Locked and Loaded

From the beginning, Jonas has proved himself to be one strong dude. Here he is (with the ever-present Pulkie lurking nearby) showing off the guns. Or, as his Uncle Dan asked when he saw this photo, do we have a cage for those pythons?

Baby in Blue

So far, Jonas really seems to enjoy the whole wearing clothes thing, which is probably for the best. And while we think he looks great in everything, there's just something about him wearing the color blue that makes those gorgeous dark blue eyes pop out, just like his mom's.

Go Buffs!

Jonas has received some great sports-related gear of late, which he will no doubt be excited to wear. So far, it looks like he might have to be a Mets fan like his dad when it comes to baseball, since he's got some cool stuff of there's to wear now. But while Jonas can make up his own mind what teams to root for when he gets older, when it comes to college football, he won't get much of a choice: He will simply have to follow the Colorado Buffaloes. This weekend marked another important milestone where he wore his first CU attire, the first of what will no doubt be many over the course of his life. From the clothes on his back to the mobile over his head, Jonas will be a Buff fan through and through.

Jonas and Pulkie

Over the last week, Jonas has made his first friend! His name is Pulkie and he is a white tiger that Jonas has taken quite a liking to. His name comes from his Nana, who likes to use the Yiddish term for thighs when she squeezes the aforemetioned part. Here's some video footage of Jonas and Pulkie in action!

And here's some photographic proof of the two of them getting along famously...

No, Jonas, you're not supposed to eat him, you're just playing with him.

Jonas and Pulkie, ready to tackle the day...

"Pulkie, how could you say milk isn't your favorite drink of all time?"

"Oh Pulkie, you crack me up sometimes..."

Baseball Butt

Sorry Jonas, couldn't resist.

Passed Out

Jonas is pretty darn adorable when he's awake and alert, but when he's asleep, look out. The adorable factor is sort of off the charts. When he's passed out, he's passed out. By far his favorite place to sleep to date has been someone's chest, doesn't particularly matter whose chest it is. Just as long as that chest is not in his crib. Now if we can only get him to be like he is above from, say, 3 to 4 a.m., we'll be home free. Here's some shots of our big guy getting some big Zs.

Mama's Boy

What can we say? He loves his mom. Further proof below...

Time Warp

Niki and I got caught up on some recorded television tonight, including "American Idol," whose contestants sang selections from the Rolling Stones. And it dawned on us that some of these songs from the mid 1960s were recorded 45 years before Jonas was born. Then we started thinking about just how old that will seem to him, and what the equivalent time warp would be for us. And the answer is that the Rolling Stones to Jonas will seem like songs that were out in the late 1920s to me and Niki, or roughly 45 years before we were born. A quick look reveals that one of the biggest hits of, say, 1927 was "Ol' Man River." Which is probably how Jonas will one day refer to Mick Jagger. Yikes.

Tummy Time

Since babies spend so much time on their backs these days, the medical world suggests that they get lots of "tummy time" during the day to compensate and help build their neck and other muscles. Jonas more or less seems to enjoy this experience, which he does on a surfboard mat (have we mentioned he's becoming a true California baby?) designed just for the activity. The only problem is that since he usually plays there at some point during the feeding process, he's always hoping that there will be milk coming out of the surfboard. But every once in a while, like above, he seems to just be having a good time.

Ladies Man

Jonas had quite an audience this afternoon when several of Niki's close friends came over to pay a visit. Apparently he was quite the charmer. If this particular focus group is any indication, it appears Jonas could be quite the ladies man. Even if, as shown here with Niki's friend Natalie, he sleeps through everything.

Famous Jonases

One of the things we liked about the name Jonas is that it seemed like it could be versatile. If he wants to travel to Lithuania one day, well, it was the most popular name there last year, so he should fit right in! And if he wants to be anything from a famous scientist to an NHL goalie to a movie producer, he'll also be in good company. Just ask polio curer Jonas Salk, Anaheim Ducks netkeeper Jonas Hiller and the producer of "Up," Jonas Rivera!

The Magic of Shush

One of the best gifts we received was a DVD of "The Happiest Baby on the Block," which, among other things, emphasizes the power of shushing. Basically, if your baby is fussy or crying, you get in his face and rhythmically shush him at a louder volume than whatever he's got going. The result is uncanny. For Jonas, he almost instantly stops whatever he's doing and goes into hyper-alert mode. I can even get him to smile here and there. The only problem? Dad needs to maintain that shush for as long as he wants Jonas to be quiet, without hyperventilating himself in the process. Take a look in our first Nub in the Oven video extra!

Shake, Shake, Shake

It's still hard for us to believe sometimes that our child was born in and will be raised in California. But after last night, it looks like he is more of a native than his folks. When a 4.4 magnitude earthquake rolled through around 4 a.m. last night, Mom and Dad bolted awake looking at each other. Jonas? A whimper or two and then right back to sleep.

First Stroll

It was a beautiful weekend here, so we thought we'd give Jonas another first: his first stroll around the block. It was our first use of the stroller as well, which went about as well as expected. I'd like to say he enjoyed his first trip around Fanwood Avenue, but he slept through the whole thing. Maybe that's a sign he enjoyed it though. I know we did.

Sloppy But Cute

In fairness to Jonas, it remains to be seen if he'll be a sloppy kisser. But he's a cute one at least.

Touchdown!

We don't know for sure if Jonas will be a sports fan, but we're doing our best to give him an early appreciation for the finer things in collegiate and professional athletics. Never too early to start developing those team loyalties.

