Zoe B in 2010

Dear 2 years and 1 month Zoe,

Well, here we are in a new decade. I can't BELIEVE it's 2010. You, oddly, don't seem to care.

December was a crazy, over-the-top Santa Dora Nochebuena reindeer snowperson Christmas extravaganza. I don't know who the hell seriously uses the word extravaganza, but here it really does seem fitting.

You were so completely captured by the magic of Christmas that I almost started believing in Santa Claus again myself. Seeing how entranced you were with it all made me want to kick all of the bah-humbuggers in the balls.



We went to the mall with Liz and Gabby to sort of passively check out Santa Claus. You were totally into the idea that he was there, but of course did not want to sit in his lap. And you kept telling me for days later that you saw Santa and, "I not sit in his lap." Your Dad took you to Blockbuster to pick up some Christmas movies and he said that when you got back in the car you said, "I not see him!" I guess you figured Santa would be at Blockbuster with the Christmas movies. If only, kid. If only.

The best part of Christmas for me was you and how into it you were, but I was also totally over the moon about my family coming into town. Aunt Jess came and stayed an entire week (unheard of!), and Mom, Phil and Colin drove all the way here from Michigan. We all got along swimmingly and no one puked. We had SO.MUCH.FUN. It even snowed. A ton. It really was one of the best Christmases of my life. Cue violins.








Now it's January and it has been RIDICULOUSLY cold (a few days ago it was -2) so we've been home a lot. The big kids were off school for three whole weeks. Let's just say you watched a lot of Dora. But it's cozy and warm in our house and snowy and cold outside, sort of how winter is supposed to be.

You are like a little sponge, Bean. This morning your dad and I were wrestling and being the huge dorks that we are and he pulled my pants down. Of course, I shouted, "Don't!" And you said, "Don't pull-ah Mama's pants down!" I said, "Oh, it's ok, he's just messin' around." Your Dad started tickling you and smoochin' on you later in the day and you said, "Stop it! I don't want to mess around!"

This evening when were driving home from having dinner out with Grandma Jackie and Grandpa Russell we were all singing in the car trying to keep you awake. You were singing You Are My Sunshine and I melted into a puddle on the seat.

You are my shun-shine, my little shun-shine
You make me happy, and skies are great
You'll never know, dear, so much I love you
Please don't take my little shun-shine away

I think I was still ON the seat, just in complete liquid form.

I love you so much it HURTS sometimes, kid. You are my little shun-shine.

Love,
Mama

I KNOW, I KNOW

I know Zoe's letter this month is late. Pretty soon you're all going to start getting on my case about it so I'm going to beat you to the punch.

See, I started this new blog OVER HERE. I'm trying to post every single day, as well as generate READERS. This stuff takes time, so it's been, you know, taking up my time.

I promise I'll get Zoe's super Christmas extravaganza letter up this weekend.

Thanks for your patience.

Christmas 2009 in pictures

CLICK TO ENLARGE

practice for college applications

How the heck is my child old enough to sit and do this?

Happy Birthday, Zoe B!

You're 2 years old, I can't believe it.

Here you are two years ago...


...and one year ago...


...and now! Crazy!



Last night we had your birthday party. We had your grandparents over (minus G'ma Patty, the Michigan Grandma who was busy in the snow up there), a bunch of friends and their kids. You were totally into it - we'd celebrated my birthday last month and I guess you took notes because you knew just what to do. You clapped along as we sang Happy Birthday and you blew your candles out like you'd been doing for at least a decade. I'm glad you're getting the message that birthdays are a big deal. We celebrate the crap out of birthdays in this family, kid.






One of your favorite presents was a box of plastic princess shoes (for the love of God!) from your friend Gabby. They have inspired you to take up tap dancing. See below. [*requires sound*]



In November we took a short little trip to Omaha, Nebraska. I never in my life thought I'd type that sentence. But I wanted a little weekend trip that would get us out of town but without having to go to far and people kept saying Omaha was great, so I decided to give it a try. Who knows, the midwest is full of surprises. And crazy religious people. But that's beside the point.

The zoo in Omaha was actually really pretty incredible. The weather was an astounding 60 degrees and sunny and you were really excited to see all of the animals - your favorite being a tiny little gorilla baby who was being held by one of the zookeepers. He was even wearing a baby diaper. You were VERY intrigued.



You are talking up a storm and you're very articulate. Today Jack came up to your Dad and said, "Zoe can almost say dictionary!"

