Zoe is a huge fan of the bath; if we even mention the word to her, she runs to her room, grabs a towel and diaper, and then makes a dash for the bathroom door. When it comes to towels, her white bunny one is her hands-down favorite – and I just had to share a few recent pictures.
-M
Last year, I wrote about a toy of Zoe’s that went missing for several months. (Just as I had given up hope, the little blue ring turned up.) Well, this past spring we lost something else: a pair of Zoe’s (beloved) pink-and-white butterfly shoes – which you can somewhat see in the March picture below. We took them on a trip to Pop Pop and Safta’s, and they disappeared on our last morning there. We did an extensive search of our room before giving up and deciding that Zoe (who had just developed a habit of taking things and hiding them) probably tossed them in the garbage can or diaper pail.
Fast forward to yesterday morning, when I get a call from Q’s mom. “Guess what I found!” she said – and, sure enough, Zoe’s shoes had popped up (or more accurately, fallen out) when she was going through her closet. (Zoe had hidden them in one of her purses on the floor.) Zoe is long past size-5 shoes, but we’ll definitely hold on to these – if only for a laugh.
-M
I’ve mentioned before that Zoe has never been a big cuddler (she used to emphatically say “no” when asked for a kiss – and, unless tired, she would squirm away from a hug) – but that’s all changed over the past few months. Zoe is now in a very affectionate phase: she’ll often give hugs to me and Q, and if you ask for a little kiss, or “besito,” she usually delivers. (She’s in pre-kiss mode with her dad below.) She’s also prone to sitting and cuddling with us; the past few afternoons, she even dozed off as we snuggled and watched the Olympics together. It goes without saying that we love this side of her!
-M
It’s been such a busy few weeks that we decided to take it easy (or easier than normal, anyway) this weekend. Our time was all about sticking close to home and hanging out with friends: on Sat., Zoe and I went to the local playground and played and shared some snacks with Zander, Miles and their moms. Yesterday, Zoe strolled over to Stern Grove with Q, Dan, Jenny, some out-of-town relatives (Adam, Ellen and Zavi) and their friends to listen to some music. And before doing that, Zoe hosted a little reading circle in her bedroom. She’s still talking about how much fun she had…
-M
The other morning, when I flicked on the television, Zoe pointed to the screen and excitedly said, “Daddy!” Baseball highlights were on, and I wasn’t sure why she was saying Q’s name until she pointed a second time to a player on the field. I realized then that she saw the guy’s baseball cap and assumed – because he so often wears hats – that it was her dad on TV. I couldn’t help but give her a big squeeze (and run to tell Q what had just happened).
-M
Five hours is a long time for a toddler to sit still on a plane, so we have to do a lot to keep Zoe entertained during our trips. (Long gone are my days of leisurely leafing through magazines and watching movies during flights. Sigh.) During our most recent trip, Zoe got to play several rounds of the in-your-ear game with her dad. As you’ll see from the video below, she’s played the game before. And you can also get a feel for her other favorite in-flight activity: eating!
-M
We’re back in California – after a long, fairly uneventful plane trip last evening. Zoe was, again, a real trouper during our travels, and she was in good spirits this morning. (She was pretty excited about seeing Elena and her daycare friends: she kept repeating their names – “Ash-lee,” “Da-ash” – as she got dressed.) Now that we’re home, we have to work on adjusting to the Pacific time zone and finding a home for all the new clothes and toys that (thanks to Safta) filled our suitcases.
We had a great time in Washington, and I’ve posted a few fun pics from our last few days there.
-M
As mentioned below, we’ve been keeping pretty busy since arriving in DC. Here is our first batch of pics.
-M
“Is that a plane I see?”
“I like this seat on the plane.”
“We made it!”
“Mmmm, corn…”
Pop Pop’s birthday card:
“Like my Nationals hat?”
“The baseball game was fun, but the subway is even cooler!”
Playing around with Uncle Gil:
“This lawyer thing is a piece of cake.”
“Choo-choo!”
We arrived in Washington on Fri. night, and we’re all having a good time. Zoe has been having fun hanging out with Pop Pop and “Sasta,” and she’s been doing lots of eating and sleeping. (I’m not sure what time zone Zoe thinks she’s in, but since she’s been napping and sleeping so well at night, I don’t really care!) We head back in a couple of days, and I can’t wait to share our photos.
-M
Zoe learned to say “airplane” last weekend, and it was certainly good timing: we’re hopping on another one today. This time, we’re heading to Washington, DC, where we’ll visit Safta, PopPop and other relatives and friends. I have a feeling Zoe will be kept very, very busy, and we’ll post an update and some photos soon. (For now, here’s another pic from our trip last weekend. I’m sure the shades will make a reappearance in toasty Washington.)
-M
