Zoe B, 3 and 1/2

Dear Zoe,

Remember when you were two and a half and you used to say, "I'm Zoe B, 2 and 1/2"? Like it was your credentials? Well, now that you're 3 and 1/2, you don't do that any more because you're practically an adult. More teenager-ish than your 12 year old sister these days, I swear.

The other day I asked Josie to set the table and you flipped out because YOU wanted to set the table (I didn't ask you because the last time you set the table you burned out after you did the napkins and a table with only napkins and plates isn't exactly SET if you know what I mean). Josie, being the agreeable person that she is, handed the plates over to you so you could set the table. But the whole thing was so offensive to you at that point that you no longer wanted to set the table and while I was in the pantry getting out dinner ingredients you opened the pantry door, threw the paper plates at me and walked away.

See? What are you, 14?

You are SO MUCH FUN, though. I know I'm biased, but there has never been a funnier kid than you. No kid has ever been so much fun. Almost everything is fun with you - you just have such a knack for making everything awesome. I'm not surprised or anything because you've been like that since you were born.

One of my favorite things that you do right now is pretend to talk on the phone. You say things like, "Well, Aunt Jessie, I don't know when you're coming here but when you do I'm going to play princess phone with you and then we can twirl and everything BUT (tons of emphasis on the "but") you live in New York and you're there and how's Sophie?" You kill me.




You have also decided that the word "dude" has some sort of negative connotation - probably because of me. I say things like, "Dude! Slow down!" to other drivers and what not. So when Josie and Jack bum you out in some way, you call them dudes. The other day you said to me, "Josie and Jack are dudes because they ate all the popcorn."

Here's a question: what is with all this clothes-changing? You probably change your clothes 7 times a day and that is NOT an exaggeration. I guess it's probably because now all of your clothes are accessible to you and you can dress yourself completely. I'd say about 1/4 of the wardrobe changes are due to potty accidents and the rest are purely for practical or fashion purposes. It's funny. And kind of annoying because with all of this clothes changing and Junie's constant spitting up, we are drowning in laundry. But whatever - you'll only be 3 and a half and maniacally changing your clothes for a short time. I can live with it. I know someday I'll be wishing you were still little and changing your clothes 40 times a day instead of all grown up and too cool for me.

Speaking of Junie, you are such a good big sister. You love her so much - you love to make her smile and I can tell you're very excited for her to grow up a little so you guys can play. When we wake up in the morning, you're usually much more excited to see her than you are to see me. You have had a few episodes of blaming something on having a baby sister, but that's mostly stopped and I know you didn't really feel that way. Well, maybe you did for five minutes. But I know you know Junie is a little sweetie pie and that you'll be BFFs soon.




Guess what? I love you TO PIECES. You're magic, Zoe B. You really are.

Love,
Mama

Move Your Body

guess who's a big sister?

Zoe B is a big sister!

Juniper Elizabeth was born on March 28, 2011 (also big sister Josie's birthday!) at 2:13am. She weighed 9lbs 13oz. and was 21 inches long.

Of course, Zoe B is ROCKING this big sister thing. She loves Junie and can't wait to teach her all of her tricks.





Here she is with her BFF Gabby - they're both big sisters now!

Dear Zoe

Dear Zoe,

God I SUCK at this lately. When you were a baby it was so much easier...we weren't so busy and I had tons of time to sit and blog about how you were growing. Now, we are on the move all! the! time! it seems and the longer I go the more I know I should write and then it all becomes very overwhelming.

You are a very big girl. Which makes me want to curl up in the corner and sob sometimes because I can't believe how fast you've grown, but in other ways it's so much fun to be able to do all kinds of new things with you. It's so fun to pick you up from Grandpa David's and say, "Let's go get root beer floats!" and have you say, "Great idea!" It's awesome, for instance, that you are big enough to grab my car keys, open your automatic car door and go get your Barbie phone out of the car by yourself. By yourself! It's awesome that you say funny things like, "Let's go, turds!" when it's time to get in the car.




You are very independent most of the time - when you want to be. When you don't want to be, well...watch out. You have been known to get right in my face and say things like "I want milk RIGHT NOW and I'M NOT WAITING." Hmmm.....

Every time I say something about you being bossy, your dad says, "Weird, I wonder where she gets it?" The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, kid, and you come from quite a line-up of bossy broads. Your Aunt Mary Ann told me recently that someone told her she seemed like the kind of person that likes to try and control everything - to which she responded, "And there's something wrong with that?" I say go with it.

You are overall SUCH a happy kid. I LOVE how happy you are - and it's contagious. In February we spent a week in Detroit with Grandma Patty, Aunt Jess and our Bauer family because our Aunt Barb passed away. It was a really sad time for all us but having you there made it all so much easier. You were like a little ray of light.




