Zoey @ 4 Months

Zoey @ 4 Months:

Zoey is growing like a weed!  I'm excited... but it makes me a little sad, too.  I want it all to just go in slow motion but I know that it won't.  I am trying to savor every moment with her!  This month has been very, very eventful for Zoey.

On Wed. March 31, Zoey had her 4 month pictures taken after school.  The pictures turned out great and they include all the pictures on this page except for the pictures with the angel wings and those in the yellow outfit.  Those pictures were taken the very next day by KnickerBockers at our church.  My parents had purchased a voucher to do those without me even realizing it until I walked through the church door and the lady selling them mentioned it.  Wow... lots of pictures for Zoey this month!  

On Saturday April 3, Zoey got to go on her first real shopping trip!  Zoey had been in Wal-Mart once, during the Kentucky basketball game when it was pretty much empty, into Wal-Greens for 2 minutes while I picked up an herb to help with breast milk and into J.C. Penney's while in a baby sling.  She had never really had a "real" shopping trip.  Zoey loved it!  She loved riding in her stroller and seeing all the colorful clothes go by.  I told her as we entered J.C. Penney's, "Sissy, welcome to the wonderful world of shopping!"  She just smiled!  She had a great time.  Uncle Billy, mamaw and papaw went with us, too.   

Let me add, I have been criticized a bit for not taking Zoey out.  Even now, I am cautious about where I take her.  She is healthy and growing up but I would rather not have her sick if I don't have to.  Zoey was kept out of public for the first 3 months of her life.  She started going to church at that point and that was about it.  Now I do take her out and about somewhat but I'm not really fond of places with lots of people or lots of kids.  I work with kids daily and I know the hygeine that some of them have.  Some never, ever wash their hands.  I'd rather not have them all over my daughter.  Nothing personal just a preference of mine.  I know that getting sick and getting germs will help build immunity, however, I would rather do that as she gets bigger when she can actually deal with it better.  Just a personal preference.  Others don't feel that way and that's ok but I do.  That's what makes the world go around : )   

On Sunday April 4, Zoey attended church for her first Easter!  She had a great time in her pretty, yellow dress but she had a bellyache and was warm in church so we didn't make it through the entire service.  She cried for 45 minutes in a side Sunday school room.  Finally, she fell asleep and she did well through Easter dinner at Ryan's.  After we got home, she started hurting again and cried all evening.  We didn't make it back to church that night.  The next day, after feeling a lot better, Zoey found her toes in the car.  We were heading home from mamaw's and she was wiggling her toes.  She caught sight of them and was just amazed at these little, wiggling things!  

  
For Easter I bought Zoey a basket and filled it full of goodies including pink Peeps, Veggie Tales chocolates, bendable bunnies, a Tootsie Roll bank, yellow bunny ears, Easter books and her first movie from mommy... Charlotte's Web.  Zoey loved her books and movie the best (and daddy and mommy loved the sweets lol).  Here's her basket and things and a pic of her watching her movie!

 

The next weekend brought more excitement for Zoey.  Granny, Aunt Fefe, and cousins Lea and Alec came to stay.  Zoey wore her zebra print outfit (one of my favorites!) and hung out on the couch with granny while mommy, daddy and the rest of the crew made s'mores at the bonfire in the backyard.  When we came back in, Zoey and granny were both worn out.  Zoey was sleeping and granny had been dozing off.  

The next day, Zoey and I packed up and headed to Louisville for the very first time with Granny, Aunt Fefe and kids.  Zoey wore her orange "Praise Jesus" onesie and multicolored pants and an orange bow.  She looked so cute!  She got to meet Aunt Carrie and Uncle Keith for the very first time that day!  Daddy joined us after he got off work as well.  We had Bearno's pizza for dinner and we all just hung out the rest of the evening.  

