Blessings of Christmas

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

November 16, 2010

I couldn't think of a clever title or pick just one new thing that is going on in the DePaola house, so the date sufficed.
I haven't blogged in over a month- whew, time flies by! My new goal- blog once/month. Because I probably won't write all of these things down the old fashioned way; I better at least type them!
New:
1. Mommy got a job! A professional job- one that I can justify all of those $$$ spent on graduate degree loans. God is amazing: I got hired BEFORE my degree is technically over- 4 more weeks (allllmost there). This had been a large stressor; operating on one income was quite a lesson in frugality; we can see an end in sight- which is good since we all see mounting bills in sight. Another wonderful thing about this job is that it has "regular" hours so I can be home at a reasonable time after work and not worry about on call, home visits, etc. **On a sad note: Gavin and I will no longer be able to join our play group on Wednesdays; thankfully there will be a monthly Saturday get together.

2. Gavin has 5, yes 5- teeth! YES he has nipped me several times- no full chomping down--ahhh, scary. Everything is still in tact- so we're good to go for now. It's amazing how many people I have saying- wow, you're still breastfeeding him?! He is 9 months people- not 3 years old! It's interesting to look back at the historical shifts in perspectives of breastfeeding- not too long ago many pediatricians were urging our grandparents to stop breastfeeding (if they did at all) by 3-4 months and use formula. The prevailing thought was that formula provided more of what baby needed, was cleaner, and/or you were "poor" if you couldn't provide formula for your baby. Research has come a LONG way (take a look at THIS position paper)

3. Gavin has learned how to push up to sitting position by himself (and thankfully knows how to get back down- although he has forgotten how once or twice in the middle of the night).

4. We lowered his crib because of: #3 AND TODAY- John found him STANDING in his crib and gnawing on the railing!! wow- what a time of LOTS of developmental gains- something is new weekly it seems. :)

5. He's had TWO haircuts. Good thing, too- the most recent cut was done by someone other than Tara and needless to say- Gavin will not be going back to this other person. The positive thing- this boys' hair grows so quickly he'll have his baby look back in no time! :)

6. finger foods: Feeding Gavin with a spoon can at times be very challenging because he increasingly wants to feed himself. A good thing; however, frustrating at times when you're in a hurry! Also lots of food in the eyeballs, ears, etc. when he feeds himself- haha.

7. Pointing: Gavin points at EVERYTHING- such a cute little chubby index finger!

8. Gavin has noticed he can see birds flying and planes in the air. It's so neat to "rediscover" these simple, yet amazing things through a baby's perspective.

9. Baby babbles- he's VERY adamant with some expressions which is SO hard not to laugh at. I continue to LOVE all of the sounds he can come up with (aside from whining in the middle of the night and early morning hours).

10. KISSES: Gavin has started to give kisses- wide, open mouth kisses; HILARIOUS. :)

Mommyhood is such a blessing and an amazing journey. What a gift to be able to view the world from a new little human's eyes. I can't get enough of loving on my little guy and pray every night that John and I will look to God's guidance in how to raise him best.

Off to bed :)

What do you mean you're 8 months old?!

How do 8 months fly by so quickly? I have two very different perceptions of time that all fall within the last 8 months:
1. Time seemed to move ever-so-slowwwwwly during those first eh--two months or so (can we say sleep deprivation?!).
2. Now- the weeks just go by so quickly! Example: my little baby is now 8 months old! (and I'm eternally celebrating my 29th birthday from here on out!)

So, what's occurred since my last blog on 9/11 (I'm a slacker):
*Gavin has more syllables in his repertoire: ma-ma (yay!!); dee dee; buh, buh (he's also doing this clickly noise recently with his tongue).
* He's holding the sippy cup all by himself and has NO self-control. He tries to drink the whole thing in one tilt! He seems to think that water is the best thing ever(besides Mommy's milk, of course) so we'll try to keep it that way for as long as possible.
*No crawling yet but lots of rolling around and scooching of the legs but still going backwards :) I'm really trying to remind myself that it's OK to not rush crawling.
*He's getting close to the milestone of a pincer grasp
*New foods: He's enjoying cheerios, and small pieces of cheese, cooked veggies and fruits. He also had some hashbrowns (the shredded kind). Scout and Molly are starting to realize that Gavin really does come with perks!
*Giggling---he's been doing this for at least a couple months but I LOVE IT and why not mention it again; it's always fun to find new ways to make him giggle.
*SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT: Yay, Mommy was consistent and he now sleeps until at least 5:30. I do NOT get him out of the crib until 6am. This is the new learning he's doing; if I started getting him out at that time now- it probably would continue for years to come. So, if he wakes at 5:30- I stay in bed until/if it gets to an urgent cry and go pat and shush him until 6 (not a minute sooner). THIS IS HARD TO DO but I know it will pay off. At 6- I turn the lamp on and say "good morning" and nurse him so he gets the idea. I have a GREAT sleep book for babies that is really balanced with reasonable guidelines and suggestions. Here's the author's website- click HERE. I've seen her book at the library as well if you don't want to buy it.
*Teeth meeting nipple=ouch. He's only done it once so far and it wasn't as bad as I anticipated from all of the horror stories I've heard but it wasn't a laughing matter, either. He got a bit startled when he felt me pull back and wince; I then said no biting Mommy- we'll see if that works.

