He's WALKING and on Christmas Eve

Our son finally decided he was going to take the big step from crawling to walking. He even decided to do it when the family was in town so he could show off his new skills to a larger audience. Video to come.......

This was the second time he's taken more than about 3 steps on his own:

And the stockings where hung...

Next year, we're going to have to figure out how to fit 8 stockings on there!

He sleeps like that?

For some reason Jonathan likes to sleep on his tummy, usually face down in some contorted position with his tush in the air, like he fell asleep doing yoga or something. He used to sleep really face down and it'd worry me so much I'd go in an check to make sure he was still breathing! Thankfully he doesn't do that much anymore, but he still gets himself into the funniest positions where you have to wonder how on earth he can sleep like that. On occasion we've also found him asleep flat on his back with his arms pulled up over his head and his legs straight out, just like how Daddy sleeps, haha.

Trip to the Fort Worth Zoo

I took Jonathan to the Fort Worth Zoo with the ladies from my MOPS group. I didn't get any photos of the animals because they were just not out and about. I took some photos but they just blended with their environment and were not visible. I am posting the stroller line-up of some of the kids from our group. Jonathan didn't really get much out of this trip unfortunately except some fresh air. He would look right at the front of the exhibits and would completely miss the animals. I just did not have enough energy to pick him up at every one to show him. We will have to get Daddy to come next time to help Mommy. He did see the birds in the Aviary and really enjoyed it. So we will try again when he is a little older.

Julianna's room

We were in Julianna's room the other day and Jonathan decided he needed to check the place out for his little sister. You know he had to make sure everything worked and was fun to play with. So we got some photos of him in Julianna's crib playing with her music toy. He officially thinks we have done a good job. Now if I can get her bumpers, quilt, pillows, window seat cushions, and valance done before she gets here that will be great! I just need God to gift me with time for Christmas.

Pregnancy

I am getting to the point where I am about done wanting to be pregnant. It is so hard to get up and down with Jonathan now. My hips are really calling me bad names and my back has had better days. I am so behind getting Julianna's room ready and Jonathan keeps me on my toes quite well. A We have several friends who are expecting as well. Alicia had her daughter on Thanksgiving day. Emily from MOPS is due any day now. I am due in January. Betty is due in February and so on. There is somebody having a baby every month till July. Becky from 2 streets over should find out what she is having by Christmas but it seems it is the season for Girls. Betty stopped by to see Julianna's room and to attend a bible class with me on LOVE and RESPECT. My bible study group finished Ephesians but we still wanted to meet so we started LOVE and RESPECT to strengthen our relationships. So here is a horrible photo of me 8 1/2 months pregnant and Betty 7 1/2. We both feel like stuffed cows. Jonathan had to join in on the photo too of course.

Thanksgiving

We decided to go visit relatives in Kansas this year. We packed up and headed north. Since Jonathan is at the age of getting into everything and not quite understanding what the word "No" means, we chose to stay in a hotel. We spent Thanksgiving day afternoon with Tom and Sharonlee Voth hosting lunch for all the Voth relatives. I got to see family I had not seen in quite a while and Jonathan got to meet some little friends.

Friday we spent with my Aunt Janice trying to work on scrap booking. My Aunt Janice is the scrapbooking "Queen" and I love to get new ideas and tips from the pro. All went well until Jonathan got cranky because he was so sleep but just could not let go and go to sleep. Dad, Jason and I decided to try taking him for a ride in the car. We ended up drive around the country side for 3 hours so Jonathan would get some badly needed sleep. We picked up my Grandma Voth who does not drive much any more, and took her around the countryside and Jonathan got his very needed sleep. Saturday we spent at Grandad and Grandma Springer's house for lunch. Most of the Springer clan made it except a few who where sick. Jonathan did really well for a 13 month old meeting all sorts of new people and jumping from one place to the next. I was just about worn out by the time we got back though. We even decided to come home on Saturday instead of Sunday due weather predicting possible bad weather. I don't sleep well in hotels, especially being 7 months pregnant so I need more sleep too. Here are some pics of our trip. You will see the one with Jonathan on the luggage cart at the hotel. Grandad was keeping Jonathan amused by pushing him around the lobby, he thought he was the coolest thing since sliced bread.

