Z-Cakes: 7 Months

Not much changed in Zina's seventh month or maybe the sleep depravation made life so blurry that I'm struggling to see it. 

She's much sturdier at sitting up, loves to closely inspect anything in her hands, and enjoys squishy fruits and veggies and saltine crackers of all things. 

The first thing everyone says about her is "Look at those beautiful big blue eyes!" We like them too but just wish they'd stay closed a little longer at night! 

Z-cakes: 6 Months

Half of a year with Zee-Zee, and we like to say, "She likes to be in the mix. No, she is the the mix." She's what has her mamma trying to remember that little list of six month milestones while writing this when she's really almost seven months. Somehow we did manage to take the pictures at 6 months though...

Zina's percentiles are going down, but I assure you she's getting all she needs to eat, even in the middle of the night. Early in the month Daddy put a carrot to her mouth at dinner, and when he tried to take it away, she started moaning so she now gets all the pureed veggies and fruits too!

Zina is starting to sit on her own but not for long. She sat up just long enough to get a good half year picture and then toppled over. The Bumbo was working for us at the beginning of the month, but she very quickly started reaching and leaning out of it so the high chair is our best friend. She has started to play and inspect the things we sit before her in her seat which affords everyone a little more independence.

 Zee-zee is proving to be a Mommy's girl. She reached for me this month and definitely has separation anxiety. If she can see me or hear me, she wants to be with me. She even struggles to fall asleep when I walk her but does so immediately for Daddy when he gets home from work. He puts her in what he calls the human swaddle, she grabs his pinkie and she's out. It's very cute and baffling all at once.

Her hair is growing a bit more, and the bald spot is starting to fade. The pterodactyls have started to have syllables, and Daddy is convinced that her first word is his to claim.

Our Little Wonder: 4.5

She's four and a half (and then some, really), and I still say God added extra sugar when He made our Moriah girl....

She is this beautiful mix of cuddly and rowdy. One of her top love languages continues to be climbing all over you, and she'll give me a million kisses in one day if I stay still in one place long enough. 

Moriah loves to play legos, baby Merlissa and Husband, Lol Dolls, and so many other things with her big sister, but she loves sneaking away into her own little world with stuffed animals and dolls just as well. When she's living her best life, Moriah changes her clothes more than five times in a day and loves her cozy pajamas most of all. She's really good at dressing her little brother and all of her dolls too. Having a baby sister has been mostly a joy for her. She loves to stare at Zina and say all kinds of sweet things to her. 

Moriah is loving Cubbies and MOPS, but she tends to keep to herself in group situations. She recently told me that she didn't play because no one asked her to. She's just as happy sitting at the table and doing all of the hard puzzles quietly. Meanwhile she can be one of the loudest at home. She keeps our family laughing with all of her little voices, but she has a deep concern that others will laugh at her and can't see that it's just because she's really cute. 

My favorite recent Moriah story happened at Cubbies. She was taking a bathroom break while the class was talking about their story. The teacher was asking if anyone knew what God said after he made everything. No one was answering so finally Moriah flung open the bathroom door, poked her head out and said with confidence, "HE SAID IT WAS GOOD!" She then shut the door and went on with her business!

Also worth mentioning: Moriah can make a huge mess in her room, lost in her world of play. She likes to lock the door behind her. Her middle childness comes out any time she excuses herself from the table saying, "Guard my food." She's a sucker for sweets, loves ethnic foods and detests having her hair brushed.

This is Moriah's last year before Kindergarten. She insists that she wants to be home schooled. We spend a lot of time waiting on Moriah to get ready so I'm praying really hard she'll be ready when the time for kindergarten comes. Until then, this Mommy is trying to soak up the sweetness of my baby in the middle of two other babies, and I can't really sum up how I feel about her better than the words of Moriah herself: "I love you more than diamonds, hearts, jewels and sparkles all mixed together."

Z-cakes: 5 months

The Rilla's Here! Our latest little jingle comes from Daddy's nickname for Z and the latest NFL commercial. You'd have to know her and be here to get it, but it pretty much sums up life with Zina this month...

It's amazing to me how this little girl who was just sleeping and eating all day is now showing interest in her world. Playing, observing, following us with her big blue eyes.

Zina's favorite toy is her blue octopus. She also enjoys spinning the toggles on her bouncy seat. She does not tolerate the swing for long and still prefers to do very little tummy time. The bumbo seat is working great for her which is great because she has shown some interest in food. Daddy put a carrot in her mouth at dinner, and she made the funniest panting noise when he took it away. She did the same with a cucumber so we decided to start some pureed veggies and fruits. She is our best five month old eater to date!

Daddy is the best at getting Zee to sleep. One day I tried in vain, but she fell straight to sleep while Dan held her at dinner.
The most I have seen her laugh is when I imitate her voice. Zina is not one to flatter with her smile. It's safe to say this Big Mama Boss Lady has mastered her game face: