New England Tour 2007

We're back! And what a whirlwind! Dave and Zoe quickly learned about the kind of stamina it takes to brave a tour of New England, St. Pierre style. Here's a rough blow-by-blow:

8/31/07
The day started early, with a 4:30 pick-up for the airport. Zoe started out a bit groggy (along with Dave and I), but did a beautiful job of mastering sleep on an airplane. Thanks to the boppy pillow we managed to bring along, Zoe nursed on take off and proceeded to sleep for the first hour or so of the 3.5 hour flight. Can't complain there! Thanks too, to the moby wrap, we made it through the airport like a pack of mules.



I guess all the wonder and excitement of travel tuckered our little one out, since she again nursed through take-off and then slept through the *entire* flight from Cincinnati to NH!!! Thanks, bug!

In Manchester, we were greeted by Aunt Pauline and Uncle Skip (Griffin), Aleta Rousseau, her daughter, Mandy and Mandy's three girls. We felt famous! Well, Zoe did ;)

That evening, we stayed with the Griffins at their beautiful home at the beach in Seabrook. I think it's safe to say that Aunt Pauline and Uncle Skip were soon smitten with Zoe. She did an amazing job of maintaining her usual sunny disposition and a great job of letting us all sleep most of the night (who can blame her for a 4:30 wake-up call when she goes down immediately after?)

9/1/07
Saturday morning was greeted with a cool, but beautiful day - and a great low-tide that Dave, Uncle Skip and I made good of with a brisk walk along the beach while Aunt Pauline kept watch over our napping Zoe. It was a bit like a walk down memory lane since I'd spent many a summer day with Uncle Skip on that same beach as a kid. It was great to have Dave there with me, even if he did roll his eyes at a bit of my reminiscing and sea glass searching :)

Later that day, Aunt Pauline's birthday, we were joined by my Aunt Helen and Uncle George (Pratte), Aunt Irene and Uncle Paul (Bouchard) and (may as well be Aunt) Aleta and (Uncle) Ken Rousseau. Zoe had a blast meeting all of them and conducted herself like a little lady at the grown-up party.



9/2/07
We departed Sunday morning for Maine after Zoe's ever-reliable big morning nap. She was apparently still a bit fatigued from the previous day's activities since she napped over half the 3+ hour trip to my brother, Greg's house in Hampden. There, she met for the first time her Auntie Amy and cousins Nicholas and Timothy. What a blast!!! It was so great for us to finally meet Tim (he was born 2 months after bug) and see what a sweet, beautiful little guy he is and to see how his big brother, Nick is blossoming into a bright and precocious little boy. The kids all really enjoyed each other and we relished in their curious coos and touches.



Development note: Later that evening, Zoe partook of her first serving of peas - and she liked them! So fun.



9/3/07
Monday morning started nice and slow. Despite Zoe's sleeping through the night (from 7pm to 7am!) we enjoyed laying low with lots of PJs time. It was great to see the kids happy and relaxed and enjoying each other. I know Nana and Pepere St. Pierre were aching to be flies on the wall, so here's some more kiddo shots:



Needless to say, Zoe took quite well to this whole 'cousin' thing. She and Tim certainly seemed chummy. It had to be fun to have a baby so close in age to play with. And, she spent *lots* of time eying and listening to Nick - it's no wonder since he's such a fun and animated fellow.



Monday afternoon, Greg, Dave, Zoe and I took a stroll around the hood since Zoe wasn't quite up for napping, nor anything else. The relatively down time was a good thing. Later, we headed to Amy's folks' house for a nice dinner at their lovely home and met Amy's sister's baby boy, Soren. So many kiddos!

9/4/07
Tuesday, we decided to take advantage of the lovely weather and make an excursion to see the Maine environs. First, we headed up to the top of Mount Desert Island for a brisk and windy walk above the beautiful Maine coast. With the little ones bundled up and fleeces upon us, we took turns guiding a very excited and boisterous Nicholas along the windy path...twice! Twice wasn't quite a charm since Nick took a bit of a spill, but since he saw that the path took more of a beating than his knee cap, he recovered like a real trooper.



