Jonah Nicholas, 26 Months

We're posting our blog right on time this month since this may be the last month we have only one child about whom to post! We're very excited to meet Baby Sister, but are just soaking up every minute we get to spend with our little Jonah (who is not so little anymore, and who will soon look gargantuan by comparison).

(He found his own '2' and '6' stickers)

Growth: We are going to ditch this category for a while since he won't have any official measurements done until his 3-year visit!

Sleep: One of the major events of this month was Jonah getting his very own toddler bed! He took to it very well and has slept through the night every night, pretty much the same schedule as before (9-7 or so). A couple of naps haven't gone quite as smoothly, but so far so good. He still sleeps with Ducky and Doggie, and has yet to figure out that when he wakes up he can actually get up out of bed now, so he still calls to us to get him up.

Our little monkey, jumping on the bed

Jonah likes his bed

Getting ready in the morning sometimes means playing with makeup

Eating: As usual, Jonah eats everything we put in front of him. He scarfed down the BBQ lentils and seitan lasagna we made for dinners this week. At Whole Foods on Mondays, he loves picking out the many foods he can identify, and awaits every bite of every sample with open heart and open mouth.  He is still partial to dried fruits and frozen yogurt, but will try basically everything we put in front of him and won't really complain if he doesn't care for something, he just won't go back to it. He has been helping more and more in the kitchen and really likes to sit or stand on a stool and pitch in. He's also getting more helpful when preparing for dinner by setting and clearing the table. He will put silverware at more-or-less appropriate positions on the table.

Dishing his own salad out

Playing peek-a-boo from behind "apipots"

Baking banana bread with Mommy

"Watch it spin around around"

Dining on veggie corn dogs, peaches, and frozen yogurt with Ainsley and Jillian

A feast outside at Poppy's birthday party

Jonah loves the quesadilla at Talita's
And he spontaneously said "I love beans"

Still fascinated with the bread machine

Prepping bananas to freeze for "banana swirl,"
a recipe he learned from Daniel Tiger

...and Jonah's face after he eats the banana swirl

Daddy taught him to say "uh oh, Spaghetti O's"

Jonah enjoys sprinkling cheese

Mommy let Jonah try the creamer since it was a
childhood favorite of hers

Cleaning up dishes with Daddy. Good boys' job!

Personality: He's as goofy and smart as ever. He loves to narrate everything in great detail; it's really impossible to get anything past him. He loves to climb on everything and has turned everything he can into "monkey bahs" (including doorknobs, the island, Daddy...). We've given him an outlet for that by starting him in gymnastics classes this month. He really enjoys climbing and swinging on the bars, the rings, and the trapeze into the pit of foam blocks. He's a little shy at the start of class and reluctant to participate in the warmup, but he definitely is paying attention and absorbing, because all week he wants to do a "summasawt" at home. This week in class he learned to stand tall, reach up, and say "ta-da!" then tuck into a perfect forward roll.  Go Jonah! He's so proud of himself, and announces to us "I'm a strong boy! I'm a climber boy!" He has also started to get very interested in shoes and he wants to put them all on!  One of our favorite games is tickling each others' necks and giggling.  We also go back and forth with "Guess what?" "I love you."   

The kid still loves peek-a-boo

Here I am!!

On turtle

Alton, loving some pats. Jonah comments about
Alton being happy when he purrs.

In love with trains

In the block pit at gymnastics

That's our boy. Yes, boy.

"I'm swimmin' in the bathtub! Goin' forwards and backwards"

Baby Lindsay face.  

Milestones: His toddler bed is definitely the biggest of the month. He is getting better with the T-ball and basketball, and is pretty close to pedaling his tricycle all by himself. He is also almost self-sufficient in hand washing. We're still working on the potty. He has gone successfully several times, though more because we put him on the potty at the right time rather than because he knew he had to go and asked. He loves sitting on the potty and reading "Michigan book" (Good Night, Michigan, a gift from Grandma and Grandpa) and "potty book."  He caught a ball for the first time. He also ran after and picked a ball that was thrown to him, bounced off his chest, went several feet away, and declared "I caught it!" lots of times.  He has improved his pronunciation of things, including "Olive," though he does sometimes say "Ovil still.  Jonah invented the word "plef" (a contraction of play and with, as in Jonah want to plef Daddy) and took it a step farther to make a present progressive form, "plefin'" (as in, Jonah plefin' trains.  It makes us laugh.  He took off his own shirt and shorts independently at bath time once.  He actually leaves the ground when he jumps now, and walks reciprocally with one foot per step going up and down a staircase.  He sings a few songs, including "Alice, where are you going" and the rhyme "Knock knock, peep in" from generations past.  He can also sing almost all the way through the ABCs with a little help here and there and is learning the sounds of the letters.

Just after catching the ball. So proud!

Climber boy

Climber boy practicing a skill from gymnastics

Trying to put on his own shoes

Events: Jonah had a great time playing with friends and family as we celebrated Poppy's 65th birthday. He had a ball playing with his cousins on the playground while the adults played wiffle ball. The following weekend he learned how to play cornhole on Fathers' Day. He saw how to build a fire and roast marshmallows. We went to see the Popcorn Pops with the Eckers, and he had a great time eating a picnic and listening to the symphony. On a sadder note, we had our last get-together with the Cohens and Evanchans before the Cohens moved away. Jonah will miss his little friends!  Jonah's school transitioned to camp, which means the same classroom, friends, and teachers, but the kids go to see Ema Nature, have drama class, and go to the pool everyday.  He has not been too keen on the pool and Mommy even tried to get him in for an hour after school one day, but he was nervous.  The teachers say that he is getting more comfortable walking and playing with friends in the baby pool, which is excellent.  We are excited to take both kids to the pool this summer!

On the playground with Jillian

Tire swing with Avery and Ainsley

Tee Ball at Poppy's birthday party

With Ronda, Dave, and Mimi

Pretending to steer the Santa Maria at Carter and Garret's Bday party

Doing Script Ohio with Poppy

Plefin' corn hole

Building a fire with the Daddies on Fathers' Day

Skype with Grandma and Grandpa

Going down the buffet of smores

Dinner with Cohen and Evanchan families

The kids having Johnson's Ice Cream

Alex, Jonah, Garrett, Hannah, Carter, Adelyn

All ready for his first day of camp

Enjoying a day at the conservatory with Mimi and Mommy

Picnic at Popcorn Pops

Playing ball with Allie

Loves to play with sand at Mimi and Poppy's

Loves to be buried under the bean bag in the basement. With or without log.

Checking out the equipment at Schiller Park

Daddy snuggles mid-meal in his first booster seat in a restaurant

Baby: We're officially at full term, and we're packed and ready to head to the hospital at a moment's notice! She was measuring a little small so Lindsay got another ultrasound done at her 36-week appointment, and she measured at an estimated 6 pounds, 12 ounces! Which is a little scary seeing as Jonah weighed just over 5 pounds when he was born at 37 weeks! Lindsay has started having more and more contractions as she is practicing for the big day too.  Things are uncomfortable, but tolerable, and we are hoping for a safe and healthy delivery...before or after, but not on the 4th of July if possible!