Catching Up...8 Months Old!

Hey, everybody! Sorry we've been slacking on Zia updates! We have SO many pictures, videos, and stories to share about our little lady. Today she is 8 months old--can you believe it?

I finished up our last post when Zia was right around 3 months old. We'll start there.

Measuring up with her size bunny at 3 months old!

This was one of the last times we ever used the Bumbo. She never really liked it, and her legs got too fat for it really fast!

I'm not sure if this movie will work for you, but it's adorable. Zia did the biggest stretches when we would let her out of her SwaddleMe wrap. (Those wraps are one of the best inventions of all time, by the way. If you have a wiggly baby who needs to be swaddled but kicks out of his/her blanket...buy one. We used ours so much.)

The Zia baby loves her daddy so much! They bring out the cutest sides in each other. I love it. :)

Daddy and Zia hanging out at Great-Grandma and Grandpa Balderree's house.

This was taken when Zia still slept in our Co-Sleeper. Another great invention, especially for the early days.

One of our good family friends bought this outfit for Zia, and she wore it pretty much every time it came out of the dryer. Adorable.

I was reading Zia books before bed when I realized we were matchy. I love those tiny toesies!!

Zia's last size 1 diaper.

Aren't they cute together?

When Zia finally started getting out of the SwaddleMe on her own (one loooong night--she popped out 7 times and couldn't sleep with or without it...), I knew we needed a new way to help her sleep. ASAP. I ended up tearing up a jacket for the zipper and using an extra nursing cover I had on hand to make this little guy. It is very similar to a Zipadee-Zip, and I posted a tutorial on my blog about how to make one, if you're interested in making your own. This version is a little smaller than the one pictured in the tutorial. I wanted it to be a little tighter and similar to swaddling without her being able to break out of it! We still use her larger zippy from time to time at 8 months old.

I love it when she smiles in her sleep. :) Austin misses sleeping with her cuddled up between us.

More Zia piggies. I can't get enough!

Oh, I love this girl! She is such a sweetheart! 

Figuring out her rattle for the first time.

This girl had sooo many blowouts! That is one thing I don't miss about our pre-solid food days.

Here is her larger zippy--the one we still use and the one featured in the tutorial on my blog. :)

Almost 4 months old! She weighed 16 pounds 2 oz at her 4 month checkup.

Such a chunk! I love how her lips can't help sticking out when she leans her head on her chest.

Zia got her first shots at that checkup. It was so sad, but she was tough!

Playing with Daddy is always a highlight in Zia's day.

4 Months Old!

I sewed a sling for Z using this tutorial, and we really liked it! I ordered one online that was too small for her chubby body, so it was nice to have one that actually fit. :)

She has always loved taking showers with us. :) 

At this age, she figured out how to scoot backwards. On this particular day, she scooted all the way off the bed into the co-sleeper. I'm so glad it was there! I had to be a lot more careful about where I left her after that.

We had an apartment barbecue as summer was coming to a close. Zia was so happy!

My family keeps bringing up this squealing video. She perfectly matches the pitch of my squeal. What can I say--I have a very smart, musical daughter!

For a little while, we would get her up early before church, get her dressed, then put her down for a quick nap before we left.

We stopped doing that when we realized she still slept off and on during the last hour of church and ended up cranky.

She sure is cute, though. I love the tiny Vans she is wearing in these pictures. Her feet got too chubby for them after only a few uses.

Celebrating Uncle Adam's birthday.

Zia is sometimes better than any conventional workout. She loves it when I put her up on my legs and do crunches while I play with her.

5 Months Old!

She was so happy to realize she has ten little toys attached to her feet.

We gave this couch away, so we took a few last pictures of Z with her measure-me bunny on it at 5 months old.

We loved that couch, but it didn't match our other ones, and we wanted to make room for a futon. We didn't end up deciding to get a futon right away, so that spot has become my sewing station.

Zia's first time sitting up in a cart was lots of fun! She tried to eat the cart the whole time.

Can you believe how big she got so fast? Sorry about the mirror pictures again. I just never think to ask other people to take pictures of Zia and I together, so I like to occasionally take pictures of the two of us as best as I can.

This picture was "auto-awesome"-ed by Google+...sorry it looks kinda weird.

We went on a walk into downtown Provo to check out a tent sale at a local boutique. We ended up getting just a few things, but it was a fun little adventure.

So pretty. :)

I crocheted this little giraffe for Z. It is one of her loveys, and she always sleeps with it. :)

Spending some time on the floor during our lesson time in Primary. Look at those thunder thighs!

Headed to Grandma and Grandpa Edwards' house.

I moved to the back seat when she started fussing halfway down. She gets a little lonely back there sometimes, I think.

For a little while, she was completely in love with Elmo. Unfortunately, her obsession didn't last very long. The instant Elmo turned on, she was totally absorbed.

I love her smile!

She had rolled over a few times before this, but this was around the time that she really started to figure it out. I think Austin posted a few videos from his phone around this time, too. She loves being able to move around on her own!

Zia is such a good helper. We brought Daddy lunch on his break, and she helped me carry it.

Rolling, rolling...

To keep her entertained on the FrontRunner, I sometimes have to get a little creative. Taking selfies with my front-facing camera is sometimes enough to keep her happy. :)

She has such a sweet voice.

Out on a walk!

We tried some bananas for dessert one day, and Zia REALLY did not like them... You have to watch the video below to understand just how much she despised them. Luckily, that seems to have been a one-time thing. She has liked them ever since.

Getting ready to take a shower! She has gotten so big! She drapes off the edge of the dryer when we lay her there to get her undressed now.

