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.

Stop and smell the pesticides / bin diesel

It's Fall in the Hood River Valley and it's gorgeous. I love the reds, oranges and yellows and the crisp, cool air. Yay for Fall. It was so nice the other day I decided to enjoy a refreshing walk outdoors with my son. We couldn't be happier; Koen decided to nod off to dreamland all bundled up in his stroller and I took in the sights, the smells and enjoyed the sounds of life in the orchard around me. Our muddy orchard road runs into a paved back road behind our house so I continued on with abounding energy; I could easily go for an hour today. The road I was taking leads to neighboring apple and cherry orchards in steeper terrain and I was ready to give the ol' hamstrings a workout. My breaths got quicker and deeper sucking in more oxygen as the walk became more challenging. Then I heard a noise... an engine in the distance; yep, definitely a plane coming right overhead. It was getting exceptionally loud, indicating that the plane was flying very low and I immediately jumped to worst case scenario - a scenic flight gone bad, the plane spiraling out of control towards my precious baby ending life as we knew it for both of us. Just then the plane came into view right above the apple trees and dropped its lovely load of pesticide spray right on top of us. My attitude took a dive and I was quietly cussing out the crop plane, the pilot and his chemical warfare. I draped a jacket over my (surprisingly) still sleeping baby and tried to filter the air I was heavily breathing through the sleeve of my sweatshirt. Yuck. The bitter taste in my mouth was horrendous, like I had licked the inside of a bottle of mosquito repellant. I wondered what breed of cancer would ensue. Geez. I decided to turn around and head back as soon as I saw the plane whip around for another drop. I made my way towards cleaner air and once again took in my beautiful surroundings, furrowed brow relenting. The walk was coming to an end and as I came within 15 feet of my turnoff back into the orchard an old beater diesel bin truck gave me a sucker punch send-off crippling my spirits. I was in a black cloud of exhaust so thick you could cut it. Who was I to think I could enjoy the outdoors and be "one with nature"? Big fat load of crap.

4 months, week 3

Have I mentioned I love my kid? Koen is amazing me with new things on a daily basis. He spends most of his time on his belly (aside from the time in my arms) with head and chest up exploring all the new sights from this new vantage point. He can move himself around pretty well, wiggling and reaching for toys just out of his grasp. It's always a surprise to see what position he's launched himself into during his nap... time to start baby proofing. He has a lot to say and his face contorts with ultimate concentration on getting his "words" out. His squeals and laughter are contagious and we find that it's hard to have a bad day around the Moore household. We walked through the local Harvest Fest this weekend and Koen was fixated on all the new people, sounds, and objects. He's quite the attention-getter; people just love babies and what used to take us 15 minutes to check out all the vendors, now takes us three times as long because people want to know how old he is, what his name is, whether it's a boy or a girl (our favorite), and then we get to hear their story on their kid, grandbaby, God son, etc, etc. We actually enjoy it and we find that we have the extra time to socialize. It's our new-found patience and relaxed mentality... hmm, welcome to 30s and parenthood.

He sleeps!

Thanks to my dear cousin Melissa's wonderful recommendation, we had a breakthrough last night getting our baby to sleep longer than 2 hours at a time. Richard Ferber is genius. We put our little guy down at 8 and went in to comfort him after 1 minute, 3 minutes, and then 5 minutes and he had fallen to sleep in his crib, on his own. He's used to eating every time he wakes up, so when he woke up at 9:30 I fed him once more and then upon his next waking at 11:30 Justin "reFerberized" him and he was again asleep within a half hour. I fed him again at 3:45 and he woke up cooing at 7 this morning. Now as for his mother... I was up all night worrying. Why hasn't he cried yet? Oh my Lord he's died of SIDS! Looks like I've developed a sleep association of having him by my side, so now I'll need to enlist the help of my husband to Ferberize me. Anyway, I feel like major progress has been made, so we'll see how night 2 goes. I feel like I'm well on my way to kissing sleep deprivation goodbye. But it is bittersweet. He's growing up too fast - he's graduated to his crib and it will feel like a week has gone by and I'll be cheering him on at his high school graduation. Boo.

growing up!

