Thump. Pat, pat, pat. Squeek.

These are the sounds we heard late last night as our dear 22 month old climbed out of his crib and pitter-pattered into our bedroom. With pride in his voice, he loudly said, "Hi Dada!". Our littlest of little ones is becoming a "big boy" and I just can't believe it!

Zac's Christmas Day

6:00 - wake up.
6:10 - drink milk.
6:11 - ask to go downstairs.
(dad is preparing coffee, mom is lighting fire, putting on holiday music, setting up video camera.)
6:12 - ask to go downstairs.
6:13 - ask to go downstairs.
6:14 - ask to go downstairs.
6:15 to 6:30 - repeat above.
6:31 - go downstairs.

6:35 to 8:00 PM- "Mama, choo-choo tracks. Dada, choo-choo tracks. Thank you Santa. Mama, choo-choo tracks. Dada, choo-choo tracks. (repeat)"
8:01 - reluctantly fall asleep.

Needless to say, Zacary REALLY enjoyed his Christmas this year!

Now, Zac goes skiing!

Winter in Colorado

This post isn't about Zac (sorry Valerie), but about me! Here is a clip of our recent ski day at Loveland.



I promise to start adding more about Z-man soon :)

Let it SNOW!

It's November 21st and we finally got our first significant snow of the season - yay! When Zacary woke up and looked out his window this morning, he said, "Wooww!". He then proceeded to show his new best friends (Meow and Baby - more on that later) the snow out the window. "Meow, snow", "Baby, snow".

Here is a pic I snapped of Z & Maia hanging out in the wagon - we need a sled - Zac was actually saying "Cheese" here.

Pumpkin A

Pumpkin B

Things that GOOOOO!

Can YOU name all the things that go? If not, give Zac a call and he'll happily rattle them off to you:

Choo-choo
P-Plane
CARRRR
Truck (most favorite is the trash variety)
Boat
Caca (translation: helicopter)
Bus

Not the mention how much HE goes! Lately, he's been on his dumptruck chasing Ella around the house or letting Maia chase him. Going is so much fun!

On the agenda for Christmas - train set (he's gonna LOVE it!)

Babe Du Jour

Captain Giggly-Fireball Man

Every afternoon for the past week, Zac has become Captain Giggly-FireBall Man and runs around the yard wanting me to chase him while he laughs uncontrollably. The following videos are weak examples, but will give you an idea, none-the-less.

Bye Bye, Choo-Choo ...

This is what Andrew and I heard for our hour long ride back into Boulder on Saturday after riding a REAL train in the mountains. Since his kiddy train ride at the Taste of Colorado and his needing to watch the video over and over again, we thought that perhaps it was time to step it up a notch.

Here he is posing like a big boy:


Admittedly, it was kind of scary when the train whistle blew, but we all pulled through and now Z can't get enough of the new choo-choo video!

The Z Log ....

Z had his 18 mth check up yesterday and, and usual, is growing like a weed! He's still in the 90th percentile for height (34") and is now in the 50th percentile for weight (26lbs) - basically, he's tall and skinny. The doctors asked if he has at least 8 words - (uh, yeah, but more on that later), can he climb, help with housework, recognize pictures (yes, yes, and yes) So - the little man is progressing quite normally, if not - dare I say - advanced. We are quite the proud (and smitten) parents.

So - back to his words. Today, he said -in context- "excuse me". (So cute!) Other words that are HIGH on his list these days are: Choo-choo, busssss, p-plane, car. In a nutshell, our son is, well, a boy. Things that GO are fascinating. He can hear a plane or train from 600 miles away. Ok, maybe only a couple of miles away, but still.

I think this weekend we may have a little train excursion into the mountains. I think he'd like that! We'll keep you posted!

Zac rides the train!

Imagine Zacary's excitement when, at the "Taste of Colorado", we happened upon this train! (Too bad no one else was as excited as we were about it) Of course, he had to take a ride. We imagine this will be the first of many rides in young Z's life - he is his father and mothers son, after all. First the train, next the Tower of Doom!

Pooooppppy!

Zac has become fascinated with the potty and often tells us when he's pee-peeing or pooping. So, it's no surprise that he is opting to use the potty. Here is a photo from his first combo potty experience. We're so proud :)

Zac making a phone call

Zac's favorite game of late, is to make phone calls (is he our son or what?). He can entertain himself for hours by answering and hanging up the phone. Give him a call someday - he'd love to chat!

