Anecdotes and such:

Last weekend we decided that daddy would take you (Zoe) to a movie. We were going to see the 3-D version of "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs".

So we went to the very first showing of the morning at 11am. We got there early and got our popcorn and reeces-pieces, we got settled into our chairs and prepared for the show. When the previews started, we put our 3-D glasses on and began to watch. The very 1st preview was for an upcoming remake of "A Christmas Carol" (the story about the scrooge being visited by Ghosts of Christmas past. Well... when you saw the ghosts you immediately began crying your eyes out. It took me a minute to realize you were crying because the sound was so loud. When I realized you were crying I scooped you up and we left the theater. I tried to get you to go back into the theater but there was no way you were going back in there!

We wound up going to the 5pm showing that same evening and we had a much better time.

Other stuff:

Zoe can write out the alphabet by herself. We discovered that she did that tonight (09.30.09)
Ryder is beginning to say his B's and M's.
He actually said MaMa yesterday (the 29th of Sept)
Zoe went to the dentist for the 1st time on Sept. 21st:

















Ryder and Momma:


Momma surprised me by bringing you both down to meet me when I got off of my bus from work:

Ryders 7 Month Picture

Some updates:

Zoe, you love to play on the computer. You just sit there and type away. You're very good at it too! We'll type a word and you'll retype the word all by yourself. AND... if you make a mistake, you bit "backspace" to correct the mistake.
For example, we'll type
BIRDSONG
and below it you'll type
BIRDSONG

Last night we broke out some old video of Zoe when you were a baby. Ryder was asleep so me you and mom watched the movies. One of the movies was of the day you were born. We had our "birthing music" playing in the video and it made you cry. You're so emotional... mom says you get that from me.
ALSO, as you were watching the video, you tried talking to mom (the one in the video) and you said to the actual mom (She doesn't hear me!).
ALSO, you kept referring to youself in the video as "Baby Zoe".

For the past 2 weeks, your BFF Sydney has been spending the days with. You are on cloud nine! You both go 100 miles an hour ALL DAY.

On another note, we are looking forward to the arrival of Kias brother and his family. They are moving from Texas to Fort Belvoir, VA... not too far from us! They will be arriving sometime in October.

Ryder is 6 Months old!


You love to play in your excersaucer.

When we put you on your tummy, you can now prop yourself up and pivot and turn in a circle.

You loves to play and interact with Zoe. If she is leaving the room and you want her to stay, you will literally scream at her.

You will also, if within range, always reach out and try to grab a clump of Zoes hair. She is hip to your game so she has learned to keep a safe distance.

A few noteworthy updates:

• Zoe, last night I was putting you to bed and we recited "The Lords Prayer". Mom taught you the prayer. Well, when we got to the part where you are supposed to say "the kingdom, the power and the glory", I said "the kingdom, the power and the holy spirit (don't ask where I got that from)". Anyway, you were quick to correct me and you said "It's Glory daddy". Later that night, you got upset and cried and mommy came in to check on you; you looked at her as serious as can be and told her "daddy doesn't know the word of God".
  
  
• Ryder, you are getting sooo big. You are now eating "cereal". Yesterday you ate 2 entire helpings. You are sleeping better too... although you wake up EVERY morning at 4am.
  
  
• Uncle Charles, Aunt Bernie and your cousins Indigo and Orlando came to visit a few weeks ago. We have some great pictures that I'll post asap.

A few anecdotes:

Kia and I were talking about Zoe and Kia said, "I wonder what Zoe is going to be when she grows up?". To which Zoe replied, "I'm going to be a Pumpkin"

Kia and I were trying to get Zoe to do... something, neither of us can remember exactly what we wanted her to do... We were both telling Zoe to come here and do whatever it was we wanted her to do... She kept objecting saying "I want to give Ryder a hug"... for whatever reason, we weren't listening to her and weren't letting her finish her sentence or give Ryder the hug... We were basically just talking over her saying "COME HERE!"... Finally, she got fed up and yelled back at US, while pointing her finger at us for emphasis... "I WANT TO GIVE RYDER A HUG!!!" We both held back our laughter and Zoe proceeded to give Ryder a hug and then came to do whatever it was we wanted her to do.

Last night, for the most part, Ryder slept through the night... You normally wake up at 5am and cry in your crib until we get you at 6am. This morning, you woke up at 5:30am and instead of crying until 6am, you just played around in your crib. Mom and Dad hope you keep this up...

