Cereal Fanatic

Anyone who knows Phil will know that he LOVES his cereal. Whether it's his morning breakfast, nooner snack, pre-dinner appetizer, or late night munch, Phil eats cereal like it's going out of style. That's why I was so surprised last week when Avery DENIED his rice cereal. We just started Avery on "solids" after his four month checkup last week (15lbs 7oz; 25.25 inches long). For anyone who hasn't seen baby rice cereal, it looks like a very watered down version of cream of wheat...and it tastes like feet. I mixed the cereal with some formula, per instructions from the pediatrician and other reliable online sources (ha). Take a look at the outcome:

Since then, I have made a half-hearted attempt everyday to get Avery to take a little bit of cereal...to no avail. It's not a huge deal if he doesn't start it now, as some literature states that it is better to wait until 6 months to start solids. However, the pediatrican thought that it would help all of his reflux and that we could eventually wean him off of some medicine in the near future. So, like a good mother (or bad, depending on how you view cramming cereal into a crying baby's mouth), I kept trucking along. Yesterday, I had the brilliant notion to mix the cereal with water instead of the formula. If rice cereal smells and tastes like feet, then formula smells and tastes like a*#. Hmm, note the different reaction:

Yes, Avery now LOVES his cereal!! He was grabbing for the spoon AND the bowl. If he had the motor skills, I swear he would have licked that cereal bowl clean. Just like his Daddy. :)