Pull my Finger: Getting Caught Up, Part II

Recently we had a few days when the temperature dipped into the thirties. I was forced to forgo my flip-flops for a couple of days, and almost had to slip on a pair of socks. It was cold enough that our seasonal rain became snow on the ridge above our house (way up at 1754 feet above sea level). I was of course obligated to take Zoe to play in the snow, so I put the car in four-wheel drive (not really) and drove the mile or so into the blizzard (again, not really). I don’t think I put enough layers on Zoe, and I forgot her mittens (who needs mittens in California?), and she was definitely not impressed with my snowman (although it was only two inches tall), but at least I got a cute picture of her, which is really the only reason I took her up there.

A sure sign that Zoe is becoming a real person (rather than just an eating and pooping organism) is her budding sense of humor, her ability to make believe, and her keen sense of how to test our patience. Her sense of humor is limited, but can be spot-on on occasion. For example, she has learned the exaggerated ‘noooo’ response. On a recent morning we were all lounging on the bed and Zoe started saying pee (her new, favorite word). Alison asked her if she was peeing, and Zoe responded yes. When Alison asked her if she wanted to sit on the potty, she gave us a big grin and dragged out a long ‘no’. I’ve also taught her the fine skill of fake sleeping sounds, which she practices but is not yet using to its full comedic potential. (Alison can teacher her trigonometry, I’ll teach her how to fake-snore like the Three Stooges.) And teatime has a little more depth now that she knows to add the fake milk and the fake sugar, how to stir the fake tea, how to blow on it because it is fake hot, and how to fake pour it on daddy’s head (her favorite part of teatime). She also eats the fake cake, although for some reason when she eats the fake cake she sticks three fingers deep into her mouth.

Did I mention that we now have a nanny? Now, you may ask why we need a nanny when my job description is stay-at-home dad. Could it be that our garden takes that much of my time? No, we have a weekly gardener. Could it be the house requires that much attention? No, we have a weekly cleaner. Could it be that my tennis game is suffering horribly? Yes! But mainly I’m trying to get the house ready for arrival number two. However, the kicker is the nanny we hired. Kris is a retired coworker of Alison’s. That’s right, we have the most over-qualified nanny in Berkeley, a retired surgeon. What that means is that if Zoe needs an emergency appendectomy at the playground, she is in good hands. More on my tennis game later.

Recent photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/dbglass/ZoeMichel22ndMonth#
Buy the book at http://blurb.com/bookstore/detail/193034