Happy holidayz to you!

Seeing as I finally sent out our Christmas cards, er, two days, you'll probably see this before you see one of those. So, before we miss the big day entirely, here's a little holiday flavor from The Hamilton Zone...

It's been a fantastic and exciting year for us, and we feel beyond fortunate looking back at all that's transpired. Thank you to those who played a part in our lives this year and to those who will in the new year. We hope the season is a happy and rewarding time for all of you.

From our house to yours, we wish you the happiest of holidays (insert virtual toast here). Merry Christmas!

They always want what they can't (or shouldn't) have

As I mentioned last week, Zienna and Zane have quickly become cross-species baby buddies. Clearly fascinated by one another, Zane shows his feelings for Zienna through countless “kisses” which Zienna not only doesn't mind, she encourages. Even before she could crawl, Zienna would reach through her play yard fence, extending her hands for Zane to lick. And now that she can get around, Zienna goes looking for Zane, even approaching his crate and reaching through its bars at times when he’s inside, as if to ask, “Wanna come outside and play?” More kissing ensues.

That Zane is so gentle with Zienna is really surprising. After roughly three and a half months since entering The Hamilton Zone, Zane is still learning his manners. He heels pretty well when it’s just me and him, but he's one excitable puppy who’ll jump at anyone who comes close. Since claws with 30+ pounds behind them and nipping teeth follow, he can be intimidating, good-natured or not. Just ask Zach, who's down half a dozen shirts, victims of Zane's overzealous affection.

During the past week, with non-stop rains reducing the number and duration of our walks, Zane has been even more enegetic than usual, doing periodic windsprints around the great room, pausing every few laps to say "hi" to Zienna. And then, after hosting Kelly's firm's party on Saturday night, we chose not to put Zienna's play yard back up, since we were trusting Zane more and because Zienna gets frustrated by confinement now that she can crawl. Between Zane's physical nature and Zienna's curiosity and mobility, a grand experiment was in the making.

Three days and counting without the protective fence, and all is going well—on most fronts. There’s not so much as a scratch on Zienna. True to what I'd observed to this point, she and Zane really do appear to have a special bond. Yes, Zane still terrorizes Zach (who won't stand up to him) and in the past week has left the back of one of my hands a bloody mess on three separate occasions over the excitement of going for a walk. But when he’s around Zienna, Zane’s demeanor instantly softens, as he nuzzles and threatens her with nothing more than that ever-present tongue.

But that isn't to say that the Little Z Mutual Admiration Society hasn't gotten into its share of mischief. Because it has.

Mid-morning on the first day that Zienna really got proficient at crawling, I was working in the kitchen when I heard a sound emanating from the corner of the breakfast nook. Hmmm, Zane must have decided to finish his breakfast, I thought. Only Zane was locked in his crate since I was in the other room. And Belly wouldn’t dare. Which could mean only one thing. Oops. Fortunately, I reacted quickly enough to fish the kibble out of Zienna's mouth before she choked. So much for her pristine, vegetarian state. But in the end, a lesson was learned and there was no real harm done.

Then on Monday, with Zienna's play yard gone and her toys free and unencumbered, I was again caught off guard when I heard—while Zienna was napping in her room—her electronic Winnie the Pooh toy emitting the digitized sounds of buzzing bees. Lately, Zane's been pretty good about leaving Zienna's toys alone, even when they're sitting right next to his. But I guess the temptation was too great with the fence gone and the bright, plastic pile of loot left unattended for the taking. Shooing him off, I corralled the toys safely into a corner next to my desk so I could watch and protect them.

A few more “grass is greener” encounters ensued, but by yesterday, I'd gotten things more or less back to normal, with Zane's food dish relocated to the laundry room, the door closed, and the Under One crowd back on track as to whose possessions were whose. Or so I thought.

