Zoe: Year One Recap

Birth: I was called home from work because your mom went into suprise labor 3 weeks early. After just a couple hours of pushing, you were born in the bathroom at 3:30 in the afternoon. You weighed 5 pounds, 5 ounces, and were 19½ inches long. Oh, and your mother nearly divorced me for trying to hammer down what turned out to be screws in the wall after she broke the toilet paper holder while pushing.

One Month: You got over your jaundice, lost half a pound of weight, and then gained it back after you and your mom figured out how breast feeding worked. You were very interested in the sound of your mom’s voice, and your daily routine consisted of two-hour naps punctuated by eating and diaper changes.

Two Months: At your two-month checkup, we found out that you weighed 9 pounds, 14 ounces, or one Milo-Unit. You started interacting by smiling and flapping your arms and legs when your mom or I talked to you. You caught your first cold, and started sleeping for three or four hours between feedings.

Three Months: You topped 11 pounds, started losing your baby hair, and you basically spent the whole month puking.

Four Months: You started chewing on your fingers, and if I held out my fingers, you could pull yourself up into a sitting position, though you couldn’t hold yourself up yet. You developed a bit of stranger anxiety, and slept through the night in your own crib. You hit 23½ inches long and weighed 13 pounds, 6 ounces.

Five Months: You were starting to sit and grab toys, and could track the cats as they walked past you. You loved looking at faces, especially the babies in your books, and you would laugh and coo at them. You hair was starting to grow in, and you had just begun teething.

Six Months: You weighed 16 pounds and measured 27½ inches long. We went on vacation with Uncle Urn and Aunt Kat, and Uncle Dave and Aunt Rose to Crater Lake. You went swimming for the first time, and started playing games with us. You also started scooting around on your belly, and figured out how to grab your feet.

Seven Months: You got your first vaccination, and continued a major bout of teething. You started making a funny face by squinting your eyes shut when you laugh. You were able to sit upright, and rolled over by yourself for the first time. You went swinging for the first time, and ate your first solid food (you didn’t like it).

Eight Months: Your first tooth came in, and you started being able to catch yourself if you wobbled backwards while sitting. You figured out how to get from sitting position to lying on your belly and back again due to your incredible flexibility. You ate some more solid food, and even took a bottle a few times. Oh, and you kissed your mom for the first time.

Nine Months: You started crawling! Your range was limited, and you could only go in short spurts of a few steps at a time, but your newfound mobility rocked your world (and ours). You developed a bit of stranger anxiety and got your second tooth. You caught a cold, and passed it on to your mom and me. You gave me a kiss, and started imitating us.

Ten Months: You had a 101° fever caused by an ear infection, went on antibiotics, and got two more teeth. You had your first Christmas, and visited almost every relative you have, and fell in love with a singing snowman doll at Grandma Annie’s house. It was a busy month.

Eleven Months: You were getting ready to cruise, stand and walk. You started recognizing faces in photos, and loved playing games with everyone you see. You started waving, playing peek-a-boo, and sticking your tongue out. You started having wild tumbling time in your crib before bedtime. You loved your baby dolls, and playing with your friends at the baby groups. You became much more vocal, and I realized that you’re a mechanical engineer.

One Year: You finally started eating, and pretty much refusing to eat anything you can’t pick up by yourself. Your favorites foods were chicken and cheerios. You spent all day waving, sometimes at a person, and sometimes to indicate that you wanted something. You weighed 17 pounds, 5 ounces, and measured 28½ inches long. You had your first birthday party, and were starting to cruise.