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March 27, 2006

Jonah Has Eyeglasses!

Bittersweet. That's the best word I can use to describe our boy getting eyeglasses. Bitter, because I know that his mother and father both have crappy eyes, and that may mean more problems in the future. (Hopefully not!)

Sweet, because the boy looks sooooo cute in his little glasses!

Okay, here's the deal: Jonah's vision is fine. (Or at least that's what our Pediatric Optometrist told us. Truthfully, it is very difficult to test a one year old's vision, so we have to go with what this guy said.) Jonah suffers from a common eye disorder call strabismus. It's a condition that causes one eye, in Jonah's case, his left, to turn in towards the right eye. It happens when Jonah tries to focus on something that is being held close to his face, but doesn't occur when he is looking at something far away. If you look back at my archives, you can see it happening in some of my pictures. Look for the pictures of him at our coffee table, and you will see it! (it's kind of crrepy; don't look at it for too long!) Anyway, the glasses are one of the last steps before surgery. So, to make matters worse, the poor kids had to get bi-focals! What a great way to start a life! (It could be worse, I suppose...)

But here's a quick question for you...How easy do you think it is to get a one year old to wear glasses?

Well, let's just say that if I have to ask the question, you probably know the answer. He wears them when he has the patience to, and when we have the patience to fight him.

But hopefully in a few months we will see if there has been improvement, and hopefully we can avoid an operating room!

For now, enjoy this so cute picture!

I promise to keep you all updated!

Posted by Jon at 08:53 PM | Comments (0)

Shaving For A Good Cause...

Several months ago, a co-worker of mine asked me if I would consider shaving my head for a good cause. At first, I told him he was nuts, because sooner or later, I figured, it was all going to fall out anyway. But here was a chance to raise money for a worthy cause, and finish the job my family, (heredity, not because of anything they do, or don't do, mind you) my bosses and fate began. Over the years, I have slowly been losing my hair, so getting it shaved off for a good cause didn't seem all that bothersome. So on March 23rd, Jim and I went to a downtown bar, and got our heads shaved. In the process, I raised more than 700 dollars for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, a charity devoted to raising money to fight children's leukemia and other cancers. The shaving of the head was to sybolize our standing in solidarity with kids and adults who lose their hair un-naturally thanks to chemotherapy. If you would like to learn more about this fantastic organization, please visit their website at StBaldricks.org

Despite the look on his face, Jim is happy to shave his head for St. Baldricks.

And as you can see, I am happy as well.

Don't let the scowl fool you; Jim knows that his hair will grow back, and he is doing the right thing.

So, around this time next year, I will be ready to do it all again!

Posted by Jon at 08:50 PM | Comments (0)

Where Was Jon On Saturday March 18th, 2006?

If you guessed hungover after a wicked St. Patrick's Day party, you would have guessed wrong.

If you guessed sleeping in, you would be wrong.

If you guessed doing any kind of housework, cleaning up, taking care of the boy, that sort of thing, you would also be incorrect.

Where was I? I was in Wake Forest, Curling!

Yes, I said it, Curling!

Since I lived in Buffalo for ten years, I used to watch the sport on Canadian television. (It's kind of like watching golf on TV, [Sorry Mr. Davis, no offense] in that it's pretty boring. But get out there on the ice, and it's amazing!

We spent the first hour learning the techniques of curling, how to throw the stone, how to get out of the starting block, or "hack" as it's called, and how, (most importantly,) to keep your balance.

The last hour was spent playing a game, learning how hard to throw the stone, where to aim the thing, etc.

Why are there no pictures? As a novice at the sport, it didn't seem right to photograph our amateurish attempts at learning the sport. But since I will soon be a member of the Triangle Curling Club, you can expect some pictures soon!

And in the meantime, you can learn more about this wonderful sport at www.trianglecurling.com

Posted by Jon at 12:36 PM | Comments (0)

March 08, 2006

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow...

As many of you know, I am raising funds for the St. Baldricks Foundation, which gives money to help in the fight against childhood leukemia and other cancer related diseases. On March 23rd, I will be having my head shaved, as part of the fundraising effort. I've been losing my hair naturally for some time now, so I figured, why not lose the rest of it, in solidarity with those who have been losing their hair UN-naturally. If you would like to donate, please visit www.Stbaldricks.org where you can donate safely and securely. (Of course, all donations are tx deductible!) If you click on Find A Participant on the left side of the main page, then click on Shavee, you can type in my last name to see how much I have raised towards my goal. You can also get great information about the foundation, and ways you can help, if you don't feel like going bald!

