Giveaway! Revolution Foods at EcoMom

I recently got a nice little box of goodies to try out for some product reviews. And while the products themselves were very nice, first I wanted to say something about the company...

I heard of EcoMom from some other eco-conscious pals of mine when I was searching for a new lotion for Aiden. EcoMom has a number of green and eco-friendly products on their website, hence the name "EcoMom"... (There are products for the EcoDads, too, of course.) Many items I would like to try myself, actually. I first saw that EcoMom was looking for people to do some reviews on facebook. It just showed up in my feed one day, so I emailed EcoMom and said I was interested in doing a review. Why not, right!? Well, the correspondence that followed was very impressive. First, they asked what I would be interested in reviewing. Then, they offered up some food items. When I mentioned Aiden's allergies, they took the time to speak with the makers of the food products themselves to make sure there would be no risks with the foods they might send - even making sure there were no eggs used in the facilities for other products! (The fact that they did more than simply look at the food label on the box meant a lot to a mom with a child with food allergies.) After that, we even had a number of emails just chatting about food allergies and gluten issues, as they were quite familiar with them, too. I felt that Jody, the person I was communicating with, really took the time to make sure I was happy with what I was receiving, took EXTRA time to make sure the items were safe for my child, and then took some time to just chat some! How nice!

Oh, and while emailing back and forth about some things, I mentioned a lotion they carry that we have bought for Aiden and like. Guess what? Not only did they send the food for the review...but they threw in a bottle of the lotion for an extra review! (And this ain't some cheap lotion, folks!) More about that soon...

Great customer service? CHECK.

Ok...so onto the first product review, which is actually more like two product reviews because they sent more than one type of food (and various flavors of each!).

In case you haven't figured out from knowing me or from previous posts about food...I'm a little picky on what food passes the lips of my growing toddler (or any of my family, for that matter). Almost everything is homemade, and as much as possible is organic. These days we make those things top priority when meal-planning. BUT I do like to have a few things on hand to just toss into the diaper bag for quick on-the-go snacks. And what Jody sent me was just perfect. They're the fruit "mash-ups" that come in small single-size squeezable containers. We've gotten some carrot-apple ones from Trader Joe's before, and Aiden really liked them. These were even yummier! I'll be completely honest...I tried all of the foods that Aiden was trying. Surely I can't just go by the fact that he sucked it out of the container as fast as he could and then immediately signed and said "more??" And not only did I try them, but even my ten-year-old tried them. Verdict? We would all be more than happy to try some more. Seriously, I would eat these things! Camden actually asked if he could have more each time he tried one.

These babies are made by Revolution Foods. They are organic and only consist of fruit. Nothing else added, which is a must in my book. I don't buy fruits that have extra sugar added. Seriously...so unnecessary. We were sent a few to try, and they have come in quite handy. We traveled some right after receiving the package, and it was nice to have these along in the diaper bag while out on the road or at a restaurant waiting for our food (especially with a non-napping-during-the-trip toddler). They might not take long to eat, but they certainly made him happy! To be honest, these aren't products I would have for him to eat every day. They're yummy enough, yes. I do like to give him whole fruits and homemade meals. But, as said before, it is so nice to have things like this to drop into the diaper bag for out and about. And nothing beats it being organic, pure fruit, and delicious. Well, that and the fact that he loves it. Besides, it's even more of a treat if he doesn't have it every day.

Then we also got some other goodies made by Revolution Foods called Grammy Sammy and Jammy Sammy - basically mini organic snack sandwiches. Aiden was not able to have these, but that's just because they had peanut butter in them. While we don't know of a peanut allergy, the allergist recommended we not give Aiden the other top allergenic foods he hadn't already had when tested for the egg allergy. We're at least waiting until our follow-up visit this fall, so we avoid things with nuts for now. Since he couldn't test these, Camden was more than happy to step up and take his place. I also tried a couple bites. These are also small single-serving sizes...perfect to toss in the diaper bag for an emergency snack. Camden really liked them, too! And the ones I tried were yummy. I'm sure if Aiden had his chance, he would happily gobble them down. And ask for more.

Now, before you run out to buy these... Yes, I will be doing a giveaway. You can win $20 worth of Revolution Foods and/or Plum products (EcoMom will cover shipping costs, as well). While I reviewed a couple Revolution Food products, this is a tiny sampling to what is available!!

