our week with zeeke

Since Zeeke still hates to take baths, we've started bring him into the shower with us.  There's still some screaming, but it's not quite as bad.

Zeeke now eats whole strawberries, several per meal, and when we run out, we give him sections of orange. We've also started feeding him eating scrambled eggs. Zeeke can pretty reliably indicate whether he wants something by nodding or shaking his head, which is helpful when picking foods, toys, and books.

Zeeke is pretty good at walking as long as he's holding onto something, usually doing laps around the coffee table. With great effort, Karen managed to get Zeeke onto a regular 9:00 and 2:00 napping schedule. The one downside is that his naps coincide with most of their storytime events, but the naps are more important. To make up for the lack of socializing this week, Zeeke & Karen did lunchdates with Leah & Zack and Sharri & Nate.

Sunday, we went to Steve's parents to celebrate Easter. Zeeke hunted for eggs with his cousins and came back with cash for his piggy bank and some fun gifts, including Bert & Ernie dolls from Aunt June, a wind-up monkey from Avery, and a whirling bee toy from his grandparents.  

 

Zeeke's favorite book of the week:  Good Morning, Toucan by Dwell Studio. 

Zeeke loves pulling himself up to standing at the coffee table so much that he does it over and over like he's doing chinups. He's very proud of himself each time. He was still just a little sick this week, but definitely on the mend.

Monday, Zeeke & Karen met Jenny's son Oscar. While they were having coffee, Zeeke demanded some of Karen's bagel and it was love at first taste. He can eat and teethe on them at the same time.

Wednesday, Zeeke & Karen went to Smith Playground (a huge house full of toys) with Seuss & Zephyr and Elspeth & Augie. Zeeke found the same electronic table that he has at home and spent a lot of the time playing with that.

Thursday, after storytime at Whitman, Karen & Zeeke went out for sushi with Dena, Tara and Rachel. Zeeke enjoyed the attention of all the ladies and eating edamame. After lunch, Dena gave Zeeke a romance novel to play with since he loves turning pages so much. Inspired by watching Zephyr snacking the day before, Karen bought him some bunny-shaped cheese crackers, which quickly filled the gap left by his recent abandonment of Cheerios.

Sunday, we went to Dena's annual Passover Seder, held this year at Jen & Kim's to accommodate the growing cadre of babies.

Zeeke's favorite books of the week:  I Say, You Say:  Opposites by Tad Carpenter.  Another lift the flap book that Zeeke can't get enough of.

Zeeke still has a runny nose, but the coughing has gotten better. This week he's been discovering his tongue and experimenting with sticking it out. That tongue's gotten a lot of work as Zeeke has been eating a lot of new foods this week: mac & cheese, hamburger, roast chicken, pineapple, and vietnamese noodles, all of which he enjoyed.

Zeeke's getting very good at carefully pulling himself up to standing and lowering himself with great control. He's also getting quite good at managing falls when they happen. He's started shuffling around the coffee table by himself a little, usually to get to something that's just out of reach.

We've resorted to great lengths to get sleep out of him. One day, he fell asleep as Karen was driving him to story time so she just parked the car in FDR park and watched the ducks in the rain while he slept.

Monday, Steve took the day off since we were all so exhausted from Zeeke's sickness.

Wednesday, Zeeke & Karen had a lunch date with Sharri and Nate.

Thursday, Karen's mom babysat and said that Zeeke needed more food, so they gave him some of Steve's homemade mac & cheese, which started the trend of giving him more grown up food.

Sunday, we joined a big group of friends for burgers at Sketch.

Zeeke is still sick, still sleeping poorly. We've realized that it's not just one tooth coming in, but both of his upper incisors at once. The one up side to his discomfort is that, after months of pushing himself out of our arms, he now likes to be hugged. We're all so sleep-deprived that we're like a house of zombies. There are moments of happiness for Zeeke though. His new favorite thing to do is to shove his entire hand into our our mouths and then wiggle his fingers. It's not super hygenic, but it cracks him up. We've been working on walking practice. He can make his way across the room, holding our hands for balance.  He turned ten months old this week.

