Z's Favorite Thing to Do

Christmas Recap

I know it's been a long time and for that I apologize...

From December 23rd through the 26th, we spent four wonderful days in Atlanta hanging out with Shannon's side of the family. It was nice to spend Christmas with Grandma Lanie, Grandpa Larry and Uncle Chris. Zahra also met Larry's daughter Tess and her boyfriend Justin who were visiting from Orlando and Larry's other daughter Brandy and her daughter Monica. We watched lots of movies, did some holiday shopping and ate a lot of food. We also had the chance to visit our friends the Raitts while we were down there, too. Even Che got into the action as he spent four days frolicking about on the property.

Zahra really took to walking the whole time we were down there. She was constantly on the move and I can see how life will change when she masters walking altogether.

I am posting some Christmas pictures on this post. Included are Zahra's new Spiderman shirt (gift from Dad), her new cool moccasins and fun learning table (gifts from Grammy Lanie), Shannon's fabulous chocolate cake complete with snowman representations off the family and some pictures in front of the tree. Expect to see tons of video and more pictures as we gear up for the New Year tonight.

Holiday Update

We are still buried in snow up here in the mountains. Today we will pack and get ready to head to Atlanta to spend Christmas with Z's grandparents. I'll update when we get back home with lots of pictures and video.

A couple of quick updates on Z. She has a new tooth coming! Cindy Mama found yet more teeth, this time her front tooth. She also for the first time grabbed my hands and walked me all the way to the potty so she could poo. Our little monster is growing up!

Z Snow time

The Attack of the Snow People

Day two of the blizzard of 2009. Asheville Edition.

We are stuck in West Asheville. Z hates getting dressed up in twenty five layers to go outside and play in the snow. Shan and I had a small bout with cabin fever.

Overall, it was a lazy day. Z was a little upset this morning and had a fit to take her first nap but then she took a really long one after playing outside in the snow with her parents. We are still stuck with about 8 inches of snow outside, a foot or more in a few spots where it collected. We made a snowman and a fort. Right now it's all too much for her to handle but a a few years, a day like this will make her year. Right now we are thankful to have power as many of our friends are stuck without it. We are warm and rested and full of hot food so life is grand.

More Snow Fun!

Snow Day Continues!

We are up to our ankles in snow and soon it will be our knees. We are at almost 6 inches of snow and climbing. It has been snowing non stop since 7am with no signs of stopping. It's the most snow I've seen fall in the city limits since I got here almost eight years ago.

We took an adventurous walk around West Asheville this morning and afternoon. Zahra got a taste of sledding (which didn't work out so well because she was hungry at the time), snow hiking and frozen breast milk. We also hung out with the Floriani family for part of the day and with her buddies Eddie and Morgan as well. We got to use the plastic stroller cover Mom bought (good timing with that!). If you look closely at the bottom of that picture, you'll see her little purple boots jutting out. Check out the videos and photos of today's activities.

Fun Vids

The Snow Day Returns!

When I woke up this morning, it was dark and mildly damp. A few hours later, it is a winter wonderland. School has been cancelled and I am here with my family for the beginning of a two week vacation for the holiday break. Asheville is about to shut down as we are expecting as much as 8 inches in some spots.

Z continues to grow and learn. We are exchanging more communication via visual cues. She was struggling moving from a spot while standing (which is all she wants to do now) and I pointed to a possible solution. She had been holding on to the furniture and then saw where I pointed. she suddenly smiled and reached for the new escape route and was free to continue cruising. Verbally, she is also showing signs of expressing herself. She can now complain for something she may have lost or needs. Her sounds are getting more precise for food and potty, though we are waiting for some breakthrough moments where she can signal for things. We haven't been the best with signs and with Z being so verbal, she just likes to talk about what she wants.

We opened a gift today. She got her new cell phone! Of course it's a play phone but it's pretty authentic looking. It's a pink Motorola Razor and she is captivated by it. Z has always had an affinity for phones. She constantly reaches for mine or Shannon's and gets pretty peeved when she can't have it. Now she can't let go if this thing. She's had it all morning. She is also displaying some annoying non-sharing behaviors, which I guess is common but I'd like to somehow nip in the butt. How? I'm of the mind to just take it and let her cry and realize she can't always have something but that seems like it might backfire. She's still too young to talk things through, or is she? I guess I'll consult some books but I have a feeling I'm going to slowly make her share somehow.

