A Few Goodmans: 2011

It has been another month of Jonah smiles, snuggles, and playtime. We find ourselves absolutely amazed every single day at how sweet he is and how deeply we love him.

Growth: No doctor's appointment this month, so we aren't sure of his current weight and length. He is wearing a 3-6M in onesies, 6M in pants, and 9M in pajamas. None of this makes sense, really. His eyes are still a bright blue and his fluffy soft blonde hair is almost an inch long in some places.

Sleep: Jonah has made the transition to sleeping in the crib exclusively this month, still snuggled up in his sleep sack. The moment we put him down on his back he rolls into his side, which they say is fine, so we have just been putting him there to start with. That isn't to say he stays there! We have been going in to get him in the morning and he is on his tummy, left side against the wall of the crib, arching his back, and trying with all his might to roll to the left (the only way he can roll still). We are really hoping this inspires him to roll right sometime soon. He goes to sleep between 9 and 10, gets up between 6 and 7, and takes 3 naps, 50-150 minutes each. The pacifier fight, as mentioned last month, is ongoing.

What a cute way to sleep!

Eating: All things breast milk are status quo. All of November he ate "breakfast" of baby oatmeal and fruit and "dinner" of baby rice cereal and vegetable. So far he has liked everything he has tried, which has included banana, pear, prune, apple, carrot, sweet potato, peas, and squash. The week of Thanksgiving, they stripped down all the Bumblebee class to their diapers, seated them around a table, and gave them pureed pumpkin to play with. I can't say that he didn't eat a little of that too. His technique as improved significantly; now he sees the spoon coming, opens his mouth, and sends it down the hatch. He kicks and flaps his arms in excitement, then tells us he is done by a whimper or a steel trap.

Personality: Jonah still enjoys many of the same things, such as the bath; getting a diaper change; looking at (and trying to eat) books; sitting on the floor with a toy; being alone; being with others; eating a toy; being in the exersaucer and hitting buttons on it; snuggling; any noise that sounds like a bodily function, duck, or pig; flirting; omg kitties; omg lights; piggyback rides; drooling; eating his feet; being carried in all kinds of orientations; Poppy tossing him in the air; finger painting; Skype (just ask for a Skype date!); riding in the car (usually); grocery shopping; and flailing his right arm. He seems to like everyone he meets, and they seem to like him too.

Loves his bath

Playdate with neighbor friend Emmett

Loves his kitties

Jonah played piano with Poppy. His first note was a B-flat.

Milestones: Jonah got a pair of teeth on the bottom last month. They are so cute, and little, and sharp! They came without much ado- just a bucket of drool. He will sit and play with toys on the floor for quite a while, then fold forward, tip onto his side, and then his back, where he will play for a while. From his back, he can roll side to side pretty easily, and now onto his tummy occasionally too. While on his tummy, he will prop up on his arms and arch his back, but he doesn't stay for long- he rolls over the left shoulder and onto his back. One day he will make it over the right. Sigh. Jonah will stand holding your hands, or in the exersaucer, where he can turn himself in full circles. He seems to always find the buttons that make noise when he hits them and excitedly bang them with his right hand. The soundtrack in our house now goes "cat, gato, meow, music, duck, quack, dog, music, perro..." Yay, us. But the point is, he has keyed into some cause and effect, which is pretty cool. We're not sure why, but his right arm is to him as a tail is to a dog- a barometer of happiness.

Events: The biggest event in November was Jonah's first Thanksgiving. GG and GG and Grandma and Grandpa came into town, and we celebrated the holiday with them as well as Mimi and Poppy and Aunts Lauren and Alana. We are so thankful for our little guy! Hallie and John came into town for a weekend, and Jonah helped cook up some delicious Hubbard squash soup.

One half of one amazing year has flown by. We are doing everything we can to appreciate every snuggle, smile, playtime, and precious moment with baby Jonah. We are happy that he is doing so well, but often wish he wasn't in such a hurry to grow. Our first Fall together has begun and we are enjoying it all.

Sitting in the basket with a little assist

Standing with a little assist

Flying with a lot of assist

Looking bigger in the basket

Growth:
Jonah just saw Dr. Koesters and he is 15 lbs (10th %ile) and 25 1/4 inches long (also 10th %ile). She says he is doing great! His hair is getting longer and still looks blonde to us. He is starting to get to the upper limits of his size 3-6 clothing, which it seems like he just started wearing. Our boy is definitely growing!