A Trip to the Zoo

Yeeeaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!! (Complete with full body flap) This is Zac's response to just about everything he loves in life; swimming, eating, petting animals and going outside.

Particularly exciting to Z were the animals at the Central Park Zoo in NYC. As you can see in the accompanying photo, Zac was amazed by Gus the polar bear (and the penguins, and monkeys, and seals, too!). Especially exciting were those animals in the petting zoo - I've never seen a bigger smile on that kid. Perhaps he's destined to be a veterinarian (or a chef, but I'll have to save that for another blog).

Everything is exciting to a 1 1/2 yr old and because of that everything is more fun for us! Give him a call someday, he'll tell you all about it.

The Cutest, Smartest Child on the Planet?

In case you aren't aware, Andrew & I are smitten. We keep thinking that each day is the cutest and smartest that our dear son can be. Only when we retrieve him from his crib each morning do we realize we were wrong, because TODAY he is the cutest and smartest! Seriously, how is it that he keeps getting cuter? (I know, I know you're about to puke.)

As Zac quickly approaches month 17 of his life, I thought I should document his vocabulary thus far. He seems to be adding to it daily, and before we know it he'll be reciting Shakespeare and I'll wonder, "what happened to my sweet little baby?" Gotta milk each day of his toddlerhood while I can.

His booming vocabulary:
MaMa, DaDa, down, bath, outside, hot, hat, belly button (kind of), eye, bye-bye, Ella, B (as in Basco), night-night, shoe, hot, two (he can count to three, but the only number we actually understand is two), banana (nana), hoot, peekaboo (pboo), tree, stuck (funny word to know), that (he recently dropped the what as in what's that?), all letters of the alphabet (of course, they sound exactly the same as one another)

Random feats of physical prowess:
As we speak he's rubbing sweet potatoes all over himself, uses fork and spoon (though, obviously NOT right now), goes down any size slide, runs and plays with "big" kids, climbs up on everything, sits in dining room chair contentedly, runs (and runs and runs and runs), and of course, many more things that I can't think of right this moment.

Ok, ok, I must end this update. Zac has now decided to play peekaboo through my leg with the dogs.

Ciao!

---

Can't he just stay this age forever?

June is national whiny-butt month and Zac has been voted President of special whining events (yay).

How come no one told me teething would be so hard?

Taming my WiLD man!

I'm slowing realizing that life as a lazy mom, ie eating bon bons and watching soaps while my baby coos away, is OVER! At fifteen months old, the world is incredible and exciting. In order to feed a ravenous sense of curiousity - such as Zac's - one must employ creative diversion tactics.

My most recent ploy ... make him do housework with me! It works like a charm.

Just this morning "we" swept, wiped down all the cabinets, and picked up toys. Tomorrow, I'm shooting for poopy patrol, weed eating and garage clean up - wait, he is only little over a year. Guess I'll have to wait on those.

Onward as my wild man grows upward!

Finicky Eaters Anonymous?

Hi, my name is Zac, and I am a finicky eater.

I wasn't always this way ... just a few months ago, I prided myself on eating anything and everything. Nothing was off limits in my all-you-can-eat-buffet world. Bananas? LOVED them! Grapes? Couldn't get enough of them (especially AT the grocery store). Mama's homemade apple sauce? ADORED it. These days, though, I'm not so into anything.

My mama has more than once voiced her frustration about my new style of consumption. I enjoy watching her frantically rummage through kitchen cabinets and refrigerator drawers trying to find that one special thing I'll be into at that moment. Doesn't she know that my tastebuds are changing every millisecond? Doesn't she also know that I have better things to do (like play outside!) than to wait for her to figure it out?

So, until I can actually say (instead of type, of course) "finicky eater". I guess I'm out of luck for a meeting and will have to aggravate my mama for some time to come.

Zac takes maia for a walk. So much fun!

Zac & Jack on the slopes

Zacary & Jack take a sledding tour of Winter Park Ski Area!

