Zoë

11-Months-Old

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 1 Comment

Dear Zoë,

A couple of weeks ago, you turned 11-months-old.  I just want to let you know to get used to me running behind schedule.  Your mother is the master at believing she can do everything.  I can’t, but I keep trying.  I promise the important things will get done on time–you know meals, dr’s appt.s.  I can’t say the same for these letters which often fall to the bottom of the list.  That fact is by no means a reflection of the love I hold for you.  Because you are the moon to Noah’s sun.  Our world wouldn’t function without either of you. 

During this past month, you have come so close to walking and have perfected speed crawling.  You are a lighting bolt and I have to watch you like a hawk.  This is the opposite of your brother.  When he was your age, he was walking (no competition here) but he wasn’t the adventurer you are.  You climb on everything–whether it is stable or not.  (Just now you fell off of non-stationary toy and got back up to try it again).  You are pushing the limits and boundaries and smile while doing it.  You love the dog water and every time I stop you by saying your name you look up at me and smile.  And in that smiling face, I see the teenage girl who is going to give me that look when I catch you sneaking out or in–if you follow in  your mom’s footsteps it will be both.   I don’t think I am looking forward to those teenage years.   

Let me apologize now for already warping your mind with television. You are enthralled with Yo Gabba Gabba and sometimes that is the only thing that will calm you down if you are super crabby.  You laugh and giggle and clap.  It is really cute.  I know what all the studies say about TV actually making young children stupid.  If that is the case, I am very sorry because we are in no way rich enough to buy your way into college.  Community college isn’t too bad.  They have some great programs. 

I have to talk about his love affair you have with your daddy.  You get this goofy smile on your face whenever he walks into the room.  No matter how intensely you were crying and screaming before he was there…he shows up and you are all sunshine and rainbows.  It’s  a little annoying.  I am slightly vindicated by the fact that you say “mamma” an never utter the “d” word (dada).  Your brother was almost 19 months before he said mamma.  So in terms of that accomplishment–you are so totally my favorite.  But it all evens out, becasue you dislike sleeping and your brother is the champion napper–so he is my favorite when it comes to sleep. 

Sleep.  Why don’t you need any?   I know you are resistant to napping now, because you are so interested in all the things you can do now that you can stand and cruise and eat all the scraps of paper off the floor and any other stray food your brother drops. I spend half of my day fishing paper that comes out of no where out of your mouth and the other half doing sacfices to the sleep gods in the hopes of you napping when your brother does or at all for that matter. 

You got to see the Ocean for the first time this month and you loved it as much as you like all water.  You spend a good part of every day standing next to the bathtub trying to will yourself in.  You were completely unphased by the sand and the fact that your brother like to cover you in it.  You handled the world traveling well, other than the sleep issues.  But as you can see that isn’t too surprising.  You are a pistol, little Miss Zoë and will continue to challenge us in ways that are totally new and exciting and frustrating.  I am so happy to have you my life and as part or our family.  You fit in seamlessly. 

Keep pushing the limits.

Love you,

Mommy

Sanity Is Making A Comeback

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 3 Comments

We are starting to get some sleep.  I love sleep.  Who knew how good it could make you feel.  Drumroll please……………………………

Zoë slept through the night last night.  I know.  I can hardly believe it.  I woke up about 4 am and freaked out wondering if she had woke and I didn’t hear her–highly unlikely as the baby monitor is up pretty loud since I am the only one home.  She slept until 6:30am.  Which is awesome.  I, of course, wish she would have slept in a little more, but Noah was up at that time too, so we all got up.  I was hoping that she would final understand the value of uninterrupted sleep soon and had only woke up once the previous night. 

I know not to count my chickens before they hatch, but I am pretty confident that consistent sleeping through the night cannot be too far off.  I hope to not jinx myself by posting this momentus occasion, but I must share with you all my pure joy at a night without having to trapse upstairs. 

Victory dance may now commence. 

Be Careful What You Wish For

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / Leave a comment

Because you just might get it.

I want to take back my statement “I am ready for her to be walking.”  Who do I talk to about that?  Who can rewind time and so that I can take it all back.  I am not ready for the movement.  Zoë has been commando crawling for a couple of weeks.  She wasn’t doing it much, I assume now not because she didn’t want to but because it took her too long.  She has figured out how to solve that problem and now I want my mostly immobile baby back.  Again,  Who. Do. I. Ask. About. That?  Tell me please.

