Jonathan Day 251

He's baaaaack!  I hate saying it, but it was nice to have a few days of JH having less energy.  He was like a dynamo after he returned from Carley's house today.  Before going home we took a ride to a party rental place nearby to reserve tables and a tent for a June 25th party.  We decided to celebrate the adoption being final (May 17th) and his 3rd birthday all on his birthday. Da Da is planning a big party so save that date :-)

After work we played in the basement for a few hours and he was playing the harmonica like crazy; probably because Da Da had a headache.  I wish I could have gotten a better video because what he was playing sounded pretty good.  His birth mother was very musical and played guitar so we have our fingers crossed.

I'm going to start making notes in my iPhone to capture some of the funny things he says and does during the day.  By the time I write this I'm so spent from work and helping with JH that I forget things; could also be that I'm 19 days from turning 49!!!  Ugh :-)

Dinner and bath went well and after about 5 minutes of sitting nice he was scooted off to bed.  We're pretty strict when it comes to sitting nice, when he starts to wiggle we take him to bed.

Jonathan Day 250

Last night went well and JH slept through the night.  In fact, it was after 8:00 AM when we finally woke him up.  I made homemade french toast and he ate more this morning than he did all week combined.  His appetite continued through both lunch and dinner too.

It was a busy work day so JH and Da Da spent the entire day in the basement.  It's much easier for them now that we actually have a sofa down there to sit on.  Up until a few days ago there were only some very uncomfortable side chairs.

Da Da was able to get cable ran to the guest room today too.  That way when either Gramma visit they will be able to watch TV in bed; just like at home :-)  

It was pretty cold so after work we stayed in-doors and played in the basement for a short time before dinner.  JH had Mac and Cheese with Prunes; he loved it.  We really want to make sure with him being a little sick that he stays regular.  

It's almost 6:30 PM here so JH and Da Da are sitting nice while I get this written.  We are hoping JH can go to Carly's tomorrow.  He misses the kids and has been talking about how when he's better he gets to go back.  There is no doubt that spending time at Carly's is helping him both verbally and creatively. 

Jonathan Day 249

When we woke JH up to go potty last night his temperature was 103.1 so we were a little worried.  We gave him some baby aspirin to help reduce his fever and decided he needed to sleep with us.  Again, I had a foot or an arm in my back all night long and between me and JH we snored or coughed all night long; when I woke-up Da Da was on the sofa :-O

I was able to get him in to see a Nurse Practitioner in a nearby town today and she gave him a very light penicillin to help fight the infection he has in both ears.  They aren't terrible infections but she wants to play it safe.   We're cautious in starting him on penicillin at such a young age.  The sooner he starts the more resistant he'll become.

At dinner he actually ate something tonight.  He had been nibbling for the last 3 or 4 days.  He may be getting his appetite back.  Through all the fevers and sickness he has kept his good nature and hasn't been too crabby.  On occasion he'll cry for no reason but who knows how he is really feeling inside?

Jonathan sat nice for more than 40 minutes tonight and is finally in bed and singing away.

Jonathan Day 248

Monday Monday!  JH slept in again this morning and only woke-up after I turned on his aquarium light this morning.  He is still not feeling 100% so we kept him home again today.  He is SO wanting to go to play with Carly and Abby.  Maybe tomorrow if he isn't hacking anything up :-)

Before bed tonight Da Da rubbed Vicks on his chest and he was so cute when he said "Mmmm, that smells GOOD".  He still doesn't have much of an appetite either: but we're giving him plenty of juice and water.  Today he mentioned that his ear hurts so if we hear that again we'll take him to a Dr tomorrow.  We have had many warnings from our parent friends about ear infections.

Today we officially put the BMW for sale.  We had signs on it and have been parking it on the driveway.  Many lookers but no calls so I posted on Craig's List today.  We need a new septic and having a sporty car that we never drive is a waste!  Not to mention the insurance $$ we'll save :-)  I had joked that we would save it for Jonathan and he would have a classic vintage car when he turned 16.

After work we went down to the basement and JH laid on me in the chair and watched DIY.  I know he's not feeling well if there are train tracks in the other room and he's snuggling me.  There is nothing better than to have him lay nice and have good old brownie over us.  As my sister Jo says, "he is a love".

