Overnight and this morning we had the first measurable snow of the year in Iowa City. We didn't get much--maybe two inches or so, enough to cover the grass. It wasn't snowing when we left for daycare, but it was when I picked Edward up. He was amused by this new phenomenon, looking up and then looking at me and laughing. Perhaps he was laughing at my hooded jacket though. He thinks it's funny to cover one's head and then remove the cover. Anyway, after the afternoon nap I got him all suited up for his first snowy adventure. He was interested but not excited. He did not want to walk at all, even with me holding his arms. I wonder if he thought that having snow on his shoes would prevent movement. Or maybe it was just the classic "I can't put my arms down" bundle job in his snowsuit. Anyway, he kept sitting down but he did lean over and brush the snow around with his mitten--until it fell off.
Once I figured out I wasn't going to be able to keep his hands covered we came back in. Total outdoor time: maybe six minutes! It's much cozier to sit inside with dad watching football (as seen here on Sunday afternoon--a very brief check-in on the day's games.) We just loved Edward's arm draped over John.
Another winter day activity: check out what's for dinner. DO NOT BE ALARMED. This is a brand new oven and very well insulated. It is hardly even warm to the touch when it's on. We checked and re-checked the whole time Edward was watching this turkey breast cook. Unfortunately, he was more interested in the cooking than the eating tonight. He has been offered a number of new foods recently, some with greater success than others. For example, in the dairy family, yogurt has been a hit--several different flavors, though he doesn't like the big fruit pieces, spits them out actually. But cottage cheese was roundly rejected. My sister says it's cruel to even have such a vile substance in the house and that as a person who chooses food based on texture, I should be more sympathetic. In an attempt to sneak in some veggies I made a chicken/zucchini casserole last week that John and I agreed was delicious, but Edward did not concur. We got a few bites in by putting a Gerber puff on the end of the spoon but he figured that out quickly and started picking up the puff and pushing away the spoon. We attempted to serve spaghetti-o's for lunch on Saturday and he turned his face away before the spoon even crossed the tray. This is the same kid who Sunday at lunch devoured a bowl of penne with marinara (Geraghty family favorite recipe--prepared in quantities that lead John to refer to the freezer as a "blood bank.") Is it possible to be a food snob at the tender age of 1? He did enjoy cornbread the other night, but wouldn't touch the red beans and rice I served with it. We used the same "
cake ball" method with the crumbly cornbread as with his birthday cake last month. I wonder what else he'd eat if it were squished up into a bite sized lump? Peanut butter also seems to be acceptable to the Edward palate--a thin layer of creamy Skippy spread on a slice of bread and then broken into bite sized pieces. However, this is one of his messiest new foods since he likes to play with the pieces of bread before consuming them. Definitely not sorry for the bald head when it comes time for the wipe down after that meal!
And speaking of meals and their lingering effects, notice the chins in this picture of Ed with "Monkey." This is a favorite toy at the moment, and yes, we are aware that it's not technically a monkey (chimp maybe?), but he doesn't know the difference and we don't care. He just knows that Monkey is very absorbent and doesn't mind a friend who shows affection by chewing on its face. He also can give Monkey a hug if prompted, but that's not usually his first instinct.
Overnight and this morning we had the first measurable snow of the year in Iowa City. We didn't get much--maybe two inches or so, enough to cover the grass. It wasn't snowing when we left for daycare, but it was when I picked Edward up. He was amused by this new phenomenon, looking up and then looking at me and laughing. Perhaps he was laughing at my hooded jacket though. He thinks it's funny to cover one's head and then remove the cover. Anyway, after the afternoon nap I got him all suited up for his first snowy adventure. He was interested but not excited. He did not want to walk at all, even with me holding his arms. I wonder if he thought that having snow on his shoes would prevent movement. Or maybe it was just the classic "I can't put my arms down" bundle job in his snowsuit. Anyway, he kept sitting down but he did lean over and brush the snow around with his mitten--until it fell off. 
Once I figured out I wasn't going to be able to keep his hands covered we came back in. Total outdoor time: maybe six minutes! It's much cozier to sit inside with dad watching football (as seen here on Sunday afternoon--a very brief check-in on the day's games.) We just loved Edward's arm draped over John.
Another winter day activity: check out what's for dinner. DO NOT BE ALARMED. This is a brand new oven and very well insulated. It is hardly even warm to the touch when it's on. We checked and re-checked the whole time Edward was watching this turkey breast cook. Unfortunately, he was more interested in the cooking than the eating tonight. He has been offered a number of new foods recently, some with greater success than others. For example, in the dairy family, yogurt has been a hit--several different flavors, though he doesn't like the big fruit pieces, spits them out actually. But cottage cheese was roundly rejected. My sister says it's cruel to even have such a vile substance in the house and that as a person who chooses food based on texture, I should be more sympathetic. In an attempt to sneak in some veggies I made a chicken/zucchini casserole last week that John and I agreed was delicious, but Edward did not concur. We got a few bites in by putting a Gerber puff on the end of the spoon but he figured that out quickly and started picking up the puff and pushing away the spoon. We attempted to serve spaghetti-o's for lunch on Saturday and he turned his face away before the spoon even crossed the tray. This is the same kid who Sunday at lunch devoured a bowl of penne with marinara (Geraghty family favorite recipe--prepared in quantities that lead John to refer to the freezer as a "blood bank.") Is it possible to be a food snob at the tender age of 1? He did enjoy cornbread the other night, but wouldn't touch the red beans and rice I served with it. We used the same "cake ball" method with the crumbly cornbread as with his birthday cake last month. I wonder what else he'd eat if it were squished up into a bite sized lump? Peanut butter also seems to be acceptable to the Edward palate--a thin layer of creamy Skippy spread on a slice of bread and then broken into bite sized pieces. However, this is one of his messiest new foods since he likes to play with the pieces of bread before consuming them. Definitely not sorry for the bald head when it comes time for the wipe down after that meal!
And speaking of meals and their lingering effects, notice the chins in this picture of Ed with "Monkey." This is a favorite toy at the moment, and yes, we are aware that it's not technically a monkey (chimp maybe?), but he doesn't know the difference and we don't care. He just knows that Monkey is very absorbent and doesn't mind a friend who shows affection by chewing on its face. He also can give Monkey a hug if prompted, but that's not usually his first instinct.
