Dear Zoe B

Dear "I Do It MYself" Zoe B,

Holy crap you're almost 2 and 1/2! Just typing that makes me want to smash my head into my keyboard and sob. I can't believe you are growing up so fast. PLEASE. STOP. For the love of god, kid. Stop growing so fast.

Still, you are more and more marvelous every day, which I guess has to be possible because it is happening before my very eyes. Life is magic. Never forget that.

We are just about to start the process of weaning. My breastfeeding goal was 2 years and you're almost 2.5, so I think we win. Plus, I think you're ready because you are getting so independent it's absurd. You want to do EVERYTHING by yourself, including drive the car. You're nothing if not ambitious. I figure if you think you can drive a car on your own, you can figure out how to fall asleep without nursing first.

You're only nursing at sleep times now, so I think it'll be fairly easy (probably harder on me than you). I have promised you a "big girl party" and you're very excited about that idea. Cupcakes at a park? You're IN. You have made that very clear.




One of my favorite things that you're doing right now happens when you see something that surprises you (like a field of cows or an ice cream store). You wrinkle up your nose and open your mouth WIDE and then say, "THAT IS SO COOOOOL!!" You look at me like, "Are you seein' this shit??"

The other big favorite these days is when you say, "this pencil is just perfect," when you get a pencil out, or "my little blankie is just perfect." I'll tell you what's just perfect, my little bean, and it's not that pencil.

You love to play outside and especially at the playground, where you are an adept little monkey climber. You get there, walk up to the slide or climbing wall, remove your shoes and get to work. It's pretty impressive.




You are a little ray of light in everyone's life. Jack and Josie are always thrilled to see you when they come back from their mom's, your Dad's eyes brighten when he walks in the door from work. I recently read a blog post that was full of amazing insight. My favorite bit was this:

"We don't have children - adopt them or give birth to them or summon them by stork - as a favor to them. They come to us as a favor to us. They are a gift to us. They rescue us."

That is exactly how I feel. You have been a gift to me, a favor to me, you have rescued me. And I am so lucky. And forever grateful.

I love you, my sweet angel baby,
Mama

Chicago, Detroit road trip

I AM ZOE B

Me: "You are so lucky."

Zoe: "No! I'm not lucky!"

Me: "Why not?"

Zoe: "Because I. AM. ZOE B!"

Dear jet-setting Zoe

Just LOOK at you, kid!

In February we went to Florida with Grandma Patty, and this month we went to see Grandma Jackie and Grandpa Russell in Arizona. You are quite the jet-setter.

We have been so busy that I've hardly had time to write on this website and my Dear Zoe letter is later than EVER (well, ridiculously late if you consider Grandma Patty wrote last month's).

You had a FABULOUS time in Arizona. You spent lots of time with your brother and sister and you were especially glued to your cousin Sophie. You'd wake up in the morning and say, "Is Soph awake?"








You had a great time in the pool engaging in all sorts of shenanigans with the big kids. You are definitely one of the big kids now, dude. Weird.

This month you have started the "but why?"only it's not annoying, it's totally cute. You kind of pucker up your lips and say, "but why?" like you will never be able to comprehend why it's not such a great idea to sit on the edge of your learning tower and try to turn on the faucet with your feet.

Your dad occasionally says "ma'am" to you and your sister...he'll say, "thank you, ma'am" or "of course, ma'am." Naturally you have picked this up, too. I told you to get in the car the other day and you said, "Well ok, MA'AM!"

You're sleeping in your big girl bed like a champ and you're down to nursing just at sleep times and you're rollin' with that better than I ever thought you would. You're so grown up, Zoe B!

I love you, my sweet bean. So much. More every single day.

Mama

shazam!

Destin, Florida, with Grandma P

A letter from Grandma Patty.

Dear Zoe B,

I had so much fun with you in Florida. It all started when you ran to greet me as I got off the plane in Memphis. I didn’t realize that you would be meeting my plane. And there you were smiling and happy to hug me. What a welcome that was for me. Your Mom was right behind you smiling so wide. She is so very proud of you. It is such a joy to see how much she loves you.

It was so good of you to share the painting of those pretty ponies; and then to be able to do it again and again. I had never seen such cool “paper dolls”, (that’s what we called them when your Mom and I were younger). The magnets make it easy and cool. I like how we gave those girls a swing in your new shoes. Do you remember?

I’m enclosing some pictures so that you can remember some of our adventures in Florida. The sand was so white that you at first would call it snow. Pretty soon you realized that it was only the same color, but we made some sand angels anyway. Our hotel was so close to the playground on the beach. That was a neat surprise. We had lots of fun there, even after it rained that one day. Remember we couldn’t slide inside that big dog because of all the water? Here are some pictures of us at that very spot, including inside eating lunch.






