Our PA trip/ Joe's wedding and Zoe's weight gain

Zoe with Uncle Joe and Aunt Kristen

Visiting with Friends and Family
We are still recovering from our big PA trip. We had a great time visiting with friends and family. We have now learned that travelling with Zoe takes a lot longer than it would with a typical child and we have to pace ourselves. We were not able to see everyone we wanted, but decided to shorten the list of people and really spend time with the people on the list. We had a great time showing Zoe off to old co-workers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, visiting with Aine and Ailish (twins that I used to take care of), and hanging out with various friends and relatives. Zoe, as always, just went with the flow and did such a great job staying calm with so many new people to meet. She did a lot of arching, but we figure that she was overstimulated most of the time. Zoe also did not eat very well but drank a lot on the trip. Since it was so hot in Philly (we forgot how hot it can get!) we figured all the drinking was a good thing. And apparently she was getting enough calories.
The Big Weigh In
We went to the doctor yesterday to check Zoe's weight (previously, she had not gained more than 3 ounces since last November) and had a great surprise- Zoe gained over a pound this last month! I was so excited when I saw those numbers that tears immediately came to my eyes. Gavin and I have been so stressed out with Zoe weaning herself and not eating very well. We kept worrying that she would lose weight. But Zoe has shown us, yet again, that she knows exactly what she needs. Zoe's head has also grown a little. We could see how relieved the doctor was to see Zoe finally putting on some weight and head cm. Dr Taylor is an amazing doctor and really gives Zoe a chance to do things on her own first. Even though we have moved and her office is an hour away, it is worth making the trip every month because we know that the doctor is making choices with all of Zoe's development and social situation in mind. Now that Zoe has totally weaned herself and is taking pediasure and cow's milk, we have decided to stop pumping. I say we even though it is me pumping because we have made this decision as a family. At this point, I am pumping for about an hour total a day and getting less than 5 ounces total. It just is not worth the effort and time for such a small amount of milk. The doctor agreed with this plan. I am a little nervous that taking away the breastmilk will affect Zoe's growth and immunities, but we feel that it is time. Zoe has shown us that she does not want to breastfeed anymore so we are following her lead.
Zoe Signed Mommy
Zoe is really picking up sign language now. Zoe is consistently using milk and eat when she is hungry or wants a drink. She is inconsistent, but trying with all done. Also, for the first time ever- Zoe imitated mommy on Sunday night. We were very excited to see this. I kept thinking "My little girl has finally said mommy!"
Getting back into a routine
When I was doing Zoe's PT yesterday, I noticed that the arching is less since we got home. Also, Zoe's sitting skills are really progressing and she will sit for about 20 seconds before falling over. She is still very tired from the trip and is sleeping a lot. Since Zoe has vision, speech, and OT/PT coming this afternoon, I am letting her sleep the day away until they get here.
More people coming to visit this week
Gavin's mom flies in tomorrow, my brother Tom, his wife, and their four kids drive up tomorrow, and Gavin's aunt Patsy is visiting from Bangkok on Saturday. So we are going to have a full house and we know Zoe is going to be over stimulated again. We will get back into a routine once everything settles down. For now, its more important that Zoe get her sleep so she can keep on eating and packing on those pounds!