Today my little angel figured out how to crawl and to really crawl.  Well, her crawl is actually quite funny.  She keeps one leg straight and does all the pushing with that leg, but is she ever fast.  She has already tried to go up the stairs and outside.  I can no longer leave her in the play area with her toys and go to the bathroom or do a quick emptying of the dishwasher.  My little girl is on the move and I so want to take it all back.

I have no doubt that she will be walking within the next few weeks.  Maybe the ability to crawl will keep her from trying to walk, but I doubt it.  I have never seen this little girl happier as she goes wherever she wants without needing mom to help her.  She is fast and I can only imagine she will want to explore more and more and more.  I am glad that she is growing and advancing and all that good stuff.  But she isn’t a baby anymore.  I’m not ready for two toddlers yet.

So, if you’re listening.  I am so not ready for Zoë to walk yet.  Maybe I can have this wish too.

10 Months Old

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 3 Comments

Dear Zoë,

You are now 10-months-old.  I can hardly believe how much you have changed and how each day you grow more and more.  You are now crawling.  I know.  I can’t believe it.  It is not a graceful girlie crawl.  No you are doing a full on military army commando crawl and it is hilarious.  When you get tired, you just stop and hang out for a few minutes until you build up a little more energy. 

You are also cruising.  I know.  I am so excited that you will be walking soon.  Your brother isn’t a fan of your mobility, but I am.  The more you can move yourself means less time I have to spend moving you from place to place and activity to activity.  Especially since you love to move often and get bored after what seems like the blink of an eye. 

Sadly, you already have a favorite TV shows.  You love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Yo Gabba Gabba.  It is my saving grace when you are super crabby but refuse to sleep.  If this makes me a bad mom and ruins your attention span and development please don’t hold it against me.  Mommy had to stay sane. 

You have picked up your brother’s habit of growling.  It is so very cute.  You are growing so fast.  I look forward to your doctor’s appointment this month just to see how much you have grown since you came home in June.  You are wearing 9 month clothes and that is amazing.  You are progressing so much.  You have seven teeth now.  Not all of them are all the way in but they have broken through the gums and I am so looking forward to the impending lack of drool that I will be drenched with as you stop teething for a little bit soon.  I know that I might be dreaming but a girl can dream can’t she? 

You are a stubborn little girl and you will give your father and I a ton of trouble as you grow up.  You have already perfected that “what now?” look that you will give us endlessly as a teenage girl as we ask you do things like clean your room, do your homework, and to be home by 10 on a Friday night.  I just want you to know that that look won’t work for me, because I too once used that look.  I will not bow to your teen angst. 

You still don’t much care for sleep, but you are one for routine.  So maybe you’re not sleeping is more my fault than it is yours.  Sometimes, you don’t get your morning nap at home, because we have something to do.  If you don’t get your morning nap, then  your afternoon nap is almost non-existent and then you wake up more than once at night.  If you get that am nap then everything is just better.  I have learned this, but there really are just sometimes when mom has to get out of the house. I try to make those time few and far between because I want you to sleep.  i want to sleep.  Sleep is good.

Zoë you have added something so amazing to our life.  The love and happiness is awesome and you really are a perfect fit for our family.  I am not sure how that works and how we got so lucky to get two perfect children and by perfect, I mean a perfect fit into our family.  We are so blessed and so lucky to get to be your parents. 

I can’t wait to see what next month brings. 

Love,
Mommy

Friday Weigh In and A Sleep Update

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 1 Comment

First we’ll start with the weigh in.  I must absolutely recommend adding more children to help with weight loss.  I am really hard pressed to find time to eat and to prepare food.  I know this isn’t ideal, but I have been lucky enough to prepare leftovers of healthy food to be eaten.  I have not been as diligent in counting points, etc., but I know that I haven’t been going over on points.  I am down another 1.4 lbs this week for a 7 week total of 10.8lbs.  I am happy and content with the rate of weight loss.  I have come to accept that fast is not good and that slow and steady really does win the race.  I have 14.2lbs to lose before September 27th–which is 10 weeks away.  At my current rate, I should make it by then.  Yay!  I just to have to stay committed and on track.  Thanks for all the support.

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Peepers is sleeping more/better.  There are touch and go moments and still bouts of crying for an hour or so because she is so tired but can’t fall asleep–but she is now managing 3+ hour stretches at a time.  It is amazing how little sleep you can get by with it you get to have your 90 minute cycles of sleep.  She is still gaing weight at a fast pace she is .2lbs away from 15lbs–which puts her at nearly 3lbs gained in 3 weeks.  She is growing and changing and is relatively happy–but boy does this girl want to get in on the action.  She gets so mad that she can’t crawl and even more mad that she can’t stand and walk.  She’ll be walking too soon for my liking.