Shortly after lunchtime, seated at my desk and deep in thought over something I desperately needed to complete for Christmas, my parental radar sent an alert indicating that Zienna was no longer viewable by my peripheral vision. Peering over the sofa, I saw her by the fireplace, smiling innocently as she sat playing with a toy. No worries, I thought. But as I sat down, I realized that her toys were all still neatly piled up next to me, and since Zienna has yet to figure out how to crawl with a toy in hand, that meant that...oh, yuck. Yep, she was chewing on a bright, red rubber doggie bone. Yikes.

Bounding across the room, I snatched the bone from Zienna’s hands as I placed her back on “her” side of the room. Then I ran back and scooped up the rest of Zane's toys and, along with the offending bone, threw the lot of them into a pile near his crate. Thinking I’d made the boundaries clear, I returned to my desk, only to find Zane chewing on one of Zienna's favorite rattles. Scolding Zane and anxious to get back to work, I tossed the rattle in the sink, then chased him back to his corner of the room for one last chance before a fast ticket to Crateville, or a quick reconstruction of the play yard fence.

As I sat down, Zane came sauntering around the corner of the sofa with his favorite chew toy—a crazy, UFO-like gold number covered in soft, green nubs (all the more inviting to babies!)—in his mouth. He plopped down a few feet from Zienna, who was banging two of her own playthings together, oblivious to the havoc. This is how it should be, I thought. Peaceful coexistence. Except that within seconds, Zane had jumped up, leaving behind his slobber-soaked treasure, for which Zienna immediately darted. I narrowly beat her to it, but by then, Zane was back with a squirrel-emblazoned cloth Frisbee, which Zienna found equally appealing and for which Zienna quickly grabbed—and at that point, enough was enough. Into the crate went Zane.

Today, we’re experimenting again, because we need to clear this hurdle. Obviously Zienna can't live full time in a play yard, just as Zane can't live full time in a crate. And besides, I realize that as a team, the Poopy Pals mean no harm. The way I'm figuring it, Zienna and Zane aren't misbehaving, they're sharing. Sort of like the Pilgrims and Native Americans, they're dividing territory and exchanging gifts (and things they can put into their mouths). Either that, or they're both smarter than any of us would believe and scheming to drive me batty. And for the record—even if that’s not their intent—they're doing a pretty good job of it!

Cousin Cole doesn't want to read this

Since reading a few months ago in my brother Steve's blog that one of his three-year-old twins, my nephew Cole, has . . . oh, let's just say "issues" . . . with Bard, the hand-puppet dragon from the popular series of Baby Einstein videos, I've chuckled every time I've caught sight of the scaley, green guy--Bard, that is, not Cole, who I see far too infrequently since he and his family live in San Diego. And since Zienna is at an age where images of Baby Einstein characters appear on age-appropriate clothing, toys, CDs and yes, videos we let her watch from time to time, I see Bard pretty often. And every time, I can't help but laugh or at least smile over the thought of an otherwise tough little boy being frightened of something so cartoonish and non-threatening.

It's not that I get some sort of sadistic pleasure over a child's fears, particularly those of a child whom I care about. Nor am I trying to single Cole out for ridicule, as my kids have fears of their own, rational and otherwise, and plenty of them. But Steve's description of the depth of Cole's Bardophobia was so amusing, as he likened Cole's impression of Bard to that of a classic movie monster and recounted how Cole admonished Bard "at least 50 times" not to appear in a Baby Einstein video, it even made Zach laugh out loud and at length.

So, with this image of Bard and his effect on children in mind, I had to also laugh when last week we brought home for Zienna a Baby Einstein Discover and Play Activity Center, only to find that one of its main features was a full-sized Bard hand puppet. How, I wondered, would Zienna react? Would she break out in terror-filled sobs and bury her head in fear? Would this spoil a fairly pricey and developmentally-important toy for her? And most importantly of all, would its effects saddle her parents with years of bills for expensive psychotherapy? These thoughts filled my mind as I brought Zienna over to the newly-constructed center and placed her in its stand-up seat.