Jonathan Day 247

I was up at 7:15 AM and finally after 7:45 AM I got JH up.  He was snoring logs when I went in and tickled his ear and slipped out before he fully woke-up.  We had breakfast and jumped in the car to go to Chicago.  We met Auntie Jo Jo at the condo and then went and had Dim Sum. Jonathan was a good boy but didn't eat that much.  He's still not feeling 100% but is surprisingly good natured.  I'm crabby by nature and even worse when I'm sick :-)

After Dim Sum we went and did a little shopping and got JH his Easter outfit.  We're going to Gramma and Grandpa V's house for the weekend and want JH to look nice for Gramma Junker.  She will join for dinner and maybe to watch JH hunt for Easter eggs.  She's no longer mobile at all so we'll see.

On the way back up to MI JH napped while Da Da and I dream talked about our vacation after the adoption.  We really REALLY need a few days away for just us.  We love our boy, and the time we get to spend with him, but after 9 months we need a break.

Dinner was a bust and we resorted to making him a PB&J.  I made a pasta with artichokes, chicken, and feta that he wanted nothing to do with.  We normally wouldn't cave and make him something else but with him being sick we wanted him to have something in his stomach.  After dinner we sat and watched TV (picture above) for about 1/2 hour and he happily went to bed.

Jonathan Day 246

Jonathan, Abby, and Carly playing Choo Choo on Friday.

JH woke-up before 6:00 AM so we're all a little sleepy today.  I am writing this early since we're going to see Janine and Michael tonight,  We haven't seen Janine in more than a month and JH will be very excited to see her.  The best part is Janine is cooking for us tonight and she's an amazing cook.

We have been playing in the basement most of the day.  Da Da is searching for pond liners on-line, JH is playing trains, and I'm at the table writing the blog.  Laundry is going and HGTV is playing on the TV; it's a good day.  Jonathan just blurted out "oh sh*t" several times and at first we thought we would ignore it but he keeps saying it.  Da Da just explained to him that what he said isn't something a little boy should ever say.

I may add a bit more after we get home tonight but if not here you go....Day 246 was a very good day :-)

7:58 PM -
We had such a great time with Janine, DJ, and Michael tonight.  JH was a really good boy and took the dogs for a walk with Michael.  He and Janine sat in from of the fire place for about an hour while we actually got to have adult conversations with DJ and Michael.  Life is starting to balance for us with our boy, we are able to leave the house and enjoy life again!!

I have said it before and I'll say it again, we are so lucky to have so many amazing people in our live that we knwow truly love Jonathan Harper.

Jonathan Day 245

I have not been feeling great for the last few days so this will be a short one tonight.

Jonathan Harper actually took a nap today!  I think spending the last two days at Carly's house has worn this boy out :-)

We woke-up a little late this morning so we were in a rush to get breakfast in and JH ready by 9:00 AM.  JH was giddy on the way to Carly's house singing and talking about Carly's cat M&M.

After he got home he laid down for a nap and after we walked around the yard.  We're having a new septic installed in a few months so Da Da was showing us where it will be in the yard.  I pulled JH in the wagon but it was too windy and cold so we were only able to stay out for a few minutes.

Since we have put JH to bed he has had to blow his nose, go potty (and didn't go), and finally needed a drink of water.  As much as I love that it's staying light later, it's difficult to get JH to sleep at his bed-time.

Jonathan Day 244

JH was pretty quiet after he finally went to sleep last night.  He coughed and hacked for about an hour when we put him to sleep.  I think the medicine we have been giving him is helping: no fever at all today.

After breakfast we cleaned up and took JH to Carly's house.  He was very excited to be going today; the cutest thing was Carly was sitting in the window waiting for him and him waiving to her.  He ran to her room as soon as we walked through the door.

I'm not clear where the day went because before I knew it I was hanging up from a call and rushing to pick JH up.  Earlier in the day Da Da found him a Thomas Train hat so I got to give it to him on the way home.  He was so excited and I totally took the credit :-)

We couldn't play in the basement because the countertops were installed today and the smell of the sealer is a bit too strong.  JH so wanted to play down there after his nap but we had to keep him busy by feeding his fish a couple of times.

