Where's Dada?

Computer Mediated Communication. That's where. Yes, Daddy Zog has class every Monday night until quite late, so Mondays are Mommy-Baby date night. Sometimes we go to the store; other times we just come home and play. Last night baby Zog decided to give Mommy a run for her money. In the course of an hour, he tried to eat my running shoes, mashed nutrigrain bar so far into the rug that it's gonna just have to stay there, poured the entire contents of his sippy cup onto the floor, looked up my dress a little too inquisitively, pulled my hair, coughed green beans all over my face (which he found hilarious), drank his bath water out of his shampoo cup, and stuck his hand into a flushing toilet. All of this while constantly looking around the house and saying "Dada?"

The funny thing is that he did all of this with a happy spirit and I actually found most of it rather amuzing. I'm sure it's becuase I actually got a good night's sleep sunday night, but I thought it was funny to watch him explore how things work. He really was a good boy last night -- just a curious one. It's true that you learn from your children. Mama Zog has now learned to put her shoes away, only eat nutrigrain bars in the kitchen, and to close the lid to the toilet before flushing (which really is safer anyway). I'll have to be sure to pass these tips to Dada Zog before my girls' night out on Thursday!

New Chair

Baby Zog got an early birthday present in the mail this week. His very own chair! It's been the center of attention around here and he understands that he is supposed to sit in it, but he can't figure out how to launch himself backward into the chair. So, most days he tries to sit a few time and then just gives up and piles his toys onto the chair instead. Click here to see a video of Baby Zog attempting to sit in his chair. Thank you Anie! Baby Zog loves his chair and Mama and Daddy Zog love trying to teach him to sit in it.

Missing Photo Albums

For anyone looking for the photo album links that used to be on this site (okay, so this post is really just for Baby Zog's grandmothers) the links were not working, so I've taken them down. I'm switching to a google-based format so the albums I create from now on should always work. For the time being, I threw together an album with pics from the first 11 months of Baby Zog's life to hold you over until the end of September when the September pics will be up. Sorry for the wait!

Please Hold for Baby Zog

Yesterday the family Zog ventured into the cell phone store to take a peek at things. New phones are definitely in our future (especially for Mama Zog since a certain baby broke the antenna off my Treo!). Baby Zog had to touch everything in the store. Yes, EVERYTHING. So, Daddy Zog eventually held him - weedwacker style - and just walked up and down the aisles so he could leave his sticky, nutri-grain infused fingerprints on every product they offered. Why are babies so interested in adult gizmos and gadgets? He never acts this way in the toy aisle at Target.

To Shoe or Not to Shoe

Before Baby Zog was born, I very rarely asked for help or opinions from anyone. Well, times have changed. I need to know the answer to a very important question and I hope you parents of older babies will help me out here. Read closely here becuase this is crucial:

When does it stop being acceptable for my child to go barefoot in public? He wears shoes every day to school, but on the weekends he likes to be barefoot. He's almost 11 months old. So, one would think, he's still a baby so it's okay. On the other hand, he walks now. So does that make him a big boy who should wear shoes at all times? (Of course, if he's barefoot, we don't let him just stroll through Target - yucky!) Then there's the whole "no shirt, no shoes, no service" posting on local establishments. When does that start to apply to Baby Zog? Please post a comment and help me!!!

Humbly yours,
Mommy Zog

Back to School

For anyone who doesn't know, I should tell you that we Zogs moved to a new town back in May so Daddy Zog could pursue a PhD and someday be a professor of Media Law. So, I am now the all powerful breadwinner here in Zogland. Of course with Daddy being a full time student and Mommy being a full time magazine person, some reinforcements are needed to assist Baby Zog in his daily adventures. Since the move, various family members have enjoyed the pleasure of his company. We could not be more grateful for the help they gave us with Baby Zog as it allowed for us to find just the right permanent place for him.

Yes, my boy started School today. (I don't much care for the word "daycare.") I got him dressed in school clothes and his new shoes, made sure he ate plenty of breakfast, packed and repacked his bag, took about a million photos (see video here), and off we went. The fun part of our new routine is that Baby Zog's school is at a church just past Daddy's school, so every morning we can all ride together! Although Baby Zog attended school in our old town, I was still nervous about this new chapter of his life. "What if he starves all day!?!" I cried as we finished our "first day of school prayer." Being a mommy is such a funny thing. Or rather, having a mommy's brain and a mommy's heart is a funny thing. You do your research, make the visits, and know you have found a great school for your son. And yet, when the day comes to leave him there all day, you totally disregard their 40+ years in business and their superior state rating. You fear that they won't feed him, will forget him out on the playground, and will let him scream in the corner during nap time. I was also quite certain any food they gave him would end up on the floor and not in his mouth.

