Chris and Haley Jonas

I Love My Biscuits

2008-07-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

We finally started giving Pressley the little biter biscuits so she can practice using her 2 teeth! Although I love to see her try these new things, it showed me that the days of trying to keep her clean and spotless all the time are pretty much over. By the time she was done with the biscuit she had it all over everything. Fun times.

Swimming is FUN

2008-07-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

Last week we took Pressley to Pops' pool for her first swim! She LOVED the water. The minute she got in the pool she naturally just started kicking her arms and legs. It's so amazing how babies have this innate ability to know what to do in water. I only wish that we had gotten her in the water sooner so she could have enjoyed it the entire summer. I see swim lessons in the very near future. . . . Here are some pics.

Old Friends

2008-07-07T12:54:00.000-07:00

On Saturday three of my friends from law school came to Hendersonville to visit for the day. We are all spread out, from D.C. to Birmingham to Greenville to Charlotte so it was random that we were all able to meet up. It was even more random that we met up in Hendersonville even though none of us live there. But somehow we made it work. Andrea brought her 12 week old baby, Mary Carlson and her husband, John; Brooke brought her 18-month old Aubrey and Mary Frances came along to keep us all sane. I have a few pics but didn't have my camera most of the time so girls, if you're reading, send me your pics!!!! It was so great seeing these girls!

4th of July

2008-07-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th of July in Hendersonville with my Mom. I had lofty plans of being a fun mom and decided we would get Pressley all decked out in red, white and blue and go to downtown Hendersonville where there was sure to be something going on. When we got downtown, we realized we had missed the 4th of July parade, which I didn't even know about, but I definitely think attending the parade would have put me in the "fun mom" category. Oh well, there is always next year. We did hang around in H'ville and enjoy the day.

Traveling

2008-07-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

Pressley and I have been out of town for the last 10 days or so visiting all of our family. We stopped in the mountains to pick up Nana and Bama and then drove to Nashville where we spent a few days with my brother Gabe and his wife Ashley and their two kids, Cole and Ainsley. Needless to say it was a little crazy living out of a suitcase for 10 days and I think Pressley was a little tired of sleeping (or should I say not sleeping!!!) in her pack and play by the end of the trip. I'm posting some pics of Pressley with Cole and Ainsley and her Nana. Pressley LOVED her cousins - they were very entertaining!!!

Happy First Father's Day

2008-06-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

I have no words to explain the respect and admiration I have for Chris as a husband and a father. When people look at Pressley, they immediately tell me that she looks just like her Daddy. But when I look at Pressley, I don't see Chris' physical characteristics. Instead, I see Chris' gentle soul, his even-temper and his serious curiosity. I am so grateful that Pressley has received these endearing qualities from her Daddy. Pressley and I are so blessed!!!

Daddy Did This To Me

2008-06-16T07:28:00.001-07:00

I haven't blogged in awhile because we've been running around lately trying to get ready for Father's Day!!!! Pressley had her portrait made on Monday as a gift to Chris for his first Father's Day. Chris had no idea about the portrait, which explains why during Pressley's Sunday night bath, Chris thought it would be cute to spike her hair. Too bad she woke up with this hair on Monday a.m. before her portrait.

The Nose Bubble

2008-05-27T15:58:00.001-07:00

So I know this is gross, but I had to post this picture because it is kind of funny. Pressley has a little runny nose so when her Uncle Adam came in to visit this weekend, he and Chris were thrilled to catch a picture of her "nose bubble."

Uncle Adam!!

2008-05-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

After Pressley and I returned from Hendersonville on Sunday we got to visit with Uncle Adam, one of Chris' brothers, who came to visit for the weekend. Pressley loves her Uncle Adam! Although he and Aunt Sara don't have any kids of their own YET, Uncle Adam was a pro at making Pressley laugh.

Bama's New House

2008-05-27T15:29:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Pressley and I drove to Hendersonville to visit my mom who just moved back from Raleigh. We had so much fun and Pressley has finally decided she really likes Bama (after a brief period of crying every time Bama walked into the room!) Before we left, we were sure to take some pics of Pressley, Bama and Bama's new house. We are so glad that Bama is now less than 2 hours away!!! Yeah!!! That means lots of visits!!!!

