Zoe Update

Here's the day in the life of Zoe:
Mommy has been trying to get me to sleep until 6 before giving me my morning bottle.  I can't always wait until then but I try really hard.  I like to make my Mommy happy.  We are good friends already and I know she likes being home with me.  Most of the time I can make it until around 5.  I have a bottle and than I can usually convince Mommy to bring me back to bed with her.  I'm doing a great job of sleeping in my own crib most of the night now but I still like to snuggle with Mommy in her bed.  I think she likes it too.
I like to reach for toys and grab almost anything now.  When I drink my bottles, I always put my hand on Mommy's face and pat her cheek.  Some of my favorite things to do are to talk to Mommy and Daddy and listen to music.  Music helps me to feel better when I am sad.  Most of the time, I am a very happy girl though. 
I started to eat cereal a few weeks ago and I like it.  I always laugh and smile when I'm eating my food to show Mommy that I like it. It feels funny in my mouth and on my hands.  Sometimes I put my hands in my mouth while I'm eating to feel the cereal.  It's very squishy!
I am still not sure about naps.  I don't really have set times that I like to sleep during the day.  Mostly, I like to take cat naps.  I'm sort of settling into a schedule, but not quite yet.  Most days, I will take a small nap in the morning around 10 and another one in the afternoon around 3.  They usually only last about a half hour or so.  There's just too much to learn and see to take more time to nap!
I don't like to brag too much, but I must say that I've been doing a good job at taking my bottle at night and going to sleep around 9.  I like it when Mommy sits next to my crib for a few minutes before leaving the room.  Mommy always puts my fan on because I like to noise it makes while I sleep.  I also like my bear that makes a heart beat sound.  They help me relax.  I am a very light sleeper and it's sometimes hard for me to settle down and close my eyes.

 I like to play with Mommy and Daddy.  One of my favorite things is when Mommy and Daddy blow on my tummy.  It makes me giggle.  Mommy and Daddy love my big pretty smile.  It lights up my whole face!
I'm doing a great job holding my head up and can now sit up in a bumbo seat and almost in a high chair.  Mommy gives me a bath every other day.  I have a special baby tub that I use up on the bathroom counter and I love to look at myself in the mirror while Mommy washes me.  I'm getting so long, though, that I don't know if I'll be able to use the bath much longer.  I'll have to start using the big girl tub soon.
My furry doggie sister, Hope, is very protective of me.  She gets upset when Mommy and Daddy burp me sometimes.  She likes to protect me when people are at my house that she doesn't know.  She will sit right next to me and make sure that I am safe.
I LOVE to talk!  Sometimes I like to talk in church during sacrament meeting.  I am so happy to be alive and I want everyone to know it!
So far, I like being here and am a happy girl.  I am excited to learn lots of new things!

South Beach Dieting and Solid Foods

So, now that I am done breast feeding and back to a semi-normal schedule, I have decided to try the South Beach diet to loose the pregnancy belly along with the extra baggage I had before we got prego.  I had initially lost about 15 pounds when we found out we were having Zoe so I figure that if I can get into shape before we try to have another baby (which won't be for a little while) I'll be better off.  Steve wants to do it with me so we started last week.  Anyone who has done South Beach knows that the first phase of the program is pretty darn tough.  We are looking forward to next week when we can start adding the carbs back onto the menu.  I've even started dreaming about bagels...I know, I need some more excitement in my life:-)  I do think that the South Beach diet is one of the more reasonable diets out there right now.  I think it's a good one if you are looking for a diet program that will actually teach you to keep the weight off, not just loose it.  It's all about making those lifestyle changes that will help support healthy living for the long hull.
On another note, Zoe is already 4 months old and is starting to eat solids!  I can't believe how fast the time has flown.  We were intending on waiting to start her until she was 6 months but I felt she was ready for it and the doctor said to go ahead and start.  She has been chewing and gnawing on everything lately and has been very interested on watching us eat.  I bought the rice and oatmeal cereals last week and we've started on having it once a day.  The Pediatrician says she doesn't need it as an essential part of her diet yet but that we could experiment with it the next few months if she seemed ready.  So far, she is really liking the oatmeal.  Once she's been on that for a while, I'll start adding in some veggies.  I really want to make my own baby food.  I bought a book on different things you can do at home...we'll see how it goes.