Just like daddy (wishes he were...)

I tell you, this kid loves his Winnie the Pooh paraphernalia! He's a chip off the old block! Now, granted, he's still learning seemingly simple things like keeping his head from wobbling and grabbing onto things purposely, but let's just say that his room is like a virtual Hundred Acre Wood--so if he doesn't end up liking Pooh and friends, then a) he's going to hate his room and/or me, and b) my well-laid out plans have gone terribly awry.

Why would that be so bad, you ask? I also have a master plan to expose him to all sports at all times as part of my long held desire for him to fight genetics and become a professional athlete, but if the Pooh test fails, and surrounding him with something doesn't pique his interest, I might need to come up with Plan B!

In the meantime, I'll be shopping for a nice baby golf set...and dreaming of walking Augusta National with the crew circa-2035!

In other news, Zane had a great 14th week of existence. He had a good week at daycare, and even got to play hooky on Friday when his grandparents decided to make an impromptu appearance for part of the weekend from Houston. They flew in on Thursday night and left Saturday night in a whirlwind. But, they got some good Zane time, and I think they were satisfied for the time being. We'll see if they make another unscheduled appearance next month!

He also went for a run with his mom this morning on Alki while I was doing my 10 mile training run (that's right, I said TEN!). Whoever says running is enjoyable and rewarding and fun clearly has never spent any amount of time actually running because it is like a torturous experience, but one I just have to get through! Maybe I'll see the reward many years from now...

Anyway, he's been great lately (always) sleeping well, eating well, and generally being happy most of the day and flashing his million megawatt smile! He's a good little kid.

working girl

Well, we all made it through one whole week of me being back at work.  Zane was a superstar and napped like a champ at daycare, his dad handled the morning routine and drop off without any problems, and I didn't have any panic attacks at work.  I'd say it was pretty successful! 

Zane has started licking everything that comes near his mouth (maybe prep for when he's going to start putting everything in his mouth?), and this weekend, he figured out how to get his thumb and fingers in there instead of trying to get his whole fist in.  So far, he's just chomped on them and is saving the sucking for his pacifier; we're keeping our fingers crossed it stays that way since we can take his paci away when he gets a little older, but not those cute digits. 

He's also getting into more of an earlier bedtime routine and is starting his long stretch of sleep around 7 or 8.  It's nice that he's settling into a more predictable routine, but it's making him less portable in the evenings.  Here's a picture of him napping in his crib yesterday:

Happy 3 months!!!

Zane's already 3 months old!  He's officially past his "fourth trimester" now.  It's like he's all grown up!  Well, relatively speaking anyway.  A lot has changed with our little man in the last 3 months.  He's much bigger, his head isn't nearly so wobbly, and somehow he keeps getting cuter.

The family's survived 3 days so far this week with me going back to work... so far so good!  I'm still pretty sure it's harder on me than it is on Zane. 

Here's his 3 month t-shirt picture and a cute bath picture to embarass him with when he gets older:

12 weeks already??

Zane is 12 weeks old today!  He's such an old man now that it's time for me to start back to work on Monday.  I've definitely got mixed emotions, but I think in the end it will be good for all parties. 

For this week's adventures, Zane was just as stellar on his way back home to Seattle on his second plane flight as he was for his first.  We even got dad's first class upgrade, so now he may never fly coach again. ;)  It was Mother's Day and all, so it was only fair!

Zane hung out with me all day on Monday and caught up on some much needed sleep, and then on Tuesday he went back to his "school."  We gradually built up the time he spent there over the week, and he's going to be there for a full day today.  Dad even got him ready and dropped him off yesterday and today.  Go team!

What's also really exciting is that he's gone 6 1/2 - 7 hours for his long stretch between feedings every night this week.  He's also definitely giggling now!  We weren't quite sure if he was starting to laugh the last couple of weeks or not, but it's pretty clear now that he's not just breathing hard while smiling. :)

I'm already looking forward to the weekend to hang out with my boys and Molly all day both days!

Here are Zane and Molly hanging out on the porch and waiting for dad to come home:

Happy 11 weeks!!!

This week has held a lot of firsts for Zane, from his first plane flight to his first pair of shorts!  We decided to bring Zane to Houston before the end of my maternity leave to meet a lot of family and friends while he's still a sleepy and snuggly baby.  Zane's enjoyed lots of time with his grandparents and meeting lots of fun new people.  He's been flashing his winning smile around an awful lot, despite having to squint and sweat in the bright sunshine.  It did give us an opportunity to break out some of his warm weather outfits and do a little shopping for some more warm weather gear.  He's starting to grab things more on his own too, like his bunny or my hair.  He was a champ on our flight here, so we're hoping our luck holds up on the way back home too! Keep your fingers crossed for us. :)

Note from Dad:  Kudos to Zane's mom for spending a week with all of his dad's family and friends.  With only about a week of maternity leave left, she has the blues about leaving such a sweet and snuggly little guy during the day.  So, passing him off to so many people this week must be hard!  I'm just happy she's going back to work...for little Zane's future!