Family Walk + Photos

Please forgive the totally unoriginal title. All of my energy now goes into making milk and changing diapers.

Tonight we took Jonas and the dog out for a stroll. The walking trail near our home was busy, but the dog got all of the attention from the various people we encountered along the way. We walked quite a long route, and Jonas, who had been asleep since we left the house, woke up cranky about 5 blocks from home. A stop at a nearby park bench calmed everyone, and the dog even got to wade in the fountain. The weather here is muggy but just cool enough for comfort so we were able to hang out for awhile.

While at the park, Jonas really seemed to take in the world. The sky was still blue, and he gazed at it in wonder. Ed held him, facing out, upright against his chest. In trying to take it all in, Jonas' weeble-wobble head went back so far that he ended up looking at Ed with a surprised expression. Then, he didn't have the strength to move his head back. It was hilarious!

We also spent time trying out the floor play-gym. Jonas seems to prefer to be on his back, and is starting to notice the toys hanging down. When on his tummy, he lifts his head and bottom, sometimes at the same time. He manages to lift his legs and bottom totally off the floor, in an arch, usually fueled by irritation at being unable to move very much. He seems quite strong. Because he's not fond of his car seat, he will resist being placed in it by making his body rigid and bowed out so it feels impossible to force him in it without hurting him. Generally, I try to tire him out rather than force him, but he's a persistent little guy.

Earlier today, I tried to take some photos of Jonas for his birth announcement. Here's a sampling of how things went....

Initially, there were some distrustful looks:


And gurgles of concern:



Followed by general crankiness:




Then outrage: (maybe related to the wardrobe change?)


Outrage evolved to a sneeze:




And then there was the post-sneeze miserable look:



I finally took pity on the boy, and gave up. Well, until he fell asleep:


And for all his pain and suffering, NONE of these images were selected for his birth announcement. Poor fellow. He's only been here for about a month, can't sleep for longer than 3 hours, is constantly hungry, and has terrible gas. Does he really need a mother who keeps taking pictures with a flash?