Sitting Satisfaction

This photo may not look like much, but there's more going on than meets the eye. Yesterday, after lots and lots and lots of coaxing from Mom and Dad over the last few weeks, Jonas finally decided he was ready to sit up all by himself. The first time, he waited until Dad left the room for 30 seconds, leaving Mom with the sight of a big first all to herself. But later, he offered a repeat performance for Dad, who took this photo of the Big Guy just seconds later. The look of pure satisfaction on Jonas' face when he finally figured out—followed by his clapping—was pretty priceless. By the time this photo was taken, he needed his beloved burpee to soothe himself in his excitement (or perhaps to soothe himself from the excitement of Mom and Dad...). Now we're anxious for him to try again.

Pure Glee

Jonas has been especially gleeful of late, maybe because he knows his first birthday is just around the corner. Here's a shot of the Big Guy putting on the Big Charm.

Swing Set

Jonas has long been a fan of going on swings. But Dad took him on his first swing adventure in Colorado this week, at a fun park near his new house. This time, he was into the swinging and all, but a pair of teenage girls playing in the other side of the park seemed to occupy his attention just a bit more.

Choo Choo!

Our friends Sam and Janine recently gave us a number of cool kid toys that their kids had outgrown, and among them was a fantastic train that Jonas seems quite intrigued by. Perhaps it's because we can hear the sounds of freight trains tooting their horns in the distance from our house, or perhaps it's just because he's a boy, but Jonas appears to be showing an early interest in the sound and look of trains. He took his own version out for a spin the other day and couldn't get enough.

S is for Smile

Jonas got a visitor during his lunch the other day in the form of Cookie Monster. The two seemed to get along famously, until Jonas started reaching for his cookie. In time Jonas. In time.

Baby Super Hero

Jonas has been exhibiting feats of super-human strength of late. Case in point: His once adorable play mat, source of so much activity in his first few months, now has a new play routine associated with it. Instead of playing with the features on the mat, Jonas prefers to just lift the mat up and throw it around wherever he sees fit. It's a bit funny, a bit concerning, and a bit impressive all at once...

...and it also reminds us more than a little of a certain super baby who came to Earth to meet the Kents, impressing them as well with his super-human strength...

Sunday Drive

Sunday was the Daytona 500 and Jonas decided to mark the occasion by taking the absolute coolest ride he had ever taken in his life. Mom and Dad had to make a trip to Home Depot, and Mom discovered a shopping cart decked out like a race car for the Big Guy. Dad was a bit concerned that Jonas wasn't quite yet big enough to get behind this particular wheel, but it didn't matter. The look of pure glee on Jonas' face as we worked our way into the store was pretty spectacular...

...and as we cruised down the long aisles of Home Depot, Jonas couldn't have been more curious...

...before long, he was even showing off his steering skills, already perfecting the one-hand method, looking for a hot babe to climb on in the seat next to him...

It was cute to watch, but as for getting behind the wheel of a real car, well, that's another thing. And no, we will never let him do that no matter how old he gets.

Puffs on the Brain

We might as well face it: Jonas is addicted to puffs. These little snacky treats have been around his lunch and dinner tray for quite some time, but in recent days, Jonas has taken more than a keen interest in their whereabouts. Two, three, four in his mouth at a time, he simply cannot stop. We now have a pantry filled with puffs of all shapes, sizes and flavors, from traditional cheese, to veggie, to blueberry. It's getting a bit ridiculous, but he does seem to enjoy them, so what can we do? It seems as if we have a puffs addict on our hands.

Zoo Fun

Back in his California days, Jonas visited a nice little zoo with Mom in Santa Ana and had a great time. But yesterday, with Mom having to work, Dad took the Big Guy on an adventure to the Denver Zoo to see what kind of animals they had to offer. It was a free day at the zoo, meaning it was like a zoo in there, but once Dad and Jonas got settled, they put on their baseball caps and went for a spin around the place to see the animals. Actually, animals started coming over to Jonas first...

...but soon enough, Jonas got out to see all he could see, starting with those enormous elephants...

...Jonas was amazed by all the creatures he got to see roaming about...

...but it was some crazy-looking turkeys that seemed to give him the most pleasure as he sang out to them, perhaps because he's so used to his Mom making funny turkey noises during renditions of "Old McDonald"...

...before too long it was time for our little animal to be fed...

...and that was the end of the adventure. Or at least Dad thought. The excitement proved to be a bit too much for our poor little guy who barfed all over Dad the minute they got back through the door at home. Oh well, at least it wasn't in the car. And Dad didn't even mind, because he has the memory of what otherwise was a fantastic day with his Big Guy, the first of what will no doubt be many family adventures at the zoo.

Incredible Reach

On the surface, it wouldn't look as if there's anything necessarily wrong with this photo. Adorable boy sucks his fingers as he wakes up from a sleepy nap, burpee nearby, blanket surrounding him. Only Dad was a bit surprised to find Jonas this way the other afternoon since he didn't put him to bed with that big old blanket. Seems Jonas used his incredible reach to get through the slats in his crib and grab hold of that blanket, which was sort of nearby but not really that close to his crib to begin with. Still trying to figure out how he did it, but more than a bit surprised to find him cuddled up with his new friend the other day. Time to start putting things just a little bit further away.

To The Point

Jonas is still very much into touching these days, especially using his trademark one-finger inspection. Beware the finger that may wind up on your otherwise clean window, your camera lens, or various parts of your face.