Zeeke's favorite book of the week:  Baby Danced the Polka by Karen Beaumont & Jennifer Plecas.  Zeeke loves this book like crazy, especially lifting the flaps.

Zeeke likes kneeling while playing, often in front of one of his toy boxes, leaning in close to sort through the toys for the one he wants. With great determination, we set about sleep training Zeeke. We started putting him to bed drowsy, instead of asleep, and letting him fall asleep on his own. The first night he cried for about twelve minutes before passing out. By Wednesday, he had it down to two minutes. When he woke up during the night, he was able to comfort himself and get back to dreaming without any intervention. Unfortunately, this glimpse of the promised land would end all too soon.

Thursday, Zeeke got sick, not much of a fever, but he had a bad cough and a runny nose. On top of that, he started teething again. The combination caused him to regress, sleepwise, completely back to newborn status. Naps went out the window and he began waking up every couple hours at night.

 

Zeeke has been wanting to climb non-stop. If he's playing with Steve & Karen he climbs on them. If he's out for a crawl, he heads straight for the coffee table and climbs that. Anything that's bigger than he is now presents itself as a challenge to his climbing. Of course he hasn't mastered falling yet, so the new activity is really wearing Karen out.

Spending time last weekend with the twins prompted Karen & Steve to try new foods. This week we introduced Zeeke to Peanut Butter & crackers, baba ghanoush, hummus, french fries and applesauce. He loved it all!

This week we started trying to sleep train Zeeke. Emphasis on try. He is getting better at self soothing and putting himself back to sleep when he wakes up at night, but being put down in the crib without a feed is usually a challenge. Shorter feeds and putting him to bed drowsy are the goals for now. The good news is that he has stopped biting Karen!

Monday morning, Zeeke woke up early and refused to go back to sleep. It made for a groggy last day at the twins' house for our Baby Buddies weekend. Luckily, Zeeke and the twins took their morning nap around the same time so the grownups could relax a little and watch part of a movie. We went home after lunch (which involved more cut strawberries) and caught up with household chores until Dena came by to visit and deliver yummy popcorn cookies.

Tuesday, morning Karen & Zeeke met up with Leah & Zack and we all walked over to Santore Library for a totally packed storytime with Miss Lindsay. Zeeke rode the whole way in the stroller with no complaints and it was super fun for Karen to chat with Leah during the walk.

Wednesday, Zeeke took a long morning nap. Then Mama Jen & the twins came over for a few hours for lunch and a play date. It was so great to have our friends visit and play with all the great toys we got from Aunt Sarah last month. In the evening, Sharri & Nate stopped by and we all played some more!

Thursday, after Zeeke woke us all up around 4:30am, he slept in till 7:40am. Since he skipped his morning nap, Karen & Zeeke decided to visit Whitman Library for the first time. Miss Ruth gave an awesome Story Time and Zeeke had a fun time exploring the shelves after the stories. Thankfully, Zeeke fell asleep on the drive home and Karen was able to successfully transfer him to his crib.

Saturday, we took Zeeke for a walk in the mist. We got lunch at the Broad Street Diner where Zeeke cheerfully sat in a high chair the entire meal. He really enjoys the people watching at restaurants. After picking up some squid and french bread, Zeeke let it be known that he was done running errands, so Karen took him home to get him napping, while Steve finished the shopping.

Sunday, we took Zeeke out to New Jersey for a great lunch with his grandparents, Uncle Chris, and cousins Connor and Rebecca. Zeeke was grumpy at first, but loosened up considerably after a good poop. He especially enjoyed Chris chatting with him in space alien baby talk.  

Zeeke has officially begun crawling this week, not just the few steps he's been doing for months, but actually propelling himself right across the room. He also started standing up briefly without any support.

