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Cutest Baby EVER!

So, Jonah's working on crawling -- he figured out how to scootch backwards today -- and he has two -- two! -- teeth. We don't have photographic evidence of the teeth yet, because they're so teeny still, but they're there!



In the meantime, here's some video of him.

Seven Months!

Dear Jonah,

Yesterday you turned seven months old! To celebrate, you got your first tooth! It's just barely broken through -- we can feel it but can't really see it -- and I don't think it will be long until the next one follows.


This has been kind of a trying month in terms of sleep. You still sleep with us at night, but you've been waking up in the middle of the night, crying for no reason. And you've been eating every 3 hours (sometimes less!) through the night, too, which is making my days really hard. And during the day, you have a hard time getting to sleep even though we rock you, and then you wake up almost every time we put you down in your crib or in the pack-n-play. And you're cranky much of the day!


Last weekend, you and I flew down to California to go to GG's not-memorial-service (more on that later). Between the flight and the car ride to her house, you slept 5+ hours the day we arrived, and you were so charming and happy the rest of the time! It really made me realize that you are not getting enough sleep. So yesterday, we started something new: we put you down in your crib when you are drowsy, and pat your back and shush you until you fall asleep. When you push your head up, we gently put it back down. You cry, but so far you do go to sleep, and you know that we're right there (which is part of my problem with the "cry it out" methods). It's been working really well, so far (knock wood!): you slept in your crib for 2 hours yesterday afternoon, and woke up happy! And today you've slept for 2-1/2 hours so far. It's not perfect yet -- you go down pretty easily, but if you wake up it's harder to get you to go back to sleep -- but it's only day 2. The idea is that, eventually, we'll be able to put you in your crib awake and you'll be able to go to sleep on your own. We're not doing this at night yet, because I think you're not quite ready yet, but I don't think it's too far off.



Daddy and I are already practically giddy at how it seems to be working: it doesn't take much longer to get you down than it did to rock you to sleep, and once you're down, we're free! We aren't stuck holding a sleeping baby for hours a day. We might be able to get something done now! And I suspect we'll have a much happier baby once you're getting a proper amount of sleep. This will be good, because Daddy broke his hand last month after hitting the couch in frustration with your crying!



In addition to your new tooth, you are also working on crawling! You can sometimes get up onto your hands and knees, and when you do you rock back and forth. Sometimes you even scootch backwards, which you do not like, because you're usually trying to go forward to get a toy!



You were so, so good for Grammy & Grandpa when they visited -- they just had the best time with you! You have become a lot more interactive in the last couple of weeks. Your smiles used to be harder to elicit, but now you'll wait for someone to look at you and then grin at them.



We had you dedicated at church when Grammy & Grandpa were here, and during the dedication -- to my surprise -- you were happy and thoroughly charming! You played with your feet, you looked at the lights, you smiled at the congregation. And when Pastor Mark lifted you up so everyone could see you, you laughed! I couldn't have asked for you to be better.



After your dedication, we gave you your first solid food -- sweet potato! The timing wasn't great, since you were really, really tired, but you seemed to enjoy it anyway. Since then, you've had some carrot, too. You aren't really into food yet, but we'll keep giving some to you every few days, and eventually you'll "get" it.




You were also really good on the plane rides to and from California. I'm really glad about that, because Daddy couldn't come with us. You played with toys for a bit, flirted with the people around us, and then fell asleep. And you were nice and flirty with everyone at GG's house, too. I think it helped that you had just seen Grammy & Grandpa & Uncle Matt, but you were so much less clingy than you were at Christmas.

GG's party was wonderful -- I got to meet so many people I'd heard about my whole life but never met! They had all heard about you, and even though you were a little too overwhelmed to be smiley and charming at the party, at least you didn't cry. And afterward, when there weren't as many people around, you let new people hold you.


It's been a big month, and I think next month will be bigger! Crawling is just ahead, and I don't even want to think about what you'll get into.

Love and raspberries,
Momma

Six Months!

Dear Jonah,

Today you turn six months old -- six months! I can hardly believe it. I don't think I've ever had a half-year fly by so quickly.

This has been kind of an interesting month. On the one hand, you've become adept at sitting up and can now lunge for toys (folding yourself in half if necessary!), you are interested in a wider variety of toys (including Mommy & Daddy's remote controls, cell phones, and any and all other electronics), and you can get your Nuk back in your mouth (after a fashion). On the other hand, you've had your first cold and your first tummy bug, and on Tuesday your GG died.


