Joining the Action

There was a time when Dad would take Jonas for coffee and Jonas would sleep through the whole thing. But lately, especially at dinner time, Jonas has a hard time sitting still if other people are eating or drinking in front of him. He just needs to be up where all the action is. So it was this morning that Dad had to hold Jonas while he attempted to enjoy a cup of coffee and a bagel and the local coffee joint...

It was cute and adorable for all those people who were coming and going, but not exactly practical for Dad as he tried to enjoy a cup of hot coffee that has no business being near a baby. Of course, on the walk home, once everything had been consumed and scarfed down, Jonas was back to his sleepy self...

...and by the time we got home, he was ready to play.

An Ode to Noonan

A few posts ago, we mentioned one of Jonas' playmat friends: Noonan. But it dawns on us that perhaps we haven't properly introduced him to the blog. That's him up there. We're not sure what to make of him, but Jonas seems to enjoy his company. He especially appreciates that Noonan has various appendages, any one of which can be put into his mouth to much delight. As for his name, we decided to call him that after the bizarre emcee that hosts "Mario Party 8" on the Wii. The Nintendo character (see below) sort of looks like Jonas' new friend and, inexplicably, likes to say a word during the game that we can't figure out, but that sort of sounds like "Noonan." And being as we can't figure out what Jonas' new friend is either, we have thus given him that name. So, thanks Noonan for being who you are — whatever that may be.

Foot Finder

This week, Jonas seemed to discover that he not only has hands, but that he has feet as well. And now he can't stop reaching for them. While he's become a pro at putting his hands in his mouth, it may be a few more days until his feet get there, too. But it's probably just a matter of time.

Shorts

Jonas experienced another first the other day — his first pair of shorts! Up until now, he's pretty much been a onesie kind of guy. He's even experienced pants on those rare chilly days. But the other morning, he wore a genuine outfit and, as you might be able to tell, seemed to enjoy the experience.

Car Wash

Jonas hasn't just been downing his Magic Bottles these days. No, he's still showing interest in eating — or at least attempting to eat — nearly anything put in front of him, be it stuffed animal friend, book, or, in this case, car.

Filling Up

Jonas had one of his fussiest nights to date the other night, a night where he just wanted to be held, thank you very much, so enough of this crib business. The next night, Mom decided (and Dad wholeheartedly agreed) that perhaps a more filling meal before he went to bed would be enough for the Big Guy to pass out for longer. And so, a tablespoon of rice cereal went into a bottle — we called it the "Magic Bottle" — last night, Jonas' first official food. The result: One of his best nights of sleep to date. Safe to say there will be more Magic Bottles in Jonas' future.

Face Down

One of the little joys in life is passing out on your stomach somewhere — be it a bed, a couch, or even a floor if you simply can't make it to the others — when you are dead tired. As is recommended, Jonas sleeps every night on his back. Other than passing out on someone's chest, sleeping on his back is all he's known. But this afternoon, after 40 minutes of massive fussing, Jonas finally experienced the joy of passing out stomach-first on his own. With his faithful sidekick Pulkie keeping a watchful eye, Jonas gradually drifted off to sleep on his stomach, snoring adorably as Mom and Dad kept close tabs as well. No doubt there will be more of that in his future.

Jonas and the Purple Crayon

One of Dad's favorite books growing up was "Harold and the Purple Crayon," a tale about a little boy with a crayon who could draw himself into all sorts of adventures. When Mom put Jonas in a new set of white pajamas last night, it reminded Dad a lot of ol' Harold. Here's a look at Jonas in his pajamas...

...and here's a look at what Harold likes to wear...

...what adventures will Jonas eventually get himself into?

In the Hood

Mom dressed Jonas in a new outfit this morning with a hood that Jonas seemed to enjoy, when he wasn't chowing down on one of his favorite meals -- his fingers.

Jonas "at" Work

Niki and I can't take Jonas to work, of course, because, well, how would we ever get anything done? But we traded photos with each other this week that showed we're both thinking about the same thing during the day. Here's a look at what our work computers are looking like these days.

Star Gazer

Jonas wore one of his namesake shirts the other day, prepared, perhaps, to take his cuteness to outer space.

Back to Work

Today marks the end of Mom and Dad's time off with Jonas, at least for a while. Mom had a great three-month run and Dad just finished his second stretch of three weeks. If only we could bring Jonas -- and his pals Bird Lips, Pulkie and Noonan -- along with us to work. Of course, we'd never get anything done, which I suppose is why he doesn't get to come. As Jonas returns to explore the new sights and sounds of daycare, here's a few images of how we'll remember our fun time together during those great, long days.

Packing Up

People warned us that having a child would mean, among other things, having lots more stuff to lug around. But when Niki left for work this morning, it looked like she was leaving us for a week. Between stuff she needed for work, stuff she needed for lunch, stuff she needed to pump, stuff she needed for herself and stuff she needed to return to a store for Jonas, plus a bottle of water for the ride -- and her keys -- Niki, ever prepared, was ready for just about anything.

