King Tut

Today, we met up with my mom and got our history on at the King Tut exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. The exhibit, officially titled "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs", is on tour for the last time and my mom was kind enough to treat us to the experience! The exhibit was spread throughout 10 rooms, displaying over 100 artifacts from King Tut's tomb and other ancient sites. Let me just say now, as fascinating as all of the information was, I am not afraid to admit that a lot of it went in one ear and out the other (we did the audio guided tour). Not only was it crowded and hot in the exhibit, but between bouncing, feeding and changing Zoey (in a corner on the floor because there were no bathrooms!), I could only retain so much! So, what follows is by no means a complete history lesson, but I'll share what I remember :)

First statue of the exhibit. 

His arms must still be in the ground somewhere :(

The intricate detail on everything was so impressive

Girlfriend's got some BIG feet! 

Ancient toilet seat! 

Never again will I take my comfortable seat and extra soft Charmin for granted! 

Cat Casket

King Tutankhamun, pronounced/sounds like "toot-un-common".

So really, he should be called King "Toot", hehehe

Made of REAL GOLD!

It was difficult to find good light for a picture, but we did our best :)

Blurry, but an accurate representation of what Zoey thought of the exhibit.

After she ate, she was just along for the ride.

King Tut's tiny chair. 

He was the "Boy King", taking the throne at age 9 or 10 and dying at age 18 or 19.

Casings like these, held King Tut's organs!

Golden sandals, found ON King Tut's feet when his mummy was discovered in 1922!

A replica of his remains

At the end of the exhibit.

I think this was taken right before my mom saw the exit and exclaimed "Yay, fresh air!"

After the exhibit, we went over to the Center House food court to have lunch. Zoey was wide awake and ready to chat (except for when the video camera was on her, then she clammed up!)

Michael caught her sticking her tongue out. 

She kept doing this and had us all cracking up.

"Granny, don't go" :(

Saying our good-bye's in the parking garage

A big thank you to my mom for such a fun and educational afternoon! It's cool to know that we saw the exhibit on it's final tour of North America! 

Ruffle Butt

Today was pretty uneventful. I started snapping pictures when I noticed Zoey's "ruffle butt" during her tummy time. Each time she wears her pants with the ruffles, I go crazy over how cute her tush looks. See...

"Ruffle Butt"

"Ma, would you get that camera outta my face, I'm trying to do my tummy time!"

"Whew! Are my 15 minutes up yet? This is hard work!"

Michael went out into his garden tonight and discovered that some of his peas were ready to be picked!

Yum!

After dinner, we sat down to watch Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (great movie, by the way). Zoey did very well for the first little bit, but eventually she got fussy and we had to pause it and wait for her to fall asleep. 

Passed Out! :)

WAKE UP

This is going to sound strange, but I would actually give anything for my baby girl to start waking up in the middle of the night again. Just one time a night would be enough. You see, Zoey has been sleeping through for a few weeks now! (From about 8:30 or 9pm to 5am! Sometimes more, sometimes less). She has a few nights here and there where she squirms a lot, but overall, she no longer wakes up to be fed or snuggled. 


Why would I want her to wake up, you ask? Well, a few weeks after Zoey was born, Michael asked me at what age we were going to move her into her own room. I told him that I didn't have a specific age in mind (as I believe it can be different for every baby), but definitely not until she was sleeping through the night. I made it clear that I wasn't going to be traveling groggily into her room 1  to 3 times a night!


Well, now that my little darling has mastered (even if only temporarily) the art of shut-eye, my lovely husband is once again inquiring about her move out date. How do I feel about this? Oh, I can put it very simply. I'M NOT READY!! I am not ready for her to go! Even though I know it is probably best for Zoey, and my marriage, at this point I really don't care. To be quite honest, if we were to move her tomorrow, I would move with her. We have an air mattress that we paid good money for; I think it's only right that we get our money's worth...right?  


Ugh! I know her room is pretty much just right outside our bedroom door. And that when she moves out of our room, it's not like she's moving out of the house. But still, I am having a very tough time with the idea of it. I enjoy waking up at every sound she makes and tiptoeing past the Pack-n-play when I have to use the bathroom in the night. My body used to BE her home and now that she's outside of me, I never want her far away.


So, we'll see how much longer I can keep her at the foot of our bed. And when the time does come for here to make the transition, she isn't going to be the only girl growing up and dealing with change...

Just haaangin' out, in her cute jammies!

See, she's so cute when she's awake!

