History of the J Man

Unfortunately, Julie has not been feeling well lately, so Jonah and I spent a lot of time together this past weekend.  Even though we missed Mama, we still had a really good time.

For new parents looking for a cheap diversion, I highly recommend the pet store.  Jonah and I went there on Saturday and we had fun looking at all the animals.  Jonah especially enjoyed the fish and birds.  There was a little kid there who was buying a hamster, and he was interested in watching the pet shop worker take it out.  And as always, he enjoyed seeing the cats.

Saturday evening we visited our friends Amit and Amber and played with their 20-month-old Kalyan.  Jonah hadn’t seen little Kal since our big trip to California and the San Diego Zoo just before New Year’s, so it was great to see him again.   Jonah loved playing with all of Kal’s toys, especially a four-wheeler that he enjoyed taking for a spin at Kal’s apartment.  We looked at some photos on TV and Jonah got a kick out of seeing himself on a big flat screen, which is a lot nicer than the TV we have.  Jonah still looks like a giant compared to his friend, but then, he’s still pretty big for his age.  He stands about a head taller than Kal, but I think Kal is at around 2nd percentile for h/w, and Jonah is at like 75th percentile, so comparisons aren’t really fair.

On Sunday I took Jonah to Chinatown with his Aunt Kelley and Uncle Jeff for dimsum brunch.  Unfortunately the place we wanted to go was too crowded, so we went to a smaller place around the corner that was just as good.  Aunt Kelley was nice enough to buy him an action figure from some anime program and of course load him up with candy.  And I got my BBQ pork bun that I always have to get when I’m down there.

As far as milestones, in the last week or so, Jonah has been counting everything.  for the longest time, if you’d ask Jonah, “How many?” his answer was usually “One” if there was one, and “Two” if there were two, four, seven or 25.  But now he is able to count to 10 usually without any help, and he can get up to 20 if you help get him rolling.

I’m also impressed by Jonah’s singing ability.  He now loves to sing songs by himself.  He is able to sing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” without any help.  He really loves the “One, two, three strikes your out” part, delivering that line with particular gusto.  He’ll sing “Wheels on the Bus” but usually asks for help on that one.  He also likes the teeth brushing song and will correct you when you’re wrong, which is entertaining.

Potty training gone OK thus far; he’s able to recognize when he has to go #1 and there haven’t been too many accidents there, though #2 is more of a challenge, as he likes to go in his diaper still.  We’ve been encouraging him to go on the potty, offering special treats and such, but thus far, no substantial progress.  We’re not worried at all, but it will be nicer once he’s out of diapers.

Finally, we are doing what we can to prepare for the birth of baby #2.  Julie keeps telling me I need to change the name of the blog, which I guess I’ll have to do, maybe after we settle on a name for the new guy.

Jonah has been fighting us about bedtime lately.  Some nights we just let him play in his room as long as he does it quietly.  He usually ends up in his bed on his own but on this night he spread out his new blanket on his floor and must have fallen asleep reading.  I took a video of it so the camera flash wouldn’t wake him up. 

Jonah Asleep on the Floor from Julie Diehl on Vimeo.

Jonah had a great time decorating Valentine’s Day cards this year and sending them out to friends and family. Here’s a quick video of him explaining the one he made for Aunt Amy & Uncle Tim.

Aunt Amy’s Valentine Card from Julie Diehl on Vimeo.

Have Chris and I been together too long already?  It will be 5 years in April for us but this Valentine’s Day shows we know each other well.  After breakfast we pulled out cards and gifts for everyone.  Jonah got a couple cards and some candy and was happy with it. 

Chris and I both opened our cards then checked the front of the envelope because we had given each other the SAME CARD!  Of all the Hallmark cards out there what are the chances we’d pick the same one for each other?!  Pretty funny.  Great minds think alike I guess. 

I love the giggle on this simple home movie taken of nothing.

Flip Video Waving from Julie Diehl on Vimeo.

We had an exhausting weekend of moving this weekend.  No, our condo still hasn’t sold but we felt it was time to move Jonah into the middle bedroom.  If our condo does not sell then he will end up sharing that room with his baby brother eventually.  We converted the back bedroom back into my office which is what it was before Jonah was born. 

Thanks to Aunt Heather we got a few things moved to the basement and the rest rearranged here in the condo.  Jonah was part of the process and took a nap right away that afternoon in his new room.  We got a new lamp, new window shades and Jonah got to pick out new blankets to match his new room.  He still tells me he wants it to switch back but he’s got way more room to play in there now. 

Last night he went to bed easily and then slept straight through until 7:15 this morning so hopefully we’re back on track and everything is back to normal, at least until his little brother arrives. 

The 3D ultrasound photos aren’t for everyone but I do think they are pretty amazing that you can see details like ears and fingers.  Here’s a photo of Jonah’s little brother waving at us from Jan. 7, 2010, or is he rubbing his head…either way I think it’s neat to see fingers.

These are a few of the better photos from our holidays. 

Jonah taking a walk in the snow. 

All of us at Zoo lights a day or two before Christmas.

Jonah’s visit with Santa.

Christmas morning at our house, Santa came to fill our stockings.

Jonah has had a few new firsts lately that I want to record so we remember. 

While we were on vacation in California he saw his first movie at the theater.  A couple people weren’t feeling well at the house and needed to rest.  It was a rainy day so I didn’t have many options to get Jonah out of the house in order to make things quiet.  I took him to see Princess and the Frog, the only G rated movie playing.  My aunt and uncle couldn’t believe that he’d sit for a movie and normally I’d say that 2.5 is too young to go to the movies but he loved it.  He sat, in his own seat, the whole time eating popcorn and sipping his juice like a big kid. 

Now that we’re home I don’t know if he’s re-adjusting to our time zone or just catching up on his sleep but he didn’t wake up this morning until 8:45am.  That is a first!  Occasionally he’ll sleep until close to 8:00am but this was a new record.  And it was on a Sunday morning.  How nice!  Even the dog slept in today.  It was a nice touch to the end of our holiday week.

I’m slow to post this since I found out just before Christmas but with the holidays and a trip to California this is the first chance I’ve gotten.  Below in an ultrasound photo of Jonah’s little brother.  Yes, baby #2 is a boy also!  I’m not promising to take advice or tell you in advance what we choose, but if you have boy name ideas, send them our way.

At the 20 week ultrasound all looked good.  The baby is measuring right at 50% for size and average is good at this point.  I’ve been feeling him move now for a few weeks but on our trip this past week Chris felt his first kick too. 

I’m starting to look and feel pregnant.  I hope that the winter temperatures mellow out early this season or I may not be able to fit into my winter coat towards the end.  I can’t remember what I did with Jonah but then again he was also born a month later than this guy.