Jonathan

Jono doesn't make many picture posts these days since he's too busy for the camera. I thought I'd make up for it by taking an idea from Ruth and writing 20 things about my big boy.

1. Jonathan was born Johnathan Terrell Garrett, Jr. When he's adopted, we'll change the spelling of his first name to the more traditional/biblical Jonathan, and give him a new middle name, in addition to our last name.

2. Jonathan's nickname, Jono, has been in use as long as I can remember. I don't know when or why I started calling him that, but I love it. We also call him J, Noodle, and Ja'Noodle.

3. Jono's CPS paperwork says that he was born at 36 weeks gestation weighing 5lbs, 11oz. That means that all three of my kiddos were born 4 weeks premature, and Jono's weight was in the middle of Hazel's and Charlie's.

4. Jono loves to dance. He will dance to anything even remotely rhythmic, including the "heartbeat" setting on his white noise machine. He has some great moves!

5. Jonathan is a big eater. He always has been. Up until recently, he ate pretty much whatever you put in front of him. He's getting a little more picky in his toddlerhood, but still is not hard to please.

6. At 18 months, Jono had 40+ signs. He watches Baby Signing Time, and we use sign language with him to help him communicate.

7. The first sign he used consistently was "more" (in relation to food--see #5).

8. Jonathan is talking more and more, and often uses a new word with an existing sign, which helps us know what he's trying to say! Our current favorite is "Mo!", accompanied by the sign for "more". I just can't quite put into print how cute the "Mo!" is--very insistent and determined.

9. Jono goes to Mother's Day Out on Monday/Wednesday and absolutely loves it. He is quite the favorite (I'm not kidding!). Everyone at school knows him--even the teachers in older age groups. He gets greeted by many as we walk through the halls to and from his class.

10. Jonathan has a dimple that could stop traffic. His smile lights up the room.

11. The cutest thing that Jono does (in his father's opinion, and I agree) is to sit and "read" his books to himself. If he's reading "The Wheels on the Bus" he will do the motions for each page as he turns them. It's so very adorable!

12. Jono loves shoes. We have a bench with slots for shoes in our foyer, and he spends a lot of time each day trying on shoes belonging to various family members, as well as trying to put shoes on his parents and siblings (with limited success).

13. Jono's other obsession is buckles of all sorts. He buckles his (and his sibling's) high chair and stroller straps, and throws a fit if I don't let him do the chest strap in his carseat.

14. Though he was never a snuggly cuddly baby, Jonathan has started giving big bear hugs and kisses. It melts his mama's heart!

15. Jonathan has always loved water. His splash table, the water hose, and the bathtub are all big hits. We are looking forward to the pool this summer! I won't be surprised to see him swimming by summer's end.

16. Jono is quite busy, and never misses an opportunity to play chase and other physical games. David and Jonathan play chase around and around the living room most nights after dinner. He loves to play "Ring around the Rosie" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes". Most any song with motions is a big hit, as it meets his musical and kinestetic needs at once.

17. Jonathan is rough with the babies, but I think he really does love them. He is starting to play with them more, bring them things (bottles, pacis) and makes them laugh. He greets them enthusiastially when he comes out of his MDO room in the afternoon to seem them waiting in the hallway in the stroller. "Ooooh, babies!"

18. Jonathan is incredibly cautious when stepping over gaps in sidewalks, etc, or stepping down small steps. If there is more than a couple of inches in gap or height change, he will balk. To get into our backyard off our deck, he will turn around and back down off of the edge, which is only 3ish inches off the ground.

19. Jono loves "Melmo". He gets to watch Elmo's World when I need to distract him for a few minutes to get something done without his "help".

20. Jonathan was a rough sleeper an infant. He didn't sleep through the night until he was 8-9 months old, and that was with some pretty hard core sleep training and a lot of protests. A year later, however, he's so easy to put to bed! We can just take him into his room, turn on his white noise, give him a paci and his lovey (a stuffed sheep) and he falls right to sleep. Usually. Sometimes there's a little bit of playing, but if he's really tired, it's no big deal. He sleeps about 12 hours straight through the night, plus takes a 2-3 hour nap in the middle of the day. Ahhhh.

I still can't believe that he's our forever boy! We are truly blessed to have the opportunity to raise this precious soul. We feel privileged to be his parents.