Agony and Esctasy

As Jonas is fast learning, life is full of highs and lows. Sometimes, for instance, when you feel like you've been on stomach long enough thank you, you just have to let people know how you feel...

But by the end of the day, after a long helping of milk, your face simply can't hide just how satisfied you are...

Little Squirt

Poor Giraffe

One of the gifts Jonas received early on was a squeaky little giraffe designed to be used when he starts teething. We're still not sure if he's got teeth coming in already or what, but we introduced the giraffe to him recently, and he proceeded to just devour this poor thing. Jonas will attack the giraffe's face, its legs, its neck, its face again, leaving for one drooly giraffe and one drooly Jonas by the end. But it's really funny to watch.

Sundial

Over the last few days, Jonas has shown sudden interest in moving around a bit while playing on his stomach. He still doesn't seem to get that he can move forward or backward if he wants to, but he has discovered that he's pretty good at pivoting, much like the shadows of a sundial. He can make it about halfway around from his starting point, but as you can see, this whole moving-about thing can be an exhausting process.

All-Star

Sleep issues aside, Jonas would still make the All-Star Game of cute, precious, heart-melting babies, and would more than likely be the starting pitcher. So it was with great amusement that when Dad got to attend the Home Run Derby last night in preparation for tonight's All-Star Game in nearby Anaheim, he got to bring Jonas "along" in the press box, or at least his adorable screen saver. Sports writers in a press box aren't usually the typical goo-goo-ga-ga crowd, but let's just say Captain Adorable (and his sidekicks Bird Lips and Pulkie) softened the atmosphere a bit.

Time Passages

Teething? Run-of-the-mill fussiness? Night owl? Not sure which of those, or something else, might be keeping Jonas up all night, but last night was one for the textbooks. Up at 11:30, up at 1, up at 2, up at 3, on and on. Was Jonas really able to sleep through the night that one time, or had that just been a dream?
And speaking of dreams, could there be anything worse than waking up every hour or so, and then, once you get back to bed, having a song stuck in your head so bad that you just want to cry? For Niki, ironically, it was Dream Academy's Life in a Northern Town. Or more specifically, the line about "John F. Kennedy, and the Bea-tles..." But for me, I was cursed with Al Stewart's equally ironic Time Passages, and unfortunately, not a particular lyric, but a guitar part that, it turns out, is difficult to describe, especially at 2 in the morning and with an equally tired wife trying to figure out what in the world you are talking about.  One day we'll probably laugh as we tell Jonas these stories. But we're going to force him to listen to these songs as we tell them.

Baby Sitter

Not sure there's anything cuter than pictures of Jonas sitting in his seat, checking out his surroundings (and his hands).

Bad Boy

Could there be anything more ironic than our Good Boy trying to pull off a Bad Boy look? Here, Jonas at least proves that he can sport the "skull" look in fashion, even if he has to work on the character part a bit...

...but with matching bib, he proves that he really is more a "Mama's Boy" than he is a "Bad Boy."

First Concert

Whether he knew it or not, Jonas attended a few great concerts back when he was only known as Nub. But on Friday night, he got to take in his first post-womb musical event, joining Mom, Dad and a few of their friends and kids at a nearby park to hear the Long Beach Municipal Band do their thing. Jonas started out the evening on a patriotic note, saluting during the National Anthem...

...and he seemed to be enjoying himself for a few minutes at least, looking around on the blanket we set out, watching the older kids run about and do their thing...

...but before long, it was back on Mom's shoulders, eyes beginning to droop as the music played on...

...and, eventually, it was all too much to process as Jonas passed out, not terribly interested in the summertime activity taking place all around...

...but rest assured, one day soon that will be him running about. Or possibly playing in the band.

Face Plant

Let's just say Jonas is still trying to figure out some of this being-on-his-stomach business.

Crawl Space

The evolution of Jonas continues with tiny, yet significant, accomplishments each day. Yesterday, for the first time, he showed signs that he might soon be interested in crawling. Once he gets his hands out of his mouth, look out!

Play Date

Jonas has lots of "friends" in the form of a surfing duck, a white tiger and a stuffed animal thing so indescribable, we just call him Noonan. But yesterday, a real-life friend came over in the form of Maxine, the daughter of one of Dad's former co-workers. Jonas really seemed to enjoy the company at his first official play date. At first, though, he played hard to get...

...but then, he introduced Maxine to one of his favorite things in the whole world, something called a ceiling fan...

...and before too long, Maxine was showing off one of her favorite things, the "Wheels on the Bus" App for the iPhone...

...and it wasn't too long after that when Jonas shot his chaperone a specific look that said, "You know, I'm fine on my own, you can leave any time you like..."

...in the end, as he does with everyone, Jonas eventually proved to be too much of a charmer...

...the perfect end to a perfect morning.

Friends for Lunch

Safe to say that Jonas has now discovered that he has a mouth and that it is fun to put things into it. Unfortunately for some of his "friends," they have discovered that they are fair game on the other end.