This year, spring was very welcome, except for a few hiccups we had along the way. We started off the month checking out the kite festival in the park by our house. I rode both kids down to the park in the bike trailer, still feeling pretty good after a winter of consistent running. I had also been going to physical therapy regularly for about a month at that point, working on some core strength that was still weak thanks to the diastasis recti I had throughout two pregnancies and post partum. I was getting stronger, but still feeling lower back pain (more about that later). My family visited in March to celebrate my birthday, and we got to see some North Carolina Courage (professional) women's soccer in a few exhibition games against division 1 college squads. Since Rose has pretty much stopped napping, I took her to an afternoon game again Tennessee (go Vols!). Most of March was spent grant writing for me, and with an injury (more below), Colin stepped up to take the girls to things I didn't need to attend (like school friend's birthday parties). Easter was April 1st this year, so we obviously had some Easter Egg hunts in these two months, and a trip to South Carolina for Easter this year. Other exciting events included first haircuts for the girls, Rose getting really good at the Strider/balance bike, the spring projects display at the girls school, and trips to our favorite museum and parks.
Rose trying to fly a kite at the Bond Park Kite Festival March 3
I had decided not to play outdoor soccer this spring, wanting to keep my weekends free to hang out with the family. But, after going to some of the college/professional games, I was itching to get on the field. I felt stronger (except for that nagging back), and decided to join a few weeks into the season. Of course, all it took was the first game to put me back out of commission. It certainly didn't help that my first game back was after a week of travel to/from Asheville, later in the day after carrying Rose about half a mile on the walk (with a back that was already feeling pretty stiff), and playing a full 90 minute game down a player (10v11) in 40 degree rainy conditions. I played on a Sunday, sat at a computer working on a grant all day Monday (our March snow day), and woke up unable to move on Tuesday. I tried to do physical therapy for the rest of March and April, but finally decided to get a MRI. The results ... three bulging discs. I remained optimistic. Bulging discs are better than herniated discs and I left my "pelvic" physical therapy practice for a "spinal" physical therapist and that has made a huge difference. Did you know you can do exercises to "push" the bulge back in? I've been working with my new physical therapist to figure out the right angle for the exercises since May. It's the end of June now, and I am much better, but not healed. It's a long road to recovery and I'm not sure my back will ever be 100%.
Spring brought on Rose's soccer league. Her first game was mid-March and she had a wonderful season which wrapped up on May 12. It was noticeable that she was one of the more experienced kids on the field, and she was now 4 whereas some others were only 3. Zoe's been ready to play. We hope to sign her up in the fall even though she doesn't turn 3 until a few weeks into the season. The season was so fun because Rose had two of her classmates on her team - Lucas and Nathan. The two girls and their two friends would often sit together after the games enjoying their post-game snacks.
Rose and Zoe ready for Rose's first Spring 2019 game on March 17
Zoe with her gear on at Rose's soccer game
Our first Easter Egg Hunt of the year was at Bond Park. Even though the park is basically in our back yard, this is the first year we actually went. Rose had a soccer game in the morning and we managed to squeeze it in before Zoe's nap and before the rain started. It was a last-minute decision, so we weren't completely prepared for it. We had walked to the park and had to move quickly to get back home as it started sprinkling when we finished collecting the eggs.
Zoe collecting Easter Eggs
Zoe had also been dying to get her haircut for weeks. There is a kid's haircutting place next door to the wine shop where we pick up our weekly Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share. She saw kids come of the salon with balloons one time and every week would ask to get her haircut. Since Rose has never gotten her hair cut, and Zoe's hair has gotten long fast, we scheduled it for one weekend in late March. Both girls got to watch Paw Patrol while they got their cuts. I wasn't overly impressed with the cuts, but we were in and out quickly since both girls were sufficiently distracted. And, they were both so excited to get their balloons!
Rose made sure we scheduled the haircut the night before
Zoe ready for her hair cut, Rose will be next
Two happy girls with new hair do's and balloons
Easter weekend we made the trip out to the Greenville, South Carolina area where my parents live. My back was still feeling bad (before I had the MRI, while I was still doing the pelvic PT which made symptoms worse, and while I was still pretty stressed with grant writing). I made the 4-hour trip laying on my bac, across the second row each way. We loaded up a few things in the passenger seat and on the floor of the second row, and put the girl's car seats in the third row. Darwin stayed home (which he prefers to the car rides), so that made it easier. With a back that wasn't hurting too bad (thanks to laying down), I was able to mostly enjoy the weekend with the family. We explored Greenville on a beautiful spring day, came upon an Easter Egg Hunt when we were going to a park between Greenville and my parent's house, and had a very nice Easter morning/day with my parents at their house. The weather was amazing all weekend.