Thanks for all your help, and stay tuned to outofhans.com for more cute pics of Jonah!

Posted by Jon at 03:49 PM | Comments (0)

March 05, 2006

My Deepest, Most Hearfelt Apologies...

Dear Family, Friends And Anyone Else Who May Be Viewing This...(Mostly my family and friends, I guess, because anyone else has no idea what I'm talking about...)

Anyway, I truly, deeply and humbly ask for your forgiveness. I have been given this wonderful tool to keep you up to date with Jonah and our family, and I have dropped the ball. The following series of pictures began in November of 2005, and stretch to Jonah's first birthday in 2006. In all, there are at least 121 pictures that I have put on the blog. That means a couple of things: First, if you have dial up, it is going to take a L-O-N-G time to view these pictures. Second, if you are at work, you may get into trouble for looking at so many pictures on company time. (Then again, just show your boss the seriously cute pics, and hopefully, you will get off the hook.) Third, for some reason, they didn't end up in the order I wanted them to go in, for example, Thanksgiving first, then Hannukah, etc. But the descriptions I have in the pictures should give you an idea of what's going on. I hope. The reasons it took so long are many and varied, but the short answer is, well, I have no short answer. I never do. Suffice it to say, the update is complete, and hopefully there won't be as long a delay for the next post(s).

Anyway, I again ask for your forgiveness for the delay, and the amount of pictures, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your patience!

Posted by Jon at 09:31 PM | Comments (0)

Holidays, Both Merry And Happy!

First of all, from Megan, Jonah and I, we would like to take this moment to wish you all a very Happy Hannukah, a very Merry Christmas, a happy/merry whatever to whatever celebration I missed, and finally, a very happy and healthy new year!

Last year at this time, Jonah was but a developing little human, waiting to spring into this world. (We celebrated Hannukah and Christmas with him, but he was busy cooking.) This year, Jonah joined Megan and her family to celebrate the way they have always celebrated, by getting together, spending time, catching up, and, oh yeah, by opening gifts!

But traditions are traditions, some old, and some new, but we have to live with them, even though we want to tear into our presents the minute we see them! One new tradition I was introduced to was luminaries. Well, I'm not really 'new' to them, but this was the first time I ever helped set some up. In Keir and Jen's neighborhood, many residents set up the luminaries on Christmas Eve.

Jonah helped too, posing with Grandma Deb and Megan...

Here they are, luminaries ready to go!

And just as we were setting up the luminaries, Megan and I realized that Jonah had never played in the leaves before.

And Jonah realized that he never tasted leaves before...

And then, he took a walk in them...

-->I'm sorry about the gobbledygook here. I don't know how it got there, and I don't know how to get rid of it. Sorry. It's all good from here on out. I promise. --Jon <--

src="http://www.outofhans.com/archives/DSCN3390%20%282%29.JPG" width="409" height="307" />

Even though Megan had played in leaves before, she decided to get into them once more, for a cute picture with her son...

And then darkness fell, with small lights piercing the night all over the neighborhood...

And then the fun really began, as we settled in for the night and waited, and waited and waited and waited for Sunday morning to arrive so we could open our gifts. But before that, we had just a few minutes to squeeze in some adorable pictures of my Niece Caroline.

Is Jonah jealous?

I couldn’t hog this beautiful little angel all to myself. Megan had to get in there also…

Sooooooooooo cute!

Ditto!

What? Jonah’s is crying in another picture? No way! But look who’s smiling! Deb AND Caroline!

And as first light hit, Jonah was up, and ready to tear into presents. Well, he’s always up early, not just because there are presents around. And actually, he didn’t care as much about the presents as much as he did the wrapping. One of the first gifts he opened was a dress up set, so he can be a Firefighter, just like his Old Man. (Who only dresses up some of the time.)

Then, he got a frog washcloth.

Then he got another great present, a hug from his Aunt Abby…

Caroline got some gifts too.

Tess just got tired.

This is a gift given to Jonah two nights before, from Megan’s cousin Jodi and her daughter Aarika. So as you can see, the outfit is nice, but Jonah was being shy. Or crabby. Take your pick. (But trust me…It was crabby.)

