Zoe's Excursions

It's been a little over 12 weeks since Zoe joined the Land of the Breathing. Although her trips haven't been as exotic as they were in the womb (fashion show in Milan!), she has logged lots of miles in the car so far. Here are some highlights of Zoe's Trips Around the Tri-State:

March 20th: Less than 48 hours after her birth, Zoe had her first car ride from the hospital to her new home. It was a brisk but sunny day, and Zoe was bundled up aplenty -- we had her in a long sleeve, long legged onesy with flowers, and it was huge on her. We also had a wool accessory on the car seat keeping her snug and warm. Zoe loves to sleep in the car, and her first car ride was no exception.

March 23rd: First visit to the pediatrician. Zoe met Dr. Schein at Tenafly pediatrics, but this was a short ride  and a short visit. She was 4oz lighter than her birth weight, but that was normal. Back home to sleep!

March 30th: 2nd Peds visit. A week went by with no outside trips for Zoe -- the weather was still crummy and she was too small. Besides, where would she go?!? She's back to 6lbs 5oz, and the doctor is very pleased with her pace of growth, even at 12 days old.

April 7th: First sick visit to the pediatrician. Uh oh, Zoe has a stuffy nose and gunky eyes. Who is to blame?!? The answer is no one -- babies just get stuffy sometimes. Our house is dry from the cold weather and Zoe doesn't like it. Aye, Que Lastima!

April 11th: Zoe's first trip in the stroller. Hooray, it's a nice day! Zoe rocks her psychedelic "Elvis" onesy and paints the town sleepy with Mom. Apparently Mom's Dunkin Donuts coffee was decaf.

April 20th: First Easter. This wasn't a trip away from home, but with all the guests at our house, it was Zoe's first party. She was passed around like a hot potato but she handled it with patience, grace, and poop -- I wouldn't expect any less.

April 21st: First restaurant trip. Zoe had the breastmilk for her appetizer, the milk of the breast for her entree and apple pie for dessert at Houlihan's. She also made some new friends around the bar!

May 1st: Zoe's first "official" day out for her 40-day church blessing. Timing of events was key on this Sunday morning, and the adventure started early because Zoe had some very bad diaper rash. We decided to squeeze in a doctor's appointment early morning to check it out; we got a prescription and headed back home to prep for church. Our target arrival time at church was 11am, so we planned on feeding Zoe shortly before leaving home (the last thing we wanted was a screaming baby in church). "The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray," and this Sunday morning was no exception. As soon as Zoe was placed in her beautiful first dress, she pooped her pants. Big time. There was no way around a full dress removal and diaper change.

Long story short, we got to church around 11:15am, literally with no time to spare. The 40-day blessing by Father Jim is the last item on the morning agenda. Zoe and parents are meant to be ready at the church entrance when the ceremony begins. Mom and Zoe were there, but Dad was parking the car! Mom literally poked her head out to the parking lot and said, "Run!" and I took off like Harlow in Monte Carlo. Everyone was in their places, and the faithful were politely waiting for me to park the car. Fortunately the delay was only 15 seconds (according to the woman sitting in front of us after the blessing). But it was the epitome of life-planning with an infant.  After the ceremony we had a great lunch with our Koumbari (Zoe's future God-family). 

5/25: First set of vaccinations. This was easier than any of us thought possible. Nikki and I took off from work to support Zoe together in her "time of need." Neither of us knew how she would respond to three needles and an oral vaccine, but previous visits to the pediatrician indicated that Zoe wasn't a fan of lying naked on the cold table. Anyway, we took her to the doc, bottle and children's tylenol in tow. We got her naked, laid her down and the screaming started. Then came the vaccinations while the screaming continued. But as soon as we picked her up from the table, it was like nothing happened. Nikki says she must be her mother's daughter since she is so tough. Afterwards we went for lunch in Washington Township and Zoe slept one of her best nights to date.

5/29: Memorial Day trip to Uncle George and Aunt Kelly's. This was Zoe's first trip to New York. She wore her patriotic red, white and blue outfit, and enjoyed the afternoon with her George's friends' kids too.

6/4: RoSkiba barbeque. Carmine and Emily hosted a barbeque, and Zoe got to meet lots of new people. She met Chris and Julie Visco, the whole Thompson clan (including future baby Thompson), and 5-month-old Stella Babaian! Dad got in trouble for not clothing Zoe enough, but the Thompsons came to the rescue with a pink Yankee hoodie. We may or may not be going thru their basement for more future clothes for Zoe!

July has more excursions on tap, including a trips to the beach on Long Island and Cape Cod! The car rides will be half of the adventure! Stay tuned for more fun, and thanks for reading.