Happy New Year!

Hello to 2018!  

2017 was a baby year, which for me means I have to scale down on my activities for a while.  The first three months after Jonathan's birth were just a blur.  By six months I was starting to feel almost normal again.  But, it truly took me a full year to get back to the energy and productivity and organization that I had previously.  I am starting to feel like I am back to full power, so I am excited for all the good that can be done in 2018.

Sadly, my lack of blog posts in the later half of 2017 meant I didn't give a detailed report of Jonathan's growing ways.  But, I can report on his current growth!  He is growing up so fast, especially with busy older siblings who model all sorts of verbal and physical milestones.  Jonathan is a speedy little crawler, and loves to stand up to anything.  Much to the dismay of Maren, Jonathan can now reach her couch creations with ease.  Ezra and Maren often include in their play "beware of Jonathan--the baby monster"; he wants so much to be involved and sample--with a destructive arm--some of the goodies that the older kids compile.  When Jonathan is not trying to thwart their creations, he is definitely the much loved baby brother; both Ezra and Maren think he is wonderful.  Ezra said to me just today, "Why does Jonathan have such a long nap, I miss him." 

Jonathan loves to play with shoes, and is especially fond of shoelaces.  He loves books, and he  has learned how to turn pages.  Sometimes he will narrate, in baby talk, what the book shows.  Surprisingly, at almost 11 months old, Jonathan can already  make an impressive "vrooommm" noise as he moves all manner of wheeled vehicles.  As was the case with Ezra, little matchbox cars are his favorite so far.  Jonathan LOVES to play peek-a-boo.  He and I take turns hiding under blankets and then finding each other.  He loves to open and shut cupboard doors, and play knock down/dump out. As a baby shower gift, Jonathan received a darling fluffy brown bunny, which he sleeps with at night.  However, he doesn't seem to care so much about it right now.  He does have a particular preference for his very soft, fluffy white blanket.  He definitely naps better when his white blanket is clean and available.  He is a decent napper; following the big kids around truly tires him out, and he is usually very grateful to be put down for a nap.  Two days before Christmas he slept through the night for the FIRST time.  Hallelujah!  10.5 months of nightly sleep disturbances was rough, so I was super grateful for that Christmas present.  He got sick (again) after Christmas, and started waking up again, but I am hoping we are trending toward consistently sleeping through the night.

  

Jonathan, unlike both Ezra and Maren, has a love/hate relationship with food.  He is not a great eater.  He might even be considered a picky eater, which will be a new thing for me.  In fact, finding foods he will eat has been a little bit of a challenge.  He started out great on baby food, but it quickly went badly, and he refused everything pureed on a spoon.  So, we moved to little bits of big people food, and it went great for about one month, and then he seemed to develop food anxiety.  For a time all he would consistently eat at mealtime were little baby cereal puffs, cheese, and yogurt.  I tried every wonderful tasting food I could think of (like blueberries, raspberries, grapes, bananas, avocado, cuties, and pineapple), and he refused them all.  Jonathan will scan his tray with a very discerning eye, and either cry and thrash if he doesn't see some favorite foods, or he will quietly, almost stealthily, throw every undesirable bit of food on the floor.  

Thankfully, his tastes have expanded just a touch more in the past week.  He will now eat any sandwich-like thing with cheese in it (grilled cheese, cheese quesadilla, ham and cheese panini, or some types of pizza.)  But he continues to refuse virtually every kind of fruit or vegetable.  The only way I get anything other than starches in him is through baby food pouches that he can suck.  He will not eat anything from me on a spoon, but he likes the novelty of drinking his own food.  (Another little Mr. Independence!)   He can say "ma-ma" and "da-da" very distinctly now.  I think his next word might be "done", as in "I am done with sitting in this high chair!  Get me out!"  He makes all manner of baby talk noises, and is especially verbal with himself as he looks at books.

Jonathan's default emotion is happy.  He is a cheery little guy, with a great smile.  He loves to snuggle, be tickled, and be a part of the action.  The only thing he truly does not like is diaper changes; he would have a bare bum all day long if I let him.  

We love our sweetie boy!