One other thing about EcoMom and then you can move on to entering the giveaway. ;) They have this program called EcoPass. You can purchase a $99 annual membership that gives you 15% off of every order and free shipping with no minimum order. (Without the membership, you can only get free shipping once your order hits $75.) Pretty nice! On top of that, they are running a special. They are giving you a $50 gift certificate with your purchase of an EcoPass right now. So, if you think of it the way I would...the pass is kind of only costing you $50. (My husband wouldn't see it that way, but...to-may-to, to-mah-to...right?) ;)

Here's how you enter...

1. Mandatory entry: Go to EcoMom...look around and post which Revolution Foods and/or Plum products you would want to try. Eco-friendly Baby Products - EcoMom.

Extra entries (one comment per entry):
2. Follow EcoMomCEO on Twitter
3. Like EcoMom on facebook. Leave a comment on the fan page that I sent you!
4. Sign up to receive EcoMom's newsletter
5. Blog/tweet/fb post about this giveaway, link to the giveaway in your post, and leave a comment here linking to your post
6. Email your friends a link to the giveaway (be sure to include me in the email so I can see it); comment here to get your entry.
7. Buy your EcoPass and get 5 extra entries! (Comment 5 times to get them all in.) Remember, they are currently giving you a $50 gift certificate with your purchase of an EcoPass. That's an awesome deal!

Please note, while I did receive products from EcoMom to review, I was not in any way compensated for reviewing the products, and my opinions are entirely my own.

Can't wait for the giveaway? Go on and order...and save 15%! Use this code: SBBL354. Offer good through June 30th, 2010. (And just for kicks, while at Whole Foods the other day, I did check to see if they had these snacks. They did. And they charge more. WF charges $5.69 for a 4-pack of the Mashups, while EcoMom charges $4.99, that's without the 15% code I just gave you.)

Ok, get to it! :) Winner will be selected this Friday, the 18th at 3pm (because that's when I might just get a minute to myself due to naptime...). I'll choose the winner randomly and will email to let you know you've won! (Be sure to include your email in each entry!)

Second giveaway is up, now! Click HERE to enter to win that, too. :) Second giveaway ends Monday, June 21st.

This giveaway is now CLOSED.
Winner will be emailed once entry is verified.
Thanks for entering!

Update on Aiden's possible food allergies...

If you haven't read/heard about what happened with Aiden's reaction to his birthday cake icing, check THIS out first.

We went to the ENT today to have Aiden tested. While there, we ran into no needles, were instructed on doing some "testing" at home, and learned lot of other information.

First of all, the allergy part. The dr is pretty sure it was the dye, which would be more of a contact dermatitis issue versus an actual food allergy (I'm still not too sure what the difference would be in this situation, and regardless, if this is it, Aiden is to not eat things with dye in them). That kind of test is more expensive and typically not covered by insurance - and an at home test gives you the same (but immediate and cheap) results, so he recommended just that. Ryan picked up some of the dye from the bakery, and Aiden now has a drop of it on his back, covered by a bandaid (fittingly, a Curious George bandaid). We'll see what it shows tomorrow! (We could have found out sooner, but we would need to put the dye on his face or the inside of his elbow - difficult for a baby to keep a bandaid there for a small amount of time without grabbing at it. So, the other option is to have it on his back - where he can't grab at it - and keep it there longer.) If he has a reaction, the culprit is the dye. What to do then?? Avoid dyes for a full year...and then do the same test over to see if he has outgrown it or not. What if there is no reaction? We go back to the doctor for some blood work. (They do not do the skin pricks for babies this young - just skip to the blood work.)

We'll see tomorrow what his skin shows us...

We also got the chance to chat with our doctor for quite a while! He was very thorough and took the time to explain...well, more than we even needed to know (which I happen to like). One thing we learned is that since Aiden's blood type is A, Ryan and I both have OA blood types (they just usually say O). I know I am O+, but Ryan doesn't know what he is (which I have repeatedly insisted he find out...) - according to this doctor, he HAS to be this other type if Aiden is type A. We KNOW Aiden is type A because we had to have him retested when he was born. (The hospital had two different types written in his hospital paperwork - good thing we read through the whole thing! So, we had to test again to find out which it was.) Interesting... Something else about type A people...they have more digestive issues than others. The doctor said they make up about 15% of the population but over 70% of his patients. Did not know.

