Baby report

It's been a busy week since I last posted. In addition to saying goodbye to my dog, we also said goodbye to Yvonne's mom, who stayed with us for two weeks following Zoe's arrival. Well, not the same kind of goodbye. Yvonne's dad and grandmother drove from Midland and picked her up last weekend. It was simply fantastic having her with us in the house. I highly recommend it for anyone having a baby. For one, it opened up time for me to handle things like the plumbing emergency and Sophi's choice. It also opened up time for Yvonne to sleep when she needed to. We also learned a thing or two about keeping the baby happy having her around. In a way, it kept us sane for the toughest two weeks in baby time (so I'm told).

Zoe is doing great. She's entering a fussy time after being basically the most calm, quiet baby we've ever seen for 2.5 weeks. The doctor predicted the fussiness and was right. Speaking of the doctor, we took Zoe on Monday. She weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz. That's about 8 oz. more than predicted for a two week check up. We call her our little piggy because she is an active eater. And with that, is the product. We already have a few "diaper stories" we can share for those interested. I think I'll spare the everyday reader from those stories though...

Zoe's also focusing her eyes on people and objects more. She'll stare at you kind of like a baby owl. Also, I noticed last night she likes the aquarium bubble sound, which is good because I set up a 10 gallon tank in her room. It bubbles nicely.

Zoe's hair is growing as well. Overall, she looks different now in general (that just continues, I'm sure).

We bought a new digital camera so we can shoot video with sound. I'm hoping to catch a chirp noise she makes when she's feeding or just trying to sleep. That's when you will see more photos here. I'll try not to be the typical dad and just talk about my baby, but let's be honest: that's the biggest thing I have going on in my life right now.

I'm returning to work on Monday. I'm looking forward to getting my hands dirty with the work and starting more of a regular schedule. I'll probably take Yvonne's car and leave her the Element with baby seat installed. I should burn some CDs.

Finally, thanks to everyone for your warm comments about Sophi. I miss her a lot. I think about her when the doorbell rings and no one barks (Walker isn't a great guard dog--he chases the garbage truck, the cat and that's about it). I think about her when I think I hear her licking her leg. I think about her every time I feed the dog. I think about her when I make the word dogs singular.

She grew up with me ever since I left college and we had a good time together. Maybe after she met Zoe, she knew I was in a different stage in my life. I would like to think she did, and that she understood how much I loved her. Now, I'm focusing on looking forward in my new stage.