Baby Zog consumed 1,478 calories yesterday. Most would wonder why I'm counting a two-year-old's calories or why this matters. The reason is because, in Zogland, 1,478 made yesterday an exceptionally good day.
You see, Baby Zog has developed an aversion to eating. Ten months ago it just meant he was becoming a picky eater. Six months ago it meant he wasn't gaining weight so the doctor suggested adding some high-calorie nutritional drinks to his daily intake to help him out. One month ago it became an active problem because he lost nearly 3 lbs over the holidays. Now, most of us would rejoice at seeing the scale slide down in the month of December, but for a growing two-year-old who was only in the 50th weight percentile, losing nearly 10% of that weight is something to discuss.
"So, he just doesn't eat at all?" This is what concerned friends often ask. This is also what the nutritionist our pediatrician referred us to asked. According to the nutritionist, it is pretty common for toddlers to be picky eaters. However, "picky" usually means the child will only eat a handful of foods - but they will eat LOTS OF those foods. The parents of these kids go crazy feeding them chicken fingers and mac n'cheese meal after meal, wishing they'd eat a green bean and wondering how to get vitamins into that pasta. But their kids continue to gain weight.
Baby Zog is a little different. Although he refuses to eat most "kid" foods like pasta, mashed potatoes, pizza, quesadillas, hot dogs, sandwiches, etc, he will eat a variety of foods. For the most part, he enjoys crunchy/grainy foods, fruit, dairy, and bacon. I mention bacon as its own category because it holds the distinction of being the only meat product he will eat. (We're thinking of letting him just go vegetarian.)
Food variety is not our challenge. Our challenge is delivered to us in two forms:
1. Baby Zog eats a variety of foods, but he eats very small amounts of those foods.
Not whole servings, but one slice of apple, 3 nibbles of a cookie, 2 chex, 1/2 french fry, etc.
2. On any day, Baby Zog will refuse to eat any food that he has previously enjoyed. This one is tough because it means we have to keep a giant variety available at all times and try to guess what's going to "hit the food jackpot" that day.
If you are wondering if we throw away pounds of uneaten or barely-nibbled-on food, the answer is yes. I try not to convert the wasted food into dollars in my mind.
The nutritionist visit was good and we'll return soon. She helped us devise a "plan." Here it is:
1. While we were previously throwing all our effort into getting 1,000 calories per day into the boy, for his age and height, he needs even more - around 1,300 per day. Try harder.
2. Most of the foods she usually suggests to bulk up calorie counts for kids are foods Baby Zog won't eat, so she told us to search for foods that are high calorie & high fat that we think he'll try. If those food have protein and fiber, all the better. So far our best new finds have been Organic Pop Tarts and Cheetos.
3. Stick with whole milk (she prefers organic) and stop cutting his juice with water. He needs the calories in 100% juice. This goes against everything we've been doing, but we'll return to low-sugar someday when he's gaining weight again.
4. Give him liquid nutrition drinks daily. (Of course, this gets tricky because he gets tired of them and then refuses them.)
5. Let him eat whenever he requests to - if that should happen.
6. Continue to give him daily vitamins.
In addition to offering reassurance and guidance, so also mentioned something that made both Daddy Zog and I relax a bit. She said if Baby Zog was actually "malnourished" he would stop growing taller. He is growing up like a weed - pants that fit a week ago are often too short today. So, we liked hearing that.
The unexpected side-effect of visiting a nutritionist was that we made it our mission to fatten the boy up. Our house is full of fattening foods and we work to the point of physical exhaustion trying to get Baby Zog to consume them. After a few days of charting progress (how do you calculate the calories in 3 bites of rice?) we realized that our extreme anxiety was affecting Baby Zog and he was eating less than ever. Tuesday, 603 calories. Wednesday, 756 calories. Ugh.
This brings me back to yesterday's 1,478 calories and why it's such a big deal. We decided to take a different approach for the weekend. Relaxation. We'll give Baby Zog the food and then back off. No bargaining with him. No comments like, "Baby, take another bite," "Baby, don't you want to eat this?" "Baby, show Grover how big boys drink their milk." No comments at all.
If there is anything I've learned in my 27 months of parenting it's that This Too Shall Pass. The issue we're tackling will soon be a memory. I want to chronicle our "calorie journey" because it will always be a part of Baby Zog's past. But mostly I want to be able to read back when this is behind us and we've moved on to a new challenge and say, "look, we conquered that one, we can do anything!"
Yesterday, the relaxation plan worked and my boy ate. Here's hoping today follows suit - it's 9 a.m. and we've reached about 200 calories so far. One day at a time...
r awhile and for Mommy and Daddy to perk up and to stop worrying about the future. 
Being a PhD Student isn't exactly the best paying job on earth, but it is rewarding and offers some great perks like all-expenses-paid trips to cool cities for conferences. What's even better? When said conference is in a city where dear friends live. We recently enjoyed a trip to Denver - Daddy Zog for a nearly a week and me for a quick weekend. He enjoyed a conference and we both enjoyed a night out with his school colleagues and a weekend spent with my good friend Alison and her family.
