Holiday Mish Mash

So we started celebrating Elodie's first Hanukkah this week.  She has her own little Menorah thanks to her wonderful great Aunt, and we are lighting the candles every night and letting her open a present too.  So far she's opened one present from us, a Hanukkah lift-the-flap book called "Where is Baby's Dreidel".  Riveting I tell ya'.   In case you are wondering, it wasn't behind the eggs.  That's where the Latkes were.  Funny side note--we actually got her several Hanukkah and Christmas books last year after the holiday season when they were all on sale.  I think the Christmas books were like 40 or 50% off, but the Hanukkah books were something like 90% off.  Apparently there are not too many Jews in our neck of the woods, because we scored a whole lotta cheap Hanukkah wrapping paper too.  I think we are set for life.  The really sad part was that the cashier didn't even seem to understand what Hanukkah was.  *sigh*  But I digress.  So last night she opened a special gift from her Uncle Marc and Aunt Thais-Lyn.  It was a fun activity triangle that we let her play with (aka gnaw on) before bath time.  Thanks guys!

(And yes, that is Santa's Workshop behind our Menorah.)

We ventured into the world of solid foods last weekend.  Elodie is quite, ummmm....underwhelmed, shall we say?  I have a great video that shows her true feelings for the freshly cooked sweet potatoes I made, but I can't seem to get it loaded onto my blog.  Grrrrrrrr.  But here is a picture that generally sums up her disdain to being fed anything other than a liquid lunch....

It could have been that Mommy and Daddy had just filled the house with the yummy smells of cheesy eggs, potatoes and mmmmmmmmmbacon, and she was feeling gypped.  But I've tried again without much more success.  I tried avocado one day, wanting to see if she has her Daddy's love (or lack thereof) for sweet potatoes, or if it was just an aversion to food in general.   I pretty much got the same "what in the hell are you trying to do to me" look.  And today she stuck out her bottom lip and actually cried.  My hopes and dreams of having a little foodie on our hands have just been shattered.   In all seriousness, I'm sure she's just not quite ready and hasn't figured out the whole food thing yet.  I won't push it, we'll just try again at another time.  She does, however, have an affinity for her feet.  As soon as the clothes and diaper come off, up go the feet into the air and into her mouth.  Apparently they are more appetizing than the food I prepared for her.  Great.  My kid already prefers the taste of foot to my cooking.
 
But she looked real cute with sweet potatoes all over her precious self....

Oh, and she's got TWO teeth now!  She just cut the second one on Monday.  Apparently she only teethes when it snows.  Or on a Monday.  Her first tooth came in two weeks ago, also on a snowy Monday.  They are super cute but they still manage to elude the camera.  One of these days I will catch them in all their glory for the world to see.  Or at least for those of you that read this.  So....all three of you?  

Yesterday I spent the day with Elodie and Grandma (Elodie's Grandma, not mine) and we filled the house with the smells of baking cookies.  Thanks to my Mom for helping out, as I never would have been able to do it without someone to help tag team Elodie and help keep an eye on the cookies. We made chocolate dipped macaroons, cherry and oat bars, and my fave, double chocolate cherry cookies.  Feast your eyes on these and please feel free to drool.....

Happy Holidays!