Sunday, August 28, 2005

WHEREIN THE WOG PONDERS THE WORLD...

THE WOG VISITS THE CAPE

We took an impromptu visit to Cape Cod this weekend. Who had a good time?


The Wog did!

She wore herself out playing at the hotel and at the pool...

(Coming...)


(Closer...)


(And closest...)


(And going again...)


Was typically manic at dinner last night...



Crashed in the car...



And didn't wake up while we frantically tried to set up the hotel pac 'n play...



The next morning she was sitting pretty.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

A VISIT FROM THE OSBORN FAMILY

We had a quick visit two nights ago from 6/7th of the FHOIV family. Hank, Krista, Freddy, Maya, Amelia, & Shunka rolled into town for pizza and Blizzards; Lila remained in Maine with her grandparents, reveling in her temporary status as an only child.

The twins are 13 months old and doing lots of things: pointing, saying "tankoo," and beginning to toddle. Polly tried to keep up, but mostly she sat in her stroller looking overwhelmed.

As we discovered when visiting with another set of twins, Polly's cousins John and Mary, Polly has a tendency to take and to poke. I figure twins are the best recipients for Polly's taking and poking since they (and their parents) are used to mediating behavior.

Here, Polly gets what she gives:



Freddy and Polly get to know each other:



It's hard to take a picture of 2 13-month olds and 1 10-month old in which they're all looking at the camera, as evidenced by this picture. (Two out of three isn't bad.):



Oh, and you know your house is too small when the first reaction of a 5-year-old (no less one who has been living in an apartment in Manhattan for the past two years) is, "Look at the tiny house!" We're working on it, Freddy. We're working on it.

Monday, August 22, 2005

TWO EXTREMES OF WOGNESS

Passive Wog...


Active Wog...

A WIDE-EYED WOG

Watching the dogs...



Watching Mommy...




Tuesday, August 16, 2005

MELTDOWN EVASION TECHNIQUE #361

In an attempt to circumvent a very rare, near meltdown in the middle of the grocery store today, I frantically busted open a nearby box and gave The Wog her very first graham cracker.

Mere minutes later, a very happy (if messy) little Wog:

Monday, August 15, 2005

HAPPY 10 MONTH BIRTHDAY, WOG!

Dear Polly,

You turned 10 months old a few days ago. Your age continues to be impossible for me to believe. Every month I say to your father, "I can't believe we have a(n) x-month-old." It's no different this month. I can't believe we have a 10-month-old.

One of your greatest pleasures at this point in your life is shredding up magazines. (This love of paper shredding is one you share with Piglet.) Lucky for you, one of my greatest pleasures in life is reading magazines, so there are lots around the house for you to get your chubby little fingers on. You love to tear the pages out of In Style or Lucky and spastically wave them around until you are surrounded by glossy pages displaying fall fashion trends. Whether this represents a future disdain or great love for gaucho pants is yet to be determined.

This month your father discovered that if he blows air into your face, you blow right back. You have also learned to make loud kissing smacks and smooches, and our next step is to teach you to blow kisses to your grandparents. (And probably to strangers, too.) This confirms Pop-Pop's long-held belief that you are brilliant. Of course, there's still a learning curve, even for baby geniuses:

Kisses From The Wog.wmv

At this very moment you are crawling around on the floor trying to pull up on anything; you have *just* discovered the stairs.

Nearly every time we leave the house with you, someone stops to comment on what a happy baby you are. You smile at everyone! Even when you are very, very, very mad, we can still make you smile. (We realize that doing so probably makes you madder.)

Earlier today I was watching a Bruce Springsteen concert I'd taped on television. You were mesmerized. So while you may live in New Hampshire, as it turns out you are at heart at least part Jersey girl.

For a while now you've been making "dadadadada" sounds, but you have recently added "mama" to your vocabulary. Whether or not you know what you are saying is a hotly debated topic, and I'm on the side that you know quite well, since you only say it when you want something!

Happy 10 Month Birthday, Wog!