It's 10:00 and I'm ready for bed. Mommyhood is so rewarding and I'm thankful every day for God's blessing of Gavin to John and I. Each night as I'm rocking him I say a little prayer of this thankfulness and hope that one day Gavin will know God and desire a relationship with him, too.

I'll have some great pictures after this weekend- we're going to the pumpkin patch!

Lots of firsts

My sweet baby boy is growing so fast! Here are some new developments:
-TWO TEETH! Gavin has both front, bottom teeth coming in at the same time. SUPER CUTE.
-Babbling more recognizable (and still lots of unrecognizable)sounds: DA, DA, DA! John loves it.
- Rocking forward from sitting position- on the cusp of crawling! Ahhhhh- now the fun and workout comes.
- Gavin took his first out of state vacation, also first official family vacation. Me, John and Gavin went to visit Gavin's Great Grandma Young in N.C. GORGEOUS weather! We needed long sleeves that Saturday when we went out to a Labor Day craft fair (when we woke up it was 46 degrees!). Sunday morning Grandma had a fire going it was so cool! LOVE Highlands, N.C.- I could just stay there. We also got to take some naps together; Gavin and Daddy had a lot of quality time, it was wonderful.
- We now (pretty much) drink from a sippy cup by ourselves.
- We now eat THREE meals of solids/day.
- Gavin's first (well second if you count in utero) Gator season!! Aunt Leighann made him a very cute onesie he'll be sporting next Saturday.

Most recent doctor's appointment: 9/8 was for his 6 month shots- even though we are now 7 months (a couple reschedules had to take place). His stats: 29inches long (95%tile) and 21.14 lbs (92%tile), 60th percentile for head circum. What does this mean???? BIG, TALL, HEALTHY baby!

Confession: Mommy has not yet been consistent with making baby forego middle of the night feeding (he wakes once). He's slept through until morning a few times on his own and is certainly able to self-soothe. I think with me working now three days/week the following are holding me back from being consistent:
- I miss my baby and it's special time with him
- it's easier and a sure bet to nurse and he'll go back to sleep quickly
- milk production has gone down a bit (typical of going back to work), so this tells my body I still need more.

We'll see how long that keeps up---I like when I get to sleep all night and Gavin certainly wouldn't starve. :) Pictures soon

New beginnings

So, our carefree summer has ended. Gavin has begun daycare and my FINAL internship (last semester- whoohoo) has started as well. I'm very relieved and happy that he seems to be enjoying Ms. Stephanie and the other kids. He smiles at her and goes easily to her (at this point) when I drop him off three days during the week. It's pretty easy to get to her house....walk across the street! :)

If I think too hard about not being with him during the day I can let it get to me about all of the "what if's;" but I try not to do that. I also feel the slightest bit guilty about actually enjoying my time back in the professional world. Seeing Gavin's precious little face when I pick him up at the end of my day is so wonderful! I let him have unlimited cuddle time, nurse him, play, etc. (in the midst of trying to pick up a bit around the house, pack a lunch for the next day, etc.) I'm certainly understanding the world of a Mom "after hours"- when baby is asleep and husband is in bed- one can be pretty productive if not too exhausted.

