Night Night Tar Heels

It's almost September. I love September because everything is new again. I know I should get this feeling in January, but between being a student until I was was 22 (and for one miserable year later on), being married to a perpetual student, and having parents who are teachers, I have always operated on the school calendar instead.

This September newness can bring excitement about a variety of things, but in our house, front and center is the glorious new sports season. First football, followed by (but second to) basketball. I am aware of the long list of other sports, but here in Zogland, these two are the important ones. (Daddy Zog wishes I'd cave and include baseball in that list, but I just can't get into a sport that doesn't involve a play clock.)

Even more exciting than sports in general is college sports. For a girl who didn't grow up loving sports and didn't go to a big college, I sure do get excited when I hear the music that means ESPN Game Day is on my television. I admit that husband has officially converted me. And these days, in this house, college sports means one thing: GO TAR HEELS! Everyone in Zogland is ready and waiting for the new season of Tar Heel sports - even the littlest Zog. We are beaming with pride that he can name everyone on the '09 Championship Team, he even knows the coaches. We just need to work on his pronunciation of Ramses:

A Little Fall

Yesterday afternoon the Day Care Director called (never a good thing):

"Baby Zog had a little fall. He might need a little stitch. You should come get him."

So, to the daycare I went, worried about my son (and also worried about the $150 copay we'd have to dish out for a ER visit.)

Turns out - according to the five teachers that swarmed me to show concern - that he was playing with another child, tripped and fell and hit his face on the corner of the lunch/craft table. Thankfully, these tables have very rounded corners. Also good that he didn't hit his actual eye.

Because the injury is on his face, our pediatrician said we needed to take him to the ER in case a plastic surgeon would need to be involved. Not wanting to ruin his perfect, handsome face forever, we headed to the ER.

I'll save you the details, but I have to give props to the Pediatric ER at University Hospital yet again. We were in and out in under an hour. They were all kind, professional, caring and thorough. The doctor explained that he needed to make sure the area around the eye wasn't fractured, etc. I hadn't even thought of that! We left with no stitches and were told all should heal well with a minimal scar that will fade as he ages.

Oh, and the Day Care quickly made sure I knew they'd reimburse us for any out of pocket expenses. (Hmm...they must remember that Baby Zog's daddy is still a barred attorney. hee hee hee.)

He slept like a champ last night, and doesn't seem too bothered by the injury (unless he touches it on accident and then he just says, "ow.)

Although I do think he remembers falling because so far this morning, as we sit and play, Baby Zog is playing that his toys are falling. "Grover fall. Michael fall." I tell him that we pick up Grover and give him a hug and then the doctor says everything will be just fine.

We were lucky this time. I know he's going to get hurt - especially as we go through the next few years. I just pray they will all be like this one.

Funny Dance

So we were at a birthday party yesterday and while enjoying his celebratory cupcake, Baby Zog decided to break out his new "move" for the crowd. We have no idea where it came from, but it sure is funny. The best part is he KNOWS it's funny and is still doing it for us today.

Thummus

It's about 6:40 p.m. in Zogland and this is what you'll see - pretty much every night. Take a close look. Yes....that is a tub of Hummus. This is what Baby Zog eats for dinner nearly every night. In fact, these days, it's one of the few things he will actually eat. The child loves Hummus - or "Thummus" as he refers to it with hunger in his voice. We offer him a variety of other foods daily, but this is the one that lights up those brown eyes and opens that adorable mouth.

Now look even closer. Yep! You are seeing correctly. In his left hand is a tortilla chip and in his right - indeed is a spoon. As you might suspect he doesn't actually eat the chip (and thankfully he doesn't try to eat the spoon.) He merely uses these two devices as shovels for transporting the hummus to his mouth...rapidly.

Many of you are now thinking, "oh, great, he likes hummus, you can get him to dip veggies in it." Um, wrong. I've tried. He's not falling for that trick.

So, to summarize: my child eats hummus straight - with a spoon. At least 6 days a week. About a third of that tub will be gone in one meal. We live in fear of running out of hummus and keep a ready supply in the fridge.

Alas, at least he's eating...

Picture This

Thursday night I pulled out a stack of old photos to search for a cute baby pic of myself. We have to take them to work for some secret purpose (but I happen to know there is a surprise staff appreciation day next week and I'm sure these two pieces of information are connected.)

