Where Has The Time Gone

What a fun filled month this has been.  We were able to visit Seaside to see all the Smith family!!  Aunt Dani came over for a few days! We went swimming with Kristy and Malia, and we found a great Pediatrician for Zach, he loves her (we’ve been there twice this month).  Zach got his first cold this month, which really wasn’t fun.  He grew to like the nasal aspirator fortunately but if you sneak up on him with it, he flips out.  Don’t know why, I mean having some foreign object shoved up your nose should brighten anyone’s day, really.  We felt so bad for the little guy he just couldn’t breathe.  Everything kept going down his throat and then he would try to cough it up or it would just come up as spit up, not pleasant for anyone involved.  It is so sad when a baby gets sick, they can’t tell you what’s wrong or where it hurts or what is helping.  They are just miserable and have to get through it the best they can hoping whomever is taking care of them has some magic cure up their sleeve.  It only lasted a week but it felt like much longer. 

Zach also got his first shot! Yes, all who know me may cringe at this but Zach did amazing.  He let out a shocked yell and then Daddy picked him up and he was all smiles.  Yes, I was waiting on the other side of the room trying not to impart my dreaded needle fear upon my little boy.  Oh and Jesse and I have to get our pertussis and tetanus boosters. Yeah, I’m freaking out.  I’m nearly 24 years old, been through labor, and had my blood taken about a million times in the last few months, what can I say, I’m completely irrational but maybe one day I’ll conquer the needle fear. 

Seaside was all kinds of fun.  Our first challenge was the long drive.  We stopped multiple times but made it there in one piece.  Zach met all his Smith cousins.  When Damien first saw him, he came up to him and poked him in the nose (not on the nose…in the nose).  Memphis and Gavin got to hold him, which was really cute.  Zach has gotten so big he didn’t look as small in their little arms as he does in ours. We got to do some fun stuff while we were there.  Went out to eat, bought some wonderful fudge, had a marshmallow roasting fire in the backyard, and took some great family photos.  It was also Gramma Smith and Damien’s birthday, so we got to have a few celebrations!! We also found out there will be another Smith coming in April!! We are already excited to meet this little surprise (boy or girl?).

We had some fun in this warm weather over at the Days home.  Zach experienced the swimming pool for the first time.  He hates baths so we were weary as to his feelings about a pool but he was our little smiley guy.  His diaper expanded to a size I didn’t even think possible but that didn’t seem to bother him.

We also had a fun visit from Aunt Dani.  She stayed with us for a few days and had to endure our crazy family.  She thinks we’re strange but we just like to laugh.  We brought out the toys for this visit; I think they both enjoyed themselves! 

We have also started using the exersaucer.  Zach is just a bit too short so we have a blanket on the bottom so he can stand.  He lights up when he gets in it…so many things to see and play with.  He especially enjoys the teeter tautering pandas.

So I’ve already written about a book worth of stuff but I wanted to update on Zach’s development:

•  He can almost roll over.  He gets onto his side but can’t quite push hard enough to make the last flop happen.  

• He is an expert stander and loves to hold onto your hands and walk up, down, sideways, in circles, and every other way possible. 

• He is mastering the toy grabbing technique at the moment.  He can grasp anything that is cloth, but he has a bit of trouble with all that hard plastic stuff.  His favorite toy is a red rooster with blue wings that makes that crinkly sound. He’ll pick it out of any line up.

• He is one big drooly mess.  He attacks shirts, pants and anything else he manages to get his juicy mouth on. 

• He loves tummy time.  He is getting much better at lifting his body up.  His legs move about a mile a minute but his arms haven’t quite caught up with him yet. 

Helping his Daddy 

Family Pics

My goal is to take a family picture at the end of each month to see how we all change through the year.  We had our mini photo shoot with Gramma Moore and they turned out pretty good! These are a few of our favorites...

