The Magic Touch!

So ... after a couple of restless nights ... I take my mother out for a leisurely dinner and leave Sean in charge of bath, bottle and bed. Not only does he get her down ... she sleeps without a peep from 7:30 to 7:30! WTF???? Obviously he is doing something I am not! Well, that's a good thing because starting next week, I will be teaching a night class once a week in the city and Sean will have FULL responsibilities! I think we're both nervous!
Now, I'd like to know, how many of you out there fail to capture almost EVERY cute, adorable, little behaviour your children exhibit! It never fails ... I will grap the camera or video to get a perfect shot of her doing some sweet or hilarious little thing and .... she STOPS ... immediately, which is why there are NO photos today! Soon I will transfer some of the videos from the trip and try to post them ... but, be patient ... remember, I have a house to clean, a course to teach, oh and a busy little 10 and a half month old to entertain for her every waking moment!!!!

Astrid ... yes, Lisa was in our group ... I'm heading over to my mail to email her right now (unless Cadence's nap ends early!)
Dianna ... mother in chinese ... it looks cool!

A Little Regression ... perhaps! (Photos!)

Our wonderful little sleeper has regressed a bit! Normally, she would be down within 3 minutes of our quiet time ... last night took at least 30 minutes (and then there were about 3 'stirs' throughout the night that I had to tend to!). I'm wondering if it had to do with having a number of family at the house for dinner. Cadence had lots of attention from everyone, while I was busy preparing dinner ... who knows. What was interesting is that she wanted to go in her crib and she would just about be out, but then her head would pop up quick ... looking to make sure I was there! Even tonight she has already stirred ... twice! Oh, I will be a tired girl tomorrow ... my own fault ... gotta watch the bachelor!
The little monkey has also started to shake her head 'no' during meal times ... if she doesn't like what's going in ... she makes no bones about telling me and fights me all the way! This girl has a strong will alright!!!
Today, I took her to the park and we tried out the swing ... it was a big hit ... oh the giggles would just melt your heart! We also enjoyed the pool on this record breaking day! Cadence is going to be a fish in water!!! She is already kicking her feet to propel herself around ... hope she's as cooperative next week when we start our classes!
I am also starting to realize that Cadence is not very happy when I leave the room for a short spurt (30 seconds to pour a glass of water for instance) ... there is a small wall between the great room and the kitchen and even though I talk her through it the whole time ... she will cry! I think I may need to try out some short term babysitting, just to introduce her to the fact that unlike others in her past ... I will be back for her soon!
In other small news, I got my tattoo last week ... it's actually pretty cool, if I do say so myself (don't expect to see any photos of it here either!). And, my cell phone that I rescued from the toilet ... it still works!
I do have some great photos I will upload ... in the morning ... I'm too tired to keep multitasking ... something's gotta give and it's not the Bachelor!

Here are the photos from our day ...

Finally ... An Update!

As much as I hoped I would be able to keep the blog going on a regular basis, I feel I am failing ... for the time being! It has taken the whole week to finally get everything unpacked and organized. We have also had visitors and social engagements to attend over the week but, I feel confident that once we fall into a normal routine, I'll be able to resume SOME of my past activities...blogging included!
Cadence seems to be getting into a nice routine ... she sleeps through the night, has a nap or two during the day and enjoys her meals! She HATES getting her diaper changed, getting dressed, being strapped in the car seat and especially having her face wiped! Her best time of the day is definitely first thing in the morning! She gets to come and spend about 10 minutes hanging in bed with us before breakfast and is just a riot! Sean is the light of her life ... she gets so excited when he walks through the door after work ... it's just amazing!
We try to get out at least once a day, whether it's a walk or a short errand ... it helps break up the day ... I mean, one can only play lego and ball for so long!!!
Cadence received a clean bill of health from our family doctor ... who was ready to start her shots ... that day ... I don't think so!!!! I need time to prepare for such events ... we are making an appointment for next week!
I know there is a lot to share with you, but morning comes early so ... I best just get a few pictures uploaded and call it a night!

Cadence enjoying the pool ....

Enjoying the stroller?

She does love her cookies!

All the girls (at the house today) ...

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly!

