Bathtub Video

I know this video is kind of long, but I just couldn't edit out any of her cute little laughs, especially when she does the crazy laugh at the end. Zadie only recently started taking her baths in the actual bathtub (she started in the bathroom sink, then progressed to the kitchen sink, and is now in the big bathtub). I've taken a few baths with her recently and it is so much fun. She has a grand old time and doesn't want it to end.

Zadie's new favorite thing is standing up by holding on to something like the couch. Her balance is really improving and I'm afraid she might be an early walker -- yikes! Then again, what do I know?

Any Resemblance?

When I first saw this baby photo of me at about seven or eight months I thought I saw a resemblance between me and Zadie, but now that I'm comparing them side-by-side, I don't see it! We tried to stage a similar photo in the bathtub, but Zadie's coloring (eyes and hair) is a little darker than mine was. Although she had blue eyes for about the first three months or so, her eyes are now a kind of hazel/greenish color. I don't know if they're finished changing yet. I kind of hope she has brown hair and not blonde, but we shall see! I'm pretty sure I'll love her either way.

People often tell me that Zadie looks like me, but then again they also say the same thing to Tori, too! Many people actually come up to Tori and say, "Well, you can sure tell she's yours!"

I do think that Zadie has my tiny ears and also my eyebrows, and other people have said that she has my lips, but I don't see that so much. I also think our face shape looks a lot different. I'll try to find another photo where we're closer in age and compare us. I think she's going to have the same super duper straight here that I had as a kid, but I don't intend on giving her such an awful bowl cut. Thanks a lot, Mom!

Beach Photos

One of our favorite things to do with Zadie is to take her to Manhattan Beach. Now that it's finally getting cooler out, we tend to go in the evenings to see the sunset, walk the pier, and get an ice cream at the Manhattan Beach Creamery. Zadie has always loved the beach, but particularly likes playing in the sand and kicking around in the water. Mama T is so proud because I don't know what she'd do if she got a baby who didn't like the beach!

Here's some photos we took this weekend at Manhattan Beach. The ones with Zadie and Tori came out much better than the ones with me. Zadie wasn't in a particularly smiling mood on this occasion, but she still looks pretty cute!

On A Lighter Note

After my last post was so heavy, I thought it would be good to brighten things up a bit with a photo from Zadie's first Halloween. In true hand-me-down fashion, she was a bumblebee (thank you, Izzy and Sophie!).

I also posted a video from when Grandma Linda was here, right before Halloween. Unfortunately, we somehow managed to have a five-day visit without taking a single photo of Zadie and Grandma Linda! But we do have this one video of how cute they are together. I don't know if all babies like to be thrown in the air as much as Zadie does, but she loves it!

Bittersweet

Dear Zadie,

Yesterday was a very momentous day in history and I want you to be able to read about this night in your early life when you get older. Barack Obama became the very first African-American to be elected president. Your two moms voted for Barack and cried tears of joy during his acceptance speech. You, on the other hand, slept your way through his speech. We don't have a television, so we went over to your Great-Aunt Susie's house to watch the speech and we're really glad we got to witness such a special occasion.

But the other side of this story is that Prop 8 passed, which means that California has amended the state constitution to define marriage as only between a man and a woman. Your two moms worked very hard (though certainly not hard enough!) to help defeat this proposition. The process of working on this campaign was very difficult and the aftermath is even harder. I'm just going to copy and paste an email that I sent out to our family (who were very loving and supportive!) so that you can now a little bit about what was going in your parents' lives during this time.

well, today is a very bittersweet day for us. we are discouraged and demoralized about the passage of prop 8. i knew it was going to be close and i was less optimistic than many of our friends who live in gay bubbles (el segundo kept any optimism in check!), but i'm shocked that 52% of california, the most progressive state in the nation, voted to amend the constitution in this way. the worst part is that the polling about six weeks ago had our side about 17 points ahead, which slipped to 4 points a week before the election. there's no doubt about the fact that television ads telling voters that their children will be taught about gay marriage in school were a deciding factor. i most definitely respect people's opinion that marriage should be between a man and a woman, but i wish they could understand the distinction between a religious marriage sanctioned by a church and a civil marriage approved by the state. i would have loved to have had the opportunity to show concerned voters that my marriage does not threaten anyone else's marriage. and, of course, i wish that all the kids who are raised by gay parents could grow up without feeling that their parents are less than equal under the law.

but today is bittersweet because if anybody can make you feel hopeful about how america can change, and how things that seemed impossible suddenly become possible, obama is certainly the man. we watched his acceptance speech last night and loved seeing the huge throngs of people who were celebrating such an historic occasion. dana, i'm sure it was amazing to be in times square. we probably should have gone somewhere where they were celebrating because we could have used the energy boost.

so, although we're very disappointed, we're trying to look on the positive side and hope that better things are in store for our future. also, we both know from experience living overseas that we are lucky to live in a country where we actually have the freedom to live openly as a couple and raise our daughter. so that's certainly no small consolation.

Quality Family Time

Zadie has been getting lots of quality time with her family members lately. We spent last weekend in Houston and got to visit with my grandma, four aunts, and a few cousins (including 1-year-old Jonas). When we returned to L.A., Tori, Uncle Hank, and Grandma Linda all came to the airport to pick us up. Zadie enjoyed her time with Grandma Linda so much that she even rode down to San Diego with her. And then she spent the past two nights with my parents in San Diego. Everyone has raved about how delightful Zadie has been on all of her journeys. I'm going to copy and paste part of an email that my dad sent yesterday to my relatives that I thought captured this fun stage she's in -- and how much her grandparents are enjoying her company.

Kate had called and said Tori's mother Linda was on her way with Zadie. I was working in my office anticipating her arrival. When I heard Linda drive up I rushed out to get Zadie. When I lifted Zadie out of the car seat I was rewarded with the biggest smile I've ever seen. All evening she smiled and laughed and flapped her arms like a bird trying to take flight - she was just so excited she couldn't contain herself. We played with her and fed and bathed her and eventually rocked her to sleep. She never whimpered about anything. She is bursting with joy and she couldn't care less about the financial crisis. I'm going to be like Zadie today. So far I haven't been able to flap my arms as fast as she does but I'm trying.

It's a GREAT day to be alive!!

Hal