Slices

When he was in New York, Jonas got to experience one of life's great pleasures for the first time—pizza. Mom, Dad, Jonas and a few of the Big Guy's relatives went on a pilgrimage of sorts to Vincent's Pizza, one of Dad's old haunts when he was growing up. From the moment we walked in and smelled those wafts of cheese, sauce and crust, Jonas' eyes grew wide in anticipation...

...so, we sat him down with a plate all his own and gave him some delicious crust to sample. As per usual, Jonas had to inspect it first...

...and soon, his first "slice" was in his mouth, the joy of pizza having been passed from generation to generation...

...the result: pure satisfaction.

Jet Setter

Just when we think Jonas can't impress us any more, he goes and has a day like he did yesterday. The flight back from New York was an hour or so longer than the flight there, so Mom and Dad were a bit concerned about how they would amuse the Big Guy the whole time. Turns out it didn't matter. After charming the TSA agents at JFK, Jonas decided to take a stroll through the JetBlue terminal...

...then he realized that it was Sunday and there was football on TV, so he and Dad went to go check out some scores and react to the big plays on the big screens...

...then Jonas said he wanted to go get his shoes shined. But when we got there, the shoe shine man was on a break. Luckily for Jonas, turns out he doesn't wear shoes yet...

...before boarding, Jonas had a great idea: Why don't we get a drink? Dad didn't think that was the best precedent to set, especially after he heard what Jonas wanted to order — a white Russian, hold everything but the milk...

...when it came time to finally board, Jonas was beat. So beat that he passed out in Dad's arms for two hours, a test of endurance for Dad as Jonas' head pushed its way down onto Dad's hand, wrist, forearm and elbow at various less-than-ideal pressure points. But the nap was more than ideal. Jonas enjoyed it so much, that he took another nap later in the flight, waking up by saying, "Ahh..." and looking around with a smile. Mom got some prime holding time, too, and when it came time to land, Jonas seemed to be so comfortable, he didn't mind the descent this time at all. It helped that he got to curl up with people he knows...

...when it was time to get off, Jonas looked like he was ready to go again...

...the last stop was the baggage claim, which in Long Beach is outside. So Jonas bundled up and ran through the memories of a great first trip to New York, dreaming of his next opportunity to feast on pizza and bagels the way they were meant to be feasted upon, anxiously awaiting his next trip.

Epilogue: At one point in the flight, Dad was standing in the back of the plane with Jonas so they could both stretch out a bit, and a flight attendant came up to Dad. "That is one great baby," he said. "Thanks," Dad offered. "No, I'm serious," the flight attendant said. "You can always tell the babies that are loved because they are the quietest, most behaved ones, and this baby is really loved, I can tell." So true.

Pulkie Protector

Jonas' New York family has had a great time playing with him, making funny noises at him and introducing him to all sorts of new foods. But the activity they seem to enjoy the most is squishing his squishable thighs, which around here are referred to exclusively as pulkies (and not to be confused with his oldest friend, Pulkie the Tiger). Jonas, however, may have had enough squeezing. The other day, he figured out an ingenious way to protect himself from the onslaught.

Doting Grandparents

Jonas has had the chance to meet all sorts of people for the first time on this trip, from uncles and aunts, to cousins and family friends. But safe to say that his grandparents, who hadn't seen him since he was six weeks old, have been through the roof in excitement to hang out with the Big Guy. Jonas has especially enjoyed spending time on the lap of the person he knows fondly as Nana...

...But the person he knows as Papa has also been enjoying his Jonas time, having a fun moment the other day as they both tried to grab a piece of cloth from the sky, one of Jonas' favorite pastimes, and now one of Papa's too.

Thanksgiving Time

Jonas had a successful and fun first Thanksgiving with his New York family yesterday. After he woke up, Mom and Dad took him for a walk around the neighborhood where Dad grew up. Jonas had to wear his new coat since it was pretty chilly, but he seemed to enjoy the cool weather, even stopping long enough to pose for a photo with Dad...