First, the good ... Cadence slept through the night 7:45pm to 7:00am without stirring at all! (Wish I could say the same about today's nap! ... Winston is NOT cooperating here!). As for the bad, my BABY climbed the stairs yesterday while my back was turned for 5 seconds! We are definitely in BIG trouble here! As for the ugly, when I exchanged my unused $1000 US funds, I got back a whopping $1001.13 ... now that, my friends is truly ugly!
Here are a couple of pics of my monkey (formerly known as the angel! ...

I Know, I Know ...

Yes, it has been some time since I've been able to update ... and let me just say it is currently 4:10 ... and that's AM folks! Cadence stirred for a bit around 3:00 and I haven't been able to get myself back to sleep since so ... might as well make use of this time. We have all managed quite well with the time change ... still not quite on a proper schedule, but Cadence (and the rest of us) are typically sleeping until about 6ish. Poor little thing passed out around 6:15 in the high chair last night!

Overall, she is adjusting very well ... our second trip in the car seat was successful ... she has been on 2 excursions: the grocery store and Costco. She is crawling around like crazy and totally tries to run with the little push thing she has ... of course, every time I try to take some video of her walking, she sits down! She is eating well, napping and is busy, busy, busy!!! Me ... I'm in quite a state! I have not yet finished the unpacking and the house is a disaster ... AND ... today, I am on my own! I really just need a few hours to get my house in order so I can feel at peace ... that ain't gonna happen too soon I'm afraid!

I have a few pictures from the last bit of our trip to post and not a whole lot of new ones ... out of batteries again and didn't put that on the Costco list! Once I get some time to load up videos clips, I share a few of those. For now ... these will have to do:

Here are all four girls just before we departed the hotel ...

Cadence reading a magazine ...

Enjoying the inflight movie ...

Hangin' with cousin Olivia ...

Quick One ...

Just a quick post to say .... Yahoo!!!! .... we made it! The flight was bearable - Miss Cadence slept a whole ... oh, maybe 3 hours!
Let's hope that means she is down for the night! Had a little breakdown at the airport ... couldn't find my money belt ... But rest assured, it finally turned up in that special compartment in the backpack! Thank you Geoff and Lisa for your help ... you guys were saviours! THANK YOU, THANK YOU DONNA AND MARK!!! Not only did you take good care of our boy, you got us home and took care of the parking (that never materialized!). We WILL settle up with you!
The ride home was pretty traumatic ... Cadence cried ... a lot! She is currently afraid of Winston ... likes him from afar, but up close ... not so much! Anyway, heading to bed and planning to share some of the final China photos with you tomorrow!
Thanks EVERYONE for sharing in our journey ... it really has only just begun!

Final Post from China!!!!!!!

It is currently 9:30 in the evening and I am doing the typical things ... enjoying a glass of vino while checking emails and blogs.
Except: a) there is a baby, MY baby, sleeping in a crib right beside me, b) the wine is the leftover bottle from last night that I was able to take with me from the bar, c) I can't actually check blogs, I can only post, and d) I am in friggin CHINA baby!!! Tomorrow we fly home ... and we CANNOT wait!!! Unfortunately though, waiting is what we will have to do! This hotel insists we check out by one and seeing as out flight isn't until 5:20, makes for a long day hanging around an airport for hours on end with 4 babies ... yeah ... I can sense the envy out there! Anyway, I guess I should get my rest and so without further ado, here is a recap of the day:
The morning started as all others ... happy kid greeting us with a beautiful smile. Diaper and clothing change went really well too ... Dora was on ... yes, in Chinese! Here is a shot of the 'ham' ... she has been giving us this smile along with some interesting sound effects since about day 2 and she thinks she is pretty hilarious! Finally, I was able to capture it ...

The 'look' says it all about her thoughts on this outfit ... guess we'll be passing it on to our new cousing Alyssa, who was born yesterday!

Sean, Cadence and I took a rickshaw tour of parts of the HuTong (neighbourhood) and visited a local family in their home ... very interesting! I didn't end up with any pictures because our Cadence fell asleep part way through and there was NO way, I was waking her for anything.

Late in the day, we all, even Sean, went to the Silk Alley Market ... peking duck dinner was at 5:00, so he had to tag along for the hour of shopping preceeding dinner. It was not good ... he got down one row and was done! I managed to leave him hanging, literally by the elevators while I picked up a couple of things ... if I had been on top of my game, I think I could have done my Christmas shopping here!
Peking Duck Dinner was great! Here is a shot of all the new moms and daughters ...

