Uh Oh, Spaghetti-Os

Clearly, Ben is a fan of Spaghetti-Os.

Dinner Date

Today we ran some errands and had a late lunch/early dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. Ben had a heck of a time. Clearly, he takes after mom with his enjoyment of a eating out and takes after dad with his enjoyment of food.

While we waited for a table, Dad kept Ben entertained. Who knew pretending to eat a kid's pacifier would be so hilarious? Ben was giggling like a school girl during this "game."

Once we were seated, Ben saddled up to the table to eat. At Cheesecake they give kids a complimentary plate of bread and bananas. Ben enjoyed plenty of both, along with some snacks we'd brought along.

Instead of taking the banana off my finger, Ben decided it would be more efficient to just grab my fingers and shove them into his mouth instead.

We forgot his sippy cup, and a kid's got to wash down a good meal, so he tried a little of Mike's water. I think most of it ended up in his lap.

Between bites, he managed to charm the waitress.

And much to my germaphobe dismay (although I did thoroughly clean the table with wipes), when we weren't quick enough replenishing his food, Ben decided to go ahead and eat the table. Mmmm.

I'd say at least 50% of Ben's food ended up on the floor. Sorry Cheesecake Factory!

Before we headed out for more errands, Ben filled up with a bottle. He likes to do it himself.

With mixed results...

He gets the concept that he needs to tilt back the bottle to get the milk out, but in his haste to do this, apparently he forgot rule #1 -- the bottle should be in your mouth first.

And then it was back to the car and off to Costco.

Ben loved taking in the sites and sounds of Costco. It was a Saturday night, so there was a lot to keep his attention. He's such a happy little guy!

Fun Times with Rice Cereal

Today marked two milestones in Ben's short life -- he turned 5 months old and he tried his first rice cereal. Here he is getting ready for his first "meal."

Ready for the first delicious bite!

Hmm, he's not sure what to make of this stuff. But he's game to try anything.

But after a few bites, he decides he's given it enough of a try and is pretty sure he's not buying what I'm selling.

I think this face says "What the hell is this crap, Mom?"

At this point, he decides to take matters into his own hands and grabs the bowl to get a closer look at what we're trying to feed him.

Once he's examined it, we try some more. Nope, still not liking it.

Enough already!

The rice cereal is apparently so gross, he'd rather eat his bib.

The aftermath...

Ben's very into grabbing everything and anything these days. Here, he grabs Dad's face.

Next, he grabs my hair -- a real favorite of his. Unfortunately, he loves to shove my hair in his mouth. Not so pleasant for me when that mouth is covered in rice cereal.

Thinking he's really funny after grabbing my hair, he gives a triumphant face.

All in all, it wasn't so bad. He is not sure what to make of it, but he is really interested in the spoon, and he didn't cry or fuss. He just didn't actually swallow much of it. Better luck next time...