Daddy's Day

This is a late post as Father's day was several weeks ago now, but I thought I'd post about it anyways. We had a great time celebrating Mark's first Father's day. Mark is such a good Daddy to Jonah. I think he is pleasantly surprised by how much fun he is having being a Daddy.
Mark's Father's day gift was a 'Flip Ultra HD'. Its a very small, portable video camera. It takes pretty high quality video. We are pleased with it so far.

For Father's day we went to church in the morning... we actually had to be there early that morning to help set up, but that was ok, because that meant that after we set up we got to go enjoy a delicious hot breakfast at a local restaurant called 'Jackson Hole'. Yum Yum. After church we helped break things down and get them packed up, then we headed to Mark's favorite bakery in all of NYC. They bake rather delicious cookies. It's called Levain Bakery. The cookies are quite large and quite tasty! Mark decided that is what he wanted for his Father's day treat.

In the afternoon we took Jonah to the playground park that is right across from our apartment and put him in the baby swing.... and we tried out the new Flip video camera. So, here are a couple of videos from the park on Father's Day.

6 Amazing Months

December 18, 2008

First time in swing: December 20, 2008

It is incredibly hard for me to believe that 6 months ago today was the first day of our precious Jonah's life. What sweet moments we spent holding him, loving him and getting to know our new addition. What a tremendous blessing he has been ever since the moment we laid eyes on him. Undoubtedly, the 6 most joyful months of mine and Mark's lives. Parenthood has well surpassed both of our expectations. Parenthood has also given me a better understanding of Jesus' love for us! It has also allowed me to realize how much my own parents love me. Its a different, deeper kind of love.... something that cannot be explained, only experienced.

It is amazing how fast little babies grow! Jonah has changed so much in his first 6 months. He has grown a lot and has developed his own personality. He is such a laid back baby, but he loves to have fun too. He likes being with other people, but I can also lay him in his crib, give him a toy and leave him for 10-15 minutes while I take a shower and he doesn't even cry. What a great baby he is! He smiles a lot and is very curious when he sees a new face or is in a new place. He has big, bright blue eyes that he gets compliments on daily.

When Jonah was born he weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces and was 22.5 inches long. He has his 6 month check up on Monday, so we will see how much he has grown. At our last appointment, at 5 months, he weighed 16 pounds 12 ounces and was 27 1/4 inches long, so he has definitely grown a lot! He is now rolling all over the floor, pretty much sitting up on his own and is in the beginning phase of trying to crawl.

It has been pure joy watching him grow and develop! Mark and I swell with pride at the sound of his name and the sight of his precious face. Pure excitement and anticipation await as we think about the coming years of Jonah's life. We are so thankful for the opportunity to be parents and do not take the responsibility lightly! Thank you Jesus for blessing us with Jonah!

In the swing now, June 18, 2009

showing how he can sit up :)

His "Baby Blues" and "Biscuit Cheeks"

In the swing at the park

The Ravine

This past weekend we 'took a trip' to an area of Central Park that I had never been to before. Mark knows that I do not especially like the crowds of New York, so he thought this might be a 'getaway' of sorts for me. HE WAS RIGHT!

This area of Central Park is definitely now my favorite place in the park. Its about 40 blocks north of us and we walked there and back, so it was pretty much an all day event. I wish this area was closer to us because I would be there all the time. It definitely did not feel like we were in NYC. There were very few people there and very few tourists. It was reminiscent of being on a hiking trail in the Smoky Mountains... ok maybe not quite that great, but still... it was great!

Below are some pictures from our day trip. Unfortunately, the weather did not turn out quite as nice as we originally thought it would be, so we ended up getting caught in a down pour! Jonah managed to stay dry in his stroller, which was a relief to me. I was worried about him getting wet and cold, but he didn't seem to mind all the rain!

So-- for those of you who will visit NYC sometime... make sure this is an area of Central Park that you put on your list of places to see.... just don't tell other tourists because I want the area to remain somewhat of a secret!

Enjoy.

After I got soaked!!

Oh, the simple things.....

