Jonas Tries Raw Bananas!

I had to put this up because Jonas' facial expressions are so funny. Here he is trying raw, mashed bananas for the second time. The first time was not a success, and, as you'll see, I don't think Jonas would give them a rave review the second time either, judging by his reactions. (He does like bananas in a jar.)

What I don't understand is if a food a so repulsive that it nearly gives you a convulsion, why eat more?? It's a question to which I'll never have an answer--at least not for several years.

Nice relaxing morning

I took these photos yesterday, just playing around. They turned out so cute that I had to share them.

Sometimes I like to reject the hustle and bustle and just have a nice relaxing morning.

I'm a big fan of pbs kids shows. Like to ease into the day. Even though Jonas doesn't watch them with half the interest that I do, it's fun to snuggle and talk to him about what's going on on It's a Big World or Arthur. I always want to call "Snook" (the sloth), "Sloth". I guess I can't get Goonies out of my head.



Looks like Jonas is actually interested in what's going on.

8 months already!

Here's a much over-due update on Jonas, who is already 8 months old. Short and sweet.

Teeth: two bottom teeth. two razor-sharp choppers. these came in a few months back. he goes through teething spells, but so far no new teeth.

Hair: is really filling in now, and as it does, it's becoming darker and more unwieldy. it's pretty straight like joe's hair.

Temperament: continues to be very expressive. there is no ambiguity in reading jonas' feelings. he's quite inquisitive. lights up around other children and animals. i'd say he's pretty patient except for once he's run out of patience, and there is never any advance warning on that. all in all, jonas is a 'good baby'.

I was so excited to use this little gadget with the netting so that Jonas could try some fresh fruit. I served up some nice fresh banana. You can see that it did not go over so well. First, there was the grimace. Then, the banging of the holder on the tray of the walker and ultimately the chucking of the holder onto the floor.


Weight/height: Jonas is a burly 23 pounds. no idea on the length. he's pretty tall.

Favorite toys:

1) WALKER -- this one's been a fav since he first sat in it. what's changed is that he went form cruising around nicely to playing Autobahn Bumper Car. He slingshots around the kitchen slamming into walls, doors and cabinets, bounces off them and runs in the opposite direction. we laugh ourselves silly.

2) WOODEN PULL TOY (chicken) -- even though it's wooden and weighs a couple fo pounds, he still treats it as a chew toy. there are little teeth gouges in the wood now on chick's head.

Eyes: still bluer than blue. I've come to accept they are not going to change.

Size: He's in 12 mos. clothing, in some brands we're moving toward 18 mo., particularly for pants. Jonas is l-o-n-g. So for some things even if it's not too small, per se, it's definitely too short. Looks ridiculous. This weekend I absolutely have to go and get him some larger onesie undershirts. I have been trying to "stuff him" into the 9 mos. ones, and now the grommetted snaps are beginning to come loose. That's a sign, wouldn't you say?

Communication: the 30-second ahhhh's and ohhhh's of six months have been replaced with ba-ra-ra-ra, vvvvvv, ah-ba-ba-ba, and ma-ma-mama sounds. we definitely feel as though he thinks he's communicating with our words. i hope to start signing with him soon.

Cutest sign of affection: when jonas is picked up he often "hugs" the person who's holding him and pats them on their arm or back.

Chase mode?: no, we're not in chasing mode, yet. jonas sits and rolls very well. i've seen him working on the beginnings of an army crawl. he's not up on his hands and knees yet. i think it maybe awhile before he crawls. But, he LOVES to stand up near structures like the bathtub wall. Maybe he'll skip the crawling and opt for the cruising instead.

Jonas and Ginger are dear pals. They sit together in the office.

Happy Anniversary - 5 years

Five years ago today on a brilliant late autumn afternoon like today we were exchanging wedding vows among friends and family. How time has flown. In some ways it seems like just yesterday and in others like it was many chapters ago, but always it remains a momentous day, filled with beautiful memories.

Leading up to this big weekend we both had ambitious plans on how to celebrate this special anniversary. There was a trip back to The Birches Inn in Connecticut, where we got married, but then we learned it had closed. There was a trip to Lake Placid, another to New York.

In the end we took Jonas to a small little Japanese restaurant, one of our preferred sushi places. A flashing light on Jonas' toy rattle replaced the flickering candles. And the heart-warming tones of Jonas' squeals replaced nice background music. We ate lots of sushi and laughed at our son.

For the record we have a babysitter for tomorrow so that we can spend some time alone.

But all told, it was a really nice anniversary. I couldn't be happier.

Hail to the Chief on Halloween

Here's our Chief. Jonas the Firefighter.





This is a story about a real wake-up moment that I had today while celebrating Jonas' first Halloween. Is it a scary story? Well, not scary as in ghosts and goblins, scary how clueless Jonas' parents are about a few things.

