Welcome Cousin Kylie!

Baby Kylie Elizabeth Nyhlen
Born at 8:40 this morning
7lbs. 11oz.
19" long

Zoey is a little bit jealous of all the hair.
But we are all excited to travel up to Moorhead this week to meet her.
For anyone who is interested in more pictures of Kylie, please visit their blog at
www.babynyhlen.blogspot.com

CONGRATULATIONS ROB AND NICOLE!!!

Places to go. . .people to see!

Zoey is excited about the big day ahead of her. She has swimming lessons and then a good nap then a benefit dinner for our friends JJ and Sara tonight.

At swimming lessons today, Zoey showed off her smile to all the on-lookers. I think Zoey thought they were all there to look at her. Watch out Red Carpet!

This evening we went to the benefit dinner at Hamline University for dinner and dancing to support our friends JJ and Sara. JJ has been battling cancer for a few years now and the dinner helped raise money for the two of them. For more about JJ and Sara, please visit their blog--www.jjcancerboy.blogspot.com
The dinner was wonderful and there was a silent auction. Tyler and I won a few things, including a flying lesson and tickets to Hamlet at the Guthrie Theatre (which we were going to go see anyway!) Then the band started playing and Zoey danced the night away. She was up way past her normal bedtime, but seemed to enjoy herself.

Nanna shows Zoey how to ballroom dance.

Zoey finished off the evening by dancing with Daddy. Soon after this we changed her, fed her and brought her home--where she promptly fell asleep.

"I'll have my people call your people."

How big is Zoey? Sooooo Big!

Zoey is a swimmer! (and a walker!)

Zoey took her first steps on Wednesday night. She balanced herself and then took 2-3 steps forward before falling down. She was very proud of herself--and so were we.

The next thing in Zoey's life. . .
She started swimming lessons today through community education in Blaine. She went in and showed everyone how swimming is done. Daddy looked on and took some pictures for us, while Zoey learned how to go under the water and float. I do have to admit--she was more clingy today than ever before. She didn't want to leave my side. Who can blame her. I can imagine that to her little eyes today was a big experience. We have three more Saturdays to go.

Although Zoey's face never quite showed it--I think that she had fun. There were lots of new people and she was in the water for about 40 minutes. She is napping hard at the moment.

Ta-da!

We are currently redecorating our basement to make a more family friendly area for us all to hang out. The first step is taking off all the dark green wallpaper. I have taken off wallpaper in the past and wasn't too excited about starting the project again, but thanks to Godmother Lisa's parents (who gave us some tips)--the process couldn't be easier. We are using joint compund. We spread a think coat on the wall, let it sit for a while, and it comes off in panels. Please see the following picture and please don't envy us. :-)

Ta-da!

Darn back to the living room again!

Zoey brings Grandpa Livingston back from a walk around the house. She'd already worn Nanna out. 

Zoey would rather explore the house than sit still.

 

A New Grin

Zoey has recently discovered, much to the delight of her onlookers, a brand new grin. This is a collection of new grin pictures.







Here's Zoey showing off her 8-toother during her lunch. Ahh, the days when she simply sat back and enjoyed a good bottle are gone...










A closeup. Note the carrots in hair, eyes, forehead, etc.

There is only one beautiful child in the world. . .and every mother has it.

Well. . . here we are. . .three quarters of our way through Zoey's first year. 250 blog posts have been made about her--documenting everything she does and learns. I have to admit that I love looking at the archives and seeing how far she has come in such a short time. Amazing! There are so many things about her that I love. I love how she plays her music and dances. I love how she explores EVERYTHING! (Even though it tires me out.) I love how she still growls a little and how she babbles "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma." I love how she rubs her eyes to tell us that she is ready for bed. I love how she giggles when her dad rolls around on the floor with her. I love all the teeth that she has and the way they all show when she laughs.

Enough gushing. . .here are her 9 month stats:
Height: 29 inches. (90th percentile)
Weight: 19 3/4 pounds. (59th percentile)
That's right folks--she is a tall and lean baby (which equates to active!)

Grandma N and I took Zoey last weekend to get her 9 month portraits. She smiled for every picture. Once I get the rest of the proofs back--I will put a few more up on the blog. Hope everyone is doing well!

One of Zoey's 9 month portraits.

Last weekend we had a visit from Grandma and Grandpa. It was fun to have them visit. Zoey was so spoiled by their full attention that when they left, all she did was whine.

Here is the "2 Cute" jogging suit that Grandpa Nyhlen got for Zoey. She really enjoyed the surprise.