Goodmans est. 2005, Then there were 3...

Go Figure!

2010-02-08T01:33:00.008-05:00

So, here's the scoop - I'm entering a quick post from another computer, which does not have my repository of thousands of pictures. Go figure... just hours after I re-join the blogging world, Zachary sneaks up onto the chair and manages to do something to our personal laptop (Len is not exactly sure what, though he is the one who discovered him in the act), rendering it officially "broken"!! Boo hoo! We're going to take it into the "laptop shop" for a check up to see how bad the damage is, but at this point, the poor thing just won't turn on. For just a few seconds, it seems like it's about to kick-start, but then just dies. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it is something that can be fixed... please send good thoughts our way for my beloved laptop! More to come...

In the meantime, I do have this picture that Len sent me from his blackberry to share - - Zachary is cheering me on through our storm door as I shoveled and shoveled and shoveled and shoveled. Thank goodness for Advil! LOL!

2+ feet and still counting...

2010-02-06T11:15:00.006-05:00

You'd think the title of this entry was meant to allude to our little man, but in this case, he is definitely not what I'm referring to... instead, I mean the SNOW! That's right... we're in the middle of the "Blizzard of 2010" and are expecting up to 30 inches of snow before all is said and done (not to mention the 5+ foot drifts from all the crazy wind). We're loving being hunkered down and inside at this point, but I am considering venturing out to try and dig out at least our front door (can't open it at the moment). Keep your fingers crossed we don't lose power for an extended period of time (it's already gone out and come back on right away 3 times!). Hope all our mid-atlantic and north east coast friends and family are staying warm and enjoying the winter wonderland... we sure are!

These were taken from inside (of course!)...

We're still here... believe it or not!

2010-02-06T10:25:00.006-05:00

That's right... we're still all here and doing very well! I know it's been such a long time since I've posted. Sometimes, life just happens, and you run out of hours in the day to do everything you really want to. Well, I'm going to try and catch up with everyone who follows our amazing life... I have about 12 posts that I started and saved as drafts beginning over 6 months ago. Some are complete and just waiting to be published and some continue to be a work in progress. What I will do is just start posting them a little at a time - and likely out of chronological order (which for those who know me, you know that will be very difficult for me... hee hee). As Zachary gets older, my time is less and less available for things like posting to this blog and more aligned with playing with my amazing little toddler when not busy with work... whether it's pushing cars around the living room floor, swinging plastic golf clubs to hit the ball and exclaim "I did it!", swinging a blow-up baseball bat at the blow-up baseball on the blow-up baseball tee (blow-up is critical for indoor play!), reading books (me to him and him to me), watching Sesame Street (his absolute FAVORITE), or whatever else may strike his fancy in any given moment! He is so much fun these days... everything amazes him, which amazes me! He's so smart (I think, anyway) and I love just watching him take in the word around him. Here are some more recent pictures of our little critter....

Up to no good!

2009-09-17T17:31:00.008-04:00

One of Zachary's favorite little tricks is to climb up on the dining chairs. There is one in particular that he will always attempt first - the one that sits in front of the laptop! I think this was the primary motivation that drove him to want to attempt to climb up for the first time, because the prize for achieving the feat was to be able to BANG on the keyboard and laugh hysterically! So now, if DaDa forgets to push in his chair (which is more often than not), it's an open invitation to Zachary to get into mischief by playing with a "toy" that does not belong to him. :) Here is what I walked into the kitchen to find the day before last... so adorable, even when he's up to no good!!

Happy Birthday, Mi-Ma!

2009-09-07T13:26:00.000-04:00

Mi-Ma, you say? Who's Mi-Ma? Well, Grandma, of course! Zachary had taken it upon himself to "rename" his Grandmother. We always work on saying everyone's name, and low and behold, every time we ask, "Can you say Grandma?" he answers with "Meeeee Ma"... it's just precious. So for now, that is what Zachary calls his precious Grandma.

Happy Birthday, Mi-Ma... I love you soooo much!!

Happy Father's Day - 2009

2009-06-21T22:02:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day to the BEST Daddy in the whole entire world...

I love you so much!

Love and Kisses,

Zachary

And, another great big shout out and fist-bump to the other favorite guys in my life - Poppie and Great-Grandpa! Hope you have a wonderful Father's Day!

NJ State Special Olympics - 2009

2009-06-16T19:17:00.041-04:00

Our family experienced one of those moments that will go down in our family history as a true proud and unforgettable time in our lives. You see, my nephew CJ Inverso is a celebrity (no surprise to those who know and love him, of course)... out of over 2000 athletes who qualified to compete in state-level Special Olympics for New Jersey, CJ was chosen to light the Olympic torch during the opening ceremonies on Friday evening at the College of New Jersey (Trenton State College). We've known for a little while now, but had to keep it a bit of a secret until right before the big day. I don't think I'll ever forget this moment in our lives... to see the tears of pride and joy in the eyes of my sister Lynne, brother-in-law Chuck and niece Hailey right at the moment CJ climbed the ladder, tilted the heavy hand-held torch of fire, and lit the cauldron warmed my heart like nothing else. CJ must have had almost a hundred personal fans in the stands cheering him on (among the thousands there), and there was barely a dry eye in the bunch. The look of absolute surprise on his face as the flame ignited was absolutely precious... I am the most proud Aunt on the face of this earth!!

The ceremony leading up to the torch lighting was quite a sight... like nothing I've ever seen. They did such a fantastic job with the event... right down to the fireworks choreographed with a Bruce Springsteen cover band (how Jersey!) that closed out the evening. "Amazing" doesn't even seem to describe the event, but I think it comes pretty close! Here are some of the pictures I took Friday night (6/13/2009)... (Yes, that's Zachary in the corner... totally didn't even try to do that on purpose... too funny!)

CJ qualified for and competed in two events... one on Saturday, and one on Sunday. He also medaled in both of those events... bronze in the 50 meter dash and silver in the tennis ball throw. Our little athlete is quite the sportsman... you really could tell he truly enjoyed his time in the spotlight!

I'm just so impressed with the entire experience... so much thought and attention was applied to every last detail (the carnival for the athletes, the medal ceremonies with music and all, the food provided for everyone free from Shoprite, the volunteers and everything they did to make it a wonderful experience, the health fair in the Student Center... I could go on and on!). It was an incredible experience - both for the athletes and their spectators! I can't wait for 2010!!

Here is a link to an article with more pictures and info... http://www.robbinsvillereview.com/specolympics.htm

First Big Boy Bandaid

2009-06-01T20:56:00.012-04:00

Today was such a nice day... we played out front while our neighbors were also all enjoying the weather. Zachary loved running up and down the sidewalk while Daddy was supervising the activity. He was so excited, he got a little ahead of himself and took a spill... worst one yet! (Did I already mention he was in his Daddy's care? LOL) Anyway, Zachary's fall caused a pretty nasty scrape with a good amount of blood - thank goodness our neighbor is a mother of 4 and came to the immediate rescue with her handy-dandy first aid kit already in hand! (We really gotta get one of those! It even looks like a little plastic medical bag... too cute!) She had adorable crayon shaped bandaids, which Zachary just loved and made it "all better!" He was very proud of his war wound and bandage... he handled it all relatively well - just a few crocodile tears with lots of hugs for comfort!

After all of the drama, we went for a walk to pick up some much needed comfort food - pizza and donuts! Daddy couldn't wait until we got home before digging in...

Zachary really loved his glazed donut... fun to play with and equally delicious!

Editor's Note-

2009-05-31T17:50:00.004-04:00

I had a lot of catching up to do with May blog posts... as a result, I posted more than can be viewed at once. To see all of the most recent entries, please be sure to click "Older Posts" at the bottom of this page to see the rest of May's latest and greatest. Enjoy!!

Happy Memorial Day - 2009!

2009-05-24T20:27:00.003-04:00

Len, Zachary and I all agreed that it would be best to stick close to home this weekend, and avoid the crazy traffic with all the weekend road-trippers. We were still able to find something fun to do, without having to drive for hours. Since we had a beautiful day on Saturday, we packed up the car and headed north to Havre de Grace, MD. It was only about a 40 minute drive (which normally would take about 25 minutes without traffic) and it was very much worth it. We parked and walked throughout the town, enjoying the sights... we even saw 4 different weddings taking place (they sure had a beautiful day for the occasion). Here are some of the awesome pictures I took on the pier and of the lighthouse... what a fantastic, relaxing afternoon for our little family!

Hang on tight, Da Da (please!!)...

Cool view of the lighthouse on the mainland from out on the pier...

Cheeeeesseee!

2009-05-23T11:06:00.002-04:00

Figuratively and literally! Here's the little critter sitting at his new picnic table enjoying a sippy cup and a piece of cheese! It matches our deck furniture perfectly, and Zachary is just thrilled to have his own personal little retreat out on the deck!!

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

2009-05-17T16:54:00.008-04:00

Looks like Zachary inherited a sweet tooth from both Mommy and Daddy! Chocolate chip pancakes were a hit, as Zach tried them for the first time this morning. It was a bit messy, but soooo totally adorable to watch him enjoy a new treat!

"I YUV YUUUUU!!"

2009-05-15T20:58:00.002-04:00

I think these are the most magical three words... and when they come from your first born for the very first time (from him to me), it's the most amazing thing to hear! That's right, Zachary's latest words are, "I yuv yuuuu" (a.k.a. I love you). I say it to him ALL the time (obviously) sometimes while pointing to him across the room, and much to my astonishment and wonderment, as I said it to him today, he returned the sentiment while pointing straight to me. Words can not describe that moment... it's absolutely one of my favorites so far as a mom!! Have I said how incredibly blessed I am?!?

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T17:23:00.017-04:00

I simply can not put into words how privileged and lucky I feel to have been chosen to be Zachary's Mom. The ways life has changed from the moment we conceived him to now are by far incredibly amazing and unbelievable... I can't imagine this world without my two favorite guys... Len and Zachary.

Earlier this week, Zachary (Len) sent me at work a beautiful bouquet of pink roses, arranged in Lenox (of course!). He sent it earlier in the week, so I could enjoy it for several days in my office before bringing it home... every time I glanced over or caught the fresh scent of roses, it reminded me of the most amazing little family I have.

Today, we celebrated Mother's Day by going to church and stopping at Cold Stone afterward for a decadent treat. We did the same last year, so now I suppose this is officially a tradition... yummy!! Here's me and my amazing little critter enjoying our ice cream sundae!!

On Friday, Len also sent me an email with a verse that quite honestly says it all... as I read it, it reminded me just how blessed I am, and I don't think I could've said it better myself:

Before I was a Mom,

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt!

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,

the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,

before I was a Mom .

As I sit and reflect about being a Mom, I can't help my thoughts turning back to my own mother and everything she's taught me, making me the wife and mother I am today. Happy Mother's Day, Mom... thank you for everything you've done to make me the person (and Mom) I am today. I love you and honor you more than words could ever say!!

And another special shout-out to my Mother-in-law and Zachary's "Grandma"- thank you for always being so thoughtful, generous and loving! We love you and appreciate you so very much!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the special Mom's out there!

Zach's new chore...

2009-05-10T16:30:00.006-04:00

The Easter Bunny brought Zach the coolest toy... it's a lawn mower just like Daddy's! We finally had a nice afternoon where the two men of the house could head out and work on the yard together... I think Len secretly wishes Zach's mower cut the grass as effectively as his. Well, this is a good start, and I'm sure in a decade or more, Zach can take over. Hang in there, Len... only a few years to go before you can pass the baton!

Once Da Da brought out his lawn mower, Zach seemed more interested in that one! To keep it safe, and still enjoy the lawn mowing experience together, Len took a different approach than the side-by-side stance... this definitely sped up the process!! Too cute!

The Hopeless Romantic

2009-05-02T16:10:00.004-04:00

I'm so lucky (I know... I never say that!! LOL)! I always talk about how lucky I am to be Zachary's Mom, and sometimes (but not often enough) talk about how lucky I am to be Len's wife! Every now and then, he does something that just melts my heart and puts a little twinkle in my eye.

We've had quite a lot of rain lately, and as a result, it has very quickly blown all of the beautiful pink petals off of the tree in front of our house. When I stepped out there today, it looked as though it snowed PINK! I just couldn't resist taking a picture of the scene. After snapping a couple of shots, I came back in to get the broom and continued sweeping it off of the walk (mostly to mitigate the tracking of pink petals throughout the entire first floor of the house!). I was able to make some progress, but was called away by Zachary, who was just waking up from his nap.

I believe that's when Len went to work... here is what he did to sweep the rest! My husband is a hopeless romantic, and S hearts L, too... always and 4VR!!

Grandma and Me!

2009-05-01T17:09:00.004-04:00

While we were in NJ visiting last weekend, Zachary and Grandma had some special "alone" time to hang out together, after a very busy and fun filled couple of days. Since the weather was nice, they decided that a little bubble-blowing was in order. Without them even realizing, I took the most adorable pictures to capture this very special time they had playing together.

A long string of posts...

2009-04-30T22:23:00.004-04:00

The month seems to have just FLOWN by... every chance I had, I would start a post that I would save as a draft, pending me taking the time to download the many pictures I had taken. It has been a super-busy month for both Len and I... work and home-life, so I'm finally now just getting to publishing everything I captured throughout the last 3 weeks. As you scroll through April's entries, the dates of the posts are when I actually started the draft, so they coincide with the events I'm writing about. Have fun catching up!

Another Sunday Stroll!

2009-04-27T22:10:00.004-04:00

Grandma and Poppie took the critter out for a stroll this time... no ice cream stops along the way, but he had his sippy cup in tow for refreshment as needed! How adorable!!

Road Trip - A Birthday Weekend in NJ!