Lastly... Zoe, like Ryder, we recorded video of you immediately after you were born. Shortly before we left Arizona for Virginia, we wanted to look at your video. I went to get the video only to find that I could not find it. I tore the house apart looking for the video, but couldn't find it anywhwere. I told Kia that I couldn't find it and we were both pretty devastated. I always held up hope that it would materialize because I couldn't imagine what could have happened to it. Well, last night I decided to go over all of the tapes that we DO have to see if it was in there but mislabeled or something. Long story short... I FOUND IT!. It was on a tape labled 2007 (you were born in 2006). Both of us were very happy to have found the footage.

Uncle Rob came to visit for the 4th of July
Zoe, you took to Uncle Rob quickly. We had him, Grandma and Grandpa over for a BBQ, and you were playing with Uncle Rob. Then Uncle Rob got sleepy and fell asleep on our couch. You got very sad and couldn't understand why Uncle Rob wouldn't play with you. We kept trying to explain that he was asleep but you insisted "he's pretending!!!" and you cried and cried.

Ryder is 5 Months old!


A few of Ryders Milestones:

• Today, you rolled over onto your tummy and back for the 1st time!
  
• You can sit up (with our help)
  
• You love to play with your toes
  
• When we take baths together, you like to lean all the way forward and put your toes in your mouth!
  
• You are able to reach and grab objects
  
• You like to scream! When we are changing your diaper or when you are playing in your excersaucer, you'll just scream to test your voice.
  
• You like to do "raspberries" with your mouth. Zoe did that too!
  

Current Events:

• Mike Vick was reinstated into the NFL.
  
• Michael Jackson passed away earlier this month. He was the "King of Pop" and had millions of followers. Mommy and Daddy were never big fans (although Daddy did go to a Michael Jackson concert when I was a kid with Uncle Rob). I was a Lionel Richie fan! He was Michaels closest rival. I would later become (and still am)a big Prince fan.
  
• President Obama is in the process of trying to pass Universal Health Care. It's not going to be easy as the Republicans (aka The House of 'No') will fight it to the end AND, there are democrats who are not necessarily on board.... Losers!

As I did with Zoe, I'm going to put up Monthly pics of Ryder. Here is his 1st. Ryder is 4 Months Old:

We enrolled Zoe in her 1st ballet classes. She had a great time. Her ballet teacher (Miss Sarah) said she did great and was very focused.






We took Zoe to play with Sydney. Vanelda took the kids to the park to play tennis. This was a fairly big deal because it's the 1st time we've really left Zoe with anyone. Here are a few pics:






We celebrated the 4th of July at Grandmas house. We had a great time. Grandma and Grandpa made us dinner and then Uncle Rob, his friend Kevin, me and Zoe walked to Iwo Jima to watch the fireworks. Zoe loved it. The only downside was that after the fireworks, she did not want to walk home so I wound up carrying her the whole way.











Zoe is becoming quite the artist. She loves to draw pictures (spiders and monkeys) on her little sketchy thingamajig. Here are a few samples of her work:








Other items of note:

• For a few weeks now, Ryder has been reaching for things. When we give him baths, he reaches down to touch his feet.
  
• He really likes his excersaucer which is great because it gives us a little bit of freedom to get things done.

So... since my last post, we've moved from Tucson, AZ to Alexandria, VA!

The relocation was... rough. We drove from Tucson to Moms house in Arlington, VA. The trip took 6 days. We stopped for 2 nights in Killeen, TX to see Leah, Jayden and Riley. Zoe had a fantastic time playing with her cousins. We also had a chance to stop and see my cousin Lindsey. She met us for coffee and donuts.

Overall, the kids did an amazing job on the trip. Zoe drove with Kia, Ryder rode with me and Lucky rode shotgun with Kia. Zoe watched movies, played with her toys and read books. Ryder slept. Lucky chilled, greatful to be within arms reach for a change.

When we finally did arrive in Virginia, the kids wanted absolutely nothing to do with being in the car for the next week or so. We couldn't even bribe Zoe into getting in the car to go to the toy store! She said "Can't we walk to the toy store"?

One noteworthy event: Upon arrival, we bought a toddler car seat for Zoe, so she is no longer in a baby carseat. We had to because her legs are getting so long that her feet are literally resting on my shoulders while I drive.

Upon arrival, we stayed with my Mom for a few weeks while we looked for a home. We eventually found a home in Alexandria, VA. We are currently in the process of moving in.