6 Months Old! Half a year since Zia finally joined our family. Can you believe it?

I tried to do a nice, long photo shoot for her half birthday, but she just wanted to roll over every time I had her facing me. I did my best, and I think I still got a few cute shots.

If she had to insist on rolling over a billion times, at least she had a really cute bottom to take pictures of that day. ;)

Most of the pictures with her bunny ended up something like this. She loves that thing! I could barely keep her away from it.

We started Zia on solids a week or so before she turned 6 months old. She seemed very ready for them and has loved eating so much in the months since then.

I took this picture for my Etsy shop, but I loved this earnest little picture so much that it was the background for most of my screens for quite a while. :)

Our church gets SUPER cold during the fall/winter, so Austin wrapped Zia up in his suit coat. She was nice and toasty. :)

Waiting to see the doctor for Zia's 6 month checkup and shots.

Austin has taken Zia under his wing. ;) 

Tiny Nikes!

Going to visit Grandma Yvonne and Grandpa Tony.

After watching a video of her cousin Emery scrunching her nose, Zia suddenly decided that she wanted to try it. I love it when she smiles like this! :)

Sometimes Zia likes to hang out in the backpack while I work on chores and such.

She has gotten really good at sitting on her own!

"Oh, thanks, Dad! I love plastic."

Cool, dude!

Our neighbor invited Zia and me to take a bike ride with her and her little guy. Zia seemed to like it until the sun was in her eyes. Lucas was a good little buddy for her, trying to sing and play with her to keep her happy.

I sure love my girl!

Zia loves to move her bows around or pull them off/down around her neck. This day we dubbed her "Zia Crooked-Bow."

Getting ready to go take family pictures!

We spent a couple of days up at my parents' house, and my brother Gabe got some great pictures of Zia taking a sink bath.

At church the Sunday before Halloween.

I tried to get a picture of Zia in her Halloween dress while she played with the pretty leaves, but I couldn't get her to look up for the life of me. I should have known better. That girl LOVES leaves!

And for Halloween, Zia was a piggy. I made the costume myself!

Here is a little GIF of some pictures I took of Zia's reaction to seeing me after she wakes up from a nap...it melts my heart to see how much she loves me. :) Being a mom can be hard, but these moments make it more than worth it.

 For our ward Halloween party, Austin and I dressed up like a pig farmer and his wife to match Zia. :)

Look at our cute Yoda/Lucas photo bomber!

Happy Halloween!

Zia looking good in her new coat.

Grandma Joyce bought Zia a little fruit sack that helps her safely feed herself fruits or veggies. She LOVED it.

 7 Months Old!

Zia loves giving her daddy kisses! She was laying them on him this particular day! So cute.

Sometimes Mommy leaves out things that Zia probably shouldn't play with...not that Zia minds. ;)

We went to go see a movie with Grandma and Grandpa Edwards. Zia was surprisingly good.

This was so sweet. Without any prompting at all, Zia gave Grandma Yvonne a big kiss on the cheek. 

She seemed pretty proud of herself after that.

 At 7 months old, Z finally got her first tooth! She absolutely hates for us to look at them (a second one came in about 10 days later), but they are there. I tried to catch a picture when she just had one.

My little sewing helper. I had a big twin-size quilt custom ordered from my Etsy shop, and Zia loved to play with it while I worked. She also likes to sit on my lap while I sew from time to time.

This little mesh laundry hamper is Zia's toy basket for now. She crawls inside of it sometimes, but then she realizes she doesn't quite know how to get out.

My little Target shopping buddy!

Happy Thanksgiving! The Saturday before Thanksgiving, we had a big dinner with my mom's side of the family. Everyone loved Zia's homemade turkey outfit!

Isn't she a doll? I love her in pinks and reds, and all of her Christmas clothes are so stinking cute on her! 

We have a dancer on our hands, folks!

All swaddled up in her car seat blanket. :) If you want to make your own, I used this tutorial.

There is a local free exercise class in the mornings three times a week, but I wasn't brave enough to take Zia until the day before Thanksgiving. I was leading one of the Zumba songs for our 1000 calorie "Turkey Burn," but Zia was not thrilled with the loud music and so much going on. She ended up wanting to be held a lot of the time, but it was still fun.

I made these little Aztec leggings for Z. Tutorial coming soon!

Thanksgiving Day!

Spending time at Great-grandma Hunter's house.

DeAnna loves her Zia baby!

I knew we were in trouble when Zia's little scoots turned into the ability to climb over things...including me. It is surprisingly difficult to check out the Black Friday deals when your little one insists on helping.

 Grandma and Grandpa Edwards watched the Z-ster for me while I did some Black Friday shopping at Old Navy. We got so many good deals!

She loves standing and playing with this new, musical toy.

We went to see the lights at Temple Square with our Denver side of the family. Zia was all snuggled up in the Moby wrap with Daddy.

We like to take Zia out to dinner with us sometimes. She likes being able to sit in her own little high chair.

One of her latest tricks--"So big!"

When Austin feeds Zia, she knows she can get him to be silly with her. She eggs him on, and it's so funny! She had us both laughing so hard. You can't help but smile watching this...

This video will make you laugh so hard! She is such a goof!

She loves mirrors and being able to wave at herself. :)

We got our Christmas stuff up really late this year, but Zia has really liked all the pretty lights!

That puts us up to today--8 months old! Time has gone so fast, and we can't believe how much she has grown and changed. She has two teeth, sits up perfectly on her own, does a mean army crawl, and gets up on her hands and knees. She is SO close to crawling. In the month or two before her teeth came in, she was really cranky pretty much all the time. It's nice to have our happy baby back now that she is temporarily done teething. We are so excited to celebrate Zia's first Christmas!