My First Mother's Day

2008-05-11T18:51:00.000-07:00

I thought being pregnant last year meant I could celebrate Mother's Day. But now that Pressley is actually here, this Mother's Day had a whole new meaning. I feel like I have finally accomplished something in life. What a blessing Pressley has been to me in the short time I have known her. She has changed my outlook, my opinions, my purpose, my priorities . . . . my life. I can finally appreciate a mother's love and there is nothing like it.

Blue 21! Blue 21! Set....Hut....Hut!

2008-05-11T18:34:00.000-07:00

Pressley's Pops gave her a football yesterday and it has quickly become her favorite toy. Of course Chris was thrilled to see her holding a football and grabbed the camera and started snapping. The first picture is her best Heisman pose. In the second picture, she fumbled the ball but had a nice recovery with her neck. She's practicing her grip in the last pic.

Get Out The Vote

2008-05-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Primary Day! Will this election ever be over??? After Chris got home from work, we walked across the street to the Methodist Church, which happens to be our polling precinct, and cast our ballots. Pressley was so excited to participate in her first presidential primary, but she wouldn't tell us who she voted for!!!!!

6 Months Old Already????

2008-05-07T18:57:00.001-07:00

It is so hard to believe that Pressley is already 6 months old. I mean there were times that I didn't think I would make it through the first 6 weeks. But now it feels like these past 6 months have flown! She had a good doctor's appointment on Monday weighing in at 16 lbs 12 oz and she is now 26 3/4 in. long. Here are a few pics. of the little one through the months. . . . .

Baby Dedication

2008-05-07T18:20:00.000-07:00

On April 27th Chris and I were honored to dedicate Pressley to the church and commit to raising her in God's service. It was such a sweet ceremony. There was a reception at the end and each family had its own table, which was nice. Pressley was pretty much melting down by the end, but it was still a very special day!!

Gone Walkin'

2008-04-21T16:18:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather is getting nice and warm we've been taking more walks with the Baby Bjorn. It seems uncomfortable to me, but so far Pressley hasn't voiced any major objections. We bought her a big floppy hat to keep the sun out of her eyes!

Props to Pops!

2008-04-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

Pops celebrated his birthday this past week and he came over for dinner and a little cake and ice cream. Happy Birthday Pops and many many more!

Daddy and Me

2008-04-18T13:57:00.001-07:00

My two favorite people:)

Blake and Pressley

2008-04-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

Today I had lunch with my friend Jodi and her son, Blake. Jodi has been watching Pressley for me the last few weeks so I can get some lawyering done. She has been an answered prayer for sure! Blake is adorable with a capital "A" and Pressley loves him! He helps take care of Pressley and plays peek-a-boo with her to keep her busy. Both Pressley and Blake wore their hair in mohawks during lunch even though Pressley's doesn't show up too well in the pics. Take my word for it, they were so cute!

Mmmmm Mmmmm Good!

2008-04-18T13:31:00.001-07:00

I have noticed lately that when Chris and I are eating dinner, Pressley sits there and looks at us like, "Aren't you going to let me in on some of that???" So last week we started cereal. She was a little "iffy" about it on that first bite, but after that, she took it like a champ. Wish I could say the same about the bananas we tried yesterday!!! Here are some pics. . . . .

Poor Bailey-Boo

2008-04-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

This past Friday night after Chris and Bailey took their walk, Bailey started making these weird noises like he had something stuck in his throat. This went on and on for a little while and we got freaked out so around 10:45 p.m., Chris took Bailey to the emergency vet. The vet had to put Bailey under so that he could stick a tube down his throat. Sure enough the vet pulled out a huge clump of freshly cut grass that Bailey had apparently grabbed on his walk. Bailey had to have a bunch of IV's since he's a "senior" dog and he was so out of it when he came out of his deep sleep that Chris had to carry him everywhere for awhile. He is really heavy and Chris had to tote him up and down the stairs and even hold him up while he walked him outside. It was SO sad:( Bailey is now back in full-force. But I took some pics while he was down and out. He's got little bandages on his legs where they had to shave him and insert the IV's. Poor Bailey-Boo:(

This Is My SWEET Face

2008-04-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

This Is My MEAN Face!

2008-04-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

V-O-L-S Go Vols Go!

2008-03-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

This week Chris' Aunt Andrea came up from Murfreesboro, TN (aka "The Boro") to cheer on the TN Vols at the NCAA tournament. On Thursday, we all went to lunch. Pressley wore her TN bib that her Daddy bought her to commemorate the occasion and to show her Tennessee pride! It was great seeing you Aunt Andrea!!!!