On Saturday, May 30th, we had a Birthday party for Zoe at Lyon Village. Zoe had a great time with her new friends, Sophia, Sydney, Isabella, Julia and Sierra. Thanks to everyone for coming and making Zoes 3rd birthday special.

Other noteworthy events:

• Ryder is doing really well. He smiles all the time. We've been trying to get him to laugh, but he does't yet know how. He grunts in an attempt to laugh. It's pretty cute.
  
• He is experimenting with his voice. He likes to make a pteradactyl like noise... over and over again.

(Posted on/around April 26th)
Wow... So I've been slacking on updating the blog. We have been so friggin busy it is not even funny.

As I stated, Ryder was born Feb. 26th. Another Pisces! His birth went really well. There was a bit of a problem with the Epidural shot... I'll see if Kia wants to lay that out... Here is one of his 1st Ever pictures:

Here he is with Kia:

Ryder is now 2 months old! Yikes man! He is doing incredibly well. He is sleeping through the night (except for last night). He has a slight bit of reflux, not nearly as severe as Zoes was. Overall he is a content baby.... Except for here:

He smiles every now and then. He tends to cry only when he's tired and/or hungry.

My mom and Robert were here a few weeks ago, so they got to see he and Zoe. Zoe had a fantastic time getting all of the attention.

Here is a more recent picture:

Zoes Brother, Ryder James Birdsong was born on Thursday, February 26th @ 1:30am. He was 6lbs, 15oz. He was 19.5 inches tall. We are in the hospital now waiting to be discharged so we can go home and chill. He is breast feeding like a champ and is very hungry and gets very upset if he can't get immediate access to the source of his food.

More to come...

You gotta start them out early! Look out Candace Parker!


For years, my friends and I have had an ongoing debate as to who was better, Michael Jackson or Prince... Zoe weighs in to settle the matter.

- - - - -

Yea, it's been over 2 months since my last post... We've been incredibly busy. So, Zoe is over 2.5 years old! Time really flies.

Since my last post, Barack Obama was elected and inaugurated as the 44th President! We had a small family celebration when we heard the news.

Zoe is doing really well. She loves to draw these days... In fact she is in the other room now drawing and is about to come show me... It was an outline of her hand. Here it is:





If Zoe gets upset and thinks that you are not doing what she wants you to do, she'll say "You're not my best friend anymore"

For a while we were having problems with Zoe and her sleep (yea, I know, what else is new? It seems we've been having this problem since she was born). She sleeps in her own room/bed, but she's been waking up in the middle of the night and coming into our room. When this happens, I wind up getting up and taking her back to her room and having to sit there for a half hour while she calms down and goes back to sleep. At the risk of jinxing us, I'm going to say that I think we've gotten her out of that habit and for the past 5 or 6 nights, she has slept in her own bed the entire night.

We have new neighbors, Jon and Larissa who have 2 sons, Jackson and Fletcher. Zoe worships both of them. They are really sweet kids. They are "boys" in the truest sense but modify their "boyness" to include Zoe when she is around them. The only problem is when it's time to leave... it's always a struggle and I wind up carrying her away kicking and screaming... Jon & Larissa are OK too. ;)

Here are Zoes "best friends in the whole wide world":
Jackson and Flether (Fletcher is in the Batman outfit... keep in mind it's January 30th, NOT Halloween)












Kia is 8 months pregnant with our 2nd child and they are both doing really well. Last night, Kia felt some mild contractions, but they subsided. We can't wait to see who this next kid is and of course find out if its a boy or girl. Because of last nights "scare", we will be spending today getting our stuff packed and ready for the hospital just in case we need to rush out of here.

Well... that is all for now. Perhaps the next entry will be the introduction of our 2nd kid... I wonder what we'll name him/her...

Here are some pictures from Christmas...

Zoe completed this "Little Einsteins" puzzle completely by herself:



Zoe is very stubborn in that she always wants to do things herself. For example, if we are going up the stairs and I attempt to pick her up and carry her up, she'll get real mad and demand to be put down... BUT, not only does she want to be put down, she wants to be put down at the bottom of the stairs so that she can then go back up by herself.
The other day, we were putting together her puzzle and a piece dropped on the floor, I grabbed it and picked it up, but she wanted to do it herself, so I gave her the puzzle piece, and she proceeded to put the piece back on the floor so that she could pick it up herself.

Alright... it's been a while since I've had time to upload pictures, so here are some pics.