Later, we headed into Bar Harbor for a lovely pick-nick in the park where Tim and Zoe chilled in the shade and Nick took Greg on a tour of the grounds.



9/5/07
Wednesday, we were a bit subdued. It seems that lots of kid fun and fresh air, followed by late nights chatting around the kitchen island (and 'the bottle') makes for slow shaking and moving. Heck, ain't that what vacations are for? After more pajama fun, we rallied for a jaunt into Bangor for a spin around the playground. (We caught a glimpse of Stephen King's beautiful and un-creepy home along the way - who could miss spying on ME's most famous resident?) The playground was fun. Despite her persistently runny and stuffy nose, Zoe rocked the swing set and even braved the kiddie slide with me. Nicholas tore it up like a playtime pro and Tim hanged loose with Amy.



9/6/07
Early Thursday morning we departed Greg & Amy's for Aunt Rita and Uncle Norm's in Goffstown, NH. The 3.5 hour drive wasn't exactly Zoe's idea of fun, but she did manage to nap a bit and arrive in good spirits. Which was a good thing because it would have been a shame for her to miss out on the party! It was a St. Pierre reunion! In addition to Aunt Rita and Uncle Norm, we had a great visit with my cousin Melissa and her two kids Mackenzie and Cooper; with my cousin Jeff and his three kids, Katie, Rachel and Zachary; my Aunt Jan and Uncle Ray and their two girls, Jill and Kara; my great-uncle Leo and my grandfather, Henry. Wow! It was so good to catch up, though briefly, with everyone. While I've been back to NH every fall for the past three years, I hadn't really had the chance to see everyone in one fell swoop like that and I must say that it was great. The family sure has grown, but in some ways, it's still very much the same.



9/7/07
Friday morning we headed over to Pepere Henry's house on Reed Street in Manchester so that we could get in some nice face time. This trip was the first time that Pepere met Dave and having Zoe along was an added bonus to the visit. Pepere's a bit lonely without Memere, but is doing really well - still sharp as a whip. I think he was happy that we made the special visit to him at his house - I hope that the memories made are good ones and will last him until we can make it back again.



For lunch, we headed over to the Rousseau's house for my Manchester-must-have: Nadeau's subs. Yum. It was a festive gathering with Ken and Aleta, their daughter Mandy and Mandy's three girls, Meredith Roy (my 'god-sister') and her two boys, my cousin Karen and her daughter, Meghan and my Uncle George and Aunt Helen at the table. Lots of fun for us and for Zoe who reveled in the attentions of Mandy's girls.



It was a too-fast visit though, since we barely had time to chat and eat before we hit the road for Seabrook and the Griffins'. This visit was the longest I've made in years, but given all the new developments in our lives and in the lives of everyone back home, there sadly isn't enough time to truly catch up with everyone. I guess I'll just have to trust that the bonds in place will last the time and distance between the time we're together.

Later that evening, back in Seabrook, we enjoyed a feast of good old New England steamers and lobster! The perennial Griffin favorite was a real treat for us North Westerners, as was the chance to catch up with my cousin Kim and her family.



Zoe, though, finally revealed that she is, in fact, a baby and had a rough go of it until she finally gave it up and took a nap. After that and some dinner, she sprang back into action - even showing the ropes to Uncle Skip the art of rolling on the floor:


9/8/07
All good things must come to an end...

We packed it up mid-morning and headed out from Manchester on a flight to Atlanta. Ick. Yes, I know, Manchester to Atlanta to Seattle doesn't seem the way to go, but despite the extra hour and a half of travel, all went pretty darned well for us St. Alonzos. Zoe again nursed on take-off and slept during the whole first flight. However, either the timing of the second, longer flight didn't quite jive with her nap schedule or she had actually hit her limit because napping was a bit harder to come by. It took a bit more to keep her occupied.



That being said, when we did get them, naps were all the more sweet:



In the end, I'm immensely proud of this little family's ability to travel long distances to see many new/old faces and keep it all together. I think we really enjoyed ourselves and were enjoyed by our hosts which makes it all worth it and all seem possible to do again. Thanks to everyone who extended their time, their homes and their loanables to us - it made for an easier enjoyment of the beautiful and memorable vacation. We love you all!