We also have two bottom tooth buds now! Not breaking the surface yet but visible and OH SO CUTE! Gavin is also exhibiting the understanding of object permanence and beginnings of separation anxiety/I don't want to go to sleep yet. When I put him down for a nap or for bed time he will sometimes start a full out pouty cry as he sees me leave his room. If I come right back in without giving him some time to settle (and I've made this mistake a couple times)- the crying stops but is worse when I try to leave again. Smart baby!
Another first: Gavin had his first cold; a mild one thankfully! I got sick the Sunday before my internship began (yeah- loads of fun) and then he had a low-grade fever and nasal congestion soon after. We used a cool mist humidifier in his room and that was it; he was fussy only one day. No need for any medications- just TLC. Thankfully I had two days off from the internship with him when he got sick. By the way: there's no time for a Mommy to be sick, especially when baby is sick, too. AND--the WORST sick patient is the Daddy!! Are all men like that? :)

And finally----the moment we've all been waiting for (well, at least me): Gavin slept from 7:30pm-6:15am last night with no feedings!! He woke at 1:30 for about 10-15 mins but got himself back to sleep! YAY- great job! We'll see if this is a trend- fingers crossed. :)

(oh lastly- aunt flow has decided to return to my life after a 16 month hiatus- wonderful gift of nature she is.)

Ok- time for some homework then bed for me---ahh, sweet, wonderful sleep.

First day of daycare and baby babbles :)

Today was Gavin's first day at Stephanie's home daycare. He only went for four hours and it is right across the street (so nice to be so close). He apparently was having a great time; Stephanie sent me a text picture with him in a jumperoo with BIG smiles! He napped and had a bottle also- two things I was a bit worried about.
We are blessed with such a good, easy- going baby. So this is our first "transition"; Gavin going to daycare and me starting with my internship (starts Monday). It's really hard to believe that almost 7 months have passed by. My little breech baby is growing so fast! I think his fingers and toes grow exponentially every week!
This weekend we HAVE to switch his car seat out to the convertible one; he's very cozy- squished- in his infant car seat.
Baby babbling: LOVE, LOVE, LOVE baby babble! He started out (and still does some of this) just moving his mouth without noises- really WIDE mouth- trying out all positions of his lips and jaws. The noises that come out of there are equally entertaining. Blaaa, blaa, blaaa---aaaaah. Haha, I love it. I love my "conversations" with him. He's particularly talkative after naps and at the end of the day. No recognizable words yet, I'm sure they'll be coming soon- along with teeth; this boy is the drool monster!
We tried these snacks this week- he LOVES them! We got the plain ones because the others had too much sugar content for my liking at this point. We also have snacks- frozen fruit, fresh fruit, ice, etc. in this. He makes a mess but isn't that part of the fun of being a baby?!
Also- Daddy is following this website for making baby food- Gavin LOVES Daddy's cooking already. Thank God- because Mommy is a bit "delayed" when it comes to cooking. :)
Ok, signing off for tonight. Shout out to Aunt Tootie- the vitamin C lover! :)

Happy half-year birthday!

Gavin turned 6 months old this week! Six months really blew past in most aspects. This week Gavin began to grab for EVERYTHING that catches our attention. He also flipped from belly to back during several naps. He's had great head/neck strength for some time but was just not really interested in the whole rolling thing. I think he tries to get to his lion lovey (blanket) and the fish aquarium thing attached to his crib and flips---just needed some good motivation, I guess. Gavin has also definitely developed an attachment to his lion lovey. It's so cute: when I lay him down in his crib for a nap or at bed time- he reaches out for lion and then cuddles it to his face or "nurses" it.
More on the poop-front: WE HAVE SOLID POOOOO! :) Looks like the digestive system got it figured out. We also have BM's at least once/day now- I'm sure Gavin is a tad bit more comfortable. :)
Teething signs: LOTS-O-DROOL!! I mean LOTS. I know what those goofy little bibs that do NOTHING during meal time are for now---keeping the front of outfits less than drenched from all the drool! If I don't have one on him when he's just hanging out or playing- drenched he is.
**Got "real" bibs this week: plastic fronts and WAY more coverage from Kohl's on sale.
Another sign: chewing, chewing, noming, noming on everything constantly. I'm sure some cute little teeth are on their way any day now (let's hope he doesn't inherit the Whitehead gap between the two front ones).
Water: Gavin went with me to my 10 year high school reunion last Saturday out at Ginnie Springs. He was perfectly fine with the water temp! I, on the other hand, was not. Even with it being ridiculously hot and sticky- I did not go all the way in. Gavin got up to his chest and loved it just as if he was in the pool. Speaking of pools: Gavin went all the way under water for the first time yesterday at the YMCA pool. I was a bit hesitant to do it for fear he'd freak out, so I waited until we were about to get out of the pool. He was surprised by it but once I wiped the water off his face- he was fine again. No tears.
Two more weeks before I head back to adult world (internship) three days/week and Gavin is in a home daycare. I'll say it with no guilt: I'm actually looking forward to having a bit of my own identity back; however, I know it will be bittersweet! I'll probably be fighting back tears the first few days!

Cute blog I found this week: http://wakingupwilliams.com/