Halloween Party

Jonas, Mom and Dad went to a pumpkin-carving party yesterday to celebrate his first Halloween, and Jonas had a blast hanging out with all the kids running around. Since he can't run around just yet, he showed off in other ways, like demonstrating how he plays patty-cake...

...and he demonstrated just how adorable he is (this shot courtesy of our host Jeff, one of Dad's former co-workers at the paper...)

...and he also got to experience some new things, like playing on the grass...

...but all the time, he had a watchful eye on all the other kids, studying carefully what this whole running-around thing is all about for when he's big enough...

...in the end, it was a lot to take in, so Jonas decided to take another nap, dreaming perhaps of all the candy corns he'll be able to stuff into his mouth once he's old enough...

The Great Pumpkin

For someone not even eight months old, Jonas has a pretty full calendar of activities to mark his first Halloween. Today, he'll be attending a pumpkin-carving party, but yesterday, he got the chance to try out his first Halloween costume at the local library with Mom during reading time, when all the kids were encouraged to come decked out. Jonas' first costume? Take a look...

...At first, Jonas didn't know what to make as he took it all in...

...but soon enough, he realized how much fun he was having...

...as usual, he pulled up to the twin girls he's made friends with each Friday, but seemed most mesmerized by their grandmother's feather boa, which he had fun running his fingers through (so gently, the grandmother noted)...

...but in a room full of little kids in costumes, it was hard to keep his attention in one place for long...

...and especially when you consider Yoda was in attendance...

...not to be outdone, Jonas quickly turned into his own version of an old, wise Jedi master, known as Ol' Man Jonas...

...by the time library time was done, so was our Great Pumpkin, no doubt dreaming of his next fun Halloween adventure...

Exploring the Space

He hasn't started crawling yet, but Jonas has been making some moves the last few days that lead Mom and Dad to believe that he is about to enter a whole new phase of mobility. For weeks, it has been an adventure each morning to see what part of the crib Jonas will wake up in. But now he seems to be scooting around, on his back at least, all across his play area, taking particular pleasure in putting his feet up on anything he can. Once he figures out that it would be even easier to do all this on his stomach, we're in for trouble.

Odd Couple

Jonas came back from Colorado with a new friend — an inflatable penguin we've named Meltee, who sort of sounds like a casino slot machine when you bat him around. The way Jonas has been slugging ol' Meltee, this penguin should eventually deposit enough money to pay for his college education. In any case, these two are getting along famously, so much so that we're starting to see an odd resemblance.

Grab Bag

Jonas has an exciting new game that has given Mom and Dad a fascinating glimpse into how he chooses things. We've been sitting the Big Guy in front of a bucket of toys and watching which ones catch his eye. So far, he's not afraid to go after whatever seems to interest him...

Of course, within a few moments there's lots of things that have made their way out of the bucket...

...But in time, one or two will usually keep his attention more than the others...

...And inevitably that one thing, like just about everything else, will end up in the same place.

Whistler

Jonas has been practicing his two-finger whistle, for the day when he can actually whistle.

Ol' Man Jonas

A few weeks ago, Jonas started doing this thing with his lower lip, a move that Dad calls "Ol' Man Jonas." Not sure if he's teething or just being silly, but he looks awfully funny when it's on. While it's rare to catch on film, his Colorado family managed to get a partial glimpse of it the other day...

...It's so goofy that Mom and Dad have written a song for it called "Ol' Man Jonas (Down by the River)," which contains the following lyrics, "Ol' Man Jonas/Down by the river/That's where you live with your lip like that..." But yesterday on a walk, Jonas looked like an ol' man of a different sort. After a day of spitting up all over his and our clothes, Jonas was sporting an array of clothing and headwear by the time we all went outside that made him look like he was truly ready for the shuffleboard set...

Reflections on a Baby

One of Jonas' new fun games is to look at people through the reflection of his toy snail. If you somehow manage to ignore him for a second, Jonas finds a way of finding you through his crawly friend, and let's you know in no uncertain terms that you should be looking at him. And when you connect with him through the mirror, hilarity usually ensues.

Home Again

Jonas had a great rest of his trip to Colorado this week. He's having a hard time forgetting the fun times he had with his Uncle Chaz...

...and the fun times he had with his new playmate Penney...

...and the fun times he had clapping with Mom...

...and the fun times he had even by himself...

...but Mom, Dad and Jonas were happy to be reunited again after their long journeys, and Jonas seemed pretty content being back in his familiar surroundings after a fun adventure away.

Settling In

It didn't take long for Jonas to adjust to his new surroundings this week in Colorado, where he and Mom are hanging out for the week...

...In fact, some things, like eating, he found to be pretty similar from the drill back home...

