January 2009

This month, Koen had his 6 month check up and he was 15 lbs 8 oz and 26 inches long (less than the 25th percentile for both). He's doing well in PT (the flat spot's almost gone) and is beginning to sit up without support. No teeth yet, but he's drooling a lot and has intermittent bouts of grumpiness where he rubs his gums and whines -so I think teeth are on their way!

Other events this month: our trip to Chicago (see post below)was the biggest event this month. We also enjoyed a few birthday celebrations - first my Grandma Jerri turned 80 and we went to Brick 29 in Nampa to celebrate. I'm not usually a big breakfast eater, but, wow - what a feast! If you haven't been there yet, you should give it a try; it's well worth the drive to Nampa!!! We also celebrated our niece Emily's 7th birthday and Koen's favorite part of the party was the balloons. The month ended with Kenn's backcountry skiing trip in the Pioneer Mountains with his friend Jade.

Firsts this month: first plane ride, first trip back east, and first attempts at sitting up without support.

Tag

I recently checked my friend Amy's blog and realized that I've been "tagged". Apparently, there is an epidemic of Blog-Tag going around in which bloggers are sharing a few things about themselves, and then tagging five or so other bloggers to be "it." So, here are some things you may not have known about me:

1. I (like Amy) research everything. I like to feel like the decisions I make are informed, so if I can, I research whatever I'm going to do/buy before the fact. This may drive some people crazy (especially those who are more spontaneous and like to throw caution to the wind - like my sweet husband), but what can I say, it's just who I am!

2. I love to get things on sale. Those who buy things full price may call me cheap but those other bargain hunters out there will call me financially savvy and smart :) I love the thrill of getting a great deal on something because it means that I've saved enough money to buy two things instead of just one!

3. I am addicted to reality TV. I know, I know..too much TV rots your brain..but I just can't help it! I'm addicted to watching others make fools of themselves on live tv. My favorites are the really horrible MTV shows in which people humiliate themselves to win the heart of some loser. Watching their train-wreck of a life both horrifies and amuses me - what are these people thinking? And what would their grandma say?

4. People seem to think I'm a great housekeeper just because the house is clean when I know guests are coming over. Little do they know that this is the only time it's clean... I am a horrible housekeeper and am just not really motivated to change. I do like things picked up, so there is usually not much clutter around, but I HATE to actually clean. I have managed to perfect the art of ignoring the dust on the tables and overlooking the scattering of pet hair on the floor. Oh, I wish we were rich enough to hire a cleaning lady...

5. I have decided to become more green/natural this year and I'm starting by making my own baby food. I decided to try this for a number of reasons: to save money, I can make sure I know what is going into Koen's food and I'm doing my small part to save the environment because there will be less glass/plastic baby food containers out there. It's been really fun and easy so far. Next I'm going to branch out into making my own green cleaning products. I've been told that it's really easy to do, affordable, and that they're very effective! I'll let you know how it goes...

Now, "Tag - You're it!" --
Val Berg http://patandvalberg.blogspot.com/
Jennifer Hilty-Jones http://hiltysprouts.blogspot.com/
Laura Bettis http://clydeharry.blogspot.com/
Deena Starkel http://starkels.blogspot.com/
Tammie Morin http://chaosmom4.blogspot.com/

Chicago

We just got back from a 5-day trip to Highwood, Illinois (just outside of Chicago) visiting Kenn's mom's family. We stayed in Kathy's childhood home and were lucky enough to be visited by almost all of the Chicago Ronzani's. The weather was mild for winter in Chicago (20ish degrees, very little wind and no snow storms) so we were able to do some exploring. Kenn and I took the train into Chicago to visit Millenium Park and the Field Museum and met up with his cousin Dominic for dinner downtown. I even talked Kenn into a quick trip the the outlet mall :) Koen traveled like a champ on the plane and loved being spoiled rotten by all the aunties! It was a great vacation and hopefully it won't be another two years before we can go back...

December 08

We hope that everyone had a joyous Christmas season and is looking forward to a wonderful New Year!