In reality, I should learn to trust my own decisions while also having a little faith in my sweet-natured son. We dropped him off this morning and he happily went to his teacher (whom he has seen a handful of times prior to today) and waved bye-bye to us without crying a tear. I picked him up this afternoon - not as early as I'd hoped thanks to some stupid slow driver woman - and was informed that he was "happy all day." He played, read books, took both of his bottles, drank water, ate snacks, and even ate beans, cheese, fruit and vanilla wafers at lunch. I was even more shocked to hear that he took a 90 minute nap. Not quite as long as the two hours we get at home, but a really good start for his first nap in a new place.

So, as he peacefully sleeps upstairs and I am about to pack his bag for tomorrow, I am slightly calmer knowing that day #1 is behind us and hopeful that day #2 will go well also. Slowly, my mommy head and mommy heart are learning to realax a little and trust God to lead us. I'm working on it. Promise!

Big Boy Walking Shoes

I've been hit in the face this week with exhibit A in the case of Baby Growing Up Too Fast vs. Mommy. Now that Baby Zog has been walking for a bit and seems to have adopted walking as his preferred method of transportation , we decided it was time to get him some big boy walking shoes. So, on Tuesday, Mommy, Baby Zog, and Sitti (it means grandmother) piled in the car and headed to - where else? Stride Rite. I've been told they are the creator of good, supportive, structured shoes for my new walker, so that's where we went. In my mind, we would walk in, have Baby Zog fitted for the typical white baby shoe, pay a small sum, and leave with a happy, walking baby. Hmm...so much for my mind.

I had no idea they had so many styles and categories of shoes! I was actually really impressed with the cuteness of their shoes. Even the basic white shoes have come a long way since I toddled around in them 30 years ago. I also had no idea baby shoes were so expensive. Geez, I can't remember the last time I dropped $50 for a pair of MY shoes! [I should note that Sitti picked up the bill for this inaugural pair. Thank you Sitti!] In the end, we opted for the basic white walking shoes becuase I figured they would go with everything and let's face it, who can afford more than one pair at a time for shoes that have to be replaced every 60-90 days? (If you are the one who can afford it, then clearly YOUR husband did not just quit his job to be a student again.) The nice shoe store lady measured Baby Zog's fat nugget foot, declared him a size 5 1/2 and brought out the wide shoes. He stared at them like they were a foot parasite. We put him down and he was cemented to the floor. Eventually, he took a few huge, Godzilla steps around the store. He's getting more used to them as the days go by which is good becuase he starts his new daycare on Monday and will have to wear them all day then. He'll learn to like them, but my early prediction is that he's going to take after his aunt and always prefer to be barefoot!


Baby Zog inspecting his new kicks.



Baby Zog walking on the deck in his new shoes.


The new shoes make it a little harder for him to cross his ankles - especially when sitting on the floor - but he always finds a way. He's such a proper little man!

Uncle Ross Photo Shoot

My brother-in-law Ross is an amazing amateur photographer. Psychologist by day - photographer extraordinare the rest of the time. He doesn't make his living taking photos, but I think he could. Earlier this month, he and my sister Suzyn came to visit us (well, really to visit Baby Zog, let's be honest here.) Not only did they travel over 1,250 miles to spend a few days in Zogland, but they made the trek by CAR. I am so glad they did becuase the space in the car allowed Ross to bring his fancy-pants camera, some studio lighting larger than my dining room table, some light reflecting thing-a-ma-jigs and enough other photography equipment to turn our house into Olan Mills for the weekend. The result was sent to me in the mail this week. A DVD with over 400 images of my sweet baby boy! I have looked at them no less than 20 times in the 24 hours we've owned the disc. Of course, Baby Zog will probably be in college by the time I settle on which ones are my favorites to print and frame. I love how organic these photos are. Many of them were taken while Baby Zog was in his p.j.s or just playing in the living room. All of them were taken in our home or in our yard. I love them because they capture my darling boy doing the things he does every day, playing with familiar toys, and looking up at familiar faces.

Here are a few of our favorites:

I love this classic headshot, especially in black & white.

Sweet baby boy

Why are babies so cute from the side?

So happy he can't stand it!

Daddy's hat is a little too big, but gee, it's cute.

He loves to roam on the deck!

Perfect little model!

I love the color treatment Ross used here.

Absolutely my favorite photo of my son - ever.

Well, I could keep posting photos for hours, so I'll stop now while I'm still in control! To see what we've dubbed "the top 48," click here.

Everyone is Special

I believe the most sublime aspect of being a first-time parent is the charge to teach your child. When Baby Zog was born, I remember my husband saying, "Wow, he knows nothing. He has instinct, but no knowledge. We are totally responsible for that." I also believe the most innocent part of being a first-time parent is the simple belief, as your child begins to learn, that your child is a genius, advanced, smarter than any other baby that has ever lived. Even when you know other parents feel this way too, you still can't help it. There is something so human about feeling pride for your children. How privileged I am to have a son - a son that I believe can do anything he puts his nearly-ten-month-old mind to. How grateful I am for the opportunity to love him from the second he was conceived and to share in every victory he experiences. I should make sure to tell him thank you for allowing me these moments of pure glory.

