Santa Clause

Jonah got to meet Santa for the first time December 10. Santa makes an annual visit to Jarrett's aunt's house so we had to stop by. After sleeping through the carry-in dinner, Jonah woke up and sat on Santa's lap to get his very first Christmas present. He snuggled right up to him and I think he would have gone back to sleep on his lap if I had let him!
Jonah's toy from Santa is a Crawl-Along Drum Roll. Right now he sits up and plays the drums. it can also be put together to roll for when he starts crawling. Jonah likes looking at it put together when he's on his tummy. It has encouraged him not to get so mad on his tummy. Of course, he loves to beat on the top which makes the lights flash and plays the music. Great pick Santa!

Dedication at New Hope Baptist Church

Jonah was dedicated at New Hope Baptist Church on

December 9, 2007 by Pastor Mick Simpkins.

5 other babies were dedicated as well. Pastor Mick commented that there must have been some kind of storm about a year ago. . .we've experienced a baby boom at our church! At one point at least 12 women were pregnant.

Pastor Mick prayed over the babies and we committed to bring Jonah up in a Christian home. Jonah was great during the entire thing. . .he slept peacefully in my arms, oblivious to everything!

6 Months

Such a "Jonah" face!

Our family picture!

Jonah Elias -- 6 Months Old!!!!

Jonah went for his 6 month appointment November 14, 2007. He now weighs 16 lbs 8 oz and he is 27 1/4 in long. It's getting really hard to find clothes for him. He's so long but he's pretty thin. He's doing really well overall. He's very talkative and he laughs all the time. My dad started doing tick-tock with him and he LOVES it!!!!!!! He knows when he's going to do it and he gets super excited with a big grin on his face.

Happy Halloween

Jonahtello the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and his Mommy
Jonahtello and Aunt Jenna

Jonah dressed as a Ninja Turtle for Halloween this year. We passed out a little candy at home before we went out Trick or Treating. We walked around Jarrett's parent's neighborhood and drove to see family as well. Jonah seemed to enjoy his first Halloween.

Fall Break

Jonah, Ricky, and Gramma

Before we left for Pennsylvania, Jarrett started teaching Jonah about the Ford Mustang.

Jonah and his cousins Mikey, Corinne, and Karlee

We spent Fall Break in Pennsylvania this year. We had a great time visiting with family and friends. We can't wait till Christmas when we can see everyone again. It stinks being so far away!

Pumpkin Patch

We visited Campbell's Pumpkin Patch in Wabash today with Jarrett's family. Jonah was super excited about the whole experience. He slept through his first hay ride, despite all the bumps!
When he woke up, he was thrilled to be propped up against a few pumpkins for a photo.
Of course, I couldn't miss the opportunity for a family photo. The only one missing was Tiffer!

Which one is Jonah?

Jonah has a new friend. . .his cabbage patch doll or action figure :) , named Oscar. He was born on July 25, 2007! When Grandma Richards saw Oscar in the store she knew she had to get him. He looks just like Jonah and he shares a birthday with Jarrett.

Jonah is getting cereal three times a day. At lunch he is eating cereal and fruit and at dinner he is eating vegetables and cereal. He is certainly a healthy eater! He's getting really close to rolling over all the way. Right now when he tries, his arm usually gets stuck underneath him. It won't be long before he's rolling all over the place!

4 Month Photos

He's such a big boy!

I think he has some of Jenna's features, but I definitely see myself.

He resembles Jarrett when he frowns and gets mad.

Jonah is still doing well. In the last week he has really started playing with toys. He's also really fascinated with his fist, it's always in his mouth! My mom and dad watched him last night and my mom had him laughing so hard! He has the funniest laugh, he sounds like a man! He can't wait for visitors so he has someone new to play with.

4 Months

Cuddling with Aunt Jenna

Four generations

Jonah loves reading books. I wonder where he got that from.

Jonah turned 4 months on Wednesday! He went to the doctor Friday for his 4 month check-up. He now weighs 13 lb 11 oz and he is 25 1/2 inches long! He grew about 4 inches since his 2 month check-up. His pediatrician told us to start giving him yellow vegetables. We started him on sweet potatoes yesterday and he seemed to like them; he's definitely an eater! We had his 4 month pictures taken last Sunday and they turned out really well. He was smiling for his pictures! We get them back this coming Friday so I'll put them up over the weekend.

September 1, 2007

This is Jonah's pouty face. He breaks my heart every time he pulls out the lip!

Jonah has been doing really well with holding his head up. He enjoys his tummy time a little more now! He's so strong!

Jonah loves bathtime! He usually props his feet on the side of the tub and splashes his arms in the water. He is all smiles during his bath. He will be a little fish in the water in no time!