No visit is complete without hugs and kisses (and pictures) with Grandma and Grandpa...

Here's Grandpa lovin' on Jonah...

Caroline, looking as cute as ever...

Mom and Jonah got colorful socks as gifts...

Jonah playing hide and seek with Mom.

Found you!

Where's Jonah?

Such beautiful women. Be proud Grandpa Larry!

Our hosts for Christmas Eve and Day, Keir, Jen and Caroline. (Aren't they just the cutest family?)

Grandpa Larry gets some tickling in on Jonah...

Aunt Abby gets some time with her niece...

And a very tired Jon, and an exhausted Megan (she baked a lot the night before) pose for a cute picture.

It was really nice to visit with Megan's family, and it's fantastic that her brother, sister-in-law, sister and niece live so close to us. Jonah has many cousins, but none this close! We had a great time, and if you're keeping track at home, only 365 days until we get presents again! Whoo-hoo!

Posted by Jon at 09:24 PM | Comments (0)

Hannukah, 2005!

And this is how Hannukah 2005 began, was celebrated, and then ended. Jonah doesn't remember 2004's extravaganza, as he wasn't born yet. But this year, Jonah enjoyed the Festival of Lights, presents, and Megan's yummy, yummy potato pancakes, or latkes.

Miss Amanda spent night number two with us, enjoying our latkes and our lights...

But not to be outdone, Jonah's friend Noah, who was born just five days before Jonah, had a birthday party on New Year's Eve. (He always does. That's when he was born.) So Jonah packed up the car, buckled his Mother and I in, and off we went to Noah's house for some food, fun and frolicking on the Eve of the New Year.

This is but one of the oh so delightful desserts Megan made for the party. If you think they look yummy, you should have tried one! Yum!

Most folks would call this a night, and head on out, which we did, but this was a weekend full of birthdays, New Years Day's, and the last night of Hannukah. So, after Jonah helped Megan and I kick our hangovers, we headed to Jason and Sara's house, where more food, fun, frolicking and presents awaited our arrival.

Here, Noah gets to play with his Cousin Samantha's new toy...

Here, Dennis and Jonah have a chat...(Not really sure about what, but as long as Jonah wasn't throwing someting, drooling or crying, it's all good to us.)

And so, our Holiday Season comes to a close. We traveled near, and far to see loved ones we don't get to see that often. We laughed, we cried, we remembered, and we looked forward to doing it all again.

So what's next up for the family? Jonah's One Year Birthday Extravaganza! Don't miss it, right here at outofhans.com! See you soon!

Posted by Jon at 08:33 PM | Comments (0)

Jonah's Very First Birthday!

As we all know, there are momentous occasions in our lives. The purchase of a first car/home, getting married, (getting divorced) and going through the birth of your child. Since Jonah was born, Megan and I have watched Jonah over the last 365 days, and each day brought something a little new to Jonah, and something very exciting for us. His actual birthday (Thursday, January 5th) was sort of crummy, as he was suffering through his sixth ear infection (second double ear infection), and being that it was a Thursday, we really couldn't celebrate it properly. So, with the help of Megan's brother Keir, his wife Jennifer, their daughter Caroline and Megan's sister Abby, we celebrated Jonah's first year in fine fashion on Satuday, January 7th. Better late than never, I guess. (I don't think Jonah minded all that much anyway, he's one.)

Wake up buddy! Somewhere downstairs there is a party waiting for you!

As we live on a street named for a Winnie The Pooh character, it seemed fitting to have a Winnie The Pooh themed birthday for the boy. (Really, though, it's cake. Doesn't matter what the theme is, as long as there is cake.)

Sing with me now, the old Heinz Ketchup jingle, 'Anticipation...."

Finally, after 365 days without appreciable sugar...Here it comes!

What Jonah is reaching for in the above picture is a cake made specially for him, by his wonderful mother, Megan. The cake you are looking at below was for the rest of us. Equally as yummy, but with less hand prints in it. (Except for mine. I couldn't control myself. It was a darned good cake. [Can't see my hand print? That's 'cause I licked it off! Don't tell Megan!])

Let the sugar high begin!

But while the cake was fantastic, to a one year old, a plate is whole lot more fun...

In previous posts, I featured my niece, and Jonah's cousin Caroline. I have determined from previous pictures, and those you are about to look at, that is impossible to take a bad picture of this beautiful little angel!

