*Nine* Months!!

Dear Zoe,

Seems that time continues to go by faster, because it seems as if I was just writing your 8 month letter, and now here I am writing your nine month letter! Amazing!! You have done quite a bit in a month! Your adjusted age is almost 6 months. I would have to say that you are doing pretty great! Crawling already! Pretty great. You still can't sit that well, but that's OK! It's neat to see how different things are going with you. Your sister sat first and then crawled. I love seeing you grow, and seeing what you're going to do next. It is like... "Zoe's Mystery Movie". :)

I am not too worried about how advanced you are when it comes to crawling, sitting, walking, etc. I realize more and more everyday that you will get it when it is time. No rushing. I am savoring every moment of your "baby hood". :) I have watched your sister grow from birth to 5 years old, and so many times I wonder where all the time went!! She grew so fast! I remember thinking a lot when she was your age that I "couldn't wait" for her to walk, or crawl, or sit, or eat food on her own. I don't do that to you, because it seemed like as soon as I would think or say it when Angelina was little, it would happen. I learned not to rush the milestones. Instead, enjoy, and savor every moment of your "baby hood". And I do the same with your sister. Because one day you both will be adults, and I know that I will think at least once, "Wow! They are all grown up... ALREADY?!" I live for the memories, and I can't wait to create more with you... and of course your sissy! ;)


You have also had quite the taste test lately!! I know that I blogged about everything you tried while in Arizona! It's quite funny now. Mommy has spoiled you by letting try pretty much whatever she is eating! Now everytime I eat something, you make noises at me letting me know that you are there. As if I didn't know. And, if I don't react fast enough, you get louder until I look at you and say something. Even then, you bang your hands, and continue to make your sounds until I give you a taste. This happens mostly when ice cream is being consumed. LOL. You have learned the wonderful*ness, that is Ice Cream. :) You also love spaghetti sauce. It's like you know when those things are going to be made, because you start making groan sounds as soon as you see it. :) It's become very entertaining!! I love that you want to try the food, though! You have tried many many things, but I think when you tried Garlic Hummus and then wanted more, that was the most surprising. :) You are probably going to have the exquisite palate your sister has. :)


Zoe, we have had yet another wonderful month! You truly are a blessing, and I thank Jesus for you every single day!!


Love you!

Mama.

{EIGHT} months old *yesterday*

Dear Zoe.

Eight months old already?! Wow! I can not believe it! You are growing up too fast! You amaze me daily with the new skills you are learning and perfecting. :)
To this date, you are continuing to sleep through the night. *happy* about this. :) Sometimes you even sleep until 10am or so too, which is amazing! It's funny to watch you laying on the floor because you'll start off laying on your back watching the ceiling fan, and when you get bored of that, you roll on your belly, and then on your back and then on your belly, and so on and so on... I will walk away for 2 minutes and come back, and you will have rolled completely across the room. It is quite funny!! You are "talking" a lot too, which is *so* cute! You actually giggle really wildly when you are being tickled, which of course, makes everyone around you laugh hysterically! You have been sitting on your own for 5-10 minutes at a time, which is quite awesome! Zoe, you are even pushing yourself up off the ground in a crawling motion, which is *incredible*!! You continue to love every baby food I have given you, which reassures me that you will like everything, like your sissy does. Here are the list of baby foods you have eaten...
Bananas, Peas, Green Beans, Mango, Blueberry Apple, Peach Banana Granola, Strawberry Apple, Pears, Apple Sauce, Sweet Potatoes, Turkey, Chicken, Beef, Beef & Vegetable, Macaroni and Cheese, Chicken Noodle, Blueberry Banana, and I am sure there is more, but I can not recall any. :) Oh, you have eaten Rice Cereal and Oatmeal too (you love both of them) and you love the Gerber juices. You are also holding your bottle by yourself a lot lately, which is my favorite part of you growing up, because that means mommy will have a little more time to do the dishes or whatever I need to get done. It also means you are growing up, but let's face it, that part is inevitable, so I might as well embrace it, right? Something new this month... you have been quite "grabby" lately. :) You try and grab *everything* within reach. It is really cool, because it shows that you are being more and more interested in everything around you. Looks like we are going to have to get you some touch and feel books like your sister used to have! Speaking of sister, your love for her continues to grow all the time. It is absolutely adorable to see you track her every move, and smile at anything she says. If you hear her voice, you won't stop looking around until you see her. You love to grab her and sometimes that includes pulling her hair, which she doesn't like so much, but, you don't know any better. :) You can't go a day without holding your feet, sucking your thumb, smiling and giggling! It's very adorable! You have spoiled your Mama BIG time!! You rarely ever cry! Which amazes me, since your sister (when she was a baby), and most other babies I know cry quite a bit... whether they want food, diaper change, are tired, etc. or because they are colicky. Thank you GOD for such an amazing baby! :)
Tomorrow you are going on your *first* plane ride to Arizona!! How awesome! Then we are going to California at the end of July and to Arkansas in September. You are soon going to be my "world traveler". :)


