Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

The Time Of His Life

Francis is about halfway through his baby bonding time with Zoe - he has to return to work on January 12th (boooooo!). He's mentioned several times that this is the best time of his life. I mean, who wouldn't want to take it easy every day, play with baby, watch her discover the world and go on walks in sunny Santa Barbara with Maya?

Here are a few pictures of their quality time together...

First of all... are those pigs on her socks and hat???

And look! She's finally big enough to be facing outward in her baby bjorn!

We went out and about in our neighborhood the other night searching for houses decked out with Christmas decorations...something that is clearly harder to find than a calorie-free margarita. After walking through many dark blocks, we came upon this house that was actually lit up. Love the Charlie Brown theme!

Here are the girls relaxing at the Rose Garden in front of the Mission - well, Zoe is relaxing. Maya looks like she wants to pounce on a squirrel.

Isn't Francis getting pretty good at picking out cute outifts for Zoe?

4 Month Checkup

Zoe had her 4 month check up this morning! According to her pediatrician, she is "perfect." :)

Here are her latest stats:

Weight: 14 pounds 4 ounces (70th percentile)
Height: 24.25 inches (50th percentile)
Cuteness: off the charts!!

I find it funny that she is officially over 2 feet tall!

Adorable Little Cousins

Frenchies

My cousin Lucas, his wife Elsy and their daughter Ana are visiting us for a few days before heading to Mexico for the holidays. Lucas brings the rain with him every single time he comes to visit - it never fails! There was a huge downpour on Saturday but we kept dry and visited the Natural History Museum and spent a long lunch at Palazzio (love those bread rolls!).

I think Zoe was a little bored at the museum

Elsy, Francis and I being silly.

Mom and Dad came down to spend the day with us which was really nice. Zoe took advantage of the situation - she had both Mimene and FanFan wrapped around her finger the whole time.

The sun finally came out today and we headed out to get some fresh air. We had a busy day - beach, courthouse, State St... definitely not a lazy Sunday.

Oh, and did I mention that Maya is Ana's new best friend? She was scared of her at first having never seen a big dog before but she quickly warmed up to Maya. She can't stop giving her kisses now!

Cutie Pie

How much cuter can a baby get???

Sweet December

I am very much into the holidays this year. I am not sure if I should admit this but I started listening to holiday music the day after Thanksgiving (totally nerdy, I know). I think that little Z has something to do with it. I can't wait for the day we explain Santa Clause to her.

The weather is getting a bit colder these days but that didn't stop us from heading to the beach to get Maya some exercise. We made a stop at The Boathouse before heading home and chilled out for a bit. Great ambiance... especially when there's an empty parking lot to go along with it.

(Francis is sporting the "mountain man" look now that he is on leave. I guess shaving is for people who actually work. ;))

It's hard to believe that a brand new year is just a few weeks away!

Whatcha Saying?

Hmmm....which toy should I play with???

This one! Tasty!

I wonder what Zoe is saying here ... is she confused as to why Sophie, her giraffe, isn't responding?

Thanksgiving Weekend

The 4 of us (Francis, Zoe, Maya and myself) travelled to Fresno to celebrate Thanksgiving this year. The drive was surprisingly easy... no traffic at all and Zoe slept the entire way. Although things got a bit wilder once Maya decided to eat some mouse poison. She is fine, thank goodness, but Steven and Meganne's carpet paid the price. For those of you who don't know, giving a dog 2 teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide will force them to throw up. Good to know if your dog gets into something it's not supposed to.

Thanksgiving dinner was fantastic. Steven cooked up 2 turkeys this year. One was deep fried and the other BBQ'd. Top that with green bean casserole (one of my favorite's), mashed potatoes, yams, stuffing, pies, and more. Mmmmm.... I'm ready for some leftovers already! I was too busy eating and having fun that I kept forgetting to take pictures so I don't have a lot.

Check out Zoe's reaction to all the food ;)

We had a fabulous time and hope to see everyone again sooner than later!

We returned to Santa Barbara on Saturday afternoon and finished off the weekend by picking out and decorating our very first Christmas tree! It is still a work in progress but I was too excited to not share...

I think Zoe is looking to see if Santa is hiding behind one of the trees

My Little Reader

What I've Learned

Wow. As of today, my maternity leave is over...and I am now officially a "working mom." I can hardly believe that it's been 3 months since Zoe was born.


In the past few months, I've learned that:

1. The Nordstrom Women's Lounge is the best place downtown to change or feed your baby.
2. Children's books are awesome. Right now, I can't get enough of When A Monster Is Born.
3. Crazy people will want to talk to your baby. The crazier they are, the more they talk.
4. It's true...sleeping in is a luxury.
5. How to change a diaper in under a minute.
6. Contrary to popular belief, pacifiers are NOT evil.
7. To trust my instinct.
8. I have the best husband- always going above and beyond.
9. To not cuss as much. Sh*t!
10. Mommyhood is amazing :)

Troublemakers

Francis has been able to come home for lunch these past few days which has been so nice...but I must admit that I am getting jealous that my days off are quickly coming to an end while he is getting ready to be home with Zoe for 6 weeks.

Here are my two favorite people enjoying some mid-day sunshine together.

And it has become blatantly obvious that Maya is totally in love with Zoe. She seems to always be near Zoe these days (unless someone has food - shocker). I can't wait (or can I?) for the day that Zoe starts sneaking food to her. I smell trouble brewing already...

Jet Setter

Zoe flew for the first time this week!  We took a direct flight out of Santa Barbara to Sacramento to visit Mimene and FanFan.  Zoe was amazing- she didn't mind it when she had to get up at 5:30am (yes, we actually have to wake our baby up if it's earlier than 7am...we are very lucky), or when our flight was delayed for an hour.  And the altitude didn't seem to bother her ears at all. 

Here is a picture of her getting ready for her big adventure:

I have to mention that I stepped on that plane fully prepared.  I was armed and ready with earplugs and money for drinks in case she had a meltdown.  I'm sure the other passengers sitting next to me would have appreciated earplugs and a bloody mary should that have happened  ;)   Luckily she slept most of the way and kept our neighbors happy.  I think there will be many more flights to come now that I know how easy it can be!

I am so glad Zoe had the chance to spend some more quality time with FanFan.  She is hoping to get a lot more time with him in the future!

Who's more tired??

Here is Mimene showing Zoe how to edit pictures...I'm sure that will evolve into scrapbooking lessons in the near future  :)

Coffee break at the local cafe:

We can't wait to see you again!

TGIF

A content baby and a good glass of red...looks like this weekend is off to a good start  :)

Chunky Babies Are The Best

Our little monster is growing so fast!  She is 2.5 months old, wearing her 3-6 month clothes and filling out her infant tub already.  Amazing what a couple of months can do. 

Here is Zoe when she was 2 weeks old:

And here she is today.

Leg rolls, anyone?

Halloween Weekend

Halloween was super fun this year.  The Millers had a big bash  - there must have been at least 30 kids running around and twice as many adults.  Zoe was adorable in her little outfit.  She suprisingly wasn't scared of all the different costumes.  However, about halfway through the evening, she decided to have a major breakdown and after about an hour she passed out for the rest of the night (thank goodness!). 

Francis and I were a plug and socket... but it only really worked when we were together.  :)

Why did the ghost walk into the bar?

..... For the boooooo's! (haha)