For the most part, I like to think that Joe and I are relatively 'in the know' about children's issues. I do a lot of reading and talk to a lot of other moms. The events of this afternoon taught me that we are still very wet behind the ears as parents and still have a lot to learn about the children's party world.

Truth be told, I wasn't even going to dress up Jonas for his first Halloween. After all, he's only 8 months old. It's not like we're going to go trick or treating when he's still eating pureed peas and peaches. So what's the point?

What changed my mind was receiving a colorful flyer from daycare saying that there would be a Halloween celebration on Friday. Thinking about seeing all the children who greet us every morning when we arrive--Baby Jonas! Baby Jonas!--all of a sudden I got really excited about taking Jonas to the party. I wasn't sure about a costume. If anything, maybe I'd throw together a little something. Nothing spectacular.

The party began at 3:00. As much as I tried to get there on time, we didn't turn down the street of the daycare until 3:30. Ah, no worries, I tried to console myself. It's a Halloween party at daycare, Liz, not a gala. Just the kids. Maybe a few parents who come early to pick up the kids.

"Huhhh," I mumbled to Jonas, as I pulled up to the driveway, puzzled as to why there were a dozen cars in front of the daycare. "What the heck is going on here, " I wondered. I wasn't concerned until I walked into the room where all the kids were gathered, dressed, or rather 'costumed', to the nines. Wow. I definitely wasn't expecting that. Shit. It gets worse.

Practically every family was there in attendance. I showed up late, a half hour late. By myself. No Joe--he was at his friend's house gluing tires to his bike wheels. And, in my grubby clothes. The one and only saving grace is that Jonas was wearing a pretty cool costume, courtesy of our friends Jill and Matt, who had received a boy and girl costume when they were expecting their daughter Sophia. Thanks Jill and Matt!



Sophia and Jonas





Then I realized that I was really clueless about this entire deal! First of all, how was I supposed to know that Halloween is a command performance for parents?! It would appear that parents just take part of the day off from work to go to their kids' parties. Huh. Didn't see that one coming. Second, when I was a kid in the 80's, we didn't have all kinds of glamorous costumes, at least my friends and I didn't. I am sure that I was a scarecrow, a witch, and a bum because we had props around our house that could be thrown together 10 minutes before it was time to go trick or treating. The kids were wearing amazing costumes made out of velvet and tulle and soft furry fabrics. Looked they were straight from FAO Schwarz. And to think, as a joke, I was going to cut a neck hole and two arm holes out of a Target bag, dress Jonas in it and say that he's a bull's-eye! Can you imagine?! I would have felt like the b-i-g-g-e-s-t idiot! And even though Jonas is too young to ever remember this, surely, the photos would have forever haunted him. Again, thanks to Jill and Matt, Jonas and his parents were spared immeasurable embarassment.

As for the next party, perhaps I'll ask around a bit in advance about what to expect. I'll let some other neophyte parent make a fool of herself. Meanwhile I'll sit back and quietly chuckle to myself, "could have been you, Liz."

History in the making

There will come a day--it's far off for now, since Jonas can't even talk--but the day will come when he wants to know what was the big news when he was born, "way back in 2008". I'm already looking forward to this conversation. I probably spend a little too much time daydreaming about it. Will we be sitting at the kitchen table, where so many important conversations took place with each of my parents? Or perhaps in the car on a long journey somewhere? Only time will tell. But what I've got to figure out in the meantime is how to communicate the historical impact of the 2008 election season.

Jonas was born during a heated democratic primary in which both a woman and an African American man were vying for the Democratic nomination for President. Hillary Clinton was the front-runner and Barak Obama was gaining momentum. This was ground breaking. Two days after Jonas turned six months old, the Democratic party selected Sen. Barack Obama as their presidential nominee. Another historic moment. The next day Republican nominee Sen. John McCain chose Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. She is the first woman to ever run on the Republican's presidential ticket. It would appear that we have truly turned a corner in American politics.

Although he doesn't understand what we're saying, Jonas often overhears conversations about the implications of this incredibly important election. That Jonas's father will even engage with me in these conversations is an historic change in and of itself. Jonas, however, is such a passionate and expressive guy that I expect he'll have an opinion about politics-- indeed about anything and everything!--when he grows up. And this is fine by me. In fact, it's what I hope for.

There's a quote out there, of course, now I can't find it, but it speaks to the success of a democracy being predicated upon an informed citizenry. I believe strongly in this notion, and you can be sure that Jonas will grow up feeling the effects of my conviction on this point. I would go one step further and add that the basic tenets of being a good citizen, and by that I mean informed and involved, are learned in the home.