And finally, here is a great shot of the girl who charmed her way out of bed at 8:00 ( we did get her down by 8:30!)

So, that's it ... for now! We will spend the morning packing stuff up, making sure we have plenty of supplies for the plane ride home, not to mention the car ride! It is sure to be a long, tiring flight ... but in the end, it will get us home and there is NO where I'd rather be right now!
Looking forward to seeing some of you at the airport ... the rest, we'll see you soon ... for sure! You need to meet this spicy sichuan peanut who is growing before our eyes already ... another tooth, since we've met her. Canada ... here we come!

Great Wall Photos

This one's for Nancy ... evidence ... well, close!

Here is Cadence all dressed and ready for the big climb ...

Here we are ... the sky was hazy, but you can see some of the expanse of the wall behind us.

Trying to make like I DID it ... but you all know the truth!

Here's what I did manage ... and even a little further up. Is that a smile? I can't remember!

Monday's Photos

Here's Cadence, all dressed up in her party clothes ...... for the medical appointment!

This is Cadence READING while waiting for the doctor.

And this photo was taken shortly before the temper tantrum ... our little sichuan peanut LOVES the computer!

Here we are at the lounge bar for 'Happy Hour' .... really!

And here is the princess after her first chocolate ... thank god it was a mixture of white and dark chocolate!

Photos from Sunday

Well, looks like photos are a go ...
Here is Cadence saying good bye to her homeland, Chongqing (sigh) ....

This is 'us' in front of Tianneman Square ... isn't Sean hot wearing a Snugli!?

This is a shot of some of the group doing diaper changes in the tunnel to the 'Square' and what was left of the crowd that had gathered to take photos of us!

And here we are in the Palace Garden ... it was breathtaking!

Incredible ... Too bad I'm a wuss!

Hey!
Still not sure if you are able to read these posts, but I'll continue to blabber away in any case!
First of all, for those interested, the 'ban' on the apple juice seemed to be a success ... for most of the day.
Our day, began like all others ... hectic and chaotic ... packing bags with 'crap' one might need for a baby for an entire day of sight seeing. And as luck would have it, as we boarded the bus, I realized I had left MY sunglasses back in the room. Luckily
we had a peddlar, offering Olympic wares and everyone was 'shopping' from the bus, so Sean had time to run up to the room and retrieve them!
Cadence is NOT a good traveller ... basically due to the fact that she HATES to sit still for ANY period of time. This was a problem given the 2 hour bus ride! As luck would have it, she fell asleep about half way into the drive ... god forbid the 12 hour plane ride, not to mention the ride home in the car with the 5 point harness (more on that later!). Our first stop was the jade factory ... shopping, basically! And of course I did not disappoint ... there were purchases made! I've become known among my group for my 'interest' in the 'shops'.
From there we travelled straight to the Great Wall of China! I cannot begin to describe it to you ... it is unbelievable, magnificent and a true sight to behold! I have seen it from Google Earth, but nothing could prepare me for it up close and personal! Well, today I decided I wanted a turn with Cadence in the Snugli for the climb. My friends ... here is where the day fell apart! I cannot call myself a hero ... I am not even worthy of the t'shirt ... I was a complete coward!!!! You have no idea of the steepness and treachery of these steps ... they are not for the meek! I went up the first tiny level and began the first big climb ... knowing I would only make it to the first tower! Well, I MAYBE got 1/4 of the way there ... as soon as I turned around to have a look, I realized the great difficuly in getting down! I basically went down on my butt, step by step ... with Cadence strapped to me! Once again, I became a tourist attraction of my own! I am sad to admit it, but it is the truth ... however, IF anyone seeks an adventure ... this is for YOU!
Once, the OTHERS completed their climb we headed out for a beautiful Chinese lunch and then stopped through the Olympic Village which is heavily under construction.
Back at the hotel, our girl was finally able to unleash some energy ... and then we strapped her in the stroller and took her to the bar lounge for a white wine and some chicken satay! She's a party girl alright!
She is now asleep ... whew! This girl is high energy ... high maintenance ... they definitely got the combination down right when they matched her with us! Sean makes me laugh ... he loves her spunk ... me, I'm a tad concerned ... I'll be the one at
home all day! But, we have to admit at the moment we are indulging her in every way. Let's face it ... she's been through a lot ... abandoned at birth, life in an orphanage for the first 2 months of life, then moved into foster care ... and the night before she was placed in our arms, she was sent back to the orphanage for the night (where she cried ... a lot, they said!). So for now, we are just trying to ensure she understands we are there for her and will be ... always! The behaviour modification stuff ... that can wait until we get home! But oh, will you love her ... !!!
Tomorrow, we are doing a rick shaw tour of Beijing in the morning ... seeing a typical Chinese style home, then heading to the market again for the afternoon (Sean too ... oh my!), followed by a Peking Duck dinner with the group! After that I'll be packing up and getting ready for the trip home!
We arrive around 6:15 pm (prior to customs and immigration and all that!). Please .. NO photos of me ... I am HIDEOUS these days ...

