Baby Zoe is 3 months Old!

Just this past Monday Zoe turned 3 months!  Wow.  Time definitely does fly, but we have certainly worked hard to get to this place. :) I am truly enjoying my girls, their relationship with each other and my relationship with them more than ever.  It seems like you talk so much about making it to that 3 month mark, then all the sudden you're there!  Now we're really starting to have fun.  Newborn days are truly priceless and sweet, but our littlest lady's personality is really starting to show, which I wouldn't give up for anything.  Don't get crazy though, I'm still so tired, having a super hard time putting in the necessary effort to lose the weight, and constantly trying to figure out how to get the things done that need to be done.  It is a season though.

This past month has not been the toughest, but it has been the craziest!  It seems like it's been the month of roadtrips.  If you've ever had two babies and done a lot of that, with one who cries a lot in the car, you know it can be fun but super exhausting for mommy and daddy.  When Zoe was 9 weeks old, we braved a 7 hr. trip to a family reunion in Pennsylvania.  Of course it turned into more like an 11 hr. trip with all the necessary stops.  And we are SUCH amateurs at this because we drove on Friday, spent two nights and came back on Sunday!  What were we thinking?! ;)  It was fun family time though, and of course totally worth it.  Two days after that we took just Zoe on a 2 hr. trip to and from Indiana in one day, which also felt a little crazy at the time, but more on that later.  Then Kevin officiated his first wedding a week after being ordained!  This time we went on a 4 to 5 hr. trip to a very small town called Chester, IL.  He did a great job and it was so much fun to spend time with our friends the Ahlers, who have 15 amazing children, 7 adopted from Liberia!  They definitely have an amazing story.  This was our second time staying in a hotel for two nights with both girls.  We are learning so much through these adventurous experiences!  Trying to recover from the road trips has been as hard as actually doing them, so I keep having to try again to find my rhythm at home with cleaning, cooking, etc.  An endless learning process for me.

This month Zoe has really started being happy during the days, loving sitting in her bouncer/rocker, swinging in her swing, or kicking on the floor.  She absolutely loves and adores her sister Selah, and will crane her neck as far as she needs to in order to see her when Selah's saying hello.  Selah adores her just as much, and cannot start her morning without finding and saying hi to the baby!  (Whether she's asleep or awake!)  Zoe smiles so big when you start talking to her, and she remains the cutest little gal!!!  Her face is just so amazingly sweet.  She has become much more laid back and better at waiting or just hanging out.  But she is still my sweet snuggler.

Sometimes I have crazy de ja vu when Zoe as a baby reminds me so much of Selah as a baby.  Yet at the same time they have been totally different babies.  But some mannerisms and just the way they're built has felt so familiar.  Zoe does the absolute cutest stretch ever when she wakes up.  Her short little legs with their sweet rolls stretch as far as they can while her arms go over her head.  She does this all the time and I think it's so awesome.  She also started cooing and gooing a lot, which I love, love, love!  It is precious.  She's been going in the nursery during my Thursday morning Bible Study since she was 7 weeks, which was a stretch for me, but she does awesome.  I feed her right before and after I pick her up.  She has also started being a champ at holding her head up for a couple minutes during tummy time.  Though with a toddler around, floor time is not quite as frequent it seems.  But we're getting plenty and she is really enjoying her new little piano kicking play mat from her CiCi.  She also has surprised me by loving laying in the crib for a bit.  We were in nursery a couple weeks ago so I could sort through the girls' clothes, and I let both the girls play with the mobile in the crib.  (Until Selah wanting to stand stressed me out enough)  Zoe loved looking up and seeing everything and was perfectly content to hang out.  It took a lot more easing into it with Selah.  We don't yet have another crib or toddler bed so they're not quite sharing a room yet.  I still haven't put too much thought into this transition, but know the next few months will bring some changes.  Selah hasn't shown any signs of crawling out as of yet, so I'm hoping we have a little more time.

She has also gotten so close to really truly laughing, but she is making me work for it. :)  She does seem really ticklish though, so it will be sweet when we get more of those precious giggles.  She still is a really great eater, and our feedings still go really fast.  I have a feeling this one is racing a little towards the rolling and moving around.  I am a mommy who is totally patient and not in a hurry for things like that, but this little gal is a mover and seems to want to get somewhere.  Just exactly like all the crazy acrobatics that made her feel like she was trying to break out of my belly when I was pregnant.  This is of course what makes my second little baby girl who she is, so I totally love that about her.  There continues to be no feeling like when I have both girls snuggled in my lap.  Oh my goodness talk about an overflowing heart.  Kevin is smitten with his daughters, and it is fun to see him love and adore them.  Selah is at the most precious age, and he is always saying lately that he just can't get enough.  And he loves when Zoe gives him that big grin that matches his.  We continue to be tired and have no clue what we're doing most days, but we are relying on Jesus together, and learning so much about each other and the Lord's love for us.  One thing is for sure, we love our girls so much and find it fascinating but awesome that we have two kids!  Some major changes are happening for us over the next several weeks, so we are very reflective about all the Lord has done over the last 5 years, since we've been married.  Can't wait to share more...such a divine adventure!