Being a one-car family (or in our case a one-old-paid-for-covered-in-cracker-crumbs-SUV family) actually has advantages that out-weigh the disadvantages. Saving money and a little piece of the planet is nice, but my favorite advantage is that we log some quality family time while making the rounds each day.
u say so. But it wasn't a one time observation. Since then, it has become apparent that BBZ fully believes that his Daddy works "in the trees." If you ask him what his Daddy does, the reply will be, "My Daddy works in the trees. Yep, in the trees." It's hilarious! Yes, Daddy Zog's campus is covered in many large, beautiful trees; however, Daddy Zog has never climbed them, manicured them, or studied them. Moreover, BBZ has been to work with his daddy, played in his office and watched him work. And still, the "in the trees" theory persists.
BBZ enjoyed his first live performance show this morning with Sitti and Mommy. We took him to See Elmo's Green Thumb. Unfortunately, Daddy was on his way home from a conference and wasn't able to join us. My sweet baby was the perfect audience member, sitting in his seat like a good boy, clapping when they said "clap," waving when they said, "wave" and otherwise staring in a comotose state trying to take it all in. The photo above pretty much sums up the concentration he maintained through the enitre 90 minute show. He loved every second of it and spent the rest of the day asking, "where are my friends?" We just kept telling him they had to rest so they could do the show again for other little boys and girls.
We had quite a busy month here in Zogland, and it was a month of many firsts for BBZ. First time holding a newborn baby, first time planting things in the earth, first time successfully posing for a photo for mommy, first time getting a boo boo that required a band-aid (a fate that, according to BBZ, also befell poor Grover later that day, thus requiring him to need a matching band-aid. See above photo.) All in all, a great month! Click here for photos.
Thursday was Picture Day at BBZ's school. I don't know how the professional photos will turn out and if we'll choose package A or D, but I sure do love the ones I snapped before we piled into the car that morning. We even got a great shot of Mommy and her baby and Daddy with his little man. I couldn't pick just one to share, so enjoy an entire photo album here. I would share my heartfelt mommy comments about how grown up he looks with his shirt tucked in or how I'm wondering where my baby disappeared to, but I'm in the middle of what I've dubbed "The Most Productive Three Day Weekend Ever," and must be off to scratch more things off my task list! 
When I was pregnant with Big Boy Zog I got loads of advice about how to handle pregnancy, child birth and parenting. But perhaps the best advice we received in those nine months was from people who had managed to get married, have children, stay married and above all...be happy. At its core, the message was, "Put your marriage first, above jobs, above circumstances, and yes, even above the children. If your marriage is solid, loving and on track everything else will fall into place."
I just remembered this photo I took on Sunday after Baby Zog's nap. I love it when he sleeps deep and gets a little sweaty and his gorgeous curls show up as a result. Same things happens when it rains and then he plays outside in the humidity. I wish he could hold on to his curls forever, but I have a feeling he won't...
Baby Zog seems to have reached a new level of cognition recently. He makes believe like James Cameron and tells stories like Aesop. More than ever I wish I could order a transcript from his daily thoughts. We were riding in the car on Sunday and he started to laugh. I mean deep, wonderful belly laughs. I asked him what was so funny and it turned out he was recalling something funny he had seen hours earlier and reliving it in his mind. To my knowledge, he's never done that before. "Mr. Noodle had to give Elmo a tissue!" he yelled while continuing to laugh. It seems that thinking about this skit was just as funny to him as actually watching it.
Here in Zogland, February seems to, well....stink. (The caption on this photo can be "and don't bother coming back, February!" We don't know if it's self-fulfilling prophecy at this point, but for the last four years, we have not enjoyed the 28 days of the second month nearly as much as we enjoy the other 336 days. Yes, I know my birthday is one of those days, but it doesn't seem to help anymore. We are happy people, but we really struggle to maintain that in February. Oh sure, there are good days in February, but they aren't able to overcome the general yuckiness of the month. One of Daddy Zog's professors said, "February might have the least amount of days, but trust me, it's the longest month."
Recently, it has become clear that we are one step away from having a full rock n' roll band in this house. As many of you know, Daddy Zog is our resident guitar player and mommy dabbled a bit on the keys in her younger days. Well, it would seem that Baby Zog has the Rhythm deep in his soul. In the last few weeks, we have caught him numerous times turning his toys into drums. If there are no toys around, the floor or sofa will do. He also seems to have the rhythm in his bones and will often be seen stomping and dancing along with his current favorite DVD which is a Sesame Street DVD that features the cast of STOMP. I love to watch him imitate every move they make. Here is a quick video. It doesn't show him in his fullest drumming glory. I think he was conflicted because he wanted to watch, but he also wanted to play. I'll try to get a video of him stomping because that is great to see. If you are wondering while you watch, the answer is "Yes. He set up the pots like this by himself."
What a great time we had this weekend. Not only was it a three-day weekend, but we had a nice long visit from Baby Zog's cousin, Baby Jo Jo (oh, and the baby's mommy and daddy, Aunt Katie and Uncle Jim were here too!)
As any parent knows, being able to communicate with your child makes most situations, well, just plain easier - and more enjoyable. We have been fortunate that Baby Zog has been very verbal from a very early age. What started with "Da Da," "ball," and "bat" progressed quickly into "Mommy I dropped Grover on the floor. I need him." (Said yesterday in the car.) 
