Colby: Enter: Fall

Zoe is changing rapidly. She wakes up with new sounds almost every morning. Her vocabulary is growing by the hour. Her personality is starting to take shape. And without a doubt, we love her more every second. I keep thinking, "This might be the best stage," but then it keeps getting better. Zoe continues to become a little person. All her baby friends are becoming little people too, it's fun to watch and get to know these little people.

New (semi new) things for Zoe:

no longer gets 'stuck' standing
had her first play date at her house
stands for longer than 20 seconds now
feeds herself a whole meal if you give her finger foods
drinks from the bottle on her own (still working on drinking from the sippy cup on her own)
is learning to drink from a straw
the living room is now 'the playroom'
has started spending an hour at the gym daycare and has already charmed the girls who work there
started waving while we were in Boston, but she'll only do it sometimes
her kisses are strong, meaningful, and with emotion

New for me:

has come to terms with having an independent, non cuddly baby. I always thought cuddly WAS the definition of baby. Come to find out neither John or I were cuddly babies. Guess that makes sense then, huh?
has learned to cherish the times Zoe IS cuddly. A head on the shoulder, a passionate kiss, a B line to get to you from across the room.
has enjoyed the upside of an independent baby, she entertains herself (within limits, she still needs me, I swear she does....)
I'm back in the pool swimming, running has now been put aside a little (still wavering about the 1/2 marathon, might be a game day decision). The water feels really good.
enjoying the gym daycare and it's affordable too :)
run a circuit workout for moms and get paid for it
I'm back to reading, yes! I've even caught up on some past book club books (like The Help....it's a must read!)
I'm over my garden, don't feel like putting energy into, but the fruits of my summer labor are shining red and plentiful. We have tomatoes out the ears!

John goes back to teaching on the 20th, bah-bye summer! It's going to be a transition for all of us to get used to John being gone longer and being less flexible. Time to tighten up ship. I feel hints of Fall in the air, as much as you can on the central coast of California. The air has changed, the days are getting shorter, students are back in town, changing seasonal vegetable and fruits make it feel like Fall (even though it's still warmer than 70 most days and it doesn't really get dark until around 8:00). I'm usually a little sad to let summer go, but at the same time I feel ready for Fall. I always feel like Fall gives me permission to hunker down.

Out enjoying the sunshine