Along those lines, we have posted another video of Baby Zog. That is two videos this week, which I know is a lot for one week. We'll call it number two in the series "Look What I Can Do." I know running around the living room while pushing a plastic toy walker is something every child in America learns to do, but somewhere in my mommy heart, I think no other child has ever done it this fast or this well. My mommy head knows that is not true (for I have seen the children of many readers of this blog), but none the less, we wanted to share.

Thanks for reading. Go home tonight and be proud of your children. :)

Not Intended as a Toy

Act I, Scene I: Mommy, Daddy and Baby Zog in Mommy and Daddy's bed, early Saturday morning. Baby Zog, having woken up a little earlier than usual, had been brought downstairs to his parents room for "quiet time" so they could pretend it was not yet time to wake up.

Baby Zog to Mommy (tossing a book aside): "hm bah bah, da da, ahh"

Mommy to Baby Zog: "Here, please look at this book again while I lie here with my eyes closed."

Baby Zog to Mommy (looking longingly at the baby monitor on the bedside table): "ba ba da ba dah ah?"

Mommy to Baby Zog: "Okay you can play with this while I lie here with my eyes closed."


Act I, Scene II: Mommy in the kitchen, looking for something to use as an ice pack for her busted, bleeding lip.

Daddy, yelling from bedroom: "Maybe that is why they say the monitor is not intended as a toy. But, wow, our kid can throw!"

Road Trip

Well, Baby Zog had his first trip to Alabama last week. We realized that our nine-month old son has already been to Virginia, Maryland, DC, Illinois, Indiana, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, NC, SC, and Alabama. That's a lot of hours on planes, trains and automobiles. We've definitely noticed a decline in how long he's content to sit strapped in his car seat. Now that he can crawl, the car seat is not his friend. Thank God for They Might Be Giants' album, "Here Come the ABC's." I swear it must have hypnotic undertones adults cannot hear!

We had a whirlwind tour for sure, starting with a Friday night visit to Grandma and her new car! We spent Saturday, Sunday and Monday catching up with dear friends and introducing our son to our friends' children - many of whom we had never met either. Stops at people's homes, lunch with mommy's "lunch bunch," a walk through the halls of Daddy's old law firm, and even a visit from the Mississippi Grandparents kept Baby Zog quite busy. All in all, we saw over 35 friends, many who go back to college or law school days. It was so strange to see everyone as "grownups" now. Late nights of beer and concerts have given way to respectable careers, beautiful houses and children playing on the floor. It's almost poetic to see life evolve and continue on an expected, yet unknown path. It was comforting to realize the friendships are still there and indeed we chose to keep company with "good people" all those years ago. Of course, along with that comfort is the realization that we miss them on a regular basis and wish our child knew them intimately.

My only regret from this trip is that I failed to take photos of everyone with Baby Zog. We were so excited to see people, and the time went by so quickly that I only remembered about half of the time. If you'd like to see the photos I DID remember to take, look over to the left and click on the photo album link called "road trip."

Nine Month Check Up

I can't believe baby Zog is nine months old already! Hmm..doesn't that mean I'm supposed to have lost all my baby weight? Nine months up, nine months down or something like that...

Well, on to a better topic, here are the stats from the pediatrician visit this morning:

Weight: 23.5 lbs (87%)
Height: 31.5 inches (off the chart)

Basically, it seems our sweet boy has had a growth spurt and it starting to be tall and skinnyish. His weight gain is leveling off - of course, he's still not exactly "light." I'm sure he's burning a lot of calories with the constant crawling, climbing, dancing and general moving he does. The doctor was surprised by his length. It looks like we could have a very tall boy on our hands. Only time will tell.

In general, he's healthy, developing well, and exceptionally smart. Well, maybe the doctor didn't say anything about his smarts...I can't recall. :) She did say we were doing a great job raising him and to keep doing what we are doing. That was nice to hear.

Where did my baby go?

So, I'm sure other parents could have told me this would happen, but it seems that in the last two weeks my sweet "baby" has become a child. And not just a child, a BOY. He throws things, bangs his hands on the highchair tray to demand more cheerios, blows spit bubbles, pulls hair, makes monster noises, grabs boobs (yep, that's right!) and tries to dismantle anything that seems to have "parts." Also, true to the warning we were given when I was pregnant with an ever-kicking child, he NEVER sits still. He's a well-behaved baby who is learning about the world around him, but the pace is alarming. This much fun wears mommy out big time. Oh, the joys of being a first time parent. I just hope that gate we ordered shows up soon. He went from not noticing the stairs to being able to totally climb them in about 20 minutes last weekend.

Finally

Welcome. I finally have a blog. I think that is supposed to make me a cool mom. However, I didn't resign to the blogging gods to be cool. No, it was frustration with our supposed "easy to use" video sharing website. I got fed up for the last time. So much for that $39.99! And so, here we are. I hope this will be a great way to share photos, videos and stories from time to time. The little nugget (or nuge as we call him now) seems to grow and learn every day and always has a new trick up his sleeve. I hope this will be a way to share him with you.