Knowing full well that the mighty Bard had slayed the psyche of Zienna's much older and rough-and-tumble cousin, I watched with anticipation as Zienna spun the seat around, surveyed the impressive lineup of activities, and very quickly spotted Bard. As she did, her eyebrows raised noticeably, as she seemed to recognize Bard from the videos. And then, she reacted. How, exactly? The same way she does with everything she gets ahold of these days, of course. Completely fearless, Zienna grabbed hold of Bard, put his head in her mouth, and chewed on it. When you're six months old, the world is your teething ring, and aside from overly loud noises and a late feeding, you have very few fears.

Seeing Zienna's reaction--or lack of one--I broke out in hysterics, picturing how Cole would react if he saw Zienna not just in the presence of the dreaded beast, but actually handling it and placing it in her mouth. Never mind that he wouldn't realize Zienna wasn't old enough to be cerebral. He'd just see the act for what it was and in all likelihood, run from the room screaming in dread. (Aunt Kelly notes that in fairness, it's possible Zienna was scared to death but selflessly trying to consume the beast, sensing it had wrought mental anguish on her cousin in the past.)

For all I know, Zienna will one day share Cole's fear of Bard or for some other Baby Einstein character for that matter. Heck, I find those inane videos, let alone the ridiculous characters that inhabit them, scary myself! But for now, Zienna's my little dragon slayer, bold enough to bully a beast that can strike fear into the heart of a boy multiple times her age.

Then again, maybe my little tomboy needs to back off and soften up a bit. Zienna's bold, boisterous manner scared the heck out of a male friend her age during a playdate yesterday--another story alltogether--so perhaps it's time for a lesson in decorum and grooming one's self as a frail damsel, worthy and accepting of chivalry. Or not. You go get 'em, girl...

Keeping up with the Hamiltonses (new photos included)

Whew! Where the heck did November go? For that matter, where the heck did this year go? Granted, 2006 has been life at breakneck speed around The Hamilton Zone, but I thought things would slow down a bit once we were settled into the house. No such luck, unfortunately. Between daily life, all the activities at the kids' school, and the extracurriculars with which we've been involved, there's hardly been time to sit down, let alone blog.

Meanwhile, there have been some exciting developments in the kids' lives--and by extension, mine and Kelly's. And since my list of notes titled "Blogs I Need to Write" is growing out of control, I figured it made sense to stop and just do a roundup of what's been going on instead.

Oh, but first, if you can believe it (Hold your breath!), November's photos are posted. You can view them directly here, or via the gallery page, located as always at www.thehamiltonzone.com/gallery. For the record, I thought I had my brother Steve beat for once in posting photos this month, but by the time mine I'd uploaded mine this morning, his were already in place. Oh, well. And so much for all those public-service reasons I gave last month for holding off on posting photos, eh?

So, how about a little ketchup to go with those photos? (Warning: Uncontrolled parental boasting ahead!)

Zach, who I've recently ignored horribly in blogland, has been one busy and productive dude already this school year. Coinciding with our move and the start of the fourth grade, Zach began his fourth year of soccer, not in AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization), but in Redding's more competitive CYSA (California Youth Soccer Association) league. As a member of The Strikers, Zach quickly established himself once again as a defensive force to be reckoned with, and by mid-season, he was also playing goalkeeper roughly half of each game. Initially, I worried Zach might not click with CYSA after playing in the touchy-feely, "everyone plays" environment of AY. But he declared this his favorite season of soccer ever--in part because Dad wasn't coaching him--and I had to admit that I found it more enjoyable, too, watching from the sidelines and cheering him on.

Entering fourth grade, Zach was a bit nervous when he found out that his teacher would be not just a man (Mr. Ward), but a man with a reputation for being rather strict. But Zach quickly learned that while Mr. Ward is quick to punish for infractions--such as writing old-fashioned lines over and over--he also has a quirky sense of humor and rewards achievement with karaoke and video game parties. And apparently, it's a good mix for Zach. When report cards and conferences came due last month, Kelly and I couldn't have been prouder of him. In addition to receiving excellent citizenship marks and exceeding most of his year-end fourth grade benchmarks already, Zach came one B+ shy of earning straight As--including A-pluses in spelling and social studies.

