We've been slow to start solids here in the Palte house, mostly because Mom enjoys the ease of breastfeeding.
I tried coating the bananas with ground oats to make them easier to pick up....tasty? Maybe. Messy? Absolutely!
As of this week (the girls are a little over 8 months old), we're up to two meals a day. I used to eat breakfast while the girls played after they first woke up, but now they sit at the table and eat breakfast with me. Breakfast usually consists of some type of fruit and cheerios or puffs. While spoon feeding seems to get more in their bellies, the girls seem to prefer feeding themselves, so chunks of banana and pears have been a favorite.
Bananas and Cheerios....delicious!
They seem to take turns tolerating the spoon. Last week, Addison was doing alright taking bites that were given to her, swallowing them, and keeping the mess fairly contained to her high chair tray. Emily, on the other hand, would close her lips tight and only open her mouth for something she was bringing towards it. It worked for a little while to feed her with two spoons, taking an empty spoon from her hands and trading it for a full spoon, which she would hold and suck on herself (and maybe 1/4 of the food would make it into her stomach!)
Mmmmmm, nanners
But within the last couple of days, Emily has decided she will eat from a spoon, as long as we make it quick and let her feed herself cheerios or puffs right after. Addison, on the other hand, has decided that anything spoon fed to her will be squished around in her mouth and then sprayed as far as it can go on the wings of the raspberry bubbles she blows. This trick is hilarious to her and while it brings frowns to the faces of Mom and Dad, she is always full of smiles while the puree sprays across the table.
Addie tastes potatoes and green beans
Emily says, "As long as I can feed these beans to myself, I'll eat them, Mom!"
On September 28th, Addison pulled herself up to a kneeling position and was thrilled with herself.
Two days later, I was in the kitchen listening to the girls play in the family room. Suddenly it became very quiet, which got my attention. When I came around the corner, this is what I saw!
The girls and I took a trip to Windsor Gardens last month to have lunch and playtime with the Greats. It is so wonderful to see my grandparents and my babies playing together!
Grandma Hicks with Addie
Grandma Nicoll with Emily
Grandpa Hicks Holds Two Babies!
Titan III Centaur rocket launch with Voyager I (Sept 5, 1977)
Chris recently bought a few pictures of a Titan III rocket launch for Grandpa to sign and give to the kids. Grandpa worked on the Titan rockets while working at Lockheed Martin as an engineer in the 1970s. They were used to send the Voyager I & II satellites into space (that studied Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, and Uranus), along with the Viking I & II orbiter/landers that were used to explore the surface of Mars.
Picture of Mars from Viking II Lander
Viking I PEPP-Aeroshell test
The plaque Grandpa received for his work on the project
Here's Grandpa telling about some of the development work he did with the parachute used to drop the Viking lander safely on Mars.
Unfortunately, my camera wasn't cooperating, and the video above cuts out before Grandpa is done telling about his project. When I got the camera rolling again, the show was back on the babies. Addison has really gotten into climbing on anything or anyone around. Here she is climbing on Great Grandma Hicks!
