Helping Hand

Jonas had an extra special treat this week when his Cousin Rachel came by on her spring break to help watch him. The two of them got along famously. It didn't take much for Jonas to get excited by a book...

...then Rachel got to experience one of Jonas' other favorite activities—eating...

...finally, his Cousin Ben stopped by too, and the three Colorado cousins had fun posing for the camera.

Automatic Reader

Continuing on our car theme of late, we'll start with an anecdote from Jonas' daycare. The other day, Dad dropped off the Big Guy and one of the women who watches over him during the day was training a new woman in the room. As Dad left, he heard the regular teacher say to the newbie: "This is Jonas, just give him a car to roll around the floor and he'll be happy all day." This is indeed true. Jonas, ever the boy, has shown quite the early interest in cars. Another amusing example comes from the Consumer Reports car issue that his Mima left at our house the other day. It has quickly become Jonas' favorite book. As you can see, Jonas found it to be an instant page turner...

...and he wasted no time pointing out which models he likes this season...

...and which other models he likes this season...

...hmm, that Toyota Prius sure does rate well on fuel economy...

..ah, here it is! My dream car, a Mustang!

...once I get it, I'm going to roll it around on the floor again and again and again...

Grocery Car(t)

A few weeks ago we shared with you Jonas' joy at getting to ride a racing car cart at Home Depot. Well, the other day Mom discovered a similar but perhaps even cooler cart at the grocery store that allows Jonas to sit at street level while he attempts to guide Mom and Dad through the aisles...

...right away, Jonas got a kick at the car's horn, which allowed him to clear the aisles to get closer to what he wanted...

...interestingly, with Jonas focussed on the ground, Dad took a closer look at some of the things on the upper part of the shelves. And for the first time, he noticed this body fluid cleanup kit in one of the aisles. Too bad it wasn't actually for sale since it seems that all we do most days is clean up Jonas' body fluids...

...soon enough, Jonas wasn't happy merely with one steering wheel. Perhaps he's preparing for a career as a food delivery man, because he seems to have pretty good control of where he's going...

...with his cargo of baby food safely secured, Jonas was ready to ride the day away.

Head of the Class

Jonas had his one-year check-up the other day, and it seems that the Big Guy is joining the pack in some areas. His height and weight, which have always been impressive, are still slightly above average, but are now nearing the rest of the general baby population. But one area that remains noteworthy, apparently, is the Big Guy's big head. The doctor told us it is measuring in the 97th percentile of head sizes among Jonas' peers. Only three in 100 babies have a head larger than Jonas' beautifully and perfectly shaped noggin. As one of the pages in his favorite books suggests, that's nothing out of the ordinary.

Bottle Boy

In this rare Bonus Jonas video footage taken the other day, the Big Guy demonstrates the proper technique if one is not particularly interested in drinking one's bottle.

Air Jonas

Maybe it's all the NCAA basketball that Dad's been watching the last few weeks, but Jonas has developed a sudden interest in putting balls into baskets. In fact, he's become so interested that we think he bears more than a certain resemblance to a certain iconic NBA star. See if you can see it too...

Stud Puffin

While Jonas recovers from his various ailments (poor guy), here's another recent photo of our adorable Stud Puffin in smilier times.

Out of Service

Jonas is fighting a double whammy of a nasty respiratory virus and an ear infection and isn't, shall we say, terribly photogenic today. So in lieu of an update, here's a cute shot of the Big Guy taken last week on a walk with Dad through downtown Castle Rock in happier times. Hopefully that adorable smile will be back with us soon.

Good Standing

We've been working with the Big Guy on using those big legs of his for good, in the form of standing. And while he's still a ways away from using those things under his own power, he's been making some pretty good progress with a little support from Mom and Dad. And when he stands, it's amazing how tall he already is.

All the Rage

A few weeks ago, Jonas picked up a fun new game from some of his classmates at daycare. His teachers there aren't sure how it started, but seems all the kids are making silly sounds while patting their hands over their mouths Indian-style. It's apparently all the rage there. To Jonas, it's also about the funniest thing he's ever seen, especially when Mom and Dad do it back.

Shocking Deals!

Jonas was shocked—shocked!—at both the volume of baby food for sale at the store the other day and the screaming deals. $1.29 for carrots! Dad, can you believe this?!

Fast Asleep

Oh, we've seen Jonas do some cute things all right. Flashing that million-dollar smile. Clapping his hands in joy. Babbling away with his silly words. But perhaps nothing was cuter than yesterday when an exhausted Jonas fell asleep in his high chair while drinking his bottle...

...and then dropped the bottle to continue his nap right there in the chair.

(Dad promptly took him to his crib where he slept for hours...)

Little Drummer Boy

A few days ago, one of the women who watches Jonas at daycare randomly asked Dad if Jonas had any drummers in the family. Dad got a nice smile on his face. Dad, of course, met Mom while playing drums in the marching band. Uncle Eric has made a fine career for himself through his drumming, and Jonas' Uncle Steve started everything off by supplying us with drums, cymbals and tons of Zildjian T-shirts growing up. Seems Jonas is a chip off those blocks, entertaining his classmates at daycare with his rhythmic stylings. That's his report card from yesterday up there, telling us what he did all day. Perhaps it was fitting because it came on the same day Jonas wore the first of what will likely be many Zildjian shirts. As the shirt says, Jonas, play loud!