A Day in the Life of a 14 month old

5:31: wake up, babble for 6.2 minutes, escalate to cries so that mama and dada will get in here pronto! My day MUST begin!
5:48: diaper change - be sure to kick and scream so they're aware that I don't have time for this.
5:52: feet on ground. Let my day begin! RUN, RUN, RUN!!
6:21: Take four laps around kitchen & dining room
6:25: pull out every toy available
6:31: man, I'm hungry - WAAAA - give me food! What do you mean to give me bananas again? I want GRAPES!
6:32: What am I doing, I don't have time for this, I must RUN!
6:35: dance on table, chase the dogs, do six more laps, pull out all the tupperware.
7:00: I'm HUNGRY, feed me NOW! Ok, I'll take the banana.
7:10: mom needs to shower - I guess I have to stay still and watch Elmo.
7:30: tried to get into the plant, but was foiled by mama, I didn't think she was watching.
8:30: Yay! Maia is here!!
8:45: pull Maia's hair, take toy from Maia, offer toy back to Maia, kiss Maia, lie on Maia, take toy back
9:00: nap
10:30: wake up, babble, cry
10:31: I noticed mama put all the toys away that I worked so hard to get out from before - guess I'll need to start over again.
11:00: walk to the park- slide, throw rocks, meet new friends, pull Maia's hair, chase random dog
12:00: back home for lunch. Throw food on the floor, offer food to Maia, demand to get out of my chair so I can pull on Maia and take food from her.
12:30: do laps around kitchen and dining room
1:00: nap
3:00: up - must run!
3:10: "mama", "yes Zac", "OUTSIDE!"
3:11: play outside, scoop dirt, pick up rocks, climb up and down stairs 7 times, chase dogs, slide, run
4:30: snack
4:31: OUTSIDE
5:15: Dinner
5:30: OUTSIDE
6:30: bath
7:00: fall into deep slumber and dream of tomorrow

Zacary; my precious child. February 22, 2007

It’s Thursday, the night before my baby boys first birthday. As I check my email and arrange travel, I glance over and absorb his preciousness. It gets me all choked up to think that he is mine and he’s going to be one already.

A typical night, he’s carrying a spoon and bowl around as he chases the dogs. He gets tickled when they wrestle and tries desperately to be a part of the action- much to my dismay. He thinks Levi (my brother’s dog) is his own personal plaything and absolutely adores Ella (our New Orleans rescue). He and Basco seem to be working on their spot in the house as they both vie for first-born attention.

Feeling reminiscent, I thought I should document what this first year with Zacary has been like. If I were to sum it up in one word, it would be “incredible”; in many more words- amazing, difficult, challenging, fun, exhausting. Before my own experience, new parent tales of how hard it is meant nothing to me. Having finally experienced myself, all I can say is that there are no words that can fully explain the emotion that goes into raising a child.

Zacary is born:
I checked into the hospital on Wednesday afternoon – exactly forty weeks into the pregnancy. On Thursday morning the 23rd of February 2006, at 9 o’clock, labor was induced. It was a fairly uneventful day – we watched American Idol – until about 9 pm, when contractions fully set in. Five hundred-thousand breathes and several pushes later, at midnight (exactly), Zacary Coburn Tucker made his arrival, weighing 8 lbs, 3 oz. What a beautiful thing to see your baby being born.

Post delivery was quite scary. The placenta had not dropped on time (a rare occurrence according to Dr. Plotnick), so I was wheeled to the operating room. Drugged with heart attack medicine and strapped to the table. Another doctor was able to take over where my body had left off and we could all breathe a bit easier.

We enjoyed – or rather I should say, Andrew & I enjoyed – three days of luxury care and service at Boulder Foothills Medical Center. The nurses took great care of us as we rested and ate while preparing for our new life with the littlest one. Zacary wasn’t nearly as happy as we were. Little did I know my milk was not coming in and he was STARVING! Finally the day we were to check out a doctor instructed us to FEED THAT BABY some formula – and we did – and he was happy.

Thank goodness mom was here to help out. She cleaned and cooked and gave us just enough space to figure out the whole baby thing. Happily she’d take him at his 4 am wake up, giving us time to sleep in. Her presence was invaluable. She’d sing her special song to him and feed us butter beans. What a special time that was.

Life with a newborn:
It took a good long time to adjust to life with a new little, helpless being in the house. My morning routines would consist of bringing Zacary into the bedroom and feeding him as I tried to stay connected to the world through the eyes of the Today Show. Andrew would head off to work leaving us to another day to learn more about each other. I’d prop up my knees, put Zac on top of them and just stare at him in amazement. I couldn’t then, nor can I now, believe that I have created another human being. He’d just look back at me, smile, laugh (he started smiling at 7 weeks and laughing at 10 weeks) and hoot like an owl (which was hilarious!)