Based partly on his early performance this year, Zach was invited to join his school's Odyssey of the Mind program, an honor reserved for top students involving creative problem-solving that can lead to state- and national-level competition. And when Zach's not trying to tackle Problem 4: Out of the Box Balsa, he'll be practicing his saxophone, an instrument that he began playing shortly after the school year began. Zach likes his music class and the concept of playing more than practicing (What kid doesn't?), and he seems to be picking up both the instrument and reading music quickly. Time will tell if his interest lasts, but for now, one thing's for sure: Zach has a shiny, new sax as a combination Christmas/birthday present.

Meanwhile, Zoë has changed so much since entering kindergarten, it's hard for me to believe. In three short months, she's gone from a shy, little girl who was afraid to enter her classroom alone--or even with me or Kelly--to a confident, big girl who throws on her backpack and nonchalantly waves over her shoulder as I drop her off at the school's curb in the morning. And that confidence is translating where it counts, too. Whereas last summer, I'd get a lot of "I don't know how" responses to the exercises in a kindergarten-prep book we worked through together, Zoë has quickly mastered all of her upper- and lower-case letters, her numbers, and most importantly, reading.

The rate at which Zoë has grown as a reader absolutely boggles my mind. Since she was old enough to talk, she's been fascinated by books, frequently "reading" aloud to dolls, classmates, or family members. But now she can actually do it. And not just monosyllabic picture books, either. Already, she's being sent home--based on her demonstrated ability in class--books with multiple "chapters" and some really challenging words. It tickles me to death to hear her read and to see how proud it makes her feel. And when first-term conferences were held, it wasn't just reading in which Zoë was excelling, either. Like Zach, she'd mastered the bulk of her year's benchmarks already.

And it's fortunate that Zoë can breeze through her homework, because it leaves time for her other favorite thing besides reading: art. Zoë absolutely loves to draw, paint, and as puts it, "do crafts." Overnight, her nondescript scribbling has taken on real character, and so far, I think she'll definitely be the artist in the family. Which is more than we can say for her future in soccer. After floundering through part of another season, struggling with cleats, socks and shin guards all the way--like Mom, the girl hates footwear--Zoë jumped ship to a sport where bare feet are welcome: gymnastics. After a month and a half of classes at Galaxy Gymnastics Academy, she's already showing more determination than she ever did in soccer, and she seems to welcome the challenges. And even though a trip to watch her cousin Kristin participate in a weekend-long cheerleading competition had Zoë ready to switch disciplines again, Mom convinced her that gymnastics will help when she's ready to cheer. So, for the moment, she's caught up in cartwheels, trampolines and balance beams. By way of Mom, it's definitely in her blood, and I'm glad to see her so passionate about physical activity.

And speaking of physical activity, Zienna's suddenly needing a lot more of it. Not in terms of carrying her, but in keeping up with her! As I wrote a few days ago, Zienna decided to skip rolling over and army-man-style crawling altogether and progress right to four-limbed locomotion. And since then, she's really taken off--literally. Turn your back, and she's gone, off to explore another room (at which point the open floor plan of our house, with its lack of separate, doored rooms at its core, becomes a real liability!). Combined with her ability to pull herself up on to her feet, the world is suddenly much smaller for Zienna and much larger for me and Kelly.

When she's not conquering the world or pushing the childproofing card--or kissing Zane, with whom she's established a mutual-admiration society--Zienna is still keeping us on our toes. In mid-November, she started eating solids, and since then, there's been no looking back. Just last night, I was busy in the garage and overlooked that the dinner hour had arrived--a fact that was not lost on Zienna. By the time she was in her high chair and eagerly chowing down on rice cereal and squash, she was screaming bloody murder that Mom shovel the spoonfulls in faster.

When she's not breastfeeding, Zienna's learned to more or less hold her own bottles (although she tends to play with them and hasn't figured out what to do when she drops one). And, proving that her sweet, little mouth is good for more than just eating, Zienna this week added a kinda-sorta word to her non-stop cooing: "Ma-ma-ma-ma." Kelly's convinced it's meant to be what it sounds like, and I'm content to let her believe that, even if I'm sure Zienna's first real word will be "Daddy." Or "Giants." Or at least "baseball."

