Rain is Bad

With the rain we have been having, Zoe has been cooped up indoors. Zoe does not approve of being cooped up for days on end and lets us know that we need to change the weather quickly or do a much better job of amusing her. If we fail at either of these tasks Zoe lets us know with withering looks, a heightened level of surliness, and bubbles of discontent.


Zoe has developed an affinity for teddy bears and singing and dancing teddy bears in particular.


This will keep her happy, at least momentarily. Teddy bears in combination with the swing will occasionally get her to doze off, a welcome treat for her parents. She does like to keep us guessing by pretending to be asleep only to pop open her eyes as we try to sneak away from her crib - a nascent version of peek-a-boo perhaps.

Zoe wants a snack

I will be returning to work in less than three weeks, so the pressure to get Zoe to take a bottle is building. While I have become very adept at the bait and switch method, this is not a workable solution for Max. However, Max has come up with his own method of feeding Zoe. While it might be a little lacking in finesse, it will do wonders for getting rid of any residual sympathy weight.

The Maxie Method for Feeding Zoe
1) Prop Zoe up on the couch and wedge her upright between cushions/pillows
2) Proceed to dance in front of her while singing the Blue Monkey or Daddy Dance Song

3) Wave left hand in front of her face as a further distraction
4) Take pre-warmed bottle in right hand and put in her mouth when she starts to smile

5) Increase volume of song, speed of hand waving as needed

Although a bit labor intensive, Zoe will take a bottle this way.

Key to Happiness

Zoe has decided to test the relative strength of her parents. I think she decided on this because Max has a cold and she can sense weakness. The Zoe plan entailed forgoing all naps, turning red, and crying at decibel breaking levels until she got what she wanted. As she doesn't speak we are left to quickly go through all the possibilities and permutations until we stumble upon the Key to Zoe Happiness. The Key to Zoe Happiness includes, but is not limited to -

1) being held over the shoulder (with or without spinning/rocking)
2) being held in front facing outwards (again with or without spinning/rocking)
3) playing with Blue Monkey (i.e. one parent jiggling Blue Monkey while singing the Blue Monkey song
Blue Monkey is the best monkey,
He loves his little Zo-o-e,
Little Zoe is the best baby,
She loves her little Blue Monkey
(repeat)
4) standing within 6 inches of her face while smiling maniacally and saying "Abuga buga buga" over and over again (Max has this down very well) or "Poo-chi poo-chi yo, yamo, yama yo" over and over again (Kenji's version)
5) going into the swing (usually with one or both parents in front of her dancing and singing to amuse her)
6) nursing, this is generally a good and effective default for whatever Zoe wants as it ties into her plan to reach the 100th percentile for baby weight

Here is Kenji performing number 4 from the list of Key to Zoe Happiness

Zoe, bored, prepares to select another option from the list


As part of the ongoing struggle to get Zoe to do what I want, I found that creativity and flexibility are important in outsmarting the baby. She may only be 3 months old, but she is a wily little imp as her father will attest. In order to thwart her kickiness which has resulted in many lost baby socks, I have opted for unmatching adult socks that go up to her thighs (much to the chagrin of Max who finds the outfit embarrassing). Even an angry Zoe has never successfully kicked off one of these!

Zoe successfully kicks off her blankets, but the socks stay put!

Zoe's Allure-It's all in the cheeks

I am becoming more and more convinced that the source of Zoe's power over adults lies in her fat little apple cheeks. Samson had his hair, King Arthur had Excaliber, and Zoe has her cheeks of Irresistible Cuteness. Whenever we go out I am witness to the inexorable pull of Zoe cheeks. Strangers will smile at her and then, almost without volition, their hands will come up and pinch her little cheeks. Zoe seems to particularly enjoy this type of attention and rewards the lucky with a beaming smile, and upon occasion a full throated coo of delight (which is usually reserved for Blue Monkey). Max went through the same cheek pinching as a child (the apple cheeks come from his side of the family). He doesn't seem too scarred from the attention!

Zoe puffing up her cheeks in preparation for a jaunt to the store


Feel the pull of the Zoe cheeks of Irresistible Cuteness

Zozo takes a bottle

I will be returning to work in less than a month and my biggest fear is that Zozo will not take a bottle. All week I have been trying to get her to drink formula from various bottles. Perusing the internet, I found many suggested strategies
1) different bottles/nipples (Dr. Brown's, Evenflow, Playtex, Aveda) Result - angry baby
2) try the bottle when the baby is very hungry Result - angry baby
3) try the bottle when the baby is not very hungry Result - less angry baby, but no formula consumed
4) feed the baby in a swing Result - angry baby covered in formula
6) try different types of formula Result - angry baby
5) do not feed baby anything until she takes the bottle Result - crying mother (I only lasted through 30 minutes of crying, Zozo wins again)