I'm a Big Girl Now

2008-03-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

This past week we broke out the little booster seat that has been sitting at the top of Pressley's closet for the last 5 months. It's hard to believe it's already time to break out the "big girl" stuff. We now seat Pressley at the table with us while we have dinner and she enjoys sitting up and looking around. She has also learned how to hold some of her toys without using her hands, which these pictures will show. Only 5 months old and already trying to take the easy route!!! I've got a lot of work to do!

Nana the Troublemaker

2008-03-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

OK. So my Nana, the troublemaker that she is, has taught Pressley how to "fake cough." Now Pressley does it ALL the time and it sounds like she's choking. It scares me to death sometimes. But Nana is SO proud of herself for teaching Pressley this annoying little habit! Pressley had lots of fun with Nana over Easter and they shared these few fun moments on Easter morning . . . .

Uncle Jim's Beard

2008-03-25T11:45:00.001-07:00

My Uncle Jim has a long white beard like Santa Claus. It was funny to watch Pressley look at his beard this weekend. I know she was thinking, "Hey, it's Easter. I'm supposed to see the Easter bunny today, not Santa!"

Four Generations

2008-03-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

I'm so blessed to have strong, Christian women in my family. My mom and Nana are so instrumental in my life and I can already see them playing a role in Pressley's life as well. I am grateful that Pressley will have these strong women as role models who will help us teach her all about God and his love for her. I was so excited to get a picture this past weekend of the four generations . . .

Easter

2008-03-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Chris, Pressley, Bailey and I went to Nana's to celebrate Easter in the mountains. We had so much fun. Lots of homecooked meals, including some delicious gravy and biscuits on Sunday morning!!! YUMMM! We had so much fun with Nana and Bama and Nana was so excited to show Pressley off at her church Sunday a.m. Pressley was so well-behaved in the worship service and didn't make a peep, even when the preacher shouted, "Lazarus, come forth!" The Easter bunny brought Pressley a little pink lamb but not alot of candy:(

Funny Hat!

2008-03-25T11:22:00.001-07:00

Bama got Pressley the cutest little hat for Christmas. I couldn't resist putting it on her a few weeks ago when it was really windy out.

Birmingham Fun

2008-03-25T10:57:00.001-07:00

We recently went to Birmingham for the weekend to visit Chris' family. It was great to spend time with the family and Pressley and Mallory enjoyed having some time together as well! I can't wait until they are old enough to play together and all each other by name. That will be so much fun. Chris' parents got to meet her and we all had a great time in typical Jonas fashion.

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-03-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

So I haven't really gotten into this blogging thing yet - that is why I'm posting pictures from Valentine's Day in March. Anyway, Pressley was so excited to get dressed up in her Valentine sweater and make her Daddy a heart cake. Pressley had a great time making the cake and Mommy and Daddy had a great time eating it! Pressley got so many sweet cards from everyone. I am so excited to have them to add to her box of memories! Here are some pics from Pressley's first Valentine's Day!

Adam and Ash's 30th Birthday

2008-02-24T16:03:00.000-08:00

On January 2, 2008, my two younger twin brothers Adam and Ash turned the big the 3-0!! Their wives, Sara and Joy threw them a surprise "Poker Night" party at Ross Bridge, near where Ash and Joy live. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to go down to Birmingham to celebrate, especially to see Adam and Ash's faces when we surprised them.

The trip was our first real "long" trip with Pressley and it was certainly eventful. We got off a little late (Jonas time) and hit Atlanta Friday traffic right when you don't want to - at 5:00 PM. With a couple more stops for Pressley, we got there after the surprise. It actually worked out great because when Pressley, Haley and I walked in, Adam saw us and went nuts. It took Ash a little while longer to figure it out (as usual!) and I think we really surprised them. Ash and Adam had probably 30 guys there playing craps, blackjack and poker. The high rollers ended up at the craps table as by the end of the night, $5,000 bets were a minimum. Pressley was proud that her dad walked away with $15,000 play money dollars and won a gift certificate to Moe's, mommy's new favorite place to eat (thanks Sara and Joy!).

Also, Pressley got to hang out with cousin Mallory again, Ash and Joy's daughter. Mallory is about 2 months older than Pressley so we are excited that they will be able to grow up together. They were so facinated with each other!