6 1/2 weeks

Finally

So finally I have decided to sit down (with baby Koen on my lap) and enter a new post! I've been having so much fun getting up every hour to feed that I've neglected the blog. Yes, this is one hungry boy and at 15 pounds, 2 1/2 months old, he's got the chub to prove it. He is a happy baby with a fabulous disposition and I couldn't be more lucky to have this wonderful kid in my life. Yes, I am one proud mama. I am so blessed that I get to stay home with him and watch him grow and develop; it's amazing and I love it. I wasn't sure if I would be one of those moms that grows stir crazy after a couple months, needing to get back to adult conversations and work full time, but I'm finding I would take this life over that one any day - at least for now. This kid's smile is therapeutic - it's impossible to have a bad day when he looks at you like you're the only thing that matters in his world. My mother-in-law said it best; there is nothing fake about a baby's smile. You know it's legitimate and real and it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. These last couple months have been an absolute trip. Being a first time mom is a serious job bringing out instincts you never knew you had, and tests your capability to function on next to no sleep at all. It's exhausting, rewarding, challenging... but I'm preaching to the choir; every mom out there can relate. I have serious compassion for the moms who started having children in their late teens and early 20s, those with twins or more, single moms, and those who have to work full time. I have it easy in comparison. The pictures above are taken at 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3 days old from top to bottom.

41 Weeks

I'll be 41 weeks in two days. I was hoping my next picture would be with the baby, but figured I'd do one more belly pic to show how big this baby has grown. I feel really tired and constantly hungry, but other than that there has been no indication this little person is ready to greet us. Justin and I have been getting a lot of comments like "did you have the baby yet?" and "are you really still pregnant?", which is slightly overwhelming because I ask myself these same questions every day. Next time I'm announcing that my due date is 2 weeks later than what it really is; it's just easier that way.

Baby's Sleeping In

Much to my dismay, little Moore is extending its vacation. I'm going on three days beyond my due date and even though I know it's not realistic to expect a baby to show up on time, I'm ready to get this thing started. The key to my sanity is staying busy with projects, so I painted a tree on the wall in the nursery (thank you Sara for inspiring me). It looks amazing if I do say so myself. I'll post a picture of the nursery when I'm not feeling so lazy. Justin is busy building our chicken coop, and it looks like we'll be able to fill it with egg bearing hens tomorrow or Tuesday. However, if I even see an egg before this baby shows up, that will be one fried chicken.

Getting Big!

4 weeks to go... yikes! It's about time I plan for this baby. My last day at work full time was Friday so this weekend Justin and I diligently prepared the baby's room, and I officially went into cleaning/nesting mode. My washer and dryer never stopped running, in fact it's still going at 11:45pm Sunday night. Justin and I often go into our now clean, organized baby's room and just stare at everything in silence. I can't believe this is happening - our little kid will grow up in this room! I am so grateful to friends and family for the generous gifts they have given us or let us borrow so this room could come together. Baby's going to love it! Speaking of baby... he/she is getting quite large. There is a lot of pushing, shoving, and stretching. Our baby's favorite position is L-shaped with long legs stretched out straight, feet poking out of my right side. It's crazy to actually see the odd contours of my belly when baby nestles into this position. It's definitely getting harder and harder by the day to move around, bend down to pick something off the floor, get out of bed, you name it - but I still feel great, and I don't have much to complain about. I did not take one child birth class, so aside from the bits and pieces I've gotten from various books, I'm hoping I have what it takes for a manageable labor. I go in to Portland Wednesday morning for one more ultrasound to check out a couple uterine fibroids just to make sure they will not conflict with baby's exit strategy, and then I'm completely ready. Bring it on!

Oh yeah, and Osama Bin Laden is dead.

8 weeks to go...

