A Most Appropriate Title

As the terrible twos take full swing and the tantrums really take hold I thought this book seemed eerily prescient and apropos

ZoTat.

The tribute to ZoZo. Thanks to Iden for the design and to Emily @ Purple Panther for the work. Nearly painless, and exceptionally priced.

The Zoe Logo as Tattoo

Sitting in the chair @ purple panther getting the Zoe Logo tattoo done. Hard to type while emily is poking my skin with needles but it'll be worth it.

Update: The original blogging of this was done on my iPhone while I was in the chair. That is Emily actually doing the work. She was great. The tat looks fantastic. The colors, the size, everything. Best way I could think to celebrate ZoZo and how much she means to me. If you look to the right you will see the template, but if you wait a little while I'll bet I can be persuaded to post a pic.

Dinner in Culver City.

Zoe was crazy awesome at the audition, winning over everyone and behaving like a dream child. So we all celebrated with an early dinner at Ford's Filling Station. (Harrison Ford's Son's place)

Firebug? Firefly? Bugaloo?

At Amy's Playhouse in Pasadena

Zoe Lulu: Smart Baby or the Smartest Baby (or a really great scam artist?)

Pediatrician day was this week. Chicken Pox shot. Holy crap in a bucket! No pain, nothing. It was like she didn't even know that she got the shot at all. Just sat there. Amazing what they can do these days........
We learned a couple of things about the midget this week. First off, she is a stimFreak. (I use the term Pain Whore but that's kind of inappropriate for your toddler. However, the doc thought that was hysterical)
She likes stimulation. All kinds. WE should have known by the way she moves from plastic-musical aquarium to the plastic musical aquarium and plays them at the same time. The other day she became infatuated with some clothespin-like plastic chip clips we have. I was making them talk and she was trying to touch the ridged parts of the clamp. So, I thought, well, I'll put this on her finger, she won't like it and that will be the end of that. No way, Hose B. She would laugh, and pull them off, scratching her fingers as she yanked and then DEMAND that I reapply them.
This went on for about 20 minutes until I got bored.
Then Beth had her outside talking to the neighbors and Zoe went up the base of the palm tree, where the teeny splintered bark is, and hugged it. Really rubbed her hands down the tree over and over. Her fingers were bloody and the splinters were embedded in the tips.
No matter, it made her laugh!
When we told the doctor about this he just talked about how Zo really likes stimulation and that we shouldn't be worried. (Speaking of stim....guess who just discovered her......um....happy place? This all makes me very uncomfortable.)
Then I regaled the doctor with the story about Zoe and the combs. While I was parting her hair I gave Zoe the black comb and the pink comb to hold and, hopefully, distract her. Then I asked her: "Which is the pink one, Zoe?"
She raised the pink one and said, "Dere!". She did the same with the black and vice versa. Never got it wrong. But it begs the question: Who told her what Pink was? Or Black for that matter? How did she pick it up????
His response?
To be honest, it makes me a little uneasy to write this because I really really don't want to be one of those, "My kid is gifted!" assholes. I hate people who act like every little thing their kid does makes them a genius. In fact, I feel more inclined to agree with This Stuff White People Like Post every day.
I can't stand the "my kid's gifted" folk almost as much as I hate hate hate helicopter parents. Yo! Your kid's gonna fall. It's okay. It's not the end of the world. The reason they don't have knees yet and their bones are still cartilage is so they CAN fall down and get back up. Trust me. THAT is what builds self esteem, not coddling their every move and hovering over them because you are afraid that they might bump into the air. Sheesh.
Anyway, back to the Doc.
Ugh, here I go:
"I don't often say things like this. I choose my words very carefully but, I have to say, Zoe is, well, she's advanced. She's very smart. Do either of you speak another language?"
No, but her nanny is hispanic.
"Great! From now on the nanny is not allowed to speak anything BUT spanish to Zoe. She will pick it up so fast you will be amazed."

So we told that to Zo's 18 year old nanny. Who started speaking spanish to Zo. Who promptly started to understand at the end of the first day.

Awesome.

Dateline: 2057
Zoe Lulu, daughter of semi-employed actors, named youngest woman to the Supreme Court.

It's either that or Dominatrix, right?

here's a couple pics.

The Nicknames

Zoe has a ton of nicknames.
All of them are actually used. Daily. Some of them make sense. Many don't.
If you have one that you would like to add, let me know.
Here are the nicks:

Zoe Mina (Said together and fast)
ZoZo (Commonly used for Zoes)
Zoester (sadly, this one has stuck. Said incorrectly it's a herpe. So, punch the O.)
Zobag (Probably the most offensive and only used by me)
Zoeyoey (A favorite of Beth's)
Zingko (Both this and Ziggy are just because of the two syllabled Z sound.)
Ziggy
MinaMina (Her middle name squared)
Minamoo (Infrequent)
Chaya (Her hebrew name)
Chaya Batya (Both of her hebrew names)
ZoeMinaChayaBatyalism (Her full name turned into a disease)
Zogby (Because every kid should be named after a political poll)
Zobo (Aunt Allyson uses this one)
Zozilicious (She is, isn't she?)
Zosie (Used often early, less so now)
Zozovo (Another from Aunt Allyson. I like it for the similarity to Kosovo)
Pataytas (Because she is like a little sack of.....)
Potato Face (Her earliest non-name nick that has stuck)
Mogadishu (I honestly have no idea why I started calling her this. And yet, I keep doing it)

There ya go. The ZoeNicks.
What's YOUR favorite?

