Watch and Laugh

There is no introduction for this video. Consider it your glimpse into a regular Tuesday evening in Zogland. Just watch. You'll laugh. Promise. Click here: New Hat

Yea! Dinner!

I try to avoid using this blog to report on the mundane child-rearing that goes on in our house - and yours - every day. But, since shouting from the rooftop is dangerous, I have no other way.

Most readers of this blog are aware that Baby Zog is not a great meal eater. He has mastered the art of snacking, but when it comes to his three-squares each day, he'd rather not take the time. While the children of my friends are shoveling food in by the tray-full, my child prefers to take a few bites and proclaim "all done," leaving me to worry that he's malnourished. It's maddening. Dinnertime is usually when Daddy Zog and I pull out the wine/whiskey and gear up for disappointment.

But let it be known that my son ate for 27 minutes straight tonight! He ate corn, green beans, and black beans. He ate cheddar cheese, pasta, pineapple, and chicken nuggets. He kept asking for MORE! We could barely keep up with him. I had to run and get the camera. Funny how something this silly could have made this the BEST night EVER (as Daddy Zog proclaimed), but really, we're thrilled.

I'm sure it's just a growth spurt and two days from now we'll be back in our kitchen doing the please-eat-one-more-bite dance, but for now happiness rules over full tummies in Zogland.

Sorry for the boring post, but I had to write it down to prove it really happened. Pleasant dreams to all.

Snow Day Thought

I realized recently how often I casually use the word "hate." As in, "I hate unloading the dishwasher," Or, "I really hate it when my socks scrunch down in my shoes," or even, "I hate this silly commercial." Since we have entered the era of anything-that-comes-out-of-my-mouth-will-surely-come-out-of-Baby-Zog's-mouth-in-30-seconds I decided to see if this word was meant to be used so lightly. Thanks to dictionary.com, I discovered that hate means to "dislike intensely or passionately; to feel extreme aversion for." So, maybe I'm just annoyed when my socks scrunch down in my shoes....

I can tell you this though, I do hate it when my sweet boy is ill. As I was rocking him for two hours in the middle of the night last night, waiting for the Tylenol to bring his fever down, I decided that since becoming a mother, the list of things I "feel extreme aversion for" has grown. And everything on that list is something that might negatively affect my small son. Funny how becoming a mother could blow open my capacity to love, but yet has also increased my ability to hate. Maybe that is why they say having a child is like nothing you've ever experienced before. The level of emotion is so raw and intense...

Hmm, does this mean I can use motherhood as the reason why I really might actually hate unloading the dishwasher?

Happy Day

I can't really think of anything creative to say about Saturday other than it was a fun and happy day. The sun was shining and Baby Zog was in a very good mood - probably because I'd told him that Daddy Zog was returning home from his trip that afternoon. Anyway, I took several videos that day - mostly thinking of the grandparents who are now missing Baby Zog after fun holiday visits.

So, I present to you:

Good Morning Grover and Elmo - this one is kinda long

Bye Bye and Kisses - this should have been the end of the first video

Do Dee Do Dee Do Dee - a.k.a. Playing in the Drapes. This is my favorite video of him recently.

Yoggie - um, that's "Yogurt" in Baby Zog speak

Happy viewing!

Puppy Love

Due to a day of complex scheduling that allowed me to help out a friend, I didn't get to see Baby Zog for the first time today until nearly 6:00 this evening. As I watched the time tick away while I waited for his homecoming, I realized the feeling I had - that feeling of anxiousness and anticipation and excitement - was the same feeling I used to get as a teenager when I'd wait for a boy to pick me up for a date. Peering out the window every so often, pretending to be calm and not notice how slow the clock moves. Oh how silly to waste that wonderful feeling on a high-school boy. Seeing them at my door could never never live up to the graham cracker covered kiss and running-start hug I got tonight!

Back in the Saddle, Off with the Pants

Is it really January 5th already? Geez! Is it clique to say our holiday was "busy?" My mom says that's because kids these days don't live near their extended families. "It's not like it was when I was growing up." I think she's right. Afterall, between Daddy Zog and I we have parents and siblings in five states. The closest relative to us is a five hour drive. And so, after concluding our holiday with a wonderful eight-day trip to see the extended family Zog we are now home and trying to get back into our routine (read: thank goodness for daycare.) So, as I crawl out from piles of laundry and unopened mail, trying not to notice that the Christmas tree is still in full display (but never lit after December 31), I leave you with my favorite photo from the week of Christmas. More photos to follow soon. We'll title this photo "What Happens When Daddy Changes a Diaper." To quote Daddy Zog, "I didn't think he needed pants, but didn't want him to slip in his socks." Now that's some serious PhD-level thinking!