zoe from this past weekend (shame on you Mimi!) However, tonight Zoe took her first bath in the actual tub. Up until now, we have been bathing her in her little whale tub because, well, she still fit in it. I think she may like the big tub even better, but I'll let you decide that for yourself. There are a few more pictures, so be sure to check out Zoe's set on Flickr. I'm looking forward to more tubbing in the future. We'll see what the rest of the week has in store.

Zoe has really grown to love her rocking unicorn. She'll get on that thing, make him sing and then rock back and forth so hard that I think she's going to throw herself off. When she wants to play with it, she grabs one of the handles and drags him out. So you can imagine my surprise when I asked her to put him away and she picked him up to put him back. That was the first time I had ever seen her do that, but the second wasn't far behind as she decided she wanted to bring him back out to play. After that we decided to go to Clark Park by way of Honest Tom's and CVS. We were going to Tom's to get some breakfast tacos and we were stopping by CVS to pick up diapers and wipes because I forgot to grab her diaper bag. She enjoyed the tacos and (thankfully) didn't need the diapers or wipes until we got home. The most exciting thing that Zoe did today was take her first bike ride with daddy. Unfortunately it was far too dangerous for me to try and hold ...

While Cheryl is away watching the Strout twins, Zoe and I have been trying to keep ourselves busy. Luckily, Mimi was able to come down this morning to spend the day with us. We decided to head down to Linvilla Orchard to check out their play area, see some of the animals and, of course, pick up some pie. Zoe seemed to enjoy herself. At first she only wanted to pick up the rotting apples, but she eventually made use of the playground. I'm looking forward to making more trips to the orchard. Be sure to check out Zoe's set on Flickr for even more pictures.

In Zoe's playroom there are a lot of toys. One of the larger ones that we keep folded up under the couch is her tunnel. Whenever she wants to play with it, we're always happy to indulge her. The last time we did this the other day, we took a little video because she seemed so happy. Take a look for yourself. I really love her laugh. It is one of the best sounds I have ever heard.

This Sunday was Annabelle's second birthday. I can't believe how fast these kids are growing up! Cheryl, Zoe and I went up to celebrate. It was great as I was able to swim with both Zoe and Annabelle. They were reluctant to pose for a picture after the swim. Thankfully they are both big fans of butterfly shaped pinatas and back yard tossing games. But mostly, I'm thankful for Cheryl. She is the best mom that any kid could hope for. Zoe is super luck to have her. For all the moms who give up everything for their kids, you make the dads very happy. If only we could do more, but the kids cry when we take them.