Month: January 2010

We have more snow in Nashville right now than we have had in YEARS.  It is so beautiful and so much fun. We took Jonas out in our backyard winter wonderland to play yesterday, and when we came in, he kept making the sign for “more” with such a pleading little face that we took him back out for a ride down the snowy street in his green “cah cah”.

So, Jonas and I made a Publix run the other day with Grandma Connie, and he went for his first ride in one of those super fun CAR grocery carts for kids (that every adult wishes they could still ride in, right?).  He was so excited…turning the wheel, sitting up board straight on the edge of his seat, and kicking his little feet.  I think I had more fun than he did just watching him enjoy himself.  

The next day Tom suggested we all go for a walk and asked Jonas, Petra, and I to wait for him by the mailbox. Then, around the corner, he comes, wheeling the most awesome green car for Jonas, who was ecstatic.  With much gusto, he calls it his “cah cah” (for “car car”).  Yesterday, he even said, “DaDa, cah cah” and then he said “out”. HaHa!!!  🙂

We took Jonas for his first haircut today.  He was very serious, keenly observant of his surroundings, and a little tender-hearted.  Overall, he fared really well and impressed the stylist with his sweet spirit and his first-haircut bravery.  I totally had a tearful moment watching one of the first of many rites of passage to come in the life of my little, baby boy becoming a big, grownup boy.

Here are a few pictures of Jonas having fun in the snow with Daddy and Petra…

So, I still get excited on snow days, even though I’m not the one staying home from school or work.  🙂 They’re just so hushed and beautiful.  Before breakfast, Jonas was looking out the window in his playroom (our living room), saw the snow falling down, pointed, and said “out”.  So, I promptly picked him up in his warm and cozy, fleece, footie pajamas, pulled a beanie down over his head and ears, and carefully carried him down our front steps into the makings of a winter wonderland.  He looked at the white flakes collecting on the ground and falling from the sky and looked at me and smiled the sweetest discovering-something-for-the-first-time smile…priceless.

Here are a few pictures taken during our before-lunch snow exploration…

In his fourteenth month, Jonas is:  adding a whole new group of words and signs to his repertoire (the words “nana” for “banana”, “mome” for “oatmeal”, “minmin” for “cinnamon”, “mahmen” for “amen”, “bac” for “block”, “buh” for “button”, and “sic” for “music” AND the signs for car, toothbrush, massage, and light); REALLY helping us out by saying “up” and doing the sign for “sleep” when he’s ready for a nap or for bed; drinking whole milk (we have to water it down a bit to work him into the taste/texture but still…he takes it cold and in a sippy); trying a few new foods (tomatoes, oranges, and grapes); blowing on his oatmeal to “cool it off” after Mommy does; enjoying his two new favorite past times (saying “up” with a pleading face and climbing the stairs with Mommy or Daddy right behind him); exploring the house (especially the tupperware and the pots and pans drawer/cupboards in the kitchen); pointing at anything and everything and saying “dat” for “that”; stacking one block on top of another; asking for “music” with the words “sic” and “buh” and the sign for “music” and pushing four different buttons to hear his favorite songs; loving the new turning-the-fan-off/on-and-the-lights-off part of his bedtime routine; starting to explore the world of tantrum throwing; taking one champ nap in the middle of the day (2 to 3 hours) and continuing to sleep 12 to 13 hours at night without making a peep.

Here are a few pictures of Jonas playing with the wonderful set of wooden blocks that his Grandpa Phil handmade for him in his home workshop.  

We greatly enjoyed having Tom’s parents, Jackie and Phil, in town from Virginia as well as having my brother and niece, Darren and Kaia, in town from Norway for Christmas.  It was good times all around at the Haynes Family and Stuart Family gatherings.  🙂  

We missed having my brother, Kerry, here from Taiwan for Christmas…it just wasn’t the same without him. We very much look forward to his visit with us in February.

I noticed after the holidays had come and gone that I didn’t take a lot of pictures (the double whammy of Mommy and pregnancy brain, I suppose), but here are a couple of Jonas hanging his stocking and enjoying a few of his wonderful Christmas presents…