Julianna isn't breach

Well it turns out one of my children can turn the proper way prior to delivery. I went to the doctor yesterday and she has turned. He says she looks to weigh 3lbs 9oz right now, so he thinks she will be about the size Jonathan was. Everything looks good but we will still be doing the C-section.

Bedknobs and Canoe sticks

There are few non-commercial pick-up trucks available that are larger than our Dodge Ram Megacab, but even so there's only so much you can fit in a standard short bed, even less so if that bed has a cap on it as ours does, and the king bed we were taking to Arkansas proved too much (bulk) to fit in the back of our truck. Situations like this are why we have a flatbed trailer (ok, the trailer is mainly to tow our Jeeps, but it certainly comes in handy other times as well).

Ironically, our truck is also both too big (roof is too long with the bed cap) and too small (bed is too short) to haul my dad's old canoe, a red Old Town Discovery 16.9, but because we had the trailer this trip, it was the perfect time to snag the canoe! And snag it we did! Finally, after 15 years of hiding in storage under my parents' house, the old canoe once again saw the light of day!



Since we didn't need the cargo capacity of our truck, and since both Jennifer and Jonathan had been feeling a bit under the weather lately, we borrowed Grammy Voth's new Chevy Tahoe to capitalize on its heated front seats and rear DVD entertainment system for the long drive to Arkansas and back. And so, with Cars playing in the backseat and the seat-heaters going up front (on the passenger side anyway), we went to Arkansas carrying a bed, and came home with a canoe.

Grandma T's

We spent this past weekend going up to Fayetteville to visit my folks (Jonatha's Grandma T and Grandpa West) and to give them our old king bed. The beds in my and my sister's old rooms weren't the most comfortable things in the world, and they were rather, well, small, especially when you've gotten used to the space of a king size bed, and when you've got a kiddo that likes to sleep in bed with mommy and daddy when he doesn't feel good (how's that for a run-on sentence?). So, in an effort to make Grandma T's house a bit comfier for the burgeoning new West family, we commandeered my sister's old room (which has it's own bathroom), moved some furniture around, and upgraded it to a king bed! It worked out well too because Jonathan doesn't really like sleeping or napping in his pack-n-play and ended up sleeping in bed with us all night Friday night.







Just before we left, Grandma T brought out an old little red coat that fit Jonathan just perfect, just as it had fit his daddy about 30 years ago.

Trick or Treat!

Like too many holidays lately, Halloween came and went entirely too quickly. We did get some decorations put up in the house and in the front yard, but we didn't even get a chance to carve a pumpkin! I know, I know... Next year though, it's on! Especially since Jonathan will be old enough at that point to have fun with it too.

And while he's also still too young to do Halloweeny things like, eat candy, we of course had to dress him up, and we even took him around the neighborhood in his stroller to see everyone and show off his entirely too-cute penguin costume.







He sure has changed since his first Halloween...

Whole Milk

That's what the boy's drinking now. We're officially done with formula. And apparently he blew out his shorts this morning at Mother's Day Out. Loaded them up pretty good is what I heard. Good thing Jennifer had a spare outfit packed in his bag, and one with long pants and shirt sleeves at that (fall weather is finally hitting North Texas).

Birthday Boy!

1 years old today! Man how time flies... Happy Birthday Punkin.

A boy's yard is his castle.

Thanks to his two loving Grandmas, Jonathan now has his very own playground in our backyard, just in time for his 1st Birthday.









I think he likes it.

We have picked a name

We have decided on a name for our daughter that we are expecting this January.

Julianna Lizabeth West

Jonathan's Day at the Park

I decided to take Jonathan to the park the other day to see how he did with the slide and swing. He was very reluctant of the swing at first but once he figured out it was stable and he was not going to fall he let loose and loved it. The slide was much easier from the get go. We only played for 15 minutes but he sure had a good time. I think it will be a little better once he can walk.

First Hair Cut

BEFORE





Jonathan got his first hair cut today. He was such a big boy. He sat perfectly still and did not even seem bothered by the trimmers. Now our baby looks like a little boy! He just looks so grown up. Jason and I both teared up as she did the first cut (Jason says he didn't, but he really did).