2 Months!!

Zach has grown so much. He is such a charmer with a big smile and big beautiful blue eyes.  He discovered his voice and his hands this month.  The hands seem to be a tasty treat and the conversations we have are hilarious. Here are a few two month snapshots to enjoy...

We Got Chicken Deep Thawing

When we finally go out and do stuff and I really have fun memories to share our computers choose to die!  Jesse's committed suicide and jumped from the big red chair...he no longer has a screen.  My computer decided it was too pretty to be used and the mouse died...it is now admired but not used.  Well anyway.

We went to the Robin Hood Festival last weekend in Sherwood.  It was a lot of fun. There were people dressed in all kinds of crazy outfits (wizard, jester, Robin Hood, Maid Marian, et.), all kinds of booths, and amazing food!  We ventured out in the crowds with the stroller first...bad idea!  We were there around lunch time and got stuck everywhere we went.  We did happen to find all the secret back ways into everything but we were tired of the stroller pretty quick. This prompted the quick trip to Target for the ever so handy baby carrier.  We went back to enjoy the festival with our friends, the Bishops, and Zach completely embraced the carrier.  We now put him in it and walk around whenever he has trouble falling asleep, it's instantaneous!

He is so into the festival

Breaking for lunch

We also went to visit Aunt Vicki and Uncle Mark.  Zach had a lot of fun talking and laughing, and trying to climb up whomever was holding him.  He is one active little boy.  We also got to skype with Josh and Ruby and little Lily.  Lily is an amazing kid.  She already knows her ABC's, can spell her name and is a great little swimmer. Hopefully we'll see them soon!

Aunt Vicki

Uncle Mark

My favorite thing we did last weekend was going on our first date since the baby. We went to  the drive-in theater in Newberg and saw The Karate Kid.  Yes, Zach came with us and slept the whole time.   It was packed, we had to get there two hours before the movie started just to get a spot. We played Yahtzee for hours and just enjoyed being out. We had a lot of fun though and really want to go again.

Enjoying our night out!

Bumbo

Who knew this strange squishy teal seat could be so helpful.  Not only is Zach learning how to sit up but Mommy is getting some great little breaks.  We'll sit together and put pictures away, or read, or play.  We get to be two people instead of two people fussed together to form one morphed person.  Of course, there have been moments when the bumbo has been our least favorite object but the majority of the time it is embraced.  Here are some snapshots into the bumbo world...

                                  This is when the Bumbo has deeply offended us...sad times.

Blessing Day

What a fun Sunday.  Zach received his baby blessing today.  It was so wonderful to hear all the things in store for him. He is one amazing kid.  Zach did so well during the blessing. He didn't scream, cry, or make a fuss.  He did however take that moment to fill his diaper with the best smelling stuff on earth!  Surprisingly we didn't hear any of it, even though there was a microphone right next to him.We weren't able to find a great outfit for him that was all white but we did find this little gem...

At one point there were pants involved and he ended up looking like a little missionary (but those disappeared somewhere between poopy diaper and picture).

We were so happy to have all our family around us.  We had Grammas, Granpas, Aunts, Uncles, and friends. It's normally just the two of us plus little .5 man, we generally take up like 1/8 of a bench. Today we filled two!!
After church we got to hang out with family and have some yummy food...

Granpa Smith

Great Gramma Leth

                                                                       Gramma Smith

What Boys Do Best

This little guy can eat and eat and eat and eat and eat! No wonder he is getting so big.  I think the funniest thing about his eating are all the noises he makes, we think he has a bit of Uncle Austin in him. There is a constant stream of Umms and Ahhhs and an occasional Grrr just to add spice to the mix.

He is also extremely talented in muscle flexing.  Yes, I refer to this as a remarkable trait for he is a boy and this is something they all seem to come equipped to pull off.  Zach stands up and almost immediately flexes for all around him to admire.  He isn't getting much muscle I'm afraid but he is getting muscle look-a-like rolls on his arms, ha!