I guess I should be careful what I wish for, but right now, at this moment, I really wouldn't mind waking up once a night! Is that just my hormones talking, or what?? 

Hold Still

Zoey was a very sleepy baby today. She took a bunch of short naps, many of which came as a surprise to me. At one point I could tell she was sleepy, but she was fighting it desperately. So, I decided to change her diaper and then continue to wait it out. She was squirming on the changing table, so I cranked up her giraffe, Twinkle, in the hopes that the music might calm her down. After I finished changing her, I went to wash my hands. When I finished, I noticed that the sound of her flailing arms and legs had ceased. I quietly peaked around the corner and found my little angel in a light slumber! 

Maybe she just needed a soft buddy to cuddle up next to?

With all of the naps that she took, I should have used one of them as the perfect opportunity to cut her razor sharp nails. But instead, I attempted the task while she was wide awake and apparently a bit hungry...

"Hmm, your hand looks rather delicious. Why don't you just slide it back in front of my mouth..."

"Thank you! Nom, nom, nom..."

Although it is a bit nerve racking, I have always been pretty good at cutting baby nails. I was hesitant to attempt it on Zoey, but was also tired of us both having thin slash marks across our faces and necks. My aunt gave me a cool electric nail file that I'm going to have to try one of these days, but for now, I just envision Zoey getting freaked out at the sight, sound and feel of it. The old fashion way actually worked out pretty well. We had to take a few breaks while she got her squirms out, but she definitely earned the meal she was rewarded with once we were all finished.

Sewing 101

Today, my sister-in-law came over to help me set up my sewing machine and show me how to make burp cloths. Christy has been making her own burp cloths and bibs, so I was extremely grateful when she offered up her expertise. This was actually my second time taking "Family Sewing 101". When my dog, Kiwi, was just a puppy, my mom and I set out to make her a pad for her kennel using my mom's machine. We got a rectangular piece of thick foam, some fabric we liked and a zipper, and went to town. We successfully completed the project and I couldn't wait to get my own sewing machine one day. Well, for my last birthday, Michael surprised me with my very own Brother XL-2600i! (not sure what the numbers mean, but it sounds fancy, right?) After taking my machine out of the box, I was immediately overwhelmed by all of the buttons, settings and attachments that it came with. Everything that I thought I'd remember from my previous sewing lesson, suddenly flew right out of my mind. But in all fairness, I didn't have to set up my mom's machine right out of the box; she had done all of the dirty work. 

So, today when Christy arrived, I was crossing my fingers that she wouldn't turn and run once she saw that I didn't even have the right color thread loaded up. But before we could even talk sewing, as soon as he walked through the door, 3 1/2 year old Jacob presented me with the sweetest gift! He handed me a bird house that he made for our new house! I was also made aware that he had put sparkles on it; is that cute or what? :)

Can't wait to find a place to hang this!

Once everyone got situated (Ryan snoozing in his car seat, Zoey rocking sleepily in her swing and Jacob on the floor with an art project), we attempted to get my machine up and running. After a lot of trial and error in regards to finding the right setting (sometimes a fancy machine is not the best machine), I was finally on my way to burp cloth glory. Christy was a great teacher, all while juggling a demanding toddler and an infant who eventually woke up needing his mommy. When all was said and done, I had completed one cloth and Christy sacrificed her own project to make sure mine turned out well. 

My intense focus on making my lines straight must be what kept me from taking any pictures of my lovely visitors. Once they left, I did snap a picture of Zoey who fell asleep shortly after everyone arrived and stayed that way throughout the entire visit. 

Snoozin' while Jacob (and Ryan) watched The Lion King

I may not have any pictures of Jacob from today, but that kid sure does know how to make me laugh every time I see him. His innocent remarks reminded me why it's probably a good thing that my first born is a girl. After banging on the sliding glass door to get his mom's attention, he urgently told her that he had to "go poop". She let him in, scooted him toward the bathroom and told him she'd be there when it was time for him to wipe. Once summoned, she joined him in the bathroom, from where I heard her say, "Eww, Jake, that's so gross!". I tried not to panic (I've learned from movies that boys can manage to turn bathrooms into danger zones in a matter of minutes). When he emerged, Jacob shared a bit of information that I could have lived without. "Aunt Dana, my poop left a skid mark!" he said proudly. Hahaha. Boys and their fascination with poop; I'll never understand it!