2009-04-27T21:54:00.025-04:00

Another incredible road trip to NJ this past weekend, we went for several wonderful reasons... first, we celebrated Grandpa's 85th birthday on Saturday, and second we were finally able to get together with Len's cousin, Julie and her family (and celebrate her birthday, too) on Sunday!

We arrived Saturday afternoon and started our visit at my Mother's house... she actually watched Zachary while we took Grandpa to a fantastic seafood restaurant in Trenton. Though I'm sure Grandma would've loved having Zachary with us during the phenomenal meal we enjoyed, it was really nice to have a quiet dinner out knowing our little critter was in the loving care of his Mom-Mom, Aunt Lynne and cousin Hailey. Here are a couple of photos Len took with his camera phone - one of the birthday boy and the other of Poppie enjoying their incredible meals...

After drinks, appetizers, dinner, a bottle of wine and dessert, we eventually waddled ourselves out of the restaurant and back to Mom-Mom's for some primo Zachary entertainment... what a beautiful way to round off Grandpa's special evening! Then, it was back to the Goodman's for some much needed rest, in anticipation of a big day on Sunday, as we reunited cousins Zachary and Connor.

Everyone arrived in the early afternoon... the critter was napping so we had a wonderful solo visit with Connor. I can't believe how much he's grown up since the last time we saw each other. What an adorable, polite little boy! Our timing was a little off, because as soon as Zachary got up, Connor was ready for a little shut eye himself. Eventually, both were well rested and ready for some fun. It was so interesting watching the two little men play... sometimes interacting with each other and other times off in their separate ways. We sat out on the deck for much of the afternoon and enjoyed everyone's company... it's so hard to believe that we all sat out on that very same deck almost two years ago, Julie and I with our little bundles of joy kicking inside of our bellies! This time, they were kicking around a kickball!! Too fun! Here are some of the adorable photos I took to help us remember the family visit...

We really tried to capture a poignant moment with our little boys and their Great-Grandpa... needless to say I didn't snap the perfect photo to capture the moment, but this one was just way too priceless not to share!

There were lots of high fives... or should I say attempts at high fives. Sometimes they connected, and other times it was a swing and a miss. We were eating it up, and they knew it!

And, here's our next installment of the 4 Generations:
Some more memorable moments...

We were all completely wiped out after such a fun, busy day... especially the critter!

Happy Birthday Great-Grandpa!

2009-04-25T10:00:00.006-04:00

Zachary would like to send a HUGE shout out to his Great-Grandpa

as he celebrates this momentous occasion...

Happy 85th Birthday, Grandpa!!

Here's a great big birthday kissy, too!

Our little boy in his new big-boy car seat!

2009-04-20T00:12:00.007-04:00

After another weight-check visit to the doctor this month, our little critter has finally reached a milestone we've been looking forward to for quite sometime, now. He's finally big enough for his next car seat... he weighed in at 20 lbs, 4oz! YIPPEE!! Len installed it yesterday afternoon, and we immediately went for a quick drive to see how he liked it.

The verdict... at first, he wasn't so sure, but then he really seemed to love this new view on the world, and also being able to high-five Daddy while he drives!!

What a beautiful afternoon!!

2009-04-20T00:09:00.012-04:00

Yesterday, we enjoyed a wonderful Spring afternoon... we loaded up the car with our bikes, some refreshments and our little critter and headed out to the Ma and Pa Trail. When we arrived, we parked the car and headed off for a 3 mile bike ride to an awesome park and playground. The ride there was mostly on an uphill grade, so needless to say, pedaling both Zachary and myself was and interesting adventure... we made it safe and sound, though (and it was a wonderful ride back to the car)! When we arrived at the park, the ice cream truck was there, so we treated ourselves to a cold, sweet treat before venturing out to play on all of the really cool playground equipment.

The swing still seems to be Zachary's favorite activity... Len really pushes him high these days!! He even ventured onto the tire swing with his Daddy!

Tight squeeze on this slide, but amazingly adorable to watch them have so much fun slithering down...

It was an exhausting afternoon, as you can see here, Zachary fell asleep on the ride back to the car... too cute!

Zachary's first Micky Mouse Pancake...

2009-04-19T00:09:00.005-04:00

In the true spirit of Goodman family tradition, Len has taken on the role of Micky-Mouse-pancake-maker (sans blueberries this time) for his baby boy... he now shares this responsibility with his Dad. Zachary gobbled it up in delight!

More please...

Yummy... thanks!

Kissy, please!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T16:01:00.015-04:00

We had a beautiful Easter weekend with another road trip to NJ to be with our families! On Easter Sunday, we started off the day with breakfast in Bordentown. It was wonderful to spend the morning with Grandma, Poppie, Grandpa and Dan! That's right... Dan made a trip up from North Carolina for the occasion, and Zachary was just thrilled to spend time with his uncle.

After a delicious meal, we packed up and headed to my sister's house for a late brunch buffet and an afternoon of playtime for Zachary and his cousins. Zachary enjoyed his meal (if fact, we ALL did... Lynne did a beautiful job with the spread... it was super yummy!), as he was building up enough energy for his very first Easter Egg hunt. Hailey and CJ worked very hard to prepare all of the eggs and hide them in the yard for the big event. Zachary, Len and I were just so thrilled they thought of the idea and made it soooo fun for all of us... thanks, Inverso's!!

And the hunt is on...

Zachary also just LOVED digging into his Easter basket and goodies from Mom-Mom, along with his cousin, Hailey!

After a fun afternoon, we headed back down to Grandma and Poppie's for Easter dinner... needless to say, by the end of the day, Len and I were stuffed fuller than our candy-filled Easter eggs!

The Easter Bunny!

2009-04-09T19:26:00.006-04:00

After church on Palm Sunday, we swung by the mall on the way home to pay a visit to the Easter Bunny! What a lucky creature... Zachary gave him lots of kisses while I held him. He really seemed to enjoy sitting on his soft furry lap, until the photo part. Unfortunately, as soon as the photographer snapped a shot and the flash went off, Zachary's love of the visit to the Easter Bunny flew right out the window. Anyway, it was still sooo cute!

And check this out... what a difference a year makes!

Chillin' on the deck...

2009-04-05T17:02:00.013-04:00

What a beautiful afternoon it turned out to be today! When we got home from Palm Sunday church service, Zachary finished his nap (he fell asleep in the car), then we all got in our Sunday comfy clothes and chilled on the deck, basking in the warm sun and relaxing... it doesn't get much better than this!

Here's to good times with the family... CHEERS!

Bartender, another sippy cup for my Mommy, please!

Kissy, please!!

We rounded off our leisurely Sunday afternoon with a family bike ride up to Baskin' Robbins for an ice cream sundae... and then some playtime in the yard to run off the sugar!

My Daddy and Me!

2009-04-02T20:51:00.000-04:00

I just love zurburts from my Daddy!!

It cracks me up!

Taming the beast...

2009-03-31T20:36:00.011-04:00

Sunday was a big day of firsts for Zachary! As you an see in my previous two posts, he took his first bike ride with both Mommy and Daddy and just loved it. In addition to that, Zachary had his official first haircut!! That's right... I finally bit the bullet and tamed that beast of a hairdo the critter would sport after a long, restless night. I would actually need to comb out knots in the back if he was particularly restless when sleeping or in the car seat. There was one specific bunch of hair right in the middle of the back of his head that was the most in need of a trim, but I have to say it was so cute... we called it his little curly tail. I could actually hear whispers from my Father in one ear (and loud and clear words from my Mother in the other... hee hee) imploring me to give that poor little guy a haircut.

So, on Sunday evening, that's exactly what we did. I did it myself, and must say, I think I did a pretty good job. No weird strands of hair sicking out anywhere or bald spots where I cut too much off. If I do say so myself, he does look so amazingly handsome now, and even a bit older I think!

Before:

After:

Update!...

2009-03-30T19:14:00.011-04:00

So, after the storm blew through and Len finished putting the child seat on the bike (in the house during the storm), we were able to catch about 15 minutes of storm-free riding before another storm cloud rolled in and the sun went down! Len and I were both so totally excited to see how Zachary would react on the back of the bike. And the verdict........ HE LOVED IT!! It was just soooo adorable to watch the breeze blow in his face as he sat like a good little boy and enjoyed the ride.

When we first went outside, I was holding Zachary next to the bike, and I said to Len he should take a lap around the court so Zach could watch and see how fun it was. Instead, the critter was practically leaping out of my arms to climb into the child seat, so we just went for it. What a blast... we can't wait for a true family ride the next nice day we have off from work!!

Don't ya just love his cute little helmet?!?

Mommy's new wheels!

2009-03-29T17:04:00.009-04:00

I was so excited to start this blog entry... I took a few pictures of Len hard at work outside and ran in to start typing! Last weekend I featured Zachary's new wheels... this weekend's feature was going to be all about Mommy's new wheels! For my birthday, Len gave me an IOU for a new bicycle (in the form of an old-fashioned bike horn... how cute!) that would be good to hold the cool bike seat Santa brought Zach this year. Today, Len and I finally found a bike that we both liked, since at any given time, either of us could be the one taking Zach for a ride (the child seat can't be put on Len's mountain bike).

The weather this weekend has been pretty gloomy for the most part (as the reports told us it would be), but we were surprised and excited to end up with an unpredicted warm sunny Sunday afternoon. We were both so excited to get home from the store and put it all together, so we could go for a quick ride before dinner after Zachary finished his nap.

Well, much to my disappointment, just as I took my first test lap around the court while Len was figuring out the child seat, I looked out at the horizon and saw VERY dark clouds and lightening. I hurried back just in time to help Len get all of the boxes, tools and equipment inside right before the heavens opened up with a torrential downpour of rain and pebble-sized hail! Wouldn't you know Zach slept through it all... even the rumbles of thunder! Unless the sun decides to come back out, I guess our family ride will need to wait until next weekend... oh well! Maybe I'll just go do a load of laundry instead... good times!

Zachary's new wheels!

2009-03-22T23:16:00.014-04:00

Now that Spring is here and the weather is offering us some warmer days here and there, we took full advantage of it and went for a spin in Zachary's new wheels!! I've been looking forward to this since Christmastime, when Grandma and Poppie gave Zach this adorable wagon-for-two (I wonder if it also a bit of a hint... hee hee!). The critter REALLY liked crusin' with the open air and widened view (compared to the stroller)... he even had room to bring along a little stuffed friend to share the ride with, as well as a beverage just in case he got thirsty! He's quite the little man with his fancy new ride!!

In true Goodman tradition, we went for another one of our "sundae strolls" for an ice cream sundae, before we start our summer diets!

There were little signs of Spring along the way, even though by the end of our walk, we needed to bundle up a bit, as the sun went behind some clouds. I just loved seeing this single daffodil in bloom!

Zachary definitely got comfortable, as he kicked back and enjoyed a few sips of milk while we sat and ate our treats!

I can't wait for the next nice weekend afternoon when we can all go for another refreshing walk around the neighborhood!

Right around the corner...

2009-03-20T22:48:00.012-04:00

SPRING is here (yippee!)... as I'm sure you realize, today is the first day of Spring! I can just feel the warm sunny days right around the corner... and boy am I ready for the April showers and May flowers! Since Zachary is getting bigger, I just can't wait for us to play outside with the smell of the fresh air and flowers in bloom. The weather here is been so haphazard... one day it's snowing 7 inches, and three days later it's sunny and 70 degrees. That may sound extreme, but it actually happened a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully, we'll beat the ups and downs of the temperature without coming down with anything too serious.

So, in catching up with the pictures I've taken this month, I thought I'd share the late afternoon we spent at the park on the playground equipment. In a previous post, I mentioned that Len was away at his GM's conference in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago... well, he surprised us by taking an earlier flight on the Sunday he returned so we could hang out together before heading back to work Monday morning. Since it was a warm day out, we decided it was the perfect opportunity to try out the playground again. (Last time we went was in the Fall when Zach was so much smaller...)

I'm happy to report, he really seemed to love it. The swing was his favorite, I think, and it was just adorable to watch him take in the breeze as he swung higher and higher (but not too high, Daddy! hee hee).

Here are some of the cute pictures we have to remember our fun, surprise afternoon together...

Hmmmmm... which toy do I want to play on first??? So many options to choose from!

15 Months Old!

2009-03-14T09:28:00.028-04:00

About 10 days ago, our amazing little boy turned 15 months old!! Time sure does fly by... this upcoming Monday marks the 1-year anniversary of my return to work (technically, I returned on the 17th, but it was a Monday last year). I was so very lucky to have the time home I had with Zachary... our parental leave policy at work is top-notch! Though my greatest wish would be to stay home with Zachary, I know the plan Len and I have in place is effective and working out nicely. So much has happened with Zachary lately, I'm not even sure where to begin... I'll try to categorize it...