I know, I know...

...it's been a while since I've posted to the blog. And I'll have to admit that the camera has a bit of dust on it, too. I guess we've been kind of caught up with life lately. Last weekend, we honed in on a house that seemed to offer lots of potential....and lots of work. It was on a *beautiful* lot and had pretty good space (though a tiny master bath!) but needed extensive updating (read: 2K sq ft of popcorn ceiling needing to be covered, 2K sq ft of carpet to pull and hardwoods to install, a huge need of a new kitchen and a whole host of other fixes and updates). That, and it's just terrible timing with our agent being on vacation this week and coming back to town only on Friday...when we leave for NE. So, after seeing it twice, we decided that it wasn't quite enough to stir us into a scramble to get an offer in. If it isn't still available when we get back, we won't be heartbroken. I'm breathing a little easier already ;)

On the Zoe front, she sure is growing up fast. Right after I made the last post, her second tooth popped. Poor baby! No wonder she's been a bit out of sorts. But, I'd say hats off to her, she handled it like a pro. It's amazing how increased mobility and teeth sprouts make for a more mature persona! I swear she's losing bits of baby-ness every second! Sob!

Last night we edged into a nice new routine: feeding Zoe rice cereal (and eventually a more exciting menu) while Dave cooks dinner. Usually, when Dave cooks, Zo and I either go for a walk or I do my best to distract her through the witching hour (when there simply isn't enough distraction to be found). This entails lots of roaming the yard and house, lots of tummy time and kitty watching. Last night, she was very specifically hungry (ie, she was signing 'milk' a lot), so we plopped her down and fed her some rice cereal. This was great because up until now, she's only been a half-hearted solids eater. No more! She was literally gaping her mouth to be fed and grabbing the spoon from me. Now that's my girl!!

It was also great because this helped us to have a somewhat more peaceful meal and made it easier for Dave to keep her happy while I did the dishes. I guess what I'm saying here is that our routine is maturing right along with Zo. And it's lovely!

So, if you haven't caught on yet, Dave, bug and I are heading to New England this Friday. Off to my old stomping grounds in NH where we'll have quick (there's never enough time!) visits with friends and family, then up to ME to meet my new nephew, Timothy (and to catch up with Nicholas, Greg & Amy). While I'm dreading the ungodly wake up call (our ride to the airport will pick us up @ 4:30am!), and keeping Zoe contained for 7+ hours of flights, I'm very much looking forward to getting out of Seattle and seeing loved ones. I've already got a pretty detailed list of survival gear for the trip (ie, extra bottles, extra diapers, extra clothes - for all of us, baby carrier, etc), but welcome suggestions from you veteran traveling parents out there!

So, I think we can safely say that the posting drought will last a bit longer while we are in the land of LOBSTAH!, but I do plan on posting all the fun traveling pix as soon as I can upon our return.

Until then, Xs and Os from D, L & Z.

Some cute photos to tide you over (maybe Dave can take some when he's home with bug on Wednesday and upload 'em here... ;)



And a few more from Wednesday morning :):

We have tooth!?

Yup. I think finally, after a good week or so of a bit more fuss, a bit more HUNGRY, a bit more not hungry, a bit more sleepy, a bit more not sleepy and a whole lot of happy-sad Zoe, we may have broken through with a tooth! We'd noticed a bit more swelling in her bottom front gums and Dave spotted a bit of redness earlier this week. And, well, my nipples have been sore! But tonight, I think I finally feel the tell-tale ridgy-ness of a newly emerged tooth! Are we old enough for this? I don't think so!

Add to that the fact that I swear Zoe's put on like a good pound of length and strength in the past week; her chub, though still present, is perhaps a bit more distributed. So, you might have a sense of how things have been around here in recent days. All told though, I think we're doing quite well with it. Zoe certainly is. She's still really her ever-happy self - always ready with the smile, but there have definitely been more moments of fuss. Who can blame her? Oral pain is the worst.