On the Beach

As summer vacation comes to an end we decided to finish it off with a sojourn to Venice Beach. Not to watch the freaks, but, rather, to actually hang on the shore, dip in the water and eat at C&O Pasta Trattoria.
How did Zoe fare at the ocean?
Undaunted. Fearless. Danger girl.
She also has a predilection toward Surfer dudes and skater boys. Things don't look that good for dad in about 14 years, do they?
There was a moment when it got a little scary as Zo sat on the beach, awaiting the surf, and got knocked down by a wave I misread as being smaller than it was. The site of my daughter, sumberged, water and sand covering her entire head and body was a little daunting but she recovered, blew her nose, sneezed and headed back in.
So much for fear of water.

Here is Zo's first day at the beach.

The kid loves the sand.


She races IN to the water.



Proud Papa and Danger Girl


Once she decided she liked it, we couldn't keep her out.



The kid with sand EVERYWHERE. Bliss.



Zoe and her new crush, cousin Aaron.




Tasting garlic rolls with Olive Tapenade



Stuffing her face full of Lobster Linguine

Big Bear

We got home about 24 hours ago. It was a great week. And I would love to really blog the hell out of the trip, but I am pretty tired and bloated and sated and sleepy.
You will have to be satisfied with some pictures and perhaps I will tell you more about it later.

The Gang's All Here.


The view from our porch.



Josh and the vista.



Hanging in the cabin.


It's not summer til you skip some stones.


Fishing at the North Shore Landing


Allyson dances!



Mummy! Beffie is piloting the skiff!



Huckleberry and Tucker's ass.


Sam caught the first fish.

She's a rocker

I got Rock Band for the Wii.
It's not as good as the version for XBOX but I don't have an XBOX and I can't justify the expense to my wife who, for some reason, thinks that the Wii is more family friendly even though there is no chance that we will let Zoe play on it for......oh, forget it.
We got Rock Band for the Wii.
I like to play the drums. Zoe, it seems, likes the drums as well. I was trying to get through "Wanted Dead or Alive" the other day when I felt this thing on my foot. It was Zoe, pushing my foot down on the kick pedal.
Shooing her away only worked for a few minutes, though and I took a break.
While we were in the kitchen I heard the sound of a new song starting. Orange Crush by REM.
Zo had started the song by hitting the pad with the drum stick. Then she started banging away.
4%, she got. It's a start.





There was a concert in the park at the Grove on Sunday. Beth and Zo and I went with our friends Scott, Jen and Ruby.
Zo was fascinated by the drummer and hung out by the stage at the foot of the kick drum for much of the time. She would wiggle and dance and twirl and clap when songs were over.




Zoe and Ruby check out the boys.

Then Zoe Jams.







Like I said. She's a rocker.

Pinwheel Palace and trains

Beth took Zoe out for the afternoon while the workers are painting the house.
SOMEONE has to stay for them in case there is anything they need or a problem or something. (Not to sit around and play Rock Band all day....NOOOOOOOO....that wouldn't be cool. ;) )

Anyways. Off to Griffith Park where there is an old timey carousel and a toddler train and, well, a park. It's a nice place to visit IF your 1 year old daughter likes ponies and pony rides, but, really, what kid is into that stuff?

You can't see it from the pics but when she wasn't riding the train Zoe is holding on to the gate and screaming to get on. What a joyful little girl, huh?


When she was given a pinwheel she also discovered her shadow. She chased that all day.



Who needs ponies?

The Guest House Part 2

Remember this?





Well, now it looks like this:










That's better, no?
Kind of beachy, no? It's hot and I still have to do something about the grass. But, for the time being, lovely. Already had someone inquire about renting it. Too bad there's already someone in there.

The Guest House

Oy.
We are finally getting the guest house painted.
It's been a long time coming, but the change is gonna come.
Beth's dad and her nephews, Tommy and Aaron are coming out in a few weeks to do the back yard. Decking, grass, drip system, trees, a little oasis in the back.
It seems a shame to have to stare at this the whole time.


Here is the front. The look of desiccation. The guest house is about 90 years old. It was built 10 years after our house, in 1922. The side door with the steps no doubt was access for the housekeeper, maid, slave, wife, husband, who knows? We had a toilet on the porch, that was for that person as well.
It is currently housing a sweet older church deacon and his 30-something son. They fell on hard times and have to live together in this...thing.
We inherited them with the house, they had been living there for 7 years before we bought it.
The inside needs a lot, A LOT of love but that would entail them leaving and, truth be told, if they go for the amount of time I need to make it nice, then they won't be back.
Most of what makes the inside so bad is their stuff. They have enough crap to fill a 1000 foot storage space and they are living in a 600 sq foot house. Do the math.

Anywho. It's getting the much needed and much deserved paint job.

This will be the view from Zoe's room and the kitchen.



I will post the new pics when the coats are done.

This will be dual posted in www.septenary.blogspot.com

Self awareness milestone

One of the games we like to play with Zoe is "where is?"
Where is your nose? She touches her nose.
Where is your hair? She reaches up to her head.
Where is Huck? Where is Mom? Where is...... you get it.

Today I tried something we hadn't done before.

"Zo? Where is Zoe?"
Long pause while she stares blankly at us. The eyes working, something going on in her head...and then...
She touches her cheek!

So, Zoe knows who Zoe is.
She's Zoe.
And she's AWARE!
Word.

And now: Zoe.



Cheesecake, anyone?



Chilling out on the changing table.



Zoe and Mom

Our cute, little Spawn.

Why do I think this is just the beginning?