Dinner, teeth brushing, and 10 minutes of sitting nice.

Jonathan Day 243

It was a long night hearing JH snorting and sniffing over the baby monitor.  I'm not sure how but our boy caught a little cold.  He had a 100.8 fever this afternoon so we gave him some bubble gum medicine :-) and his temp is back to normal.

I was pretty busy today at work so Da Da and JH spent the entire day in the basement.  When I went down in the afternoon between meetings Da Da was rolling up the train tracks.  JH has broken at least 4 of his Thomas Trains with his amazing strength.  I swear that this kid could rip the door knobs off if he tried.  We decided to limit him to one train and a single oval of track.  If we're busy doing something or not with him he dismantles the intricate track set-up Da Da completes daily.

It's almost 6:00 PM and we're down here for a bit before we put him to bed.  He was supposed to go to Carly's house today but with him not feeling well we didn't want him to get the other kids sick.  We hope he's better in the morning so he gets to interact with kids tomorrow.  The weather has been a bit chilly too so the park hasn't been an option.  Please let Spring get here so we can take advantage of the yard and all our area has to offer.

I was just getting JH ready for bed and after he went potty I took some TP and we blew his nose.  The TP roll had a jagged end and a small piece of TP was hanging off the roll, JH yelled "oh no, oh no Daddy, please bix it, please Daddy bix it".  Doors must be closed at all times, cabinet doors left partially opened send him into a tizzy.  I think we have a little bit of OCD to address :-)

Jonathan Day 242

More harmonica video because I didn't get a chance to capture a new one today.

Not much interesting happened today other than Kiki watched JH while Da Da and I spent about 2 hours with the county health inspector.  We are in desperate need of a new septic system and the inspector had to come by to issue the permit and make recommendations.  Needless to say it's going to be horribly expensive; hence the BMW at the end of the drive with a for sale sign :-)

Lunch and dinner were pretty uneventful and JH did a good job of eating.  We all played in the basement after work ended and JH is now in the bath "swimming".  Once he gets out Da Da plan on getting caught-up on some recorded TV and going to bed early.

Jonathan Day 241

Today started like most days for us with JH waking up first and us giving him breakfast.  Later in the morning Da Da set-up Jonathan's fish tank while he "helped".

They spent most of the day in the basement while I worked; on occasion we crossed on the way to the potty.  JH played trains and learned a new trick to enter his bouncy toy. I think Damian showed him a new way to enter and it's not through the door :-)  It's funny to see Jonathan climb up the side and fall 3 feet down safely to the bouncy center.

In the late afternoon Kiki came by to spend the night with us and JH has been attached to her 100% of the time.  He had been playing the harmonica (see video above) earlier and when we asked him to play for Kiki he did even better.  It's after 6:30 Pm and Kiki just read him 2 books and he's almost off to bed.  Kiki just said "I don't know how you guys do the everyday"; after 4 hours she is clearly seeing how exhausting a 2 1/2 year old can be.  It's nice to hear that someone gets it!  Her mom raised 5 and she (like I have said) has a new respect for her Mom!

Jonathan Day 240

Will this day EVER end?  Rick and I were just saying that it seems like this day is a dream.  We got up this morning with Jo and Damian here and the shrieking two year old excited to see his cousin was deafening.  Jo and Damian left after breakfast and a little play time in the basement.

Once we got ourselves ready for public view we drove to the local garden center so Da Da could drool over the clearance trees :-)  No more trees!!!  JH watched his new $5 Thomas video while I continued to make my way around my new iPhone,  When Da Da got back in the car we had to drive by all the trees he wanted to say bye bye.

After lunch we put JH down for a nap and after two threats of a spanking he got a light tap on the bottom and immediately fell asleep.  umbelievably, when I woke him the first words out of his mouth were "I want to see Damian".

The middle part of the day seemed to last about 10 hours and finally after 6:00 pm we started to get JH ready for bed.  He sat nice with me for more than an hour and finally said "it's bed-time" and the cried and whined when we agreed :-)

 Update:  I forgot to mention that Jh dropped his play cell phone in the potty today after #2!  We'll need a new set of tongs.

Jonathan Day 239

Just got home from a day of Daddy and Da Da time.  I'll write something tomorrow.