The up(?) and downside of the timing is that while I had her all to myself yesterday and today and poor Dave will have her all to himself tomorrow (daycare's on vacation this week and we're getting the house painted), at least she's not breaking through 3000 feet up in the air en route to the east coast where we'll be in just over a week. Of course, there's always front bottom tooth #2 to consider...(and somewhere, Dave's shaking his head at my jinxing us once again ;))

Summer's waning

I swear it is. And with that comes the realization of cooler weather, cozier outfits and an ever-changing baby.

On Friday, Zoe closed out the week of changes and growing with lots of rolling around and play time. In other words, my usually fantastic sleeper forwent the snooze for the 'whoo hoos!'. So, after many sleep-inducing tactics on my part, we threw napping out the window and hit the road to run some errands. She was a great shopping companion, but it made for a long day. Needless to say, keeping her up until her usual bed time wasn't quite happening, so...the rest of the weekend's sleep pattern was up for grabs.

Otherwise, we had a good weekend. Saturday morning, I had a well-earned (well, I think so!) massage. Say it with me: AHHHHHHHHH. Thank goodness for people you can pay to rub your back for an hour!!! All the breastfeeding oxytocin I'm still benefiting from keeps me from getting too stiff, but man have I been tired and sore lately! Like I said to Dave - that massage felt like another! ;)

Ok, back to the reason you're here: Zoe. So after my massage, we took a short drive down the road to the beach access gate that my cousin gave us a key for. It was a lovely 1/2 mile walk through the woods out to the sound.



I showed Zoe the art of rockhounding - sharing the finer points of spotting good, clear and smooth quartz stones and sea glass. (We found a great bluish-green chunk and a tiny piece of red!!) Dave was scoping out the low-tide fishing grounds for the jaunt he planned for Sunday morning with our friend, Tim. Poor planning weather-wise, though as it was pouring all morning long. No fish were caught in the making of that outing. The amazing thing, though, was that although Zoe went down for bed late (like 10pm late), she slept until EIGHT AM!!! Too bad I woke with Dave's fishing alarm at 5:30... Oh well. Maybe one day, we'll all be back in sync.













Gratuitous cute pix:

Hanging with mom in her cute sun dress from Grandma Coffield and new 'baby legs':





















Finally going down for a much-needed nap. AKA, utter sweetness.

the good and the not so good

So the good thing is that Zoe has continued to hone her sleeping skills, sans swaddling. Phew. We'd been worrying about her getting too warm during the heat spells and wondering what we'd do when she finally outgrows everything that will actually keep her swaddled. And, with her new-found freedoms come, well, new freedoms! Freedom to, as Dave alluded in his comment on my last post, spin around like one of the Three Stooges! Now, every time we go in to check on her, it's a feat of finding her little head in the dark. On which end will it be? will her legs be chilly to the touch because the blanket was cast aside? will the darned pacifier be under the crib again? So you can imagine how excited she's been lately.

Which leads to the not so good. Come evening time Zoe's having more fun nowadays, so we're getting less sleep. Or not. I don't know. I guess her activity level is up in general, so we're just really tired.

But then back to the good: with Zoe's freedom to explore (and exercise) in her crib, she seems to have come to terms with...wait for it...tummy time!!! She was practically rolling across the floor today, grabbing for toys, checking out her digs. Of course I won't tell her she's not on her back - why spoil the fun?



That's a 12-18 month onesie, by the way. It's admittedly a little big, but I just can't snap the old ones anymore. Such a little weed that baby is. Oh, and check out the cute Baby Legs! I wish I'd gotten them earlier in the summer so I could justify getting her more! Hmmm...They are supposed to grow with the baby...



Anyhoo, the final word on Zoe's development is well, her words! or what I can only imagine she means to suggest as words. She is downright chatty now - doing a great job of stringing sounds together like "Bab ab babbbaaab". But even more exciting is the fact that she and I actually volleyed today! She repeated my babbling! That was a conversation I'm sure I'll remember forever :)

A week (or so) in the life of Zoe

Sorry for the posting drought lately...I guess we've been busy?

