Snow...and another fun "s word"

If you're a regular blog reader, you may have noticed my lack of posting in the past 10 days or so...and there's good reason, I promise. First, we bought a "real" video camera, and while I now have tons of great video, it's all in HD, and our computer is too old to handle the large files, so until we get a new computer, I can't share our new clips. I promise to take video with our ancient point-and-shoot camera to post in the meantime.

Second, I've been avoiding posting for fear of jinxing our new-found skill. Yes, the "s word" is SLEEP! For the past week, Ryan's been sleeping through the night...8 p.m. to 7 a.m. usually - and I've literally been afraid to brag too much because he's been known to tease us with milestones and then revert back to old habits. Now, I feel like I can post b/c Ryan broke the cycle and woke up 3 times last night...so while maybe he won't sleep through every night, he at least can put himself back to sleep when he wakes now.

Stay tuned for more photos and videos soon!

Solution to the bottle saga

If you've chatted with me lately, chances are we've talked about (or rather, I've lamented about) the fact that a few weeks ago, Ryan decided that he didn't like bottles anymore. In fact, he hates them. Shuts-his-lips-tight-gags-and-screams-like-a-banshee hates them.

So, desperate for a solution (and the ability to leave home for more than an hour or two at a time), I've been asking friends and family, scouring the Internet and saying many prayers to find some sort of answer. The answer came from our good friends Jaime and Dan Carmody. They have a daughter, Clara, who is just a few weeks younger than Ryan, and she never really took to a bottle, so their pediatrician suggested trying to get her to drink out of a cup.

***Cue the angelic choir and streams of sunlight beaming down on our family room on Sunday morning***

We're talking about a cup...not a sippy cup with a spout...just a cup. Or, in our case, a very small plastic cup about the size of a shot glass. He loves it. Laps up that milk like a kitten. Lets us pour in tiny bits and he gulps it down. It's amazing...and just in time for Stephen and I to attend a wedding this weekend free of the fear that our child is starving and screaming his head off for grandma and grandpa.

Of course, we're continuing to "practice" this new feeding method often to ensure he doesn't give up the cup, too. I'm also off to the store this week to purchase some different types to try so we can make this a bit easier. So much for the legions of bottles I now have stored away.

Enjoy a few photos of the momentous occasion:

Mmmm...cereal

Well, the big day is finally here. Ryan's been staring us down as we eat for a while now, and since he's 4.5 months old, we thought we'd give the old rice cereal a try. Ryan, however, was not so sure about it. He's recently started refusing a bottle -- so perhaps his reaction was to be expected. Ultimately, he pursed his lips and turned his head away. We'll try again tomorrow...and if that doesn't go well, we'll wait till next weekend. Check out a short clip and some photos below. Enjoy!

Warm weather

We at the Trammell household are so grateful for the recent string of warm days in St. Louis. Because we've had 70+ degree weather, we could air the cold germs out of our house, but most importantly, we've been going on lots of walks and playing with our newest toy, our swing(thanks great grandma Jinnie!) Enjoy a few new pics:

It's bright in that sunshine, so we first wore the only hat we had (thanks, great uncle Rich!) -- it's still a little big, though. :)

Our new favorite toy! (Before we were wise to the hats)

Mommy finally bought me a few new hats - this one fits much better:

Giggles

For those of you anxiously awaiting a video of Ryan giggling, here it is. We shot this last night (again, poor quality - sorry) and we can't wait until we can get him really rolling for the camera.

Disclaimer - in order to get Ryan to laugh, it takes us being quite silly - and making some ridiculous noises, usually ones that startle him - so, enjoy seeing mommy act like a cuckoo too.

Proud Mama Update!

Big news from the Trammell household this morning. Ryan has officially rolled over! While this may not seem like a big deal, you'd think we had won the lotto when he went from back to front not once, but twice today. (Mom may have even shed a tear...pathetic, I know.)

Earlier in the week, he flipped from his tummy to his back when my head was turned, so I missed it -- and passed it off as a fluke. But today, he was in his jungle and was trying over and over to make it over -- and eventually succeeded!

Another milestone for the books. :)

4 month doctor's visit

Today Ryan went to see Dr. Steele for his 4 month check up -- we're pleased to report that he's quite healthy and growing on schedule. Dr. Steele confirmed our hunch that Ryan's likely to be built like his daddy, long and lean.

Ryan currently weighs in at 13 lbs, 15 oz, (so call it 14 lbs), and is 25.25 inches long. He's in the 70th percentile for height, and the 40th for weight. Ryan, it looks like chicken legs may be in your future after all.

Ryan also is starting to nap better during the day (keep your fingers crossed that that trend continues) and pretty soon we'll start on solid food. We're planning to take it slowly since daddy was allergic to so many things as a kid, but rest assured that we'll soon be posting photos and videos of messy faces. :)

Last, but not least, Ryan took his vaccinations today (four shots!) like a star -- just yelped a little bit. While the band-aids below are girlie, I assure you that Ryan took them like a man.