Then the doctor talked with me a bit about my own possible food allergies...that I keep saying I need to get tested for but haven't. Long story short, I may have a wheat allergy/intolerance. My symptoms are quite different than what you would expect - joint problems. I always expect people to kind of give me a strange look when they hear that; that is not what you would think would happen because of a food allergy. I've been to so many doctors that never considered food when dealing with my joint problems. Over years, the problems spread from my knees to include my wrists - and I've been diagnosed with so many things and forced to wear wrist guards and do all kinds of exercises... When it spread to my ankles, as well, and I was in excruciating pain just sitting (forget trying to drive long distances or type for more than a minute), I knew it had to be something else. My mom (who has lots of food allergies) suggested food...try taking wheat out and see what happens. The pain went AWAY! The rheumatologist I had been seeing tested me for Celiac, which was negative (both types of tests), but he said...maybe we're onto something here. Anyway, back to today - this doctor went right along with me. Never skipped a beat. He said it's very likely that is the type of reaction I have to an allergy. Has to do with the type of allergy I have and...while I understood all he said, I don't remember all the names/acronyms...something settles into the joints, and after they build up...pain. When you stop consuming the food, the pain will go away fairly quickly. And it will take time for it to build up again once you start eating the foods again. This is quite different than other types of reactions that can take years to stop (or to be able to eat the foods - after which one might have an immediate reaction). Ok - maybe that wasn't quite so short... This doctor had a similar type of reaction to other foods, so he said once it builds back up and my pain is back - come in for the testing. :) I went off wheat right before getting pregnant. Since then I've eaten some, but I had a bread aversion during the pregnancy, so I didn't eat much at all! I eat it now and have been for the past year or more. Thing is...recently I've noticed pain in my wrists and knees more often. Hmmm... I'll wait until it's back more than this, though, because he said there needs to be a good amount built up in order for it to show up in the tests. Might be seeing him again sometime in the next year - and not for Aiden.

So, back to Aiden...we have the dye on there now but won't be looking at it until tomorrow evening. He said to keep it on the back for 24 hours. More news then, I suppose. We'll either be avoiding food dyes or going back for more tests.

The doctor did sing my praises for breastfeeding Aiden (and told me to keep doing it as long as possible - love hearing that!!). Breastfeeding helps to prevent possible allergies. He gave me a detailed explanation (that I have actually read about)...briefly, it has to do with how the digestive system matures, which isn't until the child is older (about 3 or so). And then we've been making Aiden's food and giving him whole, organic foods and avoiding processed/artificial foods, all of which help. Throughout the whole time we met, he would keep coming back to how wonderful it was that I breastfed and how we did the foods. Very validating! And it feels great to know that we did what was best for Aiden, especially considering the problems that can (and kind of are) arising and his possible predisposition to many allergy and digestive-type problems (family history, eczema issues, the blood type thing - which I had no idea about..., etc). We've also been told to go easy on the dairy, even though he's had some without problems. The dr suggested rice milk. And even though he's eaten eggs with no problem, we're to do the skin test with egg whites, as well.

We do have an appointment with a pediatric allergist at Duke... We're still debating on whether or not to keep that appointment. We'll see.

We'll post more updates later. Thank you all for your concern, thoughts, prayers - all of it! We really appreciate it.

Our Little Foodie

Aiden may not be the best sleeper around, but boy can he EAT! We recently decided to throw out all of the rules with babies and food...and now Aiden is basically eating everything we are. Now, we aren't throwing all caution to the wind or doing so without knowing what we're doing, in case you were wondering. Ryan's sister is about to finish up with her degree in nutrition, and I have a mommy friend that has her PhD as a pediatric dietitian. That, along with advice from Aiden's doctor and our own in depth research....we're confident and know what we're doing around here. No worries there!

Watermelon puree mustache (had to drink it)

Once Aiden started eating solids, he just didn't stop! He gets some pureed foods occasionally now, especially if we're eating something he really can't, but that's not often. (That happens when we're eating things like fries or something with lots of sugar...stuff I'm not about to give him yet!) So, what exactly is the little guy eating? And what are our restrictions these days?

Well....nothing with HFCS at the moment (that's High Fructose Corn Syrup, for those that might not know that - and it's something we really REALLY are trying to keep out of our own diets, not just Aiden's), nothing with refined sugar, no extra butter or salt. And of course, no peanut butter, nuts, or honey - those are big no-nos for a while longer!

This is why beets aren't a finger food...
This is not from him being messy but from doing the spoon swipe across his lips.
Beets are a messy, messy food, even when they're not.