About the same height as this year's pumpkin

Sleep:
Overnight, Jonah sleeps 9 hours (roughly 10-7) in his sleep sack in his rock-and-play sleeper. By day he naps in his sleep sack in his crib on his back, or sometimes rolls onto his side. He likes to have a pacifier to help him fall asleep, but he does this thing where you put it in his mouth and immediately he is soothed, and then begins grabbing at it and pulls it out and tries to put it back in himself, except he has it sideways, upside down, or worse, on the floor, and gets very upset because he is tired. So, you take it from him and put it in the right way, he is happy, and then immediately starts pulling it out and trying it himself again. We appreciate his curiosity and independence, but it's a little frustrating to keep repeating this until he falls asleep. He also likes to suck on his fists and sometimes gets a finger or thumb in by itself, but it doesn't bring him as much satisfaction.

Eating:
Nursing and bottle feeding at school are still going great. He is getting a bit more aware of the world and when Lindsay talks sometimes he stops eating and will just stare up at Mom and smile. It's cute! Just not so nutritionally effective. It's not too bad that we need it to be silent though, which is good. He ate a little rice cereal every night in October and got progressively better at it. He likes to put his hands on the bowl of the spoon and put it in his mouth - food, fingers, and all. Needless to say, he makes a substantial mess of himself. We bought a highchair last week and he has been liking that. He trick-or-treated at his cousins' house and they had a jar of baby sweet potatoes for him, which was perfect, since the next day the pediatrician said we can start adding a little veggies to his evening rice cereal. He seems to like them! He is starting "breakfast" now too, which consists of baby oatmeal with a little fruit in it. Yesterday at school they fed him banana oatmeal. I didn't get to talk to the teacher who fed him, so not sure what the experience was like. He's getting closer to ice cream every month!

Mmm! Rice cereal. Thanks for the bib and hat Grandmas!

Personality:
Jonah keeps smiling away and we have one happy guy! He still doesn't cry very much, but more often calls out more like a cat. He likes most of the same things from last month, like bath, changing table, car rides, and snuggles. See "milestones" for a few more new ones! He is still not much of an evening person, but he is getting better. He will actually let you put him down or sit after 6 pm. The teething monster seems to have come to town; he will sound or look a little uncomfortable and if we give him a teething ring, he will go to town on it. Also, his drool has really begun to rival that of a Saint Bernard. He doesn't seem like he is in any real pain, but does seem like he's working on a tooth. Anything he can get in his mouth, he will. They do a lot of finger painting at school and we are always bringing something home that he painted. We tried it at home a few days ago and he got into it.

Milestones:
The options of positions we can put Jonah in is expanding. He is still happy to be on his back looking up at a face, toy, book, fan, or kitty cat. When we open a book for him he smiles, widens his eyes, and kicks his legs wildly. He will play with you or alone with someone watching at a distance. He still likes to stand up with us holding his hands, waist, or shoulders. From standing, he sometimes reaches out and gives Alton or Olive a pat. We are borrowing an "exersaucer" from a friend that holds him in a standing position while he plays with toys around him and he is happy to stand and interact with the various attachments for about 20 minutes. It's weird to look at Jonah across the room and see him upright like that. It's also weird to see him sitting! It happened in a matter of about 2 days where we could let go of him in a sitting position for about 2 seconds, then suddenly 5 minutes. We stay within reach so he doesn't get hurt, and sometimes put him in the middle of our bed so he can fall any direction safely. Another fun thing is Jonah's giggles. He finds duck and pig noises hilarious, and laughs when you repeat his noises. "Ouhhh..."

Standing with Mimi on the assist

Sitting in the middle of the bed.

Petting Alton

Events:
As usual, Jonah has had a busy social calendar. This month he made a trip (with Lindsay and Julian as chauffeurs) up to Detroit to spend a nice weekend with Grandma and Grandpa. They accompanied us in Ann Arbor en route back to Columbus and met up with Hallie and John at the Nichols Arboretum where we broke out Jonah's new umbrella stroller for a walk. He has been on a lot of buggy walks at school, which they tell us he likes. He has even been out in the big boy seat of his convertible stroller! Cousin Jessica came to visit and got to meet Jonah. He's met several new friends, Emmett Bierlein, Charlie Zartman, and Allison Ecker. He had his first halloween complete with a halloween party at home, a trip to Boo at the Zoo, trick-or-treating with Evanchans and Cohens, and finally a halloween party at Mimi and Poppy's. Lots of celebration for one holiday! It turns out, he is a real party animal. In addition, Jonah has taken a lot of fall walks.