I have to mention this love/hate relationship you have with people in costumes - like mascots. You hated Chuck E. Cheese but you love the dog mascot outside of PetCo waving at cars. You really hated the timberwolf and dog mascots at Jack's school carnival, but you somehow found this video on the internet of a person dressed as bigfoot parading through New York City that you love to watch. You talk about them all the time - how they are just people under there and how they are NOT coming to our house. I guess I get it, when I went to Alaska I was terrified of grizzly bears but I couldn't put down this book called Alaskan Bear Tales.

Right now we are waiting for a new baby to join our family. You are very excited. You keep saying, "when our baby comes I'm going to teach her _______". It's very cute. I really think you'll do great and you'll be a much better big sister than I was in the beginning. You have been very sweet to me as I've gotten bigger and bigger and less able to do fun stuff. I think the big sister role will come quite naturally to you.

We are also gearing up for Aunt Jessie's wedding in September. You want to be the flower girl and so you're planning what dress you'll wear. Every week or so it changes and you pick out some dress you already have and declare that to be your dress. I imagine we'll have a lot of fun picking out the real dress you'll wear.




You are also VERY excited to start preschool in the fall. You talk about how you'll learn all kinds of things in preschool and how you'll have one teacher just like Jack has one teacher. I can't believe you're old enough now to start preschool - arrgghhh! HOW IS IT POSSIBLE?

I love you so much, my sweet bean. Sometimes I just look at you and marvel at how much joy you've brought to all of us. I am so blessed to have you in my life. I know you'll read this someday and roll your eyes because your mom's a huge sappy loser, but it's all true so you can just ... stick that up your butt and blow it out.

Smooches,
Mama

p.s.
Here's a photo of you and your dad bowling. Check out your stance - sass!

A Letter from Grandma Patty

Dear Zoe,

It’s been 8 days since I kissed your little face goodbye at the airport. We were both sad because we knew that we would miss each other. I really wish we lived closer together too. Someday I hope to have so much time off that I can go to your house whenever I want to and stay as long as I want; and of course you’ll keep coming to see me in the summer for a month or more.




We are having a big snowstorm here; it has snowed all week long, a little bit each day, but now it’s going to be really deep. Tonight, Sam loved it outside and wouldn’t come in. He was covered in snow and looked like a white dog when I finally got him inside the house.

Are you enjoying all your new toys? You got some great gifts. I am enjoying my gifts also, but my best present was being with you and your wonderful family. I loved being on the carousel with you; wasn’t that a beautiful panda that you rode?! I really like to go to the playground with you; it’s nice to have that so close to your house. Are you still playing the Kai Lan Super Game Day on the Wii? You are really good at that. I bet Josie and Jack play with you too.




Is Momma’s belly getting even bigger? It won’t be that long before you’ll have a new baby at your house and you will be the big sister. I’m sure that will be exciting. I will come and play with you and help your Momma when she needs me. So, look for me in March or maybe sooner.




I’d give anything to send this letter through the mail slot on your pink house.

All my love, and kisses and hugs.

Gramma Patty

1/7/11

(68 years ago tomorrow my mom and dad were married)

the awesome things you say

Last night when your dad and I were headed out for dinner, Grandpa said, "Where are you guys going?" and you said, "...out to shake your butts?"

You had your friend Helen over and you guys were finished playing play-doh. I said, "You need to clean it up now." You put your hands on your hips and said, "Helen will." and walked away.

A while back you said, "I want to go outside now. Mama, tell my cereal I'm done eating it."

I said, "Zoe, I love you," and you said, "Me, too, but I'm sorry I just don't like you."

Zoe B, 3

Ah, it's been way too long. Life has been NUTS around here.

Beginning in November, we had a lot of visitors and LOTS of action. Aunt Jess surprised me for my birthday (and you!), which ruled.



Then, we found out you're going to have a little sister. I am SO excited for you (and for all of us)! I hope having a little sister turns out to be as fun for you has it has been for me. I bet you'll be a lot easier on your little sister than I was on mine, too.



For Thanksgiving, we went to Branson again with Grandma Jackie, Grandpa Russell, Uncle Mark, Aunt Jill, Caitie, Sophie and Dominic. You had THE GREATEST time. You are a total Sophie groupie and was so excited to be staying in a hotel with her. You woke up every morning and said, "Where's Sophie? Can we go to her room?"

While in Branson, we went to Silver Dollar City and you rode your first real rides. You went on the teacups, the elephant ride and the haunted mine. You were all over it. Here you are with your handsome daddy on the elephants.



