Zadie Turns Two!

I am SO thankful for our Zadie Zoo and really enjoying the stage she's in. So far -- knock on wood -- we haven't experienced the terrible twos and Zadie is generally fun to be with. I love this latest stage because she is putting sentences together and turning into a little human. Haha.

This celebration was a little more low-key than last year's party when Grandma Linda was visiting, but we had a great time and Zadie was particularly excited about people singing her "Happy Birthday." And the cupcake, of course.

I'm going to do another post later with a short video clip, but here are some photos from today.

Here is Zadie enjoying her cupcake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. And two proud mommas.

I like this photo because it shows how attached Zadie is to her Uncle Hank and also because it shows off her cute birthday outfit. She had fun wearing her tutu all day and even took a nap in it. Thanks, Grandma Linda, for sending it!

And a big thank-you to Aunt Susie for throwing a little celebration for Zadie, cooking a nice meal, and baking a cake and cupcakes. You do so much for our family!

First Haircuts!

Zadie and Skip got their first official haircuts today, although Skip has had a few previous ones at home (which is part of why he needed an official one!). You can't tell much of a difference for Zadie except that it looks a lot healthier in the back. Skip looks like a little Marine.

We've been telling Zadie she was going to get a haircut for her second birthday for a while now, so she was pretty excited on the walk over, but once she got in the seat she was like a zombie (see above photo for evidence!). It was like someone had cast a spell on her. The good news is that she was a very good "patient," but I was starting to wonder if she was pooping and that's why she was so glazed over! She brightened up once it was over and she got a lollipop, though.

Skip was surprisingly okay with all the cutting and even the buzzing of the clippers. Hopefully this shorter haircut won't further accentuate the poor child's flat head!

A Nick Photo After All!

It turns out that we actually did take one photo during Nick's visit two weekends ago and I didn't even realize it. Here's Nick romping around with Zadie. Zadie was pretty darn sad when Nick boarded the Greyhound home, let me tell you!

Good News on the Adoption Front

I also wanted to share that Skip had a big court date this past Thursday and everything went well. The birth mother's parental rights were terminated, which is the most important step towards Skip becoming officially ours. We are really fortunate to have a case that is moving so quickly through the system (relatively speaking, of course). And, more importantly, we are very fortunate to have such a healthy, sweet, and good-natured baby!

Assuming everything goes well, we think we will be able to officially adopt Skip by May or June.

Catching Up...

I wish that I blogged more regularly and that this was a more accurate reflection of our children's lives, but I think one of my main obstacles is that I feel the need to post a photo for every post and that involves taking a relevant photo and downloading it to my computer. Somehow the idea of getting the cord out and hooking the camera to the computer stops me cold. So I'll try to be better about just posting random little posts here and there and not feel the need to have a photo.

Because I didn't take any photos while he was here, I never posted about my nephew Nick's visit. We love when Nick comes to visit because he's up for anything and he's like a sponge who wants to have new experiences. Plus, he's really helpful with the kids and we use him like a pack mule. :)

During his time here, we went for a bike ride along the beach, went to a modern dance performance downtown, had a picnic with a bunch of friends to celebrate Tori's birthday at the Getty Museum, watched some good movies, and went bowling at a chic downtown L.A. bowling alley. Also, Nick beat me and Tori for the first time ever in Scrabble, much to my irritation.

More recently, we spent the past weekend in San Diego. It was raining a lot, so we didn't do much outdoors, but we got in a few short walks to our favorite spots (Ono's and the Spare Room consignment store). And we had a great dinner with my parents at our very favorite restaurant, Kemo Sabe. That dinner was the very first time I can remember the four of us having dinner since Zadie was born, so thanks to Austin and Anabel for babysitting! We also got to see some friends and Zadie got to play with Nathan, who is only six weeks older. All in all a great weekend!

Siblings

I've been meaning for quite a while to write about the relationship between Skip and Zadie. People always ask us how Zadie feels about him and whether she's jealous. For the most part, Zadie is incredibly protective of him and thinks he's a lot of fun. One of her favorite first words was "SHIP SHIP SHIP," which she would say every time we left the house -- as if we were going to leave Skip behind.

Now that she's a little older, she's taking on some big sister duties and likes to help feed him his bottle and also change his diaper. The diaper changing habit is a bit of a problem since I often return to a room to find him completely naked and Zadie standing with a diaper in her hand. She's not so good at putting a new one on.

