Our little girl is 10 months old now! Where in the world did the time go? It is just amazing how well she is walking around. And climbing stairs. Oh, how she does love climbing stairs.

Zoë’s first week of school went well. What a relief! We got lots of reports of each day. I’m amazed at how well the teachers already know her – her schedule, her stubbornness (only as it relates to eating), her cuddliness. However, all exposure to other kids left her feeling ill and she had to call in sick yesterday. Poor baby. She spent the morning cuddling with Grandma and Grandpa and the rest of the day on Mommy’s lap (we watched The Painted Veil together, what a lovely film).

Luckily, by this morning, she was feeling much better. She was walking around, playing with her kitties, and flipping through books. Spending the day with Grandma B today and, hopefully, visiting GG on her birthday tomorrow.

Zoë had her first day of school yesterday (this is a picture of her walking into the entrance). She was there for 3 hours and was sleeping soundly when I arrived to pick her up. We got a full report about her day later on…

Zoë had a great morning – and a stellar first day. She got a little sad at times but was comforted by holding, or by distracting. There wasn’t ever a time when she cried for a long time, or because distraught. It was more like low grade complaining. But most of the time, she was happy and exploring work both inside and outside. She really likes being outside and is very curious and interested in all her classmates.

Low grade complaining. Ha! Sounds like her parents. She slept all the way home. She was so happy to see Grandma and Grandpa waiting for her at home that she work up and played for quite a while before settling into a long nap. Ray and I celebrated the successful day with an amazing dinner at Cafe Catagna. Zoë opted for dinner with the grandparents and a bath.

Her new school is All Roads, a lovely little infant/toddler Montessori classroom (they have some pictures up on Flickr, but Z isn’t in them yet).

Because we know that children under three years of age are in what Montessori referred to as a sensitive period for movement, language, and order, our environment is prepared to meet these developmental needs of the young child. We know that the youngest child is a tactile learner, an active learner, and as Montessori educators, we prepare ourselves as well as the environment for the special task of assisting the child in their self construction. Children are a product of what they find in their environment – and so we prepare our environment with the highest quality materials.

She already seems to adore her teachers and has a number of little friends that greet her each morning.

Zoë and Jude

Today is Zoë’s 5 month birthday. Can you believe that! We had swim lessons today and Zoë proved herself to be capable not only of swimming, but also of falling asleep in the water with her goggles on. We are going to celebrate with the Grandparents over dinner tonight. We’re also giving Zoë this cute playbook…shhh…don’t tell her…she hasn’t seen it yet.

BTW…the pic above was sent to me by a friend who took it earlier in the summer. That’s Z’s little friend Jude who was born 1 day after her.

Planing at the park by our house. We’re off to Zoë’s first swimming lessons this afternoon.

Portland has been so beautiful, we’ve also hiked Mt. Tabor a couple times and hiked up Multnomah Falls. Last night, we rested with a trip to see Adventureland, which was awesome! The rain is supposed to return to the city tomorrow and perhaps bring with it baby!?