Zachary's stats:
On March 6th, Zach went for his 15-month well-visit with the doctor. I was honestly dreading it, based on a recent sick-visit about 3 weeks prior. You see, our little critter is just that... little. His weight has been a slight concern (he completely fell off the chart at the last visit, having lost a little bit due to being sick) and the doctor has been keeping a very close eye on it. She (the doctor) and I were planning on discussing a referral to a specialist in Baltimore to further investigate and be sure nothing more serious was happening, especially since he's a relatively good eater. Well, much to my complete delight, Zachary GAINED 6 ounces!! That may seem like a small amount to you, but to me, it might as well be 50 pounds. He's back on the chart... woo hoo!!! That said, we agreed that we'd wait and not put him through all of the testing that would likely come as a result of the referral. (Whew... I have to say, the second time we had to have his blood drawn, I actually cried too because it was not as smooth of an experience as the first one). So, this visit, even though Len was not able to be there (he was out of town at his annual GM's conference) was soooo much better than I could've imagined. It was interesting to see how the doc's approach for examining him changes, too. Because Zachary now remembers things more and is so much more aware and afraid of things foreign to him, the entire exam happens while I hold him in my lap. When we first walked into the exam room, I think Zach remembered the room where his blood was drawn because he just clung to me and cried a little. Normally, he's just fine and loves to explore all of the cool things around him. Once he settled down a little, he was back to his exploratory little self. During the exam, he got to play with the stethoscope and was such a good little boy. And this time, Mommy had to hold him for the vaccine (my Mom was with us to offer her assistance which was so very much appreciated, but I really needed to be the one to hold him so I could get over this hump). Thank goodness he only got 2 this time! And, we both survived!! Now to the official stats:

Height: 31 inches (50th percentile!!)
Weight: 19 lbs 8 oz (5th percentile)

That's right... still not 20 lbs. We need him to hit this mark so we can finally switch his car set to the big-boy, forward facing one. Sheesh... hopefully not too much longer!!
On another note, we're up to a total of 8 teeth peeping through his cute little gums. Zachary tends to cut teeth symmetrically, two at a time. Basically, his two bottom teeth came up together, his two top front teeth came in together, then two on top on each side of the middle teeth cut through at the same time, as well as the two new ones on the bottom. I'm sure there's more to come soon, too!

Zachary at daycare:
Zachary hit another daycare milestone this past week... he survived his first week in the Infant III (a.k.a. Young Toddlers) room! That's right... our little boy proudly graduated from Infant II. We're surely going to miss his Infant II teachers, but we're quite pleased with his new head teacher, Miss Courtney. It's interesting to hear how he's doing with the transition... they said that when he's playing with the babies in the Infant II room (where he's the oldest, but not biggest), he's gentle (for the most part) and docile. But, when they set him free in the Infant III room with all of his old buddies, he's a wild-man!! (There, he's the smallest, but not youngest.) I've already started to notice at home he's more of a maniac than usual... it's just adorable. He's growing up so fast!

I think the influence of the older kids is rubbing off on him in other ways, too! The critter has finally taken to drinking from a sippy cup! He has refused it quite adamantly until just recently... now, he just loves having a cup of juice or milk while hanging out. We still have to use bottles for some meals, to ensure he drinks it all, since when he has a sippy cup, I think he likes to play with it more than drink from it. I'm most concerned that he gets the calories and nutrition at this point, but love that he's willing to give up the bottle and try something new.

Zachary's tricks:
Zachary is quite the little talker these days! Though most of what he says would not be recognizable to most, I think we're doing a great job of communicating with one another. I'm certain he understands much of what Len and I say to him, and we're progressing in our interpretation of his verbal cues. One of his favorite "words" is... uh oooo. He really drags out the "ooooo" part of it... I just love to hear him say it (for now... I'm sure I'll soon start to cringe at those very words). He does say it in context, too, so I'm sure he gets what it means. His words, though not plenty, are right on par with a child his age. They include Mommy, Daddy, Kitty, Poppie, stop, hi, up, baby (sort of), etc. We're working on please and thank you... I think he's getting thank you more quickly (though it sounds more like dee du, but I'll take it!). He just LOVES to talk on the phone, too! I love to watch him have a great little conversation with his Mom-Mom, Grandma and Poppie, and whoever else he talks on the phone with. Here he is after his tubby having a very serious conversation with his Daddy while he was in away in New Orleans at the Marriott conference:

(And I just had to include this adorable picture from the tubby... we sent this one to DaDa, too, so he could see how the critter was doing... he was missing his Daddy, but having fun with Mom-Mom and Mommy, too!)

Zachary is our little musical artist! He's getting quite good on his little toy piano and loves to hit the keys to hear the beautiful sounds they make. He sings along as he plays, too. Talk about singing, he's always humming or singing a song... the Itsy-Bitsy Spider seems to be his favorite (he does all of the gestures with it, too), with the Wheels on the Bus coming in a close second. And, of course, he gives himself and anyone else singing along with him a round of applause and a cheer at the end of every tune! Dancing almost inevitably accompanies music of most kinds. Whether it's a musical book, a musical toy, a good song on the stereo or even just a catchy commercial, if Zachary loves the tune, he lets us know by bobbing his head, shaking his little fanny and bouncing up and down to the beat!

He continues to be such an affectionate little cuddle bug! He's never short on kisses and flirts with just about anyone who'll pay him attention (which proudly I say is quite often)... in the restaurant, the grocery store, the mall, church, etc. I call him our little ambassador!

Zachary is quite the little monkey these days, too! His walk often turns into a bit of a run, he climbs on anything we'll let him (I think that comes from the new room at daycare) and he loves to explore and crawl into small cracks and crevasses. And, in a matter of minutes, he can tear up a nice neat basket of toys, or cabinet of Tupperware. Running around the kitchen island while playing peek-a-boo is such a blast, especially when he laughs and screams in excitement from the inside out!

All in all, I can't imagine two people on the face of this earth who are luckier than Len and I for the gift of this beautiful human being we were given... I count my blessings everyday!!

Wheeeee!

2009-03-04T22:23:00.005-05:00

So, this is my first attempt at posting video taken with our regular camera...

As I stated in my previous entry, sometimes Zachary really seemed to like the snow and fun, and sometimes he didn't. Luckily, I think he had fun the majority of the time!

It cracks me up how he just lays there so stiff the whole time... that's so unlike our active little critter!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

2009-03-04T21:02:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm happy to report our wishes did come true... it snowed, finally! Though I wish it was more, we did get 6 1/2 inches where we live, while other areas near us in Maryland got over a foot!! It was a very cold, blustery day on Monday and the wind was really blowing the snow into drifts. It looked kind of funny in our yard... because it was so cold and such a light and dry snow, the wind blew the snow so much you could actually see the grass in some spots, while there were big piles in other spots. Nevertheless, it was just beautiful to finally see a significant amount of snow on the ground!

Another reason I am so excited about this snow is it obviously presents great photo opportunities to capture this moment in our lives. Earlier in the season, Len's Mom gave us a very precious gift... she had saved the first snowsuit worn my Len himself and had it cleaned and ready for us to try on Zachary. Our late-season snowstorm gave us the perfect backdrop and reason to bundle up our little critter in his very own vintage-wear!

Can you tell who's who?

(One hint... the adorable little boy in the picture at the left is not Zachary)

How precious...

Zachary was not as excited and comfortable on the snow tube outside in the snow as he was in our living room, but I think he had fun sliding on the cold, smooth surface (most of the time). He really didn't have much of a desire to walk in the snow and kick it around. When we set him down, he kind of just stood there, cried a little (sometimes), and reached out to be picked up. It was very chilly out with some bursts of wind, so I wonder if he was just cold. I can't imagine that, though, given the multiple layers I had on him under his Daddy's adorable snowsuit. We even put chapstick on his lips to be sure the wind didn't hurt them... he kept trying to eat it while I smeared the stick across his lips (are you surprised at that?? lol).

Here are more pictures I took to help is remember our fun afternoon...

I think it took us just as long to get all of Zachary's layers on, as we were actually out in the snow... what a project! LOL!

Slipping-and-a-sliding in the fluffy white snow...

I always remember as a kid loving the "after we play out in the snow" part, when we'd come inside and warm up with either hot chocolate or oatmeal (depending on the time of day). So to continue the tradition, the critter warmed up with a bottle of warm milk (no chocolate yet)... yummy!

I'm so glad we finally had a decent snowstorm... what a blast for all of us!!

FINALLY... a real snow storm (we hope)!

2009-03-01T23:53:00.010-05:00

We've been waiting and waiting for a real wallop of a snow storm, basically since Zachary was born! It did snow while we were in the hospital over a year ago when he was born, so I was thinking that was a sign that he'd LOVE the snow (just like his Mommy and Daddy). Well, we haven't had the chance yet to see if it is really true... until tonight! Finally... we're expected to get 6-10 inches of snow here in Maryland, which is just enough to be able to bundle up and go out to play in it all. I can't wait!!! It's snowing as we speak, and we've got the snow tube all blown up, hoping the weather-people's predictions are proven correct. Just to be sure Zachary was not spooked by this big, pillow-like contraption, we gave it a dry run this evening in the living room. At first, he was not really into it, but after a minute of just examining this big tube and it's plastic handles, I plopped him right in the center of it and he LOVED bouncing around, climbing on and off and on and off and on and off about a hundred times... it was so fun to watch, and I can't wait to see him out in the snow doing the same thing! (Keep your fingers crossed!)

Woo hoo... look, no hands!

If I'm this good already on the tube, imagine me on a snowboard in a few years!!

Hmmmm, I think I'll pretend-eat some snow... yep, I think I'm really gonna like it, for sure!

Whew... all of this excitement sure has tired me out! I guess I should get some rest to be sure I'm ready for the big snow day! The anticipation alone is awesome!

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

2009-02-28T22:11:00.006-05:00

This year for Valentine's Day, we took an unexpected, unplanned road trip and found ourselves heading up to New Jersey late Friday night (Feb 13th) for the weekend. Before we hit the road, the fun began with Zachary charming all of his favorite teachers at daycare... he gave each of them a long-stem red rose with a pretty bow and a tag wishing them lots of love! It was definitely a crowd pleaser, but of course, that's to be expected from our little Prince Charming. Here's the little critter wearing his special "Ladies' Man" Valentine shirt for the celebration at school - -

Our little Picasso also gave his Mommy and Daddy this masterpiece of a Valentine, that he made himself at school (with a little help from his wonderful teachers, I'm sure)... the red hearts on the front are hand-painted (literally) by our very own little Zachary! It is my most favorite Valentine ever!!

We headed to NJ for an incredibly sad reason, though, as we lost a very, very dear family friend to cancer and attended her memorial service Saturday morning. I wish we had a happier occasion to be "on the road again," but it was so nice seeing our family and celebrating Valentine's Day together. I'll share more pictures from the weekend in a future post, as you can imagine, I took tons... I guess you could consider me fully back in the saddle again with my handy-dandy little camera!

In this post, we would simply like to take this moment to wish all of our very special family and friends a very Happy (and belated) Valentine's Day... we love you all SO VERY MUCH!!

S.W.A.K.!!!!

Where does the time go??? - A look back on January, 2009

2009-02-28T02:22:00.008-05:00

Let me first start by saying we're all still here, finally well, and enjoying the winter so far! January was a tough (yet still very exciting) start of the year for the little Goodman family, and I think we're finally back on track (I hope I didn't just jinx us)!

I'll start by catching up with the rest of January...

If I had to sum up the month of January 2009 in one word, I think it would be...... VIRUS! That's right... January was a month of one illness after another throughout our entire household. If one of us was healthy (for however short of a period) the other two were sick, and it was a vicious cycle that never seemed as though it would end! At one point I turned to Len and desperately asked, "What more can we do to make this stop????" I think you'll chuckle at his response... "move!" he said! Well, I'm happy to report that short of a runny nose or two, we've turned a corner and find ourselves back on the healthy train! And believe it or not, I think Zachary was the "least" sick (if there is such a thing) of all of us, though he did experience a mild bout of RSV, which he was exposed to at day care. The doctor said that if indeed that was what he had (there's really no way to test for it), she was impressed with the fact that he was only exhibiting mild symptoms and his body was doing a great job of fighting it. Len and I were quite concerned at times (the cough and wheezing it causes can sound pretty bad), and her assessment of his overall health was very reassuring. Zachary was a real trooper throughout it all, and I think he really liked staying home several days with Mommy and Daddy, and getting extra-special loving attention as we spoiled him back to health! Thank goodness he didn't really get the severe stomach bug Len and I each had TWICE throughout the month (I can't even imagine what that would have been like for all of us)! I'll tell you, even if we had planned on heading up to NJ for a visit, I know that would not have actually happened, so maybe our moratorium on road trips was good timing!

So, here I sit writing only my third blog entry for the year (January and February were my worst months yet) and it feels just great to be back in the saddle again! Here are some of the limited photos I took (you know I had to be sick not to take endless pictures of my adorable little critter)!!

We emailed this self-portrait to Daddy to cheer him up when he was having a long day at work...

One of Zachary's favorite past times continues to be reading books, especially with Daddy...

And tubby-time is (almost) always a fun, splish-splash time for all!

(You'll notice the bandage on his left arm... as you may already know, part of the one year well-visit to the doctor includes an order for blood work... Zachary went for his test in January, and he was a real trooper. Let me tell you, for me, it was 10 times worse than the vaccines. Good thing Daddy isn't as queasy as Mommy!)

January closed with some exciting football for Baltimore fans... here is Zachary in his Ravens warm-up suit... he got a lot of proud wear out of it this season!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2009-01-13T07:59:00.004-05:00

Dear Daddy,

I want to wish you a VERY Happy Birthday and tell you I think you're the best Daddy in the whole entire world! Mommy helped me find this passage, and I thought it was just the perfect way to say I love you on your special day...

God took the strength of a mountain,

The majesty of a tree,

The warmth of a summer sun,

The calm of a quiet sea,

The generous soul of nature,

The comforting arm of night,

The wisdom of the ages,

The power of the eagle's flight.

Then God combined these qualities,

When there was nothing more to add,

He knew His masterpiece was complete,

And so, He called it... "DAD"

Thank you for always taking such good care of me, for playing with me all the time, for your hugs and kisses everyday, for all of the times you read me books, and for always making me feel safe and loved! I couldn't have asked for a better Daddy... I love you! Happy Birthday!!

Love and Kisses,
Zachary

Happy New Year - 2009!

2009-01-02T00:54:00.019-05:00

There's just so much to celebrate from 2008, and so many more firsts and fantastic moments to look forward to in 2009. 2008 was an incredible year for the Goodmans... it was our first full year with our precious son, Zachary! What more could we ask for with just the most perfect little boy in the whole entire world?!? We are constantly counting our blessings and overflowing with love for this amazing little critter... to reflect back on the year and say it's the best year of my life so far would be pretty accurate! I have two amazing men to attribute such a large part of that sentiment to... my loving husband, Len, and the other love of my life, our amazing son Zachary.

