Farmstead Inn

We met some Michigan friends for a night in Shipshewana to enjoy some pool time and Amish country antiquing.

5 months old!

Douwe is starting to sit up, though still needs a bit of cushion around the back for the tips!

Sisters

It is a rare but special occasion to go out for a treat with my three sisters. Here we are on December 31 celebrating Emily's birthday.

First Food

One of the final days of January, Douwe experienced his first spoon-fed meal. It was just a quiet time at home with mom and baby, but an important event nevertheless.

A quote from a book we received for Christmas:
"Our first experience of food is often synonymous with love: We are held, we are fed, and we are cared for--all at the same moment, by our mothers. In Hindu tradition the first rite of passage occurs when a baby reaches six months old--when he or she eats a mouthful of rice, the first food that is not mother's milk. The rice-eating ceremony is celebrated in the presence of a priest, often in a temple, with a gathering of relatives to witness this important transition in the child's life. Mantras and prayers are said. Such a ceremony reflects a worldview where food is sacred--a blessing and a gift--and being fed is not to be taken for granted." from Full Moon Feast by Jessica Prentice

The Littlest one

Douwe is no longer the littlest one, as you can see when 13 day old cousin Liam is next to him.

Douwe finds his toes

This week Douwe has really been grasping objects well, and what is more fun to grasp than toes! When he has the least clothes on and is most free to wiggle, he'll just hike his knees to his side, grab the big toes and just sit like that for a while.

Downtown with Friends

The Borst family came to visit this weekend, so we went to the Museum of Science and Industry, took a walk around Millenium Park, and went to Medici's on 57th for supper.
Steve was thrilled to meet some Star Wars characters at the museum, since he and Jeff watched several of the Star Wars movies over the winter break.

Steve took a picture of us in front of Cloud Gate and he was very proud to point out that he made sure that he and Douwe were also in the picture. People never get sick of doing camera tricks in front of the reflective bean!

A field trip to the Chicago is always a good time, thanks for coming to visit, Dan and Amy!