That last one is kind of a biggy for me. Nana was a great lady, larger than life. Her death wasn't a surprise -- she was 91, after all, and had come down with pneumonia -- but it still seems impossible that she's not around anymore. I'm so, so glad that she got to meet you, and I'm simultaneously so sad that you won't remember her. She thought you were just the bees' knees, and loved you so much. Ever since she got the first pictures of you, she would talk to you -- she thought you were very handsome, and quite masculine! She would talk to your pictures all around her house, even though you were, apparently, very sassy to her! She loved to hear you over the phone -- every time I would call, she would respond to my greeting with, "Is that my Annie? How is my great-grandson?" She was beyond thrilled with your performances at Christmastime, and thought you were awfully clever. Her passing leaves a big hole in our family.

In happier news, we'll get to see Grammy & Grandpa next week, because they're coming to visit for my 30th birthday! Uncle Matt is coming, too, and they all can't wait to see you. I hope you'll let them hold you more than you did at Christmas, and that you'll be good for your babysitters when we all go out to dinner. And at church on Sunday, you're getting dedicated!


You have already changed so much, and changed our lives so much, it's just unbelievable. There are already lots of things I feel I haven't chronicled and I don't want to forget them! Things like the way your mouth was usually in a little "o" when you were tiny, as if you were trying to learn how to whistle. And how you used to make such noise when you were eating! Big gasps and wheezes. And how you used to be a very snorty baby, especially when you woke up -- Daddy and I would laugh at the little piggy noises you would make. And your white spot -- on the top of your head, you have a quarter-sized spot of white hair! I hope it will fade as you get older, but I don't want to forget that you had it. And how your eyes and eyebrows turn red when you're getting ready to cry -- that one doesn't seem to be changing yet, but it's so funny to see when the rest of you is so, so pale. Oh, and how you used to flail! I don't know when that stopped, but I haven't noticed you doing it in the last few weeks -- you used to flail, especially when you were nursing. The hand that wasn't up next to my body would hit me, as if someone were pulling back and releasing your arm like a catapult.



You've started examining your hands this month, as if you're stoned, which is hysterical: "woahhhh- hands! They move! That's crazy, man!" You turn them over and wiggle your fingers, as if they're not connected to you. I hope we can get a picture of it!


I hope the next six months don't go quite as quickly as the last six have -- I wish we could slow down the happy moments with you; I want to savor them forever.

Happy half-birthday, baby! We love you more than you can imagine.

Love, Momma

Kitty!

Jonah is definitely noticing the cats these days. Samantha (in the video) usually stays far away from him, but Savannah is starved for attention, so she'll come close and let him grab at her, because it's not completely unlike being petted.

Five months

Dear Jonah,

Last week you turned 5 months old, and what a month it's been! You learned how to roll over and sit up, you had your first plane rides, extended car rides, and your first Christmas, and you met pretty much all of your extended family (you charmed the heck out of all of them, of course!).

Christmas was crazy this year, crazier than usual. You were being a pill the day we were flying down to California, so much so that we actually missed our flight. We had all our luggage with us, because we were going to gate-check it since we were so late. We only missed the flight by minutes, but miss it we did. We got on standby for a couple of other flights, and almost got on the 2nd one -- we were actually on the plane, but the gate agents had given away the other standby seats before they knew that one of our seats was taken. We had gate-checked our bags and your carseat/stroller, and one of the agents ran down as we were getting off the plane to get your carseat so we could go home. She didn't know that we also had bags, though, so those went to San Jose on that Friday night.

We got tickets to San Francisco for 6:15 the next morning (UGH), so we went home and came back. That went off without a hitch -- you were great on the plane and Grammy & Grampa picked us up in San Francisco. Unfortunately, when Daddy and Grampa went to the San Jose airport to pick up our bags, only 2 of the 3 were there. The bag with all of your clothes and some of my clothes was gone, and it still hasn't turned up! I'm sad about a couple of things in that bag (your herringbone sleeper and the monkey blanket, especially), but Grammy had a good time shopping for more clothes for you. The airline will reimburse us for the lost items, so it will all work out in the end.

That morning, we had lunch with Grampa's side of the family -- you got to meet your Great-Grandma Sue, 2 great-aunts, 1 great-uncle, and 2 first-cousins-once-removed. That was lots of fun! You were pretty well-behaved, and you let everyone hold you for a little while. They loved that, of course! You showed off your motorboat mouth, too, which made us all laugh.