Grandmother's Influence

Abuela Tere has been a part of a few new milestones. See for yourself!

The First Birthday Party

As first birthday parties go, it wasn't the biggest or longest or even the greatest. But I really feel it was the best first birthday we could have done for Z.

It all started with Shannon making some incredible cakes. As you all have been reading, Shan is the queen of the kitchen and her prowess for baking has increased exponentially in the past months. She baked an incredible chocolate cake as well as a yellow cake for the event. She also made Z her own special cup cake without sugar (For more info, just go to her link on the blog and get the skinny on how to make these items).

Then is was a matter of getting the house ready and waiting for the people to show up. We had about 30 something folks show up in all. We packed tightly into the living room area and enjoyed each other's company. Adults were happy drinking some local brew and eating snacks while the babies and kiddies frolicked on the carpet and exchanged funny looks. The whole event was positive and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. When it came time to sing the birthday song for Z, we all congregated in the kitchen, lit up her cup cake with a solitary candle and sang with gusto. Z looked on in a little frightened but eventually she got comfortable with the flashing lights and eyes all on her. She greedily grabbed the cupcake and devoured it in her slow well intentioned manner. Everyone settled back in to their spots after that and we enjoyed the rest of the party. As people slowly made their way out, Z was playing with her new toys, which the rest of the kiddies eagerly brought to her to open. It was a circle of adults watching an inner circle of kids just being kids. After the last of the guest left, we sat down for dinner and recounted the day's best moments. Z was pretty tired and went down without a peep. A great conclusion to a wonderful day.

We'd like to thank all of our friends and family who attended Z's birthday. Thanks for your kind words and your positive energy. Thanks for your gifts and goodwill. Thanks for being here on a day when we celebrated the birth day of our beloved child. We appreciate you all!

A Year of Z

Hard to believe it's been a whole year since our daughter was born. I know people say it flies by but in retrospect, everything seems like it happened yesterday when you can access it all in your memory. It's been an amazing first year with our daughter. She has grown so beautifully and has progressed from a little blob to the little person we now know.

The day began as it always does, with a visit to the potty. My mom flew in Monday to be here for the event so she helped us take care of that. The girls hung out all day around town. They did some shopping and some eating out. They also spent time at the Grove Park Inn to be apart of the National Gingerbread House Competition. They met up with Susan and Braden as well. When I arrived from work, we headed to our favorite restaurant, the Admiral and took in a tasty meal. Now we are at home and Z is fast asleep. The real party will be this Saturday. Shannon's folks will be driving up and we will have ourselves a proper fiesta to commemorate a year of existence for Z. It should be quite the party as we have invited over 25 guests. Of course, this party is definitely more for us and the grandparents than her as she would be happy just going on a walk or spending time with the dog. Still, it will be neat to see her interact with her playmates. Z has quite a group of pals and she gets excited when she hangs out. My guess is she gets that social butterfly thing from me.

At any rate, thanks for the cards and gifts and thoughts and goodwill all of you have shown this past year and nine months since we began this adventure into parenthood. The support has kept us afloat during the tough times and sky high during the joyous periods (which have way outnumbered any rough patches). Zahra is a dream come true and we love her so much. The one year trial run has concluded, now let's see how the second year turns out!

First Snow! First Steps?

Well, the big snow we expected fizzled out by noon so no good pictures of Z. We had no accumulation either, just frigid conditions.

However, we did get to hang out with the Essylstyns and and the Smiths. And would you believe Z is taking some steps all on her own? Well, she is getting the assist from a contraption I like to call the little walker. See for yourself!

Vacation Summary

OK, it's been five days of hanging out, eating and sleeping. Well, not just that either. The family has been plenty busy this entire time. Shannon and I accomplished many projects around the home, including clearing out the basement, working on the outdoor side of the property, creating crafts and spending quality time with Z. Now the five days are over and it will be back to the daily grind.

