Feeding the Monster

I have been eating solid foods for a month and a half now. So far, I have enjoyed most of them, although breast milk is still my favorite (can you blame me?). The only thing that hasn't worked at all is bananas. I puked up the ones I had at my Grandma and Grandpa Laub's house. It was not pretty. I puked 5 times in all. Yucky. Mommy says we'll wait a few months before we try those again! Also, barley cereal is really hard for to digest yet so we backed off on that, too. Below is a list of the foods I've had so far. I am continuing to try single ingredient foods to make sure they all agree with me. Once I have a number of them under my belt, Mommy will mix a few together for me. She has put some of the fruits in my baby cereal already, and I have moved up from soupy smooth purees to slightly chunky food now. So far, applesauce, sweet potatoes, and cherries are my favorites. Mommy is making most of my food from scratch since she has the time and means. Since she like cooking, she has enjoyed cooking for me.

Nicky's Food Diary:

Cereals- rice cereal, oatmeal, barley cereal (shelved for now)

Veggies - carrots, avocado (actually a fruit), sweet potatoes, peas (next up: squash and green beans)

Fruits- bananas (yucky), apples, apricots, bing cherries, watermelon (next up: peaches, pears, and melon)

Me eating my spoon filled with sweet potatoes

Enjoying some cherries

My Adventures in Lawrence

Hi guys! Long time, no type, right? Sorry, me and my parents have been busy. For example, last week Wednesday and Thursday Mom and I went to Lawrence Kansas where Mom and Dad used to live and work for awhile. Its only 45 minutes away from KC. Anyway, Mommy was invited to participate in a research meeting for a research grant she used to work on as a Graduate Research Assistant a few years ago. It involved a supper on Wednesday evening and an all-day meeting on Thursday. So, we drove down to Lawrence Wednesday and stayed overnight with our friends the Rack-Meltons. Mommy actually met Jennifer when they worked together at that same job at the Beach Center on Disability at KU.

Jennifer's husband, Phil, volunteered to babysit me along with his 3 kids while Jennifer and Mommy went to the events. Mommy was very thankful but wondered if Phil knew what he was in for. Phil said it was fine since he had to watch his 3 kids anyway, what was one more. Overall, things went pretty well. Mommy was only gone a few hours Wednesday evening. I enjoyed playing with Spencer who is not quite 4, Xavier who is 2.5, and Cordelia who is only 5 days younger than me! I also loved playing with their big doggy, Ranger, who is a Great Dane. I kept trying to french kiss him (you think it would be the other way around, right?). Cordelia and I did get upset right before Mommy and Jennifer came home because Xavier was mad that Spencer woke him up and that set us babies off. We got some crying in but not for long.

Thursday morning Mommy and Jennifer had to be at the meeting for breakfast at 7am sharp. Like my usual self, I wanted to be held by Phil most of the time while Mommy was gone. What can I say, I'm a lap baby for sure. By 11:30am, Mommy and Jennifer both were quite uncomfortable from not feeding us babies in over 4 hours, so Phil brought us to the meeting over lunch so we could get our lunch! That's good because I was continuing to be stubborn and refused to take a bottle again and did not eat much of my babyfood. The afternoon went well until the power went out at the house and the two toddlers started to rebel with no lights, tv, etc. So, Mommy and Jennifer bugged out of the meeting a little bit early to come save him from us. All in all, Mommy thought things turned out well. She says she owes Phil big time. It was just a bit stressful for the both of us since it was the longest we'd been apart and it was just a new situation. I didn't poop the whole time we were away from home! But, I got my normal rhythms back once we got home. I hope we go back to visit soon, although I prefer Mommy to stick around next time.

My first trip to ND!

Me and the rents just got back from my first trip to North Dakota earlier this week. It was a great time!! We were gone for a week and a half, and let me tell ya, we were busy! There were many days of driving. Not my favorite, but I survived by sleeping. Lots. Mommy and Daddy said I'm a good traveler. Despite my many snoozes on the road, I still slept pretty normally at night, too. What I enjoyed best about the trip was all the people I met! I love people! It was great to meet all the friends and relatives my parents have been talking about. I enjoyed smiling at and playing with them all. I was held almost continuously - what a dream! The only problem was that I resisted taking my naps because I didn't want to miss any of the action:) Both sets of grandparents also threatened to keep me, of course!

We heard many different opinions as to who I look like or take after on the trip. Many people said I looked like: my Uncle Dusty, a Laub baby, a Welsch baby, my cousin Jordan Ottmar, my mommy, my cousin Keith Deibert, my daddy, my Great Grandma Ardis and probably a few more that Mommy can't remember. Anyway, its clear that I am a good combination of both of my parents, just as my parents had believed. One of these days Mommy is going to get together some pictures to illustrate some of these comparisons.

Here is a run-down of my meet-and-greets: my uncle Dusty and his friend Josh, my Great Aunt Arlene Brewer, my Grandma and Grandpa Laub, my Great Aunt Beverly Koller, my Great Aunt Mary and Great Uncle David Zentner, my cousin Tyla Wilson and her two daughters Kaydence and Savannah, my Great Aunt Arlene and Great Uncle Floyd Frieze, my cousins Holly and Jeremy Ottmar and thier kids Jordan and Jazlyn, my Godmother Tiffanni Wax and her husband Scott, my dad's former landlord Bernie Swang, my Grandma and Grandpa Huizenga, my Great Grandma Ardis Huizenga, my Great Grandma Eva and Great Grandpa John Deibert, my Aunt Becky Huizenga, my Great Aunt Virg and Great Uncle Dale Deibert, my Great Aunt Theresa Deibert, my Great Aunt Bonnie Iverson, my Great Aunt Barb and Great Uncle Rod Fossen and my cousin Paula, my dad's former piano teacher from childhood Hurdis Johnson, my Grandma Sharon's co-workers up at Glenburn School, my mom's friends from college Jessica Gunderson Ruhl and Amber Hoovestal (Mom and Dad attended Jessica's wedding during our trip), my cousin Toni Miller and her daughter Baylee, my cousin Loretta Frank. Mommy says there were so many more people we just didn't get a chance to see due to our cramped schedule. Thanks to everyone who made the great effort to come see us - we really appreciated it. Hope to see you all again really soon!!

North Dakota Trip Slideshow