On Sunday April 11, Zoey attended church at Victory Baptist for the very first time.  She wore her Easter dress that granny had bought her and that cousin Lea had picked out.  Zoey was very well behaved in church.  By the time we got back to granny's house, Zoey wanted out of her big, poufy dress.  We managed to keep her in it until Aunt Carrie arrived to see her in it.  Then we changed her to the yellow romper that is seen in all the Knicker Bocker pictures on this page.  Zoey also got to meet friendly neighbor Cecil on this day!

We arrived home on Sunday evening at 8:15pm and I didn't finish getting things ready for the following day until about 12:30 am.  I was exhausted!  It is so much more difficult to travel when you have a baby and work full time because your weekends are so valuable at getting things done that you can't get during the week (along with getting some rest!).  Zoey got choked when we got home.  She scared me too death.  She had been getting choked for awhile.  It was like slimy spit hanging in her throat and keeping her from breathing.  She got ok and was fine for a few days.  

On Monday April 12, Zoey got to taste a Fudgesicle for the first time courtesy of mamaw and mommy.

On Wed. April 14, Zoey went to the PT in Harlan to get new splints made.  Zoey's feet turn in from her position in my small uterus.  The doctors have said that they should turn out just fine because it is only positional and not something she was born with but we are trying to train her to hold them correctly through splints to help out.  Zoey sat so still for the PT lady that was working on her.  She was really good.  It is usually hard for a baby to sit still for 2.5 hours but she sure did.  I have the best baby in the world!  She is so good natured and easily satisfied and very, very laid back!  I was worn out that evening because I had taken the day off work to attend a meeting that morning and then to take her to the PT. 

After we got back to mamaw's house, Zoey got choked.  Again and again.  She got choked 5 times in 1 hour!  I decided to page our doctor and he called me straight back (as always!).  He told me that it sounded like her reflux acting up and to thicken her milk with 1 teaspoon of rice cereal per 2 ounces.  He also scheduled her for an appointment the following day. 

Zoey wore her pink hat and pink lamb outfit (in the pictures on this page) to her appointment.  She waited on Dr. A patiently while he was called away to an emergency.  She slept while she waited and then he came in and saw her.  He listened to her and she wasn't sick and he talked to us about the reflux.  He told us to get back with him in a few weeks to see her progress (which has been good... Praise God!) While at the doctor we got to see Zoey's new weight!

Zoey also got her ears pierced on this day!  We had been trying to catch 2 people in at the same time but had no such luck at any place we went so we went ahead and had them done seperately.  She cried for about 30 seconds on the first one and about a minute on the second and then she was fine.  She was laughing about a minute later.  Mommy and mamaw bought her some new toys that day (mommy had coupons that were expiring that very day!)  I bought her 2 "My Little Ponies" and a Sit and Walk.  Mamaw bought her a Gloworm.  She adores that Gloworm and we've named her Glowy!  

Zoey really loves her toys now.  When granny and the crew came down a few weeks ago they brought her tons of new clothes along with a few new toys.  She got a Ba-Bee book which mamaw named Bumble, a little bird that mamaw named Tweet, and an elephant blanket that mamaw named Pinkie.  Zoey loves these toys!  They are so cute and she is so cute playing with them.  

Zoey also loves her Baby Einstein Musical Motion Activitiy Jumper.  She is too short for it truthfully right now but she enjoys the toys : )  Granny bought this for her and we picked it up on Zoey's first trip to Louisville.  

Zoey spent Saturday April 17 in London with mommy, mamaw, and papaw.  Daddy always has to work on Saturdays so we spend a lot of time with mamaw and papaw on those days.  Zoey had a good time shopping.  She wore her purple Minnie Mouse outfit from one of the cooks at school, Joyce Jackson.  It was so cute!  She and I went through Kmart shopping for new nipples for her cereal to pass through. (It wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be!)  

Later that night, I checked the mail and noticed that Zoey had gotten the birth greeting card from the White House that I had requested!  How cute for her baby book!