Houston ... we have a few problems!

Well, I seem to be able to document and post, but photos are a whole other ball of wax! On top of that, I can't check to proof read what I've written OR read your comments, which I really enjoy doing during nap times! So, I will continue to share our journey, but you will have to be patient about 'seeing' it and if there is anything you really want to share, please do so through hotmail or first class as I check it daily!~
Monday, September 10th

We had to rouse the princess this morning as we had an early morning doctor appointment. Cadence did not like being stripped down to be weighed or measured ... she wailed ... and was THE only baby in our group to do so, which was unusual ... I don't think anyone has heard her cry yet! On the positive side, she wanted to be comforted and held by her mommy, which means bonding and attachment are happening for her. She is basically at the 15th percentile for height and weight and although that doesn't sound great, the girls do catch up in time. Again on a positive note, she is the biggest baby of our group ... two of the poor little souls, didn't even make it on the chart, but I have no doubt they will be flourishing in no time given all the love, attention, support and nutrition they are receiving! The doctor, did notice she had a slight infection in her ear and suggested we give her dimetapp 3x a day ... no problem! .... Actually, it was a problem as that was THE ONLY drug we didn't bring! Thankfully, Lisa and Geoff were able to spare some.
Once we returned from the clinic, I gave Cadence a bit of cereal which she wasn't too keen to eat, a bottle, and left Sean in charge as I headed to the famous 'Silk Alley Market'! OH.MY.GOD!!!!!! This place is a paradise! It was sooooo overwhelming and there was so little accomplished in a 2 hour period! The salespeople are extremely AGGRESSIVE and the bartering system is STRESSFUL ... especially for an amateur such as myself! We had a good time haggling and scored a couple of deals, but then ... for the last half hour, Hoda and I separated, as I was hot on the trail for a studded skull bag. I wanted that AND a Prada from the same place thinking I could score a real deal ..... NOT!!!! I literally had 2 girls pulling me by the arm into their kiosk and I was not leaving without shelling out a few hundred Yuan. These ladies knew how to get their price ... I was ready to pay ANYTHING to escape (and for the skull bag!). In the end, I got what I wanted for a little more than I bargained for ... oh, well, all in a day's work. My best deal of the day, however, ended up in a bust! I talked a girl into these cool boots for $100 Yuan (about $15 US), but she didn't have them in black so I walked away ... now I'm having remorse ... shoulda got the blue for that price ... there may be a return trip on Wednesday!
Upon my return ... Nancy ... Sean had completed not one but TWO diaper changes ... and yes ... even a poopy one! He had a great time with his girl! I think he would have rather battled the diaper than the market any day! Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, I had to do 4 changes ... things took a little turn for the worse ... I'm thinking we are going to cut out the apple juice, as this has been the newest addition to Cadence's diet. I'll let you know how that goes ... 'cause I know you're real interested in those 'matters'!
The three of us took a stroll through the streets of Beijing and then met the group for dinner in the bar lounge. Cadence had her evening bath and bottle and is now happily asleep! AND, I might add, has not had a runny nose since the first dose of Dimmetap! This is the first night Sean and I have outlasted this energizer bunny! I will say this ... the girl knows what she wants and doesn't give up until she gets it ... sound like anyone you know???? Her and I will be having a chat when we get home and setting things straight! Really, she is SOMETHING ELSE!
Okay, tomorrow is a BIG day ... Jade factory, The Great Wall and a lunch ... we have a full day booked! But each day brings us closer to home and for that we are thankful! Tune in tomorrow for more daily anecdotes ... photos to be added when I can figure it out!