We rung in the new year with style and tons of fun this year. Even though I came down with a nasty cold on New Year's Eve morning, that didn't hold us back. We started the day by accompanying Len to work (though we certainly didn't interfere with his productive time). It was so fun to reacquaint Zachary with Len's wonderful staff at the hotel... everyone is just so loving and affectionate with our little boy... of course, how could you help not being that way with such an adorable little guy?!? Zach and I kept ourselves occupied while Len got a lot accomplished... we walked around, ate, watched some tv, socialized with some other children hanging out in the lobby and even took a nap (not before I took some really cute pictures of the little man).

Once Len finished his list of "to-do's," we headed out for a late evening dinner at Macaroni Grill. The timing couldn't have been more perfect... Zachary slept through almost the entire dinner, so Len and I were able to enjoy a nice meal and actually have an adult conversation with one another! Zachary reminded us (and many others around our table) that he was part of our dinner party right about when our check came.

After dinner, we headed north to Baltimore, where we were spending the night. Len was able to arrange for us to have a BEAUTIFUL suite in one of the downtown hotels overlooking the harbor for our New Year's Eve celebration. Unfortunately, due to very high winds, the fireworks were postponed until the following evening, so we didn't get to see them from our room. It didn't matter, though, since we were all together and awake to toast the new year with one another right as the clock struck midnight. Since Zachary had taken such a long nap earlier, and he woke up as we were leaving dinner, it didn't take much for him to stay awake a little bit longer for the big moment. (If you recall, he slept through it last year at Jen's party.) I had stopped earlier that morning and picked up some party favors, including a little plastic champagne flute for the critter... he just LOVED having his own "glass" to toast with (even if it was empty)!

And here's the perfect shot of OUR little New Year baby! (I couldn't get him to keep the top hat on long enough to take the picture...)

We started off the new year just right the next morning, by ordering room service and eating in our robes. Zachary just loved his pancakes and we loved watching him eat them. All in all, it was another unforgettable New Year's celebration for the Goodmans!

After breakfast, Zachary took a little cat nap while Len and I packed up all of our bags to go home and chill... just one question - how many bags does it take to accommodate a family of three on a New Year's Eve overnight excursion? Sheesh!

Happy New Year, everyone... we wish you a prosperous year filled with hope, love, health and happiness!!

All I Want For Christmas...

2008-12-31T17:22:00.006-05:00

... is my two front teeth!

Cheeeeeese!

That's right... the critter has been working very hard on cutting his two front teeth... he told me that's all he wants for Christmas this year! Well, he got that and a little more from Len and I (and Santa, too)! Santa made an extra-special trip to our house in Bel Air several days after Christmas, since we weren't home to celebrate with just our little family... he said it was OK since he had extra time on his hands after a very busy night on Christmas eve! Thanks, Santa!

We had a blast opening our stockings and presents as you can see in the pictures below! It was a blessed holiday season with our baby boy, Zachary... I can't wait for many more to come!!

The Goodman Festivus

2008-12-31T16:34:00.018-05:00

Every year, since Len's Mom and Brother Dan both work in retail, we delay the family celebration and exchanging of gifts until after the big holiday return day when they can both afford to take some time off from the busy holiday retail grind! (I actually love that we have a few extra days for wrapping the gifts, and it seems to stretch out the holidays that much longer, which is a good thing in my book!) This year Dan was able to make it up from North Carolina on the Sunday after Christmas, so we celebrated with everyone on Monday evening. That makes 6 trips to NJ for us over the past several weeks, and marked our final one for 2008... whew! Len has put his foot down and declared a moratorium on New Jersey road trips for the entire month of January, so anyone wanting to see us (I mean Zachary, of course) will need to head to lovely MD.

We had such a nice time with everyone, opening gifts, playing with new toys and simply enjoying being all together again. (Zachary hadn't seen his Uncles Tim and Dan since the Outerbanks summer vacation, if you can believe it!) Here are all of the Goodman boys back together again - -

Zachary loved helping his Great Grandpa open some of his gifts... I think Grandpa loved it, too!

Despite his VERY runny nose, Zachary really seemed to be into everyone opening their gifts, including his own!

And, what would a Goodman family gathering be without a new installment of The Four Generations??? I just love this one!

The next morning, we all opened our stockings... Zachary just LOVED his musical card from Grandma and Poppie... he kept opening and closing it to play the music!

Playing with Grandma and all of his new toys was top on his list of good times over the holidays!

To round off the visit, we met at Red Lobster for dinner before making our final journey in 2008 back home to MD... good times! (Zachary just loves taking off Daddy's hat and wearing it himself!)

Merry, Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-27T19:38:00.021-05:00

Well, another trip to the fabulous New Jersey is under our belts! That makes #5 since late-November... good thing the price of gas has come down so much! We just love traveling to see our family and friends, but I have to say the running back and forth is really starting to wear on us. We have one more trip planned for early next week, and then we're declaring minor travel restrictions on Route 95 North (except for work of course) in January! I don't think we're going to know what to do with ourselves in Maryland for more than 5 weekdays at a time... definitely some much needed rest and relaxation!
This last trip was sooo wonderful... I just love Christmas, especially celebrating it with all of our family around us. This year was definitely different than last year. If you do the math, last year, Zachary was only 22 days old, and I was still minorly recovering from my c-section. It's actually a bit of a blur for me, since sleep deprivation had taken over at this point last year. Thank goodness I have such beautiful pictures to keep my memory fresh and able to recall Zachary's first Christmas.

This year was so fun... Zachary "sort of" opened some of his packages, loving the paper and bows as much as the contents inside of them! To begin the festivities, we went to the Christmas Eve children's service at the Hamilton Square Presbyterian Church, where we watched Hailey sing with the choir. Afterward, we headed to Grandma and Poppie's for Christmas Eve dinner and to spend the night. Uncle Tim was home from Mo-town dub-v and Zachary was just so excited since it had been quite a while since they had seen one another. In fact, Uncle Tim was definitely the "chosen one" for the evening... Zachary just couldn't get enough of him!

The next morning we had a yummy Christmas brunch and Zachary play-time before heading out to Mom-Mom's for Christmas dinner. Zachary decided he would give Poppie an extra-special Christmas morning present, also... he said "Poppie" for the first time (and second and third and fourth time, too... he just kept saying it since we celebrated the first time so much)!! It was just adorable... it sounded like "Popppeeeeee" with a strong emphasis on the eee. Ya gotta love the critter!

A wonderful surprise that awaited us at Mom-Mom's house was Robyn was able to join us for a very special visit... we haven't seen her in quite a while, but she was able to make a very careful, hug/touch-free cameo. That was such a treat for all of us! Zachary also loved playing with everyone, especially his cousins Hailey and CJ... I just love watching them together!

It was a busy day full of TONS of great food, fantastic family and fun, fun, fun... definitely a very memorable 2nd Christmas with the most precious gift of all - our little boy, Zachary!

We would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with health, hope and happiness!!

A Precious Gift...

2008-12-23T17:20:00.012-05:00

When I walked into Zachary's classroom yesterday to pick him up from daycare, there sitting in the highchair with his diaper bag was a beautifully wrapped gift. Much to my surprise the tag read: "To: Mommy and Daddy, Love: Zachary." I couldn't imagine what it could be... it was the FIRST gift Zachary has ever given Len and I together as his parents (besides being born, of course). Yes, that's right, I still have "firsts" to write about... I suppose I will have them to write about for many, many years to come. (I just love being a Mommy, can you tell?) Anyway, I packed the beautiful, delicate package in Zachary's bag very carefully, to take it home and open it together with Len.

Later that evening, once Len was home and we were all settled down, Len and I opened the package. Even before tearing the paper open, a wonderful scent was filling the air... cinnamon, we believe. As I slowly and carefully pulled away the paper, I saw the masterpiece - Zachary (with the help of his teachers Miss Theresa and Miss Brittany, I'm sure) made us an ornament for our tree.

On this ornament (which looked like a round gingerbread cookie) was his little, tiny handprint marked in white paint and an adorable poem attached to the back. It read:

"Sometimes you get discouraged

because I am so small

And always leave my fingerprints

On the furniture and walls

But every day I'm growing - -

I'll be grown some day

And all those tiny handprints

Will surely fade away

So here's a little handprint

Just so you can recall

Exactly how my fingers looked

When I was very small"

We just love Zachary's teachers in the Infant II classroom... they are so thoughtful, attentive to his needs and truly create a loving and fun environment for Zachary everyday. Here is the most recent class picture of the Infant II room with special teachers, Miss Theresa and Miss Brittany. This will be the last photo of these children together, as 3 of them will be graduating to the Infant III classroom right after the holidays. I'm so glad we have this to remember the crew.
PS - the pictures of the ornament and tree were taken with our NEW CAMERA! That's right, we are the proud new owners of the latest and greatest Canon Powershot Digital Elph! I'm armed and back in action!! Merry Christmas to us!

Zachary meets Santa... twice!

2008-12-19T22:56:00.012-05:00

Today, I had the day off from work and took Zachary to our local mall to see Santa Claus. It was a miserable day out, cold and pouring rain, but I refused to let that hold me back (I really did not want to take him to the mall this weekend, as I'm sure it will be a complete mob scene). So, we got up and had our breakfast, got dressed in holiday-appropriate garb, and made our way to the mall (it felt more like we were rowing vs driving!).

When we arrived at Santa's special place in the middle of the mall, we found a sign indicating that he was taking a break and would not be back for almost an hour. So, we did some shopping (I'm actually almost done now if you can believe it) and people watching waiting for his much anticipated return. At about 15 minutes before he was due to be back, I thought it would be a good idea to find our place in line... best decision I made today! We were #2 in the line, which was about 25 deep by the time Santa made his appearance.

I have to tell you this was actually Zachary's SECOND visit to Santa... about a week ago, we took him to a larger mall to have his picture taken, which did not exactly go very well. Here is the result of today's visit... I'm so glad I went for round two... this picture and the overall experience made it totally worth it!

Just a little flavor of how round one went... though it was much nicer weather and both Len and I were there with Zachary, it was a very disappointing and incredibly frustrating experience. The line wasn't too bad, but the folks working there with Santa were less than pleasant (I'm actually being nice)... it was not exactly behavior you'd expect from Santa's elves (they must have been having a bad day or something). They only took two pictures, both of which Zachary was fussing and Santa was talking so his mouth was gaping open. When I looked that them, I asked if they could please take another with Santa smiling, and they flat our refused (which annoyed me because Zachary was sitting there all of about 45 seconds vs. the minutes that all of the children in front of us were given). Just because Zachary can't talk to Santa with real words doesn't mean he deserves any less time with the big man himself... you know what I mean?!? Anyway, I refused to pay for the package we asked for (we actually were getting the digital image instead of hard copy photos) and we walked out.

I thought that perhaps we'd go back to the end of the line and try again (I'm not exactly sure why since I'm sure they would be just as, if not more grumpy the second time), but then they ended the line as it was almost time for Santa's break. Oh well, no formal picture, though they allowed me to take one of Len putting Zachary on Santa's lap... he was very tentative, a little scared and even a bit curious looking at this big man in a red suit with lots of white hair.

In the hope of capturing a decent picture of the critter dressed in his cute snowflake sweater, I let Zachary walk around the decor they had outside of Santa's area and took some photos of him there. Here's the absolute WORST part of this whole experience... while I was snapping the shots of the little guy, he started to ease down as if to crawl, so I threw my hands under him before that could happen, since I'm sure the floor was completely covered with disgusting germs and dirt. In the process, I sacrificed our camera for the cleanliness and safety of the little critter... what I'm saying is I DROPPED it while the lens was open, and now it's totally broken and will not even turn on (or off, I guess). (sniff sniff) I'm in mourning as we speak and I'm even experiencing a bit of withdrawal symptoms, as so many Kodak moments are passing me by with no camera to capture them. Imagine my despair! :)

Here is the last ever photo taken with my beloved digital camera - rest in peace my dear Canon Elph PowerShot - I desperately miss you! And please don't think any less of me, as I totally plan on replacing you this weekend (if I can find the right deal on the right product). I'll always remember you and the THOUSANDS of moments you helped me capture over the past three years... beginning with our wedding/honeymoon and ending with our first born! Thanks for the memories!

Party for the Birthday Boy!

2008-12-18T18:58:00.013-05:00

So, I must start this entry with the absolute realization I came to over the past two weeks that there are just NOT enough hours in the day, especially at this time of year. I can't believe it has taken me almost a week to post pictures from Zachary's big day - his first birthday party! We had such a nice time seeing our friends and family, eating tons of food, opening lots of really cool presents from everyone, singing Happy Birthday and eating the masterpiece of a cake that Len made specially for his baby boy! It was quite a busy day for the little critter and he was a champ throughout the entire, napless afternoon and evening!

I want to make extra special mention of the cake Len made for Zachary... we found it in an old cake making book Mom-Mom showed us (which by the way contained many of the cakes my Mother made for me as a child). We all agreed the teddy bear was perfect for our little birthday boy. After we decided on what the embellishments would be (and shopped in several stores before finding most of what we needed in one of those bulk candy stores) all that was left was to bake and decorate it. That was Len's department... he did such a beautiful job with it - - it was definitely a crowd pleaser!

Zachary finished off the night (after the guests were gone) with a MONSTER poopie... that birthday cake must have gone right through the poor little guy. You're probably wondering why the heck I am sharing this gross fact... I tell you because it actually required a bath in Mom-Mom's kitchen sink and I had to share the photos because they are just so darn cute!

