Jonathan hams it up.

I always thought a baby's first word was a discrete event, a definitive moment. Parents remember the first word forever after, and it can even give hints about the developing personality. However, at this point it's safe to say that we don't have any idea what Jonathan's first word was, or even if he's actually said it yet.

We're doing a lot of double takes here these days. The nanny asked Jonathan if he'd wait downstairs while she went to change Cara, and Jonathan said "okay." Chris walked in the door this evening with his usual "Hi Jonathan!" and we both heard him reply "HiDad." If I leave him in the crib to go wash my hands, Jonathan will start wailing, but he wails "MMMMa MMMMMa MMMMMa" instead of his general-purpose holler. He still points out the "B----uh" at the bird feeder, but the nanny swore she heard him say "squirrel" one time. All of these might qualify as an actual word, but he doesn't do any of them reliably, and we're left looking at one another and saying "Did you just hear that?"

This morning I was kind of late to work, and was eating my Cheerios downstairs while Chris was in the shower. I heard an enormous THUD and instantly thought Jonathan had learned to climb out of his crib. So I sprinted up the stairs and opened the door to the nursery. Jonathan was safe and sound, but the light and the noise woke him up, which kind of obligated me to hold him until Chris was ready to take over.

Jonathan and I were sitting on our bed and he was rubbing his eyes, trying to wake up. Chris came out to get dressed and laughed at Jonathan. He asked him "Are you still sleepy?" expecting Jonathan to sign "sleep." Instead, Jonathan said "yeah." Then he deliberately leaned forward, rested his head on the mattress, and gave an exaggerated sigh.

I may not know what his first word was, but I'll always remember his first joke.

Who, what, where, why, when.

Who loves ya, baby? Uncle Jim and Auntie Liz! Jonathan had a great time this Sunday getting thoroughly spoiled. He got a six foot long crawling tube that has become his secret tunnel hideout. He had a great time demonstrating it to Cara today - she's a little freaked out that he can disappear and reappear all the way across the room. Jonathan also liked showing off his sign language - so much so that he started throwing signs out at random, and now his auntie doesn't believe he can really sign. A great time was had by all.

What would you like to eat? Anything, as long as he can use his fingers. The appetite is back with a vengeance. The nanny peeled Jonathan an orange and it was a revelation! Now he gets a whole piece of fresh fruit each day. I peel golden delicious apples and give him the slices. Jonathan picks them up and crams them into his mouth sideways. We are starting to encourage him to use a spoon - after watching him eat his scrambled eggs with his hands, we would like to have him comfortable with utensils before he tries the same technique with his yogurt.

Where are you going? The answer's always on the other side of the door. Jonathan loves to run into a room, turn around and wait for us to try and follow, and then swing the door shut. He waits for a moment and then pops the door open. I have taken to knocking gently and saying "Candygram!" We have to get some Jehovah's Witnesses to visit - they'd keep him entertained for hours.

Why are you fussy sometimes? The terrible twos are coming. Some of this is still recovery from the ear infection, but Jonathan has definitely learned a thing or two about tantrum throwing. One of his toys rolled under the gate this evening, and Jonathan started moaning pathetically. When I expressed a definite lack of enthusiasm about hopping over the gate to get the toy, he flung himself onto his back, kicking his heels and screaming. I went back to my book, and after a minute or two, he lost interest and went to crawl in his tunnel. I wish it would stay that easy.

When did you learn to do that? We were playing on the staircase today. Jonathan was on the upper half, and I crouched down out of sight, underneath the banister. All I could see was a little hair. I had the penguin with me, and I poked it up several times. Jonathan's hair would follow as he tried to bite the penguin's nose. The game was so absorbing that it took me a few minutes to realize that the hair, and by extension Jonathan, was travelling up and down the staircase. He can go down stairs now! I came around the corner in time to see him go all the way down to the landing. I've got no idea when he learned how to do this, but he seems pretty expert.

Hey, I know you!

The little stomach virus has turned into the illness from hell! Jonathan has been sick with a cold and cough and runny nose and fever for days. Chris and I each took half days at work on Tuesday so that we could stay home with him, since he's miserable and just wants to be cuddled. However, we're both out of vacation at the moment, so we had a dilemma on Tuesday. Jonathan was really still too sick to have the nanny and Cara come over.

Grandma Kwon to the rescue! She drove down early Wednesday morning to spend the day with Jonathan. Over Christmas, she spent a lot of time teaching Jonathan a Korean song with some finger motions to go with it. It starts with clapping your hands, and then you point your index finger into the palm of the other hand. Anyway, when Jonathan woke up Wednesday morning, Grandma was already here. Chris carried Jonathan to the changing table to get his morning diaper. Jonathan saw his grandma and gave one of his first smiles in a few days. He giggled at her, and then deliberately started pointing into his hand, just like the song. He definitely remembered her! This kid knows how to charm his caretakers. If he had been feeling better and the weather was a little warmer, I'll bet he would have had a pony by the end of the day.

Grandma had to go back to DC that night, and the nanny returned today. Jonathan still needs lots of extra cuddles, and continues to wake up stuffy and furious at two am. He doesn't want to eat much, unless it's peach Jell-o that he can eat with his fingers. Overall, though, he's slowly on the mend. Chris and I, however, may need another week or so to recover. We can't wait to have our happy little boy back.