Birthdays, Watch-Over Girl, And The Big O

First things first! Last week we celebrated Zoe’s first birthday! Our little girl is growing up incredibly fast. She is also getting very good at this “walking” thing. She now can take 10 steps or more before falling down. Her favorite game is walking to Haley. When she reaches her, she throws her arms around her waist in a big hug! However, our problems continue in the food and sleep areas. She still refuses to eat consistently and every mealtime is a battle of wills. Despite being above average in height and healthy and strong, she is significantly below average in weight. Her reluctance to eat properly may also be the reason she doesn’t sleep well.

Zoe’s vocabulary is also increasing. She consistently says “mum” (mom), “da” (Dad), “Hey-ee” (Haley), “at” (cat), and “aahdun” (all done). We’re not sure which one was her first word because she kind of started using several of them at the same time. If we had to pick one, we would go with “mum”.

On the Haley side of things Haley just might be the busiest 4-year-old I’ve ever met. I’m thinking about getting her a Blackberry just to help her coordinate her schedule. Several days a week she is in preschool, she does soccer twice a week, ballet once a week, and swimming with me on Saturdays. Not to mention all the play-dates, birthday parties, and other social engagements she has going on.

And that’s just her mild-mannered alter ego. The rest of the time, she is either Supergirl or her own creation “Watch-Over Girl”. I originally assumed Watch-Over Girl possessed the power to, y’know, watch over stuff. But I was mistaken. Watch-Over Girl told me that her superpower was that wherever she walked; she left footprints that killed the sharks that were chasing her. (Nicole, get Michael Bay on the phone. I smell a summer blockbuster.)

And finally, a little something for the Buckeyes out there: Haley’s recent visit to her Uncle Scott and Aunt Pamela must have had a profound effect on her. The other day I was eating Cracklin’ Oat Bran cereal. Haley grabbed one of the pieces of cereal out of my bowl and held it up, saying “Look, Daddy, It’s a big O. Just like at Uncle Scott’s house!”