a month of celebrations

I haven't blogged in over two weeks. August is this family's busiest month of the year. Three of the three of us - wait, that's all of us! have our birthdays in August, plus Tim and I have our wedding anniversary at the end of the month.

For my birthday we went to visit friends and relatives in Seattle. It's always nice to see those folks. But before that, on the night of my birthday, I celebrated with my girlfriends. First we went out to eat, then to sing karaoke in our very own private room. What a blast!!! This was one of my very favorite birthday celebrations.

For Tim's birthday and our anniversary we spent four days in Central Oregon's ponderosa pine forests and in lava fields overlooking the spectacular 10,000+ foot volcanic peaks dominating the landscape. Jonah had a blast, especially since his uncle was there, later joined by his wife, aunt Jenni.


We - well the boys - swam in a pretty lake flanked by a forest. We hiked to another, smaller lake with a view of the snow-capped Sisters, and later along the pretty but freezing cold Metolius River whose current moves surprisingly fast. On our walk we saw snakes, butterflies, dragonflies, hawks, and deer with fawns. In the woods I even spotted what I was pretty sure was a coyote running. The best part was that there were very few people that we ran into on our explorations of the wilderness. The house we rented off Craigslist was gorgeous! Lots of wood, tall ceilings, spacious rooms, pretty rugs, a gas (wood) stove, a feeling of privacy, and a good layout for kids...

I put some pictures of our trip here. Enjoy.

2 yrs old

video retrospective

Some short videos from the last two years for your enjoyment. These are all 15 seconds or less in length with no sound.

first video we made of Jonah at 4-months-old:


just learned to roll over - January 2006. Nice hair, don't you think?


eating rice cereal for the first time - February 06


learning to stand - March 2006. Sorry this one is mostly sideways.


new to crawling - June 2006


petting our cat Pancho - Aug 2006


one-year-old - Aug 06


first birthday & cake - Aug 06


standing on his own - Aug 06


new to walking - Sept 06 (12-months-old)


playing the piano w/ great-grandmother in Prague - Dec 06


playing peek-a-boo - Jan 07


new to drawing - Jan 07


playing uncle's drums in New York - March 07


mopping - April 07


favorite pastime & Jonah's favorite video of himself

2

Jonah turned two yesterday!!! The day started with him discovering his new toddler-sized table and chair from me set up in the living room. The chair is a bit too tall for him so his feet dangle in the air, but he still likes it a lot.

In the afternoon we had guests over. Our party was originally just going to be a family gathering - uncle, aunt, and grandma. But instead twelve guests, including visitors from as far as Oklahoma and California came, and we had a barbecue in our backyard. Jonah had a fabulous time playing with his uncle. He loved the blueberry crumble with whipped cream my mom made in lieu of a birthday cake.

I had a hard time getting Jonah focused on unwrapping presents. He still doesn't get that phenomenon. But he so enjoyed his new gifts - especially the child-sized football and another ball he got from my friend Kyle and his uncle and aunt. He also got a Harley Davidson cap from our friend Mike's dad, fan of all things Harley. Jonah liked wearing the hat. Along with the balls, the other favorite was a wooden train set from my mom. In the middle of Jonah's bedtime routine, he had to get up and go check on the train set yet again. I'll put pictures from yesterday up soon.

midwife appointment

Yesterday we had our first midwife appointment with baby #2. Our midwife is just great. I am so happy we picked her. She works with an assistant, a midwife in training.

Jonah enjoys the toys the midwife has in her office, which is at her house and it's beautifully decorated and very peaceful. All important things to me.

When the midwife felt my belly and broadcast the baby's heartbeat for us to hear for the first time, Jonah got very concerned about me and began to cry. He calmed down in no time, though. It's too early for him to understand a sibling is on its way.

back from the co-op

Jonah and I just came back from our first visit to the co-op school. Jonah had a great time playing with toddler-sized, foot-powered cars plus a gas pump; glitter and glue; fire engines; plastic fish in water; a mini cash register with a drawer that opened and closed; and finally outside in the sand box. He enjoyed snack time and learned one of the kid's names - the one who threw the most tantrums, of course.

I was most impressed at potty/diapering time when Jonah peed in a "foreign" potty. He was quite independent while there, but had to make sure he saw me out of the corner of his eye at all times. If he didn't, he went looking for me.

On an average day, there are about nine children there, most around Jonah's age (two-years-old). Three parents are on duty every day. The day begins between 9:00 and 9:30 and ends at 1 pm. Children go three days a week with their parent on duty once a week.

I must say I was more overwhelmed than Jonah by some of the crying and screaming that took place. Mostly it was when parents dropped off their kids and left. But it's quite a ruckus when, for example, there are three kids crying at the same time. The other parents are nice, a couple of them seemed sort of artsy (filmmaker and artist?).

Most parents visit two to three times before they sign up to join the co-op, so I plan to do just that. Will report back again.

baby #2

Here is one of the ultrasound images from two weeks ago. What a prominent profile, don't you think?

beach

Just got back from a very nice weekend to the beach with my mom, Jonah's grandma. We had nice weather - not too hot, not too cold, but a little windy on the beach. Everything this weekend was great except on the last day, Jonah began to vomit periodically. We decided to come back home right away so he can sleep on the way back and soon be at home in a comfortable surrounding. He is feeling much better. Must have been some kind of a fast viral bug. Let's hope so. Pictures from the weekend here.

full name & other language stuff

Jonah now knows his full name. Yesterday I heard him mumbling something in his car seat while driving. At a closer listen, I realized he was saying his last name over and over again. When I said his first, middle, and last name all together, he got excited and started repeating them with a big smile. I know Tim's been teaching him.

The other day he was playing with some coins. He put the coins in a slot and said: "Thank you. Have a good time" in a singy-songy voice. That was great.

He also now knows the word love. Right now he is walking around, saying: "Love concrete mixer. Love big bulldozer. Love dump truck." He just told me he loves me too. I'm glad I'm up there with all the construction equipment. Quite an honor.

This morning at breakfast Tim and I were marveling at Jonah's verbal ability. Tim told him: "You're amazing," at which Jonah smiled mischieviously and said: "Thanks."

Cheeky little monkey.

July recap, August happenings

It's August already! I can't believe it. August is our family's month, during which we celebrate all of our (three) birthdays and our wedding anniversary.

What's coming up this month? We will be going to the coast with Jonah's Czech grandma for three days - can't wait. We also plan to take a trip to Seattle to visit Tim's family and friends. Also, I will be taking the boys on a surprise weekend trip for Tim's birthday. No hints!

Another big event in August will be Jonah's first visit to a co-operative school, which has a spot for him if we like it. He would go three mornings a week, of which one would be with a parent and two by himself. I think once he gets used to it, he will really like playing with other kids his age in a community atmosphere. When his brother or sister comes, it will be just the perfect arrangement for all of us.

July went by so fast. Some of the highlights: our hike to a mosquito-ridden lake; Tim's parents' visit during which Jonah got to swim in a pool and listen to some fun live music in an outdoor setting; a barbecue we had at our house which was well attended by friends and fun; and last but not least our first ultrasound!!!! Image for your own enjoyment coming soon. Stay tuned to this blog.