Seeing you with your daddy is incredible! You have definitely formed a bond with him. Not quite as strong as the one you and have, but it's still quite a strong bond anyway. :) Daddy has fallen in love with you Zoe! Everyday I see the love he has for you grow bigger and stronger! Daddy loves being with you and your sister. I must say that the Lord blessed us with this amazing man! He is very involved in yours and sissy's life, and I love that about him! He hates being away from us, but we all know and understand he does all he does for us. And, we love him tremendously for it!! I love seeing you and your sister crawling all over him everyday. It's adorable! Thank you babe for being sweet today, and for being such a wonderful family man!! You ROCK!
You are *one* reason I love being a Mother! I don't ever want to imagine life without such an amazing little baby! :) You complete our family! We all love you very much!



Love,
Mama

F.I.V.E. Years *Old*!!!!!

Dear Angelina,

Well, it's official! Today you are 5 years old! It's hard to believe that five years ago today you were born!!! *whoa* talk about Flying time!!! It has definitely been a fast 5 years! A learning experience, which was both hard, and fun! As I keep saying, you are going to be in KINDERGARTEN in the fall! Wow*ie! I can hardly believe it! You are such a BIG girl!
I am proud to call you my daughter! You are an *extremely* smart little girl! You are now reading books, and not only reading books, but reading Dr. Seuss books! Pretty soon you will be reading chapter books all by yourself, and you won't need mommy and daddy to read you stories very often. I keep thinking about the last 5 years, and I can't help but smile, laugh, and get teary eyed! We have been through so much together, you and I! And of course daddy too! You have been through more than most kids your age, I think. I think the hardest thing was when we lost *Mum and Ba Ba* {Great Grandma & Great Grandpa Benner}. You were ::extremely:: close with them! Ba Ba past on Christmas Eve of 2004 and Mum past on October 13th of 2005. While you really couldn't grasp what happened then, you still talk about them often, and daddy and I show you their pictures a lot. We are working hard to keep their memory alive for you!
You have become so outgoing, and so much like your father! At times it is quite amazing! I almost feel, sometimes, that I am talking to daddy in a little girl form. *haha*. You are spunky, and can be sassy at times, but all in all, you are {SO} fantastic! Daddy and I are truly blessed to have you!! I thank God each day for you! Even when you make faces like this... *haha*


I think of all these things mentioned, the most *amazing* thing I witness daily is you as a big sister. You stun me! I think it's because I have never seen a little kid have the love for their sibling as you have for Zoe! So amazing, and truly wonderful! I thank God for this too!
Right at this very moment you are spending some quality time with daddy, and Zoe. And playing a princess video game on dad's new Nintendo DS. :) You also love to play on the computer, and just the other day figured out everything on your own! You put in your *My Little Pony* game, and figured out how to play it from there. You are truly amazing! I don't know if you are going to be a prodigy or not {your daddy thinks you will be}, but, if not, we'll *love* you just the same! Our love for your is endless! You definitely make our lives more interesting and fun! And, yes... sometimes hard. But, of course, we will {always} love you! I look forward to the years to come, but I am not rushing you! Please keep your sense of wonder, and your playful nature!

Love you!

Mommy. <3 onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFDRYAcX8Ephe6Rby_FSNNh085wZrdNYvDsPSRyrdGR6KW8tc7p7CV07pzrCBrfUfiLU_5fE0ME8tHeqsnaEYvvESNjABgPmobffofk6iaazZIcYGL6cOw1s9d5mJuAVKPYy3WXHZbCQ/s1600-h/FIVE3.jpg">

7 *Months* Old {Today}!

Dear Zoe,

I can not believe that it is already time for me to be writing you another monthly letter! Wow! Time sure is flying! You are getting bigger and bigger by the day, and you are making amazing changes! You are now totally rolling over, and you are actually beginning to change your mind about tummy time. :) You are actually starting to like it! Wasn't sure if that was ever going to happen. You still prefer to be on your back, but you will be on your belly for quite a while before pushing yourself over on your back.
You smile and giggle often. You laugh more frequently, which is the *cutest* thing anyone has ever heard! You are now eating stage {2} baby food... well, you have been for the past few weeks, but I am now documenting this. :) You love exploring new foods, and will hold the new foods in your mouth several seconds before actually mashing it and tasting it.
You are getting more and more character as the days pass. You laugh at things you see not just funny faces people make. You absolutely are infatuated with your sister! You love her a lot already! Your daddy made a comment to Angelina yesterday that he thinks that you and Angelina are going to be "best of friends", which I truly hope and pray for!
As usual, you sleep through the night, and many times you sleep until 10am, which amazes me! Another amazing thing are those BIG BEAUTIFUL BLUE EYES!! Wow! They are the color of the ocean, and ever more beautiful! Your Uncle Ryan {Mommy's Brother} would be so proud to have a niece that shared the same color eyes while the rest of us share hazel. :)


I thank God every day for you little one! You are our little miracle, and I couldn't be happier than I am right now! You complete our family! I look forward to our future together sweet baby! May there be lots more sweetness in the years to come!