Just about everything else is game, though! Here are a few things he's had lately that you might be surprised to hear about (there are plenty of others but these are some "different" "baby" foods):

• lettuce
• asparagus
• spaghetti with all the works (we have it with all sorts of veggies in there!)
• garlic toast
• taco soup
• chili
• salmon
• kiwi
• hard boiled egg yolks
• broccoli (I'm determined to have one child that likes this stuff)
• beans (refried beans and pinto bean soup)
• mushrooms (cooked and fresh)
• tomato soup (Trader Joe's has a really yummy tomato soup with NO HFCS) - we also mix in a little bit of plain yogurt
  
• grapefruit (nothing added to sweeten, of course!)
• sweet banana peppers
• goldenrod eggs with small chunks of hard boiled egg whites
• beef & lentils (exactly what it sounds like, add some cumin, onions, and garlic - I'll post the recipe soon!)
• strawberry smoothie - no surprise here! (with bananas, organic whole fat yogurt, and milk)
• cheddar & Swiss cheeses, shredded or small chunks
• wheat bread
• steel cut oatmeal (throw in some bananas and blueberries and oh my - he can't get enough!)
• baked potato
• cottage cheese (another thing from Mommy b/c Daddy doesn't like the stuff)

Tonight he also ate brown rice and chunks of chicken from P.F. Chang's lettuce wraps, which is in some sauce that has all kinds of seasonings he's never had. He loved that stuff!! (We do, too, by the way...)

Sometimes Aiden even tries to EAT his books...

And here he is getting mad and throwing the book when Mommy told him not to eat it.

Of course he gets small chunks of things he can smoosh with his gums, and then things like the spaghetti, we throw in the magic bullet to blend just until there are small chunks that he can gum.

It's bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Every now and then, Camden asks what Aiden's favorite food is..... We can't say because he seems to like EVERYTHING! When I gave him some banana pepper, I expected a face but didn't get one. With the grapefruit, same thing! He just kept going! He definitely has a taste for sour things, that's for sure. (That's something he actually gets from ME. Ha!)

So for those of you who are saying...Wait! You aren't supposed to give strawberries (or other berries) until a year old. Or what about that salmon! (We had a hard time finding info on fish other than white fish - so we had to go to our nutrition friends for that ok. She not only answered with an ok but sent me a website link that reinforced it.) And citrus? Well, don't worry your pretty little heads about all that. Sure, you might hear to wait on things like berries and citrus, some say until a year, esp with berry allergy concerns. My friend says most of this caution came from people starting baby foods way too early to begin with (you're now supposed to try to wait until six months or the baby is showing the signs of readiness, though some old school doctors will still say 4 months...). With no family history, though (immediate family), even our doctor says to go for it with all this stuff. Babies can eat almost everything we are by the time they're 9-10 months - and they should be, too. We still haven't tried corn, which is another one "they" sometimes say to wait with but we have been told is fine with no immediate family history (even though my mom is highly allergic, that is not immediate family and Aiden should be fine). The corn will come up the next time we eat it, probably. We've waited a little longer with that one but it's ok by now. But other than that and the other big no-nos that have great reasons for being held off (pb, nuts, and honey), this kid is eating everything we are whenever possible!

If you're interested (esp those of you with babies!), my pediatric dietitian friend recommended a book to me early on, and I absolutely loved it! I had it checked out from the library with multiple renewals. I really want to buy it, actually, to keep as a reference. She said this is the book that most parents say they get the most out of when she recommends it. It's GREAT. It's Ellyn Satter's "Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense." And it's not just about baby food...if you have a younger baby or are expecting, there is great info on feeding from the start, before real food ever enters the picture. And we've actually used some of her advice with how we approach food with Camden...and, even though he is a pretty decent eater, he's doing much better since then. (He's picky with odd stuff...like potatoes. Hates mashed potatoes and things many other kids love. But he LOVES things you wouldn't expect, like banana peppers and salmon - apparently Aiden does, too.)

This is the ONLY way Camden will eat potatoes...smothered with salsa! At least it's not bad for him, like the sour cream and butter I usually use... ;)
Is he not a cute kid??? (Yes, he is.)

So, check out this book. It's awesome. And if you're one of those parents worried about food or trying to get your little one to eat - lighten up and follow her advice. Part of the best advice...follow the baby's lead. One thing I've always kept in mind is her saying that I should not have to put the spoon into my baby's mouth. He should be bringing his mouth to the spoon (or meeting me halfway). And he does. We've never been pushy with food. If he says no, we stop. (That rarely is necessary, but he has said no on occasion, especially when teething or tired.) Meal time is fun. Not playtime but fun. And our baby LOVES to eat!! We're really looking forward to the summer and lots of visits to the farmer's market for all that yummy fresh fruit! I know Aiden is going to love that!