Thanks Auntie Jo Jo and Damian for spending the day with JH.

Saturday was great for me and Da Da.  Jo and Damian got here late on Friday night and when we woke-up they were all eating breakfast.  Da Da and I grabbed a quick bite and hit the road.  We drove to Mishawaka and shopped, had lunch, and actually got to have a conversation :-)
Th big purchase ($25) was a 5 gallon aquarium kit so we could set it up in his room this week.  Linda has some beautiful guppies that we'll run over and get after the water is ready for habitation.

Jo, Damian, and JH played in the yard and tried to start a fire to roast marshmallow with no luck.  I can just see my sister working on getting the fire going with the help of 2 and 6 year olds.  The kids played in the basement and when JH had to come up and potty Damian carried him up the stairs or held his hand.  Jo also brought Elmo cup-cakes and apparently JH ate his by smashing his face in the cup-cake.  After he came up for air he said "where did Elmo go".

Da Da and I met KiKi and Michael for dinner and a movie.  We had a great time laughing and only occasionally talking about Jonathan.  Kiki and Michael happen to love JH too so it was easy to sit around and laugh at stories we all had about him.  When we got home at about 11:00 PM JH, Damian, and Jo were all fast asleep.  Jo woke-up and we had a glass of wine and sat around talking about how great Damian a was with JH and how much JH looks up to his big cousin.

Jonathan Day 238

JH was home again today since the babysitter was sick again.  It was a long day for Da Da having JH help him with getting the yard furniture out of storage.  They got the deck and the fire-pit all set for the lovely Spring weather we're getting.

Jonathan has been having these little fits lately.  The confusing part is most times we're not even in the room.  He just starts crying and yelling at what he's doing.  It's like he's in conflict with himself.  We're not sure why or what it is but are not too concerned.  He's almost 3 and life is moving pretty fast in his little head.  We think he's saying more and more each day so I can only imagine what's going on in there :-)

KiKi stopped by late in the afternoon and entertained Jonathan for a few minutes while I helped Da Da take all his non-educational toys from his room to the basement.  The plan is that play is downstairs and sleep and learning is in his room.

JH had a hot-dog, carrots, and salad for dinner and ate everything on his plate and some of my salad too.  Now he's in his room watching a DVD and I can hear him yawning; he didn't nap at all today.

Jonathan Day 237

I was so sleepy this morning that Da Da got up with JH and I didn't even know it.  I slept until almost 7:30 AM and I think they got up around 6:30 AM.  When I came out of the bedroom JH boomed "Good morning Daddy"; it was very nice to wake-up to.

JH and Da Da almost immediately hit the yard to play after breakfast.  It had a pretty busy work day so I was only able to step out once to see him running crazy in the yard.  It was in the 60s here today and we actually turned the heat off and the doors are still open.

After work we went to the park again and there were masses of little kids running around and JH was almost giddy!  He ran and yelled "watch me" at people that he didn't even know.  I love that he is being much more social and expressive to people.

We made JH a peanut butter, jelly, and prune sandwich and he gobbled it up.  I tried to trick him that they were big raisins and he said "that's a pa roon daddy".  After a little TV we put him to bed at 6:30 PM because he didn't nap.

Jonathan Day 236

It was nice to wake-up in MI this morning.  We all had breakfast and JH and Da Da hit the road to run several errands while I got caught-up after being on PTO for two days.

After work we took JH to the park and he had a blast.  There were three older kids running around and playing and JH was trying to get right in there and play with the.  He was saying "Hi, watch me" and laughing and running after them.  The kids were probably 10+ so they were really NOT interested in having a 2 1/2 year old chasing them :-)  A little later a mom and her 2 and 4 year olds showed up so JH was right there in the middle.

After dinner JH got a haircut and a bath and sat nice for a whole episode of Dinosaur Train.

Jonathan Day 235

Busy busy day!  We met Derek and Abby at the Navy Pier Children's Museum.  The kids played for several hours and then we all had lunch.  JH and I napped after we got home and Da Da continued to pack-up some of the stuff in the condo.

