Monday, December 29, 2008

Dear Zoe from Aunt Jess

Dear Zoe,
I am sitting in the Chicago Airport waiting for my plane back to New York and it is soooo early, but I am doing a lot of thinking of you! I had the BEST TIME hanging out with you in TC for Christmas. I only really got to see you for 2 full days and I always, always wish it was more time. You have changed so significantly since the last time I saw you. First of all, this was my introduction to "crawling and standing Zoe" and man are you so adorable. You zoom around the room and pull yourself up to stand by the fireplace or the ottoman. Then you play with whatever is there and you have little chippering conversations which leads me to believe that you know how to talk, but you've just created your own language and as we are not as smart as you we will have to spend some time learning it.



You are now completely interacting with your surroundings and the people in it. You have just recently learned to shrug your shoulders and let me tell you, my head just about exploded when I saw you do that because it is UNREAL how endearing it is. We shrug our shoulders and you copy us doing it, cut to you doing it again, and again and again. MAGIC! You also have a modified version up your sleeve of a one shoulder shrug that looks like the most pure adorable coyness of all time and space.

You are also so very occupied by the stairs, you like to climb up them and slide down on your belly which is completely and unequivocally hilarious because you are so small and awesome. We did this TONS together and had the best time, you smile and laugh and do your nose scrunch and then I melt into a puddle on the floor. Did I also tell you that you are probably the smartest person to have ever lived? Well, it's true. You love electronics and your Great Aunt Eileen and I are sure that you could take pictures with Grammy's new camera if only we would let you. And let's not even talk about how much you wish you could make out with computers, you find them to be the bees knees as it were. You have the cutest little neck move when you are REALLY interested in something - you extend your neck out and drop your head like a little turtle so you can get a REALLY GOOD LOOK at that digital camera screen.




Your dancing shall be hailed internationally as one of the wonders of the world. You got skillz girl, for real. You can dance standing up, sitting down, in the car seat, laying down. Step it up and ZO! AND, you have discovered how to give kisses and you even freestyled blowing a kiss to your mom when you and I were kicking it on the mall carousel. I got as many kisses as possible and I think I have contracted your baby cold from all the smooches, but do I care? No. No I don't, I would rather get Zoe kisses than have my health. It's like that. POW!

All in all, you are my favorite person on this planet and I am so grateful for the time I get to hang out with you best friend. Your tiny laugh is definitely the whole reason for human existence. I can't wait to see what you'll be up to next time I see you — maybe you'll be walking? Maybe you'll be doing a little talking? I do know this — whatever you next pull out of your bag of tricks next will be a show stopper and will BLOW. MY. MIND.



Love,
Aunt Jess

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Big kid!

Zoe's turned into such a KID! I guess that's what happens when I let weeks go by without updating this blog.

I'm pretty sure only KIDS decide they'd rather climb ON the dollhouse, rather than play with it the traditional way.



She has also become very interested in imitating her siblings. Josie taught her how to rev her little bike. See below - watch her little hand on her handlebar when they stop.




She is getting to be a pro at standing up unassisted. She has taken ONE step so I'm sure she's not far fromt his walking business.



She has also learned to shrug her shoulders, which is ridiculously cute. She does it quite a lot - which makes us think she's just not sure about anything, really. She just has to get the "mmm...I dunno" expression down.



Zoe and I leave for Traverse City tomorrow after lunch. The big kids go back to their mom's after they open Santa presents here and we jet off for the frozen north. Merry Christmas!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

How she naps

Zoe has been impossible to get to sleep lately, so I broke out the mei
tai and with some soothing music and a few laps around the kitchen,
she's out.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Sledding!

I took Zoe out in her new sled today. The temp rose about 10 degrees, so I figured we could safely venture out to get the mail. I bundled her up and we went up to the mailbox and slid around the cul-de-sac a few times and I thought we could call it good. No, ma'am. The minute I reached down to get her out of the sled she arched her back and screamed and screamed. So, more sledding it was!

I can't wait til we get to Traverse City where they have 3 feet of snow. She's going to love it.

Monday, December 15, 2008

First Haircut

Zoe got her first haircut today. I agonized over this decision because I didn't want to commit to her having bangs, but then I felt like kind of an ass for making her crawl around and play with hair in her eyes all the time (of course she pulls every hair-holding device out within minutes).

The stylist was great and the place was the hair salon version of Chuck E. Cheese. I can't say she thought it was fun, but at least she didn't cry.



And look how cute she looks!



Saturday, December 6, 2008

FIRST BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA!

Zoe B is 1 year old! Hooray!

Here she is demolishing her cake.









Friday, December 5, 2008

Thursday, December 4, 2008

exactly ONE year ago

So ready for my baby!

In from the frigid cold...

And shopping for tires with Grandpa.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008