Anyway, I found this photo of a 3-year-old me. But then at the last minute I found a better photo and this photo was left on the kitchen counter.

As all things on the counter do, this photo magically found its way to the kitchen floor by the next afternoon. Baby Zog picked it up, held it up to us and said, "That's Mommy!"

He has never seen this photo before and was asleep when I was rummaging through them the previous night.

I was speechless for a brief moment and finally congratulated him on his correct observation (and for being a kind boy and gently handing the photo back to me.) All Daddy could say was, "WOW!"

So now, I have to wonder: Is this how he sees me? Do we all look like toddlers in the eyes of an actual toddler? Does he see past the age on my face to the basic elements that are still buried there somewhere? So many questions.

Regardless, it was pretty cool that he knew it was me!

Poe-Tay-Toe and Surprise

Baby Zog has two new things. Well, really I feel like he does something new daily, like today when informed Daddy it was time to go pick up Mommy from the gym. Anyway, here are the two new things:

1.) First, he is obsessed with his Potato Head toys. When we tried to teach him the word "potato," his daddy broke it down phonetically for him and it just stuck. So, they are lovingly referred to as Poe-Tay-Toe heads.

2.) Second, he has learned to show the expression of surprise. The funny part is that he doesn't know when to appropriately use it. For example:

Mommy: "Would you like some milk, son?"

Baby Zog: (opens mouth, inhales loudly and shows element of surprise)

Good stuff.

So now, enjoy this video which displays both (lucky for you, I edited out the part where he instantly throws a fit becuase he wants to see the Poe-Tay-Toe Head on the camera. Yes, he is almost two...)

Sitti + Ainee + Baby Zog = Fun

Baby Zog is sleeping soundly at the moment - blissfully exhausted from five days spent under the care of his beloved Sitti and Ainee. (Mom and Dad got away for few days). I could write about the new toys, fun trips to the kids museum, new Ernie video, bowls of frozen yogurt eaten, new songs learned and endless fun they had, but really this photo of Baby Zog wearing his Sitti's glasses sums up their time together perfectly. He had a blast being silly!

Snuffy's Fate

I've received a lot of inquiries regarding the fate of Baby Zog's new Snuffy doll. See the first video in the post below if you are not sure what I'm talking about.

If you are curious about Snuffy's fate, watch this:

Dethroned

This theory is only a mere hours old, but it would appear that there is currently someone under our roof who Baby Zog finds more desirable than daddy. Yep, that's right. Move over Daddy, Uncle E is in town!

Uncle E was requested to help him out of the car seat, Uncle E has to play the games. Uncle E brought fun toys (more on this below). Uncle E needs to join Baby Zog for dinner, bathe him, read to him. Hmm...Mommy is thinking she might cash in on a little "me time" this weekend. Being third in line for Baby Zog's affection leaves one with plenty of time for a pedicure.

Uncle E did not come unarmed. He had shipped his secret weapon and it arrived yesterday. In this "magic box" were two new members of our rapidly growing arsenal of Sesame Street plush toys (Happy 40th SS!). Watch the video below for the unveiling. Bert went over with a smash. Not so much for poor Snuffy...




And below is a little montage of Baby Zog playing with Uncle E and just generally being silly. (Thanks for the t-ball Sitti!) I love how Baby Zog shows off for the people he loves - I also love that my in-laws say he's "just like his daddy was" and my parents say "he's just like his mommy was." Guess he comes by it honestly.




Stay tuned - Uncle E is here until Monday!

Yummy Again

Last Sunday was quite possibly the perfect day. It seemed like there were more than enough hours in the day and we had a relaxing, happy, productive day. We shopped, napped, played, went to the pool, had popsicles outside, played some more, did laundry, displayed perfect two-year-old manners, and even found time to cook an amazing dinner! Really, it was just one of those days when you feel all covered up in God's blessings and you wonder just what you did to deserve this much happiness.

Here's a little video of Baby Zog enjoying his very first Pop Ice that afternoon. I wish the sound was better. He keeps saying, "Yummy again" as a way to ask for help with it. Maybe I should have tried to teach him the word "slippery."

It really was a "yummy" day and I wish we could have "yummy again" over and over and over.