Next comes the best part, your BIRTHDAY. You had been talking about your birthday since...um, September? "When I turn into 3, I'm going to get a pink house." Some neighbors up the street had a pink playhouse on their driveway that you thought was the bee's knees. So, we had a lot of buildup. Pink house mania was reaching fever pitch. God, I'm glad Aunt Jess was here for the first week of pink-house ownership because she plays anything you want all the time so you were in heaven.




We had your birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese, which turned out to be both awesome and horrible. The first half was awesome - you were so excited, you played games with your friends and then...it went to shit. A person dressed up in a Chuck E. Cheese costume came out to your birthday table and scared the crap out of you and continued to scare the crap out of you for the following few weeks (well, the memory of him did). Hell, it's January 17 as I type this and every now and then you still mention how much you don't like Chuckie.


I'm so far behind this is going to have to be a two-parter. I'll go ahead and post this to get your Grandpa David off my back and then I'll come back and work on part 2 - St. Louis and Christmas!

Zoe B, teenager

Dear Zoe,

I think I am getting a REALLY good feel for what life will be like when you are a teenager. At a little shy of 3, you are already rolling your eyes at me, sighing in disgust, and have gone in the bedroom and slammed the door. LOUD. You even talk on your princess cell phone and say things like, "No, Kendall, I DON'T want to go to your sleepover."

I have to say, I find it hilarious. I have to try HARD not to laugh when you throw a big fit and you say, "I'M MAD! LOOK AT MY FACE!" Because you're just so cute and funny no matter what you're doing.




Now that you're about to "turn into 3" (as you say), you are really zero-ing in on the upcoming dates of Halloween and your birthday. Here's a conversation we have at least once a week these days:

Zoe: "Mama, there's that pink house I am going to get for my birthday!" (a family up the street has a pink playhouse in their driveway and you are in LOVE with it)
Me: "When is your birthday?"
Zoe: "On Becember 6th and I'm going to turn into 3. And Jack is 7 and Josie is 11 and what's your number, Mom?"
Me: "34."
Zoe: "...and what's Dada's?"
Me: "38."
Zoe: "Oh. Well I'm going to get that pink house for my birthday."

You are going to be Snow White for Halloween. You were CONVINCED you wanted to be Cinderella but the costume we ordered was too big and you couldn't walk in it. There wasn't a smaller size so I asked you what we should do. I was ready for you to MELT because you had been talking about being Cinderella for about a month. But you just said, "I'm going to be Snow White!" Way to roll with it, kid! And I think you're going to be the best, cutest Snow White ever. Grandma Patty is fixing up the costume as we speak and she's going to mail it to us any day now.

Trick or Treat SMELL MY FEET is something you think is awesome and say constantly. I hope you actually say that at people's doors because that would RULE.

Like I mentioned earlier, you are starting to really act like a teenager/3 year old (who knew those two age groups display such similar behavior? Probably everyone but me). You have big fits now if things aren't going JUST the way you want them to or I don't let you do everything yourself, OR if I don't do what you tell me to do. I can sympathize, kid, it's hard. I still try all the time at 34 to make people do what I want. Only I've (somehow) figured out how not to throw myself on the ground every time I don't succeed. Maybe that's what you should focus on.




You are still, of course, absolutely smitten with your brother and sister. On the weekend in the morning, you wake up and rush downstairs and say to Jack,"Dude. Let's play Mario." You seem to be finally big enough to do what they do (although I don't know how you could possibly play Super Mario Galaxy, I can't even play that game) and you LOVE it.

I can't CAN'T believe that you're going to be 3 in a little over a month. One might think I don't understand how time works, and I guess I don't. Though I can't at all remember my life without you in it, I also still think of you as my little baby girl and can't accept that you're growing up so fast. Please stay little a bit longer, my sweet. PLEASE.

I love you,
Mama

Michigan 2010 by Grandma Patty

Dear Zoe,

Paradise isn’t just a beautiful village in the upper peninsula of Northern Michigan; it’s four weeks of the summer with you Zoe B and all those you love. Nirvana would be 8 weeks, but you don’t have to think about that because you are always in that sweet place.



Zoe, you are so good and sweet at being 2 1/2 years old. You seem much older than that. What an aura of contentment you have. That means you seem to be happy and at ease most all the time. To wake up and laugh first thing in the morning, Zoe you make my heart sing. I can imagine waking up every morning and hearing your voice; it would be the best way to start my day. It’s not just a doting Grandma speaking; it is beauty, warmth, fun and laughter. It makes my home have a special sheen, kind of like when a baby is born in your bedroom. Do you remember Chelsea when Jessie was born? It was golden light.