Here you are, pretty girl, one day shy of your 10 month birthday:


A BUSY LITTLE WOG

The Wog has had a busy couple weeks. As soon as Minnie and Pop-Pop left, Grandma and Grandpa Vaillant from Connecticut arrived, and the feasting commenced. We are now back to an empty house, but The Wog is still recovering from the excitement with a runny nose and fever. We're not sure if it's teething or a cold, but it's getting better so that's what matters.

Every couple weeks The Wog has a really bad sleeping night. Last night was one of those times. Maybe it's something she's eating; maybe it's something I'm eating. In any case, she put up a fight at her usual bedtime; then at midnight we heard the telltale escalating howls that mean it's going to be a long night. We brought her in with us from her "cage" (she has a lovely, yellow Jenny Lindt crib, but since she started pulling up and we lowered the mattress, it looks a bit like a jail cell) but she still couldn't or wouldn't settle down until about 5 AM and after many, many verses of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." ("Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" is the only song she'll tolerate from me; Marc can sing anything but I'm a One Hit Wonder as far as The Wog's concerned.) It's hard to believe that teeny little body can take up so much space in a bed! This morning she was up at her usual time of 6 AM and full of her usual morning energy. I'm holding out hope for a long afternoon nap.

Thursday, August 11, 2005

GOODBYE, MINNIE AND POP-POP!

So Minnie and Pop-Pop headed back home to New Jersey this morning, leaving behind a sad, little Wog. Well, technically I'm not sure she's capable of feeling sadness over anything but an empty belly just yet, but if she could feel sadness, she definitely would at their departure.

We've been visiting with my parents for nearly a week, and The Wog has been basking in their loving company. She has certainly thrived from their constant attention; in less than a week she has learned to make exaggerated kissing noises and to mimic bongo-playing on a table. She has been on her inaugural train ride as well as enjoyed a first time in the baby swing at the playground. Minnie continued her drinking straw education while Pop-Pop encouraged her "mamamama" sounds in equal measure with her usual "dadada." Even The Wog's hair seemed to experience sudden, dramatic growth in their presence--it's now long enough to turn a stylish little flip at the ends.

The Wog loves her Minnie and Pop-Pop at least as much as she loves bananas...and that's saying a lot!

POLLY FAIRPLAY

The Wog is a cheap date. She loves dining out, although she's more about the action than the eating. Restaurants present many opportunities to The Wog, and she takes full advantage of them all, turning into a manic little creature we rarely see in any other environment. Two nights ago at dinner, six spoons ended up on the floor. Last night, she nearly tripped our server although I'm still trying to figure out how she managed that considering her feet were at least two feet off the ground at the time. We remain convinced that she may have a future career as a dentist (she loves to stick her hands in peoples' mouths), a movie star (she's quite the spotlight hog) or a waitress.

A picture of The Wog, throwing down in a restaurant:

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

A FEW OLD VIDEOS

The Wog learned to crawl a month or so ago. She has since improved to the point where we can't turn around for two seconds without finding her in a strange place--like happily wedged in the basket beneath her exersaucer. (Happily, that is, until she discovers that she can't get out.)

OntheCrawlshort.wmv

The Wog LOVES one part of a Barney song. Can you tell which part it is?

Ahahahahahahah.wmv

When The Wog was around 6 months old, she had her very first solid food. She's since become a much more accomplished eater. (But she still hasn't had a cheeseburger.)

Cheeseburger.wmv

VISIT WITH MINNIE AND POP-POP

This week The Wog is enjoying a visit from her New Jersey grandparents--Minnie and Pop-Pop. She loves being the center of their attention...but that is not quite enough. She also needs to be the center of attention of any people in her range of sight, and if said people are not looking at her, she'll stare them down until they do. Once she catches the eye of her "target" she bestows upon him/her a giant, beatific smile. She is a sweet, if attention-grubby, little girl.

Yesterday we hit the lake, which The Wog enjoyed.





The Wog also went on a swing (loved it) and took her first train ride (indifferent). She is becoming accustomed to all modes of transportation.




Her favorite mode of transportation, however, remains a ride on DADDY!



She has also had a food first--french fries! Big, big hit with The Wog.

WELCOME TO THE WOG BLOG!

It's all about The Wog!

This site is about our little family and our daughter, Polly. (Nicknamed: "The Wog," short for "Polliwog.") We love her. We think you will too. Our dogs? Not so much.