Jonah and I have been 'trapped' in our little NYC apartment today. It has been raining ALL day. We could venture out in the rain with the appropriate gear, but its almost more trouble than its worth. Luckily, Jonah doesn't need too much to be entertained... and luckily, I have him to entertain me! :)

Earlier today I was playing with Jonah in his mirror, which I do frequently, he just loves looking at his handsome little self. I can't blame him, I like looking at him too. Anyways, I had him in front of the mirror today and he wasn't really looking at the mirror, so I started tapping on the mirror with my fingernails to get his attention and he thought it was hilarious.... oh, the simple things.
I've uploaded a video of this... the video is not that good, I apologize for that, but hearing such an innocent laughter might make you overlook the poor videography.

The other simple pleasure that I have experienced today (but does not really compare to the pleasure that I found in listening to my baby boy giggle as I tapped my fingernails on the mirror).. is the joy of saving a penny (or two). So, I LOVE iced chai tea, particularly iced chai tea from a coffee shop around the corner called Gotham Coffee Shop.Its much better than Starbucks' iced chai tea to me. I have to have great amounts of self-discipline not to get an iced chai everyday. Well, as is done with most coffee drinks, the iced chai is way over priced. For a small iced chai, I pay about $4... this is ridiculous, especially considering all the ice in the cup. (Disclaimer: although this post will make you think I am not a fan of Gotham Coffee Shop, this is not true.. I still love the place and plan to be a customer there.)Well, I had been trying to find out the brand of iced chai that they used at this particular coffee shop, but no one wanted to divulge this information to me. One day, one of the workers finally let the secret out. I immediately came home and found that I could order the chai tea online! Here's where the simple pleasure comes in. I ordered two large canisters of the tea (b/c this was the best deal) which is 50 servings (actually probably more b/c I don't use as much mix as they recommend for a serving). Well, I figured out that I have saved myself over $200. If over time I had bought 50 iced chai teas from the coffee house around the corner, it would cost me $200+. I spent $20 total for the tea that will make 50 servings. ($20 would have only bought me 5 iced chai's at the place around the corner!) OH MY WORD! I cannot believe how over priced this stuff is! I am so glad that I was able to find this and now have it in my own pantry.... oh, the simple things.....

Chick Magnet

It looks like Jonah is attracting women at a young age...... This past Sunday afternoon we made a stop at the new H&M on 86th St. I am very excited about this new store because it is one that I can walk to... and it has baby clothes!!! The other H&M that is close by does not have baby clothes, and the stores that do have baby clothes aren't really within walking distance. For those of you that don't know what H&M is... its a great clothing store that has clothes for all ages. I believe it originated in Europe. We are thankful that the store is in the US now, in fact, it is everywhere in NYC. Anyways, they have great clothes at very reasonable prices. If you are ever in NYC, you should definitely visit one or two or three... there are lots of them here!

Well, we made a quick trip into the store just to kind of look around since it is new. We didn't buy much, but we did happen upon a pair of baby sunglasses that we just couldn't resist. We bought them for Jonah and put them on him immediately. As I pushed the stroller down the sidewalk, not only could I not quit looking at my adorable son, I couldn't quit giggling at him wearing these sunglasses. We made another quick stop on our way back to our apartment... which was at Pinkberry. Another place that is wonderful and you should definitely visit if you are ever in NYC! I had a buy one get one free coupon that expired that day... so we HAD to use it! Well, I stood in line to get the yogurt and Mark waited outside with Jonah and the stroller. (Pinkberry stores are very small and usually quite crowded, so it was easier for Mark to stay outside with Jonah). While I was in line I could hear a table full of high school aged girls talking about Jonah. (He still had his ultra hip shades on). I was amused at how they were talking about how cute he was and how precious his smile was... of course, I agree whole-heartily with them. I got the yogurt and went back outside. Mark and I decided to stand there and eat the yogurt so it wouldn't melt. The group of high school aged girls, about 5 or so of them, finished their yogurt (they had been sitting inside at a table right next to the window) and walked outside. They came over and started talking to us about how cute Jonah was. We smiled and thanked them. Then, one of the girls asked if she could take his picture. So, we obliged. Then, a couple more of the girls joined in... they all snapped shots of Jonah with his shades on. He seemed to like the attention.

These girls were crazy over Jonah...... this just may be a sign of things to come! ;-)