Budding Dentist

Jonas is getting a bottom tooth now to match his top two. And in doing so, he seems fascinated by grinding that bottom toothlet to the top ones. The sound is simply too amazing not to experience for him. We'll see where that leads. But in the meantime, Jonas seems oddly interested in Mom and Dad's teeth as well, taking every opportunity to poke around for a check-up.

Ceiling Overdose

You might recall Jonas' early obsessions with ceiling fans and with looking up above. Well, yesterday, Jonas found his heaven. At a home store, Mom and Dad wandered into the lighting section to discover this...

...Jonas was in shock...

...but seemed to have the time of his life once he got over the initial scene.

Back in Business

Jonas had himself a great visit with his New York grandparents this week, but it wasn't all fun and games. Mid-week he came down with croup (which Dad thinks should always be called "the croup"). It's a terrible-sounding name accompanied by a terrible-sounding cough accompanied by a terrible morning routine that involved bundling Jonas up and holding him in the cold morning air after a 20-minute steam experience in the bathroom. But after a few days of relative fussiness, the Big Guy woke up today with that trademark smile and gleeful approach to life, ready to take on the weekend with a whole new outlook.

Jonas and Papa

While Jonas and the woman he knows as Nana (or will, at least, once he starts saying all our names...) have had a smashing time this week, Jonas and the man he knows as Papa got some good bonding time in yesterday, starting with Jonas' lunch...

...but after lunch, Jonas got a real treat when he took his first official walk around his new neighborhood on a beautiful Colorado afternoon. For this trip, he had Papa push him along...

...and off they went, strolling up and down hills and past the landmark rise that gives Castle Rock its name...

...and on and on the two pals went...

...until they came back home, sharing a nice moment in the fading sun of the afternoon.

Drinking It In

It was just December when Jonas figured out how to drink from a cup with handles. But now, thanks to the persistency of the woman he knows as Nana, Jonas has started to master the art of picking up a cup with no handles at all, and stuffing it into his face for a drink. Nice job, Jonas. Nice job, Nana.

Scarfing It Down

Jonas' visiting Nana came up with one of the best toys ever yesterday, a scarf that she was wearing around her neck. At first, Jonas was intrigued...

...then he grew even more intrigued...

...then he grew even more intrigued...

...until finally he got what he wanted: The chance to apply his patented one-finger inspection on this curious object...

...and then, item in hand, and around his body, he had no idea what to do next.

Baby Buff

Jonas has been settling in nicely to his new surroundings in Colorado, and has even had the chance to show off some of his latest Colorado Buffaloes clothing to the locals. He got rave reviews from Buffs fans tooling around the Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Cheerios Stout

Jonas got a real treat last night, going out to dinner with all his grandparents, and Mom and Dad of course, to a local brewery in Castle Rock. He seemed intrigued by the ambience, but a bit disappointed when we didn't get him the beer sampler. Perhaps if they had a Cheerios Stout on the menu he could have gotten his wish.

Hat Buddies

Jonas is having a great visit with his New York grandparents, whom he knows as Nana and Papa. He and Nana have been having an especially good time. Turns out she's pretty fun to take a nap on. But when it's time to go out, they share another thing in common: Comfy hats!

Pitter Patter

We love taking photos of his face, of course, but Jonas' little feet are underrated when it comes to the cute factor. Lately, he's been sporting some cool kicks.

Quite A Catch

Jonas has been practicing some great poses of late, in case he catches the eye of any potential young ladies in the new neighborhood. Here's what his match.com profile might look like...

Name: Jonas
Height: 29 inches
Weight: 21 pounds
Eyes: Brown (formerly blue!)
Hair: Coming
Sign: Pisces
Hometown: Castle Rock, Colorado
Likes: Cheesy puffs, hugs, mid-afternoon siestas, touching
Dislikes: Getting his nails cut, putting on coats, having his face cleaned after eating
Pet Peeves: When Mom and Dad try to sit with him on the couch but all he wants them to do is walk him around

Adorable Self

Jonas was being his regular adorable self yesterday after he woke up from a mid-morning "siesta" on Dad's lap, his trusted burpee cloth in tow. Dad couldn't help but take some photos of his cute little guy...

Library Time

The new routine for Jonas, Mom and Dad has begun, with Jonas having a successful first day at daycare yesterday and Mom having a successful first day at her new job. Dad had some success too connecting wires and computers for most of the morning. But today, with Dad off to take care of Jonas, "Guy Days" officially began. First stop, the beautiful library in downtown Castle Rock where story time is held every morning. Library time was a big hit for Jonas and Mom back in Long Beach, and the tradition continued this morning, when Jonas got to play and sing, and best of all, meet some of the local hotties who couldn't keep their hands off of our little charmer.