...And he even adjusted well to eating out at a restaurant, seemingly content to listen in on the conversation...

...His adjustment was no doubt made easier by his cousins Rachel and Ben, who have had a great time finally getting to meet the Big Guy, and spend time reading with him...

...But perhaps the best sign of how comfortable Jonas has become at his grandmother's house is the budding relationship that is developing between him and Penney. The two didn't know what to make of each other at first, but as you can see, but it would appear that they're old friends now.

High Flyer

With Dad away at a conference this week, Mom and Jonas decided to go on a really big adventure, so big in fact that it involved Jonas' first trip on an airplane! Jonas began by flirting with the ticket agents before he got settled on board, getting comfortable in his seat before he tried to order a milk and tonic...

...but before too long, he fell into the rhythm of the skies, falling asleep on a familiar shoulder...

...soon enough, the traveling pair had landed in their destination — Colorado! There waiting for them were Jonas' grandmother and uncle, who took them back home where new adventures awaited in the form of dogs. Jonas wasn't sure what to make of them yet...

...but given how quickly he seemed to adjust to flying, it's only a matter of time.

Snack Time

Jonas loves to eat, but sometimes it seems he can be just as content with a nice bib.

McJ-L-T

Years ago, McDonald's used to advertise its patented McD-L-T, a packaging system that kept the "hot side hot" and the "cool side cool" when it came to their sandwich. Now, it appears Jonas has developed his own McJ-L-T method of sleeping, where one sock can be pulled off keeping one foot hot and one foot cool, all at the same time.

Having a Ball

A few weeks ago, Jonas sat up for the first time while he was at a reading event with Mom at the local library. Now, Jonas has become a regular at the library read-along, where, among other things, he's been eyeing two little twin girls who seem to like to play with him there. (That's our boy!) When reading is over, the kids get to break out some cool toys and Jonas seemed enamored this week by a gigantic ball. Somehow, I think his toys are only going to get bigger and bigger.

Sleepy...

You are getting sleepy...

Very sleepy...

...shhhh

Musical Chairs

It's hard to imagine that Jonas is already outgrowing things, but it's true. Used to be a time when Jonas would sit in his "Bumbo" seat and look all adorable while he learned to sit up straight. Not only has he outgrown the seat, he's figured out how to sit up all by himself now, leaving his seat doubly outdated. But no worries. His friend Curious George seems perfectly fine with his newfound chair.

Speaking His Mind

Jonas is starting to discover his voice, shrieking and talking during diaper changes, in his crib at night and especially on walks. Here is some Bonus Jonas video footage of Jonas describing everything he saw during a recent walk with Mom.

Jonas Von Trapp

If we ever decide to become the Gewirtz Family Singers, Jonas has his outfit ready to go.

Chicken Spiders

Yesterday morning, while Jonas was still sleeping, Dad opened the front door to go get the paper. And then he screamed. "Why are you making so much noise?" Mom said, a slight exasperation in her voice, the possibility of a quiet breakfast between the two of us slipping away at Jonas' potential rise. "Um, come see this," Dad offered, meekly. And there it was: The scariest spider Dad had ever seen, literally trying to trap us inside by building his web across the porch in front of the entrance to the house. Each year around this time, Halloween plays itself out for real around our house in the form of something we call chicken spiders. Basically, these creatures look like a spider mated with a roast chicken. They are, simply, disgusting. And their webs are impossibly big and strong. We have seen grasshoppers caught in them. Grasshoppers. The creature on this morning was more of a cajun chicken spider, blackened rather than reddish-browned like the others of its ilk. With Jonas around now, we find ourselves being more protective in general: of him, of each other, of just about everything. And so despite his nature, Dad didn't think too long before grabbing the broom we keep near the front door for just this potential scenario and thwarting this particular spider's Dad-eating plans by unhinging its web support beams from the sides of the porch and the roof of the house. But not before he was creeped out to no end.

Happy As Can Be

At the Zoo

Jonas already has extensive experience at the aquarium, but yesterday, he got his first experience at a real-life zoo. Mom and Jonas went on an adventure to the Santa Ana Zoo, where they were first greeted by a slightly alarming large woman...

...Then it was on to the animals, where Jonas took it all in. Here, an emu says hello...

...But the highlight may have been Jonas' very first experience putting his head into a hole to make him look like someone else, in this case a safari explorer! Somehow, we can't imagine this will be the last one of these he ever takes...

Smile Wide

Nothing's better than getting Jonas to laugh.

Looking Up

From early on, Jonas has been transfixed with stuff on the ceiling. His fascination continues. Lately, it's been hard to hold him while accounting for his impressive efforts to check out whatever is going on up above.