It's all about dialog, modeling responsible citizen behavior, and respect for varying opinions. I don't expect, nor do I want, our son to think just like me, or just like his father. I expect him to arrive at his own conclusions, just be able to defend them. I dream of spirited conversations among our family. I intend to make voting day a family holiday. Voting is a privilege for many, a right for us in America, and our duty. I can't wait to go to our polling station with Jonas is tow so that I can point out our democracy in action.

Now, don't think that I'm going to impart some rosy notion about our democracy being infallible or in some perfect state. Our nation is confronted by a myriad problems that involve corruption of our democratic processes, distrust of those in government and an apathetic population that throws away its right to cast a vote. But, what I am going to convey is that it starts with you, one individual. Don't be waiting for someone else to take action. There will always be someone else who will act. The question is will it be in our best interest, or the best interest of our school, town, our state, our nation? If you leave it up to someone else, you will likely be disappointed.

For now, since Jonas can't walk, talk, or legally vote, he'll have to tag along with me. His civic engagement officially kicked off a few weeks ago with the arrival of my Obama yard sign. I ripped into the box with giddy delight and marched the fam outside to stick it in the yard. This is my very first yard sign. Next week will bring the second civic act, the trip to the polling station. After that it's time for bed. Staying up late to watch the election coverage and calming the nerves with several glasses of wine are saved for adults. You'll get your chance... in 2026.

Auntie Sarah

Jonas doesn't have the opportunity to visit with his Auntie Sarah all that often. Since she and Uncle Matty live in L.A. and we live on the east coast, we only get to see each other when the stars align. Recently the stars did align. Sarah had to come to New York for work and swung up north visit her favorite nephew, sister and brother-in-law. Mind you, she only has one of each of these, but we're all still her favorites anyhow.

Here are a few photos of our great visit.



Waiting for Joe early in the morning at mile 6 of the marathon.




We went to Thatcher Park one nice autumn afternoon for a picnic and a walk. Sarah took some of these photos.

The leaves were nearly at peak season.






Jonas having some good laughs with Sarah.

Mohawk-Hudson Marathon: first marathon

Last Sunday Joe ran the Mohawk-Hudson marathon for the fourth year. He did a bang up job. Finished in 3 hours, 7 minutes and some change. This race is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon and I'm delighted to report that Joe made the cut. He'll be going to Boston next April to run in The Great Race. I'm going to spare myself from typing of a full race recount, but if you're interested, Joe did a big write-up. His will be better than mine anyway, since he actually ran it.




Jonas and Sarah and I hop-scotched along the course, popping out of the woods occasionally to cheer him on.

This was not only a big day for Joe, but also for Jonas.

This was his first marathon 'in person'.

While he was there last year,

being there 'in utero' doesn't fully count. I mean, it counts for something, but it's only like half a point.

Jonas was a really good sport with all the stops, being plucked out of the car seat every 20 minutes, only to be returned 5 minutes later. What he really enjoyed was the finish. Surrounded by people coming and going in every direction. And best of all seeing kids--lots of them--in strollers, everywhere. Pay dirt!

But most of all Jonas was so proud of his dad who has worked so hard. Way to go, Dada.

Super Baby

You know that saying, 'You are what you eat'? Well, if there's a kernel of truth to that (no pun on corn intended), then I guess Jonas is a "Super Baby". After all, he is eating Super Baby Food.

A colleague gave me this goofy-titled book during my pregnancy, along with a handful of others. At the time because I had few more immediate concerns, like 'how the hell am I going to survive labor', I put the book at the bottom of the stack. I didn't really delve into it until Jonas was about 3 months, when, not coincidentally, I was also getting more than 5 hours of sleep a night. It has turned out to be a fantastic resource.

Ever since I heard the stories from my good friend about her adventures in making her own baby food, I always thought that it was something that I wanted to try. And no, I have absolutely zero aspirations of walking in Diane Keaton's footsteps in Baby Boom, a movie in which the mother not only produces her own baby food, but markets and sells it. Sounds like a real blockbuster, doesn't it? I just love the notion of being able to take advantage of the fall harvest and feeding Jonas squash, beans, potatoes and the rest straight from a local farm. True, he has absolutely no idea that we're helping to sustain our local economy, as he blows the contents off the spoon and giggles with glee; he doesn't even KNOW what he's eating! But it makes me feel better to know what's in the food he's eating--nothing but fruits, vegetables and a little elbow grease. And I have to admit, I get a kick out of making it. It's really simple. You just steam the vegetable, puree it in the food processor, freeze in an ice cube tray, and that's it. Tres simple, et magnifique.


To date, Jonas has eaten the following foods: apples, pears, peaches, bananas, prunes (big fan), peas, squash, green beans (not a fan), sweet potatoes, tofu, carrots; and, of course, rice cereal and oatmeal cereal.

Rainy Mondays

This is what rainy day Mondays look like for me.








There's always lots to do.









Hope you're having a good one too!