Ready to Explore

Jonas has already gone on a few car rides and by and large seems to enjoy them. Yesterday, he was alert and ready for action when we put him in his car seat, and then proceeded to pass out the moment he got in. But he also got to experience a new sensation he hadn't felt since seconds after he was born: a hat. Like everything else so far, he took that in stride too.

Uncle Chaz

Jonas has had a lot of family come to meet him so far, including three grandparents, a great aunt and two uncles. They've all been helping out and taking part in his first week of life, but we have to give a special thanks to Uncle Charley, who blessed us with his ability to put things together during his first trip in California. In one excursion to Wal-Mart, spending just $6.95, he fixed a problem with our computer that two men from the cable company (at about 50 times the expense) could never seem to figure out. But he didn't stop there. My effort to install our baby stroller included my unintentional separation of the device into 15 or so pieces just while I was trying to rip open the box. Uncle Charley (or "Uncle Chaz" as Niki thinks Jonas, born and raised in California, will call him) managed to piece the whole thing back together without breaking a sweat. Jonas' dad will be fine at cracking jokes, watching TV with him late at night and explaining the basics of football, but assembling things, unfortunately, will never be one of his stronger abilities. So thanks Char!

Handsome Man

If we do say so...

Good Morning!

Our little man was wide awake and checking things out this morning. He likes to look around.

Nub's Nursery

Jonas has himself a mighty comfy room, if we do say so. It underwent a pretty radical transformation from our second bedroom/office to a little boy's nursery. Some before and after photos of a great little space.

Dad Tired

People warned us over and over about the whole lack of sleep thing, but until you're actually in it, yikes. What exactly is it that babies have against a good, say, eight to 10 consecutive hours sleep at night? Mom and dad are hanging in there, but it hasn't been easy.

Washing Up

Team Jonas survived one of the child/parental rites of passages last night when we successfully gave him his first at-home bath. It was a pretty intimidating process for all of us, but like everything else, he seemed to take it in relative stride. Oh, he (and I) may not have been happy at the beginning (see above), but by the end (see below), after a reassuring snack of his all-time favorite -- milk -- he was about as content as anyone can be.

Sheik Jonas

All wrapped up and nowhere to go.

Happy Guy

Jonas has had himself a pretty content second day at home, slowly getting used to the drill around here, even offering me his hand during a sleepier moment while dressing him, a process he dreaded yesterday. Better yet, he even slept a bunch last, albeit in my arms for three hours. But they were three quiet hours. On the agenda in days to come: teaching him how to sleep in his own crib. We'll get there I'm sure, but right now, as you can see, he's a pretty happy guy.

All Through The Night

Jonas came home with us yesterday and did great, at least on the ride back, when he was just passed out. We had a quiet first hour or two, and then the big guy decided he had a lot to say and fuss about. A little too much new area to explore, I suppose. When do they start sleeping in and making you late for things? Is that at Day 7 or at 17? In any case, we did have some peaceful moments in between in all, including mom sending him a subtle message on who to root for when he gets older.

Sweet face

We are, of course, smitten by our little guy, but we can't enough of his sweet face looking up at us. Today, the doctor who delivered him came by and had the same observation I did on day one: This guy seems pretty mature for someone just born this week. Here's a few looks at Jonas doing his thing.

Fun spellings

Well, the carpet people couldn't figure out our name, but it looks like florists are having a tougher time, even with Niki's first name. Told you it would be tough, Jonas...

Big Foot

We knew he was big, but Jonas proved it when they came to take his foot prints. Just look at the space they normally have for feet and check out how far over his big paws are. What a guy!

Jonas Keaton

When the ultrasound technician told us three weeks ago that Nub was weighing 9 pounds, 9 ounces, he mentioned that it could be as much as 15 percent off. But we figured it would be 15 percent smaller. That changed the exact moment that Nub came into the world at 7:39 a.m. today, and the anesthesiologist peeked over the curtain and declared, simply, "Wow."

Nub came in at an astonishing 10 pounds, 5 ounces, 22 inches long. And if I can say this about a person who isn't even a day old, the first word I would use to describe him would be mature. He just had the best first day anyone could have, and was so darn polite about it. Hardly cried, just kind of checked us all out, and ate. Boy did he eat. We are in for some big grocery bills over the years I think.

Both Nub and mom are doing amazing, and seem pretty connected to each other, literally and figuratively. Watching him being born and watching Niki pull through today were highlights of a lifetime.

Ah yes, there is one other detail. While we couldn't help ourselves from time to time calling him Nub today (after all, it's all he's gone by for nine months...), he does have a name to continue in life with: Jonas Keaton Gewirtz. Jonas is a name inspired by two grandfathers named Joe, and one whose last name is Jordan. And Keaton, well, since he made us a family, something from one of our favorite shows, Family Ties, seemed appropriate.

So, welcome to the world Jonas. You're off to a great start.

One More Sleep

When Niki was young and excited about things to come, she used to refer to things as being so many "sleeps" away. Well, we're just one more sleep away from welcoming Nub to the world (assuming, of course, either of us gets any sleep tonight...). Even though we've been preparing and getting ready, it's hard to believe that we're only a day away. And I have to say, based on the last nine months, Niki is going to be one heck of a mom. She's powered through the toughest parts of pregnancy without complaining, and actually laughing quite a bit along the way.

Before we go in to meet Nub in person, perhaps give him a more appropriate name and introduce him to the world, we wanted to say thanks for all of the support and great parenting advice from friends and family along the way. We've been blessed with some fantastic support, and we're probably going to need all of it. So thanks to everyone who's helped us out and offered encouragement. In other words, as our handouts say, thanks for being here!

We'll keep you all informed as soon as we've got a Nub to share...