I *love* you!


Love,

Mommy

6 Months = half a year!

Dear Zoe,

This is my first official blog letter to you. Today you are 6 months old already!! It seems like just yesterday you were born into this world. 10 weeks early, but quite a feisty fighter! Mama is amazed at how fast time has flown by. I think about everything that has happened in the past 6 months, and I then realize why it went so fast. Watching you grow is quite amazing! You are officially teething! I can feel sharpness in your gums, especially when you decide, ever so lovingly, to gnaw on my chin. Then you look at me and smile when I say, "Ouch!"
You are turning into quite a little beauty! You take after your mama. :) You are standing with help, which, is pretty great to watch! You get so excited about this, which makes everyone witnessing this laugh. You love exploring each new food that mama spoons in your mouth. I caught you last night. It was almost as if you were savoring the applesauce. You were sucking on your tongue, which of course was so *cute*. You are rolling over, but still need to learn to roll from back to front, which will come soon enough. See, I know how fast babies, like you develop, because I witnessed it with your big sissy. I have learned to savor and cherish every moment, because you are growing ever so quickly. Zoe, you are the easiest baby in the world to take care of!!! And, for this, I am thrilled! I can honestly say that I would have more kids if they were all like you as babies. haha. But, shhhh, don't tell your daddy I said that. ;) You sleep completely through the night. Every night. Down at 8:30pm and up between 8:00 and 10:00am. {Thank you Lord for giving her my sleep genes}. haha. Not rushing you, but I do look forward to what the future holds for you. Mama and daddy will be here for you *always*. And... your sissy too, *of course*! I can't wait to see you and Angelina together when you get older! You 2 will have a *life long* friendship. At least I pray for that! I see myself in you, and love every second of everyday, because I get to be your mama! {And definitely because I get to be Angelina's mama}. So much sweetness fills our house daily, and I love it!

I love you Zoe, *always*



Love, *Mama*

She is 5 months old...

Dear Zoe,

OK, as I sit here and write this, I still can't believe that Zoe is already 5 months old!!

**Pause -- Zoe just ROLLED OVER for the FIRST TIME!!! YAY!**

You better believe that I just recorded that, and it will be on this blog! Maybe even today!

OK, back to my growing baby. As I sit here, and watch her kick around while laying on the floor, I laugh, and cry thinking about all she has been through, and all she has unintentionally put us through. Which, OF COURSE, all she has put us through is INCREDIBLE, and I wouldn't trade any of it for the world! I guess she was just IMPATIENT and wanted to join us in the real world instead of wait in the WOMB. While I would have preferred she waited, I thank GOD everyday for HER! Every smile she gives me I cherish. Every noise that comes from her mouth I LOVE. Hell, I get TEARY eyed sometimes when she just looks at me, or giggles at me. Sometimes the MERE THOUGHT of her makes me TEAR up, only because I know how BLESSED I am to have HER!

I am thankful for the NICU. I learned SO much while ZOE was in there! More than I ALREADY knew! The SILVER LINING was just how much I did LEARN! When having a baby at TERM, you have to learn EVERYTHING on your own. In the NICU, you not only LEARN about your NEW child, but you LEARN about their current development, and many many many COUNTLESS hospital terms, like, PULSE OXIMETRY ~ BILIRUBIN ~ GI TUBE ~ BRADYCARDIA/APNEA ~ and FEEDING TUBE ... trust me, that's only SCRATCHING the surface of terms used, and there is SO much more going on in there! SO many SICK babies ALL the time! THANKS to all the DOCTORS, NURSES, and the LORD, ZOE is Here TODAY! I was told by one of Zoe's NURSES once while I held ZOE in the NICU late at night that I was LUCKY she was ALIVE, because when she first started being a NURSE in the NICU, babies born at 30 WEEKS like Zoe, would not have survived! She said that 50 % of the BABIES in the NICU back then died. 30 Years later, we are talkin about SAVING 21 WEEKERS!!

That is just one of the reasons I am so thankful for her! MOST of you don't REALIZE how hard it is to see your BABY born so early and then WATCH as she goes through SO MUCH in just a few HOURS after she or he is born! I hope NONE of my friends have to EVER go through this again or EVER! It is VERY hard! But, REWARDING! ZOE is home! She is HEALTHY! And,TOTALLY happy! :)



I just look at her now sleeping in her swing, and FIGHT back the tears as I think... Oh my goodness, SHE IS 5 MONTHS OLD!!

I love you!!


*Mama*