Jonah: 14 Month Update

Weight: 25 lbs

Clothes Size: 12-18 mo

Teeth: 16! (All but his two-year molars! Whew!)

Milestones:

1. Walking: Our little guy is on the move!  Jonah’s always been really steady on his feet, and he’s been cruising, walking behind a walker and walking while holding our hand for months now, but for some reason he’s been super tentative to take those independent steps.  He took his first official first steps about a month ago, but only recently has he been consistently walking on his own.  He only goes short distances (2-6 feet), but he’s really controlled and I have a feeling before we know it, I have a feeling he’ll be speeding past us.  
2. First Extended Stay without Mom & Dad: A Pediatric Bioethics conference took me to Seattle this July and we decided to extend it into an early 5th anniversary trip for Jake and me. My mom came to spend three days and two nights with Jonah and they did wonderfully together.  I’m not even sure he noticed we were gone :)  I’m thankful that he seems to be such an adaptable and easy-going kid and, of course, for the amazing Omi he has.  Seattle is an awesome city, by the way.  I have a feeling we’ll be back.  
3. Eating with Utensils. Sortof. A couple times we've let Jonah try his hand at spoons and forks. He knows which side to hold it on and which side goes in his mouth. And he kindof knows how to get food on the utensil. But none of this is pretty. It's a full-on, strip down to the diaper, wipe yogurt from his eyelashes, take him straight to the bathtub mess fest. And it's pretty cute.
4. A New House! After a series of providential events this past Spring, we decided to sell our beloved Bellevue home and move into a beautiful home in Richmond Heights. We had always admired this home on our neighborhood walks and when all of a sudden it was on the market, and for a price we could afford, we decided to make an offer. Within a span of literally 5 days we went from thinking maybe we'd move in 2-3 years to putting on offer on a house (the only house we saw) and being selected among several other offers by the sellers. We quickly worked to get our house on the market and within 48 hours of its first showing, we had 8 offers. We closed quickly and by mid-May we were moved into the Boneta house. God's abundance and kindness was so evident to us throughout the process. And Jonah has done wonderfully in the new house. We all feel right at home. Eventually I'll start blogging about the new house. And I guess the blog might need a re-branding...

Language: J-man still loves to talk.  Some of his favorite words these days are mom, daddy, ball, hot, and baby.  One of the sweetest things is every morning after he is done nursing in bed between Jake and me, Jonah will push himself up, look over to Jake’s side of the bed with the biggest smile on his face and say “Daaad? Daaaad?”

Sleep: Jonah continues to sleep well through the night (7pm-6am) and takes two naps each day (~9am and ~2pm) totaling about 14 hours of sleep in each 24 hour cycle.  We’ve worked hard to get here, and I’m so thankful for how well Jonah’s responded to a structured sleep routine. Pretty much anyone can put Jonah down effectively as long as they know the routine.  In anticipation of transitioning to a one-nap-a-day schedule when he starts daycare, we’re trying to slowly stretch that initial wake time.  Honestly, it’s been hard.  I just don’t think he’s ready to drop a nap yet.  Hopefully he will be soon!

Food:

We feed Jonah pretty much anything we’re eating these days (although in smaller bites) and he’s definitely a fan.  We generally try to be cognizant of sodium and sugar levels, but we aren’t purists; he’s had a couple bites of ice cream and brownies, and of course, he loved it.  I still breast-feed twice a day (morning and bedtime), which I’m really glad for because we had an 8-week stretch of thrush that was miserable and definitely had me thinking I’d be weaning at 12 months.  By some miracle, we are both thrush-free now and enjoying nursing again.  I’m grateful, because my time nursing him is some of the only time I get quiet cuddles these days.  He’s just so squirmy and curious!

Getting Greek Yogurt onto a spoon. 

Cutting out the middle-man. 

Lemon. Once, twice and thrice. 

The Nanny to Day-care Transition

God was so gracious to us when He gave us Ashley, our amazing nanny.  For the past year, Ashley has been coming to the house three to four days a week to care for Jonah while I work.  She has been responsible, kind, organized and an awesome caregiver for our little guy.  By now, she and her husband both are part of the family.  But Ashley returns to school next month to get a MA in social work and we’re taking this opportunity to transition Jonah into a local daycare.  For the most part, I think he’s ready and will do SO well in a more social and structured learning environment.  He’s always loved playing with and watching other kids and he seems to learn best in new environments. And the daycare we picked seems top-notch when it comes to safety, accountability and curriculum.  But of course, none of that takes away the little tug at my mama heart that says “Keep your baby safe and sheltered at home!”  I think my biggest worry is the nap schedule.  Daycare only does one nap a day, starting at 11:30, and the kiddos sleep on low cots in their classroom.  Jonah’s still consistently taking two good naps a day, and he’s never gone longer than 4 or 5 hours without a stretch of sleep.  I anticipate that it’ll take a few weeks to transition into the new sleep schedule, with a few rough/fussy days mixed in, but I’m (mostly!) confident he’ll be fine in the long run.  If you think of it, say a prayer for the little guy’s transition (and maybe even more so, mama’s transition)!  

"I will eat the sky!"

A new do, at the pool. 

So much cuteness!

Stay cool.