May came and went. How can I slow the time down a bit? May might become the anxious month for me every year because it would be the last month of Zoe's current age. I should be joyous for her growing up, but part of this mama's heart gets a little sad. It's a strange feeling; can anyone relate? Every day, I can see her babyness fading and a little girl blossoming. She is starting to put some words together and her babbles sound like a conversation (I just don't understand 80% of what she's conversing about). It's amazing to watch these developments happening, but I also want the time to slow just a tiny bit so I can snuggle with her a little bit longer.
May, as expected, was a busy month, and also an exciting one. We managed to enjoy a longer spring this year in Houston, so we tried to seize the opportunity of the beautiful weather every chance we can get. At the beginning of the month, we ordered ramen and sushi and ate our favorite Levy Park. Zoe has always been a big fan of ramen so we were able to witness her most joyous self, which was spectacular. I don't think I will ever forget that joy.
Our first truly exciting event of the month was her first trip to the dentist! Zoe is not the biggest fan of brushing teeth, and despite my best efforts every night, I wanted to make sure we are starting off with a clean bill of teeth and address any concerns early on. After some kicking and screaming, and then lots of stickers afterward, we were told her teeth were looking great! Just like her mama, her mouth is pretty small so her teeth are already pretty tight and would need regular flossing. Let's see how flossing goes one night...😜 Before dropping her off at school, we took a little detour for some mommy+daughter time.
Next was Mother's Day, which I wrote a whole post about it so I won't repeat things again. I still look at all the photos Z took of us almost daily. I can't wait to pick some photos out to frame them soon.
Perhaps, our next exciting event of the month was our impromptu trip to Austin! Every weekend, I kind of get stuck on the same cycle of the playground, grocery shopping, and staying home routine so I decided to change things up. Without much of a notice (ok, 36 hours notice), I booked a hotel in Austin and told Z that we are going on a little road trip. Originally, I was emotionally invested in driving to New Orleans but decided against it eventually because the 6.5 hours felt a little too long. I was glad to choose Austin in the end because Z didn't get out of work until 6 pm on Friday so our trip started late anyway.
Zoe is quite an experienced traveler so she slept through the whole 3.5-hour drive. I'm sure her complete lack of nap at school also contributed to that as well. Since our time in Austin was going to be short (Saturday-Sunday afternoon), we decided to not put too much pressure on ourselves but focus on things that would entertain Zoe. It's so funny how becoming a parent completely (and utterly) changes you - the last time I was in Austin was in 2013, and I was all about hitting up every favorite restaurant, bar, coffee shop, etc. Pretty sure I didn't get much sleep back then. Nowadays, it's all about Zoe haha.
We had breakfast at Kerby Lane Cafe and spent a good part of our afternoon at Zilker Park. This park is truly perfect for anyone - it's a great place for the dogs, kayakers, runners, families, "young" people (LOL) who want to play sports, etc. It's a happy place for me. The weather that weekend, in general, wasn't great, but during those few hours, it was perfectly cloudy and warm but not hot. That evening, we visited one of Z's college roommates, his wife, and their 4-year old kid.
On Sunday morning, we went to Granny's Tacos, and as evident by Zoe's expression, it was great. We didn't get to sit outside for too long as the rain started pouring, but we enjoyed the rest of our breakfast parked with a lakeview. We recommend getting earlier in the morning as the line really started building up around 9:30 am.
Saving the best for the last. If you have little ones, I HIGHLY recommend The Thinkery. This place was recommended to me in one of the Facebook mom's groups, and it turned out to be the best advice ever. We saved this visit until Sunday midday with a full intention to burn off Zoe's energy before we drive back to Houston. It is strictly appointment-based and you get to spend 2 hours there. Anyone older than 2 years old was required to wear a mask. It is a STEM-based children's museum that is very interactive for the little ones.
I am not sure who was more excited, Z or Zoe, during this visit because Z wanted to explain all the science things. There may have been a few scientific theories that I relearned from this place 🤔. We were told that the kids' favorite is the water play on the 2nd floor. For a water-loving girl, Zoe was completely immersed in the water activities, but I did notice that she was a bit tired by the time we reached that floor. I think next time, we would switch the order and have her play there first before going to the 1st-floor activities. Needless to say, she was completely wiped out after that visit and was a sleeping beauty on our way back home.
The excitement of this month keeps going... this is the month that Zoe also got her first haircut! This child was born with full hair and just never stopped growing since. In her earlier months, people used to tell us that she might lose a lot of the hair first, and then regrow, but that was never the case with Zoe. As a woman, I might envy her hair a little too much 😂. It is seriously so long, gorgeous, shiny...everything. We went to Snip-Its, a local salon specializing in kids' hair. They provided a fun yet calming experience for a slightly nervous toddler, and probably even more anxious parents.
If you think this concludes our month, then you are greatly mistaken. By far the biggest highlight of this month was Zoe's grandma (from Z's side) getting visit for the first time since December 2019!! Just like many others, she has not seen her grandparents in a long time due to the pandemic. My MIL had originally intended to visit her when she turned 1 last June, but we resorted to a Zoom celebration instead.
It was an amazing feeling to witness this reunion. We saw a hint of Zoe recognizing her grandma after months and months of FaceTiming with her 3 times a week, and I don't think you need to guess at all how my MIL felt about seeing her only grandchild for the first time in a year and a half.
My MIL has done an amazing job giving Zoe the time and space to get acquainted with her again. As she arrived just the day before Z's birthday (!!!), they immediately hit the ground running with some baking and practicing candle-blowing in preparation for a big day.
We celebrated Z's birthday with a cake and LOTS of candles - 34 to be exact. My MIL and I may have gotten a little too excited about Zoe being able to blow candles so we went with 'go big or go home' style. I did kind of chuckle, though, because Zoe didn't anticipate the 34 candles vs. the 1-2 candles she practiced with a few times before, so when the moment came, she freaked out a little bit. We also tripped the fire alarm in the process so the dogs even decided that it was not worth being around the cake. Having grandma around has already added so much depth to her life and it is a pleasure of mine to witness their interaction. I am hoping for Zoe to see my parents later this year as they are not able to travel at the moment.
Well, if you stuck around until now - congratulations! I don't have any prize for you 😉. I do hope that you are doing well, and things are starting to look up more this spring/summer. As we and our immediate family have all been vaccinated, we have loosened up a little bit as far as our daily activities and summer plans go; we are excited about what's in store for us. June, and practically this summer, is going to be a CRAZY month for so many reasons; I can't wait to share 'why' once we have things figured out.
Stay safe and healthy, everyone. ♥
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