Almost walking!

Jonas can now walk up to 4 steps in a row. We're working on capturing this on video, but it hasn't happened yet. He seems to get more active each day, though he still naps in the morning and afternoon. He is such a happy child, and almost always wakes up smiling.

I've started to wean him, and this seems to have increased his appetite for table food. We don't buy or make baby food anymore. He eats whatever we eat. Tonight, he had polenta, cucumbers, mushrooms, and a chocolate covered strawberry. Boy does he love chocolate!

He's a superfast crawler, and constantly surprises me on how quickly he can make trouble. I've been moving a bit slowly since a laparoscopic surgery last Friday. It truly seems like he's realized this and taken advantage of the situation. For example: We were in the kitchen yesterday, and he was digging the fridge. I knew it, and was headed over to pull him out, when he dumped a full pitcher of juice. All over the inside of the fridge, under the fridge, in the door of the fridge, and on the floor. But none on him. Amazing. The floor is still a bit sticky in places.

Today, he managed to tumble into an empty bathtub so he could better reach his bath toys. While there, he sampled a bar of Dove soap, made a face, and kept playing. Later, he ate red chalk. I was relieved, because it first looked like he was bleeding. He has climbed halfway up the staircase at least 3 times in the past 2 days, and this really scares me, as they aren't carpeted, and are steep.

All of these things happened while my mom and I were watching him. She's here to help post surgery. He's too fast for the both of us.

A fun side benefit to having his Nani here (new spelling for Nonnie) is Scooter, her dog. The two of them play fast and furiously, battling over chew toys and Jonas' toothbrush (ew!). Even though Scooter weighs less than half of Jonas' bulk, he seems to win the tugging contests, pulling Jonas from a crawling position flat onto his stomach. It's fun to watch. They truly like each other, and we are pleased because they exhaust each other instead of exhausting us. Plus, Scooter likes to eat the food Jonas throws on the floor. In fact, Jonas seems to be feeding him at times. I'm just happy to have less mess at the end of the day.

I hope to put some new pictures up here, and on our flickr site, so stay tuned....

My little head banger

Jonas has learned a new movement: he jerks his head and upper body in a heavy metal head banger manner. It's a bit upsetting, as he looks like a special needs child, and my paranoid mother's mind thinks he becoming schizophrenic. How ridiculous, right? In any case, Ed thinks it's entertaining.

He loves to try new foods, but he wants to pick it up with his own fingers. He doesn't trust me to put something tasty in his mouth. He especially loves baked beans. They end up all over his face.


Even though he enjoys most food, he ends up spitting out things that won't dissolve in his mouth because he doesn't have molars yet.

Bath time is always fun for him, and he giggles when we squirt him with his new bath toys. He loves to chew on straws, and bang things together. He's become a bit apprehensive about the dog, but will chase the cat anywhere. This is a bit ironic, as the cat will swipe her paw at him, but the dog simply runs away.

His favorite activity is to dig - in drawers, cabinets, wherever he can fit his busy little hands. Even though he can't see into them, he will empty drawers onto the floor and play with the contents. In the kitchen, he pulls out pots and pot lids, as well as baking pans and mixing spoons. He can make quite a racket!

He's become more interesting in having books read to him. Before, he wouldn't sit still long enough. He's not really interested in television, although we occasionally put Sesame Street or Clifford on for him.

He still loves to flush any toilet within sight. He works madly at the handle until he can get it to flush, then looks back at me with an expression of part wonderment and part pride.

We enjoy him every minute of the day.

Baptism

Jonas was finally baptised this past weekend. Most of my family, who are all Catholic, would deem 10.5 months quite late for a baptism. As cousin Mia put it, "he's not baptised yet?" Jonas was the first child / grandchild too big to wear the christening gown my grandmother bought back in 1971. Instead, he wore blue & brown seersucker pants with a white polo shirt and blue sweater vest. Somehow, he made it through the service with only one shoe on. Fortunately, both socks remained in place.

We were blessed with the presence of his godparents, Angela and John. Angela's son, Mark, was there as well. He even got to attend Sunday school, which he seemed to enjoy. Neighbors Lisa and Charlotte joined in too.

As instructed by Pastor Scott, Ed carried Jonas up to the alter for children's sermon shortly before the baptism. He looked so proud up there holding his son (albeit with only one shoe!) Pastor Scott had taken extra time to decorate the alter with a special fountain and colored cloth to simulate a flowing river.

After the children's sermon, Pastor Scott took over, holding Jonas and reciting the words that joined our church and its congregation with Jonas' spiritual future. He dribbled the smallest amount of water (which he had warmed beforehand) on Jonas' forehead, and then anointed him with a nicely scented oil. He then carried Jonas around the congregation so that he could meet everyone.


Although he was "on stage" for about 15 minutes, Jonas behaved like the good natured child he is, expressing mild curiosity, smiles, and a general complacence.

We all celebrated with a brunch back home afterward. Yummies included strawberry cake, vanishing oatmeal cookies, bagels & lox, bacon, carriage bake egg casserole, fruit, milk, juice, and coffee. Pastor Scott joined us, and looked sharp (as usual) in his suit. The ceremony itself went off without a hitch - well, except for the weather. Kansas City received about 6 inches of wet, heavy snow Saturday afternoon. Fortunately, Ed made sure our walkway was clear. The attendance at church, however, was diminished because of the weather.

Jonas received some special mementos and gifts, including two special crosses (from Nonnie and the Balls) as well as a beautifully illustrated toddler bible (also from Nonnie). He also got some fun books from Nanna Angela.