Rose and Zoe enjoying the Greenville, SC downtown park
Picture with the Easter Bunny at the Egg Hunt we stumbled upon in Greer, SC
Rose and Zoe in their matching Easter dresses, ready to hunt for eggs at their Avos house
Sipping hot chocolate in the nice warm South Carolin sunshine
Cheers to a wonderful Easter weekend!
In April, Bond Park started their "First Friday Bands, Bites, and Boats" event, which includes a performance on a small stage by a musician, a food truck, and boat rentals. We decided to check the first one out. Both girls wanted to dress as princesses. We brought our own dinner to the park, went out on a boat ride, and the girls practiced riding their balance bikes before going home.
Heading out on our boat ride
Rose zooms too fast for the camera
Zoe's still not sure about the balance bike
I know I've posted about it before, but we love where our girls go to school. The Reggio Emilia inspired Spanish languge immersion school really excels as the projects they do with the kids. They have tons of outdoor time, get fed good meals and snacks, work on themed projects every month (or a little longer), offer semi-annual parent-teacher conferences, and have semi-annual festivals to display the class projects. Rose was excited to show off her "transportation" projects and Zoe loved showing us her music displays.
As the weather warmed up in April, Rose really excelled in soccer. While she wasn't always scoring in the correct goal, she was working hard on the field, getting involved in the play, not getting frustrated when others pushed/knocked her down, and just really wanting to be on the field. She's a very good listener, paying attention and implementing what she learns. We are so proud of her.
Rose lined up for soccer drills at practice before the game
And, I have a feeling Zoe won't be left behind. I don't know if I've posted before that Zoe has always been a little pigeon-toed. We brought it up with the pediatrician a few times when she was young. He told us most of the best athletes are a little pigeon-toed. Not sure if there's any evidence of that, but I will say Zoe does act really athletic. She's got great ball control already and can move pretty quick. I hope we'll find out how she does with team sports in the fall. This video doesn't do her skills justice, but it is the best at capturing the games this spring.
School friends enjoying the post-game snack
A family selfie in April 2018
Rose enjoying the carousel at Pullen Park
Some museums and things we do are regular events in our household so I don't share details about them every time. As I often post, we are huge fans of both the Durham Museum of Life and Sciences (and their train, bears, wolves, lemurs, farm animals, butterfly house, music and treehouse exhibits) and Pullen Park (and their train, carousel, and paddle boats). In the spring, summer, and fall there are often events going on in Bond Park as well, like the Bonds, Bites, and Boats First Friday evenings. The park also hosts concerts at the amphitheatre, Arts festivals, kits festivals, dog festivals, etc.
Stay tuned for more posts on our May and June adventures, which include lots of pool time. If you've followed me for awhile, you know we spend a lot of time at our neighborhood pool. This year we've already gone to the pool a whole summer's worth of times thanks to a certain 4 year old now being old enough for the swim team. You'll have to wait to hear more about that!
At Rose's 6 Month doctor's appointment, the pediatrician told us that the next three months would be all about moving and it could not be more correct. During the month of March we noticed Zoe become more mobile as she began turning from her belly to her back and on to her belly again. By the time she turned seven months on April 7th, she would get from point A to point B on her own if you left her long enough. Not by crawling, or butt-scootching, but just by squirming and stretching. It's slow and steady, but she gets there.
Colin calls this age the "sticky finger" phase. You cannot keep anything within Zoe's reach without her grabbing it. It often goes into her mouth or on the floor.
Playing at the Durham Museum of Life and Sciences at 6 months
She's been acting like she's teething on-and-off for a long while now, but we don't see or feel any teeth coming. I thought she was going to have teeth early based on her desire to gum everything at a young age, but that has not been the case.
Besides huge developments in movement and coordination, Zoe's big news this month is that she started school on March 30, just shy of 7 months. There is a new(ish) school in the area that follows a Reggio-Emilia approach, which we feel is right for our girls. They are a Spanish-language immersion program, which I don't necessarily really care about, and all the teachers are native Latinas. My half Colombian friend hit the nail on the head when I was trying to describe how different it felt to have Latina women caring for Zoe. She said that Latina women are more "cariñosos" (affectionate), and I would definitely agree. It has felt like a good fit for us, and I feel it is right for an infant who really needs love and affection. In the first two weeks, both drop off and pick up were fairly calm. I'm used to putting everything away at Rose's school (diapers and wipes, food, extra clothes, etc). With Zoe, the head teacher just tells me to leave the bag and she'll put things away. Several times I stayed a little longer in the mornings, nursing Zoe before I left, and it was nice to chat with the teachers in Spanish and see their interaction with the children. I rarely speak Spanish these days, so it's very rusty, but still good enough to have a conversation. Both of Zoe's teachers are Peruvian. We will likely switch Rose over to Zoe's school to make it easier and less expensive, but we want to be sure it is a good fit for her before we do.
