Yesterday, just 9 days shy of her 5 month birthday, we let Athena try her first solid (sort of) food. On the menu: rice cereal mixed with breastmilk. At our 4-month visit to the pediatrician, Dr. Mehl gave us the go-ahead to start solids whenever we were ready. We weren't in any particular rush, and decided to go with the strategy of waiting until she showed an interest in food. Well, we didn't have to wait long. Over the past couple of weeks, Thenes has gotten very interested in the process of eating -- she watches very closely when we eat, and successfully eating or drinking while holding her (which she often insists upon) has gotten much more difficult as she'll reach out and grab cups, utensils, or food items in her range. So we decided to go for it... here's the footage. Notice how she pulls the spoon into her mouth.
Caleb and I both thought Athena seemed more enthusiastic about her first food experience than Mazie was, but I just looked back at this blog post and they look pretty similar (in lots of ways!). Mazie was just a couple of weeks older when she had her first cereal meal.
Thena continues to be a wonder baby -- she's a very happy kid who is generous with her smiles and squeals. After rolling from her belly to her back in early December, she learned how to roll the other way just a week or so later. She's in a very tactile phase and will reach out to feel everything around her... our clothes and hair, furniture, windows.... She's also working on sitting up -- she can do a couple of seconds unsupported and quite a bit longer leaning forward and holding herself up with her arms. She coos a lot and will "talk" to us in a series of shrieks that are very entertaining. She also has a short kind of cackle laugh, but we haven't gotten many big giggles out of her yet. At this stage, Baby Mazie was soothed by having us sing "Baby Beluga" to her... Athena generally does NOT seem to be a fan of our singing -- or at least it doesn't seem to calm her when she's unhappy -- but she will calm down in the car when we turn on the radio. She seems to have a preference for classic rock.
Her big sister continues to be incredibly loving -- one of my favorite things is listening to Mazie talk to Athena in the back seat of our car. After Christmas we took a trip up to the mountains... first to Vail to have our Christmas with Ty and Sara, and then to Winter Park for New Year's with the Dickinson clan. On the long car rides Mazie talked to, sang to, and handed toys to her little sister. It's so fun to watch her be so caring, and I'm so grateful to my big girl for making our transition to a family of four so seemless.
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