Can I Help You?

Now that Jonas is suddenly a master at sitting up, he seems to be just fine on his own, thank you. Support while he plays with his crazy music machine-thing? No thanks, Mom, I got it from here.

In the Swing

Now that Jonas has this sitting thing down, he and Mom got a bit adventurous yesterday. For a few weeks, Mom has been taking the big guy to a local park so he can watch what this running-around-and-playing fuss is all about. Mostly, Jonas watches with interest as the bigger kids do their thing. But now that's he a bit upright, Mom placed Jonas in the swing yesterday for the first time — his first official park activity. And she reports that he was very brave with the new experience, if a bit curious what in the world was going on.

Lord of the Rings

We can't emphasize enough how much fun Jonas seems to be having now that he can sit up. A few weeks back, Mom bought him some stackable rings to play with and now he seems to get what all the rage is about. His favorite ring is the top one, maybe because it's red, maybe because it's easiest to get off or maybe because he thinks it's a donut and can eat it.

Blogiversary

Jonas is still five months away from his first birthday party, but another important part of his life reaches the one-year mark today. It has been exactly that long since the first post at Nub in the Oven. So, today we take a moment to thank everyone who's followed along to see how much progress our Nub has made since we first started writing about him. It's been fun to share and we hope you'll keep following along!

Sit and Smile

Now that Jonas has discovered how to sit on his own, he seems awfully pleased with himself.

Happy Reunion

Dad came back from his work trip this afternoon and smothered Jonas with kisses, trying to tickle him in his neck. As you can see, Jonas didn't care much for the attention.

Sitting Pretty

For the last few weeks, Mom has taken Jonas to a local library for a storytelling time designed for babies. Jonas has seemed most interested in what the other kids there know how to do. But today, he took it to another level. With the encouragement of Mom, the other parents and the librarian, Jonas sat up on his own for the first time! He's been close to doing it the last few weeks, but today he took another important step. Or seat. Take a look.

 

Man of the House

Dad is traveling for work the next two days, the first time he's been away from the Big Guy for so long. So far, Dad hasn't been able to go more than two consecutive minutes without wondering how Jonas and Mom are doing. Before Dad left, he gave Jonas a little talk about how he's the man of the house now. In that role, Jonas has been tasked with checking for intruders, fixing anything that may break and drinking lots and lots of milk. And being absolutely adorable.

Satisfied

Nothing is more satisfying than seeing Jonas after a meal, satisfied.

Putting His Feet Up

Jonas has been showing an amusing trend where he seems most comfortable putting his feet on things: the kitchen table, a book being read to him, his mouth, among other things. But it's funny to see how comfortable he makes himself with his feet. While we mostly attach his car seat to the top of the stroller when we push Jonas around town, Mom has been putting him in the real stroller seat of late since he's so close to sitting up on his own these days. The result: Jonas making himself comfortable, feet up as always. Hopefully he'll have his own corner office one day where this sort of activity will be appropriate.

Baby Ruth

Dad was always more of a Mets fan, but Jonas doesn't mind representing Dad's other hometown team. At least he knows how to pick a winner. Here, he looks ready to bat cleanup.

Crib Cutie

Every time we think Jonas has been as adorable as he can be, he seems to kick into yet another adorable gear, charming us even more. Case in point: This afternoon, Jonas awoke from his afternoon nap even more giddy than usual. Since he was in such a good mood, and was on his side when we found him, Mom suggested rolling him over to his stomach, which amazingly, we realized he has not yet experienced in his crib. The result is the photo above, one our favorite moments yet.

Rock Steady

Jonas and Mom have been getting lot of bonus time at home of late, but Dad has to make up for it on the weekends. This afternoon, they had a great moment together as Jonas sat on the rocking chair with Dad taking stock of the living room and everything else in sight. (Luckily, Mom was there to capture everything...)

Joe Drool

Sometimes, he just can't control himself.

Funny Faces

Jonas and Mom and Dad took a walk the other day and when Mom had ducked into a bakery to pick up some dessert for later, Jonas proceeded to show off his many faces. First, there was regular, ol' adorable Jonas...

...followed quickly by distracted Jonas...

...followed by making-blubbery-noises-with-his-lips Jonas

...which was followed by the funniest of all, completely-amused-by-himself Jonas.

Big Reach

Jonas has been displaying his extraordinary reaching abilities of late, seeking out things of all nature to grab at. In the process, he's starting to roll over more, an amusing byproduct of his curiosity...

...but when he rolls back over, he's back to his usual adorable self.

Jonas and Henry

One of Mom's favorite stuffed animals growing up was a Henry dog. So, of course, we had to get Jonas his very own updated version, which, as you can see, he gets along splendidly with. Jonas can even point to Henry's nose.

Hot Rod

This morning we took Jonas to the Belmont Shore Car Show, an annual event in our old neighborhood that features hundreds of classic cars. Jonas was sleeping when we got there, but when he woke up, his eyes lit up at the sight in front of him. And, he got to show off his own smokin' wheels as well.

Ready to Eat

We've been teaching Jonas a few basic sign language signs to encourage him to eventually tell us what he wants, but by far, the one he loves most is the sign for "eat." Of course, maybe it's just the prospect of food that gets him going, but watching his face light up at the sign for it is one of the highlights of the day.

Soft Shoulder

Sometimes there's nothing better than a soft shoulder to sleep on.

Happy New Year!

Jonas attended his first Rosh Hashanah service today, a fun family adventure in a local park. One of our photographer friends was shooting the event for the paper and took some fun photos of us too. Jonas seemed to enjoy himself, but Dad's funny faces seemed to be the most fun of all.

Top of the Morning

There isn't much sweeter than watching Jonas wake up in the morning, full of glee, wondering what adventures the day may bring.

End of Summer

Where Dad grew up, Labor Day marked the official end of summer as it meant the beach would no longer be open. While Jonas didn't make it out to the shores of Long Island on this, his first summer, he, Mom and Dad celebrated the end of the season with a great stroll around Seal Beach near their home. The ocean air caused the Big Guy to fall asleep, but he woke up here and there enough to pose for some photos with Dad, who was thinking about his friends and relatives on another beach far away.

Happy Overall

Jonas wore overalls for the first time this weekend and, well, he seemed to enjoy the experience.

Big Foot

Monkey Boy

Jonas' friend Curious George was his usual curious self the other day and found one of Jonas' old CU outfits that the Big Guy has already outgrown. So on the start of the new football season this morning, the two friends hung out in their favorite football gear, dreaming of all the things they could possibly knock over.

Parachuting In

Jonas has a great little chair for eating that attaches to one of our dining table chairs. But before we put the tray on, he kind of looks like he's ready to go parachuting. And based on how excited he gets when it's time to eat, it seems like there's enough adrenaline there that it may feel like the same thing to him.

Six of One

It is hard to believe that Jonas has been with us six months already, but it's true. Today marks his official first half-year and what a half-year it's been. In honor of his big milestone, here's a visual stroll down Memory Lane, with a look at how the big guy (who started out so amazingly big) has kept us smiling...

Jonas at the hospital...

Jonas at one month...

Jonas at two months...

Jonas at three months...

Jonas at four months...

Jonas at five months...

And Jonas today...Nice going Big Guy!

Moment With Mom