Zachary was so funny the next morning when we brought him out into the living room where all of his new toys were strewn about the floor... he just couldn't decide where to begin as he surveyed all of his loot! I just love watching him discover all of the new sounds, games, colors and textures of all of his new toys - - thank you so much, everyone, for your generosity and kindness!!

Happy Birthday Mom-Mom!!

2008-12-11T23:16:00.006-05:00

Zachary is sending out HUGE hugs and kisses to his Mom-Mom, who is having a big birthday today... guess which one?

Last weekend we hit the road again and headed north to NJ to celebrate (I think our car knows the way without us even steering it at this point). We took Mom-Mom out for a really nice dinner at the Jersey shore... we went to The Crab's Claw Inn, which is a place where we have been before for many, many years now. (I have to say, though, that I haven't been there in at least 15 [maybe even more] years... it was so cool to take a step back in time and enjoy the nostalgia of it all!)

We had good food, great company and tons of fun. We even had a beautiful ride home watching the snow fall (the roads were fine, but it stuck to everything else).

Happy 70th Birthday, Mom-Mom!!! (I know... the secret is out now!) We love you SOOOO much!!

Official 1-Year Stats...

2008-12-05T21:25:00.015-05:00

Well, the official stats are in... Zachary had his 1-year well-visit with the doctor this afternoon and it went well. If nothing else, our little critter is consistent... his percentiles for height and weight are about the same as the last visit:

- Weight: 18 lbs 3 oz (4th percentile)
- Height: 28.5 inches (10th percentile)

The doctor was once again very pleased with the milestones he's achieved and thinks we have a very happy, healthy little boy. In fact, she commented specifically on how healthy he's been, especially with going to daycare. One thing she said that likely helped him with this is the nursing... I'm so happy I stuck with it and made it to 12 months (though I've been weaning him over the past few weeks). Her assessment made all of it (including the hassle of all the pumping) completely worth it!

We're just so grateful for our little boy and so pleased he's growing up so happy and healthy!

The Birthday Boy!

2008-12-03T23:15:00.013-05:00

Zachary had a wonderful day today... Len and I both took the day off from work to spend with the birthday boy and we had a great time! We played this morning, then went and had his 1-year portrait taken this afternoon... I'll be able to publish the link to the pictures in about 10 days so you can all see them, but I think they came out nice!

When we got home, Zachary was zonked-out and asleep so Len and I grabbed a quick bite to eat. When he finally woke up, we continued the festivities with cake and presents! He wore his special 1st Birthday bib (thanks Mom-Mom), but wouldn't really have any part of the hat... it was so adorable!

He really seemed to love the cupcake... it was vanilla cake with vanilla icing. He especially liked the sprinkles as he picked up and ate them one at a time. It took forever for him to finish eating his first major sweet treat! I have to say, he was a relatively neat eater for a one-year old (even when he leaned down and tried to just lick the icing right off of the cupcake on his highchair tray)!! So cute!!

After a quick wardrobe change since he got some cake crumbs on his pj's, we moved on to presents! Zachary definitely loved his present, but I also think he loved the bow just as much!

It was just an awesome day and a memorable first birthday (at least for Len and I)!! I'm so glad we were all able to spend it together celebrating!! AND, we can't wait for the big birthday party in a week and a half... we're really looking forward to sharing in the fun and festivities with our family and friends in NJ!!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, ZACHARY!

2008-12-03T07:31:00.003-05:00

It's amazing what a difference a year makes! Here is baby Zachary about 3 hours before he came out of Mommy's belly and joined us all in the outside world! On December 3, 2007 at exactly 7:31 am, Zachary Leonard Goodman was born... hallelujah! The world will never be the same and is an amazingly better place having our little critter be a part of it all!

This past year is unprecedented in terms of the love and happiness that fills my heart... I think Len and I are just about the luckiest parents on the face of the earth! Zachary is such an amazing gift and I can't even remember life without him. He makes me a better person, too! I think I even feel things more intensely since our baby boy blessed us.... I love more deeply and unconditionally, I laugh from the inside out so often, I cry more tears of happiness than sadness, and I live life to the fullest every day recognizing each sunrise and sunset as a gift! I'm simply dumbfounded at how another human being can bring such joy and fulfillment to me!!

Every month on the anniversary of his birth I share all of the milestones Zachary recently achieved and every month I continue to be amazed at how much he accomplishes. November is no different... in fact, I think it's his most dynamic month yet! Our little boy officially started walking!! I think that is the biggest news to share. He took his first unassisted steps back in mid-October (October 12th to be exact) and has been working very hard since then to perfect his stride. Though he will often revert to crawling for the sake of speed and confidence, many times he will take the opportunity to show off his "Frankenstein" walk (as I often refer to it). He holds his arms straight out in front of him and with stiff legs, will walk from person to person eagerly throwing himself into the open arms of whomever is coaxing him to walk toward them. It's just about the most adorable thing I've ever seen! And, Zachary is just so proud of himself every time he shows off his new skill!

Also, one of my other favorite Zachary-achievements was hearing him speak is second official word. (Da-Da or Daddy was his first real word spoken with purpose and meaning). His second (which just melts my heart) was "Kitty" or "Ditt-teee" as he pronounces it. This is especially meaningful for me given we very recently lost our beloved cat. Though Zachary hasn't said it for a couple of days now, I know when he did say it, he was very purposefully and meaningfully calling out to his bro, Kitty. In fact, the evening Kitty died, Zachary pointed to a stuffed animal I have that totally looks like Kitty and said "Dittee" with a big smile on his face. What an amazing little child... he is my comfort and peace!

Zachary is getting to be such a big boy, though we won't know his official stats until Friday when he has his 1-year well-visit with the doc. I can't wait to see how much he's grown. He's still a little peanut, but I can tell he's made great progress! As you can see in this picture of Zachary with his Daddy's little rocking chair from when he was a baby, we do need to roll up the bottom of his pants so he doesn't trip on them. (And we've been looking for suspenders to hold up his pants, too... size 12 month is still a tad roomy, but he's finally growing out of his size 6-9 month clothes! Believe it or not, he still can wear some of his size 9-month pieces but not for much longer... we're sure getting our money's worth out of his clothes!)

This past year has definitely been one of my favorite years that I've lived... I suspect they will probably only get better, too! Here are some of my most recent favorite things and moments with the little guy:

- his two little teeth that shine bright with every adorable smile he sports! (which is very often, by the way)

- watching him crawl around with the knob of a wooden puzzle piece in his mouth!

- when I'm getting him dressed and putting on his shirt, watching him find the armhole on his own and pushing his hands through the sleeve... he's just so cute and impressed with himself!

- when he's sitting in the car seat or just lounging somewhere, he bends his knees slightly and crosses his feet... he looks so comfortable!

- when he takes his pacifier out of his mouth and hands it to me as I lay him on the pillow to feed him (sometimes I'll put it in his mouth just so he'll take it out and hand it to me)... I crack up every time!

- when we're reading books, watching his eyes intently scan every inch of the page!

- when he lays his warm cheek on mine while he snuggles on my belly!

- his hearty full-belly laugh when Mommy and Daddy are being silly!

- PICKING HIM UP FROM DAYCARE and seeing his expression when he lays his eyes on me when I arrive!!

My baby Zachary is such a blessing... I am so grateful for him, and for every moment we have together! One year has passed, and we have lifetime ahead of us to anticipate and look forward to!! I love you, critter... thank you for being the light of my life!! HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, ZACHARY!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-30T14:03:00.010-05:00

Zachary has finally experienced the last of his first major holidays... what a year! It's hard to believe that in just a few days, he'll be ONE YEAR OLD! We have so much to be thankful for this year, with the critter at the top of the list, of course!! The weekend was action-packed, which is usual for our roadtrips to good 'ole Jersey... we divided our time between Mom-Mom's and Grandma & Poppie's houses. It was so nice to just chill with family and enjoy one another after such a sad and difficult week. Not to mention all of the incredible meals we had in just a couple of days... I probably gained a pound or two back, but it was all well worth it!!

We spent a night at Mom-Mom's and a night at Grandma and Poppie's... here are some of the really cool pictures we took to help us remember the good times!

At Mom-Mom's...

At Grandma & Poppie's...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

My precious Kitty

2008-11-25T22:11:00.011-05:00

This evening, November 25, 2008, at approximately 6:10 pm, my precious Kitty passed away. He was my most faithful and loving companion for more than 16 years... together, we've lived in 4 states and 5 different homes... because of him, I never actually lived alone. It's amazing when I reflect and think about everything we've been through together. I am so grateful to have had as much time as we've had... 16 years is a long time!

His passing was quiet and peaceful... we were at the vet when it happened. I picked him up from the hospital early Monday afternoon and had him home with us overnight. He seemed so much happier and definitely more relaxed once we got him home and comfortable. That was the best decision I could've made... bring him home so we could all spend time together, rest comfortably, and say good-bye (and "until we meet again"). It's interesting... his mother, Kitsu (my dear friend Megan's cat) passed away not too long ago herself... maybe they're together again.

Kitty was just the best pet anyone could ask for... he was loving (to me, anyway), adorable, cuddly and playful; he talked to me (and sometimes even yelled/barked at me) and he even hugged me in the past several years when I would pick him up and take him outside (he'd wrap his paws around my neck and bury his face in my neck and shoulder - I guess he didn't like the outdoors in his old age). I always used to say he was a dog trapped in a cat's body - he played fetch with Q-tips (believe it or not!), his way of telling us it's time to feed him sometimes sounded more like a bark than a meow, and of course, as most of you know, he was about the size of a small dog (I always said he was "big boned")! It's going to be so difficult the times I come home to an empty house... that hasn't happened in almost 2 decades. I miss him soooo very much, but will always look back and smile when I think about him and the time we had together. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised at how deeply it hurts right now... I've been thinking he's getting up there in age and wondering if his time to leave us was near. Now that it's actually happened, it's like there is a little empty place inside me and it just aches. I guess I shouldn't be surprised... after all, he was a member of our family!

Look how adorable he was when I first brought him home to my college townhouse in NJ in 1992...

Zachary loved Kitty, too! (I've mentioned that in previous blog entries.) They were Bro's as I've often referred to them. Zachary's second recognizable word after "Da Da" was "Dit-tee." He would point to him or speed crawl after him saying, "Dittee"... and when he would catch up to Kitty, he'd pucker up, gently lay his lips on Kitty's fur and plant a kissy on him, MWAH sound-effect and all! I wish Zachary was going to remember Kitty, but I know that won't be the case... I have tons of pictures of them together, so I'll always share with Zachary how precious his very first pet was and how much I could tell they loved one another.

I'll never forget how special you were, Bandit "Kitty" Ashmen Goodman... rest in peace, buddy!

Zachary surpasses Kitty...

2008-11-23T16:10:00.008-05:00

So, I've been waiting to be able to announce that Zachary's weight finally surpassed Kitty's... I was going to consider that a milestone to celebrate. Unfortunately, this weekend we learned that it actually has already happened, and it's not exactly worthy of celebration. You see, Kitty, my loyal and loving companion for the past 16+ years is very, very sick. His weight is down to about 15 pounds (a weight he hasn't seen in probably more than 10 years) and he is in the hospital.

On Saturday morning, I just didn't have a good feeling about how he was acting... very slow moving around and no appetite at all (and for those of you who know Kitty, you know that no appetite is unheard of). I called his Vet Saturday morning and shared his symptoms and they advised me to bring him to the animal emergency room immediately. Well, he was admitted to the hospital and has been there ever since. We've gone to visit, even tried to get him to eat tuna (which he NEVER refuses) and no luck. They will run more bloodwork around 5am Monday morning to see if there is any improvement from all of the different treatments they are administering to try and improve his liver function, but it's looking a bit grave at this point. Please keep him in your thoughts... all I want for my precious Kitty is a peaceful, painless remainder of his life, however long that may be.

Cutie Petutie!

2008-11-23T07:36:00.006-05:00

I just had to share this picture of our little cutie petutie! It's one of my favorites lately... I keep it in my planner at work and everytime I look at it (which is probably every hour on the hour!) I see his smiling face looking out at me. It just melts my heart and reminds me what I have waiting at the other end of my commute home!

My first bank account!

2008-11-15T18:07:00.005-05:00

Today, Mommy and Daddy took me to the bank (old-school branch style vs. banking online) so I could open my very first savings account in my OWN name! I got so excited, I actually had to take a nap while we were waiting for the nice lady to help us. Anyway, I woke up just in time for her to hand me my receipt from my very first deposit... how exciting!!

Happy Birthday Hailey!

2008-11-12T22:39:00.002-05:00

Zachary would like to wish his favorite female first cousin, Hailey, a very HAPPY 11th BIRTHDAY!! We all hope you have a wonderful birthday, sweetheart!

Zachary meets Great Aunt Cheryl!!

2008-11-11T22:23:00.002-05:00

(I am waiting to get pictures from cameras other than my own to write this post... more to come about another great NJ roadtrip! LOTS to talk about... Zach meeting Great Aunt Cheryl for the first time, Chuck winning his regional tournament and now heading to Nationals, watching CJ's soccer game, and lots of birthday celebrations!)

11 Months Old... the countdown to 1 is on!

2008-11-03T22:20:00.019-05:00

It is just daunting to me that in 4 short weeks, our little critter will be ONE YEAR OLD! Where does the time go? I remember the state of mind I was in this time last year... tired, nervous, excited, nervous, tired, excited, and downright exhausted! Len and I were both a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of being responsible for a little, vulnerable life that, together, we created. We were still finishing up the nursery, washing new baby clothes, writing thank you notes for all of the wonderful gifts we received to prepare us for a new baby, putting together all kinds of stuff (well, that was all Len and others I must admit... what would I do without him?? - a stroller, the glider, car seat installations, a swing, a crib, etc.), learning all about infant care by reading and going to classes... all while we were both working. It amazes me how it all came together, though.