Things were not looking too promising and Max was getting very very worried. Starting in February he will be a stay at home dad for a month. After reminding me again that his nipples did not give milk and threatening to drive the baby to work every couple of hours for a feeding, we tried again over the weekend. One suggestion was to have someone other than the mother feed the baby the bottle. This was a good plan since it allowed me to hide in the back away from wailing Zozo while Max attempted to feed her. After an initial yelp or two everything was suspiciously quiet from the front room. Zozo had taken the bottle! The magic formula? Very warm freshly expressed breast milk fed to the baby when she is still sleepy (with Jupiter in the House of Saturn and Mercury on declination). Hopefully this will continue and be less dependent on the alignment of the stars.

Zoe with a full tummy after taking a bottle.

Zoe and the Frenchman

Our French friend Laurent visited this weekend. He was taking a trip across the U.S. by train (train? apparently they do still run in the States, although not on time or to very many destinations). With stops in Albany, NY, Chicago, Seattle, and Eugene he eventually arrived in downtown Oakland. Unfortunately, after the vicious swings in temperature from the cold of the East Coast, to the unseasonable warmth of Chicago, to the driving rain of Seattle he succumbed to a nasty cold. The weekend was beautiful here after a chilly rainy week, but Laurent was too sick to enjoy much of it. We listed a few possible activities (hiking, museums, touring the city), however, he opted for napping and swigging copious amounts of tylenol cold syrup. We did drag him out to Alameda for a short walk on the beach though.



We also went for a short hike in the Oakland Hills at Joaquin Miller Park and Redwood Park. We had no idea that such extensive hiking trails were only a 15 minute drive from our apartment in the bowels of downtown Oakland.

Zoe plots her revenge as she contemplates the indignity of wearing socks on her hands instead of mittens.




Zoe was once again off schedule due to visitors and decided that the best way to communicate her displeasure was with maintaining a near constant whine. After she finally settled down in her swing, I asked Laurent what he thought of Zozo. His response of "she's not horrible," was a little lacking in the usual effusive praise. I guess it will be a few more years before she captivates the Frenchmen.

The Zozo physique

In order to maintain her physique and pursue her goal of becoming the fattest little baby in the world, Zozo must nurse very, very frequently. She has so far rejected the bottle in favor of latching onto me whenever possible. For some mothers this may cause problems, however in this test of wills I just try and carry out my regular activities with a 14lbs. baby stuck to my chest. Here is a list of places I have nursed. I still need to add a nice French restaurant to the list.

Restaurants (by genre)

Japanese
Kirala
Kamakura
Man puku
Noodles

American
Denny's
In-and-Out Burger
Crossroads

Italian
Dopo
La Cucina
Piazolo

Mexican
Rubio's
Picante

Indian/Middle Eastern
Ajanta
Jerusalem Burger

Coffee shops/Dessert
Starbuck's
Pete's
Julie's
Tucker's
Awful Annie's
Alta Cafe and Deli
Pri pri
Coffee Klatch

Thai/Vietnamese
Thai Satay
Pho
Misc
Ironworks Climbing Gym
Barnes and Noble
Express

Going Out with Zoe

I am a pretty restless person and I hate to stay cooped up inside if the weather is nice, so I try and take Zozo out everyday. I have recently started going out without the stroller and putting her either in the Baby Bjorn or if it's a short trip in my arms facing outwards so she can look around. It tends to work quite well as long as
a) I am moving at a brisk pace
b) there is someone standing within 1 foot of her smiling and telling her how cute she is

I have found that satisfying (b) is not too difficult because Zozo is not only irresistible to immediate family, but also to perfect strangers. Older women are particularly fond of her, but she also has the same effect on more macho types. I was walking past a construction site and two burly guys started cooing over her and pinched her cheeks. In Pete's coffee shop a late-teen/early 20's fellow did the same thing. Zoe was also regaled with accolades from a long haired, eyeliner wearing gentleman in the bookstore. All of this within 45 minutes and a two block radius.

Zozo-a cuddly ball of hypercuteness

Zoe and Blue Monkey

Zoe seems to change everyday. Not only is she fatter, longer, and more active, but she has started to "discover." A week ago she discovered her hands and fingers which she now sucks on as she goes to sleep, a slurping background noise I listen to as she lies in her crib.


Her big discovery though has been Blue Monkey. I started putting her down in her activity gym, a small mat with toys dangling from 2 arches suspended just above her head. A blue monkey toy, with disturbing googly eyes, a curly tail, and strange accordion-like legs has become her confidant. She stares at him, waving her little arms, wriggling, smiling, and chattering in Zoe language - a mixture of birdlike coos and sharp little yelps. He mesmerizes her to the exclusion of all others.