We had a great weekend hanging out with the Jonas side and here a couple of pics.

Pressley Is Two Months Old!

2008-02-24T15:26:00.000-08:00

On December 30th, we celebrated Pressley being two months old. She's starting to hold that head up more and we love her big girl outfit and cap.

Hanging Out With Cole and Ainsley

2008-02-24T14:22:00.001-08:00

Over Christmas, Pressley got to meet her cousins Cole and Ainsley Mathews. Haley's brother Gabe and his wife Ashley brought the kids over to Nana's for a couple of days and we all got to hang out.

Pressley's Visit from Santa

2008-02-17T19:37:00.000-08:00

Pressley wasn't too interested in what Santa Claus brought her this year - so Santa took advantage! Mommy and Daddy did get Pressley to pose for a quick shot with her Christmas "booty."

Pressley's First Christmas

2008-02-04T17:56:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was obviously very special with it being Pressley's first. Haley, Pressley, Bailey (the big yellow dog) and I went to visit Nana, Bama and Pressley's aunt, uncle and cousins. We had a great time introducing Pressley to Nana's extended family and friends in Canton, NC. Pressley watched as her mommy and Bama duked it out on the new Playstation Wii - championship boxing. It was described as one of the highlights of the holiday watching those two go three rounds in "virtual championship boxing"....

We also got to visit with Pops and mommy's granddad and grandmother. Pressley had a great time meeting everyone on Pop's side of the family.

Here a couple of our favorite pictures of Pressley over her first Christmas. It is unbelieveable to know that our little one is not even two months old in these pictures...

Mommy and Pressley

2008-02-02T14:14:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like seeing your two favorite girls together....

Just Chillin

2008-02-02T13:59:00.000-08:00

Pressley's Other Favorite Pastime - Tennessee Football

2008-02-02T13:38:00.000-08:00

Pressley has quickly become a huge Volunteer fan, just like her daddy - she wore her Tennessee outfit for every football Saturday through the SEC Championship.

Pressley's Favorite Pastime

2008-02-02T13:21:00.000-08:00

We quickly figured out that Pressley takes after both her mom and dad - she cherishes her sleep (thankfully)!!

Daddy's Little Snuggle Bunny!

2008-02-02T13:13:00.000-08:00

Our Girl is Here....

2008-02-02T12:57:00.000-08:00

Pressley Haynes Jonas was born at 4:27 P.M. on Tuesday, weighing in at 8 pounds, 5 ounces and stretching 20 1/2 inches long! Pressley's most noticable characteristics were her dark hair and dark eyes, just her like her mom's!

The Day!!

2008-02-02T12:48:00.001-08:00

Haley and I woke up early Tuesday morning, October 30th after a fairly restless night of sleep. I remember a mix of emotions ranging from extreme excitement to butterflies in the pit of your stomach nervousness. But we just keep looking at each other saying, "can you believe this?" Haley and I got to the hospital and started the inducement around 8:30 AM and by that afternoon, the "P" was here!

Pressley is Our Blessing

2008-02-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

It is hard to imagine how quickly three months have gone. It was three months ago that I held my baby girl for the first time. It was three months ago that she looked up at me as her father for the first time. It can't be three months since we saw that first adorable yawn, can it? It has been 13 weeks since I was able to see my beautiful wife hold my prescious daughter for the first time and have an enormous pride swell up in my chest. I can still remember those feelings as if it were yesterday.

It has been challenging learning how to become a parent for the first time but so rewarding! It is pretty funny to see what Haley and I will do to get a reaction out of Pressley. And everything seems to fade away when she "talks" to us, which is pretty often these days. There is no feeling in the world like having your daughter flash a huge smile when she sees you.

I just want to take one moment to say how much Haley means to me. She has given me the honor of being my wife for eight and a half years now and unbelievably, we've been together over thirteen years. I am so grateful that she has been my companion for these years - and now, the mother to my daughter. It is amazing how blessed I am!

So here we go - a brief history of how this little girl has changed our lives forever!

2008-01-17T16:17:00.000-08:00

On Oct. 30, 2007 our lives were changed forever as we welcomed Pressley Haynes Jonas into the world. I am so in awe of the tiny miracle that God created just for us and am reminded everyday that God has entrusted her to our care. What a responsibility! But the greatest job in the world.