Now that we find ourselves a year later, I can't imagine our life without Zachary! All of the anticipation and preparation didn't begin to prepare me for this overwhelming love and adoration that consumes every ounce of my being... all because we have this amazing little creature that Len and I hug and kiss every chance we get. I'm the luckiest person on the face of the earth!!

Speaking of hugs and kisses, I must say, Zachary is such a loving little boy! I think that is what is most evident to me over this past month. He is so expressive - with the looks on his face, the laughter and excitement in his voice and the tons of hugs, kisses and cuddling he gives us. What a gift it is to have Zachary speedily crawl or cruise in my direction only to throw his arms around me and plant a big, wet, open-mouth kiss wherever he happens to land when I scoop him up... sometimes my shoulder, sometimes my head, sometimes my cheek, sometimes my lips, sometimes my arm... whatever is closest and fastest for him to reach. It doesn't really matter to me where... it always melts my heart!

Zachary is really getting around these days... he's mastered cruising and is working on the courage to walk on his own. He'll walk while holding on to anything, including just one of my fingers. When he does that, I can tell he's not always using me for balance; rather, I think it's just a safety net for him. Soon, I'm sure he'll muster up the courage to purposefully let go and walk all by himself... he's sooo close!

Zach loves following Kitty around and giving him a kiss, too! It's just so adorable... he'll lean over and barely touch his lips to Kitty's fur, kiss him, then sit back and see how he reacts. Zachary is obsessed with kissing Kitty lately... but I have to say, I don't think Kitty loves it as much as me. What I will say, though, is that Kitty is amazingly tolerant of Zachary these days - perhaps he's realized that if you can't beat 'em, you might as well join 'em.

It's all about love for me these days... my heart is completely and totally spilling over and I am so grateful for the beautiful gift of my family!

Our Baby Boy is Baptized!

2008-11-02T19:14:00.035-05:00

On Sunday, November 2nd, Zachary Leonard was baptized at the First Presbyterian Church, witnessed by a large group of our wonderful family and friends! It was a beautiful fall morning... so many traveled to Bel Air to join our celebration and we were so grateful and blessed to have such loving people surround our little family on such a special day. No pun intended, but our little cherub was an absolute angel throughout the baptismal ceremony and the entire church service. Afterward in the receiving line, so many folks from our congregation complemented us on what an adorable and well-behaved little boy we have! We were just so proud!!

Zachary is such a lucky little boy to have such an amazing Godmother, too... my sister, Lynne. We were just so pleased and grateful when she agreed to play such an important part in our son's life. We know Zachary will always be in loving, guiding hands with his Godmother!

Immediately following the service, we all proceeded to the Mountain Branch Golf Club for Sunday brunch. It was just so delightful and laid back, especially since they were able to seat our large party in the private room off of the main dining room. (Score one for the kids, as they were able to spread out and play while the grown-ups enjoyed some good food and great company!)

After brunch, we invited everyone back to our place for dessert - cake, cookies, and apple crisp - yummy! Since many traveled in from New Jersey and Pennsylvania not everyone was able to join us, so there was lots of food and drink to go around.

It was very enjoyable and relaxing to be able to unwind and just chill with the family after such a busy day... we even dressed Zachary in his "Happy Feet" Halloween costume so everyone could see the critter all decked out in person.

Zachary finished off the day with a ton of excitement... he took a couple of steps on his own, and he managed to do it in front of all of us (we even caught it on camera!)- what a great way to close out a beautiful day!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T13:05:00.018-04:00

"Happy Feet" would like to wish everyone a Happy Halloween, on this, his first Halloween! I can't take credit for the costume idea, but I certainly can for finding it! When Len and I were talking about what we should dress up the critter as (Zach left it up to us this year), I wanted to find something that resembled a "critter" like a bug or a lizard. Len thought, why not a penguin since he walks like a penguin and his little "happy feet" are always kicking and moving? Brilliant! Well, after several stores (i.e., Walmart, Target, Kohl's, Babies 'r Us, etc.) I was about to give up finding an infant-sized penguin. Wouldn't you know one afternoon I was in the Children's Place looking for a baptismal outfit (perhaps a little Divine intervention), and there on the rack by the register was the most adorable PENGUIN COSTUME! Sold!

So, here is our adorable little happy feet penguin for his first Halloween!

What a busy day we had! We had a nice morning getting ready for the festivities, and Zachary didn't mind at all when I put on the first few pieces of his costume. I can't believe how well he tolerated the hood and booties. I waited to put on the body of the costume, since he wouldn't fit in the car seat with it. I had the day off from work to get ready for the Baptism later in the weekend, so I was able to take him to daycare myself and watch their little parade with all of the adorable little children in their costumes! Zach just chilled (get it? chilled like where penguins live?? oi!) in his stroller and enjoyed the adornments and cheers from the on-lookers. He's so cool! (get it again? I know... I'm nuts!)

Later that evening after Len got home, we all answered the door to give the trick-or-treaters their goodies. Zach seemed to enjoy all of the action. Since Len pulled together a costume on a whim, we decided that maybe it would be fun to walk around the neighborhood with our amazingly adorable little penguin and have Zachary experience his first trick-or-treating evening out! (The scrubs Len wore during my c-section must've accidentally fallen into his bag after changing back into his street clothes!... Len was a surgeon if you couldn't tell - McDreamy is how he referred to himself - and I was the paparazzi, as usual!) What a blast, and everyone thought he was so adorable!! He even carried his cute little pumpkin treat bag (thanks, Mom-Mom) for the people to put candy in... I think he's well practiced for next year when he can knock on the doors himself!!

And this is the first door ever where Zachary trick-or-treated! You know I had to take several pictures of that, and I think the homeowner thought I was crazy! hee hee

Happy First Halloween, Zachary (a.k.a. Happy Feet)!!

A Sundae Stroll...

2008-10-26T17:28:00.009-04:00

We had another beautiful Autumn Sunday, which was a nice treat after a very nasty, rainy Saturday. With the temperature at 65 and the sun shining down, we decided it was a perfect day for a late afternoon walk (after the Raven's game, of course). What is always motivating for me on our walks is when the destination is Baskin' Robbins for an ice cream sundae... especially when they have Pumpkin and Apple Pie flavors! So we headed out with our precious cargo tightly strapped in our new baby backpack. I carried him on the way, and Len toted him home, so you can guess that all of the pictures are of the latter part of our walk (hee hee).

Zachary loved reaching out and touching the leaves... and the pine needles, too, even though they were not as soft.

What a nice family afternoon... we're so lucky to have such happy-go-lucky little cutie pie!

Sunday chores

2008-10-26T10:19:00.006-04:00

Talk about having a supervisor on your back watching your every move! Here's Len's very ingenious way to wash dishes and watch the critter all at the same time. Otherwise, we don't get anything done when Zachary is awake and playing. It's just way to easy to play with the little man instead of working around the house!

Pumpkin Pickin'

2008-10-25T20:31:00.006-04:00

Yesterday at daycare was pumpkin pickin' day. Zachary was all ready for his big moment... picking out his first Halloween pumpkin. They did a beautiful job decorating the play yard with festive fall scenery, and I was lucky enough to be there to take a couple of pictures. (I timed drop-off just right to be when it was his class's turn to head outside.) He picked the perfect pumpkin, too!

Preppy boy!

2008-10-22T22:25:00.007-04:00

Zachary had on one of his new outfits for the Fall season, and he looked so adorable I just had to share! And let me tell you, Zachary was especially affectionate today dishing out hugs and kisses left and right when I picked him up from daycare. He's so darn cuddly with the sweater vest, so it was quite a treat to hang with the little guy this evening!!

PS - He's getting so good at pulling himself up hanging on to just about anything. He truly loves being up on his feet more than anything and gets so excited when he's cruising around!

And here is a photo Len took this morning with his camera phone to send me at work. I just love when he does that!!

Precious memories...

2008-10-19T17:22:00.005-04:00

Today has been a relatively quiet day for us... church, a couple of errands and laundry. Len and Zachary are upstairs napping, and I'm sitting here, reflecting and looking back on my own childhood as I browse through this blog and how much we've done with our little bundle of joy.

I have to say, I was a pretty lucky girl growing up, myself... I had both parents home for the balance of my upbringing (my Dad retired when I was in elementary school and my Mom was home my whole life). How many kids can say that? I think about it so often with Zachary going to daycare, but remind myself he too, is safe, loved and well cared for. I am especially reminiscent today... you see, today is not exactly a day of happy celebration for me. Exactly 9 years ago, we lost my Dad.

I wish so very, very much he was here today to share in all of the joyous things in my life - an INCREDIBLE husband who takes such good care of Zachary and I, and the most AMAZING son who fulfills me more than I thought another human being ever could. I know my father looks down on all of us and protects us (I feel him in my heart so often)... I just wish I could see one more time that look of pride I used to see on his face when he looked at his family. I feel like I had that same look today when I gazed at Len holding Zachary tightly against his chest as they rested their eyes together on our bed. I wish Zachary had the chance to know his Pop-Pop... I know he'd love and adore him as much as he does his Mom-Mom. You can bet when he is old enough to understand, I'll be sharing all of the incredible stories of me growing up with my Mom and Dad. I only hope I am half as good of a parent to Zachary as my parents are and have been to me!

Backpacking... precious-cargo-style!

2008-10-19T16:36:00.007-04:00

Len has been commenting that the Baby Bjorn is getting uncomfortable to carry Zachary in now that he is getting heavier. We've seen the backpacks around, and finally decided to buy one.

Well, let me tell you, what a difference! Zachary really seems to love it too!!
I wish we bought it sooner when the weather was warmer... I think this will just motivate us more to stroll even as it gets a bit chillier out. We can all just bundle up for our family weekend walks... who can resist those cool, sunny autumn days? It will be fun to crunch in the leaves as they blow at our feet!

Up on all fours!

2008-10-14T23:25:00.006-04:00

Guess what? This evening while at home playing with Mommy and Daddy after daycare, Zachary decided to try getting up on all-fours and crawling like a big boy!!! We were soooo excited! When I picked him up earlier, he was still in military-crawl mode, so I'm not sure what came over him. Len said he saw it coming... Zachary's shoe was off and in his way when trying to make his way to another toy to grab and play with. To avoid the obstacle, the little man decided the fastest way would be to just go over it and in order to do so, he needed to push up on all fours. Len and I cheered so loud and clapped, he knew he was on to something and was very proud of himself. He did it several times, but it was very hard to get just the perfect picture. Here some some of my attempts. Our little boy is growing up so fast! (He also worked very hard practicing pulling himself up... he was a ball of energy tonight. I think it was because he actually took a TWO HOUR nap at daycare this afternoon- woo hoo!!)

Another wonderful Jersey weekend!

2008-10-13T14:09:00.037-04:00

We had another fabulous road trip to New Jersey this past weekend! Today is Columbus Day, so Len and I are both off from work... thank goodness, because we definitely needed a day of rest after all the fun activities we were part of all weekend long. The prime reason for our travels this weekend was for a wedding on Saturday (friends of the Goodman family, so Len and I went with his parents). Zachary was also very lucky to see his Uncle Dan and Emily, as they were in town for a christening on Sunday... what great timing!

A cool first for Zachary was sitting in the highchair that his Mom-Mom used to feed me in! Now that he's becoming such a big boy, it was time for Mom-Mom to break out the highchair from storage and get is ready for the critter! He looked so cute in it... it's hard to believe that so many decades ago, I actually fit in that little seat!!

Wow, an adult Saturday night out... this was only our 2nd major baby-free outing since Zachary was born and we truly did enjoy ourselves. I do have to say, I missed the critter soooo much, but knew he was in very loving hands with Mom-Mom (with some help from cousins Hailey and CJ, too!). The wedding ceremony was earlier in the afternoon and we had a good amount of time before the reception, so we were able to stop back at Mom-Mom's house for a quick visit, some pictures (we even got the next installment of the 4-Generations) and a feeding before the food, drink and dancing began for the grown-ups.

After Grandma, Poppie and Great-Grandpa had some much anticipated hugs and kisses from the little man, we headed out to the Lambertville Station for the party. I had a little purse-size photo album with me to share with our friends at the reception, but I think I looked at it more than anyone else throughout the evening. :) It's so hard to leave him on weekends, since we miss him so much every day during the week while we're working! We all had a great time and enjoyed a beautiful party!

The next morning, we began with a brief music lesson... Zachary really LOVED playing Mom-mom's piano! Maybe we'll need to look into more official lessons in a few years... time will tell.

Then, we were off to the Goodman's for brunch with the family before they headed out to the christening. (What a busy weekend!) After that, we raced back to Mom-Mom's for an afternoon visit with cousins Hailey and CJ and Aunt Lynne and Uncle Chuck. We went for a nice walk around Mom-Mom's beautiful neighborhood and around the pond. The weather was just so amazing (warm and sunny), you couldn't help but spend every moment possible outside!

After our walk, we went inside for more playing, where Zachary had yet another first. Allow me to explain... in a previous blog entry, I shared that one of the little guy's favorite toys is the remote control. Well, another one is the PHONE! And he totally can tell the difference between the "play" phones made just for him vs. the real one (not made for him)... and he ALWAYS opts for the real one. He managed to get his little mischievous hands on the real phone and made his first call completely on his own... guess to whom? 911, of course!! That's right... our little critter will come in handy in an emergency, but when just playing, it's not so wonderful. Luckily, they called back the house for confirmation before deploying the emergency vehicles to come save us from absolutely nothing! Oi!!

Here's the little gremlin opening some early Halloween presents and trying on a costume, too!

We just LOVE our trips to New Jersey!!

Phelps Phans!