After that, we packed up and drove up to GG & TJ's house, 3 hours away -- the longest car ride you've had! You were great, and fell asleep almost immediately, giving me & Grammy some time to talk (Daddy and Grampa were in the other car, since there was so much stuff!). When we got there, you got to meet your other Great-Grandmother (GG -- my Nana) and your Great-Grandpa (TJ -- my Papa), and even though you were tired, you put on such a performance! Nana was so thrilled to finally meet her first great-grandchild, and you were just smiley and raspberry-y and talkative for her. I couldn't have asked you to be better.


Everyone else got there the next day -- my Aunt & Uncle, cousins, and another baby, your 2nd cousin Lucy! You weren't all that interested in her, but you thought her daddy, Phillip, was pretty funny (we all think so, too -- must be the accent). We had a great time with everyone, even though you were a little overwhelmed with all the people. It put you into a bit of a "Mommy" phase, so you would be charming to anyone as long as I was holding you. A little annoying, but understandable in the circumstances.

You were great on the flight home -- slept the whole way, and then was charming to everyone around us. A few days after we got home, you learned to roll over! We put you down to sleep on your tummy, and I woke in the middle of the night to find you on your back! I think we were both a little surprised. Since then, you've done it a bunch more, but you haven't mastered it yet.

You've also been learning how to sit up! We've been propping you in the corner of the couch for a while, but now you don't really need to be propped. You can sit and play with toys for a few minutes before you either topple or fold, and you get better at it every day! It's lots of fun to watch you learn new things.



You are just so thoroughly, insanely cute that we can hardly believe it. I never knew I could love someone as much, and it gets more and more fun as you develop into more and more of your own person. I can't wait to see what you do next!

Love,
Momma

4 months

Dear Jonah,

You turned 4 months old yesterday -- I can hardly believe you're that old already! I missed your 3-month update, so there are lots of things you can do now that you couldn't then. You've become very social in the last week or two, smiling easily at people, cats, and one of the walls at my office (weird kid). We've finally gotten some laughs out of you, baby belly laughs, because you like being tickled. You don't always laugh when we tickle you, though, so when you do it's a real treat for us.

You love to sit up now, in your chair or propped in the corner of the couch, or on our laps -- you can play for 45 minutes that way, which is a long time for such a little guy! If I sit you on the floor and let you go, you can sit at a 45-degree angle for a few seconds, supported by your arms, before you fold forward. And you're finally not hating your car seat, thank goodness -- you're usually pretty pleasant in the car, especially if I give you a toy to explore. We're acquiring more toys for you: linking rings, rattles, stuffed animals with rattly and/or crinkly bits. You like to play with them and examine them, and just today you started sticking one in your mouth. That was fun to watch! You still prefer to chew on your hands, though. :)


I can't believe I thought you talkative before, because you "speak" in paragraphs now! You're discovering different volumes, and you have so many more "words" than a month ago. You started blowing raspberries a couple of weeks ago, which is a very drooly thing. You are so pleased with that noise! You like to sit or stand and talk to Daddy or me, sometimes just quiet "goo"s and sometimes loud, happy shrieks. You also like to shout when you eat: I'll be nursing you, you'll latch off and look at me until I look at you, you'll smile at me and shout as you head back for more food. It's terribly cute, and I think you think it's our little game. You still like to eat plenty -- you weighed 15lbs. 3oz. at your checkup last week, and you're 26 inches long! I'm glad that you like to play by yourself sometimes, because my back can use every break I can get.

You're taking some serious notice of the cats -- you find them very interesting, and will watch them walk across the back of the couch, or around your playmat. You're working on rolling over, so your doctor said that we can put you down to sleep on your tummy -- hallelujah! You've never slept well on your back, so you and I had been sleeping on the sofa. Now, you and I are in the big bed (you on your belly) and Daddy's on the couch, but that's just until we transition you to your crib. So there's a light at the end of the tunnel, sleep-wise, and I'm glad.



This weekend you'll get to meet lots of my family, and I cannot wait. You are so, so cute and charming right now, everyone will love you. Well, they'd love you anyway, but I'm awfully glad that your great-grandparents will get to see you smile and (hopefully) laugh. Daddy and I are a little anxious about the plane ride (luckily only 2 hours) and the 3-hour drive up to Nana & Papa's, but it will be worth it to have the whole family together for Christmas. Nana can't wait to meet you and your second cousin -- her other great-grandbaby -- and I know you'll charm her socks off. Grammy can hardly wait to get her hands on you again, too, and there are lots of other people who love you even though they haven't met you -- we are so blessed.



Merry Christmas, Baby! Someday you'll know the significance of this holiday, but for now I appreciate and understand Advent more than I ever did before I had you.

Love,
Momma