Cake is good, but presents are better...

Is it me, or does just about every house in America have one of those popper vacuum thingies that kids love so well?

You work hard to make sure that your child has the best of everything. Food to eat, clothes on his or her back, love and affection, you know, all those things a parent is supposed to provide. You ask for nothing in return, except maybe, once in a while, please sit quietly and take a nice picture with your Dad. And this is what I get in return...

But I just figured it out...Clothes and food are okay, I guess, but when Aunt Abby brings presents by, well, now we know who is going to get a good picture!

And that's it for now. I am terribly sorry for the delay, and I will work hard to make sure that my posts are posted in a more timely manner in the future.

Just to tease you a little bit, here is what you can look forward to in the future...

Megan Jonah and I spent some time on some trails, we finally got permission to fly an American Flag, and more cute pictures of Jonah!

See you next time!

Posted by Jon at 12:42 PM | Comments (0)

I Can't Believe He's Missing This!!!

Thanksgiving. It was a time for our forefathers (and mothers) to sit with good friends and family and give thanks to the plentiful bounty they had worked so hard for. Four centuries later, (did I get my math right?) not much has changed, except for maybe the shopping thing, but the true meanings remain the same: A time to visit with good friends and family. A time to spend contemplating what you are thankful for. A time to eat really yummy foods. A time to sleep...

And that's about what Jonah did all through his first trip to New York City. More on that later.

Megan and I spent part of Thanksgiving Day on Interstate 95, heading up from home. We began our journey the day before, and spent the night in Charm City, otherwise known as Baltimore. (We love Baltimore. Well, the Inner Harbor, anyway.) We broke the trip up into two parts, because we didn't think Jonah would appreciate nine hours in the car overnight. We made the right choice. So, we got up early on T-Day, packed up our stuff, and continued north on 95. Eventually, we got to NYC to pick up Jonah's Grandfather (Jon's Dad) and head farther north to one of Jon's sister's homes for the big meal. This was the first time Jonah had seen Grandpa since he was eight days old.

It was also the first time I had seen my Dad since Jonah was eight days old, so it was nice to see my ol' man.

Then, it was mealtime!

This was our turkey, excellently cooked and prepared by my sister and her husband.

And this is our turkey, excellently cooked by my wife Megan.

After visiting with my sisters and their families, we headed back to NYC, so Jonah and his Grandfather could get to know each other better!

I am no stranger to New York, though some would say I am strange; but I digress. Jonah, however, had never been there, so we headed off to see the sights. (Okay, Megan and I saw the sights, but Jonah just saw the insides of his eyelids.)

Here's Jonah and Mom on the 6th Avenue bus, heading uptown to midtown to Rockefeller Center, to see the famous tree.

But it didn't take long for the soothing bus ride to put Jonah asleep...

For this trip, Megan and I brought our backpack carrier and the stroller. But on the sightseeing trip, we brought only the stroller. In theory, folding up the stroller and carrying it around is a nice idea, but in practice, it's a whole other matter. We handled just fine, but getting that thing on and off a city bus is not something we would recommend. But, it kept a sleeping boy asleep, and that was nice.

So the bus dropped us of just a few blocks shy of our destination, and we prepared to head off, but not before a couple of cute pictures of Megan and I trading hats. Don't worry; Megan doesn't have cooties. She told me.

So onward we went to the Center, a place Jonah had been begging us to see. He didn't see very much of it.

As it happens, they never light the tree when we are in New York, despite the fact that we have traveled hundreds of miles to see the thing. Prepared for this event, before we left The Old North State on our T-day journey, I regaled Jonah with stories of how beautiful and magnificent St. Patrick's Cathedral is. (So it wouldn't be a wasted trip, you see, so Jonah could see St. Patty's, since an unlit tree is a depressing tree.) Of course, he whined until we told him we'd go see it, and, of course, he slept like a log...

But do logs really sleep? How do we know? If they snore while asleep in the forest, do they make a noise? But I digress. You cannot visit the greatest city in the world without doing some shopping, and Jonah, well taught by his Mom and his Aunt Abby (Megan's sister) begged to do some shopping. So, slaves as we are to the boy, we went shopping. However, all he got in was some window shopping, because, as you guessed it, he slept right through the experience...

Not even an ambulance, lights, horns and sirens blaring, could wake this tired traveler up...