A while back (months ago) Zoe helped me put her "big girl bed" together:
Here we are doing a "terrorist jab"












And the finished product: She's only fallen out twice.



We took Zoe to a Pumpkin Patch to pick out a pumpkin:





Zoe was a "Pink Monster" for Halloween (envision her roaring):











Here is Zoe posing with our neighbors (Larissa, John, Fletcher and Jackson):













Trick or treating is hard work:














But the reward is sweet:













And the award for best pumpkin design goes to:

It's hard to tell from the picture, but this was a Barack Obama faced pumpkin.

Last night Barack Obama was elected President!!!

We kept Zoe awake until the announcement and had a small family celebration. Were Kia not pregnant, we would have popped some champagne. He took Virginia, which made me proud. Virginia hadn't voted for a Democrat since 1964!

Halloween was last week, we took Zoe out around the block. She had a great time. She was dressed as a pink monster (pictures are forthcoming). She loved candy. She likes to savor her candy. For example, we gave her a lollipop and it took her over an hour to finish it. She'd just like to walk around with it and ocassionally lick it.

We weighed her, she is 27lbs!

Yesterday, Kia took her out to "ride" her big wheel. Normally this means us pushing her around in it... but this time she figured out how to ride it herself. She was able to peddle and everything! She was so proud of herself.

Zoe has been experiencing some "growing pains" of late. She seems to constantly be getting injured!
- a few weeks ago, she and I were walking Lucky, like we always do, and as we were heading home, she decided to jog. She tripped, fell on her face and split her lip.
- In another incident, she was riding her "car" and fell backwards, hitting her head on the ground. Ouch!
- And just the other day, she got her fingers caught in the door leading into our garage. Very painful. I would have cried had that happened to me!

Zoe can now walk up and down the stairs completely on her own without holding the walls or anything. We still monitor her when she goes up/down, but she can do it.

She likes to talk to the baby. She'll say, "come out of mommy's tummy baby". And she'll tell the baby "I love you".

Speaking of the baby, we have a new sonogram picture. I'll post it asap. It is very active in there. In fact last night it was unusually active in anticipation of Barack being elected president.

Zoe loves to read books. She is now at the point where she'll read by herself. She makes the words up as she goes... they usually start off with "once upon a time..."

More to come... including pictures.

Zoe successfully buttoned her own button!

A few minutes ago, we were putting her to bed as usual. She has expressed interest in buttoning her own button for about a week, but has not been able to.

Tonight, as we were getting her PJs on, we let her try to button her top button on her shirt. It took her a minute, but eventually she was able to button her button! She was soooo proud of herself, she jumped into our arms saying "I did it!!!".

We let her do it again and she was able to reproduce it.

Yay Zoe!

***We are in the process of watching the 1st presidential debate between Obama and McCain. We paused it to put her to bed. Obama seems to be holding his own if not outright winning!

I suppose I need to change the name of this blog, because on or around March 5th, Zoe will have a brother or sister! We found out Kia was pregnant on June 24th, the day before we left for our 2 week trip to DC.

Keeping up one blog is difficult enough, there is no way I am going to create/maintain a second blog for our new child... and... I can't have a Zoe's Blog and NOT have a blog for our new child... so, I'll consolidate. Perhaps, "Birdsong Family Blog" or something.

Here is our new baby. We will find out the gender of the kid as soon as it's born.



On another note, Zoe has started pre-school again. She really loves going to school. She has her favorite teacher "miss Stacey" again.

Her vocabulary and speech are improving rapidly.

She loves to sing, Kia and her sing each night before bed.

I recently tought her, "Hush little Baby". That's our "special" song. Last night, she sung it by herself for the 1st time.

Another bit of big news for Zoe... she moved into a new room with a new "Big Girl Bed". We moved her into the junior suite to make room for the new arrival. She loves her new room and bed. She "helped" me build the bed and was very into it. She always says "Thanks for my new cool bed daddy".

Some current events:

The Olympics were last month:

• Mark Phelps won 8 gold medals in swimming (as I write this, I can't remember if it's Mark Phelps or Mike Phelps or some other Phelps... googling... It's Mike. Hey, it's swimming!)
  
• USA mens team won Gold in Basketball beating Spain in the finals (thanks to Kobe Bryant)

and in Politics:

• Obama beat out Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nominee
  
• Last night, Alaskan Governor Palin (currently VP on McCain ticket) gave her speech at the Republican National Convention. Unfortunately, she was pretty good. She may prove to be a formidable opponent to Obama/Biden.