Finally!!!!!

Hey y'all ...

We arrived here in Beijing and have had GREAT difficulty accessing Blogger, but somehow, through a link from our travel partner, Penny, who no longer is our travel partner, I've managed to get on! Soooooo, now I am going to attempt to cut
and past something from the other day ... here goes:

Sunday, September 9th

The girls managed reallly well on the flight from Chongqing to Beijing ... especially Miss Cadence who did NOT sleep at all! An Asian girl who sat with us was quite lovely and entertained her as best she could. As we were landing Cadence was quite intrigued with what was going on so I snapped a shot ... got in BIG trouble from the stewardess, who was already strapped in for landing ... OOPS!!!

We were up early for breakfast as we had photos first thing for the girls’ Visas ... again, Cadence only required one take ... she’s model material for sure! Breakfast was a challenge ... the ‘baby seats’ here are basically bar stools! After all was said and done and the parents were stressed to the max, we headed to the silk factory. Very interesting process and such beautiful products ... I did manage to make some purchases, but had I been on my own, I fear the damage I could have done! Silk is soooooo soft and luxurious!
From there we headed to Tiannemen Square and the the Forbidden City ... what was hilarious is that WE were the biggest tourist attraction of the day! We stopped in one of the tunnels to do diaper changes and you should have seen the crowd we drew ... they were taking pictures and everything ... hilarious!
It was a hot day ... Sean and Cadence did amazing with the Snugli thing ... wish I had bought one of those umbrella things as she totally refuses to wear hats!
On the way home we stopped at a Supermarket place to purchase strollers and then headed home!
Sean, Cadence and I enjoyed a lovely evening ... Happy hour from 6 -7 and then dinner from 7-8! A server at the bar gave Cadence some apple juice and ... a chocolate! There was chocolate everywhere, not to mention, one hyper kid! Now she is in bed ... asleep, hopefully for the night! Medicals are tomorrow morning at 8:30 .... very early, and then the day is ours! Man I can’t wait to get home! Here are some photos from the day ....

Okay ... I don't seem to be able to do that ... I'll try to add them in later!

Daily Update, Pics and Other Musings

We decided to try a new system for dinner time last night ... We stripped Cadence down, put her in the stroller, draped a towel over her and then fed her. Following that she had a bath, put on her jammies and then we put her back in the stroller with a bottle and headed to the buffet! This plan almost worked! She did sleep through most of our meal time, but we had to share some dessert with her ... raspberry mousse was quite a hit! Luckily she went down for the night around 8:30. Now, for those of you who may choose to venture to China ... let me caution you on the wasabi here! You know I like things hot and spicy and if my nose begins to run ... I'm all the more happy. Well, generally I enjoy wasabi on my sushi and load it up compared to most ... last night, that was a mistake. Sean had gone for his turn to the buffet and honest to god, I thought I was going to lose my mind! The wasabi was seeping into my brain and I couldn't swallow or breathe! I gracefully spit it into a napkin and grabbed for the wine ... needed a second glass last night!
Cadence slept really well again ... not as much coughing (even though that doesn't cause her to wake). She had some play time in the room, went for breakfast (ate 2 whole pancakes and a piece of watermelon) and had a play date with Olivia before her nap. We've got her nap time down to a science ...

She is a real treat when she wakes up ... happy, playful ... just wish I could figure this camera out (there are so few photos of her with her eyes completely open ... darn red eye feature!).

Here is a look at the progress we are making with respect to feeding time...

She hasn't been grabbing for the spoon over these last couple of feedings ... must be because I am now meeting her nutritional needs (aka ... she isn't starving anymore!).
The little monkey is very curious about everything! We have not done enough baby proofing at home I'm afraid! Here she is after having discovered some cords ... just look at that innocent expression!