And predictably, just as we left midtown to catch a bus downtown for some yummy eats, Jonah joins the waking world...

But it's good timing, because Megan, Jonah and I are now headed to the best Jewish Deli on earth. Bar none. Seriously. Don't even bother telling me about one in your city, because they won't compare. Where are we going? Why, to the 2nd Avenue Deli, of course!

Megan's favorite is a Chicken Salad Sandwich, with crinkly fries and a Dr. Brown's Root Beer. At $10.95, it's an expensive sandwich, but it's really one of the main reasons we keep coming back to New York. Oh yeah, and the family too, I suppose.

Megan enjoyed as much as she could of the greatest Chicken Salad Sandwich on earth. But it's a big sandwich, so you can't blame her...

Jonah, by this time, was wide awake and hungry. Sadly, he isn't ready for the delicacies we love so well, but he enjoyed some green beans, some "puffs" and some small pieces of pastrami...

And of course, besides Megan and Jonah, my main reason for living is the Pastrami Sandwich on Rye, piled high, and served warm. I eat it along with a Dr. Brown's Cream Soda and crinkly fries. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

Why are there no pictures of crinkly fries, you ask? There weren't any left when I started to take pictures, because I ate most of them.

It saddens Megan that the Deli doesn't ship Chicken Salad, but they do offer a lot of other great menu items. (The fries, pastrami and hot dogs are outstanding!) Visit their website at:
www.2ndavenuedeli.com And if you're ever in New York City, give them a try. Yes, they are expensive. Yes, the waiters and waitresses are really old and crabby, and yes, it gets really crowded in there, but it really is worth the trip. Yum!

So after lunch, it was back home to the apartment and a nap for Jonah. A nap you say? After all that sleeping he got in during the midtown adventure? Well, he is, after all nearly 11 months old (Dec. 5th!) and he needs his rest. But a nap energizes a body, and that's when we took Jonah to his first playground. Never before had he been on swings, slides or anything else you might find at a playground. But here he was, enjoying all that a New York City playground could offer him...

Back home, and in pajamas, Jonah spends some time with my Dad's wife, Selina.

As always, our trips to New York are always too short. But the time we spend is spent well, as Jonah had the chance to meet his cousins for the first time, an Uncle for the first time, and just enjoy being with those who love him.

Posted by Jon at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)

Holiday Pics!

If you've ever followed the calendar, you've noticed by now that the Holiday season continues after Thanksgiving. (Of course, how could you not know that, when the Christmas music starts playing four and half munites after Halloween ends???) Anyway, Jonah, Megan and I geared up for Christmas, with Jonah opening his first gifts from Grandma Sara...

Then, on Christmas Eve, Eve, Eve, we welcomed Jodi and her daughter Aarika to our home, to spend the evening before they continued on to Jodi's parents house. Here, Aarika gets in some lovin' on the boy...

And then Jodi got her turn...(Don't worry, there's enough boy to go around!)

But seeing as this is the gift giving (and getting!!!!) season, Jonah got right into the spirit (with a little help from Aarika) opening his gift from them...

"Gift? Who needs a gift when I've got this fun wrapping paper to play with?"

"Mmmm...This is the best tasting gift ever!!!!"

Megan bought Aarika a charm bracelet...

And Cousin Abby got a sweater for Aarika...

And Jodi got some earrings...

With the gifts exchanged, photos could now be taken. In this nice family shot, we have Megan, Binky, Dog, Jonah, Jodi and Aarika...

The next morning, Jodi's parents (Aarika's grandparents if you are keeping score at home) came to pick them up, so they could spend Christmas together. But not before getting in some time with Jonah. Great Aunt Ginny gets him first...

And last, but certainly not least, Great Uncle Jerry spends some time with his Great Nephew. (In more ways than one!)

When Jodi and Aarika came to the house, they brought with them the most wonderful, yummy cookies we had eaten in a long time. Sadly, I cannot show you any pictures of them, because we just about ate them all. And even though their visit was short, we had a lot of fun, and look forward to seeing Jodi and Aarika again very soon.

While the Holiday weekend began with Jodi and Aarika, it ended with Megan's Dad, her stepmom Deb, brother Keir, sister Abby, sister-in-law Jennifer and their cute baby girl Caroline.

Posted by Jon at 08:40 AM | Comments (0)