Retreat!!

A couple of weekends ago the whole house went on retreat to Galena, Illinois. We spent time sitting by the fire, eating good food, working puzzles, playing games, swimming, and sledding. Satchel went swimming for the first time. But first some shots of Satchel riding on a motorcycle - one of Satchel's favorite things which consists of bouncing on Joe's knee while he makes motorcycle noises.

And now, Satchel's first dip in a pool. She loved it and even went under the water a couple of times without getting the least bit upset.

And after the swim, she fell asleep. Swimming is hard work.

The place we stayed had a fantastic sledding hill.

Visit to South Bend

A few weeks ago we visited South Bend to celebrate a belated Christmas with Michelle and Jeff. As has happened with both of our visits to South Bend with Satchel, she began to cry as soon as we walked through the door - likely a little overwhelmed by all the adoring relatives that can't wait to get their time with her. However, as you can see from the photos below, her discontent was pretty short lived.

Two smiling ladies. Satchel is quite happy after getting to play with the Christmas wrapping.

Eating - always a hit.

Satchel and her Uncle Jeff really hit it off. After playing for quite a while together, Satchel fell asleep in Uncle Jeff's lap.

I mean, she was really out.

First Ride in the Backpack and First Sit in a Restaurant Highchair

Matt has discovered that Satchel loves to go for walks in the backpack that my parents got for us. They go to the grocery store and go for walks through the park. Wherever they go they attract a lot of attention, especially from the ladies.

This is often how Satchel ends up after riding in the backpack for a while - out cold on Matt's hood which makes the perfect pillow.

We took Satchel out for lunch and she sat at the table in the restaurant high chair for the first time and very much enjoyed herself. She created a bit of a spectacle by squealing with delight. Fortunately it was a pretty noisy restaurant.

Satchel found the paper on the table really fascinating.

More and More Vocal Everyday

Satchel has become more and more vocal. Here are a couple of videos of her latest abilities to giggle and squeal with delight.

Various Hats

Here's Satchel in a variety of head gear.

Bear ears!

Stocking cap with bumble bee sweater.

Tennessee Smokies (Daddy's hat)

Trip to the Aquarium

We took a trip to the Shedd Aquarium a couple of weeks ago on their free day to see what Satchel would think of fish. She was definitely interested in looking at them and tried to touch them as they swam by. Her interest lasted for about a half an hour before she got overwhelmed by the crowds and fell asleep in her stroller.

One of our favorites, the sea dragon.

More Bath Time!

Satchel very much loves her bath time - doing a lot of kicking and splashing and listening to the squeak of her feet against the bath tub.

After her bath, her hair gets all curly and then straightens out again as it dries. We think eventually it will be curly all the time.