13 months old!

I am basking in the glow of domestic triumph tonight. I have been struggling to please Cam in the culinary department, and so today, with the whole day to plan, I made a gourmet meal for her and... she liked it. I wouldn't say LOVED, but it's a small victory. Cam hasn't been a picky eater per se, but rather she requires a level of variety that is hard to maintain as a full-time working mama. She will consistently eat fruit, but now's not exactly fruit season. She will also pretty consistently eat anything carbo-like as long as it has cream cheese on it (see this morning's cream cheese smeared fashionably on her eye, much like the greasepaint Clay Mathews wears on game day, yeah!). I am trying to plan her food smarter and at the same time get some fresh veggies in her. Tonight, she had a fresh puttanesca with orzo pasta. What a lucky gal. And the evidence of her liking it isn't that she stuffed her face, immediately signing for more. Instead, she ate some and only threw a little bit on the ground. Yeah!

Speaking of the Green Bay Packers... We're enjoying a rare football-less weekend. Today, we got out early to beat the rain. We hit up the Berkeley Farmer's market where Cam munched on samples of pear and blood orange, and then Joel went to the Berkeley Winter Beer Festival, while Cam and I headed home for a much deserved nap.

That's not to say that we're not gearing up for Super Bowl week however. Joel donned his self-named "Croce" today.

I think he looks very "I drink your milkshake! Drink it up!"

Cam took what I would categorize as her first steps today. By her fist official steps, I mean that she was walking holding my finger, and then deliberately let go of my finger to walk on her own. See me, the proud mama below...

I am so proud of my little girl.

She's got new tricks every day. Lately, if she knows that she has pillows or something soft behind her, she'll all of the sudden fall backwards and then roll over giggling. I tried to capture it on film. This is pretty close.

It's hard not to wear a constant grin around here.

I am spending the night sitting at the Gan-Savs. We have a lovely baby-sitting swap with three other couples now. We can get out pretty often as long as we're willing to return the favor. It's so much better than the $15/hour that is the average going rate for babysitters.

I finished the teaching semester this last week. It feels good to be at the half-way point of the year. It is a good year, though it is an adjustment to how teaching fits into my new life. I am a different teacher, but it's OK with me. I have a good batch of kids this year, though this is the first year in a while that I've taught Freshmen only. It's an intense experience. I have more failing kids than I am comfortable with, but they all failed of their own accord. That's the un-fun part of teaching. I am thinking that I may need a change for next year: upper-classpeople!

Here's a shot of the babe's mullet. Lots of love from the Berkeley Frozenas to you!