Let's see, I can only really remember as far back as last Wednesday when Zoe's Uncle Greg was in town on business. We had a nice (if not prolonged due to some poor communication with a cranky waitress) dinner with 'the sibs': Auntie Erin, Uncle Chris & Uncle Greg. It was yummy though, and Zoe was loads of fun - especially towards the end of the meal when she showed off her zippy bouncy dance for the crowd. She received adoring looks from near and far. I swear that soon folks are going to ask us if Zoe can come out to hang...with or without her mom and dad in tow! Hope I don't jinx us but if nothing else, perhaps we're on our way towards producing a kid who knows how to handle the whole restaurant experience?

Along came Thursday when I left work and picked her up early from daycare so that we could head down to Pepere (Pep-ay) and Nana's house. I had a conference Friday morning to present at in Auburn and figured it'd be a great opportunity to work in a visit at their house. We took advantage of that opportunity by staying an extra day so that Dave could take a jackhammer to the concrete step on the patio. We had a great time checking out some local garage sales and consignment shops with Zoe traveling in style, riding like a big girl in Nana's umbrella stroller. I can't believe she's big enough to sustain a sitting position while moving, but she is! She seemed to enjoy it and now I'm wishing I'd thought to take a picture!!!

The visit, all in all, was a great one since Zoe slept beautifully in Nana's pack n' play and hardly gave a fuss when I was out at the conference. It seems, though, that she missed me a bit when it came time for her bottle, but not too badly, I don't think. She really is such a sport that even when she's really annoyed (for instance when you're trying to clear her nose with the aspirator), she snaps back to happy-smiley as soon as it's over. We SO have to remember to not take that for granted!



After finally locating a pair of 'baby legs' at a lovely boutique in Sumner, Zoe and I headed out for the dreaded commute Saturday afternoon. I-5 is closed down to two lanes just before downtown for the next few weeks and I was ready (well not really ready) for the worst and lots of pulling off to quell a fussy gal. Amazingly, the drive was probably the best I've ever made home from my folks in the 10+ years they've lived there. And Zoe had fun re-connecting with Whoozit and Elephant. I couldn't have asked for anything more!

Sunday was a good day for re-grouping (Dave missed his girls, I think) and getting caught up with chores and routine life. Zoe caught some great naps but come nightfall and nuh-nights, she had other plans in mind. Despite her eye-rubbing and edginess, she just wouldn't let it go and fall asleep when we put her down @ 7pm. After LOTS of pacifier chasing (rather, Dave's and my alternating turns going in to re-plug her with the pacifier, re-crank the mobile, check the diaper, etc), I finally gave in for a feed at around 9pm. Good thing because she was apparently STARVING... I guess we're in a growth spurt. Anyway, in that whole back-and-forth process, Dave found her (voluntarily??) tummy-side-down...but in her sleep sack swaddle. Yikes! So, last night was perhaps her last with a true swaddle. It seems that we've officially started the swaddle weening process by switching back to the too-small swaddle blanket that works to get her to sleep but which she inevitably worms her way out of. She slept pretty darned well last nigh, considering, so we're giving it a whirl again tonight. Wish us luck!!! One nice thing: when Dave went in to get her this morning, since she had her hand free, she was signing 'milk' and meant it!

(Oh, and in case you hadn't seen, Dave updated month 7 on the site...since Zoe's now in month #8!!)

Did you say 'Milk'??

We may have made a huge breakthrough today: I think Zoe made a very deliberate attempt to sign 'Milk'!!!!

She forewent a nap this morning for some play time and after a bit started to fuss, so I took her to our usual feeding spot. She ate a bit, but got increasingly fussy. For lack of any other great ideas, I decided to change her diaper. Although she wasn't terribly wet, she did seem happy and relieved. She then proceeded to raise her arm and make what I can only take to mean the sign for 'milk'!! (It looks like this: )

She's NEVER done any deliberate hand-squeezing that I've seen and since I've been pretty good at making the sign before, during and after feeding, I feel pretty confident that she has, in fact, demonstrated that she learned the sign! Awesome!

So, we finished up the diaper change (which looks like this: ) and headed for a less fussy feed .

Go, Zoe!!