I can�??t believe that Zoe is 5 months old today. It has gone by so fast. I know, I know, the whole time she grows up will go by fast. This last month has been probably the best so far. She has really started to show a personality and is quickly becoming more than just a eating and pooping machine. She grabs at stuff now, just about everything, and tries incessantly to put everything she can in her mouth. I live for the moments when I see her and she sees me for the first time in a while and she smiles and lights up, causing me to do the same. It is an indescribable feeling of elation for me and absolutely warms my heart. To think I waited this long for her, not knowing what I was missing!

We take walks together everyday. I give her a bath every night now and look forward to and enjoy both. She is on solid foods and formula now, so we go through Nutramigen a bit slower, which is good. I really enjoy feeding her. She has an Oldenburg appetite and we have no trouble getting her to eat (except turkey baby food that Kris tried to force upon her) and she seems to enjoy the solid foods, I personally feel that bananas are her favorite.

Zoe is funny. She is talking all the time know, mostly squeaks, squeals and babble but it is truly music to my ears. She absolutely is entranced by the dogs and speaks to them quite a bit. She also loves to watch people. On our daily evening walk last night, we stood and watched a bunch of guys playing basketball on the court at the park. I literally stood there for 10 minutes while she watched them play and run, seemingly enthralled by the activity. For a moment, I thought that she was thinking �??I wonder when I get to play that game�?� Soon enough my love, soon enough.

Most people who see her comment on how happy she is and they are right. She has a fantastic disposition (when she is not hungry – again – think �??Oldenburg�??) and rarely gets upset. Our family has been blessed with her arrival and her health and vigor. I have so many things to be thankful for.

Kris bought this book on her first year�??s development and what to expect and Zoe is right on track. It�??s a great book and I recommend it to everyone who has a new baby.

The world is definitely a much brighter place now that I have my Zoe!

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I received a call this morining from my wife to let me know that Zoe now refuses to stay on her back. At the first chance she gets, Zoe immediately will, because she now can, roll over on to her stomach. I was able to observe her newly acquired skill last night before giving her a bath. Of course, in classic Oldenburg luck, when I tried to videotape her feats of dexterity, she wouldn’t perform. When the camera went off and was put away, she was right on cue. Reminded me of the old cartoon when the guy finds the frog in the box that could sing and dance, just not in front of anybody but him.

Things have now progressed to the next level with her, no more leaving her for a few seconds on the changing table.

I will have proof forthcoming, I swear.

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Zoe had her 4 month check up yesterday at 3:45. Kris and I both went, although I was VERY apprehensive knowing that she was going to be receiving shots. Anyway, we were pleasantly told that Zoe was in the 90% for length and 75% for weight. We thought she was gonna be in the 200% for head size, after Great Aunt Ellen made us self conscious about the size of her “mellon”. Ha Ha, 75% for that too, Ellen. Not the orange on a toothpick as you had so kindly stated just a few days before.

Dr. Madrid was very informative. It was funny because he moved us from one room to another because it was hot in the first room. I thought it was fine but we moved anyway. The second room was like a meat locker and, after noticing that the doctor’s fly was down, I asked him if it felt especially cold in the room for him and he embarrasingly responded “shrinkage”.

Doc told us (semi-in-jest) that this was the best time to enjoy Zoe. He said that after 4 months, its pretty much downhill. He said her body is now getting rid of the antibodies passed along from her mother and forming her own, which, in other words, shes gonna start getting sick around 6 months. He went on to talk about when shes 18 months old, we’ll save her from dunking her head in the toilet and she’ll get mad at us for doing it. Then its Ridlin, make-up, boys, then she’ll wreck the car. Wow, he spends about 5 minutes with me and already knows shes gonna have ADHD. I like chocolate.

In the words of Woddy Herrelson’s character Roy Munson as he was spilling hot coffee on the baby in the stroller “treasure these precious times.” Thanks Roy, I just hope Zoe doesn’t get munsoned along the way!

On to the shots. 4 of them, 2 each thigh. Mom had to hold her down while nurse Ratched pumped her full of DTP and such. Dad had to turn away because come shot number 3, Zoe was screaming and dad was swallowing a big lump. She actually did really well and forgot about it a few minutes later. Although she required the comforts of Mom for the remainder of the day.

Here endith the lesson… Don’t get caught with your fly down …

Categories: Milestones
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Bumper (that’s our nickname for Zoe these days) just couldn’t wait to be 4 months old today so she celebrated by waking up at 1:45 AM this morning. Oh glory be, I was so excited for her that I got up too! This sucks. She has not woken up in the middle of the night for over a month now and I guess weve been the ones who were spoiled.

