Category Archives: Zoe

They Grow Up So Fast…

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The tyke had her first day of kindergarten today.

We were watching some home movies the other day, videos from when Zoe was one, two, three years old. It’s amazing to watch these moments from just a few years ago and to see just how much she has grown up. I can still see traces of the baby and the toddler when I look at her, but the kid we sent off to school today is so much more.

The first day of school seems to have gone well. When I asked her what her favorite part of the day might have been, the answer I got was “all of it.” And I’m pretty sure she meant it. The pride on her face when she revealed that today she was the designated door holder was a thing of beauty. I can’t wait to see what other new experiences excite and inspire her in the coming days.

I’m fine. How are you?

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It has been a while since I wrote anything here, but I just wrote a short post for the Cantina blog, so I thought maybe it was time to jot down some stuff here, too.

We just got back from a weekend in dirty, old New Jersey. My grandfather just turned 88.5; my mom has decided that it would be a nice thing to celebrate his semiannual anniversaries. He’s shooting for 90, which seems like a pretty good goal to me. We went down with the tyke to celebrate with the family. The kiddo got to spend some time with her G-ma and we had one of our not-often enough four-generations dinners.

Besides the eight human beings in attendance, there were also four iPads. And I must say, we spent a lot of time jawing about those amazing tablets. I don’t think I ever expected that I would find my mom, or her husband, that interested in a computer. EVAH.

It was also an interesting weekend for us car-wise: we grabbed a MINI Clubman from ZipCar for the trip. I have wanted a MINI ever since I first saw one, perched atop a van on Newbury Street. I don’t know what it is about those little cars. It may be the same thing that drives me to contemplate kidnapping my neighbor’s French Bulldog, Reggie. He’s cute and tough at the same time.

We figured that the best way to figure out if there was any point in going beyond the mere fantasy was to try an extended test drive under real conditions. And it was worth it. The MINI may be small, but the ride was really enjoyable and world’s better than our old Civic or the Subaru we’ve grown to hate too soon. We won’t be getting a MINI soon, unfortunately, but now at least I feel like I can really get one.

In the larger picture, things are going well. My job at Cantina is amazing, largely because I get to work with a crew of super smart, super funny and all around good folks. The tyke is wrapping up her last year of pre-school and the whole family is buzzing a little as we careen towards KINDERGARTEN. Wow, how time flies.

Adventures in Babysitting

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So there, I am sitting on the couch, punching keys on the old MacBook. The kiddo is upstairs, gated into her room, but obviously not asleep (based on the occasional footsteps and bumping). But I’m not concerned, since I know she’ll pass out soon.

Then I hear a little sound. *cough*…*cough*

I bound up the stairs, worried that perhaps my progeny is choking on a small toy or perhaps has strangled herself with the bed linens while trying to act out her fantasy of being a SCUBA diver.

And what do I find when I reach the room? My 2 year old standing at the gate across her threshold, slathered in Aquaphor. Oh my.

The kiddo is covered; her hands look like they’re in gooey mittens. She’s managed to smear the goop all over the gate and there’s some in her hair too. My wife has picked a perfect night to be out.

I grabbed the kiddo and rushed her across to the bathroom to assess the damage. Fortunately, it didn’t appear that she’d eaten any of the stuff and when I asked (fifteen or twenty times) she denied it. Ok, so she’s not going to keel over and I don’t have to call poison control. Whew!

Anyhow, we’re all cleaned up now and she’s finally asleep a mere three hours past bedtime. When I went to check on her a little while ago, she was sleeping on the floor, covered by a tiny quilt from her doll’s crib. And breathing like an angel.