A few more food photos for you to enjoy...

Aiden's first finger foods - egg yolks

Eating a chunk of grapefruit! Yum-yum!


He LOVES milk (or pretty much anything that comes from OUR glasses...). He likes to make sure he gets it ALL out of there.


More sour stuff...limes!

Feel free to share your thoughts, what your little ones like/don't like, etc, etc. :)

FYI

Know how your pee smells funny after you eat asparagus? Well, when you feed asparagus to a baby....it smells even worse. Aiden recently had asparagus - and loved it! :) And by the next diaper, you could tell. And when Ryan brought him to bed after he woke up to nurse that night, I thought Aiden had a dirty diaper - which is odd for him at night. But no...it was just the asparagus.

Just a warning in case you decide to feed it to your baby. :) I'm not even sure if there is a jarred baby food asparagus...but this is your warning if you make it. I expected it to be different but not quite what it was. It really smells more like a dirty diaper than anything else....

Enjoy!

Edited to add: Aiden's dirty diapers are not all that strong smelling - so this might not be so bad for some. It's not necessarily a knock-you-in-the-face kind of smell.

Expired Food "OK"??

I get informational emails from some baby websites ocassionally. Here was the "tip" this week, from parentingweekly.com (called that because they send out weekly tips)...

Feeding your baby canned or jarred baby food after the expiration date has passed probably won't make him ill, but your baby will get fewer nutrients. Expiration dates on baby food are very conservative and are there mainly for quality purposes, not for safety; however, the nutrition and flavor of the food will deteriorate over time.

I'm sorry - WHAT?! I don't eat food past the expiration date. Why on earth would I feed my BABY food that has expired?? In fact, I give my baby the best - better than even I get. So...this totally doesn't fit in with that.

Do you really want to give your baby expired food?? I mean, even if some "experts" (I really have no idea who is actually giving out these tips, after all) say that expiration dates are "mainly for quality purposes, not for safety"????

Mm-Mm Good

Aiden tried his first green veggies today - peas! He ate them like they were nothing new. And eagerly. Just like almost every single other food he has tried (both things - like they're nothing new and eagerly). Out of all the foods he is now eating, there is ONE that he hasn't been in love with -- pumpkin. I don't really blame him, though. Plain pumpkin isn't all that tasty. It happened to be the one food we had the most of, though. BUT I already had a plan. If he didn't like the pureed pumpkin - we have plenty of it for pumpkin pies (and some other pumpkin desserts that I have recipes for but didn't make this past fall, as planned).

Here's a list of his faves (meaning everything he's tried other than pumpkin!)

• Sweet Potatoes (of course! What baby have you heard of that doesn't like sweet potatoes?? It's like THE baby food!)
• Butternut Squash
• Avocado (yes, it IS green, but it's a fruit - so peas ARE the first green veggie)
• Bananas (another duh)
• Applesauce
• Prunes (oh my! The first time he had a bite of this, I had to feed him three times what I planned b/c he loved it soooo much! Ryan -and Camden!- said to enjoy that diaper when it rolled around. Nice of them...)
• Peas
• Oatmeal (we use steel cut) - esp with bananas or applesauce on the side

Oh, he wasn't a big fan of the rice especially, either. But it really doesn't have much taste to it, so I don't blame him there, either. I'm not a big rice fan myself - not by itself, at least. (But put it with some battered and fried chicken pieces with some red sweet & sour sauce on it - Yum-O.)

I've noticed another pro to making our own baby food. Well, for one, it tastes good (b/c it's just regular food, steamed/baked/etc and pureed) so if he leaves a bite or two, we can eat it, too. But that doesn't often happen. He loves to eat. But the part I was getting at...I eat a tad bit better, too. That's b/c when he eats avocado or banana, he's not eating the whole thing. So, I snack on the avocado some and finish off the banana. I *love* avocado, but nobody else in the house does, so we don't get it much. But now there is another fan!! :) And I go through phases with bananas. I love them, but I'm just not always that into them. I'm like that with yogurt, too; don't know what that's all about. But anyway - a little side benefit for me. :)

I also like the benefit of trying foods on the fly. Like - hey, there are some prunes - how 'bout we puree some of those and see how he likes it?! Not always a lot of thought going into it. We see what we have in the cupboard, freezer, fridge, on the counter, etc and go with it! That's what we did with the peas tonight. Lots-o-fun!

Baking For Baby

So, maybe you noticed in one of my latest posts that I mentioned we MADE Aiden's rice cereal. Made? Yep. We're making his baby food. Why? Well, why not?

I have discovered it is SUPER easy, and there are many other reasons.

• I know it is fresh (fresher than jars that have been on the shelf for possibly up to a couple years...seriously. Would you want to buy that jar if you knew it might be a few years old?)
• I know exactly what is in it (just the food itself, nothing added or removed, except maybe some breastmilk to thin it out, if needed)
• it's cheaper than baby food that you buy already made
• it tastes a heck of a lot better than jarred baby food (it tastes like REAL food, even something WE would eat - but that's because it is)
• it is more nutritional than jarred baby food (when making jarred, they have to heat it so much that nutrients are lost - they add some to make up for it, but it's just not the same. They also add water, sugar, starches, etc to some foods, which can dilute the nutritional value - not too cool)
• no additives in my own food but there is in jarred, and I am using some organic foods to make mine that much better
• more variety - I can feed him just about anything we can think of (paying attention to what foods should be given at later times, of course)
• and plus, it's very rewarding making the food that my baby is eating, just like it is when I cook for my whole family.

These are just a few reasons. :) Now, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with buying jarred food, if that is the route you choose to go. I'm sure there will be a few situations where we will buy a few jars when the situation calls for it. This is what we have decided to do in our family, though, and we see the benefits as outweighing the ease of grabbing a jar that we purchased. Actually, we think this is just as easy. When we shop, we just pick up some fresh foods to make the food. I steam it or cook it in a way that preserves most of the nutrients, puree it (some I keep mashed or even cut into chunks for later on), and freeze it in small amounts. Then when he is ready, we just take out one cube, thaw it, mix in some breastmilk if needed, and he eats. :)

So far, I have pumpkin (yes, pumpkin!! that's what is in the pics above) and butternut squash in the freezer. And in the fridge, I have yellow squash, zucchini, acorn squash, sweet potatoes and avacado ready to fix for him. The list of things in my head to make is just getting longer and longer! It's actually a lot of fun!

Here is Aiden enjoying some pumpkin puree. I'm showing all to show his reaction as he gets that first taste...

Open wide!!


Looking up at Daddy...




Mmmmm...this stuff is good!


Gimme, Gimme!


He really liked the pumpkin!


He's eyeing the spout on the sippy cup. He already knows that's where the good stuff comes out.

WHAT a Day!!

Today was a big day all around!

First, we get a new president! Whoo-hoo! We're pretty excited about Obama being the president, about him being the very first African American president, about our boys being able to witness this (and help vote for it - shh!), and well, just all of it. We even had the tv on when Aiden was around so we could watch all the inaugural events (we don't let him watch tv - yes, we're on the "it's bad for babies" side of that argument). Even Aiden seemed to think it was something to be excited about. ;)

Then, we had a SNOW day!! Last night, they were predicting 2-4 inches of snow and called off school "due to pending inclement weather." We laughed it off - b/c the only times it has snowed here, it has been so little...just a dusting. And they called off school then. But this time? We got more than the 4 inches! I was up to feed Aiden at 4:30, and the ground was already well-covered with snow. The kids around here had a blast playing and even "sledding" (most of us used boogie boards!!) on the hill outside our door. It was Aiden's first time seeing snow, as well. He didn't seem to care one way or the other, but we got pictures of him all bundled up out in the snow anyway!

Here are a few pics from the day:

SNOW in North Carolina

THEN, we decided that we would continue our celebration of the new president by giving Aiden his first solid food. That doesn't sound right... Well, we've been watching him, and we could tell he was ready, so we've really just been trying to decide which day to give him the first bite. So we figured, why not today?! It is a pretty great day, after all. I had ground up some rice (organic brown rice, of course) earlier last week, so I cooked up a little rice cereal for him, and he ate a few bites. He didn't seem too excited or upset. He's lukewarm about a lot of things, it seems (such as the snow...). He seemed to like it ok, though.

There are pics of that in this album:

2009 January

Tomorrow is another day off of school "due to anticipated hazardous road conditions." I'm not making fun this time, though. It will be pretty icy, and they aren't prepared for those conditions here. Ryan was off today after they told him to stay at home, but he has to use vacation days for things like this (ugh!), so he's planning on going in tomorrow... Hopefully the roads won't be that bad after all. (Crossing fingers!) And Camden's friend, Hannah, will be spending the day with us, so stay tuned for more pics of them out in the snow!