Foot-Eating Monster

Uncle Jeffrey taught this game to Jonah while we were in the States. I was one of his favorites, but, sadly, he hasn't done it since returning to Paris. I guess it's another example of how great it is having technology to chronicle these moments. Jonah keeps us laughing, to be sure!

It's been a long time...

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted here, but at least we're back on track now :) We were privileged to spend the month of July in the USA with family and friends, and are now settled back in our Parisian home. August is a very quiet month in Paris, as most everyone takes the month-long holiday away. The weather's been beautifully cool, much like an early Autumn, so we've enjoyed walking the quiet streets.

There is such a collection of photos to choose from with all the wonderful adventures we've had over the last month, but thought I'd start with a video clip of our Little Bear encountering his new love - the ocean. This was in the OBX with Meme, Auntie Evie, and cousins Jadyn & Selah. We definitly have a water-lover on our hands!

Normandy

My parents have been here for a fun visit, and we spent the weekend in a 17th century manor in Normandy. Gorgeous! Jonah also got reaquainted with the ocean. He sees pictures of it daily, but it's been awhile since he's touched it or seen it in person, so we were anxious for his reaction. At first he was just taking it all in and didn't want us to bring him to touch the water's edge. Then he decided to charge the water - shoes and all - and couldn't understand why we kept holding him back from an all-out bathing session (mean parents that we are, with the 40 degree water!). Needless to say, we're looking forward to our beach time in the OBX, and have a feeling it'll be a big hit with the Little Bear!

We also spent quite a bit of time visiting the D-Day landing beaches, museums, and the American and German cemetery. Hard to put it into words. There is still such an awesome respect here for the sacrifices made of our fore-fathers. It was a wonderful, humbling time full of lots of memories.

First Ride!

Jonah went on his first ride a couple weeks back! In retrospect, his Mommy probably wasn't thinking when she put him in a moving vehicle that went up-and-down an incline, without a seatbelt, by himself! I realized as the ride started (with a jolt) and was moving rather quickly that this was perhaps my first real dangerous mistake as a mommy. But Jonah's response to it reassured me. Initially he thought he'd done something wrong when the "tractor" started moving cause he gave me this "Uh oh, I'm in trouble now" look. But after my reassuring nods and praise that this was really quite a cool thing, he got into it, beeping the horn and driving the crazy thing for the entire 2 minutes. The only painful part for him was having me pry him out of it after the ride was finished. He just couldn't understand why we couldn't stay all day and play with the cool tractor. And who can blame him :)

A Bed-Shot

This is a shot of Jonah in his bed for the first time. It's a hit!

Baaaaa

We had a super fun time going to the Jardin d'Acclimatation a few weeks back. There is a mini-farm at the park, and Jonah loved all the animals. He wasn't afraid to put his fingers through the fence and touch the rabbits, goats and sheep. But it was the sheep's "baaing" that had us in stitches. We thought they were hilarious.

Catching up a bit

It's been ages since I've posted it seems. As I can't seem to figure out the video uploading, thought I'd put a few favorite pics up instead. Jonah loves to smell flowers whenever he sees them - he "snorts" out instead of sniffing in, but he's figuring it out :) Jonah also received a special gift in March when we hosted a housewarming party - a pair of fish! Though they've yet to be named, they are still alive and well, and Jonah really enjoys feeding them. And yes, our Little Bear is still the life of the party. He puts up with us taking him out to eat, and our friends here are incredibly loving and gracious with them. He loves them all - and so do we!

Big Boy Bed!

Friday night marked a grand rite of passage for our Bear....He slept in his brand new Big Boy Bed! Daddy put it together on Thursday, and Jonah enjoyed playing on and around the frame while the mattress and bedding aired out. Then last night was the big Attempt. And guess what? He didn't seem to be phased by the move one bit! When I laid him down, he picked up his head and looked around a bit. But after we reassured him that this was HIS big-boy-bed, he smiled and laid his head back down, cuddling Mr. Bear and Mr. Elephant (his stuffed animal friends) under his arms, and closed his eyes. A full night's sleep later proved it wasn't at all tramatic. And he napped in it again today. And he fell asleep in it again tonite! Wow, what a Big Boy we have. So strange to think he'll (most likely)be in a bed for the rest of his life. sigh. They really do grow up too fast :)

Colander Head

About a month ago, Jonah walked out of the kitchen with a new find - a "colander hat!" He was so proud of his creation (and we were more than a bit impressed at his ingenuity). Of course he had to share the laugh with his "friend" in the mirror :)

teething woes

I know it's a struggle every mom faces, but oi, the I-won't-eat-cause-it-hurts-n-I-just-am-out-of-sorts episodes are getting old! It's the not-eating part that gets to me the most, probably cause I've worried about him not gaining enough weight his whole life. But Little Bear is a great eater (when not in one of these teething spells) and just burns the calories off with his active lifestyle. Balls are definitely a favorite. He loves to wind up and throw them with all his might. Then when we say to "kick it" with his football (soccer ball), he totally does it! What a fun stage...minus the teething and temporary toddler tantrums.