Big Chair

Jonas's Mima left us a few big chairs in our new home, which Jonas seems to enjoy sitting on. They've become the go-to place to trick him into putting on a coat (unfortunately, not his favorite activity...) and as a way to take in his new play area. Plus, there's nothing cuter than watching a small kid on a big chair.

Feeding Frenzy

Jonas has been experimenting with all kinds of interesting foods in his new home. The other day he discovered something called an egg yolk, and it was a big hit. First, though, he had to do his patented one-point inspection...

...after inspection was passed, he decided to move ahead cautiously...

...but soon, as always, he decided that he liked it after all and proceeded with cramming every last morsel he could find...

...in retrospect, it shouldn't have been surprising that Jonas would like this new food experience. In fact, he's been downright gleeful about the prospect of eating almost from the start. Last night, his Mima came over for a visit and got to see the pure joy first-hand. Here, in a rare Bonus Jonas video, is footage of the frenzy...

Shopping Around

Jonas has started to explore his new home town with Mom and Dad. Yesterday, he seemed especially intrigued by one of the local grocery stores, where he just couldn't believe the selection and prices!

Turtle Neck

Let's just say Jonas is going to be wearing a lot more turtle necks and sweaters in the immediate future.

Settling In

Jonas seems to be settling in nicely, even if Mom and Dad are still getting around to unpacking things. But while his surroundings may have changed, Jonas' toys have stayed the same, making him one happy camper.

Unpacking

Jonas, Mom and Dad are still settling in, but reached a milestone last night when we stayed in our new house for the first time. Before we could do that, we had to make some progress unpacking all those boxes. We had movers help us pack the kitchen, which is quite an operation. But unpacking the kitchen may be even harder. Here's how much paper was in one box...

...but once we got settled a bit, Jonas got a good first look at his new digs. And when he got to his new room, he saw some familiar faces, including his elephant humidifier, which readers of this blog have affectionately named Sir Steams-A-Lot...

...Jonas had a great first night, but there are plenty of more things for him to discover over the next few days and weeks.

Brrrr...

When you move to Colorado in January, you have to be prepared for some winter weather. But Jonas has been given a quick introduction to his new surroundings, as seen on this reading last night...

...Mom and Dad have had to adjust too. One of the first items: Trade in those squeegies we used to keep in the car for the morning moisture and replace them with some hard-core ice scrapers...

...But for Jonas, everything is part of the new experience, and he seemed awfully intrigued by all this white stuff that has fallen on the ground. While he hasn't had a chance to go play in it yet, he seems willing to give it a go.

Reunited

After a long week that saw Dad clean up the California house inside and out, and Mom start preparing the Colorado house inside and out, Dad took off with his friend Jordan this weekend for the long drive east and a reunion with Mom and Jonas. The drive through Flagstaff, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and southern Colorado was gorgeous...

...but before the drive, we were watching a scary winter weather advisory that foretold some tricky navigation once we got through Denver...

...our California car wasn't winterized, of course, so one of our first tasks was to drain the washer fluid and replace it with something that wouldn't freeze once we got through the nasty stuff...

...sure enough, once we passed Colorado Springs, the white stuff was falling. By the time we stopped in our new home town of Castle Rock, our California car looked like it had been shell-shocked...

...The first shipment of our stuff has already arrived at our new house, but since we haven't had a chance to unpack anything yet, we'll be spending a few more days with Jonas' Mima at her house up the road. But before making the last leg of the journey, Dad and Jordan decided to stop and refuel with some delicious waffles...

...and eventually, after days apart, the family was reunited, happy to be together again to watch Jonas see his first snowfall and anxious to get him out playing in it — once we buy him some winter clothes.

Sleeping Beauty

Jonas had himself one heck of a nap with his Mima the other day, looking as content as one possibly can be.

Moving Day

Tuesday was the big move and the end of two of the longest days of Dad's life. After packing up the remaining stuff in the house once Jonas and Mom left for Colorado, Dad greeted a team of movers the next day, ready for the next phase of our adventure. Turns out we have a lot of stuff. A lot of stuff. So much so, that when they got all the boxes out on the driveway, there was immediate concern as to whether it would all fit in the space they had for us...

...but movers are amazing people. One guy, who we'll call the crammer, did nothing but fit the puzzle together...

...Eventually, most of our astonishing 300 boxes (!) got stuffed in there. Some, however, didn't make it and will be sent on a separate truck. All part of the experience. When it was over though, Dad could see the back of the garage for the first time in five years...

...and inside, it was back to basics. And considering the chaos of things being moved around all day, awfully quiet...

...and back in Colorado, one little boy was settling in just fine with his grandmother and one of her dogs, oblivious to the adult logistics involved in getting him out there, dreaming of whatever will come next.