Zeeke is having a great time playing with all his new toys! Steve & Karen joke that the house is starting to look like a day care. His favorite new toy comes with plastic balls that roll around a spiral chute. It also helps with his standing, which he continues to gain confidence with. He also really likes the car that he can sit on. It brings him great joy to open the flap to find the toys that Karen hides in the car's trunk.

This week we tried feeding Zeeke strawberries again and he loves them! He does a great job feeding himself and eats as many as we cut up and put in front of him.

Monday, was a rainy day, but luckily Karen & Zeeke were able to sneak in a visit to Miss Joanne at South Philadelphia Library. Zeeke continued to have a lot of fun with all his new toys. Later that evening, Addie & Zephyr paid us a short visit to check out some of the books we were getting rid of. Hanging out with them was a treat!

Tuesday, Karen & Zeeke drove over to PCI Library to see Miss Liz for Story Time in her new branch. They had a fun time even though they arrived late due to trouble parking. Afterward, they spent some time playing and chatting with the other children and their parents. That evening, Zeeke had his nine month doctors appointment.

Wednesday, Karen & Zeeke went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for a Stroller Tour with their friends Mark & Maya. Zeeke did a great job in his stroller and let Karen enjoy herself looking at and discussing art with the tour guide and other parents. After a quick lunch for Zeeke and a treat for Karen, they drove over to Chestnut hill to see Mama Jen & the twins for a play date. Zeeke had a great time hanging with the boys for a bit.

Thursday, Karen's mom came to visit to watch Zeeke and give Karen a little time off. Zeeke is learning to recognize his Omi and they had a nice time together. Omi tried to put Zeeke down for a nap in his crib in preparation for his sleep training next week, but Zeeke wasn't having it! He much preferred his usual habit of sleeping in Omi's arms. Later that day, Zeeke & Karen took advantage of the beautiful weather and went to the park. They bumped into Jacob & his nanny Sarah who they see a lot of. Much fun was had on the swings after a little warming up period.

Friday, Karen & Zeeke decided to go over to Playgroup at Circle of Hope. On the way there, they passed Stacy's house and decided to knock on the door for a surprise visit. It had been many months since they had seen each other and Stacy gave Zeeke some love.They had a great time at playgroup and saw friends Solomon and Jacob. Later that day, Steve's parents visited. Zeeke was so happy to see Grandmom & Pop Pop that he crawled for the first time. When they innocently asked to see Zeeke's crawling progress, Karen suggested that we should motivate him by putting the tv remote control on the floor. When Zeeke saw the forbidden fruit, his eyes went wide and he zoomed right across the room to get it. Everyone clapped for Zeeke and he was pretty proud of himself.

Saturday, we all did some shopping at Target before seeing Nadine for lunch at Birra. Friends Stephanie, Eric & Jenifer joined us and a great time was had by all. Afterward we took a stroll down Passyunk Ave and invited everyone to take some of the books we are getting rid of. Then we packed up and headed out for our long weekend with our Baby Buddies, Jen, Kim & the twins. While they were playing, Zeeke decided to try standing without help. He stayed up for fifteen seconds before stumbling into Steve's arms. The next day he managed to double that time.

Sunday, Emma, Mike, Pam and Polly joined the party for a delicious brunch. Such a good time was had by parents and kids! Later that evening, Kim & Jen babysat Zeeke while Karen & Steve went out for dinner. As a first wedding Anniversary present, Kim & Jen treated Steve & Karen to an amazing seven course chef's tasting menu at Mica Restaurant. We love our Baby Buddies!

Zeeke is nine months old this week!

Zeeke continues to get better and better with his mobility and climbing. He still only crawls a few steps forward at a time, but he gets where he needs to go using combinations of stretching and sliding backwards. He is also getting better and better with standing. His favorite thing to do is stand at his musical activity table, although parental supervision is still required.

This week, Zeeke learned the word "No".  He continues to bite Karen, especially during breastfeeding and started chomping on the ends of the new rugs. Whenever he does one of these things, he gets a firm "No, Zeeke." It works about 60% of the time.

