A few things...

Warning... No Zoey updates are included in this post... Sorry I have to include the "sometimes us" part every once in awhile....

1. Two years ago today I married my best friend! He is the best husband, best friend and father! I am the luckiest person in the world... and can't wait for a million more anniversaries!

These were waiting for me when i got home.. what a nice way to be welcomed home...


2. This weekend I became domestic.. i know i know.. but i did it.. i bought a SEW MACHINE... every person who knows me.. knows this is HUGE!!! But while i was at target they had exactly what i have been looking for a $20/small/easy-to-use sewing machine. so i bought it!

Being a shorter person i am CONSTANTLY having to buy pants that are eight feet too long.. well not that bad.. but i have cut a foot off of pants before.. and I am sick of asking someone else or paying someone else to hem my pants for me.. And since i bought new pants this weekend (woohoo for the best pants ever!! thanks Gap!) i knew it was time.. so i did it.. all by myself! and they are pretty good.. if i do say so myself... (i even redid my first hem since it wasn't straight enough.. i know!)


3. Zoey and I voted a week ago.. we have early voting in florida... I think its soo important to take your children to vote! I remember going everytime with my mom and being so proud because she would let me vote.. so if you didnt vote this time.. VOTE NEXT TIME.. and take your kids!!

A cute lil' girl on her first Halloween...

While Halloween was just another day for our lil' Zoey.. we of course had to be the good parents and dress her up for the event. Her day was just like every other day except a cute costume (thanks Nicole and Autumn) and a lot of flashes in her face!





We ended the day by going over to some friends' house for some food and trick or treating on a golf cart, which we discovered is the BEST way to trick or treat!

Old and New

While Jessica and Mom were in town at the beginning of September my sister took some AMAZING pictures of Zoey.. and we got some today! Gosh she has changed soo much in a small amount of time.






back in the present... Zoey had her 6 month appointment today and the doctor said she was "perfect"... literally that was her word! She has hit all of her milestones.. and should probably be crawling within the next month or so! she is an amazing little girl who we love more and more everyday!

weighing in at 18lbs 3oz, 26 1/2 inches long!

Zoey can...
-say dada
-sit all by herself
-get on all fours and rock..
-inch worm crawl

Zoey likes to...
-eat.. anything and everything
-play on the floor
-read books (thanks papa and nana!)
-bounce in her bouncer
-do raspberries with her tongue
-see her dada and mom
-laugh and giggle
-be scared

Parents weekend...

Nana, Papa, and Uncle Brett came to visit this weekend...








The weekend is never long enough!

Sittin' Pretty!

Zoey is sitting up all by herself... in fact now she doesn't want to do anything else. We went to Publix last night(woohoo, it finally opened!!!) and i tried to put her in the baby cart, the cart with the built in baby seat, and she was not having it! She is too big!






The other trick she has recently mastered is sticking her tongue out and blowing.. its hilarious.. i will have to get a video.. but she just started doing it today!

weekend happenings...

We started Zoey with a cup.. and while she hasn't quite gotten the hang of it, at least she understands where the water comes from...


(Just too funny!)

Apparently Zoey really wanted to watch sesame street this morning..


Video of laughing mostly for grandparents... she finds us to be HILARIOUS! She has gotten some tickle spots and LOVES to be scared! Sorry its sideways!


Gary starts soccer season this week.. so I officially become alone until February... at least i have Zoey to keep me busy this year.. The only good thing is this year we should be really good.. so hopefully that will make it worth it! Go Wildcats!

Ps- Zoey has started to sit up on her own.. she sat up by herself for a good couple minutes! pictures to come...

The Happenings of the Girl Named Zoey...

Just some events of the week...

Zoey LOVES remote controls.. this is only natural since she loves tv. Why not love what turns the tv on?


Cyrus was having a seizure(a sad event that occurs about once a month)while I was feeding her.. I had to put her down to attend to cyrus and this is how she ended up


Zoey discovered her tongue this week.. and now sticks it out all the time..


Zoey got herself stuck in between the couch and coffee table today.. so being the good parents that we are... we took pictures!


All this girl wants to do is be on the floor.. and now she has discovered the blanket which she enjoys wrapping herself in..

Zoey wanted to blog...

So we put her in front of the computer and she went to town...



This is what she wanted to say...


So we fed her...

Oliver helped...

mmmmmm....

This lil' girl is lovin' any food we put in front of her... tonight it was carrots with rice cereal.. and i swear she was licking the bowl..









she was very proud of herself...

we love this girl more and more everyday!

A girl and her dad...

Who wouldn't love waking up to that face in the morning... She is so good in the morning.. today she played by herself for a hour and a half while Gary and I slept in a bit..

five months...

Yup our sweet baby girl is five whole months old... and over this past month I must say i think she has gone past little... she is getting far to big...

Milestones:
- full belly laughs
- complete rolls, left and right
- 2 (yes two! we discovered the other one on Monday) teeth
- beginning to scoot around
- says "dada"
- babbles tons of other baby words
- reaches out for anything in her vision
- almost sitting up by herself
- fruits and veggies with cereal

Likes:
- All fruits and veggies; especially bananas
- her daddy!
- bouncing in her bouncer
- talking to anyone
- when mom, dad, or grandma comes and picks her up from daycare
- her puppies
- rubbing her forehead when she is trying to sleep
- playing with her toys on the blanket
- tv

dislikes:
- getting teeth

... you be the judge...

Sounds like "dada" to me...

TOOTH!

Zoey is cutting her first tooth.. thankfully she has not been fussy at all.. she was fussy on Saturday night and kept sucking her bottom lip.. after we all guessed Gary finally suggested that it might be a tooth.. we gave her some motrin and she was all better.. we finally felt the tooth on sunday.. but other than saturday that has been the only amount of fussiness she has had.... she is an amazing baby!

I think we are in for it...

I know all parents think that their child is "special" or "advanced" and of course I think Zoey is the greatest kid ever.. i'm biased... but i think we are going to be in for it in the near future.. especially with this kind of motion going on... yesterday Gary put her on her tummy while he went into the kitchen.. and when he returned she had "scooted" herself under the coffee table.. and this was tonight...


(a little better video)

She moves all over her little blanket.. going in circles, back and forth.. all over! And can roll from tummy to back and back to tummy... so Zoey is advanced.. even if I am biased...

Per Request...

Warning this post includes no new events or happenings in the Mattes household.. it is simply fulfilling the requests of grandparents to see more of their only grandchild...

Just a cute girl after waking up... she is trying sooo hard to sit-up.. but only ends up falling over....


Zoey LOVES her daddy... she immediately smiles when she hears his voice!


This is the only new thing Zoey has been doing.. she arches her back A LOT! when she is sitting in her bumbo seat or if we are just holding her in our laps...


Papa sent us this picture... love the dedication.. and showing of Zoey's roots! One of Papa's Cuban friends gave him this cycling shirt...combining papa's two loves, cycling and Zoey!

ps- Abuelo is grandfather in spanish...

A little rewind...

For the first two weeks that Gary and I worked Zoey got to spend some time with Grandma and a few other visitors...

Mark it down in history, Judge Judy(JuJu to Zoey) is actually feeding a baby...


Mom, Judge Judy, Zoey, Alex, and Sam...


Aunt Geri, Zoey, and PopPop..


Back in present day... Zoey went for her 4 month appointment this week.. and weighs in at 16lbs. 4oz. and is 24.5 inches long! She had four shots.. but was a trooper through them.. the worst part for her was when she has to be held down... but she is growing like a weed.. and we are enjoying every second of it...