Sam and Tansy, the furry friends who live here, were your delight as you meandered out to the kitchen. They were happy to wait as you filled their bowls and laughed and admired them twirling around your legs. I suspect Sam’s recent lack of enthusiasm for his same-old-kibble may be related to your absence. But I really think he misses how much you threw the ball for him. I miss your help with him too. He NEVER wants to stop playing ball.



One of the true gifts of getting older is how much I appreciate the things that I love; being with my babies is what I love. So you non-sentimental folks, just switch to youtube and be done with me.
Going to the beach is what we do in Michigan in the summer. The waves are as big as an ocean; the water isn’t salty and this year the great lakes are warmer than ever. The water is clear and the bottom isn’t mucky or rocky. The beach is wide and the sand is close to white and pretty fine. We hang there and build castles, run in the streams formed by odd wind changes eat, drink, swim, bury ourselves and pretend we’re whatever we want to be. Mostly we are in love with life. Chelsea reminds me that I’m never allowed to leave northern Michigan; she rails about the weather in Kansas and generally remembers why she loved growing up in northern Michigan.

This year you had not one, but two tubing adventures on the Platte River. Zoe, you are now a solo tuber. Your momma thought for sure that you’d want to share a tube with her on your first cruise down the river; but no, she wound up swimming or walking so you could have it to yourself. You even had a little snooze in your tube at the end of the trip. Way to recreate Zoe. On the second trip you were a regular tube master. Ten of us on the river: Colin, Jess, Aaron, Michael, Brian, Kieran, Eileen momma and me. You are now an experienced squirt gunner as well. Girl you amaze me. That would have been the ultimate perfect summer day if the 50 million flies hadn’t waited for us at the mouth of Lake Michigan. But we made it to the cars and saved the day!


It was really great to have Josie and Jack for two weeks of the time you were in Michigan. Remember how much fun you three had running on the trampoline at Torch Lake. I have such great pictures of that day. Who cares if it rains, right? You are very fortunate to have such a great brother and sister.



Zoe B what a great sail we had on Phil’s boat this summer. You were so brave to jump into your momma’s ever loving arms into the deep water. Life jacket required of course. Aunt Jess twirled you around in the water for your usual best friend good time. Poor J.J. was broken heart-hearted to leave you again.





I was saved from heart-sickness by the fact that I’m going to see you again this month in Chicago. And I can’t wait!

You surprised me with how often you seem to be thinking about what is going on around you and then talking about it. One day you said, “ Remember grandma when I didn’t want to hold your hand in the parking lot and I cried and cried. And then we saw that pig walking down the street and we laughed and laughed.” I can’t imagine forgetting that. Nobody’s that smart at 2 ½.

Your little green swing on my deck is really empty without you Zoe. Oh how I love to push you up in the swing, up in the sky so blue. I do think it is the pleasantest thing ever a grandma can do.

I don’t think we blew enough bubbles, did we? I’m sure we didn’t eat near enough ice cream. And I’ll always read you one more book. So I’m bringing some with me and we’ll head out for vanilla with sprinkles. See you soon my sweetest angel.

I Love you. Grandma Patty

September 2010

Dear Zoe B,

I know I have been completely negligent about updating this website. Your Grandpa David is about to ex-communicate me from the family. He's one of your absolute biggest fans, Zoe B, and that makes you a very lucky girl. It's just so much happens and the longer I go, well you know...the harder it gets to keep things updated.

We had a GREAT summer. Michigan was perfect and you absolutely loved being at your Grandma Patty's house for a whole month. Dogs and cats and beaches and boats and tubing and ice cream almost every single day.

Your Grandma's going to write a letter for you about your trip, so I won't say anything more about your awesome Michigan summer.


Let's talk about what a big girl you are, shall we?

"My birthday is on Becember 6th and I'm going to turn into three."

THREE?



You are very into playing with your doctor kit lately. You actually didn't even have one, but your Grandpa Russell and Grandma Jackie took you on a date to the mall and one of the things you came home with was a Dora Goes to the Doctor book (you also came home with the most fabulous stuffed Owl named Miss Hoots who is very well accessorized indeed). After reading this book 100 times, you started walking around banging the hell out of everyone's knees with your version of a reflex hammer which happened to be a wooden toy hammer.

So - off your Dad went to Target to get you a Dr. kit with a hammer that might leave all of our knees in better shape. We play A LOT of doctor around here. Someone always needs a shot or has a broken arm. You're still a little rough with the hammer, but you'll learn.

You have gotten kind of hard to photograph - well, photograph well I should say. You put on this ridiculous smile that is such a far cry from your real smile that I can't even take the picture without laughing.

I'm going to make that a goal this fall - to get out the good camera and try and get some good shots of you. It's good to have goals, even if you never meet them. http://m.npr.org/story/129528196

I love you, my sweet angel baby.

Mama