Monday, Karen & Zeeke went to Miss JoAnne's Story Time at South Philadelphia Library.  They met up with friends Leah & Zack and Brooke & Audrey, it was a fun time watching the babies recognize each other.

Tuesday, Zeeke & Karen went over to Santore Library for Story Time, but unfortunately Miss Lindsey was sick and the program was cancelled. They decided to spend some time looking at books and talking to the other parents and their children. 

Wednesday, was spent hanging out with Jack, William & Mama Jen. Such a good time was had by all.  Jen and Karen decided to stay in for lunch and had some tasty chili that Jen had made.  All three boys had a great time playing in the gated area that is dubbed the "baby jail".  After naps, they all took a lovely walk through Chestnut Hill with stops at the Night Kitchen bakery and Starbucks.  Zeeke even stayed for supper!  Unfortunately, the ride home was pretty traumatic.  Zeeke cried and screamed for nearly the entire drive. Apparently, he continues to dislike riding in the car in the dark.

Thursday, Karen's Mom visited and watched Zeeke for a few hours while Karen ran around doing errands.  Zeeke & Karen are getting used to being apart, good training for when Zeeke starts going to school in June.

Friday, Zeeke's nine month birthday, also known as Inside Out Day, because he's now spent nine months in and nine months out!  He & Karen had a coffee date with Jen B. & her daughter Amelie whom Zeeke will be going to school with.  While at the coffee house, an elderly customer gave Zeeke a dollar for his piggy bank!

Saturday, Steve, Karen & Zeeke were planning to go to the clothing swap at Circle of Hope together, but Zeeke took such a long morning nap, so Karen left the boys at home and went with our neighbor Erin. They had a great time and found many clothes for their growing babies. The coolest thing Karen took home was a play activity walker that Zeeke loved the minute he saw it.  Steve used the time to clean up all the great toys we got last weekend from Riley and Bella. 

Sunday, Steve & Karen finished off the book weeding project that they'd been working on. We decided to get rid of over 100 books and cleared 3 shelved to use for Zeeke's toys. It took a long time to shift and dust the books and Zeeke used the time to get acquainted with his new toys.

So the new rugs in the living room have been working out great.  When crawling Zeeke slips on them a lot less than he used to on our old rugs, the hardwood floor, or his alphabet mat.  He still has trouble taking more than three steps before either his arms or legs give out, but he's enjoying the practice sessions.  And he's enjoyed playing on the rugs a lot as well.

He's also started climbing up us when we are sitting on the floor to get himself into a standing position, mostly so that he can get any strings and zippers on our clothes into his mouth.  He's really good at standing by himself too, mostly using some piece of furniture to support himself but sometimes briefly without.

Zeeke's started drinking water out of a glass this week and is wild for the stuff.  Any time he sees us drinking he wants some.  We also started giving him bits of bread and waffles.  Despite this kindness, he has unfortunately taken to biting Karen for sport.  Starting Wednesdy night, he's gotten into the habit of waking up around 5:00 am. The only plus side to this early wake up, is that when he does it, he usually takes a long nap around 9:00am.  

Monday morning Dena visited to look at our old rugs.  Karen & Zeeke then gave her a ride in the snow to Central and stayed for storytime.  Zeeke fell asleep on the drive home and Karen took advantage of the moment to eat her lunch in solitude, sitting in the warm parked car.  In the afternoon, Steve's parents came for the first visit since recovering from the flu and had a great time with him.

Tuesday, Zeeke surprised Karen by riding peacefully in the stroller all the way to Santore Library. They visited with Miss Liz & Miss Lindsey and stayed for both the baby and toddler storytimes. Zeeke fell asleep in the stroller on the ride home. Enjoyine the warmer weather, Karen prolonged the walk as much as she could, taking the scenic route and picking up treats at the bakery.

Wednesday, Karen & Zeeke met up with Sharri & Nate for lunch at Green Eggs.  The boys did great sitting happily in high chairs for the whole meal.  Afterward, they went to the park and rode the swings.  Later that day, Karen & Zeeke stopped by the South Philly branch to visit with Miss Joanne and Miss Tiffany and then walked home with them after closing.