Know Your Place

Around 7:30 this morning I headed upstairs to greet Baby Zog in his crib. "Daddy coming?" he said. "Daddy's sleeping," I said. "Let's go wake him up!"

A few minutes later mommy and daddy were laying in bed and Baby Zog was playing between us. Really, he was playing on his Daddy.

He crawls over to me and I'm thinking, "Okay, he's coming over here to play his game with me now too." Um, not so much...

Baby Zog looks at me, points to the hallway and says, "Go make food!"

Priceless.

Prince of the Pool

Our friend Dave took this pic while we were all enjoying the pool on Saturday afternoon. His comment about Baby Zog: "he looks like royalty sitting there on his throne while you deliver juice and graham crackers to him after kindly wrapping his highness in a towel." Yeah, he's probably right. Oh the luxury of being first-born.

I love you

So by now, I have certainly figured out that children learn phrases by repeating what they hear adults - usually their parents - say to them. Over and over. Baby Zog learned things like "Night Night Daddy," or "I see you" or "Go to the car" from us. First by repeating, and then eventually just saying them on his own.

Well, the other night he initiated a phrase that he has never said without first hearing it said to him. He finally said, "I love you." But, guess who he said it to?

One clue. His name starts with a "G" and rhymes with "over."

Hmmm....I'm still holding my breath for Baby Zog to go through his "I only want mommy phase" (see blog post dated May 27th for more on that). I guess I can hold my breath and wait for my turn with this too.

Four For the Price of One

So, this post is about a video. And truthfully, it's a video that will be most appreciated by proud grandparents, but I just have to share it with you all. Baby Zog was a fountain of tricks and knowledge tonight. He finally conquered climbing onto the sofa on his own (we'll blame the short legs he inherited from Grandma Donna for the delay in that milestone). He also has started counting, attempting to sing the alphabet song and, well, just singing in general. Often. Loudly.

If you are familiar with the lyrics to the ABC song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, AND you are fluent in "toddler speak" you should be able to understand most of what he's singing. He's my favorite soloist.

So I present to you the video I have dubbed: Four For the Price of One - Couch, Numbers, Letters, Songs. Click here to enjoy the video.

Southern Moon

At some point in the life of most toddlers the famous book "Goodnight Moon" will enter the picture. We were given about 27 copies of this book when I was pregnant and honestly, I never thought it was all that great. So, as the universe would have it, of course Baby Zog LOVES to read the book he affectionately refers to simply as "Moon" every night before bed.

But tonight, I thought it WAS all that great and here's why: If you'll look in the photo above, you'll see on the table what is repeatedly referred to in the book as "a bowl full of mush." My sweet boy pointed at this bowl full of mush on the first page tonight, turned his head to look at me and said, "I see grits!" Oh how my southern heart swelled! Of course you see grits son, of course you do.

The best part is that he said, "I see grits, I see grits" (which sounds more like "I see gits") throughout the entire book. He must have said it twenty times. Every time that bowl full of mush showed up, my boy was ready to proclaim his excitement for one of his favorite foods. Meanwhile, I think I have a new favorite book.

Mom Zog Update

Please accept my apologies for my long absence from the blogosphere. I am - for those of you who don't know - a working woman once again, and boy am I busy. Many readers of this blog know the story, so here is a quick rundown for those of you who don't know. I'll steal a page from my dear friend Matt's recent blog post and just list some stats:

Day told my position at SPC was being "eliminated": November 19, 2008

Last day of work at SPC: December 20, 2009 (after 9.5 years with them)

Number of hours spent at the Unemployment office: 3 (not too bad really)

Number of networking groups/sessions attended weekly during job search: at least 3

Number of new people met in the job search process: over 150

Number of months spent without a single interview: 5 long ones

Number of companies that eventually interviewed me: 2

Number of positions I was ultimately offered: 2

Day I started my new job: June 2, 2009

So, in the end, I was offered two very different, but very good positions. One at a bank; one at an ad agency. Ultimately, work/life balance desires won me over to the bank. I just couldn't bear the idea of late nights, some weekends, and business traveling right now. I would miss things like the photo above or afternoons like this. With the bank, I am done every day at 5:00 and pulling into the parking lot at Baby Zog's daycare by 5:20. God is good.