Zoe and Blue Monkey


Zoe regarding Giraffe with suspicion-he's no Blue Monkey


I suspect that she sees a little blue monkey in Kenji, thus explaining her fascination with him as well.

New Year's Eve

As new parents we quickly abandoned any thought of actually staying awake until midnight unless the little imp serendipitously woke us up at the designated hour. Sleep takes precedence over champagne at midnight! Instead, we went over to Berkeley for a New Year's Eve feast of fish head soup.




Zoe adores Kenji and demanded constant amusement from him, prompting exhausted naps every hour for Kenji as the rest of us tried to take his place (though we were far less entertaining).

Bye bye J-Tree

We tried the baby Bjorn and took a very short hike with the imp. Zoe does not like to face inwards but she has some head stability issues so shouldn't be facing outwards for too long. Here she is slouching down and beginning her rapid descent into baby meltdown.


Her displeasure at the cold of J-tree coupled with the discomforts of a dirty diaper and confinement in her Baby Bjorn quickly escalated into full Zoe anger-flailing arms, scrunched up face, and wicked head butts to my chin.







After managing to get another night in J-Tree thanks to Juanita's hospitality (which we tried not to abuse too much), we were off. We took an alternate route that avoided all the city traffic. Zoe was reasonably good - only 2 emergency pull overs for nursing/diaper changes. 9 hours later we were back in the Bay Area, exhausted from our trip, with a wide awake and cranky baby.

J-Tree with Zoe

Juanita was up early and made us breakfast-eggs, bacon, avocado, and tortillas. (I guess she managed to sleep through Zoe's late night and early morning crying and her horrible poop explosion at midnight which involved a hasty and impromptu bath in the sink.) After one breakfast for us and two breakfasts for Zoe we were off to J-Tree park and a day of bouldering with the imp.




I hadn't done much climbing since Zoe's birth (the whole incision through the lower abdominal muscles had put a bit of a damper on my climbing endeavors for the past 8 weeks, but I was finally healed up and looking forward to some easy problems.) J-Tree boulder rankings are the definition of sandbagged (i.e. rated alot easier than they actual are.) After struggling on a few V0's and getting shot down by V1, I was feeling very depressed. Max cheered me up after reminding me that I gave birth 2 months ago to an 8lb. 12 oz. baby. Patience has never been my strong suit, but I resolved to enjoy my time in J-tree even if the climbing was a struggle.

Here is a photo of me at the TOP of soemthing, yay!

Travels with Zoe

We were feeling rather ambitious and decided that Zoe was old enough for her first road trip. Joshua Tree National Park is about an 8 hour drive from the Bay Area and boasts some of the most stunning and austere rock formations in California. As an added bonus a friend of the family lives down there and mentioned that we should come and visit in a card she sent with Zoe's Christmas gift! (I am not sure she expected an invasion 2 days after Christmas. I am now much more careful about the little notes I write in cards and e-mails. The "come visit any time" closing will be replaced from now on with the more nebulous "hope to see you soon".)

Juanita's home and ceramic studio in J-tree takes full advantage of the spectacular light and desert landscape. It has taken me years to start appreciating the harsh clean lines of the desert, but at Juanita's it is very easy to see the desert as beautiful.






I was hoping Zoe would impress with how easy she was and what a good baby she could be. Unfortunately, after sitting in her car seat all day, Zoe developed a near constant whine and was virtually inconsolable unless latched onto me or being swung around in a large arc.






Juanita had made a lovely salmon dinner for us and a former student who was visiting with her husband. Maybe Zoe was jealous of the adult food because she did her best to ensure that neither Max nor I had time to enjoy it. Since we couldn't fit her swing into the car, Max and I traded off manually swinging the little imp around which precluded eating a relaxing meal. Zozo finally fell asleep around midnight. Never again do we travel without the precious swing.

Christmas with Zoe

After trying to co-ordinate visiting with my family and making sure everyone got enough Zoe-time (the fights over who got to hold the baby never descended into bloodshed and there were actually diaper changing "volunteers"), the clan took off for L.A. Since traveling with Zozo is not the most fun endeavor, we had a quiet Christmas eve and Christmas in Berkeley. Due to a hold over from when Max was little, all presents are opened on Christmas eve (Max's impatience as a 34 year old can only be a pale mirror of what it was as a 4 year old). Even though Max is an "adult" I still have to hide any gifts for him and use threats of coal for Christmas to prevent any serepticious opening and tape tampering. While she received many gifts, the impatience and excitement aren't quite there for Zoe, maybe next year...