Unfortunately, Michael wasn't able to make it home before Christy and the kids had to head out.   They had a decent drive ahead of them (in unavoidable traffic) and she and I both needed to get some sort of dinner on our tables. When Michael did get home, he scooped up a fresh-faced Zoey and took her outside to check on his garden. I spied on them for a bit and then snapped these precious pics. 

Checking out how the berries are coming along

Explaining what's what

When they came back inside, Michael was excited to tell me that he's pretty sure Zoey really likes it out there. Apparently she was totally calm, just taking everything in and enjoying the fresh air. I wonder if he'll still want her as a garden buddy once she's able to walk and pull on all of the plants? That'll be quite a sight ;)

We're All Alright

This morning was what I like to call a "Hot Mess"! For some reason, Zoey was being a crank-a-potomus (yes, that's a real word in the Lubovich house) and was screaming while I was trying to dress her. I had her on the changing table and once the screaming became unbearable, and a tear trickled from her eye, I picked her up and attempted to dress her in my arms. Her screaming slowly turned into whimpers and I thought I'd try my luck propping her up on the Boppy and dressing here that way. Strike two! She began to scream again, but I just held my breath, tried not to look her in the eye (you know, the one with the trickling tear that just melts my heart), and carried on. 

Avoiding eye contact meant that my eyes were shooting back and forth between her body and the floor, and during my second glance down at the carpet, I saw something that nearly made me sprint out of the room. Crawling towards my feet, at what seemed like the speed of light, was a mutant centipede-looking thing with horns! I am a total wimp when it comes to bugs and if it weren't for Zoey, sitting helplessly on the bed, coupled with my fear of loosing track of the little monster that had just invaded my bedroom, I would have ran screaming!! 

Instead of running, I had to act like a big girl and pull myself together. What to do?, what to do?! While shushing Zoey, who was still screaming, I grabbed the bottle of carpet cleaner that was still on the floor on my side of the bed from the last time Zoey projectile spit up, and began spraying the intruder. I quickly realized that I didn't want a huge puddle of cleaning solution that was inevitably going to dry and get crunchy, so naturally I decide to use the bottle as a hammer of sorts and smash the mutant to death. 

As I switched frantically between smashing and shushing, eventually the shushing stopped and I started throwing in a few grunts and commands each time the bottle hit the floor. It sounded something like this...

"Ugh! Stop!" (smash)

The mutant centipede kept moving...

"Ugh! Stop! (smash)

"Stop moving!! (smash, smash!)

"I (smash) said (smash) STOP MOVING!! (smash, smash)

During all of this, only a matter of seconds had gone by, but it was at that time that I caught sight of the open window and my heart sank. Please keep in mind that my child had been screaming the entire time and what I pictured next was mortifying. 

I pictured a neighbor, only being able to hear and not see what was going on, calling the police...And then a knock at my door.

Officer: "Uh, ma'am, we got a call about a noise disturbance and some possible child abuse. Is everything alright?"

Me (holding Zoey, eyes puffy from the crying): "Oh yeah, see, what had happen was..."

And I'd explain that my child was crying before I started slamming the bottle of carpet cleaner on the floor repeatedly in an effort to kill the bug from Hell. 

Once I shook that image from my mind, I decided that it was really time to toughen up. As I went back to lovingly shushing Zoey, I grabbed a tissue and quickly picked up the nearly lifeless, but still squirming, centipede. I ran him to the toilet and happily flushed him away. YAY! I did it! But I didn't have time pat myself on the back, there was still a frustrated infant that needed my undivided attention. 

I took a deep breath, picked Zoey up, and rocked her until she calmed down. She allowed me to put her down on the changing table (Hallelujah!) and I began to dress her. Once I finally got her onesie on, I quickly moved on to her pants. I was clearly still a bit flustered because after getting one leg in, I realized that I hadn't snapped the onesie! Grrrr. I seriously contemplated just leaving it and letting it flap in the wind like one of those penguin suit tuxedo jackets! However, after another deep breath, I calmly took her leg back out and snapped her up the way she deserved to be snapped. After all, it wasn't her fault that I was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown (okay, maybe it was a partially her fault..). Still, I couldn't just leave her hangin' like that. Finally, she was dressed, I hadn't been eaten alive by our unwanted house guest and all was right with the world again.

Like I said...Hot Mess! 

A little later, my mom came over and the three of us spent the afternoon running errands. We hit up the Supermall, the post office and Costco. I love it when she comes over and helps nudge me out of the house! I actually got a lot done today :)

OK, OK, I'm sure you've been thinking "just bring on the pictures already!" Here are a few from our evening. Zoey had made her way back to cranky and the only thing that seemed to help was bouncing her on my lap (love it when I get to be the cure :)

Looking at the camera when I'm not...