AFTER

First day at Mothers Day Out

Jonathan started Mothers Day Out on Sept 8 and I was prepared for the crying on both our parts as I dropped him off into the teacher's arms. For some reason it was just another day for him and there were no tears. I think that was a good thing but I almost cried. He went right in and started playing with all the toys as if I wasn't even there. The teacher said he must be a well adjusted child which made me feel a little better that he didn't cry for me when I left him. But later that day when I went to pick him up he was so excited to see me and his teacher said he had such a fun day playing with the other kids. He played so hard that day he came home and slept for 3 hours. So Mommy got a whole day to get things done.

Its Official We are having a GIRL

Well we found out the other day that God has blessed us with a Girl as our second child at our 20 Week Sonogram. She looks really good and is growing well. The Dr says she is active and looks perfect. Now we have to pick a name for her and I need to start practicing how to braid hair since I have no idea. I've got Boy down but I missed the boat on the girly thing. She is due to arrive January 26 2009. She will be our winter baby. Grandma T now you can start smocking......

His fifth tooth....

Jonathan has finally cut one of his top middle teeth. He has been very uncomfortable with it so it has been a trying few days. We can now see his other middle tooth through the skin so I am sure it is soon to follow. We are hoping that he will be able to start eating solids soon or else he is going to have pudding for his 1st Birthday.

Behind the times!

Man we've let this blog get behind on the updates... here's a quick list (in no particular order) of the recent goings-on in our lives. Hopefully we'll get posts made for them soon!

- Grandma T, Grandpa Leon, and Auntie Cara all came to visit us Jonathan a couple of weeks ago.
- Jonathan started Mother's Day Out (and promptly caught a cold and had his sippy cup sent home with another child)
- Jonathan started swim lessons!
- Toofy #5 has finally cut through!
- Jonathan's day at the park
- A stroller built for two - this is how we roll.
- It's a girl! And we have the pictures to prove it!
- Scrapbooking mania!

High Five!

Jonathan now knows how to give you a High Five! He's still a bit hesitant about it, but if you put your palm out towards him and say, "high five" he'll look at you, and look at your hand, and then put his little hand up and put his palm to yours. It's so awesome. We'll get video of it soon to post.

Profound moment

Jason and I were at Church last Sunday and Matt was preaching about the gospels and his sermon was so deeply profound to both of us that I had to post it. I truly felt a bit closer to God by understanding the difference in Religion and the Gospel. If you get the chance to listen here you go.

http://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/audio/200808310900HWC21ASAAA_MattChandler_LukePt25-TheGreatGospel.mp3

Nothing will be safe now

Jonathan is officially crawling.

One tooth more, now we've got FOUR!

Tooth #4 has officially cut, I saw it last night (Jennifer found it first though). It's the mate to tooth #3. If those two top front teeth don't start coming in soon, Jonathan's going to look like a pumpkin when he smiles, haha.

On a side note, boy are his teeth sharp! You've got to move quick when you're checking for teeth or your liable to loose a finger tip!

Three toofies?!

At dinner tonight Jennifer discovered that Jonathan has cut his THIRD tooth! This one is on the top, but it's not a front tooth, its the tooth that's directly to the right of the two front teeth (according to Google it's his Right Maxillary Lateral). Hopefully one of those top front teeth decides to come in soon, lest our boy have a snaggly looking grin!

No more helmet!

Hurray! As of Wednesday (7/27) Jonathan is officially out of his doc-band! Looking at the before and after photos at the doctor's office was just amazing. Not so much in how improved the shape of his head was (which was actually hard to tell in the photos due to the angles of the photos relative to where his issues were), but in how much he'd grown up in just 10 short weeks.

Gone were his chipmunk cheeks, and he'd grown a neck! Our pudgy little baby was all of a sudden looking like a little boy.

Guitar Hero!

Ok, so maybe he was holding it upside down (that's just how we handed it to him), and yeah, maybe he tried to chew on the whammy bar at first, but he sure knew where to put those hands! Of course, the fact that the thumb flipper on the body clicks when you strum it and the fret buttons are brightly colored probably didn't hurt, haha. Yeah, it won't be long now 'til he's jammin' out to Freebird on Expert mode!

Farmer Jon

Two toofies!

No sooner had Jonathan finally cut his first tooth than he got his second! His second tooth, right next to this first (front center on the bottom), came in within about 3 days of the first one appearing. While they're both still pretty stubby right now (but sharp!) you wouldn't be able to tell which came first by looking at them or feeling them.



No, that's not a different helmet, just a different decal scheme (the original red one had started to peel, so we redid it with our 'backup' decals).