The best part about their relationship so far is how much Skip adores Zadie. He thinks everything she does is hilarious. I can be trying to get him to laugh with no luck and all Zadie has to do is walk up and say one word to him and he giggles. He really thinks she is the coolest person the planet.

The only real conflict in their relationship is Skip's major tendency to pull hair. Zadie likes to play pretty physically with Skip and logroll him over and over, but Skip always wins because he pulls her hair. Then Zadie screams, "Ship bull hair! Ship bull hair!"

Skip Turns 6 Months...and Eats Solids!

Skip turned six months old on January 3rd and he's hit some big milestones lately. He's been sitting up for about three weeks now and a few days ago he had his first try at solid foods.

We recorded Zadie's first meal way back in July of 2008 and it was pretty funny because Tori gave her zucchini and she definitely didn't like it. But I guess Tori is softening up because she gave Skip sweet potatoes for his first solid foods. He is FAR more interested in his first meal than Zadie was. He struggles to get the hang of the whole swallowing thing, but he's pretty enthusiastic about trying it. I'm hoping this means he is going to be a less picky eater than Zadie.

Skip had his six-month appointment a few days ago and things are mostly good. He's doing really well developmentally and with his height and weight, but he still has flathead. We're looking into helmets and have a consultation next week for it. The doctor says it isn't affecting his brain growth, but it's still not fun to have a misshapen head!

His exact specs were 27.25 inches long (76th percentile), 17lbs, 5 oz (50th percentile), and 16.75 something head circumference (24th percentile). I was surprised that when I compared this to Zadie's 6 month numbers Skip was actually slightly ahead of her in height and weight. I always think of Zadie as so much bigger.

$80 hat

You may recall from a previous post that Zadie had a $40 hat that she loved and wore everywhere. It was kind of her signature look at the playground and in her classes. I've never owned a $40 hat, but we were on a bike ride and I stopped to buy her a hat at a fancy boutique and I felt silly leaving without buying something (see my need to justify the purchase?).

Anyway, after our November visit to San Francisco, the hat was never seen again (here she is in one of the last photos with her hat). This was very sad because it really was the only hat Zadie would wear and it fit her personality so well. I hope some kid is really enjoying that hat.

Tori and I had already decided not to give our kids any presents for Christmas this year since (a)

they don't really get the concept and I'm in no rush for them to get on board, and (b) my mother gives enough presents for a village of children! But then one day I was near that overpriced children's boutique and I decided to check and see whether they had the hat. They did and I bought it for Zadie. She wrapped it up and Zadie opened it on Christmas. It was a really adorable moment because Zadie still doesn't really understand presents and we had to open most of her presents for her, but she opened this one and she was really excited to see her hat again!

So, as obnoxious as it may be that my daughter wears a $80 hat, it was still kind of worth it.

Thanksgiving Flashback

I didn't get the chance to post more photos from our Thanksgiving trip to Washington, so I want to make sure and do that now. I know I post and write more about my side of the family since they live closer, but I want to make sure Zadie and Skip see how much fun the other side of the family is!

Everyone gathered for a festive Thanksgiving dinner!

Here is Zach stretching it out to see if he can beat Phoebe's record ice-blocking ride. Phoebe triumphed. Yes, there is an ice block under that body!

Here is 3/4th of the Adams family. We miss having them in San Diego, but know they're happy in Oregon!

Zadie is blessed with two sets of female twin cousins within nine months of her. Bailey is to her left and Rihanna is to her right. These two are fearless and fun!

Christmas in the Mountains

We spent Christmas in the mountains at my parents' house, which is a great place to celebrate the holidays.

Favorite parts about this Christmas:

• Zadie playing with "Ofie" and "Ofie" (she calls both twins that!). They can really crack each other up.
• Skip getting lots of one-on-one time with his Granddaddy Hal -- on his shoulders, singing songs, and patting his bald head.
• All the help from my superstar nephews, who must be better in the childcare department than any other 13 and 18-year-old boys in the universe.
• Traditions. Tamales on Christmas Eve, pajamas to open on Christmas Eve (we stole that tradition from Tori's family), a great spread of traditional food (turkey, corn souffle, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and special salad), and our annual tradition of pledging to go on a horse and carriage ride but never actually doing it.
• And, of course, presents! We are some lucky and spoiled peeps!

More photos soon, but here are two that I have on hand...thanks, Kim!

The whole famdamily!

I really love this photo of Skip -- and his shirt.