Enough ketchup. I'm off to prepare the house for Kelly's office party, which will be wrapping up here for dessert on Saturday and hopefully will include a visit from a fat guy with a beard. And then we have guests on Sunday...a trip to San Francisco the following weekend to see Throwing Muses...the neighborhood cookie exchange...the school Christmas pageant...Christmas with Dale and Dede (Kelly's folks) and her sister, Shannon, and her family...more family portraits...Zach's birthday the following week...another trip south to see the Harlem Globetrotters...and then, who knows?

Geez, no wonder time flies. Good thing we're having fun!

Baby's got wheels

Shortly before noon PST today, life in The Hamilton Zone got a lot more complicated, as Zienna officially entered the Age of Crawling. As in, oops, I'd better not leave my shoes laying around on the floor any more. Or dog toys. Or plastic shopping bags I've brought in from the car. Because those are the things I found her chewing on shortly after she'd discovered her new-found talent. Oops.

Just a few days ago, it looked like Zienna might not crawl for a while yet. At her six-month check on Tuesday (Weight: 20 pounds, 9 ounces--97th percentile; Height: 27 inches--97th+ percentile), she was a mishmash of milestones. Any teeth yet? Nope, but drooling enough to convince Mom and Dad she's teething. Rolling over yet? Nope again, but starting to pull herself to and from a seated position. Crawling yet? Still nope, but pulling herself up into a full standing position and staying there for extended periods (even if it means occasionally banging her forhead as she did in the photo at left). Wait a minute--that's not supposed to happen until the nine-month checkup! Oh, well. Clearly, this girl is progressing on her own schedule, not anyone else's!

Our pediatrician, Dr. Braemer, wasn't concerned that Zienna wasn't rolling over, given the overall picture. Nor was he concerned about Zienna's weight--although, as he's pointed out in the past, she's obviously not starving. Which is probably why, when Kelly asked if we should be giving Zienna solids throughout the day instead of just for dinner, he told us to make the call ourselves. Indeed.

Oh, yeah, I'd forgotten up until now to mention that Zienna started solids, hadn't I? Yep, for almost three weeks now. See, I had video and pictures I was going to post, but when I went to, Blogger...oh, never mind. You don't want to hear it, and I don't want to say it. But suffice to say Z Baby is now using Stage 2 Diaper Genie refills and howling at dinnertime. All over a bit of flavorless rice cereal and near-flavorless pureed vegetables. Yummy.

Anyway, this morning, Zienna was in a particularly good mood, and I had her playing on the floor beside me as I did some things online. As she struggled to grasp a toy and looked to me for help, I decided to try an experiment. Lining up several of her favorite playthings, including the one she'd been reaching for, I placed them roughly four feet from her on the floor and then knelt behind them. At first, Zienna just looked at me, banged on the ground, and whined. Then she got down on her stomach. Then she floundered about a bit before starting to whine again, with no apparent signs of locomotion.

Just as I began to think I was asking for too much too soon, Zienna raised herself back up on all fours--way up--and began pumping those big legs of hers. And then she moved a hand. Then she looked at me, and as I cheered her on, she moved the other hand. And then she moved the first one again. And with a few rests mixed in, she continued, until she had reached the toys. Which I proceeded to move another few feet away. And she proceeded to crawl to again. At which point she deftly swooped into a sitting position, with no struggle involved, to claim her prizes. After such a performance, I had to let her claim her prize. At least for the moment.

Considering I'd not caught many of the other kids' "firsts," which tended to occur either at daycare or when I wasn't looking or around, I got pretty darned excited over this development. And then I made her do it a few more times, until her arms were showing signs of fatigue--which of course meant she couldn't repeat her feat when Mom came home for lunch. Oops again. But there'll be plenty of other opportunities, now that baby's got wheels.

Guess I've got a house to go childproof. Just in time for a Christmas tree--DOH!