Some more Z news. She is fully operational on the potty. I think we can file poopy pants under "been there, done that". She is truly amazing in that she really does not like to poo in her pants any more and holds it until the assigned potty break time. Needless to say, we are loving the cleaner living. Peeing is still happening in the pants and that will come in time.

As shown in the video, Z has really taken to feeding herself. She usually insists that she do it, too. She will shake her head forcefully and try and take that spoon out of your hands. What a little stinker!

Speaking is an all day thing, especially in the morning. The girl starts at 6 AM and can take it for the length of the day. Of course, she pauses from time to time and will even take a short cat nap, but the mouth is in full effect.

Z prefers to stand now as well. While she still enjoys being on her behind and can move fairly well in that position, she likes to climb (usually on Daddy who is laying next to her when we play) and get in the standing position. We are mildly bummed she didn't take to crawling but it's all good. I think she will walk in a few more months. Right now it's just the beginning phases of cruising.

Once we get through this week, things start to happen quickly. In only nine days, we will have our first birthday! My mom is flying in Monday the 7th and the rest of the clan will be here for the weekend of the 12th when we celebrate. Needless to say, the blog will be in a celebratory mood and we hope to provide you with top to bottom coverage of the event. Until then, stay tuned for more Z news! Enjoy the pictures of her eating with mom and dad (finally a picture with some teeth in it! There are still only two but teething pains have been bothering her lately) and with the doll her great grandmother Elvira sent.

Saturday at the Park

Zahra and I got to spend some wonderful quality time on Saturday at the park. Here are some pictures that tell the tale.

Eating by Myself

Here is another little skill Z has picked up. Credit must go to mama for allowing her to try this. I was a bit anal about the mess at first but having seen the progress, I do declare, it is neat to be messy!

Thankful and Stuffed

Another Weekend

Wet and cold times here in the mountains. These are the days spent inside reading, relaxing and enjoying the quiet of the home. That's not exactly what we are doing. We are keeping up with a house that vomits up a mess seemingly every day and everywhere. It's amazing how one day you can have a completely clean and kept house, and then a filthy pigsty the very next. The daily grind of maintaining a house is grueling and constant. Ever since Z has come around, she has made it quite the mission to keep things in order around here. Not that we mind much. But when we sit around thinking about how the house gets so messy, we are clueless.

Fortunately the holidays are coming and we have decided, much to the chagrin of our families, that we are staying put for most of them. We will probably make a trip to see Grammy Lanie and Grandpa Larry in December but other than that, we are just taking it easy. We literally have thousands of projects and activities to get accomplished right here at home. It will be nice to stay home and have time on our hands to do stuff!

Now that I've angered some of our followers, let's share some highlights form this weekend. Perfect weather on Saturday allowed us to go and spend the day in downtown Asheville. The Holiday Parade came through town that day. Z loved it! She was soaking up the sun as well as the cheers and sights. We saw lots of good friends including the Strazzers and Essylstyns. It was nice to be out and about all day.

Z is also the master of the potty. She holds her poo until potty time. This makes wiping a cinch. I don't even remember the last time I had to wipe a dirty butt! She enjoys reading on her potty as well as making lots of noises and engaging in enthralling conversation.

Food has increasingly become as issue as she is getting more and more picky. Seems like we can never go through a day where she absolutely refuses a certain food item. It's interesting to see how her taste has changed. She used to devour anything, now it's a crap shoot to find something she will eat.

Soon Turkey Day will arrive and we'll have lots of info to share!

Braden Comes to Town

We got baby sit Baby Braden today! Marvin and Susan's bundle of joy stopped in for an impromptu visit. Shan and I got to experience a smidgen of life with two little ones. Let me tell you, it's not for the feint of heart. You got one sleeping in your arms, the other one wanting attention. Then as you're cleaning one, the other is getting messy. And this was just about an hour's worth of double trouble! Braden was fine though. It's amazing how big he's gotten. Z was ok too, she just gets in her mood late in the afternoon. But Shannon and I were definitely reminded that one for now is plenty for us.

Z Being Loud

Arts Day!

Today we went to the River Arts District Gallery Walk. It was a day full of beautiful works of art and lovely weather. We met up with our friend Diane, who took us on the tour. The River Arts area is booming area here in Asheville. It is the home of several art galleries and studios. It is also becoming another hot spot for food and drink.

