Me and My Dad

Most people that see Zach think he looks just like his dad. I am totally fine with that as I think they are both handsome guys - maybe not in these photos though. To make the look complete one of Alex's friends got Zach some all white Nike shoes just like his dad has. They are the perfect size for someone who can not walk, crawl and barely knows he has feet at all. Seeing him in them is pretty funny.

Crying It Out

Anyone that has talked to me recently will have heard about my quest to get Zach to sleep more at night. Getting up twice is just a beating for the mom. Better than every 2 hours like when he was a newbie, but still a beating. For about 3 weeks now we have been letting him "cry it out". I swaddle him, rock him a bit, tell him he will not miss anything while he is sleeping, and then put him in his crib. It has worked wonders, he naps longer and only gets up once during the night to eat. With the next baby we are doing it much, much sooner.

Anyway, in the beginning the crying was piercing, you really thought he was being pinched and was going to hate me forever. He would wail his little lungs out for 10 minutes then pass out. This week though, he started this tiny meowing sort of crying. It is so sweet and pitiful all at once. He is watching his aquarium which makes the sound of a fish tank and has little fish that "swim" to the side. He loves it. He makes those noises and then just falls asleep like a little angel. The hiccups he had in the video were not helping matters today, but in 10 minutes he was fast asleep.

Walking Buddies

Each Tuesday Zach and I walk around our neighborhood park with my new friend Beth and her daughter Sophie. Today I drug her to Hermann Park to watch the dedication of a new bridge across from the zoo I got an email about. The ceremony was a tad long for two 3 month olds to not be moving, so we had to cut out early and circle the park. That area is such a great part of Houston! We circled the lake and walked through the Japanese garden, where we sat on a bench and I fed Zach. You barely feel like you are in a huge city, it is so quiet and peaceful. That is until a crazy lady running her French bulldog (yes, you read that correctly) asked if we were sisters - she said we looked alike. Beth and I agreed it was the big sunglasses and unwashed hair that made us look so similar.

Swaddle

Each time that Zach takes a nap or goes to bed at night he is swaddled. Swaddled like a mummy his Granny Marsh says. It is very helpful when you have a total wiggle worm for a son. If I don't swaddle him tightly he wakes himself up by all the arm and leg movements he does. I use a 'T' shaped swaddle blanket with Velcro and when I, his mother, go to get him he looks like this:

However, when his father, the civil engineer, uses the same blanket (again, 'T' shaped with Velcro) this is what happens. We watched Zach on his monitor wiggle his one leg out and by the time we got in there both arms were out and he was working on the last leg.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Zach attended his first crawfish boil this weekend and was a big hit. He was held by almost every girl there and some of the boys. Next year when he and his friend Tyler are older they will be riding on the back of Kevin's dog Ceaser - a mastiff. Or so Alex thinks....
Zach and I will be spending the actual St. Patrick's day at the River with my parents and some green beer no doubt.

Zach and Miss Alison

Zach and his Auntie MJ

A Loved Little Boy

I am pretty certain that no one loves Zachary more than his parents, aunt & uncle and his grandparents. The grandparents especially seem to take extra joy in all the new and ever changing things Zach does. They ask about his poops, get excited when he sleeps and marvel at his coos and smiles. He is so lucky to have four people who love him so unconditionally.

Grandpa Vince & Grandma Liv making sure Zach is secure for the ride home

Granny Marsh with her little pig after his bath


Grandaddy Wayne "reading" Zach's favorite book

First Fish Fry

Things I have never done:
1. Attend a Lenten Fish Fry at a Knights of Columbus (KC) hall
2. Play BINGO at a Lenten Fish Fry at the KC Hall
3. Feed my child, play BINGO AND drink a beer at Lenten Fish Fry at the KC Hall.

Just checking these items off my list...

Active Guy

When Zach wakes up each morning at approximatly 6:45 am, thus begins the below schedule:
Eat - 30 minutes
Play time - 30 minutes
Nap time - 1 hour (fingers crossed)
During play time the below video is what goes on. Sometimes we chat while he has tummy time, sometimes while he looks at his singing and light up sun (which I think could cause ADD), and sometimes he sits in his chair and stares at me as I email. While it may not look like 3 minutes of much, it is tons more movement than he has done even two weeks ago. He really responds now to people talking to him, with coos and gurgles and those high pitched squeals. The books say he is learnign how to have a conversation, not to sure about that, but I love it either way.
PS Big aplogy for my annoying voice on the video, if only I could mute just my voice...