Heading to her first day of school on March 30
Zoe's first day of school
One characteristic of Miss Zoe is that she loves standing. She's still not quite sturdy enough to hold herself up long, or to cruise along things, but she'll get there soon. Once she started school, she became much more mobile. There are quite a few infants a little bit older than she is, so there are kids to model the milestones she will soon achieve. If she could skip crawling and go straight to walking, I think she would, though she doesn't mind holding herself up on her arms. She's very strong and is persistent if she wants something. While she is relatively calm, she is showing us that she can be fierce. She'll have to be to keep up with her sister!
Zoe's main teachers and the floater teachers who interact with her all tell me how happy she is to see them. It's still difficult to get her to smile for the camera, but she does love to smile at people. She also loves to talk to other children and to her babies and toys. When picking her up from school, she is often a chatterbox, telling me about her day.
We still continue to battle her skin rash, though I have become more lenient with my diet. I brought some dairy back in and she seemed to do okay, but still haven't started eating eggs. The first week at school, Zoe had more pumped milk from my early pumping days and her skin seemed the normal amount of rashy. Unfortunately, at the end of her second week at school, she developed a bad skin rash on her belly that looked like chicken pox. We went to the doctor, who said it looked like a virus, but that we should monitor it in case it did end up being the chicken pox. Thankfully it didn't appear to be itchy, and it didn't manifest itself as chicken pox. Unfortunately, she's now had it over a week and it still has not gone away. She was out of school all week and did have a fever for a day. We think she might also have had RSV, because she's had a bad cough and someone in her class had a confirmed case. Since a rash is not a symptom of RSV, it seems there are two separate things going on. I initially thought her belly rash was due to having more previously pumped milk (from before I was dairy/egg-free), but since it hasn't gotten better in week of getting fresh-only milk, I don't think that is the cause. If we could just get past the rash, I would feel much less stressed about Zoe's health. I guess there are many parents who would wish that a rash was the worst of their child's health problems, and I should be thankful that eczema is our main concern.
Zoe still loves mommy's milk, either straight from the spiget or from a bottle. At school she drinks 4-5 bottles of milk (3-4oz each), and eats solids fairly well. At home, solid foods are hit or miss. When she's with mommy, she really just wants to nurse. I just started drinking a tea that supposedly increases milk production and taking fenugreek occasionally, mainly on the days I am away from Zoe to try and pump more milk. After a week it seemed to help. I had been getting down to only producing 8-12oz of milk. With Zoe sometimes taking closer to 20oz at school (mostly the second week), I was starting to stress that I would run out. Though the reality is that I still probably have close to 100oz in the freezer. I'm just nervous about giving it to her because of the rash.
We still do cloth diapers and are officially out of the young infant sized diapers. Zoe is growing like a weed and we now just use all in one diapers. It has helped that Rose is now completely potty-trained (yippee!!), so all her cloth diapers are available for Zoe. The introduction of solid foods, and switch to less frequent pooping has brought with it the stinky and very large poops. It always makes me nervous when my girls don't poop every day, but I remember a period when Rose didn't poop for like 20 days and the doctor wasn't concerned. So far, Zoe's max has been 2 or 3 days without a poop. The issue we currently face with diapers is trying to figure out what works for Zoe. Rose did really well with the bum genius, but Zoe pees so much more and leaks through them. Between our old Bum Genius and Charlie Bananas, I'm finding that we might have the most success by using the Charlie Banana inserts in the Bum Genius diapers. In the spirit of Earth Day, I'll just interject here to give a huge shout out to my mom for replacing the elastics on ALL of Rose's diapers so we could use them for Zoe!! Thanks Mom!
At 7 Months, I still can't get a big smile for the camera
Nor can I get the girl to sit still
This is a fun age with Zoe. She's getting mobile, but won't get too far too fast and she interacts with us much more than before. Rose is starting to enjoy playing with her sister and helping us care for her. Zoe loves watching her sister and playing with her things ... we see glimpses of fighting over toys in the near future. But as quick as Rose is to lash out at Zoe's sticky fingers, she is equally quick to give her sister big hugs and kisses.
Stay tuned for a recap of a recent trip to the North Carolina mountains during some cold April weather!
