Oh, the places he'll go!

I'm a proud mama today:

Yup, Jonah's crawling! This video actually records what I'd crawl his first genuine crawl. (Before this, he had taken a single "step" or two on hands and knees, but he hadn't seemed to recognize that he could do that repeatedly in series and get even further.)

What you don't see in the video is the entire hour afterward in which Jonah revels in his new discovery. He crawls here! He crawls there! He crawls to a chair and pulls himself to a standing position. He sits back down and crawls to the futon mattress on the floor behind him. He crawls onto and across the mattress. He crawls back to the chair--which I've pushed against the mattress--crawls from the mattress up onto the chair, pulls himself up using the arms of the chair, then continues to cruise (standing up) from one arm to the back to the other arm of the chair. This boy has places to go, and now there's nothing to stop him!

I just hope I can survive it. I lose count of the number of times my heart drops while I'm watching my little Indiana Jonah explore!

Spring Days

Yes, it is springtime, and, as promised, Jonah and I are spending more and more time outside. This past Tuesday, in fact, he experienced his first slathering of sunscreen--a small milestone perhaps symbolic of our recent transition to a more outdoor-centered lifestyle. At the time we were headed together to what we call the "big kid playground", as, even during the school day, this particular playground often seems to be chock-full of big kids--mostly elementary school children enjoying a recess period (or something like that) from a local school. It's also a large and appreciably well laid-out playground, with paths running between distinct sections designed for different activities and different sizes of children. Jonah and I spent most of our time at the bucket swings, but, honestly, he seemed much more interested in watching older children do cartwheels nearby.

Playing it cool in front of the older kids.

Back at home, we've been enjoying our time in the yard, where Jonah explores (and sometimes attempts to eat) nature, and I, between removing sticks and other lawn debris from the brink of Jonah's mouth, contemplate plans for the garden.

"Check out this twig I found, Mom!"

It's actually been getting quite hot in the day, though. Today, for instance, it may have reached 80, even with all the clouds and thunderstorms. (And it's only April! Just two weeks ago we were struggling to get out of the 30s.) So Jonah and I have also been spending a lot of time in the shady sanctuary that is our front porch. From there, we can watch cars and people and their dogs go by, even while we practice our skills at the game of catch and at drum-playing (among other things).

It's such a pleasure to finally be spending time outside again, though I must say that even a little bit of sunlight, plus some wind on our faces, sure seems to tire both me and Jonah out in a hurry. But that's all right. Our porch swing is a great place to hug and take a nap (at least one of us) whenever we need to recharge!

Tooth Fairy, Get Ready!

A few weeks ago I lamented that Jonah was having trouble sleeping at night. Well....

Can you see my two new nubs??

There are lots more to come, no doubt, but now that these two have finally broken the surface, it seems we have earned (or, more accurately, chanced upon) a reprieve. Jonah gave us a minimum of five straight hours of sleep each of the last two nights!

Now, a well-rested mama can merrily exclaim, "Congratulations, Jonah, on your first little chompers!"

Swing Kid

(I started this post a week ago, but it took me a while to find time to upload the video, which requires an actual computer instead of a mobile device.  Anyway, here it is, from one week ago today:)

Oh, the joys of springtime!

The sun is shining. The snows are melting. The birds are chirping. And Jonah and I are ready to go outside. Boy, are we ready. Jonah being still too young to enjoy a good romp in the snow, we've spent the winter largely indoors, staring longingly out frosted windows and trying to pretend that indoor-appropriate games like "knock over the block tower" and "chew on your cotton-stuffed carrot toy until it's a soggy shadow of its former self" are as good as it gets.

But no more. It's spring, and Mother Nature's beckoning.

This weekend, with temperatures grazing the low fifties (I know what you're thinking, but in Pittsburgh in March we call that balmy), we took full advantage. First stop: the nearest playground.

Now, honestly, I've been trying to go to the playground with Jonah for what seems like ages, but the little prankster keeps thwarting my plans. Every time I think the weather's ripe for a try at the swings, I pack Baby up in his stroller, hit the sidewalk, but ultimately find myself sitting lonesome at the playground while Jonah catches some Zzz's at my side. This time, knowing better, we took Bryan and left first thing after breakfast, before "the tireds" had a chance to usurp our morning. As a result, we can now share with you our babe's very first swing experience.

Later in the day, we all three of us hung out in the backyard, Bryan and I working in the garden while Jonah played on a blanket with his blocks. (I don't have any pictures from this portion of our weekend, but perhaps later I'll do a whole post on our garden adventures. Bryan and I have been working hard, when we have time, to clean it up.)

We punctuated the evening with a delicious dinner out of our new Jaques Pépin cookbook, More Fast Food My Way. (Years ago Bryan and I had tickets to see Jaques Pépin cook/lecture in town, but we decided at the last minute not to go on account of, if my memory serves, bad moods. Sigh. Having since spent hours watching Pépin cook on PBS and hoping against hope that he is actually my long lost grandfather, I now regret that decision.) Jonah got a chance to show off the sophistication of his young palette when he shared our meal of salmon burger over baby arugula salad; risotto with mushrooms, onions, and broccoli stems; and Tibetan flat bread (though he did not get to taste our dessert of grapefruit supreme.). Yum! He remains a little eating champion. We're so pleased and proud about his willingness to try anything and his general enthusiasm for the foods we love.

Okay. I know amateur food photography
never really does a great meal justice.  But,
for purposes of illustrating Jonah's
sophisticated tastes, this sums
up our dinner.

And here he is, having decimated his portion.