Baguette Lovin' Boy

Lu biscuits

Auntie Alexia turned us on to these yummy treasures of French snacktime. They're basically a plain biscuit (cookie) with a thick layer of chocolate on top. And does the Little Bear enjoy them? Check out that smile - C'est tout dire! (that says it all)

celebrity or street-dweller

Some kids are just magnetic. Okay, I whole-heartedly admit to my MAJOR bias as Jonah is my son, but the kid can draw a smile and a chuckle from even the most stone-cold face. Or draw the attention of someone used to being entertained by the majors in the entertainment world. Someone like, say, David Letterman, who paused in playing with his son at the park the other day to turn and ask Jonathan, "Now who's this little guy?" Yes, Little Bear drew the attention of one of the great talk-show hosts. I guess he and his son were vacationing here for a few days. Anyways, Jonathan picked up Jonah and said "This is Jonah. Say 'Hi Mr.Dave'" and he naturally said "Hi-ee" with his sweet smile and clamping wave. Jonathan chatted w/him for a bit, then gave some space to the man who obviously was enjoying being a "normal person" rather than the usual celebrity hoo-ha he'd have to be dealing with were they in Central Park. The funny thing is, Jonah decided he liked Mr.Dave, very much in fact. He kept an eye on him for the next fifteen minutes or so, and would run over in the near vicinity just to wave at him again. This naturally brought a smile, cause I have yet to find anyone that can ignore this smile and wave for long. Then Mr.Dave would be crossing the park and wave to get Jonah's attention. T'was quite the friendly banter. Very sweet. Very natural. Who'd have guessed Jonah would meet his first celeb at such a tender age? But to him, Mr.Dave was no more exciting than the two homeless men he was chatting with on the street this afternoon. In fact, he may have flashed them an even bigger smile and waved a bit longer. He liked them very much, and it didn't matter what they looked like or how much money they didn't make. A refreshing reminder of how we're really not all that different. Mmm, what a perfect way to spend a sunny weekend.

gastronomic delights

Last night we joined some friends out on the town for an oh-so-yummy dinner of authentic central-French food. Everyone ordered the meat of their choice (Jonathan=steak, Kirsten=er, salad) then the waiter brought out piping hot pans of cheesy garlic potatoes that he ladled onto each of our plates. We're talking heaping portions of ooey gooey yumminess. They were more cheese than potatoes really. I kept thinking to myself, "could there be a more female-friendly food? starch and cheese!" (The French have an amazing talent for taking the simplicity of fresh ingredients and highlighting it with minimal alteration. No wonder the world looks to France for their culinary inspiration.) Of course the evening couldn't be complete without a choice from the dessert menu...I opted for profiteroles - basically cream puff pastry filled with vanilla ice cream, drenched in hot chocolate sauce and topped with fresh Chantilly whipped cream. Who could ask for anything more?

Then today Jonah was to venture out (with his mama) to meet a friend in Chinatown for lunch. Oooh, just the thought of a steaming bowl of beef and noodles makes my mouth water! It's one of Jonah's favorites too. (can you tell we're really into the food here?) Unfortunately our Little Bear woke up with a bit of a cold, so our plans had to be cancelled. Not to worry. We have a very resilient child so he'll hopefully be back to his happy-go-lucky self by morning.

So many memories made...

Our first dinner in our new home...and it digressed into Dad putting as many tomatoes in his mouth as possible, Jonah bursting with laughter at the crazy sight.

Jonah loves his special chair.
Discovering the toy basket is much more fun to play in...but that getting out can pose a challenge.



Wow, it's crazy to think we've only been France for two months, but we've already made so many wonderful memories. Since I'm a bit behind in keeping you all up-to-date, this is a menagerie-post of some of my favorite moments thus far. Most of my favorites have actually been here in our home, watching Jonah grow and play.

Welcome to Paris, Jonah-style!

Well, I've finally broken down and started a wee blog for all the world to see. Welcome to our world! There are so many adventures already had to be shared, as our little Jonah grows every single day. But we'll start with a recent video clip of Little Bear at the Easter egg hunt we attended a few weeks back. It was organized by the international mom's group I've connected with here, and at least 100 families showed up. The weather was a typical Parisian drizzle, and our poor guy had red hands by the time we left from the cold, but at least we made a memory!

Hope you enjoy Paris through Jonah's eyes. I know we sure do!