Not looking when I am...story of my life :)

So, another "Hot Mess" morning down! I'm sure there will be many more to come!

Dinner With Friends

I had been looking forward to today all week! This afternoon we went to an early dinner with  some friends that we hadn't seen in a while. But, before we could get out of the house, Zoey surprised us with a mess in her bouncy seat. 

Don't be fooled by her innocent face and cute buddha belly!

I had Zoey in her seat while I was getting ready for dinner. One moment she was happy and chatty, and the next she was squirming and "asking" to be set free. I figured she was tired of being strapped in and would prefer to sit in the Boppy on the bed. I scooped her up, put her on the bed, and it wasn't until I looked back down at her seat  that I realized why she was so uncomfortable in it! I then picked her up and saw the mess that was now on the bed as well; a nice juicy, poopy butt print! Grrrr

If you lift the flap, there's an even bigger surprise! Yuck :( 

After everyone/everything was cleaned up, we headed out. Our first stop was the ferry terminal to drop off Joey. He was a great house guest and I know Michael enjoyed spending time with his little bro :) Next, it was off to the Rock Bottom Brewery in Bellevue! We met up with Brittni, her husband, and their son, and Amanda and her boyfriend, Matt. I went to high school with Brittni and she and I went to college with Amanda. All three of us roomed together during our final semester, while we all completed our student teaching. Brittni and her husband, Rory, had their handsome son, Bronson, in January. He is so adorable and I can't wait until he and Zoey can really interact with each other.

The babes, not at all concerned that I'm trying to take their picture

I love our group shot!

It was so great to get out of the house and spend time with such great people! I love these girls very much and their growing families and relationships are so exciting! Having supportive, genuine friends is very important, and I'm so glad I've got these ladies for friends :)

Sweet Like Mommy

Michael's brother is staying with us this weekend and this morning they went to the driving range while Zoey and I prepared for a few visitors. Shortly after the guys got back, our friend Katie arrived. She had yet to meet Zoey or see our new house. She came bearing a beautiful bouquet of flowers and was excited to hold our sweet girl.

She was a natural with Zoey :)

So pretty and fragrant! 

Our second visitor was Michael's sister, Diane. After showing us her cool iPad (I want one now!), she used it to take a bunch of cute pictures of Zoey. It appears that Zoey has inherited her mother's knack for funny and wide-ranging facial expressions (so I'm told)! This little girl had us laughing for a good while!

"You've got me propped up...now what?"

"Oh, you wanna take my picture? Umm, I don't think so!"

After a little while, I picked up Zoey and got in on the photo shoot. I'm usually always behind the camera, so I've got to take advantage of any time someone volunteers to take some pictures of Zoey and I together.

Little stinker refused to look at the camera (the iPad)

After our visits and some yummy Papa Murphy's pizza for dinner, Zoey was one tired hostess. She passed out in one of her favorite spots...

Being so popular can really take a lot out of a girl ;)

Sad Hair Day

I know this isn't my first time posting a picture of Zoey on the baby monitor and it probably won't be my last. This morning was so nice and relaxing, that I couldn't help but stop and really take in what was happening. After Zoey's first wake up, I fed her and she went right back to sleep. I knew I had to pump some milk for later today, so I decided to force myself out of bed after she drifted off (usually, I go right back to sleep!). I made myself a cup of tea and, instead of pumping like I was supposed to, found myself sitting on the couch, watching the monitor. Every little stir made my heart jump. I remember thinking, "She's waking up! That means I get to go grab her!", and then "Wait, stay asleep! I haven't finished my tea yet!" She did stay a sleep long enough for me to finish my tea, pump some milk and even surf Facebook for a minute. For this morning, I am truly grateful :)

So much fun to watch :)

This afternoon I had a hair appointment and luckily Michael was more than happy to take a half day at work so he could come home and stay with Zoey. I was excited for this appointment because my stylist was going to be fixing a relaxer she had attempted the last time I went in. At my last appointment a few weeks ago, before applying the relaxer, we had to guess how much my hair had grown over the last 10 or so months. Well, we totally underestimated the growth and she didn't put enough relaxer on. When I got back to the chair after having my hair washed, most of it was straight (relaxed), but there was a good potion that was still curly. Oops. My pregnancy had really put my hair growth into overdrive! So, today I was going back in to get the rest of my hair straightened. 