In the late afternoon we loaded JH in the stroller and walked to Target to get something to make for dinner.   On the way home we stopped at AT&T to have Ricks constantly malfunction phone looked at and ended-up upgrading our phones to iPhones.  JH was pretty good but getting cranky so Da Da took him home while I finished the transaction.  I was late for the condo meeting and resigned tonight so I guess it didn't really matter :-(, I just hate being late.

We decided to drive home tonight so JH just went to bed and we're getting a few things done before bed.  11:31 PM here so we're all pretty sleepy.  Night.

Jonathan Day 233 and 234

On Sunday we attended Avery Poet Rose's 1st birthday party and had a great time.  It was great seeing JH play with all the kids and having so much fun.  On the way we were singing the A B C song and out of nowhere he started saying "play it again guys" after we finished.  We were cracking up at that and how he sang softly after we finished.

We're in Chicago and having to use the building internet since we gave-up wireless, phone, and expanded cable in the condo.  Da Da started rolling up the rugs and packing last night.  We hope to rent the place by the end of May so we have tons of work to do.

I had the day off so today we went to the park, did some shopping, and had naps in the afternoon.  It was a good day!

I'll try and sneak down here again tomorrow to get back to the single day posts.

Jonathan Day 232

How a child that went to sleep more than 2 hours past his bedtime can wake-up at 5:00 AM I'll never understand.  JH usually sleeps 12 hours a night but last night only 8 hours did him just fine.  Da Da got up and put him on the potty and in went a movie and until it was over; Da Da and I got a little more sleep.

We had breakfast and went to New Buffalo so I could get my haircut and Da Da could get a sprayer to kill some mold in the attic.  Yes, the attic is next and the thought is aging me by the minute.  We're taking this renovation even slower than the 3 month basement project even though we desperately need a 2nd bathroom.

JH complained earlier of his ear hurting and was very cranky so we think he may have an ear infection but aren't sure.  Since we gave him some Tylenol he has been fine and hasn't said a word again.  We'll see how he is in the morning and if he complains again we'll take him to a weekend clinic.

It's after 6:00 PM and very light outside so we're not sure his 6:30 PM bedtime is going to work any longer.  We installed blinds in his room in anticipation of the longer summer days.  We started asking him if he wants to watch Nick Jr before bed or DYI and 9 times out of 10 he's picking DIY!  That makes Da Da VERY happy.

Jonathan Day 231

Jonathan Harper woke-up at 7:00 AM and the entire house was up with him.  I should have been nice and shuffled him to the basement so Gramma Rosie and Aunt Susie could get a few more minutes of sleep, but I wasn't.

Da Da made JH french toast sticks and then he had to take the car in to get serviced so watching JH was up to Gramma and Susie.  After a few minutes of chaos I relocated my work lap top to the master bedroom for the day.  Usually I work from the old dining room that was turned in to a sleek comfortable workspace for me.  While I work on the main level either JH and Da Da are in the basement or JH is at the babysitter and Da Da is working.

We all had lunch together and then Gramma and Susie headed to Auntie Jo Jo's house for the weekend.  We'll see them again on Sunday when we attend Avery's 1st birthday party.  We'll be in Chicago Sunday to Wednesday and I took Monday and Tuesday off so we can enjoy the city.  The days both look pretty good so we're hoping to meet up with Derek and Abby for a museum or zoo outing.  SO friends and family, if you read this and happen to be in Chicago and want to get together send me an email :-)

After work we went to the Michiana Home and Garden Show in South Bend Indiana.  It was pretty good and JH was a really good boy.  We got a few looks but for the most part people were pretty nice.  After, we stopped for dinner and were sat in a room with another family who was celebrating their 3 year olds birthday.  When we sat the mom asked Jonathan's name and age and said "where are the ladies tonight?", I said it's just us and she gave us a bewildered look and smiled.  Later after hearing Da Da and Daddy from JH she said something to her daughter like "Why can't you be as behaved as Jonathan, he's sitting nice with his um, er, um ....friends" and the little girl actually pointed at us and said "Jonathan is sitting nice with his family".  Kids :-)

On the way home JH finally drifted off to sleep and we quickly put him on the potty and he immediately went to sleep.  It was a long day and Da Da and I are off to bed too.

Jonathan Day 230

My mom and sister are visiting and have taught JH to play a game that my Gramma played with me when I was a kid called round-ball.  JH has been asking us to do it with him all day.