It feels great to be working again. The compensation is not as good as my last position with SPC, so the purse strings are still a little tight, but living without the fear feels so good. I am settling into my Business Development position at the bank and think I'm going to find it to be exciting and rewarding. I couldn't ask for better coworkers at this small, privately owned bank with only four branches and 60 employees. It's an enjoyable environment and so far, I wake up ready to go to work. I'm learning to "be a banker" pretty quickly and feel more confident everyday.

Thanks for the prayers, emails, thoughts, and resume passing over the last six months. This experience has taught me so much about expectations, best laid plans, attitude, perseverance, the goodness of strangers, and the grace of God. I'm sure you'll hear more about it from me in the coming months as I process everything, but for now, as I said, God is good and I am happy.

No Big Whoop

Despite my occasional browsing of celebrity tabloids, my new obsession with Tori Spelling's reality show, the one time I operated the rice steamer with no water in the appliance, and a recent loss of my cell phone in my own home, I am a reasonably intelligent woman. I KNOW toddlers go through phases that they neither initiate nor choose. They are toddlers. They know not what they do.

I have loved Baby Zog from the moment the little stick showed a + sign. He is part of me, grew in me, makes my faces, has my big brown eyes, yada, yada, yada. He might not know it yet, but he loves me. At this point in his innocent life, he doesn't know he has a choice not to love me (bonus for me!). This I know. Remember, I am a reasonably intelligent woman.

However, I am also a first time mom. And lately, this means it's my first time experiencing the "daddy infatuation phase." Boy oh boy is Baby Zog in that phase. When I gather him up from school, he runs to me, looks around, and says, "Daddy?" This afternoon, while I was at aerobics he had an hour of true two-year old tantrums and bouts of will against his father, and yet, when I picked him up for a hug, he cried for Daddy (seriously, Daddy hasn't given you your way for an hour and you still prefer him?)

The one that really hurt was at bedtime. I'm fortunate that - for the moment - his love for books is strong enough that he'll overlook me as the reader. We finished Polar Bear Polar Bear, Good Night Moon, Hippos Go Bezerk, Chugga-Chugga Choo Choo, and Doggies. All was well. I put him softly down into his crib, tucked him in with his beloved Ernie and he looked up at me and said, "Night, night Daddy."

"No buddy, I'm mommy," I said, curious about his memory lapse. "Can you say night night Mommy?"

He looked up at me, shook his head furiously and said, "No? No. Night Night Daddy!"

So now, I am a reasonably intelligent woman with a bruised ego. I'm resisting the urge to take it personally becuase I know the "mommy phase" must surely be coming soon.

Dancin' Man

Enjoy a recent compilation of our man in motion! Click here.

Professor Daddy Zog

If you are a follower of this blog, you know chances are good when you log on (or check your RSS feed) that the newest blog post will be about the merry adventures of Baby Zog.

However, there are two other Zogs living here in Zogland and I am particularly proud to be married to one of them!

Daddy Zog had quite a month. He finished his first year of the PhD Program (with flying colors), got accepted to three academic conferences (and counting), and is now teaching summer school Media Law - mostly to juniors and seniors who failed previously or just haaaaadddd to take it in the summer.

The best news related to all the above is that we have Daddy Zog back! The photo above is my proof. Exhibit A: Daddy Zog holding Baby Zog and Baby Zog's best bud (a.k.a. 56 lbs of baby) at a Blue Grass festival last weekend. We went out as a family and enjoyed ourselves! No studying or paper writing for Daddy Zog. No Mommy and Baby Zog wandering around Target on our own to kill time so Daddy can type in peace at home. We are very happy to have him back. And Mommy is happy to have him return to household chores that he excels in such as dishwasher unloading and garbage collecting.

WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!!!

Opposites

Since the day we started reading to Baby Zog my mom has told me that one day soon he'll begin to memorize the books and we'll think he's brilliant for "reading" at a young age. Well, the day has come. Forget what mom says, he IS brilliant and I'm certain that he has the ability to read (and not just the ability to memorize what word comes next based on the pictures in the book.) :)

Here is a video of Baby Zog and his daddy "reading" his opposites book. Each page features two words that are opposites.

Now that he's mastered reading, I guess we'll start teaching him physics.

Enjoy!