After the chemical application, washing and rinsing, I returned to the chair to find that my hair still looked curlier than it should. My stylist seemed a little surprised as well, and suggested that my hormones are still out of whack and it might take more time for my hair to react normally. When I asked her how long she thought it would take, I was dumbfounded when she said possibly as long as 2 years. 2 YEARS! Are you kidding me? Now, anybody who knows me well, knows that my hair is very important to me and I don't particularly like change. But, it doesn't look like there is anything I can do about this. So for now, each time I get frustrated that my hair isn't as straight or silky smooth as it used to be, I'll just have to look at my baby girl and remind myself that she is well worth a bad hair day here and there. My hair straightener has always been my favorite appliance and it looks like we're about to form an even closer bond.

Now I've got thicker, poofier hair while Zoey has pretty, soft, stick straight hair

Hmmm, the little changes that no one mentions when they tell you what it's like to be pregnant and then a new mom. But I'll gladly take poofy hair, puffy eyes and constant brain farts, if that means the trade off is raising a healthy little girl :)

West Seattle

This afternoon Zoey and I made a trip out to West Seattle to visit my auntie, Trieva. This was their first time meeting each other and unfortunately, Miss Zoey Rae was a stinker pretty much the entire time. Despite Auntie Trieva's best efforts (sweet songs, bear hugs and cheerful kisses) and my feeding, burping and bouncing her, she decided she wanted nothing to do with the relaxing visit we had planned. On a happier note, it was so great to be back in the area where I grew up! I definitely didn't let Zoey's sour mood keep me from breathing deep and takin' in some of that good ol' West Seattle air :)

Kisses :)

Chattin' it up

(Well, Auntie was chattin', Zoey was whinin')

Content for a moment as they swayed back and forth

Not quite sure what was up with Zoey today, but as soon as I put her in the car and started it up, she was OUT! All that fussing makes for a tired baby. She has been pretty congested lately, so maybe that's making her cranky? A few times this week I put her in the bathroom, in her bouncy seat, while I took a shower, in the hopes that the steam would help loosen things up in her nose and throat. It seemed to work for a while, but so far no lasting relief has been achieved. I hope she feels better soon though, because we've got a house guest this weekend, more friends for her to meet and then we're hanging out with Grandma on Monday!!  

(P.S.: Pampers, I haven't forgotten about you! We had another leak today and that made me the cranky one for a while there!)

Wardrobe Malfunction

Due to certain events that have taken place over the last few days, I've got a bone to pick with Pampers! Normally, I adore our Pampers Swaddlers (I think I should get paid for the shout out! ;) , but lately they have been letting me down! Following Monday's "Poop Explosion", Tuesday was filled with it's own share of leakage. We went through three outfits yesterday and today we went through two (at least the number is decreasing?). 

If I were to lodge a complaint, I can envision the lovely people at Pampers responding in one of two ways...

1) "Oh, ma'am, we are so sorry to hear about your unpleasant experiences. Please allow us to provide you with a lifetime's supply of redesigned, guaranteed leak-proof, diapers in any and all sizes! You have a blessed day now."

OR

2) "LISTEN lady, you have a BABY and S*** happens! Please, don't bother us again!"

Unfortunately, I'm banking on response number two; hopefully without the shouting and minus the "S" and three asterisks.

Oh well, poop does happen and who knows, the leakage could very well be my fault. Seeing as how I hold Zoey as often as I possibly can during the day, it's no wonder that her diaper shifts a lot as she and I move from room to room, watch TV, do laundry, eat, talk on the phone, etc., etc. ;)

Moving on... Tonight I was extra tired and Zoey was in a cranky mood, and the two combined resulted in some funny bedtime behavior. Little Miss was crying while I was trying to get her dressed on the changing table, so I picked her up and continued my efforts. After a few frustrating seconds I couldn't figure out why her nightgown wasn't going on. When I realized what I had done, I had to put her down and grab the camera. Luckily it was nearby and I was able to capture these gems! 

"Mom! You're putting it on upside down!"

Her nightgown is basically a baby potato sack that's cinched at the bottom. In my tired state, I opened the bottom instead of the top, and put my poor baby's head through (hehehe..)

The poor thing was already crying and this did not help!

"I'm workin' on it Zoe Zoe!" 

As I put equal effort into taking a picture as I do getting the gown off

(naughty mommy! ;)

Soon enough, the ordeal was over and, after a few hugs and kisses, Baby Girl was happy. 

Have you ever seen a cuter nightgown wearin' baby in your life?!