We can’t believe this has come so fast. Yeah, yeah, we know… Kris started back to work today and I’m home with Bumper all day (im scared) and mabye that’s why Zoe got up early, to let me know that she is still the Littlest General! Oh yes, it was 1:45 then 5:30 and I haven’t been back to sleep yet. She is sleeping soundly as I write this. Momma says I’m supposed to be asleep with her but I pumped myself full of premium coffee and the nerves won’t have it. It’s gonna be a long day, for both of us…

I’ll try to keep you posted.

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Thats right, you heard it here first. Zoe really started talking it up last night. We were at a party for my friend Mike Lee’s 36th birthday (welcome to 36 Mike) and all the people talking must have got her to want to really talk. She made more sounds in about an hour there than she made in the last 2 weeks at home. Except the crys of course.

Then today, about a half an hour ago, she was in the kitchen with Momma and she started talking up a real storm. It made me tear up just to hear her make such happy sounds, coos and squeaks. I’m such a baby. I thought to myself “this is another one of those milestones that show me how fast she is growing.” In other words, she is changing so much in just the little time she’s been here that it makes me exited and scared about how fast things are going to change from here on out.

A few days ago, she really stared to use her hands with tiny bits of dexterity. This morning she held her bottle by herself for a few moments. Moments that will last only in my short to mid-term memory. I think thats the scary part – the knowledge that eventually I will be forgetting all these precious moments that I hold so dear right now.

Life comes at you fast —–

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* WPG2 CANNOT LOCATE GALLERY2 ITEM ID 1034 *Wow! I cant believe that it has been two months since Zoe was born. What an interesting two months. I have seen some really neat advancements in her behavior and look forward to many more as she gets older. I am dreading the 2 month visit with the doctor. Apparently, she get 4 shots, OUCH! I told Kris that I am not going to go to the appointment because I don’t know if I can handle seeing her cry in pain. Kris told me “Just wait ’til she is sick for the first time!” Fine. I’ll wait.

I got sprayed in the face with peeper spray as part of a training class today, and it felt like my face was on fire for about 45 minutes. I told my buddy Josh, who was in the class with me, that if I could choose between the seeing Zoe cry in pain and getting sprayed in the face with the pepper spray, I’d take the spray every time.

Anyway, These two months have been absolutely AWESOME. Every day she gets bigger and changes. I went to Vegas for 4 days and when I came back, she already looked different to me. All the adjustments, lack of sleep and frustration has been worth it – 100%. I know there is PLENTY more ahead, but I’ll take the good with the bad. Yesterday at work I ran into a guy I worked with in the Central City Precinct about 10 years ago and he told me that his son, who I met at a squad party way back then, has been a Phoenix officer for 2 years. I told him how time flew and he said, spend as much time with her as you can because they grow up so fast. I beleive him. I gotta go, gotta go spend some time with her.

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Zoe is exactly one month old today, so momma dressed her up in some nice duds (thank you again to all the people who gave us clothes as gifts) and took some pics of her. They came out really good like this one, I call it, “My formula finally agrees with me” * WPG2 CANNOT LOCATE GALLERY2 ITEM ID 907 *

It’s funny because a few seconds after I thought to myself ” I can’t believe she’s 1 month old already” I imagined myself when she is 20 saying I cant beleive she’s 20 already,where did the time go?”

Anyway, just letting you know she’s doing pretty dag gum good now.

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Zoe had her first visit with the doctor today. His name is Dr. Madrid. He was the pediatrician that met us in the post-partum room at the hospital on Christmas day. He was a really nice and personable doctor. I gave him some flack initially and he threw it right back in my face. My kinda guy, I liked him immediately.

Anyway, everything was normal. Zoe was an average 90th percentile in head size, length, weight, and im my mind, poop production. Thats my girl.

After the visit, she had to get a secondary blood test (standard, im told) but I couldn’t stand to hear her cry when they pricked her foot. I waited in the waiting room. Momma said she cried for a second when they poked her foot and then fell asleep immediately. Good girl!

Dr. Madrid told us that a lot of the things she was doing (hiccups, squeaking, etc) were all normal. Im glad.

We go back at two months and I’ll keep you posted.

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* WPG2 CANNOT LOCATE GALLERY2 ITEM BY * Zoe had her first bath today. She had it a few hours after a visit with her great aunt Ellen and great uncle Matt. That was a fun visit. Matt and Ellen brought over about 20 Subway subs for us to eat. Wow, Ellen overdoing the food? no way! Anyway, it was nice and I got some good pics.

Back to the bath..grandma Bud was here to help. Momma put the little bath tub together on the kithcen island and layed out her cute little frog towel. Momma put the water in the tub and Bud and I thought it was a bit too warm but Momma said it was OK. In goes Zoe and the screaming commences. She was not happy. Momma was very gentle but Zoe still did not like it. Afterwords, I got some good pics of her in her little frog outfit. Boy were they cute.

Check out the slide show HERE

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