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Yesterday, Zoe learned about the fun of electronic toys she can use to make noise. She was sitting in her bouncy seat being fairly calm. There is a ring that dangles from a bar across the seat. If you pull it, it plays a short song. Zoe has trouble gripping the ring; she's still learning that opposing her thumbs makes them more useful. However I managed to place her hand on the ring with her thumb in the right position to grip it. She held on. I helped her pull down; the music played. She held onto the ring. In a few moments, she tried pulling herself. The music played again.

This week, we're vacationing in Orlando, Florida. Zoe turned three months old yesterday. What a difference it has made! She's done so many new things in the last week. Some of them have been new experiences, m any developmental advances.

Zoe came with Margaret and Sam to IETF 71 in Philadelphia. We arrived March 8 and Zoe and Margaret left March 15.
Zoe is a great traveling baby. When she's in her baby carrier or car seat, she tends to sleep or be happy. There's a lot more stuff you have to take when you travel with a baby, but we definitely enjoyed traveling with her. That's good because Zoe has an extensive travel schedule this year.
It was great to introduce Zoe to all our IETF friends. We got a picture here.

Sam's parents, Joe and Liz Hartman, came to visit from February 12th to February 19th.

While they were here, we spent most of our time sitting around admiring Zoe, snuggling with her, etc.

We celebrated Valentine's Day together with small gifts and LOTS of pictures. If you've been following Zoe's Pictures page, you've already seen several pictures taken during their visit. We took a trip to LL Bean, where Margaret bought Sam a new winter coat (one of his Christmas presents) and Liz bought some boots. On their last evening here, we all went to Maggiano's for dinner.

[This entry took a while to get out; we've been busy with visits and house projects.]
Today, Zoe went to a pediatric opthamologist for a detailed eye exam. It's not usual for a three-week-old child to need a detailed eye exam. However Sam is blind and was diagnosed with a condition called Peters Anomaly. Zoe clearly is not blind; she is starting to be able to track objects, can see light and the eye exams at the hospital were normal. However Peters Anomaly can express less severely and in some cases if not diagnosed can lead to later problems.

Zoe's second week didn't start out very well... When Zoe was 8 days old (on Thursday, January 31st), Margaret fell down the stairs holding Zoe. Zoe hit her head against the stair rail and got a big goose egg on the back of her head. The next 24 hours were more than a little nerve-wracking as we rushed Zoe to her pediatrician, who sent her down to Children's hospital for a CAT scan, where they kept her overnight for observation... It all came out okay, though, and Zoe is just fine.

We made it home from the hospital today. Margaret and Zoe are sleeping. Everyone is doing well and is tired. Zoe is very good at eating.
We're all taking leave from work. Margaret is taking 12 weeks of maternity leave. Kevin is taking six weeks of leave. I am taking 4 weeks now and 8 weeks after Margaret's maternity leave. The goal is to increase the time Zoe spends with her family before we have to hire someone to provide child care.

Margaret Wasserman, Kevin Wasserman and Sam Hartman are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter Zoe Ann Hartman. Zoe was born weighing 7 pounds 12.9 ounces on January 23 at 6:17 PM. Everyone is doing well. For pictures and more information please see her web page.