...soon after, he got to see what the holiday is all about, with all his relatives filling their plates with Thanksgiving goodness...



...and, of course, Jonas wouldn't be left out in the stuffing-his-face department...

...after dinner, it was time to play with his Cousin Julia. The two got along famously while playing one of Jonas' favorite games, reaching into the bucket...

...but after a day filled with meeting new family members, good food and hard play, Jonas ended up back in one of his favorite spots, Mom's shoulder, content as can be.

A Long Day

Well, Mom, Dad and Jonas survived the epic cross-country journey, but it wasn't without its moments. We got to the airport early to find that our flight was delayed. But Jonas took it like a trooper, even passing out on Mom for good measure before we boarded...

...once on board, Jonas seemed to enjoy all the DirectTV channels available to him on JetBlue...

...but when that got old, we took out some of Jonas' old friends, like Noonan...

...Here's the part where we don't show visually what happened next. But suffice it to say, Dad was pretty impressed that he was able to change not one, but two diapers at a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet. And suffice it also to say that there can be no greater disappointment then discovering the bottle of milk you brought along for your son exploded inflight, and in the process smothering your backup feeding plan -- a drape for Niki to use to nurse Jonas herself -- in milk, thus leading to a momentary panic, thus leading to the best $7 we ever spent for a blanket from JetBlue so Niki could cover herself and everyone could be happy. And suffice it also to say that Jonas did not enjoy our initial descent into New York and made sure everyone knew about it until he figured out how to calm himself. So for this part, we'll just show this image instead...

But by the time we landed, Jonas was back where he started his journey, asleep, carried off in Mom's arms to face the adventures that await him with Dad's family.



Camel Coat

Ever the Californian, Jonas hasn't had the need to have a coat yet in his young life. So with our trip back East coming up, Mom took care of this essential need this week, while fulfilling one of her own dreams in the process. Seems that ever since she watched Scott Hamilton and the 1980 U.S. Olympic team walk in the opening ceremonies at Lake Placid, Mom has had a hankering for one of the camel coats worn by the team that day...

...For some reason, a camel coat of her own never came to pass. But now, courtesy of Old Navy, Mom can live vicariously through our budding Olympian, who will offer an updated look on the style while he stays warm in another part of New York this week.

Checking It Twice

Mom, Dad and Jonas are in for a big adventure today as we fly across the country for Jonas' first visit to where Dad grew up in New York. Last night was like planning for a military invasion with rations to be distributed and things to be packed into tight quarters. Mom's long list of stuff for the Big Guy was checked, and checked again. We think we're ready for whatever might await us, and are hoping above all for a kind-hearted person to be seated next to us on the plane.

Touchy Feely

Jonas has a ball whose insides move around when he flicks it. It's one of his favorite things. But now, it appears he expects everything to move around when he touches it. He will flick just about anything he grabs, be it a piece of toast, a toy frog or Mom or Dad's hair, just to see what might happen. We like watching his fingers extended, seeing what he might able to coerce out of any object he approaches.

Down to Earth

Jonas has been gaining weight at a pretty fast clip, but he's getting pretty tall, too. So tall in fact that the other week he was finally able to reach his Colorado Buffaloes mobile that plays him the CU Fight Song every morning. The mobile had been raised as high as it could go, so there really was only one solution — we lowered the crib mattress. Now he can have his morning jolt of college football-inspired pep while keeping safe at the same time.

Making a Toast

Jonas had another first last night that holds promise for the future. After knowing only liquids and mushy foods so far in his young life, Jonas had his first taste of solid food when Mom laid out some strips of toast to see what would happen. At first, as he does with just about anything, Jonas felt the need to inspect it...

...then, after figuring out that we wouldn't object if he tried to eat it, he gave it a try. Like most things, he was skeptical for a few seconds...

...but soon he realized what a good thing he had, and by then there was no stopping him as he downed strip after strip, looking at us and making noises as if to say, "Where has this been all my life!"

Baby Sitter

Now that Jonas is becoming an expert sitter, Mom's been challenging him a bit. We've introduced him to a little thing called a ledge to see how he does. So far so good.

