scheming

We have this new toy thing in our house that Ezra is loving now that his eyes are developed enough and he can reach and grab onto things. It is adorable to watch him play on it. If you must see this play mat in color, you can click here. I am continually appalled at how hideous kids' toys are (especially the color palettes), and so I will only be showing this item on my blog in black and white.I should also mention here that my dear friend Stacy gifted us this item, and Ezra's love of this and watching him learn to play with it makes me adore this gift despite it's clashing with my gray and yellow nursery. So! Moral of the story is if you have a baby, get one of these. They are rad. And they distract said child for about 40 minutes! Win! (And listen to your friend Stacy.)Ok, moving on!So dangling from these beams are things like rattles and stuffed animals. Today, Magda took notice and was, uh, extremely interested in the toy. I kept telling her to "leave it," and she totally minded (GOOD GIRL). Then she let out a deep sigh and laid down like the photo above."Oh! How cute!" I thought. "She's snuggling with Ezra!" Ah, no. It took me about 5 minutes before I realized she actually was nuzzling his socks hoping they would wriggle off (which, in fairness to the dog, happens all the time). But I couldn't have her doing that because I was afraid she would nip at the sock like a toy and inadvertently hurt Ez. So she got locked out of the nursery and she spent the next 40 minutes with her paws under the door singing and whining to come back in. Heartbreaking, I tell you.I am so excited for this kid to get larger and old enough to play with Mags. When the two of them can wear each other out? Then, my friends, I will declare victory. (What do you think? Six years away?)For your internet share of the day, the New York Times released their favorite books of 2014. That first one sounds pretty rad to me! Anyone read it?