2008-10-04T23:03:00.022-04:00

What a beautiful day today was... a perfect early Fall sunny, warm Saturday! We started our day by taking a walk to Dunkin' Donuts for our morning coffee. Today happened to be our community yard sale, so there were TONS of people out and about and lots of energy in the air for a Saturday morning. We browsed everyone's tables of "gently-used merchandise" (a.k.a. trash or treasures, depending on who you ask) and even unexpectedly bought a couple of things (i.e., cd's we'd never pay full price for, a baby gate, etc). Once we got home and fed the little guy his lunch, we decided we totally needed more of the beautiful weather, and it was a PERFECT day for a parade.Wouldn't you know today was the "Parade of Gold"... Towson, MD finally celebrated the homecoming of it's local 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic champions - Michael Phelps, Katie Hoff, and several others from the Paralympics! So, we packed up the car and headed out for a short drive south to make it to Towson in time for the 3:00 parade start time. Zachary slept on the way down, but awakened in time to watch the marching bands, cars of dignitaries, fire trucks and tons of people march down York Road. He wasn't fazed AT ALL by the very loud sounds, which kind of surprised Len and I. And I mean LOUD... we were right in the front row on the street and there were marching bands that stopped and played right in front of us, fire trucks that sounded their sirens as they drove by, and car horns honking. He just chilled and took it all in, watching very intently!

It was really exciting to see our local celebrities... we were so glad we went and couldn't have asked for a more beautiful afternoon!

Zachary hits double-digits!

2008-10-03T19:08:00.016-04:00

Our amazing little son turned 10 months old today! I can't believe I'm sitting here typing this blog entry in celebration of Zachary's 10-month birthday. It was this time just last year when we were celebrating a baby shower and anticipating his arrival... time sure does fly (especially when you're having such a blast). This month's tribute to the critter is all about "Tricks 'n Treats" (since his first Halloween is just around the corner).
It has been a month of so many new achievements for our little guy, and as you have read in previous entries, I often refer to these little milestones as his "tricks." So, here is a recap of all of Zachary's new (and quite adorable I must say) tricks...

Pulling himself to a standing position from a sitting position in his crib. Now that the mattress is lowered, he looks more like he peeking through the bars of a jail cell when he's in there, though I don't think he feels that way. He'll sit in his crib and play for quite awhile before summonsing Mommy or Daddy to come and get him out... I love to listen to him talking to himself or his stuffed animal on the monitor!

Crawling all over the place (military style). He's really getting good at it, but still MUCH prefers to walk while hanging on to our fingers. Len and I will need the service of a chiropractor soon, I'm sure!

Clapping... whether it's in sheer delight, celebration, or for no apparent reason at all! I just love when he's so proud of himself for whatever reason!

Blowing kisses... he kisses his fist (including a loud MWAH sound effect) and thrusts it toward you with such conviction! He'll do it on demand (usually), or in return to your blown kiss to him, or completely self-initiated just to get your attention and let you know he loves you. Moments like these just melt my heart, and make my day, my week and even my month! Zachary is such a loving little boy and isn't afraid to express it!

Waving... whether it's hello, good-bye, or just to say "look at me," Zachary is getting really good at waving. Sometimes it's a whole-arm, hearty wave (sometimes the left and sometimes the right - we can't really tell if he has a preference yet), and other times it is a cute little wave with just his fingers flapping up and down. The critter also LOVES to wave at himself in the mirror... it's just soooo precious to watch!

Walking by himself behind his walking toy. (This is a repeated achievement... so let me explain why it is significant at this point. He was doing this previously but very unsteadily. He got ahead of himself one day and was going too fast to keep up, so he took a bit of a fall [Daddy was out of arms reach and unable to catch Zach since he was moving so fast]. This apparently scared Zachary to the point that he wouldn't even touch the handlebar for a couple of weeks. Now, we're back to not having the major fear and pushing it around all over again... yeah!)

Playing catch with Mommy and/or Daddy! If you toss the ball to Zach so it lands in his lap while we're sitting on the floor and playing, he'll pick it up (usually by the tag) and "throw" it back to you. I use quotes around throw because it isn't exactly the most accurate toss, but it is obvious he totally means for the ball get back to one of us so we can throw it to him again. I truly believe he understands the game of catch... and he's pretty good at it for only 10-months old! Maybe we have the MVP of Game 9 of the 2028 World Series in our midst... who knows!! :)

Some other treats over the past month include:

Cutting his first teeth (still just the two on the bottom, but I'm sure there are more very close to breaking through).

Expanding his new foods list to include more "people-like" food (vs. the baby food he's been eating) such as fried egg yolks, white and wheat bread and Rotini pasta.

Kisses, kisses, kisses! Zachary never hesitates to plant a great big kissey on me whenever the mood strikes him... which is quite often. I especially love it when he wraps his arms around my neck, gives me a great-big, open-mouth, slobbery-wet kiss on my cheek, then squeezes me oh so tight when I pick him up from daycare at the end of a long, hard day. He will also kiss just about anything if the mood so strikes him... including his exersaucer, his stuffed animals, his walking toy, and his highchair tray to name a few. I get a flutter in my heart when I see him do this... he's such a little cutie pie!

Happy 10-month birthday, Zachary! Thank you for continuing to flood our hearts with so much LOVE!

Look who's crawling, too!

2008-09-27T16:35:00.005-04:00

So, last weekend, Zachary was really trying hard to crawl and showed such potential for achieving it very soon. I would classify his movement last weekend as an "advanced scooch" if that means anything. Throughout the week, he got better and better and by Thursday evening, he had it down. Our little critter is officially crawling, by our assessment! Though he is not pushing up totally up onto hands and knees while in motion, he has perfected the military-style crawl using his hands, feet and forearms. Picture this... his little fanny up in the air while he moves forward with his chest on the floor and his feet and legs going double-time with every reach of his hands and arms. It is just so adorable to watch how excited he gets to be able to move himself wherever his little heart desires (of course within the boundaries Mommy and Daddy have set for him)!!

The bottom line, though, Zachary still prefers to be on his feet and "walking" with Mommy or Daddy's help!

Another first for our growing boy!

2008-09-27T14:15:00.006-04:00

It's the little achievements and milestones that Zachary experiences that really melt my heart! It feels like they come in spurts, and when they do, there are typically multiple stories to share. This week was one of those weeks with lots of cool firsts!

On Thursday evening (9/25), I was changing Zachary into his pj's and getting him ready for bed. To make it quick and easy for me, I left him sitting in his crib so I could go and wash my hands (which is just in the bathroom across the hall). I wasn't gone for long at all, but when I came back and peeked through the doorway, guess what I saw??? Two little hands over the edge of the crib, with a forehead and a couple of eyes peeking over. Zachary was working very hard to pull himself up to a standing position completely unassisted, and this was the first time I've seen him do it all by himself! I cheered and clapped, and he was just so excited and proud of himself, too! So much for quiet time and settling down for the night! This also means another chore for Daddy... dropping the crib mattress to the lowest setting possible and packing up the the cute mobile until it's needed again (they grow up so fast!).

Here's the reenactment of the little critter doing it again this afternoon... how cute is he?

Our first time at the playground!

2008-09-20T23:46:00.014-04:00

It was just a beautiful day today - 75 degrees and sunny - a perfect end-of-summer weekend to spend outdoors before the cold of winter finds us. We started with a walk to Bob Evans for a late morning breakfast (right around Zachary's morning nap time, so he snoozed in the stroller while Len and I enjoyed our coffee). After we got home from our excursion, it was time for Zachary's lunch then late afternoon nap.

Once he woke up and had his afternoon meal, we wanted more of that beautiful, breezy air so we headed out to a really nice playground just a short drive from our house. We've been thinking for a while now that Zach is ready to try out some of the cool stuff there, like the swing, the slide and whatever looked like fun, and today seemed like the perfect day to check it out. What a blast we had... Zachary explored and tried out all of these new cool activities, and Len and I just loved watching him discover and take it all in!

The spring-horsey...

The swing...

The cool xylophone / chime thingy...

The slide...

And the big swing with Mommy and Daddy...

After a long, fun-filled day, Zachary was just zonked!

Another Four Generations

2008-09-20T16:10:00.010-04:00

Family is one of the most precious gifts we can have in this world, and I cherish that. When we look back at where we've been, things we've seen and people we've met, so often those experiences and memories in life include family.

During one of our visits to New Jersey with the Goodman clan, we were looking at old photo albums, as I was peeking into the history of Len's family and his life experiences. I saw some pretty awesome moments that make up Len's history... his parent's wedding day and honeymoon, so many of his baby photos and growing up (which by the way may as well be photos of Zachary), the arrivals of his brothers Dan and Tim, family vacations spanning several decades and so much more.

We have such wonderful pictures of the 4 generations that exist on the Goodman side of our little family today (which you've seen posted on this blog in previous entries), and I treasure them so very much! Well, here are a couple of "4 Generation" shots from Len's years as a baby... how cool are these?!?!?

These pictures were taken exactly 32 years ago... September, 1976. In the photos, Len is just one month younger than Zachary is today.

How lucky we are to have moments like these in our lives!

A few of his favorite things...

2008-09-20T15:22:00.006-04:00

We all have favorites... a favorite song, a favorite restaurant, a favorite pair of jeans, etc. I'm learning by watching Zachary that babies have favorites, too, like a favorite food or toy. Well, as Zachary gets older, it is clear to me that he has a few favorites of his own.

Some of Zachary's favorites include - talking on the cordless speakerphone while holding it himself (hitting the buttons and hanging up on whoever may be on the other end of the line), sitting in his highchair and eating sweet potato puffs (while examining each one before putting it in his mouth), walking (and at times borderline running) with Mommy or Daddy while holding on tightly to one of their fingers, and THE REMOTE CONTROL. This is probably one of his favorite "toys"... it lights up, it has buttons to push, Mommy and Daddy don't readily allow him to play with it which makes him want it even more, and it's a challenge to pick it up sometimes since it is a bit heavy (Zachary seems to love a challenge).

And this is what happens when you take away from Zachary one of his favorite things...

One of Mommy's favorite things in the whole entire world... Zachary, of course!

Zachary cuts his first tEEth!

2008-09-13T21:38:00.007-04:00

That's right... this weekend, Zachary has finally cut his first teeth! And the ee's are no typo... he is working on his TWO middle, bottom teeth simultaneously! We're so proud of the little critter!!
I just took this picture this evening... if you look closely, you can see the little tips of his pearly whites. And I'm absolutely sure they are fully cut through, even though they are difficult to see in the pictures (Mom-Mom taught me the metal spoon test, and he definitely passed)! I wonder how long it'll be now before we switch over to formula?!? :)

Our 9-month check-up...

2008-09-08T18:37:00.008-04:00

This afternoon, Zachary had his scheduled 9-month well-visit check up with the doctor. As with every other appointment, he was scheduled for another round of vaccines, but at least this time it was only 2 shots. As usual, our little man was so brave and such a good little boy... he only cried a few small tears immediately following the needles. He's been a bit fussy this evening, but I think he's just tired from a long day.

Here are the official stats for the little critter this month:

Height - 27.25 inches (2 inches taller than June) - 10-25th percentile

Weight - 16 lbs 12 ozs (2 lbs 2 ozs heavier than June) - 5th percentile

(Maybe we should play the number 2 in the lottery this week in honor of our heathly little boy!)

Happy Grandparent's Day!!

2008-09-07T22:43:00.028-04:00

Dear Mom-Mom, Grandma & Poppie, and Great-Grandpa,

Happy Grandparent's Day!! I'm such a lucky little boy to have such wonderful Grand and Great-Grandparents, and I love you all very much!! (This is Grandma and Poppie's first Grandparent's Day ever, and Grandpa's first as a Great-Grandfather... what a momentous occasion!) I wish I could've seen you ALL in person today, but our conversations on the phone were very special. Here is a BIG kiss from me to all of you letting you know how much I love you and appreciate having you in my life!

Love and Kisses,
Zachary

Just little 'ole me thinking of all of you on Grandparent's Day!

Now, I'm reaching for the camera from Mommy, to bring it closer to my lips...

... getting it just in the right spot to...

... pucker up and plant a great big kissy on the lens to send to all of my Grandparents to show you how much I love you and wish you a very Happy Grandparent's Day!!

MWAH!!

Opening day...

2008-09-07T20:01:00.006-04:00

Daddy and Z have been looking forward to the Raven's opening day... I'm sure they'll enjoy many more Sunday afternoons of football and bottles (each with their own special kind)!

Touchdown, Ravens!!I guess it was a real nail-biter, but the Ravens pulled off the win against the Bengals (sorry Uncle Bill)!

Happy Anniversary to the man of my dreams... now and forever!

2008-09-04T22:55:00.006-04:00

Three years ago today, I married the man of my dreams! I am the luckiest woman in the world to have been given the two most precious gifts... one of marriage to an incredible man to share my life with, and one of parenthood with an amazing father who loves and cherishes every moment with our son.

Every moment with you, Len, no matter how wild and adventurous, or simple and precious, is "Unforgettable"... I love you with all my heart and soul!

9 Months Old!

2008-09-03T22:46:00.024-04:00

Well, as of today, my little boy has officially been out in this world for as long as he was growing safe in my belly! It's amazing to reflect back at how different our lives were just a short 18 months ago. I just LOVE where life's path has brought us to this point, and I wouldn't trade a single precious moment we've had so far with Zachary for anything!

This little creature continues to amaze me almost daily... seeing the world through his eyes brings me such joy - especially the looks of amazement, curiosity, sheer content, total dissatisfaction (yes, he occasionally throws an adorable tantrum), unconditional love, pride in his achievements (however small or momentous), and those adorable mischievous glances. No matter what the expression, I work so hard to take a mental snapshot (especially if the camera is out of reach - hee hee), file it away in my brain forever and cherish it in my heart that is filled with so much love for our baby Zachary.