The next day, Zoey wore her black and yellow, I love "Bee-ing" me!  dress to church.  She didn't make it through the whole sermon again.  She wasn't throwing a fit or anything just whining a bit and I hate to disrupt others who really need to hear the Word at church so I took her out.  We joined the ranks of other babies in the foyer.  My baby made friends with a 3 year old named Lily, a tiny baby named Ayden, our pastor's granddaughter Elizabeth and our online friend Ashley's baby boy Aiden.  Zoey and Aiden really enjoyed staring at each other.  Zoey just didn't know what to think about him.  He was so cute and he just smiled and smiled at her.  We ended up not going back to church that night.  Mommy was exhausted!

On Monday April 19, I was excited to remember the events surrounding the day I conceived my girl one year ago!  I blogged about this on that exact date.  

The next day, Zoey took a nap with mommy at mamaw's house.  She later cried with her gums until 12am!  My baby girl never stays up that late anymore.  She was in so much pain.  She has been majorly teething lately.  

Zoey went with mommy and mamaw to get their hair done on Wed April 21.  She got to meet Michelle and Sydney Jones for the first time!  (Michelle does our hair and Sydney is her daughter.)  They thought she was so cute and she was so good the entire time we were there.  (I went dark brown that day.  Still has a touch of red to it but more brown.  Haven't been brown in years... since I was my natural brown in 8th grade!)  That night Zoey wore her first pair of capris in the form of new pj's from aunt Fefe!

The next day we booked our beach trip for June!  We are so excited to see Zoey playing at the beach.  She won't know what to think about the water and sand.  She took a big nap at mamaw's which doesn't happen much anymore.  Naps are usually only catnaps lately unless we are holding her or laying down with her but today she slept 1.5 hours all by herself.  She also had a huge, poopy diaper today!  Woohoo!  The things we get excited about as a mommy! ; )

On Friday April 23, Zoey got to experience watching CareBears for the very first time and she absolutely LOVED it!  She went for her pictures at 4pm and wow what an experience.  She was cranky from cutting teeth and she didn't want to be bothered.  I could tell on our way there we may have a problem but I thought the Tylenol and Orajel would help.  It didn't.  We got 3 pictures and had to leave because she was crying so hard.  In the process, she peed all over me (I've had worse) and it looked as though I had peed on myself from the way I ended up sitting in the puddle.  She had gotten mad during a photo with her butt up in the air and I grabbed her (knowing I should put a diaper back on her) and rocked her.  Just didn't want her crying.  I was stressed that day from work and hormones so after we left my mom watched her while I took a shower.  Mom stayed for a bit then left and Zoey got to watch Care Bears!  She was mesmerized!  Watched all of Volume 1!

The next day we went to Corbin with mamaw, papaw, and stinkin' uncle Billy (her nickname for him!)  It was a rough day... we sorta were all not feeling too well so we didn't stay out long.  I did buy some things to make hair bows and made my first bows that day.  It was quite fun but I have a long way to go!!! 

The next day we went to church.  Zoey wore her green dress and one of the bows that I made that was pink and green.  She looked so cute.  She did great!  She slept on mamaw through the morning service and played with Bumble during the evening service.  She is such a good baby. 

She also sucked very loudly on her fingers.  Here's what she looks like when she does that:

On Monday, Zoey and I went along with uncle Billy and mamaw to Lexington.  Mamaw had an appointment with a doctor about her ovaries.  She will be having them removed in the next few weeks.  We got to eat at Cheddar's with aunt Sandy (yay!).  It was nice to catch up.  Zoey and uncle Billy stayed in the parking garage while mom and I were in the doctor's office.  Zoey got mad and uncle Billy had to call me to come out and get her.  She was just bored in that dark car.  LoL  He tried everything and had kept her for about an hour.  She wanted to be social and so she was.  She had everyone smiling and talking to her.  Little Miss Personality, I tell ya.  

April 17, we just hung out at mamaw's house after mommy got off work.  This is one of our favorite things to do : )

Here are some more random pictures from this month: