Catherine's First Meal

I remember it seemed to take forever until Addie was old enough to eat "real" food. And yet, in what seems like a blink of the eye, Catherine is five and a half months old, and ready to start solids. More than anything, she showed me her readiness over the past few weeks as she began grabbing for our food, plates and cups. So today, Addie and I were ready to start her on the ever-so-decedent meal of brown rice cereal.

Two things of note: one, Addie seemed to be more excited than Catherine for the big event; and two, Dan's famous "zucchini face" must be hereditary. The first time I made zucchini for him, he looked like he was going to throw it up, and Catherine made a similar face when trying rice cereal for the first time!

The Big 3-0

While I usually do not like celebrations in my honor, for my 30th birthday this year, Dan planned a gathering of our friends for cupcakes and Karaoke. It was a perfect night - low-key and relaxing, yet quite fun. Not only do I have two beautiful girls to be thankful for, but I have a wonderful husband to share this journey of life with. Thirty wasn't bad at all - in fact, I am quite excited for this next decade!

Cookie Decorating Party

I had another small gathering for all of Addie's "friends" on her actual 2nd birthday, December 17th. Nate, Patrick, Kate, and Evie came over to decorate Christmas cookies, and although I think more ended up in their mouths than on the cookies, I believe everyone had a great time.

After the kids left, Dan and I gave Addie her birthday gift - a pink polka-dotted kitchen set. I still remember fondly the kitchen set my sister Elizabeth and I shared growing up, and since we have two girls now, I felt justified in getting them a pink one!

Addie's Second Birthday

Having my birthday 11 days before Christmas, makes me quite sensitive to Addie's December 17th birthday. Because of that, I think this year I went a little overboard in celebrations for her. I guess I don't want her to feel her birthday is overlooked by Christmas, but at the same time, I'm thinking next year one party will suffice - instead of two!

On the Saturday before her birthday, we had Mimi and Papa, Grammy and Grampa, Uncle Sean, Aunt Elizabeth, and Uncle John over. I made Addie a cake in the shape of her favorite monkey, Curious George. While it took her a while to figure out just who was on the cake, I still think it was worth the effort! We had a wonderful time celebrating with everyone - I just can't believe Addie is two already!

Meeting Santa

Despite the fact this was Addie's third Christmas, she had her first encounter with Santa this year. And as the picture illustrates, it did not go well!

I took her to a brunch sponsored by the Notre Dame Club of Chicago, and while her best friend Evie was there, it did not distract Addie from the large man with a big white beard. She wanted nothing to do with Santa! In fact when he first came out, she grabbed my hand and tried to drag me right out of the room: "Mom, let's go home. Let's go find Daddy. Let's go get bagels." She tried everything she could to get out of the room, so needless to say, I did not get her to sit on his lap. We'll try again next year!

Deck the Halls!

With cheerleading back in full swing, it was hard for Dan, Addie and I to find a Saturday night when we could all decorate our house for Christmas. Luckily we squeezed it in the weekend after Thanksgiving.

This year, Addie was more helpful than ever. She took ornaments out of our big storage box and proudly hung them herself. Catherine was alert, sitting in her bouncy seat, enjoying the night as well. Dan and I both said we could not have imagined a better decorating session - something that used to be a chore was truly delightful and heightened our anticipation for Christmas morning.

Thanksgiving 2009

A couple weeks before Thanksgiving, we had a major health scare with Catherine. She caught a cold from Addie and spiked a fever of 102.9. Our pediatrician sent us straight to the ER at Children's Memorial, and they admitted us for two nights while they ran several tests. Through a spinal tap, blood work, and a catheter, they concluded she did not have a bacterial infection, and that it was most likely a virus that caused the high temperature. Ah, the perils of being a second born!

So needless to say, we almost opted out of the trip home to Kentucky for the Thanksgiving holiday, but Dan knew that would break my heart, and so he insisted we take the risk and just keep Catherine quarantined upstairs at my parents' house when necessary. And so off we were - with a 23-month-old, and a one-month old!

The trip went very well - Addie was able to enjoy so much more of the Holiday traditions, from hiking on Friday to candy houses on Saturday, she fit right in with the other kids. Catherine did very well too - she hung out with Mimi while Dan and I hiked with Addie, and she enjoyed watching the touch football game with me in the Camry as her Dad sprinted around faster than anyone!

All in all, a great trip that nearly erased the trip the hospital a week before. We had a lot to be thankful for!