He eats!

I was going to wait until Koen was 6 months old before introducing him to solids, but I figured he was clearly more than ready when he grabbed the spoon off my plate and shoved it in his mouth like a dang toddler. So at a little less than 5 1/2 months old he got to try his first bland taste of Earth's Best rice cereal. It was a resounding success and seemed like he'd been eating that way from birth. He's pictured here on day 3 with Daddy feeding him for the first time.

Baby room on a budget

Now that I am not working, it's more important than ever to get creative and save money wherever I can. The baby's room has been a work in progress and is about 95% complete. I was able to make it look pretty cool without breaking the bank. The crib, mattress, changing table and cushion with two covers were purchased at a garage sale for $90. Not bad in my opinion; that full setup would easily have cost more than $500 at Baby's R Us brand new and it looks barely used second hand. I hand painted the tree using leftover house paint and I made the grommet curtains from scratch with really high quality fabric I picked up at a garage sale for $5. The grommets were $8, curtain rod and hardware was $12 at Walmart. Everything else in the room is borrowed, gifted, and used. If you would have asked me 5 years ago whether I would be this stereotypical domesticated mother and housewife I would have laughed in your face... wow, how things have changed.

Spoiled rotten

How the heck did we get so lucky as parents? We just got back from Seaside, Oregon where we celebrated Justin's 32nd birthday; this was our first family trip out of town and it was an opportunity to see how Koen would fare with the two of us in a hotel room for a couple nights. I was blown away at how adaptable this 5 month old angel really is. Dang, there is no way we could possibly be blessed with another child as easy as this kid. On the 2 1/2 hour drive he slept, and when he was awake he just stared out the window laughing occasionally at who knows what. His bedtime got all screwed up and yet he didn't skip a beat, sleeping through the night and even giving us a chance to sleep in til 8! When the icy cold winter wind blasted his face he just squinted his eyes and carried on. I kept wondering at what point he would break down from all this new stimulation, especially since we had him strapped into the car seat and stroller 90% of the time, but it didn't happen. He flirted with waitresses and passersby, soaked in the views of the ocean and downtown Seaside, and waited patiently in my arms while I scoured the racks at the local Goodwill. This kid is amazing. Justin had a wonderful time finally getting some extended quality time with his family. I enjoyed the help from Daddy and was able to enjoy a long shower, eat my meals slowly, and give the arms a break. So how did this trip rate? 9 out of 10. I had to take a point off because we booked a budget hotel and, ahem, you didn't need a black light to uncover some of the goodies that somehow eluded the housekeepers.