We’re a bit behind in posting pictures so below are photos from Gabe & Zara’s 8th month! They have grown so much and every day is different! We’re having a blast with the kids and enjoy watching them explore everything.

We took the kids to swimming lessons in November. It was pretty funny to watch them splash and try to drink the pool! It was a bit crazy getting all 4 of us dressed and ready after the lesson but seeing how much fun they were having made it worth it. We’ll try to sign up for more lessons in the spring!

We had a very low key Thanksgiving. The kids ate their first meat, turkey, and didn’t really love it!

After Thanksgiving, Zvonimir spent a few weeks in Asia for work. Fortunately, our nanny, Willow was able to put in extra hours to help me during the week.

I was alone over the weekend and Gabe learned how to stand up in his crib. Unfortunately, we had the crib bed on the highest setting and I had no clue how to lower it. I was worried Gabe would fall out of the crib so I Googled the instructions to figure out how to lower the bed before their next nap.

I put Gabe and Zara in their enclosed play area in the living room and set off to lower the bed. They were both screaming but I knew they were safe because they have a gated play area that has outlet covers and nothing dangerous in the area. After a little while I heard muffled screams and ran to the living room to find Gabe’s feet sticking out of the toy box. He had climbed up and fell head first into the toy box. Needless to say, the toy box is no longer in their play area!! In hindsight it was a pretty funny scene and I wish I had a camera handy!

View Gabe and Zara’s month 8 photos.

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We decided to spend the beginning of November visiting our family back east in lieu of dealing with the crowds during Thanksgiving. Zara and Gabe were squirmy on the flight but did well overall. We had a nice week in my hometown visiting friends and family in PA. Unlike our first trip to PA, Gabe and Zara no longer stayed where you put them, so it was a full time job making sure they didn’t get into trouble!

On our return trip we spent a few days in the DC area to catch up with friends and family there. We were able to find a hotel with a 2 bedroom suite with a living room so it worked out great! It was great to see our friends and family in DC as well!

The return flight did not go as well as the outbound flight. We arrived at the airport early and set up our “gypsy” camp in a quiet corner. The kids were able to get a good nap in before our flight. We headed to the gate a little later than we hoped and the flight was already boarding. We quickly changed the kids and picked up food for us. Z broke down the stroller and packed it and the 2 car seats in bags to check at the gate. I took both kids, the diaper backpack and the Pullman full of the toys, milk, bottles, and other essentials and boarded the plane. Unfortunately, no one offered to help me lift the Pullman to the overhead compartment and the lady behind me took the only spot left for a bag so we were forced to check the bag. I quickly unpacked the milk and bottles and other essentials (or so I thought). As we pulled onto the runway Z asked for a toy for Gabe…. My heart sunk when I realized I had checked every single toy we had. It was a long 6 hours but thanks to an extra outfit and plastic water bottle (which they chewed on), we survived!

View photos of our PA Visit.

Posted in Friends & Family, Gabriel and Zara, Travel 84 Comments »

Gabe & Zara turn 8 months old tomorrow. They are growing so quickly and we are having a blast with them.

Both of them are now rolling over both ways and able to do the army man crawl. Gabe scoots with his right arm, Zara with her left (funny huh?). Sometimes f you’re looking at or talking to Zara she’ll roll onto her back and smile at you. Gabe loves feet, not only his own but all feet. He’ll take off from across the room and crawl to your feet to put them in his mouth. Both of them put everything in their mouths. Neither have teeth yet but they sure love to chew on everything!

In the last few days Zara and Gabe have finally started to notice one another! It’s pretty funny to see them smiling/talking to one another.

They’re still sleeping through the night for the most part. Gabe recently decided that he was going to wake up at 9pm and 3 am (almost clockwork every day). He’s also started fighting sleep more than in the past. We used to be able to put him down and he would only cry for a minute then go to sleep then he began crying 10 minutes straight. We’re tried the “cry it out” method which was hard (you don’t go into their room when they’re crying) but it seems to have worked. For the last few nights he was able to go to sleep right away and slept until 7am.

Solid foods are going well. They both eat pretty good. Zara isn’t a huge fan of any vegetables and gags when you’ve fed her something she deems inappropriate. Gabe eats almost anything but does gag on carrots from time to time.

View photos of Gabe & Zara’s 7th month photos.

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Check out footage of Zara and Gabe eating their first solids (there is some sound) :

Posted in Friends & Family, Gabriel and Zara 2 Comments »

We can’t believe our babies are nearly 7 months old. We’ve been quite busy so we’re a little behind in posting the pictures from their 6th month.

I returned back to work full time at the end of August. In hindsight, I really wish I had eased back into it a bit slower because it was really rough in the beginning. Fortunately, Rita was here helping us which made it so much better. At least when I left in the morning I wasn’t worried about leaving them with a stranger or worrying about their care! Our nanny, Willow started with us at the beginning of the month and we feel very fortunate to have found her! I feel like we have known her for years. She is great with the kids and a huge help to us in so many ways!

I was really fortunate this summer to meet some other great mothers in the Seattle area. There is a class for new mothers/babies that Gabe, Zara, and I attended each week. It has been really great to get to know the other mothers and share our experiences with one another. It has also been fun to watch their children grow up over the past few months.

Gabe and Zara have started noticing things around them much more this month and they have finally started to interact. They’ve already started taking toys from one another so the next few years may be fun!

Gabe has been rolling over from his back to his stomach since the last week in July but still hasn’t really mastered rolling back. Thankfully, he no longer screams bloody murder when he gets onto his stomach. In the last few weeks he’s started scooting all over. He pulls himself with his arms or he grabs onto Zara’s clothing and pulls himself towards her. Zara is quite un-phased by it all….she just lays on her back all calm and kind of ignores Gabe. She has also rolled over but generally will just stay on her back.

Both of them give you a huge grin in the morning when you go to get them out of the crib. They’re both pretty funny in the morning – neither of them generally cries to tell us they’re awake. Zara generally will cough until we hear her, Gabe will yell or squawk. We’re pretty fortunate that they are still sleeping through the night and also taking good naps during the day.

View photos of Gabe & Zara’s 6th month photos.

Posted in Friends & Family, Gabriel and Zara 1,126 Comments »