"Fathering"

We read a nice article in the NYTimes. It resonated with us... particularly with Zoe's daddy. Check it out!

6 months!

Hey everyone,

I'm 6 months old (and a few days)! I think I have mastered the art of giggling. I also love sitting with my feet in the cold water in the sink and playing with Ducky. He's a little tricky to catch but I can use my feet to hold him, better than my hands. Mom think that means that I will be a Kathak dancer since I am so talented with my feet. Anyway... one game that I love is hanging out in the bathroom with my feet in the sink (we call it "Spa time"), playing with Mom in the mirror. It's very confusing and cool the way that I see her playing with that other baby in the mirror and then she comes out of nowhere and kisses me! It makes me giggle. One day, Dad caught us playing this game and tried to video tape it... but I was too distracted by the video.



Also, I am really into big people food items. I never cared before, but now I like cups and spoons and bowls. When Mom and Dad eat, I try to see what they are doing by sticking my fingers in their food and also I think that cups are neat. One day, Mom spilled her juice on me because I pulled on the cup while she was drinking. It was funny. But guess what!? Now I get to eat big people food too. I got a sippy cup and it's more of a toy now, because I still don't know how to drink from it (personally, I still like Mommy's milk best). But the real big news is that I eat rice cereal once a day from a real bowl (sort of) and spoon! And... I like it! I gobble it down. By down... I mean down the front of my bib, but still I like it! Then we have bath time, which is also "spa time" and Ducky and I play while I get clean. Yup... life is good. Check out my videos!

Later!

whew.

Well... it's been a crazy hectic summer. We left NYC, we moved to Bethesda, Md. We went to CA for two weddings, and several other family events. We bought a car and have since learned that a certain person (initials are ZZ) isn't terribly fond of riding in cars. What else? Mom started working. Dad started full-time work in child development and house management, we call it "Zoe Studies 101" (except I think he's graduated to like the 200 series now). In short, we've turned our lives inside out and are still adjusting... sadly that has taken a toll on our blogging frequency :(

So dear readers, in the last few months, here's what we have learned about our little girl...

ZOE LOVES:
* kicking it at the capital,
* sparkly jewelry made by Didun (her grandmother),

* sweet cousins,

* reading,
* making funny faces with Dadu (her grandfather),
* dressing up pretty,
* Ratatouille (the movie caused her to stop feeding... for its entire duration!),
* the ice-cream and cake commercial for Baskin Robbins (go figure! I swear I didn't eat much of either while pregnant!)
* train rides (courtesy of Ninamashi)

Alternatively, ZOE HATES:
* riding in a C-A-R,
* car seats,
* new teeth (or rather, pain from ...)
* not being held or paid attention to ALL THE TIME!!! (thanks, doting people of California... now we are in BIG trouble.)

Hope the pics make up for the long absence. We vow to do better in the near future. As always ;)

busy, busy, busy

Hello everyone,

Mom's kept me very busy the last month or so and plus, there was the growing -- Boy! have I grown! So... I didn't really have the energy left to write or post pictures. I'll play catchup now. First, there was Mother's Day and I really wanted to write because it was my first! (and Mom's first too!)But the computer broke. Now it's ok again. We were all very nice to her-- she got a beautiful handmade earring and necklace set from her own Mother (my Didun) and Daddy made her a cake. It was his first cake ever! Lots of firsts... I guess. Here are some pictures.


Then there was Mom's graduation. I wore a really pretty dress and mom took lots of pictures of me. I loved the bright colors. She wore a funny costume. Some other little boy asked if it was Halloween but since I don't know what Halloween is... all I know is that it means wearing funny clothes. We also had to sit in a pretty room and listen to old, boring people talk. But then there was champagne and strawberries and in the end I got a quilt from Aunt Jen. More bright colors. I like looking at the quilt a lot. It's like a rainbow!



Then we went to Washington D.C. because we had to find a new home. Everyday there was some adventure. My firsts: I rode on a real train! I rode in a car! I left NYC! I think I was a pretty good kid, but sometimes I had to cry for some attention. I felt better once we went for a walk in Bethesda, near our new home, and hung out at the playground. That was my favorite part (but don't tell Daddy-- he thinks I liked the train ride the most.)

I'll try to write again soon, or maybe Mom will write for me if I get too busy drooling or kicking or giggling or smiling (those are my new favorite pastimes.)

Spring!

Last weekend was lovely! We have all been enjoying Spring in Central Park. Here are some more pics of our adventures. Zoë slept through most of it... but enjoyed the sun. Except when it was in her eyes, but that's where the oversized (as yet!) sunglasses come in.
Then we gave Zoë her first "real" bath. I swore never to take, post, share embarrassing naked pictures because sometime late in life they are cute to the parents and mortifying to the kids. But these are too cute. Really? Aren't they? and they are overall tasteful... not even intentionally. So I couldn't resist. Hope that 16-year old Zoë thinks so too! :)

good news!

Dear Friends,

I wanted to share my good news with you. Since I was in my mom's tummy, I managed to confuse and perplex the Drs. At first, it was kind of funny how silly concerned they were about everything... but then it became annoying. I was sick and tired of being poked and prodded. First it was a missing heart chamber (um, at 16 weeks of fetal life... like they know! Ha-- a smarter, heart specialist Dr. figured out I was fine, though. No worries.); then it was a missing kidney; then the kidney was there but smaller and abnormal; then it was there AND normal, but maybe swollen and possibly infected; the kidney specialist said it was fine but to check for reflux...; my pediatrician thought I had a dislocated hip joint... BUT!!! Yesterday, I had both an ultrasound for my hip and a HORRIBLE, mean, pokey type test for my kidney and it turns out... I'm FINE! Both tests said so. I'm a normal baby. Ha. I knew it all along. My mom did also. So did my dad. But they said we had to check anyway.

So not only am I normal, but I'm amazing! I can hold up my head. Mom put me on my tummy for a little while today and I liked it! I didn't let my head flop at all. Nope. For some reason, Mom was very excited about this and made me wait and pose for a picture. Here it is.






So, I celebrated by hanging out with my stuffed animal buddies (picture attached) and eating a lot. It was fun. Though the polar bear scared me a little. I'm better now. Ellie, the elephant, always makes me feel better though. She's really nice and she helped me figure out how to come out 'cause my parents had her in the house before me (I think she's a little jealous of me, though, sometimes.) Anyway, she gets crabby a lot when I cry or if I pee on her spot (Mom calls her territorial and Dad says she's an Alpha something). I told her that she should write her own blog, you know, so she can share all these feelings and not let it make her so upset. We even decided that it would be called "EZ", you know for Ellie Zych but also she'd be talking about her life being not easy, so that's funny. Maybe she'll do it after all. Oh-- she's also a little put off by suddenly having to share her space with all these other stuffed animals-- she calls them 'Little Miss Zoë 's stuffed menagerie'. Oh well...

I need to nap now. Love,
Zoë
p.s. The video is my attempt at telling you all about my day, but I think writing this blog might be easier.

Blue and Gold, Baby!

Make a Smilebox postcard

I found this cool application... still in a trial period. But here's Zoë sporting all the coolest Cal gear. Well, the socks and blankie are a present from Ninamashi, and the hat a handmade gift from Maria, the daffodils a present from nature and ... we're just having fun with the Blue and Gold. Go bears! :) no pressure, Zoë ... really!