(I just love the pictures above - we took them on Sunday when Len, Zachary and I all went down to Len's hotel so he could catch up on a few things over the long weekend.)

Every month I say how amazed I am at how much Zachary has grown, or seen for the first time, or experienced new and different things. This month is no exception. I think what makes it different for me over time is that we are really seeing our little man - our flesh and blood - become his own little person, with his own likes, dislikes, expressions, words, movements, and achievements. Life itself is just so incredible and seeing a new little one blossom is a gift like no other. I'm the luckiest person in the world!

So, this month was one of new, cool "tricks," as I now call them. You'll hear me say, "Zachary has a new trick" and I just love sharing them with everyone! Some things you may or may not already know about Zachary are:

He is constantly kicking his little legs, whether he's sitting and sliding them out and in, laying on his back or stomach thrusting them forward and backward, soaring high over our heads as we hold him in the "fishy" position, sitting in his activity seat or the highchair, or just about anywhere. Those legs are ALWAYS in motion. I can't say I'm surprised, though... that was the norm while he was in my belly, also!

He STILL does not have any teeth! I've been waiting to give him more solid-like food until he cut a tooth or two, but I gave up on waiting. He definitely likes "chewing" (more like gumming) things, food included (he really likes eating the Wagon Wheels).

He does "soooo big" when you ask him "How big is Zachary?"... but, in the spirit of being his own little man, he'll only do it when he darn-well feels like it (which is the majority of the time, but never at the perfect moment when you really want him to do it... hee hee). But, when he does show us, it is just so darn cute!!

Zachary will give kisses on demand!!!!!!! This is my most favorite trick to date! I am constantly kissing the little critter every chance I get. I just can't help myself! Well, a little over a week ago, I said to Zachary, "Give Mommy a kiss" and wouldn't you know it - this adorable creature grabbed my head and PLANTED a big, wet, amazing kissey right on my cheek with the "MmmmWAH" sound effect and all! It was one of my favorite moments with him yet and I'll never forget it as it totally melted my heart! I think I even shed a tear of joy to feel him so purposefully express his love for me. Again, I know I always say it, but I am just so lucky to have been chosen to be Zachary's Mom!

Zachary also expresses his love by patting my back when I'm holding him up on my shoulder. My tendency is to rub or pat his back (like when burping him) when I hold him that way, and now he does the same to me... I just love his touch! (By the way, I did a quick test also... I pat him twice, then he would pat me twice. To see if he was truly mimicking me, I switched it up and patted him three times... wouldn't you know, he patted me three times in return!)

He's starting to recognize the difference between familiar faces and "strangers." Before, I could pass Zachary into anyone's arms and he would be just fine. Most recently, he seems almost a little scared and at times will cry if I pass him over too quickly without a proper introduction and a little time to get his bearings. I've read this is totally normal, but I sometimes feel bad when he gets upset. Hopefully, this will just be one of many phases he'll go through along life's journey.

The little critter just LOVES being up on his feet and "walking" around. What this typically consists of is Len or I standing over him, bent over, walking along with Zach while he holds tightly onto our fingers. It's back-breaking, but just so cute to see him get so excited at being able to move around the room and see things from this new angle. He still will not really crawl... he scooches, rolls everywhere, and gets around by "walking" on is little fanny cheeks, but no crawling. Maybe he'll be one of those babies that goes right from sitting to walking. We'll see... : )

He has discovered that the big basket in the living room is FILLED with tons of really cool toys, and why bother waiting for Mommy to take more out if I can make my way over to it and pull them all out myself! It's just so cute to watch him discover, as if for the first time every time, a cool new toy to play with.

Happy 9-month Birthday, Critter!

Happy Labor Day!

2008-09-01T20:57:00.017-04:00

Labor Day is the last day our pool is open for the summer, so we had to take Zachary for one last cruise in the crab! We had a nice relaxing day just chillin' and enjoying one another...

The water was a little cooler than usual (about 76 degrees), but Zachary didn't seem to mind at all!

The Critter also really liked swimming with Daddy out of the crab...

And splashing the water!

Len even put Zachary all the way under the water to see how he'd react... we're not sure he was a fan, but he did ok. Maybe he'll like it more next year!

After swimming, we just hung out and played for a bit before saying bye-bye to the pool for this year!

Later that evening, Zachary tried his brand new highchair (a gift from Mom-Mom... thanks!) for the first time, and REALLY liked it! We just loved seeing him so happy and comfortable, looking like such a big boy. He even tried an apple flavored Wagon Wheel, too... what a day!!

We miss the Olympics...

2008-08-31T23:40:00.003-04:00

This year was a Summer Olympics year, and boy did we enjoy watching it as often and as much as we could! The opening ceremony was absolutely amazing (and I just loved how it started on 08/08/08), and it really captured our attention! Every night was something new and exciting to watch. I have to say I think our favorite events were in the swimming "Cube", including the heart pounding races with Michael Phelps (our local champion)... but we also really loved the beach volleyball, gymnastics, track and field, diving, men's and women's volleyball, and so much more!

Now that it's all over, our evening TV watching seems somehow less exciting (but I have to say we are definitely getting much more sleep again)... even Zachary finds himself dozing off soon after getting home for a quick nap before dinner. With the weather gradually cooling off in the evenings, maybe we'll start going for late summer evening strolls and reminisce about watching the 2008 Summer Olympics broadcast from Beijing, China!

Zachary goes to the Maryland State Fair!

2008-08-31T21:39:00.000-04:00

What a fun Saturday afternoon we had this beautiful Labor Day weekend!! Mom-Mom and Hailey came down to Bel Air so we could all go to the Maryland State Fair together... Zachary's first time going to the fair! We all had a wonderful time taking it all in... crazy people watching, rides and music all around us, games to play and win prizes, just about anything fried you can imagine (including peanut butter and jelly sandwiches - which I actually tried and decided it wasn't that bad!), and tons of farm animals! We saw it all, and Zachary seemed to love taking it all in.

One of the first things we did after crossing the entrance was take a ride on the ferris wheel. That's one of Mom-Mom's favorite things to do with her grandchildren! So, we bought our tickets and waited in a short line for our turn to board. Hailey, Mom-Mom, Zachary and I all rode together, since it was the kind with a bucket for multiple people vs. a two-seater. Len stayed on the ground and watched the stroller while taking some pictures. Zachary's first carnival ride was soooo much fun for all of us... I wasn't sure how he'd react, but I think he really liked it. No squeals of delight, but lots of smiles while he squinted his eyes in the breeze as we rotated around. There were two ferris wheels, so we tried the smaller one first and saved the BIG one for later in the afternoon. (You can see them both in this picture that Len took.)

After our ride, we ventured around the grounds to check everything out and decide what we all wanted to eat. Hailey also picked a game to play to try and win some prizes... it turns out she's quite the dart thrower. She won prizes for Zach, CJ and herself! Thanks, Hailey - Zachary loves his frog!!

The animals were quite a hoot! Zachary definitely loved that part... I think the cows were his favorite... gee, I wonder why!

After the animals, we all took another food break, including Zachary. We found a nice tent with fans to sit under (it was pretty hot and humid). Mom-Mom, Len and Hailey enjoyed some fried mushrooms and Zachary had squash and a few swigs from his sippy cup!

We all had so much fun, time really seemed to fly by. We were there much longer than we thought we'd be, so we didn't get back home until after 8:00 that night. We ended up leaving in the nick of time to miss a total down-pour, but it didn't make for great driving conditions. Given the time and the weather, Mom-Mom and Hailey decided to spend the night (they came prepared just in case)... YEAH! Of course, we gave Hailey her choice of what room to sleep in, and I'm sure you can guess which one she picked! Yep... she chose to sleep in the bed set up right next to the crib in the nursery. So, the two cousins who had such a blast spending the day at the fair together, got to spend the whole night with one another... a first for both of them. It was quite a sleep-over! Notice Hailey let Zachary cuddle with her beloved Teddy... as long as she could cuddle with Zach, he could hold Teddy - it was so precious!

Hailey couldn't wait for Zach to wake up in the morning, so she could resume playing with him!!

What a wonderful way to celebrate Zachary's first Labor Day weekend!

Editor's Note... it's about time!!

2008-08-28T01:31:00.009-04:00

Oh my goodness... I finally finished and posted the Outerbanks vacation entry! I have spent so much time working on it... it's taken me at least 8 hours (or more probably) to finish this up!

Please scroll below the "8 is Great" entry to take a look at our wonderful summer vacation highlights. Since I started writing this entry soon after we got back, the posting date falls back in July.

Scroll down and enjoy!

Soooo Big!

2008-08-21T23:08:00.008-04:00

Zachary has a new trick, as of tonight! We've been doing "How big is Zachary?" for a while now, and I would always hold his hands over his head and say "Sooooo Big" at the same time. Well, tonight I asked, "How big is Zachary?" while he was having some dinner, and much to my surprise, he put his hands over his head all by himself. I was so excited and he was just so proud of himself, as I exclaimed, "Soooooo Big!" He did it again right after that to show Daddy, so I ran to get the camera to capture the moment. It took about another 10 tries before he'd do it for the camera, but we finally caught it! My little angel is truly getting soooo big!!

Here are some of the shots I took trying to coax him to do it one more time for the camera... so cute!

Note: I know his bib says Sunday, even though it's actually Thursday. This is very unlike me with my attention to detail (hee hee), but it was clean and nearby at feeding time, so I just went with it. : )

The Critter with a critter!

2008-08-16T18:02:00.010-04:00

When Len was mowing the lawn last weekend, he found a long lost friend,
"Freddie the Frog!" Now, we actually think Freddie is a toad, but it sounds so much cuter saying frog. About two years ago (maybe even longer), we had a "watch-frog" that would sit on our front step as if to keep an eye on the place and protect us from harm's way. He would perch like a bulldog with his front legs standing solid and strong. Every spring, Freddie comes back (though I'm sure it's likely a 'new' Freddie each year - - how long do toads live?) and we welcome him with open arms. We haven't seen him in awhile, so I was so pleased when Len showed Zachary and I who he found in the backyard. Good thing Len noticed him in time... it was right in the path of the weed wacker. The pictures below don't quite catch the moment, but Zachary just squealed in delight when meeting a fellow critter! After the excitement, Len released Freddie so he can continue to watch over us from the front step!

Later that evening, Daddy and Zach were foolin' around on the laptop, and Zachary thought it would be fun to see what happened if he pulled Daddy's hair REALLY hard! Both Zachary and I had a good laugh during that one... even Daddy chuckled a little, in between the tears! (jk)

Eight is Great!! (Outerbanks Vacation post still to come)

2008-08-03T21:03:00.015-04:00

Today, Zachary turned 8 MONTHS OLD! We had a very nice weekend at home for the first time in a while. To celebrate Zach's 8-month birthday today, we started the day at church. He wasn't in the mood to sit quiet for the hour + service... about half way through, Len and Zach went to sit outside of the sanctuary, so he (Zach) could sing and pray as loud as his little heart desired without disturbing anyone around us! When we came home, it was time for lunch, so we tried yogurt again (yesterday was the first attempt and he was not a huge fan - he liked the carrots he tried last weekend much better). It was a little better today with the yogurt, but I can tell it's not one of his favorite meals. After a nice long afternoon nap, we finished off the day with a dip in the pool - this was Zachary's first time in the pool here at home, and he really seemed to enjoy splashing and kicking in the water. He even did his famous "fishy" move underwater... it was just adorable!

I still can't believe how the critter has completely transformed our lives... all for the better!! I think about all of my blessings probably on a daily basis, but it's these milestones when I truly sit down and reflect on all of the amazing things Zachary has seen and done, as well as how he continues to fill our hearts with love! This past month was quite an adventurous one for our little family, as Zach continues to learn and grow with every minute that passes. It was a VERY busy month for us all... there wasn't one weekend that we weren't on the go somewhere! Some of our favorite moments include:

Going to his first parade, celebrating the 4th of July in Bel Air

Wishing Cousin CJ a Happy 8th Birthday in NJ
Visiting with 2nd Cousin Connor and Cousin Julie again, while they were home from Japan on vacation

Meeting Great Aunt Nancy for the first time at her book reading in Hightstown, NJ
Taking our first long family road-trip with a final destination of the Outerbanks, NC (we had a few stops along the way)

Seeing Daddy's Alma Mater, ECU, and driving by his old fraternity house near campus in Greenville, NC

Meeting friends Mark and John, their girlfriends Ellie and Jill, and the whole Morgan clan for the first time in Atlantic Beach, NC

Petting a dog for the first time - Uncle Bob and Aunt Robyn's Border Collie "Ralphie", as well as Mark's English Yellow Lab "Hardy"... he LOVED them both!

Taking his first boat ride on the Intercoastal Waterway in NC on Mark's new boat
Going for a swim in a pool AND touching the Atlantic Ocean with his toes
Spending the afternoon on the beach, playing on the blanket (he wasn't really a fan of the sand yet) and having a snack oceanside - what a life!

I can't wait for the many more adventures I'm sure we'll have... like some of the things we're still awaiting - his first tooth (it's gotta be close with all of the chewing and drooling he's been doing!), crawling, walking, talking, etc. For now, we're just so happy and proud of the little guy, and all he has seen and done. He's just so energetic with his little arms and legs constantly moving, making raspberries and clicking noises with his tongue, jumping in his excersaucer and his doorway Johnny Jumper, saying "Daddy" and "Da Da" (though we're not sure if he really connects it with Len yet), and rolling across the room (since he doesn't seem to have any interest in crawling). We also find quiet moments to read books (he loves to turn the pages and bang on the cover with his hands), snuggle and cuddle (with an occasional nap with Mommy in the bed), and sing songs together. Either way - full of energy and activity, or quiet and peaceful - every single moment we have with the critter is nothing less than precious and memorable!