It was a rough night and JH woke-up about 3:00 AM crying.  Da Da went in and comforted him but minutes late he was crying again saying "where's brownie?", "I want brownie".  Brownie is a $2 IKEA blanket that we picked up around the time we got Jonathan and for some reason he wants it on him every night.  We brought it to AZ with us and when he slept on the plane brownie was covering him.  We thought we could retire brownie since JH received three hand-made blankets in the last few months but no luck.

It was a great day and Gramma and Sue got to spend some quality time with JH.  We're pretty happy too because Sue made an amazing Scallop/Asparagus Risotto for dinner.  Now we're all relaxing and getting JH ready for bed.

Jonathan Day 229

JH, Abby, and Carly reading.  JH is wearing Carly's boots and she is wearing his.

Again, today was much like the last few days.  We got up at 7:00 AM and had breakfast and took JH to Carly's house (I have been spelling Carly wrong on previous posts).  On the way we asked him if Carly was his girlfriend and he said "nope", then we asked if he loved her and he said, "nope" so we asked if he liked her and he said "yes, I like her Daddy".  When we got to Carly's house we told Christy and she said that yesterday she caught them kissing on the lips.  She told them that family kisses on the lips and they should kiss on the hands :-)

Gramma Rosie and Aunt Susie got here in the late afternoon.  JH was so excited to see them and played with Aunt Susie in the basement until dinner.  We had port roast, sauerkraut, and asparagus for dinner and JH gobbled it up.  He only ate two pieces of meat but ate the asparagus and sauerkraut like crazy.

Susie is giving JH a bath right now and all I can hear is giggling and chattering.  We're sitting here with Gramma Rosie having a drink and talking.  Nice!

Jonathan Day 228

Today was very much like yesterday, we woke at 7:00 AM and got JH to Carley's house by 9:00 AM.  Da Da went and picked-up JH at 3:00 PM and when he got there Christy said he and Carley played dress-up all day and wore princess shoes and hard hats; I wish I had a picture.

After work we all went down to the basement and played trains and JH bounced a bit in his bouncy toy.  Da Da and I cleaned since we're having guests tomorrow.  We'll take Jh to Carley's house and by the time he gets home Auntie Susie and Gramma Rosie will be here.  He is very excited to see them!

We played until after 7:30 PM so JH had his teeth brushed and was immediately tucked in to bed.

Jonathan Day 227

The video above is more of us showing off how smart JH is :-)

We all slept until after 7:00 AM so 2 hours to get breakfast and JH cleaned and ready to go to Carley's was a challenge.  Jonathan wanted french toast sticks for breakfast and he ate them all; then wanted bites of our yogurts.  I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing that when we drop him off he doesn't even notice when we leave; or seem to care.  We always say that a total stranger can walk off with him and he would go.  Maybe if we were away from him for a day or weekend things would change.  We haven't been away from JH for more than a few hours at a time.

When Da Da picked up JH from Carley's house he came in with a construction paper mask on.  He is having so much fun there that it's worth the $$ to keep sending him.  We resorted to drinking wine from a box to save money and keep the babysitter :-P

After work we played trains in the basement and then had dinner and a little TV before bed.

Jonathan Day 226

Jonathan was a very sweet little boy today.  He ate all meals with no issues or tantrums and didn't wet a diaper all day.  We played in the basement most of the afternoon and then Da Da did arts and crafts and school in the late afternoon (see video). 

Linda and Neil came by this evening for a piece of birthday cake (it was Linda's birthday Sunday) and a drink.  We had a nice time talking (as always) and Da Da had JH bring a small gift we got LInda to her and he said "I have a present for you" and was so excited to give it to her.  We all got hugs and kisses and then it was off to bed for JH.

Jonathan Day 225

Da Da and I got to sleep until after 8:30 AM this morning.  Jo got up early and when JH woke-up she fed him, got him on the potty, and took him to the basement.  It's been 225 days since I have slept so soundly and didn't worry about Jonathan.