We survived Jonah's first cold! Last Wednesday Jonah started getting hoarse and stuffy. By Friday he sounded awful and refused to take his bottle so we called his doctor. She called in a decongestant for him and told us to give him pedialyte when he refused the formula. That seemed to be working but he still seemed miserable Sunday evening. I ended up staying home with him Monday and Tuesday. I took him to the doctor on Monday and she gave me an antibiotic for him. By Tuesday evening he was doing much better so he went back to Trish on Wednesday. He did well the rest of the week and by Friday he was back to his old self again. He now weighs 12 lb 15 oz.

3 Months

Jonah and his cousin Jaci

Yummy, cereal with peaches!

Aren't I handsome in my outfit?

Everything went well at Jonah's appointment with the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. All of his tests came back normal, which is great. There is really no explanation for his hearing loss but we're okay with that. God has a plan!
I started back to school last week. It was hard leaving Jonah but I know he is in good hands. He is eating extremely well. He has been taking 5-6 oz of formula in his bottle and about a half a jar of cereal. He loves his cereal! He has been sleeping well too. Last night he slept from 11:00 till around 8:30 when Jarrett woke him up to go to Trish's! He woke up once, after a bad dream, and then went back to sleep pretty quickly. He is still a great baby, he is happy all the time. Jonah is always ready with a smile and an "ahhhhh!" We are blessed! He weighs 12 lb 2 oz and he just turned 3 months old yesterday.

2 Month Photos

How cute is he?!?!

Just a little pathetic, don't you think?

Jonah is still doing well. He tries really hard to say something and one of these days he'll surprise all of us and actually do it. He has a bit of a temper. . .he knows what he wants and when he wants it; if he doesn't get it, he lets us know. My mom has told me that I need to read a book about the strong-willed child.

We go to the ear, nose, and throat doctor on Thursday to get further testing on his right ear. For those of you who don't know, we found out that Jonah doesn't have any hearing in his right ear about a month after he was born. The next step is finding out what is causing the hearing loss, so hopefully we'll know more after our appointment on Thursday.

Jonah loves his new aquatic themed gym, it's great for tummy time! Thanks Kent and Jayme Bloom for the Target gift card.
At Jonah's doctors appointment last week our pediatrician told us we could start giving him a little bit of rice cereal or oatmeal. He has a bottomless pit for a stomache and formula and breastmilk aren't cutting it. He's a little messy but he really likes it. He opens his mouth for more and gets his tongue going as he's eating it.

2 Months

Tiffer has become the official diaper sniffer. . .she let's us know if Jonah's diaper needs changed!
Jonah had his 2 month check-up today. He now weighs 10 lbs 12 oz and is 21 3/4 long! He has been taking his naps throughout the day in the crib in his room instead of the pack and play in our room. He sleeps really well in there because he can sleep on his side easily. During tummy time yesterday, Jonah got really mad and started kicking his legs. He got himself going and pushed himself over to his back! I think it was just luck on his part, but we were still excited about it.

Pool Time

Today Jonah tried out the swimming pool for the first time. Jarrett and I took him to the pool and put his legs in the water. I walked around with him and his feet were dangling in the water. He was half asleep but he didn't seem bothered by the water at all.

Fourth of July

We spent the 4th of July with family. We had a cook-out with Jarrett's family in the afternoon and then in the evening we went to the park for dinner with Aunt Jenna. Jarrett, Jonah, Tiffer and I took a walk before the fireworks started and then we sat at home watching a movie.

Family Time!

Jonah attended his first wedding on June 16, 2007. My mom, Jonah and I traveled to Virginia for the wedding of Jackie Coss, now Jackie Pino! It was a beautiful wedding and Jonah was an angel. He loved being outside and watching the trees and being held by beautiful women!

After the wedding we headed up to Pennsylvania so Jonah could meet his great-great grandfather, who's 91! He also met a few of his great-great aunts.

We then spent a couple days in Cochranton with another set of Jonah's great-grandparents. We were able to lay around and relax after two days of lots of traveling. Jonah was also able to meet cousins and his Great-Uncle Dan.

Finally, we went to Meadville to spend time with yet another set of great-grandparents and more cousins and great-aunts and great-uncles. Jonah and Michaela got to know each other in the crib and on the floor at Papa and Gramma's house. Michaela is about 2 months older than Jonah so they will be great playmates for each other! We ended our trip with a wonderful baby shower thrown by my grandma. We had a great time visiting with family and friends and Jonah was given a lot of wonderful gifts.

Jonah was wonderful the entire time we were gone. He spent the time in the car sleeping and hardly fussed. He is becoming quite the seasoned traveler. He is 6 weeks old now and has been to Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. Wow!

June 11, 2007

Tiffer has turned into a second mother for Jonah. She tries to comfort him when he's crying by covering him with his blanket. She decided to hop up and "help" with feeding on Saturday!

Jonah is such a happy baby! He is smiling a lot now and you can tell he is trying to laugh. He opens his mouth really big and tries to get something to come out. He does have his fussy moments, but mostly when he's tired. He is sleeping pretty well, he usually just wakes up to eat and then goes back to sleep. Some mornings he wants to get up a lot earlier than Mommy wants but I can't resist him when he starts smiling and making noises!