It's Christmas today! I haven't blogged (again) in several weeks. We have been very blessed this year and above all else- we are thankful for our Savior, Jesus Christ: His birth, His life here on Earth, His sacrifice and blood shed on the cross and God's faithfulness of his ascent to Heaven for our sins. Grace= unmerited mercy; I am so thankful for God's grace in my life- being a Mom bears (bares?) a whole new meaning for this grace.
Happenings in DePaola-ville:
Gavin met Santa and did not cry---see photo---he did have his fly- trap mouth pose on! haha. He also enjoyed the boxes and gift bags much more than the toys themselves at first today.
Gavin is crawling EVERYWHERE and...pulling UP on everything! He's stood unassisted three times (that I've seen) for a couple seconds before plopping on his hiney! He also has developed a bit of shy/coyness around people- he'll lay his head down on your chest and play shy for a few minutes until he warms up to the new person. So cute! TEETH- HE HAS 8 OF THEM! And yes, I'm still braving breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding: at almost 11 months, it is certainly winding down. Gavin can now take a whole bottle of formula. He nurses with me morning and night and takes two bottles of a mixture of b.milk and formula (during the work week); I'll nurse him throughout the day when we're together on the weekends. Certainly it is clear that nursing at this point is at least half for comfort. While I enjoy our special time together, I'm tiring of pumping during the day. I think we'll transition very shortly to no more pumping during the day so when Gavin is with me, he'll have bottles during the day and nurse morning and night as usual.
Illness: Gavin had a pretty bad cold towards the end of November. We ended up having to take him to the after hours' peds. clinic (around 7pm) because he was wheezing and had shallow, labored breathing. We were there until about 8:30pm, he was still in a pretty good mood through all of it! He was not happy when we nebulized him for the first time. I was singing as many songs as I could think of to try to keep him calm. He did 72 more hours of neb. treatments and was fine after that. Scarey to have a sick baby, though! We are praying he does not inherit Mommy's asthma.
I talked to Gavin today about his "Grammy," the name I gave my Mom for him. I often mention her in whispers during prayer while he is nursing at night so I can hide any choking up. :) Today I talked about her during his lunch and found myself really missing her and imagining just how wonderful she would be with him. I show her his pictures and tell him she is his guardian angel. It is bittersweet to try to figure out how best to talk to Gavin about her. Being a motherless mother sucks but having been blessed with the 20 years I had with her is priceless.
Gavin has so many people who love him! John's Mom- Mimi had us over (as a tradition) Christmas Eve for baking cookies and opening gifts with the cousins (and Aunts and Uncles). Gavin didn't do any cookie cutting but I'm sure he'll be up at the table next year. :) We got to see Popsy (John's Dad) today for dinner; it's also his birthday. We'll see Grandpa Larry and Grandma Robbie (my Dad and Stepmom) tomorrow. Gavin will meet his Uncle John for the first time in early January- lot's going on!
We're also anxiously awaiting the arrival of George- he continues to grow healthier and is now 38weeks gestation! Prayers for Aunt Tootie that he has smaller head and shoulders for as smooth a delivery as possible. :)
More pics to come soon!
Merry Christmas,
Lauren
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