Some pics of the event. John and Ed with the boys:


Me and Angela outside, also with the boys:


A photo my mom took of our church:

Gateway Food

Know how pot is a "gateway" drug? Well, Jonas has introduced us to the gateway drug of junk food - cheese puffs. Gerber's "Graduate" brand actually sells these in tiny little tins for about $3. We bought some. He loved them. We then decided to economize by buying the regular Cheetohs brand, albeit the organic white cheddar variety. We like to think they're healthier. (Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, as the saying goes). So now Jonas has placed himself on a starch-only diet of cheesy poofs, graham crackers, and saltines (the low-salt variety). He is no longer interested in yummy full-fat yogurt (which tastes like heaven to me!) or the homemade goodies we provide: Louisiana sweet potatoes, pureed carrots, and mashed bananas. It's all junk food all the time. I hate this. At least we're insisting on the daily vitamin, which he continues to take like a champ despite its disgusting metallic taste.

Here's a pic of him intensely indulging in a cheesy poof moment:


Let's see....what else is he up to? Oh yes, planting seeds with Poppa:


I managed to hide the seeds from him:


He's crawling all over the place, and is super fast. His favorite past-time is to open drawers and explore the contents. It doesn't matter if the drawer is taller than him; that's just a special challenge.

In the kitchen, he races for the refrigerator whenever the door is opened. He loves to get in there and pull things off the shelf. Exhibit A:


He loves to dig dirt out of potted plants, swirl his fists in toilet water, and crawl into the wet shower. Oh, and I forgot to mention his love of trash cans. Those are even more exciting to discover than drawers.

As you might imagine, we have our hands full. Baby gates are up, plants have been moved, and bathroom doors stay closed. We also have locks on appropriate cabinets. But I'm still so scared to leave him along for more than 10 seconds. He's always into something. I think I use the word "no" about 50 times a day. When I say it (in my loudest authoritative voice), he stops what he's doing, looks at me and smiles the most angelic smile. Then, of course, he continues to do what I'm telling him not to do.

This weekend will be a busy one. His christening is scheduled for Sunday at 10:30. Godmother Angela is joining us from Houston with her son, Mark. Godfather, John, will drive in from Westwood, KS. Pastor Scott will officiate. And there will be a cake. You need a cake for a baptism, apparently. Why is this such a surprise to me?

Forgot to mention that there's a forecast for snow this weekend.

More updates and photos to follow soon.

"God made dirt,

and dirt don't hurt."

I hope that's true.

Yesterday at the park, Jonas discovered what sand tastes like. Today, he tried dirt and dog toys. Here are the highlights:

Dog toys!

And then he found the plant:


And the dirt:


My mother and godmother are probably horrified that I paused long enough to grab the camera and take these pictures. Ladies, I did make him wash his hands, and I checked his mouth.

You may have noticed the bling. Yes, he does resembles a "white and nerdy" version of a hip hopper, especially with the overalls undone. He actually put the beads on himself.

Cigars and such....

Brief update: Jonas ate soap yesterday while in the shower. His choice, not ours. That may change in the future if he inherits Mommy's potty mouth.

And today, he discovered toilet water, and I don't mean the old fashioned perfume.

For the first time last night, we didn't go to him when he cried. He woke up about 3 times, and cried for about 20 minutes each time. I felt so guilty. Each time he stopped crying, we would get up and check on him. It's so hard not to comfort him. Rather than learning to "sooth himself to sleep" like the books and experts say, he is just crying himself to exhaustion. He basically passes out and falls face forward. Here's what it looks like:


Some good news - the ear infections are gone! We are finishing up our last round of antibiotics (4th round!), and I honestly think Jonas will miss his meds. Here are some photos of how much he likes Augmentin:


Am I the only one who thinks he looks like he's smoking a cigar?

Chew

Each day brings us new adventures in parenting Jonas. Although it sounds nauseating, we enjoy each new lesson and chapter more and more.

For the past month, Jonas has been fighting a double ear infection. This week, it appears that the many antibiotics we've been shoveling down his gullet might be taking effect. He's finally eating like a pig, and pooping like a bird. He's also conquering some chunkier foods. Remember the raisin debacle? Well, he downs them like a pro now. Strike that. I learned today that he actually warehouses them in the corners of his mouth, like a squirrel. Sometimes they will even accidentally fall out as surprising little partially masticated morsels. I swear that he looks like a toddler with Skoal; the raisins are even the same color as "chew."

Today, Jonas was in full business mode, modeling his special "tie t-shirt," a gift from his Aunt Desi.


Some of his new "hobbies / achievements" include:

1. crawling into the wet shower to play with soap. He's not eating it yet, and this fun activity usually necessitates an outfit change because he gets quite wet;
2. beating his wooden puzzle pieces on the wood floor, which makes a racket that scares the cat and worries the dog;
3. waving his arms in the air;
4. chewing, gumming, drooling on everything;
5. ripping eyeglasses off of adults who get too near his quick little hands;
6. sticking his fingers in your mouth to explore;
7. banging things together (see number 2 above);
8. uttering lots of verbal noises, including a few consonants;
9. screaming bloody murder when I leave the room;
10. Ed's favorite - climbing over people (usually their legs) like they're an obstacle course;
11. pulling himself up on furniture using his teeth.
    

Other random facts: His favorite kitchen toy is a wire whisk. Puffs are his favorite snack food, then Cheerios and raisins. Yesterday morning, he had a Cheerio stuck to his butt for about an hour. Last night, he tasted his first caper and didn't seem to enjoy it. He laughs when his Poppa sings "I've Been Working on the Railroad" to him, and he won't wear socks for longer than 10 minutes. Oh, and his hair is now long enough to have bad hair days.