In Control

Lately, Jonas has discovered something called the remote control. And like the true guy that he is, he simply will not relinquish control of it once the control is in his midst. This has caused all number of unexpected channel changes, new television settings and other technical difficulties. But Jonas doesn't seem to mind.

Taking a Hike

Dad and Jonas had an amazing day off yesterday. In the morning, Jonas got to hang out with all the local babes at the library's reading hour, where everyone knew his name...

...then he slept through a beautiful drive along the foothills of the Rockies...

...and in the afternoon, he took an important step in becoming a Colorado resident — he went on a hike! Dad and the Big Guy had a nice stroll along a local creek while Jonas took in the sights. A perfect way to spend the afternoon.

Yogurt Face

Jonas discovered another new food this week called yogurt. Smeared all over his lips, it was a tasty treat that he thoroughly enjoyed.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Jonas woke up in a great mood today, maybe because he sensed love was in the air. He even gave Mom and Dad a treat by filling out Valentine's Day cards for both of us. (Where in the world did he get the time to go out and get those?) While his heart will always be set on his Sweet V back in California and all the young ladies from the old neighborhood, Jonas proved that he has plenty of love to share. He even got to spend some precious moments with the main woman in his life this morning, decked out in the appropriate colors for the holiday.

Exhausted

In recent days, Jonas seems to be interested in sharing. He's been giving Dad a ball after he's done playing with it, or even his beloved burpees. And in the true spirit of sharing, Jonas even gave Dad the stomach bug he's been carrying around all week, leaving both Big J and Little J just downright exhausted. Luckily, we've had Mom here to help out.

Death Hill

While Mom and Dad anxiously await the day that Jonas will walk, we are anxiously fearing the day he learns how to sled. Down the street from our new place is a rise that Mom and Dad have already dubbed "Death Hill." When the snow falls, it seems to be the popular hangout. One problem for Mom and Dad: Death Hill features a lip over a retaining wall and empties out either into the street, a mailbox or a wooden fence, take your pick. Suddenly, Mom and Dad feel about 80 years old with the things that have come out of their mouths watching the local crazies maneuver their way down. And this morning, Death Hill had a new feature: A RAMP HALFWAY DOWN WITH A SHOVEL TO WORK AROUND! We're sorry Jonas, but if we ever catch you within 500 feet of this thing, you are dead meat.

Spin the Bottle

Jonas is still recovering from whatever it is that seems to be ailing him. The key evidence that he's not feeling well: For the first time in his young life he's not all that interested in eating. You might recall it was just a few days ago when the Big Guy was chugging his bottles. Last night, it more spinning the bottle. Jonas made every move he could have possibly made with the thing — except drink. Hopefully he gets that legendary appetite back soon.

Feeling Better

We skipped a post yesterday to help take care of our poor little Big Guy, who helped Mom and Dad live out one of their biggest fears of parenthood: What in the world you do when your child throws up. This was a topic of conversation that consumed the better part of Mom and Dad's 10 years together before Jonas arrived, and it proved to be about as epic an experience as we imagined. We'll spare the blogosphere all the gory details but let's just say it wasn't pretty. Thankfully, we all appear to have survived after a few visits to the doctor and a miserable process of trying to force liquid into our otherwise liquid-defiant boy. So, today, as we hopefully turn a corner on that chapter, we present a photo of smiling Jonas from this morning, the way we like to see him.

Super Snooze

Jonas got to experience his first Super Bowl yesterday on a picture perfect day for staying in and watching a game while Mom and Dad had a tomato sauce simmering for hours and snow was falling outside...

...but alas, Jonas wasn't feeling so hot yesterday and spent the first quarter sleeping on Dad...

...and the second quarter...

...until he woke up to see the Black Eyed Peas play halftime and the Green Bay Packers take home the title. But even then, his toys seemed to hold his attention a bit longer than could Fergie or Aaron Rodgers...

...in time, we're sure he'll become a little less distracted.

Family Fun

Jonas got a treat yesterday when his Uncle Dan came into town. The two guys hadn't seen each other since May, when Uncle Dan paid a visit to Long Beach. This time around, Jonas was pretty excited to see his "Uncle D" again...

...in fact, Jonas got to hang around his cousins as well his Uncle Chaz and Aunt Sarah too. While his cousins played a fun dance game on the Wii, Jonas watched in the comforting arms of Mom, waiting for the day when it would be his turn...

...and later, he got reacquainted with his dog friends, Penney and Moxie. At first, Jonas had to take a close look at Penney to see if she was ready for some petting...

...then, they made eye contact just to make sure...

...and, in time, Penney became the recipient of Jonas' trademark one-finger inspection...

...Moxie wasn't to be left out either, delighting Jonas with his tricks...

...all in all, a fun day with his Colorado family.

Dozing Off

Jonas has been taking some pretty amazing power naps of late. But the most enjoyable — for him and his folks — are the ones he takes on Mom and Dad. Here's a shot of the Big Guy dozing off the other day on Dad, content as can be.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

We knew when me moved from California to Colorado that it would be cold here. But this cold?...

...indeed, yesterday was one of the colder days we could remember, causing us to dig deep in Jonas' wardrobe for something appropriate to put on the Big Guy. At least things warmed up later in the day when Dad had to take Jonas to daycare...

...to keep Jonas nice and toasty, Mom dressed him in a sweater and turtle neck, just like she was wearing. Jonas seemed to enjoy the outfit, but took particular note of the buttons Mom had, making sure to inspect each and every one.