The other day you were sitting at the table with your little rubber stamps and ink pad and you couldn't get the monkey the right way up and you said, "Oh shoot! What the heck?!?" You have also started saying, "What the?!?" and if someone corrects you (you said Happy Halloween-days instead of Happy Holidays, for example), you say, "Oh, Happy Holidays, that's right!" I knew once you started talking you'd bring the awesome. And boy, do you ever.

And...best of all, you have started to say "I love you, Mama" without me even MAKING you do it! Or even asking nicely. It is the best thing on EARTH. The absolute BEST THING.

I love you, Beanie. You'll never understand how much. Maybe when you have a child of your own...but I doubt it. Because I love you more than anyone has EVER loved anyone or ever will. So take that.

Mama

I CAN COUNT!

23 months and counting....

Dear Zoe B,

Last week you turned the big ole 23 months - I hope you enjoy the last weeks of your 2nd year and prepare yourself for your third. I think it's going to blow your mind. Or at least it will blow mine.

I mentioned in my last post that I thought September would be known as the month you learned to accessorize. If in September you LEARNED to accessorize, in October you took that knowledge and RAN. You don't mess around. You even accessorized the hell out of your Halloween costume.




Speaking of Halloween....I was optimistic early in the month when you graciously agreed to try on several costumes and told me specifically that of the two you tried on (monkey and butterfly) that you preferred the monkey. I became less optimistic when, after purchasing the monkey costume, you refused to put it on and told everyone you were going to be a butterfly. You refused to put the costume on for the Kindermusik Halloween party and then flat out refused to go to Kindermusik at all. My hopes for Halloween began to plummet. But - somehow on the day before Halloween when it was time to go Trick-or-Treating at your Dad's office, it all came together for you. All along the costume just needed something...it wasn't complete and therefore you didn't want to wear it. It needed....flair.




With your pink boots and your mardi gras necklaces and your Hello Kitty sunglasses, the monkey costume was perfect. And you ROCKED IT. And my shy girl TRICK or TREATED! You didn't say anything, but you knew what you were doing and you collected that candy very diligently. I was so proud.

Earlier in the month we went and visited Grandma Patty, Uncle Colin and Sammy in Michigan. I was terrified of the flights because our experience flying with you to NYC in June all but made me take an oath that I'd never fly with anyone under 4 again. But you were like a different kid this time. What a difference 4 months makes in the life of a toddler. You had your own seat and you played with your Dora and Diego sticker books and drank your juice and were an all-around star traveler. Nice work, dude.

You had a great time with your Grandma and Sam and Uncle Colin even built some train tracks with you when he wasn't sleeping or....sleeping. We played outside and went to the pumpkin patch and you helped Grandma make blueberry muffins and took Sam for walks. Holy crap do you love Sam. Just don't get any ideas, we are NOT getting a dog. Never in a hundred million years. Just don't quote me on that because I never thought in a hundred million years your Grandma would get a dog and look at the current state of affairs at HER house. Hmmm.




And in our daily lives we are still enjoying hanging with Grandpa, GabbyYiz, and you are totally enamored with your brother and sister. Not long ago when we were driving to their school to pick them up, you started singing, "Jack and Jo Jo love me!"
I almost crashed into a field of goats it was so cute.

I am, as ever, completely and totally head over heels for you, kid. Don't ever question it.

Love,
Mama

P.S.
I just told you it's time for lunch and you said, "Nooooooo! I don't like food!"

22 ass-kickin months

Dear Zoe B,

You really turned it up a notch this month, kid. Seriously. Look at you.



The other day you were playing around in the living room with your Daddy and all of a sudden you stiffened up and moved your arms slightly and said, "I'm . A. Ro. Bot." That was a moment that I hope I never forget because it was like we had been waiting for you to do something like that without really knowing it. It was like you learned to ride a bike or something. We were practically jumping up and down. Yes, we are that lame. As I'm sure you know.

Since then there have been a few times that you've put up a fight going to bed and you pulled that out of your bag of tricks. You stood up on the bed and did your "I'm a robot" thing and then I'm laughing and you know what that means. That means Zoe takes the lead. Another good one you have in your bag is to be nursing all quietly and peacefully and suddenly put your hand up and go, "High five!"

I think September 09 might go down in history as the month you learned to accessorize. You started wearing hats. All the time. And Band-Aids. All the time. And your "pack pack".



And then...there are the things you say.

"Hold ya" - you say this when you want me to pick you up or if you want me to carry your baby. It's adorable.

We put up our Halloween paintings and one of them is a grave that says "RIP Here Lies Seymour Butts" and you look at it and say "MORE. BUTTS!"