Happy Place

Jonas has always been a good eater. So good, in fact, that his daycare recently told us we need to bring more food for him lest he start taking all the other kids' food at lunchtime. So on a recent day when Dad took Jonas to the grocery store, it came as no surprise that the Big Guy immediately proved that it was a happy place for him, opening wide in case any stray food might come his way.

Milk Man

Now that he's had his first birthday, Jonas got to experience a whole new joy in the form of whole milk the other day. His first effort with this deliciousness went over quite well. In fact, Jonas could not resist a wide grin during the whole experience...

...it was so good that Jonas even tried to access the white stuff from the other end of the bottle...

...when it was over, Jonas just couldn't believe what he had just experienced...

...the final verdict? Pure perfection, sealed with a kiss of approval—smack!...

...one the happiest experiences of his young life.

Off and Running

Well, this didn't take long. Now that Jonas has figured out this whole sitting up business, he seems to have gained newfound confidence on the crawling front as well. For the first time, Jonas took off down the hall yesterday, oblivious to the presence of Dad, who was more than a little surprised to see him go. His destination, of course, was his new Cozy Coupe, only his favorite thing in life at the moment...

...but his little journey, documented below, was an eye-opener for Mom and Dad, who yesterday at long last began the serious work of childproofing the house.

New Trick

Mom and Dad have been anxiously awaiting Jonas' new trick. While he finally figured out the other day how to sit up by himself, this weekend, he has turned a corner and simply cannot stop himself from laying down and sitting back up. He does it again and again and again. And when he's finished sitting up each time, the look of satisfaction on his face is just priceless...

...but this is a milestone that photos won't do complete justice to, so here's some rare Bonus Jonas video footage of the Big Guy doing his big trick. After knocking down some blocks (one of his favorite activities of late) Jonas proceeds to do his other new favorite thing. Take a look...

Warming Up

For being the snowiest month in Colorado, March has been awfully good to us here so far. It's been so warm that Jonas and Dad took a walk the other day, something that used to be a regular activity back in our Long Beach days. Luckily, Jonas hasn't forgotten how to be adorable when we go outside.

Bucket List

For quite some time, Jonas has been enjoying taking a little bucket of toys he has and just dumping it upside down to bang on the bottom of the bucket. Could care less about all the great toys in that bucket, just wants the bucket. Yesterday, Dad got to put all the stuff back in the bucket dozens and dozens of times. Here's what the aftermath looks like after Jonas has had his fun—an endless sea of things squeaky and plastic.

Something On Her Lip

One game we're looking forward to playing with Jonas, even at the risk of it setting some absolutely terrible precedents, is a little something we call "something on my lip." And Jonas seems to have an inherent understanding of how the game is played. At Mom's first go-round the other day, Jonas thought it was about the funniest thing ever that he could take a puff off Mom's lip that appeared to be stuck there. We won't play this one too often, but we're pretty excited that Jonas finds it as funny as we do. Here's some shots of the master in action.

King of the Hardwood

Jonas has been particularly enjoying the sensation of scooting around our hardwood floor of late. There, he can move his cars and trucks that much quicker, can bang various things that much louder, and of course, can scoot that much faster. It's among the greatest things he's ever experienced.

So Big!

The people Jonas knows as Papa and Nana tried their hardest to get Jonas to play their favorite game: So big. Simple game, so big. One raises their arms as they ask the pertinent question: How big is Jonas? The answer, meant to be accompanied by Jonas raising his arms: So big! Only it's not quite as fun when noodle-armed Jonas decides he doesn't want to raise anything in celebration of his considerable size. Oh well, nice effort Papa and Nana.

Birthday Bash

Jonas had himself an amazing first birthday party in front of a small group of family, including all his grandparents, two of his cousins and his Colorado aunt and uncle. He also scored some great presents, most of which revolved around a common theme—wheels...

...of course, there was cake, courtesy of Mom, who went out and had one of our favorite photos of the Big Guy immortalized in frosting—along with his old friend Bird Lips...

...Jonas got his own little cake, which true to form, he seemed to enjoy inspecting as much as eating...

...after cake, his Papa Howard and Uncle Chaz retreated with Dad to the other room to assemble what would become an instant classic for Jonas—his very own set of sweet wheels. Luckily, Uncle Chaz brought his drill and building-know-how as Jonas' new ride was assembled...

...Mom put on the finishing touches, making sure the registration was up to date...

...and like that, Jonas was out cruising the hallways of Castle Rock, getting instantly comfortable behind the wheel. Here, he seems to be saying: "Hey ladies, why don't you hop on in and we'll go for a cruise. Don't worry, my Mom'll push us..."

...it is simply impossible to describe the joy his Cozy Coupe brought him as he "drove" the halls for well over an hour...

...and Mom and Dad were pretty happy too, having engineered the first of what will hopefully be many more happy parties to come...