Yummy, yummy, yummy... Rice in my tummy!

Here we go!

Jacob is 4 1/2 months old now and has been eyeing and reaching for our food for a couple of weeks. This presented a new challenge to me, because Jacob often sits in my lap while we eat. He enjoys his jump-a-roo and his exersaucer, but sometimes he just wants to be a part of what's going on at the table! He would also open his mouth when we would bring a fork full of food to our mouths. I had mixed feelings about this: my baby may be ready to try baby cereal, but this also means my baby is changing and growing so fast =(

What is that?!

    
    So we went to the grocery store and bought a box of baby rice cereal. I probably looked over the selection longer than the average person would. I wanted to make the best decision for my baby. His pediatrician said we could start rice or oatmeal cereal any time and if he didn't like it, wait a month and give it another try.




    Jacob is very determined. He's willing to try hard at everything. Though he cannot crawl yet because he hasn't developed the arm strength, his legs can do the work for him. If he sees a toy he wants while playing on the floor, he'll scoot his legs underneath himself and give it a grunting push. He'll do this over & over again until he reaches what he wants. All the while, his poor little face is rubbing across the floor. Does he mind? Only if he gets too tired in the process; but he's willing to do what it takes. That's my boy!

Yes! I want mooore!

    
    So because Jacob seems to have the "go getter" mentality, I really had no doubts about him accepting the cereal. We got it ready shortly before bedtime & were probably more excited than he was at first. I thinned out the cereal to near milk consistency with breast milk. We gave him his first "bite" and... He seemed to like the taste! 
    The next evening we gave Jacob cereal again. After several bites, he seemed to be getting frustrated and kept reaching for the bowl. So I gave it to him & he drank the cereal! It was adorable. The evening after that, I made his cereal a little thicker. He seems to like it best that way. Our little Jacob is growing up! 
    He has also been teething...mostly at night. Why does it always work that way? So, needless to say, I haven't been getting much sleep. But thanks to Tylenol for infants, he can handle it =) If you looks closely, you can tell his 2 bottom front teeth will be here soon! The gums have changed from really red to almost white-ish. In the light you can see those 2 little teeth are just under the surface!