We ARE having a great time, although anxious to get home ... hotel life has it's limits! We have a great group of friends travelling with us! That makes this whole experience all the more positive! We are having such fun watching the girls (attempt to) play together! It is going to be nice to have get togethers from time to time to watch our girls grow and to catch up with each other.
Tonight the group is going on a boat cruise on the river ... Sean and I have opted out of this one. We don't want to disrupt our girl's schedule AND not really sure what else there is to see, except muddy water and high rise after rise. We'll have to live vicariously through our travel mates on this one ... hope they take some video!
Tomorrow we fly out of here and head back to Beijing. It's a short flight so it will be a little test of what's to come! I am DREADING the plane ride back to Canada. Cadence is HIGHLY active. She doesn't like to be held for long periods of time and her sleeping routine is to roll around, flipping and flopping ... not condusive to airplanes! So far it appears that we have an open seat beside us ... let's hope that doesn't change over the next few days ... we probably shoulda booked that extra seat!!!
I know ... you told me so! AND I should have brought more batteries ... the last ones in the camera are already low ... hopefully I can pick some up tomorrow before we head out ... just imagine ... 6 days without photos of Cadence!
If you have the time PLEASE check out this blog to get another perspective on our time here. You must scroll down to The Last Word for each post ... too funny! That's all for today ... next post should be from Beijing!

A Day at the Zoo

Obviously, one must dress appropriately when heading to the zoo ...

Give me a break ... it's hot and humid and I'm down to a couple of outfits so the party dress HAD to work!

We had a first stop along the river for some photos ... not much to see really ... we can see it from our hotel window and it is a very muddy river AND of course, you continue to see high rise, upon high rise, upon high rise ... as I said before ... as far as the eye can see!

The zoo itself had beautiful grounds ... very lush and loads of bamboo!

Miss Cadence just put her feet up and enjoyed the ride ...

Following our zoo outing, Julie and Michael, our guides, took us to a local restaurant for all you can eat (and drink) 'hot pot'. The meal was absolutely fantastic!!! I highly recommend trying it if you haven't!

And now, Cadence's routine has been shot to hell ... she is not napping as we hoped ... Sean is taking her for a walk down the hallway. Although, she has taken well to us both, I have to admit, it is Sean she goes to for comfort ... Oh, I'm in trouble when we get home and he goes to work!

Zoo Animals ... Really!

Play, Park and Parenthood 101!

I am getting behind on my blogging but will attempt an update while Sean tries to get Miss Cadence down for her nap! This may take more than one entry as I have quite a few pics I'd like to share. I have to say, I am getting extremely frustrated with my camera ... there is such a delay in the shot that I am missing her most cutest expressions ... guess you'll just have to meet her in person! Anyway as I was saying ....

Yesterday started like any other ... Cadence slept almost until 8:00. She had playtime with us on the bed, a bottle and some cereal and then Sean and I took her for a play date with a few of the other girls ...

We then settled her in for her daily 11-1 nap ... like clock work ...

Although her sleep routine seems to be great from the outside there are some ... issues! Our girl sleeps well ... once you actually GET her to sleep! She must spend 15 to 20 minutes being absolutely silly ... she rolls from side to side and shimmies all over the bed, squeals and giggles, throws herself around ... I tell you, it is bloody exhausting! No wonder Sean and I are in bed with her at 8:00!
After nap time, our group headed to a park located at the highest point in Chongqing and climbed the stairs to the top of the pagoda.

Following that we toured a little museum about the Yangtze River and the 3 gorges ... very interesting ... REALLY! A dam is almost at its completion which will cause the river to rise substantially, thus submerging hundreds of thousands of homes, forcing local people to emmigrate. This is set to occur in 2009. To end our excursion we visited an authentic tea house where we learned how to prepare the perfect cup of chinese tea and enjoyed sampling 3 different types of tea.

One would think our little sichuan peanut would be tired after a day out ... not our girl ... she insisted on taking a little walk ...

Now to tell you about meal time ... oh how I wish I had captured this on video! Truly it was a sight to behold! Sean had Cadence on her lap while I 'attempted' to feed her some cereal and a jar of chicken. Sounds easy ... and it has been ... up until this point! I would put a spoonful in her mouth, she would grab the spoon (holding on for dear life) until I let go, then wait until I got the second spoon and proceed to throw her spoon. This pattern repeated itself over and over and over. There was chicken and cereal EVERYWHERE!!! Sean actually had to take a shower afterward. And then, my dear sweet happy girl became absolutely miserable!!! Nothing soothed her and I figured this was it ... the delayed grieving. Well, after a short bout tears ('cause I do hate to see her so upset!) I decided I'd try a bottle ... well, that did the trick ... I was starving the poor little soul!!! She is good in that she stops eating when she is full, even if there is still formula in her bottle so I guess I'll be sure to always have one on deck ... that AND cheerios!