Back in the Swing

You might recall how Mom introduced Jonas the other week to a park where he took to the swings. Well, a few weeks of sitting experience later, Jonas made his big return this week. As this adorable Bonus Jonas video can attest, Jonas seemed to enjoy the ride, looking more and more like one of the big boys.

Hi Everybody!

Jonas wanted to offer a special good morning to everyone with his patented two-finger salute and a little wave.

Patty Cake

It's been a while since we've run any Bonus Jonas video footage, so long, in fact, that Dad realized he had a few gems in the camera that had yet to make their debut. This one is already two months old, but it's ready now for its world premiere. Here's Jonas performing two of his favorite numbers.

A Real Handful

We love taking photos of Jonas close up, but it's been a while since we've offered some perspective on the Big Guy. At more than 20 pounds, Jonas has become a handful. At the farmer's market this weekend, we decided to show him around at our level, which Jonas seemed to appreciate. But by the end, Dad realized how much more time he needs to put into weights at the gym. As you can see, it's just a matter of time until Jonas is taller than Dad.

Innocent Smile

One of these days, no doubt, Jonas is going to do something he's not supposed to do, perhaps even getting us upset in the process. And then, no doubt, he'll flash us one of these looks and then what are we supposed to do?

Green Machine

Jonas continues to be a phenomenal eater. Whether his food is white, yellow, orange, or especially green, he can't seem to get enough.

Nice Surprise

For the last two mornings, Jonas has surprised both Mom and Dad — and himself — by waking up on his stomach. He doesn't appear to recall how he got there, or that he's actually capable of turning over once he gets that way, but it's made for an amusing surprise.

What Not to Wear

Jonas is still trying to appreciate the nuances of daylight saving, and while he's adjusted fairly well to the time change so far, there remains some more work to be done. And so it was yesterday morning that he found himself awake a bit earlier than normal. Since Mom was still eating breakfast, Dad, who got home late the night before, decided to wake up the Big Guy and get him ready for the day so Mom could have a little more time to herself. "I've got this," he said to Mom, and ventured into the room. Mobiles were turned on, funny noises were made, songs were sung, diapers were changed and clothes were put on. Then Dad proceeded with the morning routine of taking Jonas into the bathroom so he could see the baby that somehow finds his way into the mirror each day — cracks him up. But it wasn't until we came out to greet Mom that we realized something somewhere had apparently gone just a bit off track.
"Um, what in the world is he wearing Dad?" Mom said, a look of pure shock on her face.
"What?" said Dad, who, in fairness, is colorblind.
"An orange shirt and yellow pants? And red socks?!" asked Mom.
"You mean, the orange shirt, white pants and orange socks?" Dad suggested.
Well, apparently not.
"What happens if I want to take him out in public today?" Mom asked.
"What?..." Dad offered, meekly.
When Dad got to work, he received a text with the following photo. Jonas — in his new, apparently better matching outfit — had chosen to side with Mom, unable to hide their shared disgust...

Eventually he's going to have to learn about colors. That lesson will be taught by Mom.

Lashing Out

Granted, we may be a bit biased, but we think Jonas is pretty adorable. Even down to his eyelashes.

Page Turner

Another of Jonas' off-the-charts-cute activities of late has been his interest in turning pages of books. If you get him started a bit by lifting the next page a smidge, he'll take his hand and turn it for you. Just adorable. He also seems to be gravitating more toward his growing library, choosing to pull out books on his own for closer inspection. I'm sure once he learns about these things called television and video games he'll still be interested in books. Right?

Ring Master

One of the fun new games to play with Jonas is to put a bunch of rings out in front of him and watch him grab. At first, he'll swing his arms around crazy fast to try and snag them...

But when that doesn't work, he shifts into an adorable gentle-touch mode, which usually does the trick...

...but the end game, as always, involves his mouth.

Impressions Pt. 3

Jonas woke up the other morning looking like he was on the lam, which reminded Dad just a bit of a certain hamburger thief.