Z had a lot of fun checking out the art. She did sleep for most of the tour though. We finished up the day with lunch at 12 Bones, one of the best bbq places in town. Our president even stopped there when he came through Asheville.

Our daughter has been exploring the world of climbing more. Just today she climbed all over her Mommy. She also is practicing walking with Daddy. I'll hold her hands while she takes awkward steps. It's more smiles and laughing than movement. Z has made more strides in movement in the last two weeks than she had in the previous month. She has mastered turning and moving around on her bottom. Pretty soon our little girl will be moving around like a pro. Until then, we will savor our remaining days not having to worry about her getting lost.

Picky Eater

First, Shannon is feeling fine now. Scratchy throat but otherwise OK. I stayed home today for Veteran's Day so I was on baby duty all day. I am bushed to say the least.

We are facing a major crisis though. The picky eater. Zahra has gone from a voracious eater without any hesitation to try foods to a child that now only really wants a few items. What has happened over the course of the past month or so has been devastating to Shannon, who has been such a trooper to make all of Z's food only to see it go uneaten by the stubborn little monster. I mean, she only eats her oatmeal, yogurt, some fruits and snacks. That's it. For a while we went to commercial foods and that worked but now she doesn't even like that! What the heck do we do? Recently we've been giving her some of our food or at least the stuff she can eat and that works well but most of the time she can't eat what we have yet just because she's too little and doesn't have enough teeth. Talk about a dilemma!

Ida Pours On

Even though we are in mid November, we are still catching leftovers from tropical storms. Ida is dumping a ton of rain up here and we are trapped in our home.

Shannon is feeling poopy so we are in a bit of a rut. Daddy and Mommy were scheduled to go out on a date night but that's over now. So while Z is getting ready for sleep, we are ordering in.

This past weekend we had a great time. We walked the new Greenway that connects the entire French Broad River to the Carrier Park area. This is awesome because we live really close to it and it's an amazing hike within the city. The weather over the weekend was phenomenal. Low 70's with sunny cloudless skies. Zahra loved the sites and activities on the hike. She is particularly attracted to dogs. The little daredevil also loves swinging. It's going to be awesome when she is walking and running around the playground. For now, we settle for the backwards crawl and the shimmy on her bottom. She is slowly starting to grasp her way towards things so it's just a wait and see until she is moving all over the place. Enjoy the pictures of this past weekend and I'll keep you updated on our status.

Shannon has become lord of the crafts at home. She is creating birthday banners, Christmas stockings and even toys for our beloved Z. Here is some footage of the little rascal playing with her Octopus, reading her favorite book and even doing a little more moving around.

Observations

Zahra lays in bed with a Teddy bear! She coos at it and talks to it before she falls asleep with it.

Zahra played the tamborine today with me. She grabbed it from my hands and smacked it like a pro.

Zahra is talking much more now. She was imitating me when I was saying "wow wow" (the Cuban way my mom used to say dog to me).

Zahra is moving more and more each day. She can crawl in circles and scooch on her bottom every which way.

Zahra can brush her hair now. She can even brush yours, too.

Zahra is leaving her poo in the potty way more often than not. It's almost as if she waits for us to place her on the green throne to deliver her poopies.

Zahra, after depositing some fresh poo, attempted to put her little pants back on while still seated on the toilet.

Zahra continues to be the most precious thing in our lives.

Happy Halloween!

Seems like a long time since I've been on here telling you about our family.

Let's start with today. Shannon, Z, Grammy Lanie and I just returned from a trick or treat adventure on Vermont Avenue here in Asheville. Although the night was cold and rainy, the people were out in full force. We had an amazing turnout with hundreds of people decked out in their Halloween finest. We met up with the Floriani and Anderson clans as well as some other friends. Z was a tired little bunny. Shannon was an organically grown carrot and I was a farmer. Grammy Lanie was also an honorary bunny. We hopped from house to house getting some candy and taking in the festive mood. Check out the pics (a few ghosts may appear in some).

The girls were also gone for a week in Atlanta on the Jankins farm while I wallowed around in Asheville doing stuff to keep busy. Hard to believe November is upon us and the countdown to Turkey day begins tonight.