Addison's First Meal

After weeks of grabbing for our food and watching intently as we took each bite, Addison was finally able to enjoy her very own meal. And what a meal it was! Who wouldn't want a tablespoon of rice cereal mixed with breast milk - YUM! Although it was little more than soupy mush, Addison was curious and ate the mush enthusiastically. We propped her up in her high chair, rolled the camera and as soon as the spoon got near her mouth, she opened up like a little bird and in went the cereal. So exciting! She opened up again and again, and when she'd had enough, she simply turned her head away. She made a few funny faces, like "what the hell am I eating", but if I had to make a guess I'd say she'll be a pretty good eater. We went out and bought a make-your-own-baby-food cookbook and have every intent of going that route - cheaper and healthier. We'll see.... She'll stick to rice cereal once a day for a few weeks and then we'll introduce other (but likely more tasty) forms of mush - peas, carrots, bananas. We can't wait, and can't believe that this stage in development is already here. So the video clip is a bit too long to post here, but if you go out to Flickr you might be able to pull it up there...good luck.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elizabethbarat/3110752180/

A few cute pictures from over the weekend. Oh, and we got a TON of snow!!! It's currently -23 degrees with the windchill. Fun.

Morning sleepyhead

One of the first bites

Being entertained by Callie

Santa Barbara

It was a quick trip, but a great one. We were in SB for the weekend to celebrate Grant and Allan's birthdays and had so much fun. We flew into LAX and Addison was relaxed and happy on the plane, shuttle and rental car drive up the coast, which is always a relief. We love going there and just chilling out, especially in the middle of winter here in MN. We never wore a coat and I was able to sit out in the sun and read in the backyard - heaven! We were lucky enough to see auntie Shana - she made the drive up from San Diego for the party on Saturday night. The party itself was beautiful, although Addison was definitely not in the mood to socialize. Too bad, because she wore the cutest dress! She was so crabby that we didn't even get a picture of her in it. Thankfully she ended up falling asleep and staying with us through dinner. Her whole sleep schedule was thrown off, so except for the 3am wake up calls, everything else about the weekend was perfect. See you all soon, we love you!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Downtown SB

Farmer's Market

Hendry's Beach

Allan and Grant's party at the San Ysidro Guest Ranch - I wish I got more pictures of the gorgeous patio and food!

Just hanging out

Thanksgiving weekend

Addison's first Thanksgiving was perfect. It was a nice long weekend spent relaxing with family. We cooked, ate, hosted turkey day dinner, shopped, played with the baby, took in a performance of "A Christmas Carol" at the Guthrie Theatre, decorated the house for Christmas....we're left wondering on Sunday night "Do you really have to go back to work tomorrow?" It actually snowed on Sunday morning, which was a nice treat for Grammie Pam.

Rolling over - the newest trick

She finally did it! After weeks of rolling (extremely well I might add) from side to side, Addison was actually able to pull herself all the way over onto her belly from her back. She did it once, was VERY proud of herself as the whole family cheered her on, did it again, then again and again. Once she got the hang of it there was no turning back - literally! She kicks her leg over, burries her little face in the floor and just goes for it.

Bumbo Chair

Some friends of ours loaned us the "Bumbo" chair, claiming that the baby would love it. Well, she does! We think this little contraption makes her feel like a big girl, because she gets a huge smug grin every time she's propped up in it. Its become her favorite vantage point to watch Callie running around chasing her ball.

I can eat my toes!

Addison has discovered the art of putting her feet into her mouth - talented!

Dance Fever