Zachy loves bears!

It was a sunny day so before trekking around the zoo Zachy had to get a sun hat. Little safari dude! Zachy loved all the bears. They probably reminded him of Cody who he loves to watch from the glass door. Both bears and Cody are big and fuzzy with warm brown eyes and have a tendency to pace.

The polar bears were the most active, so Zachy favored them. For a small baby, they were very interesting to observe. Most of the other bears were napping.

Stroller hopping

Zachy got to ride in the stroller/backpack on the path to the butterflies. He just loved this seat and the fact that he could bounce in it. Unfortunately the video of him bouncing didn't turn out. Wheee! Boing! Boing!

The beach and butterflies were very exhausting. Good thing the trip back to Los Altos was almost an hour. It gave Zachy a good chance to rest up before playing with Tania, Edi, and Uncle Al.

Santa Cruz beach pictures

Fun in the sand! This is Zachary's first beach experience. He was really unsure of the sand, but wasn't disgusted by it. He would touch the sand and get his fingers covered, then look closely at the sand on his hands, and if he wasn't stopped quick enough, he'd test the sand with his mouth. Typical.
He really enjoyed the fresh air, excitement from the other kids, and sunshine.

Jim was caught off guard by a wave and got his pants wet. Despite all the babies on the beach and in the ocean without pants, we thought that would be too cold for Zachary. He was fine enjoying the sound and smell of the ocean.

Zachy's first plane trip

Yay! Zachy had his first plane trip at 8 months old! We flew on Virgin America to San Francisco to visit our Vecchiet relatives. The airplane had entertainment screens in every seat so you could play games, listen to music, watch tv or movies. Zachy (and Elena too) really enjoyed pushing buttons on the touch screen and the remote/game controller. Not surprising because it was all lit up and flashing - a baby's dream!We stayed with Tania and Edi for a few days and enjoyed the sun in their backyard. They just adored meeting Zachary and spending time with him. The feeling was mutual, Zachary loved the attention.
It's the boy in the bubble! Yes, he did get stuck.

Our flight home was uneventful, once we got on the plane... We were scheduled to depart at 8:55, but were delayed until 9:40. Then delayed until 10:30. Then delayed until 11:05. Finally at 11:40, we took off. These times are all pm, so the kids were tired. Elena had congestion, so the air pressure change hurt her ears and she cried quite a bit before finally falling asleep. Zachary was asleep before we even boarded the plane.

Zachy has visitors

Oh Gizmo loves Zachy! He thinks Zachy is another little puppy he can boss around and play with. After constant kisses to the cheeks and eyes, Zachy learned to put his head down, close his eyes, and push his arms out in the hopes of discouraging Gizmo. It didn't work that well because Gizmo is persistent... Besides giving love, Gizmo tried to get Zachy to play with him and some toys. Zachy and Gizmo took turns with both puppy and baby toys, but really Gizmo wanted to play fetch. Zachy still needs to work on his throwing skills for that game to be a success... Auntie Tracy was a great source of amusement because she makes silly sounds and faces.
They had fun making each other laugh.

Uncle Brandon is way cool. Zachy's favorite part of Rock Band was all the cords he could pull on and put in his mouth. He wishes he had the opportunity to get his hands (and mouth) on one of those drumsticks...

Korinna came to visit too. Despite her loud personality, Zachy found her shoulder very comforting and took a sweet little nap.

Swing time

Elena used to love every second she could spend in the swing (still does) - Zachy barely cracks a smile. Maybe he was too cold, or maybe he'd just prefer playing in the dirt. No matter his swinging preference, he sure looks cute in his bear hat!

Cheerio

Look at that happy boy! It's almost as if he's posing for the camera here. Zachy can finally eat cheerios without choking! He prefers his table clamp chair to the high chair, and he will seat and eat his cheerios. Sure, more than half end up on the floor, but Rainey likes cheerios too. When Morel and Gizmo visited, they quickly found the cheerio goldmine sitting under Zachy. Cheerios are great because they are portable and not too messy.

Silly boy has a cheerio chin! We've also found cheerios stuck to Rainey's head and back.

Cruisin'

Look at him go!

Oopsie doodle.

He has teeth!

Can you see it? This picture was a chore to take... But it answers the age old question: How many fingers can you put in a baby's mouth? The first tooth broke through on January 29th, and now he has two bottom teeth that are highly visible. Yay biting! Ouch.

These pictures from 2/11 (Zachy is 8 months old!) show his teeth better.

Mr. Sneaker at the dishwasher

Mentioned this in the original Mr. Sneaker post, but wanted to share some pictures. Here he is "helping" Grandpa. Poor Grandpa's dish loading was hindered by Zachy pushing the bottom rack in and out. Of course Grandpa didn't mind, he loves his little "puppy."
What's next Mr. Sneaker?

More of Mr. Sneaker

Look who can climb stairs!Sure it's a picture of the back of Zachy's head, but look at those whorls in his hair? He has 2 and they twirl in opposite directions. Little guy is gonna have a cowlick! We'll make it cool and turn it into a mohawk for him ;-)

Here's Mr. Sneaker climbing the stairs without a safety net. One day we heard him sneak up the smaller set of stairs and start playing on the main level. After not hearing anything for awhile, Elena was sent to find him. She found him all the way upstairs! Lil Mr. Sneaker had climbed the longer set of stairs very stealthily and was exploring the water bottles in the recycling bin! Oh, Mr. Sneaker!

Beep Beep! 1/21

Zachy and Elena had fun on the coin rides at our last trip to the Seattle Premium Outlets. Zachy liked the flashing buttons and music. Love their expressions!

Zachy was entertained with the buttons even when they weren't flashing. Good to know we can save 50cents...

At Auntie's library 1/13

Doesn't he look like a rock star?!?Zachy explores the beads...

He just loved taking the books out of the box. Good thing his sister was around to help clean up.

Lisa had her penguins on display, so everyone posed for a picture. Lisa works at the library with Auntie and we've gone to see a few movies with her, most recently the Tale of Despereaux. What movie is next Lisa?

Some pics worth sharing

Cute Bubba eats his first graham cracker. Thanks for sharing Elena! Grandpa and Zachy play with the BIG ball. Is he gonna taste it?

So easily entertained... both of them ;-)

Zachy can nap anywhere (for 5 minutes...)

Let's play the tongue game!

Now meet Mr. I'm Not Sleepy 1/08

Oooh, was that a tasty dinner Zachy?Did all that yummy food make you sleepy? Just a little bit?

Wouldn't call this a regular occurrence, but it has happened more than once! Good thing babies don't get cricks in their necks... He's slept for at least 15 minutes in that chair! Surely very uncomfortable.

Mr. Sneaker 1/07

Zachy, aka Mr. Sneaker, is infatuated with the cat food bowl!Every chance he gets he tips it over thus spilling cat food everywhere!

The only deterrent is a kitty eating at the bowl, in which case Mr. Sneaker has to wait his turn.

Mr. Sneaker also enjoys pulling utensils out of the dishwasher. Those, he bangs and puts in his mouth. Lately, Mr. Sneaker has also been stealing dog toys and trying to get in the toilet. Oh, Mr. Sneaker!

Open Gym 1/05

Elena's gym has drop-in play on Monday afternoons. Zachy has a good time too! He's learning the rules of the road!
Is that tongue out in concentration???

Elena has fun pushing Zachy around in the car. She sets up parking spaces for him and pushes him past a drive-up window to place food orders...