Minutes would turn into hours and before I knew it Andrew was home. My daily goals were to 1) make sure Zacary was fed and content, and 2) make sure I showered at least once during the day. I was determined not to become one of those “sloppy, spit ridden moms”. Thinking back on those first few months home with Zacary is like trying to remember the scenery when you’re in the fog – it’s just so hazy. Life with little Z has really flown by.

Zacary gets mobile:
Even before Zacary was born he was an active little baby. When I was pregnant, Andrew would put his head or hand on my belly and Z would kick him. He was constantly rolling around inside (he also had the hiccups every day of my last trimester – so cute!). So, it’s no surprise that the little man came out wanting to move.

Every day we’d have a little floor time; me to do sit ups and him to look at the birds on his floor mat. He’d coo and reach for them and just kick, kick, kick. It’s no wonder that he was (and still is) ALWAYS hungry. As soon as he learned how to roll over (at 5 months), life as I knew it was over.

Zacary started out getting places by rolling to them. Then he figured out the army crawl, then he started pulling up, then he cruised the furniture, then at 8 3/4 months he took his first step. Those nearly four months FLEW by as my little infant quickly advanced to toddler. Now at one year, he’s trying his hardest to climb up on the furniture! I have to keep an eye on my little bugger.

Zacary loves life:
One of the funnest things about being a parent is experiencing everyday things through the eyes of a new person – especially one who has a blank pallet. Who knew that saying “pop” over and over again could be so funny? Or that a wooden spoon could be so entertaining? A natural born explorer, Zacary seems to get the most from everything around him. His unbiased, unabashed love of all things is infectious. When he gets cracked up – I do too. And, his smile is absolutely amazing – it really lights up his face.

Part of loving life is loving people and animals, which Zacary most certainly does. He LOVES his dogs, Basco and Ella. He loves to talk to them, share his toys with them and hug on them. Quite often I’ll look over and he’ll just have his head on top of Basco or will be petting Ella. He has the sweetest disposition.

The Pain of it All:
Ok, so I’ve gushed and gushed about the gloriousness of my amazingly, adorable child. How cute he is, how loving he is and how fun he is. Leads you to believe it’s all fun and games, huh? No, no! Here is my condensed list of the hardest part of having a baby:

1. Teething: Z-man does not deal well with sharp bones pushing through skin, of course, I wouldn’t (and probably didn’t) either. Teething is awful, probably worse than those first few weeks home from the hospital. Why didn’t they tell us? The crying, the crankiness, the sleeplessness – made for several days of edgy parents.

2. Body Snatching: It’s not that I had Pamela Anderson’s body before I was pregnant, but I had gotten used to my flaws and had learned how to either camouflage or live with them. Post baby body has kind of rocked my world. No need to go into specifics I’ll just say, “thank god for lycra”, ok?

3. Happy Hour: Yeah, happy hour. You know, you have a long week of work and want to unwind with your friends. It’s easy to do when the little one can’t move, but after he figures out he can get places, it’s all over. Not to mention, most of our friends are single and simply don’t understand why I can only have one drink anyway.

4. Home Destruction: I’ve decided to rename Zacary, Taz. He RIPS apart this house 15,000 times a day (and loves it). It’s definitely hard to keep up with. The plants, the toilet, the trash cans, the strangely weird things I never knew were under the couch – nothing is sacred to a one year old.

5. Therapy Bills: When you’re shaping the mind of a child, you can’t help but wonder what is going to come out in therapy bills later. Even through all our conscience efforts to be sure that Zacary is happy, healthy, well adjusted and overall cared for, I’m CERTAIN that I’m screwing up somewhere. The stress of it all is enough to make a woman go crazy!

Zacary; our little person:
I started this summary shortly before Zac’s first birthday, and I’m ending it about a week later. As much as I try to, I can’t seem to put on paper the emotion or the wonderfulness of it.

Zacary is funny, and cute, and sweet and all consuming. When I’m with him all day I just want a break, but as soon as I get that break my heart aches to see his sweet little face again. His smile is infectious, with his 6 little teeth. His eyes are beautiful and light up when he sees us. His six strands of hair stand up in the funniest ways after a nap and he giggles when you chase him around the house. Just thinking about it all brings tears to my eyes.

Zacary if you ever read this, I want you to know that I am completely and totally in love with you. I can’t imagine life without you in it and I look forward to being a part of yours as you grow up.

Now , I must bid you farewell as I start year number TWO!

Susan