First Food!

Choosing the first food your child will have is cause for deliberation: should we feed her oatmeal cerael or go the route of rice cereal? Organic or Publix brand? Baby food from the jar or the Majic Bullet?? Veggies or fruit? So after much discussion with Bonnie (Canaan's future mother-in-law), we decided broccoli. One might wonder why broccoli and there are many reasons: it's a vegetable and I think vegetables are better than rice. And that's maybe one of the only reasons I can think of. But we decided to go for it.

So after steaming, food processing, and sticking the leftovers in the ice cube tray like Martha Stewart tells you to do, Canaan was ready for her first "real" food experience.

Canaan was anxiously awaiting the first taste of broccoli.

The camera is rolling, the silver bowl that she'll probably never eat from again is filled to the brim (as if she's going to eat an entire serving of broccoli...), she's propped up in her grandfather's antique high chair, the Georgia bib is proudly displayed, and we hold our breath...

She's not sure what hit her.

She desperatly tries to hide the broccoli underneath her high chair tray in an attempt to fool us..."What?!? I ate it all! I swear!!"

So after most of the blessed broccoli ends up on the bib and in the folds of her neck, we decided to try bananas. Two days later, after the organic bananas were freshly prepared, we were ready for round two of "Canaan's First Food."

"Not bad," she thinks. "I can smell them better than I can taste them, seeing as how my mother got most of them in my nose."
























She decides bananas are actually better than broccoli--better smelling when they're shoved in my nose, better feeling in the folds of my neck, I don't have green things stuck in my teeth (gums)...I can handle bananas.



















And for dessert--my bib.




























And for more broccoli-action, click on the video below to watch Canaan's actual gag reflex kick in when she eats the broccoli for the first time!

Playground time!

Canaan received a mini-playground set from her Nana and Pop-pop so we set it up in the backyard, bundled her up, and invited Andre over for a little playground action!

Literally bundled up--the poor kid could barely move her head to a comfortable position while enjoying the swing. That's why the pacifier was in place...getting a "Who" hat on (like the Who's in The Grinch Stole Christmas--that's what she looks like), shoving her hands in the "mittens" (not really mittens, Bonnie thought they were maybe socks. Mittens means thumbs...no thumbs in these puppies), putting shoes on so the feet don't get cold (I really don't know how to tell if shoes fit her...I can't feel her toes in there), and strapping her into the swing was not a fun experience. But her mother is an advocate of being tough--no one ever died of crying in the swing because their head was cricked to the side. So the pacifier became an essential outdoors accessory.

While Canaan was enjoying her very first swing experience (which she eventually did), Andre was checking out the slide. The 2 foot tall slide complete with a steering wheel attached to the "central station" part of the playground thing. Just in case anyone wanted to drive around the back yard. Hopefully they'll really enjoy this when they're one or two. Bonnie and I didn't feel like they were truly appreciating the thrill of a swing that only goes about a foot or so in each direction and a slide that the poor kids couldn't even sit up to slide down. So we mostly just had to pull them down the slide.

Andre, though, was ready for the time of his life on that slide. Complete with mother's assistance and Canaan looking on.

So after some fast-paced sliding and really-high swinging, the kids were ready to take this playground thing to the next level.

It was time for the Train.

Unfortunatley, the Train wasn't as fun as Andre initially imagined. Canaan thought maybe if he was the engine next time, he'd be okay with it. She didn't mind being the caboose.

Not sure if Canaan was just enjoying the ride or simply couldn't move her arms and head back to their rightful position after the fast-paced trip down the slide.

I think she likes this new playground--the feel of wind in her hair, the screams of joy from Andre, the thrill of the swing...Canaan's middle name just might be "Adventure."

Canaan's First Halloween!!

Halloween began this year with a family picture on Sunday at the Goodwin Big Family Night--Tim's mom and dad (Nana and Pop-pop) host the big family...Aunt Sarah, Uncle Josh, Uncle Kevin, G-Pop, random people, Jenny the dog...

And of course, her cousin Courtney, born on the SAME day, only nine years earlier. This is a particularly sweet picture due to the fact that emotions have been quite turbulent between the two of them. Initially, Courtney was not too excited about sharing her birthday with her only cousin after realizing that having a new baby in the house will take some of beloved spot light away from Court. So after Canaan was born, Court quickly fell in love with the little peanut, constantly wanting to hold her. (And kiss her and squeeze her and hug her...) So the tides turned. Canaan was not too excited to have Courtney around--typically there's lots of screaming involved when Court holds her. This picture, though, captures the true love between two cousins who have come to peace with one another's existence.

Friday night finally arrives...Halloween is here. Canaan is getting pumped up. Thoughts of candy, Andre, trick or treating, and a nice bowl of chili are swirling in her head.

She simply didn't realize that Halloween meant actually getting into a costume. A peanut costume at that. A peanut costume that had a big orange bow on the "head" to show that she was clearly a girl. With orange socks to match.

But as soon as she saw Andre and realized that he too had been subjected to a costume, she forgot her humiliation. After all, Andre was The Incredible Hulk. How perfectly fitting for her boyfriend to be the strongest and most handsome man on the planet. Aside from her father, of course. Andre was a little embarrased about the whole costume thing--he tried to look tough, though.

So after yet another family picture...with me sporting my Georgia colors and Canaan sporting her peanut getup. And Tim just sporting his whiskey.

And a picture of the moms and kids...(we're really just loading up on baby pictures for Canaan and Andre's rehearsal dinner slide show.)

The kids were strapped in their strollers and ready for their very first trick-or-treating experience. We expected to hit up at least two or three houses. It was going to be a monumental night.

This is the first house. Right across the street. Joel and Donna--Donna who thought they were too cute and Joel who thought that Canaan was a tortoise. What tortoise wears a bow is my question.

So after visiting Caroline Swafford, the pumpkin (who was born four days before Andre--I think there really was something in the water around here), it was time to hit the road again.

The dads were out of whiskey and Andre's grandpa was getting a little crazy. So after the third house, we called it a night.

So finally, after one more family picture, we headed back home to eat chili and hand out candy, since it was really only 6:45. But check out the kids' loot--look carefully, Canaan got a Reese's cup and some peanut (fitting!) M-n-Ms, and Andre got some M-n-Ms, too.

First Halloween: success.

The Punkin' Patch!

On Sunday, we went to the Punkin' Patch with Canaan's future husband--Andre Clark and his parents (Bonnie and Keenan...strikingly close to "Canaan"...is that Divine Providence?) The Goodwin family wore matching outfits (of course) so that we would be ready to pose for many pictures with the punkins.

Picture #1: Canaan focusing on the dirt that got on her cutie knit tights.

Picture #2: She got the blade of grass off of her tights finally. Whew. Now we're ready for pictures.

Picture #3: Andre trying to tell Canaan that it's cool to have dirt on your tights. And that it was a good thing she wore her bow cause people would think she was a boy since he has more hair than she does.

Picture #4: Andre trying to take Canaan's bow off. It was poking him in the eye and that was not very comfortable. Besides the fact that this was actually picture #76 and he was tired of just sitting there with a girl...whether it was his future wife or not. It was simply not cool anymore.

Picture #77: Canaan did not think that was very funny.

So after a little snuggling with mom...

Picture #78: We're back at taking pictures. (Note the cotton stalks in the background...next year, in celebration of the North winning the Civil War, we'll be taking the kids to pick cotton and explaining how thankful they should be that the North won and we don't have slaves anymore.)

Picture #294: Finally, we pose for an extended family picture--Andre cashed out, Canaan apparently starving because she's eating her hand, and the parents ready for a margarita.