You really had a good time with your beach ball even when we were inside our hotel. Do you remember that? Your Mom got some great exercise chasing that ball on the windiest day.



Seeing the dolphins in Destin Bay when we were eating dinner that first night was a grand surprise. We knew then that we would have to take the dolphin cruise in Destin Bay. That was a beautiful trip; the late afternoon sun made everything glimmer. I learned a great deal and I appreciated the trip into Choctawhatchee Bay. You got to select a prize from the treasure chest. How has your crabbie adjusted to the weather in Kansas? I’ll bet that she’s happy as long as she’s with you.



I almost forgot about the train ride in Destin Commons and dinner at Zoe’s Kitchen. We were the only ones on the train. Wasn’t that great?

I’m so glad I got to ride with you on the plane to Memphis, but sorry to have to dash off so quickly to my next plane.

You are such a joy my sweet Zoe B. I can’t wait to see you again soon. I love you so!

I’ll be seeing you on video chat.

Your Adoring Gramma Patty.

Today it was a balmy 45! So we went to the park.

a snow adventure

An Email from Grandma Jackie

Dear Zoe,

What have you been playing today? Did it snow some more? It is a pretty day here in Fountain Hills. The birds are happy and chirping. Have you played your piano today? I found a picture of Josie sitting at the black piano that's in our playroom in Lawrence. She is probably a little bit older than you in the picture and she isn't wearing a shirt. She used to get pretty hot when she was little so she would remove her top!

In three days Grandpa Russ and I are getting on an airplane and flying back to Kansas. We will see if you can come visit us while we are home. We miss you and all of your family. See you soon.


Love,
Grandma Jackie

February 2010

Dear Zoe,

I am so proud of you. I got you some snowpants in the fall because playing in the snow is one of life's greatest pleasures as a child. I made the mistake of trying to get you to put them on when you were on the crabby side one day and you decided that snowpants suck. In some ways I guess they do, but without them you are LOST.

Michael Holloway sent me a cartoon about this very thing:



Anyway, you refused to wear the snowpants for quite some time. I would try and get you to come out with me and Josie and Jack but you would stand in the doorway and freak out because you wanted to come out but would not put your snowpants on.

Somehow, I convinced you to put them on (this probably involved bribery - but I'm not above the stuff) and voila! You LOVE them. You even wear them inside the house sometimes. I don't care so much about that - however I do care that we played outside in the snow the other day for HOURS. We built a snowperson (that is what we call them in this family - don't even try for 'snowman'), we made snow angels and did some sledding. You were in total snow heaven with your tiny little snowpants on.








In other news, you have picked up some hilarious phrases. You say things like, "Oh my god! That's weird." and "It's probly in my room." When I asked you when something will happen you usually say, "At 2:45."

We frequently have exchanges like this:

You: "Mama, you want my 'nana?" (banana)
Me: "No, thanks."
You: "You HAVE TO WANT IT."

That is so Bauer-Greene. We love to try and MAKE people want things they may or may not want. It is TOTALLY FUTILE, but it's sort of fun to try. So keep it up, it makes me laugh.

When your uncle Colin was little and nursing he used to say, "Nurse-side other side" when he wanted to switch sides. You used to say, "Lulla bit, please." (for 'other breast, please - I think) Then you started saying, "Other switch, please." Now you hilariously just say, "I want THAT ONE" or "That side please!" It's cute and you're always very polite.

You have gotten very into watching TV, which has its advantages and disadvantages, obviously. You watch Dora and Kai-Lan so you are learning words in Spanish and Chinese. I can help you with the Spanish, but the Chinese is lost on me. Grandpa in Chinese is "Ye Ye" - which sounds remarkably similar to Lil Jon saying "YEAH!" (if you don't know what I'm talking about, google it - you'll understand). I'm only going to be steering you in the wrong direction, my love, and for that I apologize.

You don't seem to understand that you can't just watch TV all the time or whenever you want. If I say no, you absolutely lose it and scream, "BUT I WANT MY KAI-LAN!"

It's adorable how you say "my Kai-Lan" - you do that for everyone else in your life, too. You say, "I'm going to play with my friend, Josie" or "I'm going to see my Layna" or "I want to bid-chat my Aunt Jess!" (I want to video chat). There just has never been anything more endearing. Well, maybe there has, since almost everything you do is endearing, but this has to be up there.

You are very independent, Zoe B. "I do it MYself!" is something I hear a lot of these days. Emphasis on the MY in myself. If you want me to do it for you, you'll say "You do it. You do it YOURself."


I love you, sweet pea. You are the BOMB DIGGITY. (I know, I'm lame. Sorry.)

Love,
Mama