Jo left after we had coffee and breakfast and then Da Da, JH, and I went to MI City.  We found a nice (cheap) table and chairs for the basement.  Now JH and Da Da can start their arts and crafts time next week.  I expect a refrigerator full of masterpieces soon :-)

We all napped in the afternoon and then went down to play.  After play I made JH a peanut butter and raisin sandwich for dinner.  At dinner he never stopped talking and playing verbally with us.  He gets so cheeky and playful that we're amazed he's only 2 1/2.

It's almost 7:00 PM here and we're starting the bedtime process.  I can hear Da Da and JH negotiating a boo boo and a kiss.  JH is saying "I hurt my butt, I need a kiss", Da Da said I'm not kissing your butt, maybe Daddy will, I did :-)

Jonathan Day 224

On Wednesday Mykle came by and stayed with JH while Da Da and I went for dinner and a drink.  After dinner we were sitting in the lobby bar having a drink and there goes Mykle and JH hand in hand walking around the hotel.  JH loves to walk and since the hotel had bridges and fish ponds there was tons to look at.

On Thursday morning we packed up and headed to the airport.  JH was such a good boy on the bus from the car rental terminal, going through security, and on the flight.  The flight was quicker than on the way to AZ and it was during the day so much easier.  When we landed the two ladies in front of us commented on how good Jonathan was and asked how old he was; they seemed surprised when we said  2 1/2.  The flight attendants also commented on how good he behaved.

Auntie Jo Jo drove up and got here before we arrived and JH was so excited to see her.  We all slept pretty late this morning and had to wake JH up at 8:00 AM.  He and Auntie played all day while I worked and Da Da did laundry and worked around the house.  Jo took JH to town and they had a hot dog (see pictures on my facebook page).  She was cracking up watching him stuff the whole hotdog in his face.

After work we drove to Mishawaka to get arts and crafts supplies at the Christmas Tree Shop. We hot about 30 things for .69 cents each.  Once Da Da finds a table for the basement they will start daily arts and crafts time.

Jo just gave JH a bath, put his PJs on, and we all filed by for our kisses goodnight.

Jonathan Day 223

I'll post something tomorrow, too sleepy after 12 hours of travel.  Here is a quick pic of our boy.

Jonathan Day 222

Ah, a real day of vacation!  We slept a little later this morning, we laid around until 9:00 AM, and then we had breakfast.  Da Da went down and got a tray of food that would have fed a family of 8 :-)  We finished it :-(

After breakfast we did some pre-packing and then hit the road to play.  When we were walking to the car Jh said "aw, that's cute grass".  I guess the sight of vibrant green grass was surprising and a bit appealing to him.  We went back to the Chandler Mall so JH could play with some kids.  Again, he was in heaven.  He was running and laughing and I saw him hug several kids.  He is so loving that I hope when kids push him away he doesn't feel bad.

We had lunch at In and Out Burger and headed back to the hotel for a nap.  When we walked out of the restaurant JH said "it's beautiful outside", it was what you'd expect an adult to say.  Jonathan and Da Da watched the fish and turtles in the indoor lobby pond while I printed the boarding passes.  I decided to write this post now because I plan on having a few martinis at dinner tonight.  Mykle (AKA Pied Piper) is coming by after work to sit with JH while Rick and I go to dinner and have some drinks (at the same time).  Usually one of us is able to have one drink and the other is on FT parent duty.

Jonathan Day 221

Sleeping with a two year old in what looks smaller than a queen size bed is grueling.  I had a leg in my back and at times a foot in my face last night.

We headed out at about 9:00 AM and just returned from a whirlwind day.  We did lunch with Stephanie at Los Dos Molinos and dinner at Cyclo with Warren, Mark, and Leah.  JH was a good boy at dinner but sort of a stinker at lunch.  Between meals we stopped in to see Merri in Chandler who is taking incredible care of my house here in AZ.  It looks better kept than when I lived here almost three years ago.  Jonathan has met at least 20 new people since Saturday and has been such a good boy.

After we left Merri's house we went to an outside park and the video above is him playing in the sand.  After that we went to the Chandler Mall and JH played for more than an hour with kids in an indoor play area.  He was running and laughing and having a great time.  We think we're going to drive back out there tomorrow to let him play again.  The outdoor park was nice but kids didn't interact at all.

We're pretty beat so I'll end for tonight and enjoy a glass of wine with Da Da now.