Metaphor

 

Zoe met a little friend at the park today, and as they chased each other holding hands through a gazebo littered with old metro cards, I chatted with the dad.  He gave me the best metaphor for parenting a toddler!  His daughter is 21 months, and I was amazed at how vocal she was-- clear 3 word sentences flowed.  Since Zoe pretty much grabs one word and sticks with it forever, this seems like a tall order to expect from her in the next few months.  (Example: After our recent trip to Michigan, Zoe learned the word "Nana" for her grandma.  She now calls every picture in a book-- photos of family, animals, monsters-- "Nana" with gusto!)  This dad told me how much her language skills have progressed over the past couple of months.  He said he always said having her was like living with a drunk Icelandic person.  Now, he says, it is more like living with a drunk Frenchman.  He doesn't speak any Icelandic, but he speaks a little bit of French.

Currently, we enjoy Zoe's Icelandic nonsense babble, but it will be fun to see the French emerge!  And I think we can all agree when watching her walk, grabbing items out of her hand, and feeding her that the drunken roommate metaphor works perfectly!

On Father's Day....

Confession:  I didn't know what Aaron would be like as a father.

Come on, those of you who knew him-- you didn't know either!  I knew he'd take to it, and I promised him he'd be a fan of the baby.  But I did not know that he would take to being a father, embody it, own it, so that being a dad is so much a part of who he is and who he is going to help Zoe to be.

Here are some things Zoe has learned about fathers, from her father.....

 

* Dad is the one who makes sure everyone has a delicious breakfast, and that mom has her coffee before going to work.  

* Dad is the the one who likes nothing better than napping with a baby on his chest.

* Dad is the one who is never too tired to chase, tickle, and throw!

* Dad is right there in the morning, ready to be greeted with a kiss.

* Dad makes sure dinner is ready and yummy each night, and that we always have new and healthy food.

* Dad is there for the good and the bad, to go to the park, play in the fountain, make a fort or a ball pit, hug and sit on all day.

Zoe gets to learn, from Aaron, that a father is someone to trust and rely on-- much like I did.  She gets to build a relationship that transcends societal norms, to form a bond with her father that will be powerfully strong.  We are so incredibly lucky-- Zoe and I-- that she has such an amazing role model and dad.

Lately

Just some highlights from life, lately...

   

             

The things I miss....

Most days I think I can picture what Zoe and Aaron are up to at a given time.  But every now and then I learn from pictures the things that happen when I'm off at work.  And sometimes those things are rainy day couch forts and ball pits.

Speaking of Friends....

I was lucky enough to get to see many of my closest friends while in Michigan, as well as family.  I started the week throwing a baby shower for my former roommate, Sharon.  Our mutual friend Karen and I found a cute little spot in Detroit, Honor and Folly, and hosted many of Sharon's friends and relatives as she gets ready for her little girl to be born in June.  She's totally an adorable pregnant lady, complete with an adorable nursery that Zoe wanted to break in-- I can't wait to see her become a mom.

 

I remember when my nephew was born, I realized he acted as a real live measuring tape recording how long it had been between visits.  Each time I came home he was a different little person (now, at 11, I feel like he is practically a grown man!).  I love the chance to have Zoe interact with the people closest to me, but I noticed the same is true-- while it doesn't feel like a lot of time has passed between visits, whole giant portions of her life have gone by.

While in Lansing with my parents, I also visited with my friends Kelly and Missy and their children.  I then spent the weekend in Ann Arbor with my three oldest friends, Sage, Sarah, and Gretchen.  Zoe enjoyed chasing around after Sarah's four-year-old son, and petting her twin baby girls as if they were cats.  While she looks so much older than the girls now, we realized they are really all the same age, and I look forward to watching them grow up together, getting older each time we host one of our yearly get togethers.  I am lucky to have a truly amazing group of friends-- I hope she is equally lucky.

 

 

Speaking of home

I always say that home is where I'm not.....

When I'm here in my New York apartment, I'll say "I'm going home for spring break."  When I'm in my parents' house in Lansing, Michigan,  I will say, "I go home on Sunday."

I brought Zoe home to Michigan (by myself-- no husband sitting next to me to pass her to) for a week last week.  We had a great time just being home.  We visited with friends and family.  Zoe got to really bond with her grandparents, clinging to her grandma in my absence when I was gone, and racing around after her 2 year old cousin Connor.  I left her for an overnight for the first time and went to visit with friends, and we both made it without scars from the experience! 

Stylin'

Guess who got Zoe a new hat, a tutu, pink shoes, and some jeggings today?  (Hint- it wasn't me!)

#Zoehasagreatdaddy!