Thank you to everyone who helped spoil Koen with presents this year. He was a very lucky little boy and got a ton of great toys and clothes. It was especially fun to enjoy Koen's facial expressions while the presents were being opened. He wasn't too impressed with what was inside, but the wrapping paper was fabulous!

Just after Christmas we had a chance to sneak away to Cascade with Jill and her boyfriend Joe for some skiing and snowshoeing at Tamarack. I wanted to make sure that Koen didn't get too cold snowshoeing so I put him in a LOT of clothes and, sure enough - mission accomplished - he wasn't cold at all. Instead he overheated and we had to strip him down as we went! Someday I'll figure this all out...

Now that the holidays are over, I'm left with a sense of relief and sadness. Relief that we can settle back into our normal routine and hopefully this will convince Koen to start sleeping again. The many events of the holidays have wreaked havoc with Koen's sleeping schedule and he's back to waking up every 3 1/2 hours at night. Sadness because the joy of picking out and giving gifts and the excitement of Christmas parties with families are over. Oh yeah, and we have to go back to work again :(

This month brought many memorable firsts for Koen - first Christmas tree, first snow, first Christmas, and first winter adventure (snowshoeing at Tamarack).

First formal pictures

Like every other first time mom, I was excited to get Koen's first formal pictures taken because my baby is the cutest baby in the world - sorry everyone, but it's true! :) Everyone suggested Kiddie Kandids, but oh no, I couldn't imagine paying that much for pictures so I decided to try the more affordable Target. I guess that the old saying is true..."you get what you pay for!"

The day we went to Target they were short staffed, frantic and rushed which must have rubbed Koen the wrong way because he wouldn't really smile and overall, the experience wasn't great. It wasn't a total loss though -- we did get two or three good pictures out of the experience.

November 08

The month started out with a bang when Kenn left for Florida for 5 days and I got to experience being a single parent. And wonder of all wonders -- I survived!! Actually the idea of it was much worse than the reality - my mom stayed two nights to help out, Koen slept well and we got lots of Mommy-Baby time!

On November 3rd, Koen turned 4 months and weighed in at 13 1/2 lbs and 24 1/2 inches. He's still a little guy (20%ile for weight and 50% percentile for height), but according to the PT and pediatrician he's very strong for his age. He loves tummy-time and is working hard on his rolling skills. No more leaving him on the bed or couch alone!

We introduced rice cereal this month with much anticipation of an exciting memory to be made, but it was pretty anti-climactic. Koen tasted it, made a horrible face, shook his head in disgust and spit it out. Oh well, our PT later told us that everyone starts cereal too early and that babies shouldn't be eating cereal till 6 months since their "systems" aren't ready for it till then. So, I guess we try again in two months!

Other events this month were a Coles family party for my Aunt Teresa's birthday, Thanksgiving, Festival of Trees and a Holiday Dinner with friends.

Firsts this month: first rice cereal, first professional photo shoot, first Thanksgiving, and first Festival of Trees.

October 08

At the beginning of this month, Koen decided that he wanted to spend more quality time with us so he started waking up every hour at night to make sure he got to see us a lot! We finally convinced him that well-rested parents are much better than grumpy, sleep deprived parents and now he's back to a normal baby sleeping schedule. Amen!!

Koen has started rolling from his stomach to his back and has also learned that he can stand with support. He loves to be held in a standing position and as soon as you lift him up he begins to bobble, smile and jabber! Another favorite activity is playing peek-a-boo and Kenn got the joy of hearing Koen's first laugh as they were playing peek-a-boo with a blanket.

Halloween night we dressed Koen up in his giraffe outfit, which only lasted about 2 minutes before he overheated and started screaming. We had to take him outside until he cooled down and calmed down. Our little man is one hot body! Once that crisis was solved, we took a million pictures (of course) and then Kenn and I left him with Papa and Susan while we had a date night. It's wonderful having family around that is willing to babysit so Kenn and I are able to get in couple time. As much as we love our little monster, sometimes we just need a few hours of adult discussion and some quiet time.

Firsts this month: rolling over, first vacation and visit to the beach (see Portland post below), first laugh, and first Halloween.