Today I am 32 weeks and 2 days pregnant. Justin and I are filled with the anticipation of meeting our little baby. We had a good prenatal on Wednesday - heart beat's strong, baby is head down and securely lodged in my pelvis, and sounds like we have a pretty big kid in there... please God, no 10 pounder! I feel healthy, although I'm noticing more fatigue- probably from my pregnancy insomnia, and it's getting harder to pull myself out of bed and off the couch because of this ever growing belly. Time is flying and I can't believe we only have two months to go. There are many fun things to look forward to in the coming months - spending some time with family, sunshine (hopefully), getting prepared for our home birth, and getting the baby's room ready. I'm really looking forward to being a mom full time and putting all my energy and attention into our little one.

Baby Moore

Ok, so we caved and got the ultrasound. I'm so glad we did; we have total peace of mind for the next 2 1/2 months until baby's due date. It was the neatest thing watching our child dancing around in my belly- our doctor said baby was definitely rambunctious, so it was tough getting a solid image, but everything checked out. She thinks our baby will be about 8 1/2 pounds at delivery, all limbs were accounted for, kidneys looked great, swallowing and processing fluids fine, the heart had four well developed chambers, and we saw a great profile shot where baby was moving its lips (Justin thinks he/she was trying to tell us to shut the damn ultrasound off). Can't wait to meet this little person!

28 Weeks

Holy cow, I only have 12 weeks to go... assuming baby doesn't decide to sleep in for two weeks like I did before I was born. I recently returned from Arizona and it seems that baby thrived with the warmer temperatures and laid back retirement lifestyle that Yuma has to offer. Baby had two full weeks sans stress, loads of Vitamin D, good food, and plenty of love from Grandma and Grandpa... sorry, Mom, Gram and Grandpa. I feel like time is flying by at warp speeds and I am not mentally prepared for the arrival of this baby quite yet. Thank goodness for Justin; while I was gone he cleaned the carpets and emptied the baby's room of all the guest furniture which is a huge start. We have a blank canvas to work from, and I'm excited to officially begin the nesting phase of this pregnancy.

25 Weeks

I was supposed to take a picture last weekend, but you know, life gets busy. I have been enjoying my growing belly and all the movement taking place. It's very distracting and I find myself zoning in on all the kicks and rolling motions throughout the day; it's like someone is playing pinball inside me. Physically I feel great, and I'm having more restful nights now. I'm starting to unwind and relax; this is my last week of work in sales and I'm trying to tie up all the loose ends before I leave for Arizona on Monday. I am looking forward to some warmer temperatures and sunshine to say the least. We've had a couple nice days in Hood River and it's amazing how many people start dancing around like their starring in a Broadway show when the sun comes out.

20 weeks

This one is for you Melissa! I'm officially 20 weeks in this picture; the belly is getting tight. My abs feel like they're about to explode and I'm only half way there. Is this normal? And I believe I see a hint of a stretch mark creeping up from way below. I hear it doesn't matter how much Shea butter, oil and salve you plaster on it; this is hereditary and I am predestined to get tatooed with the best of them. I went shopping for maternity pants last weekend and didn't find one pair that didn't remind me of bad mom jeans that would land me on an episode of What Not to Wear. I'll stick with the rubberband method for now. I'm still dealing with a bit of insomnia, but that's about all I have to complain about. I had my second pregnancy dream last night and it was a fair-skinned, perfect baby girl. I wonder if my dreams are trying to tell me something...

Justin felt the baby kick for the first time at 20 weeks; he is loving this experience just about as much as I am, and he's enjoying my round belly and other rotund things a little further north. Our next appointment is February 2nd. We got to enjoy the heart beat again - this time it was a little longer and stronger, but apparently our baby is very active, so we heard more swooshing sounds from his/her movement than actual heart beats. I also found out I have an irregular uterus, yeehaw. I noticed that I always felt movement on my right side and after our midwife felt around my stomach she noticed that there wasn't much real estate on my left side. I'm prepared to be a tad lopsided as this pregnancy progresses; hopefully people don't mistaken my baby bump for an abnormally large tumor.