Teeth, Fits of Giggles, and a Cone

Ryan has teeth - 2 of them now!  It was a little rough there for a while, a few nights of waking up every 1.5 hours, but they have poked through.  I kinda miss those gummy grins, but Ryan is still pretty cute.

Ryan has also been treating those around him to fits of giggles instead of the occasional one.  Uncle Scott and I must be pretty funny looking as we only need to look in his direction before he starts.  Grandma Cullison at least has to do something in order for him to cut up. 

While in Iowa, Lucy split a nail down to the quick.  It helps that it's that extra one that doesn't touch the ground, which means she's not limping or anything.  When she would lay down though, she would go to town licking it.  Lucy wouldn't let the groomer get to it so we went to the vet on Saturday.  The vet snipped it right off and told me not to let her lick it.  Ha!  Lucy not lick something?  We ended up with a "Cone of Shame." 

This poor, pathetic dog.  The vet said it takes about three days for a dog to get used to it, I'm thinking it may take Lucy a bit longer.  The first sign of trouble was leaving the vet office.  Lucy kept bumping into the door frame and seemed to panic that she wasn't able to leave.  I guided her, by the cone, to the car where I had to lift her inside.

It did not get better once we were home.  Lucy's first obstacle was the couch.  She couldn't maneuver her to way a favorite resting place by the window since the stupid couch was in the way.  After bumping into it a few times, she just stood there with her tail between her legs.  I helped her a few times, but it seemed like any time she would encounter something, she would just stand there in a very sad way.

On a brighter note, I think her paw feels much better!  Ryan also thinks Lucy is *hysterical* in this new contraption.  He intently watches a coneless Lucy wander around the house; but with the cone, he smiles, laughs, and makes excited noises. 

Madilyn and Ryan

These cousins are so funny to watch!  Madilyn is 3 months older and "inch worms" her way around, while Ryan prefers rolling.

Avacados/Apples

One day I was slicing up some avacado for my sandwich when I though, "hey, it's been a few days on the cereal, let's try avacado."  HA!  Ryan HATED it.  Crying, clawing at his tongue, and screaming ensued.

It's blurry because he's swaying in agony.  Poor guy.  We'll try avacado again later.








I made a batch of apples today and decided to mix it with his cereal to see how it went.  Success!  If Ryan knew how to clap, I feel like I would have gotten applause. 

What this pic doesn't show is his "happy hopping" in his bumbo seat. 








I'm a big fan of making your own baby food now.  It's pretty easy, I know exactly what's in it, and it's much cheaper.  For instance, 6 apples ($3.78) made 10 servings (1/4 cup each) of pureed food.  I also made squash, carrots, green beans, broccoli, sweet potato, avacado, and pumpkin. 

Rice Cereal Day

For almost a week now, Ryan has stopped sleeping through the night and wants to eat constantly.  It could be a growth spurt, but I am having a hard time keeping up.  I had the go ahead from the doctor at 4 months, but really wanted to wait until he was 6 months.  5.5 is close enough I think.

Ryan loves the stuff!  It was like I couldn't get it into his mouth fast enough.  Once we were done, I was treated to what could only be described as a song of appreciation to rice cereal from Ryan. 

Here's the aftermath:

Cereal was on his chin (as you can see), his hands, feet, and behind his ears.  I felt like I had a smart mom moment by feeding him just in his diaper and a bib...I've heard a few stories about early solid foods and clothing disasters.

A Boy and His Dog

Back in February Ryan "marked" Lucy as his on a road trip to Colorado.  Since then they've eye-balled each other, enjoyed each other's company from a distance, and may have even sneaked in some kisses.  He LOVES watching her romp around and it was just a matter of time before he got a little more hands on with her.

Yesterday I had him on my lap and we called Lucy over.  She came, layed in front of us, and rolled onto her back (a very good and submissive move).  We petted her gently and she let Ryan play with her ears for a good five minutes!  Then she couldn't take it any more and rolled into us for a better licking position.  Ryan was bathed in Lucy kisses - feet, hands, and even face.  This made him giggle so much!  I think this has been a good beginning to a beautiful relationship!

She may be his incentive to crawl soon.

Car ride friends.

She likes to be close.

Just hanging out, keeping an eye on things.

Peace and Not Quiet

Things have gotten a little louder in the Gilbert house...Ryan has learned to squeal with delight!  Scared me to death the first time I heard it, but he was happily bouncing away with a dinosaur in his mouth.





I'm soooo  haaaaaaaappppppppppyyyyyy!



This was a fun day!  This play session started out with a nicely layed out blanket with some toys and a baby on top.  I went from the living room to the kitchen and back (a total round trip of 20 steps) and found Ryan like this.  



3 Weeks Down

Well, 3 weeks and 1 day down - many more to go.  In all honesty, things are going better than expected.  On the home front, having Ryan this time helps establish a routine.  There's no time for wallowing.  I have a group of ladies I meet up with a few times a week for a long walk around the golf course on post, which means I get some adult interaction with people who actually talk back.  I chat with Ryan all the time, but all I get in return are quizzical looks or "ahhhhh, mmmmmm," followed by some spits.

On Keith's end, he has internet in his room and we've been able to Skype almost every day.  Sometimes as long as an hour or as short as 20 minutes.  This is AMAZING!  I feel like we've already had more "face time" with each other than the whole year he was in Iraq.  He also said this FOB is like a hotel compared to last time.  I can live with this. 

I'm so thankful and amazed at Ryan's continued recognition of all things Keith.  We have a DVD with Keith reading several stories and a few of the books with his voice recorded.  Ryan can be fussy or busy playing with something and will immediately turn his attention to the screen when he hears Keith.  It's really cool to see.  I also have Flat Keith!  Ryan is all smiles for Flat Keith! 



I get MAD when things don't fit into my mouth.



 



MMmmmm, dinosar tails.