Let's try this again

I don't need to tell you that months have passed since I last posted to this blog. Six months, to be exact. And I don't need to tell you--especially if you're a grandparent or other doting relative--that in kids' lives, six months is an eternity. A heck of a lot happens to kids in six months' time. Teeth are lost. Teeth grow in. Hair grows. Hair is cut. Heck, sometimes hair even changes color (more about that later). Etc. And even more significant, perhaps, than physical changes are the intangible things that make up who the kids are, and the experiences that affect them.

Reading my brother Steve's blog, Hamiltonium, almost daily during my half-year hiatus has made me feel as if I know his kids, even though I've not seen the older two in nearly two years and have never met the youngest. At the same time, observing during their visit in August the reactions of my mother and stepfather to how much the older two Z Kids had changed since their last visit nearly a year and a half ago made me realize that I owe them and the others who care about but rarely see us the virtual window into the kids' lives that the blog provides. And, because I share Steve's view that the blog provides a living chronicle of their childhood, I also owe it to the kids. And to be honest, because I miss the days when my writing was actually published, I owe it to myself, too. If it's the outlet I have at this point, then so be it. I value it, and I appreciate the fact that you're sitting there reading it.

But, if I'm to return to blogging and actually make it work long-term, for you and for me, I realize that some things need to change. For one, I need to strive for shorter, more frequent entries. Once upon a time, I wanted to be a columnist, and for the short time I actually was one, I was in heaven. Getting to write essays once or twice a week about whatever struck my fancy was one heck of a mental and emotional dump. But, like longer blog entries, it was time-consuming, and it took a considerable amount of effort and commitment for me to maintain. The fact is, I don't always have that sort of time (or energy) these days. And, I'd be a fool if I didn't recognize that I was asking a lot of my readers--you, in this case--to read what I was writing, fascinating and amusing as I felt it might be. In the long run, that's a heck of a give-and-take to manage.

Still, I'm not as astute as Steve is at recognizing little tidbits of life that are ripe for 200-word (or less) nuggets of blogdom. I'm a big picture sort, and the subtleties of life sometimes escape me, unfortunately. But I understand that those are the exact sort of things that often make the best blog material, so I'm doing my best to filter for them and to snag them as they go flying by. Whether I'm successful remains to be seen. But I'm willing to give it a try if it means I can write about them and you can read about them in less time than it takes to consume a small meal.

Meanwhile, the kids are doing their part. They just keep growing and changing. As of this writing, Zach is essentially five feet tall, with blonde-streaked hair by his choosing. Zoë is suddenly a bookworm, foregoing TV to read material grade levels beyond what first-graders are supposed to be reading. And Zienna...aw, geez. At sixteen-and-a-half months, she's using words we can actually understand, developing a sense of humor, becoming independent, and has a head of long, curly locks you'd have to see in person to believe. So, I obviously have a lot of catching up to do.

If you're willing to give me another chance at this blog thing, I promise to be stimulating, mind-blowing, and otherwise worthy of every second you spend reading what I write. Sound good?

Ah, who am I fooling? How about if I commit to doing all I can to document the kids' lives, and our lives with them, in the best manner of which I'm capable. And if I'm occasionally funny, insightful or otherwise entertaining, we'll call it a draw. Fair enough?
Here's to hoping your answer is "yes." If it is, stay tuned...

Please note: Because of all the hassles involved with logging in just to read the blog, I've killed the whole login process. I'll deal with the spam comments through other means, and you can forget about all that silly login nonsense.