Thursday, while Zeeke napped for Steve, Karen went to a great breakfast with her boss David to catch up and talk about when she's coming back to work.  For lunch, Steven joined Karen & Zeeke for Italian food at Mr. Joe's Cafe (and a very windy walk there and back).

Friday, Karen & Zeeke drove out to West Philly to meet up with Karen's colleague Sarah.  They got Thai food and then went out for coffee.  Zeeke was very well behaved and even slept on the way home.

Saturday, Steve & Zeeke were on their own while Karen went to a home show with Dena.  They had a great time playing, reading stories, food shopping, eating, practicing crawling and napping.

Sunday, we drove out to Jersey to finally finish exchanging Christmas presents with Karen's nieces.  They girls gave Zeeke some great hand-me-down toys, including a toy buggy he can ride around in.  We had a great visit and made it home without Zeeke turning into a pumpkin.

Zeeke is officially eating more solid food than breastmilk.  He's eating three solid meals a day, plus at least one snack.  When he becomes upset, it's often because he either wants more solid food or he wants us to feed it to him faster.  And, as a result, he's been producing his own weight in poop some days.  He had his first meat this week, a little pouch of organic veggies and turkey.

Thankfully, this has been a good week for sleep. Zeeke has been sleeping through the night on some nights and having only one wakeup on the others.  He's been napping pretty consistently too. 

Zeeke's been extra chatty this week.  Lots of "Yah, yah, yah" and "A-guy-guy-guy,"   And he he seems to be deliberately waving at people now when he sees them again after they've been gone.

He's enjoyed playing peekaboo for a while, but on Saturday he actually started initating the game himself, pulling a blanket over himself and then pulling it down to reveal his smiling face.

Monday, Karen & Zeeke went over to Jersey for a potluck mommy brunch at Elspeth's.  They had a great time and our friend Katie came with a great bag of hand-me-down shoes and toys for Zeeke.  When they got home, they watched the Inauguration.  

Tuesday, they went to Miss Liz's storytime at Santore.  After Steve was done work, we made a Target run and bought Zeeke this cool, hollow ball that he loves.

Wednesday it was so cold Karen & Zeeke drove to Fumo library and he fell asleep on the way.  Fortunately he was quite happy to wake up at storytime.  Later on, being trapped inside the house led to a new game where Karen drags Zeeke along the hardwood floors on a blanket.

Thursday, Karen's mom came and babysat Zeeke.  They had a great time while Karen took some much needed personal time.  Karen came home to find the two of them well fed and passed out on the couch together. He was also covered in lipstick kisses! Later in the day, Karen was able to catch him chatting and playing on video and send it to Steve at work.

Friday, Zeeke & Karen braved the cold to visit Dena for lunch.  Dena and Zeeke were having such a good old time that he didn't even notice when Karen snuck off to pick up lunch and run some errands.  That night, Steve & Zeeke went out to shovel snow, which Zeeke did not like at all, crying and screaming everytime it hit his face.  Then they spent the evening on their own while Karen met some friends for dinner.  Steve was able to get Zeeke to bed all by himself, which was mostly great, except Karen missed getting to see him when she got home.

After a good night's sleep, Saturday morning started with Zeeke grabbing Karen's iced coffee and sending it splashing all over the floor.  After he took a nap, we all suited up and headed to the Italian Market to pick up a pork butt (for lots of yummy pulled pork sandwiches and tacos al pastor), had lunch at Underdogs, and hit the Acme for a few other ingredients.  Later when we were winterizing the house, Zeeke yelled at us for not paying enough attention to him.

Sunday, Steve made sticky buns and then we ran out to Target and Ikea, where Zeeke loved the huge overhead fans.  After his nap, we took a walk.  In the evening, Tara came by and gave us a baby gate Dena had originally bought to keep her roommate's cat out of her room.