When we tickle your belly and point to your belly button we say "Belly But-tau" like we're French. Don't ask. But, you have adapted this to "Beh Ta Tau!" It almost makes me want to get a French AuPair so we can hear you say more things that sound French. That would be the kind of "going to extremes" thing that made me a bit of a legend in my twenties. But that is neither here nor there.



As always, you are nothing but a pure delight, my little love. Every day is more fun than the last though I never think it's going to be possible.

I sure love you, rascal face.
Mama

21 MONTHS

...and I really am starting to lose track of these months. I have really started saying, "she's almost 2" or "she'll be 2 in December" when people ask Zoe's age.

Dear Dzoy (this is how you say your name),

Last month when I wrote your letter we were in Michigan enjoying summer, which is something that most Kansas Citians can't fathom. This summer happened to be a pretty mild summer in KC, so they lucked out. Still, they were lacking a giant freshwater lake. You had such an amazing time there, I am so glad we were able to go for a whole month.



That said, you were still very glad to get back to your Dada, Jack and Jo-Jo, your Gampa (Grandpa David) and your buddies Gobby (Gabby) and Yiz (Liz). All your toys were like new toys again and SOMEHOW, even at the end of August, the weather decided to be nice to us and mellow the fuck out. I know I shouldn't be swearing in a letter to a toddler, but I really do picture you reading these when you're like 25. I know you'll probably read them before then, but it's not like you won't have heard these words before and you know what? You need to know who I am. As a person, not just as your mother. As a person, I swear. I just do.

You are absolutely, hands-down huge fans of the following things:

1.) The Gee-Gone. This is how you say playground and you.are.obsessed. You love to climb and slide and swing and I have yet to hear you say that you want to go home from the gee-gone. I ask everytime...sometimes even after 2 hours and you always say no, you don't want to go home. Almost everytime we drive or walk away you say, "Gee-Gone! Fun!"

2.) Shoes. You la-la-love shoes. Hello, Mini-Aunt Jess. You put shoes on FIRST THING OUT OF BED. And a lot of times you insist that I also put shoes on. So we hang out in our jammies and shoes for the first hour of the day.

3.) Diego, or "Liego". I don't know how it happened but you are absolutely nuts about Diego the animal rescuer. Elmo used to be your true love but you have forsaken him for a little Hispanic kid who swings on vines in the jungle rescuing animals with his sidekick Baby Jaguar. It seriously CRACKS.ME.UP. You sing, "go liego, go liego, go liego, go liego!"

You also love broccoli, bike-rides, lunchboxes, taking baths, video chatting, playing with your Grandma Jackie's accessories, your play kitchen, your rocking horse and reading books.

The other day when you were tired and ready for bed, I was changing the sheets and you were growing impatient. You started to sort of fake cry and fuss and I kept telling you that we'd go to bed and nurse and snuggle your blankie when I got the bed made. You just kept at it and I finally said, in a very exasperated tone, "Why are you getting so mad!?!" and you looked at me and said, "I laughin'," with a little smirk. "You're laughing, huh?" I said. And you said, "Ha! YEAH!!" Like - I got you, lame-o.
I think you've got my number, kid.



You are SO verbal. You are talking ALL THE TIME, more and more every day. In the middle of the night last night you sat up and said, "Mama, water please." When I gave you the water you said, "Tink yoo." Sometimes when you say "Tink yoo" you go ahead and say "Welcome" right after. I think to save me the trouble. You're so thoughtful that way.

You also have started calling me "mom". I thought I had at least a few years of "Mama", but nope. Sometimes when you're nursing you let go and look up and say, "Hi, Mom." or if you're doing something amazing (which is always), you'll say, "Watch! Mom!"

One of my favorite things you say is "Ready up!" You say this in the morning after we lay in bed a bit and nurse and you're just done with it all and are ready to get up and play. "READY UP!"

I know I'm forgetting all kinds of things - every month this happens. I think of a million things I need to write and then when the time comes I blank out. Looks like you might be putting your old mom in a home sooner than you think, my love. My memory is GOING. That is, unless your Dad's theories actually pan out and medical science finds a way to extend our lives past the 200 year mark. I have yet to be convinced.






In short, you are the light of my life, my sweet girl. Really and truly, I love everything about you. You're rascally and fun and sweet and cuddly and adventurous and daring and funny and light-hearted and just so happy all the time. I hope you are able to find joy and happiness all throughout your life the way that you do now. Unless that joy comes from becoming a right-wing christian conservative nutjob.
Just kidding. Sort of.

I love you, my sweet. Every night before I fall asleep I look forward to waking up to your smiling face.

Love,
Sappy Mama