Sitting up and poop

We've been making great strides both in gross motor skills and digestion of solid foods. Gavin can now sit up by himself, grab for toys in front of himself and not fall over (most of the time). When he does fall over from sitting he can roll over on to his tummy and (unless tired or hungry) doesn't protest too much.

On the poop side of things: introducing "baby foods" has changed the whole poop situation. It looks like we are now getting in to a new schedule of once every 3-4 days and STIIIIIINKY!! Whew- the breastmilk poo's smelled like roses compared to this stuff! Daddy has made lots of good veggies and fruits. We pretty much like it all but what we REALLY like is to play the spitting/raspberry game- especially in the morning! Mommy has decided that after a few minutes of this game we are just not that interested in eating and we get down to play (avoiding a spit/food bath). Our tongue spends a lot of time outside of our mouth and reaching for Mommy's food or cup has become a hazard for which Mommy has to be very alert.

Oooh---we got a jumperoo recently and LOVE it! We didn't really know what to do with it until spending a night at Mimi and Papa's and seeing our cousin Camille bouncing away in it. NOW there's NO stopping the bouncing fun! It is hilarious to watch him do this! I'll try to video and post it on here.

Achievements

So within the last week Gavin has achieved sitting on his own! I still put the boppy behind him to cushion when he topples over but he's doing a great job. He is also picking up toys in front of him and bringing them to- his mouth mostly. He's also learning the whole concept of cause and effect: I throw toy over there and Mommy gives it back to me, then I throw it over there.... :)

What a smart baby- was there any doubt he would be?! :) We'll just continue to pray that he got my language skills and John's math skills.

Gavin's 6 month birthday is coming soon----WOW, 6 months; how can it be?!

A few of my favorite things

So I'm late at posting his 4th of July picture- we had a photo shoot before bed time :)


A few of my favorite things right now (in no particular order):
1. Gavin is infatuated with faces- especially Daddy's. He LOVES to sit with Daddy and touch his face and put his hands in Daddy's mouth. SO CUTE.
2. Baby giggles....melts you down to the core!
3. Gavin nursing and coming off to look up at me and give a great big gummy smile! (Note: this can also be annoying when trying to get baby to finish nursing...haha- patience, patience!)
4. First thing in the morning: my sweet baby babbling over the monitor and a GREAT BIG smile when I come in to get him from his crib. Then....just cuddling for a few moments to say good morning- LOVE this precious time. (It makes getting up by 6:30 every day a joy.)
5. Looking at my pumpkin sleeping.
6. Listening/watching John read to Gavin each night before bedtime.
7. Gavin blowing "raspberries." (Also even funnier when he tries to do this while nursing.)

Love my little guy and SO blessed and thankful to have been home with him for what will be 6 and 1/2 months before my final clinical internship begins.

Next post: 5 month old pics.

Giggling and Independence Day

Dear Baby Gavin,
Yesterday you GIGGLED for the first time for Mommy! Ahhhh, I'm in love with you even more (if that's possible)! I could gobble your little cheekers right up! :)

Today is July 4th- a special day for two reasons: 1. This was my Mom's birthday- what a day to have your birthday, right? I remember her telling me she loathed it growing up because her parents would always do a patriotic themed cake or something...haha. Get this- her sister, my Aunt Margie was born on April Fool's day- I'd HATE for that to be my b'day! :)
2. Today is Independence Day- much more special and meaningful than just fireworks. I am thankful for the efforts of our "founding fathers" and for the ongoing freedoms we enjoy here in the U.S.

Yesssss...I did buy Gavin a 4th of July outfit (how could I resist?). Pictures to be posted later today or tomorrow. :)
Enjoy family, friends, freedom and life! :)

WHAT A DIAPER-FULL!

YIKES!!! A mess of a diaper was what I found when Gavin woke up! Washing of jammies, bed sheet and mattress cover were all involved (as well as changing table cover). I had no idea where to start cleaning or whether to just put him under the shower head!

All that aside- Gavin is no longer "constipated" and I'm sure his tummy feels much better!

Another excited point of the day today- Gavin decided to roll over by himself (once) from belly to back. He's usually uninterested in rolling (likes sitting and standing much more) so that was exciting.

June, 2010

Another month has flown by! Gavin is almost 5 months old (turns 5 mos. this Sunday on 7/5)!!
As a follow-up to my last post regarding his 4 month shots:
I didn't give him tylenol ahead of time (I did for his 2 month) because I was encouraged by the nurse and by a couple others to see how he handled it first and not just automatically give it to him. He wailed when he got the shots but nursed afterwards and settled. He slept in his carseat on our way to play group- played at play group (was pleasant); was pleasant the rest of the day until his afternoon nap. Around 4:30 he woke up wailing again-----very inconsolable! John held him while I gave him generic tylenol and then Gavin was basically nursing for the next two hours (comfort nursing no doubt). :( My poor baby- NEXT TIME I will either give him the tylenol BEFOREHAND or shortly afterwards.
His stats from the appt.: 27 3/4 inches long (95th percentile), 18.10 pounds (>95percentile) and 70th percentile head circumference. BIIIIIGGGG baby! :) Love my chunk-a-monk!

I'll leave you with this thought: banana-cado (banana and avocado) baby food= gross diaper!! HAHAHA....

4 months have flown by!

I can say this now but I would not have believed it those first two to two and a half months when sleep deprivation engulfed our home! Our baby boy is now 4 months old. It's amazing to look at his fingers, toes, finger nails even to think how much they've grown since first meeting him. It's also so neat to watch his personality grow and emerge each day. Watching a new human experience the world around him is such a blessing and a lesson to remember, notice and appreciate the simple things around us.

Adjusting to being a Mom is an ongoing process. Case in point: currently working on remembering to be a wife, too. God's word says that the marriage relationship comes first; I always want to put importance on that. It's a bit of a struggle right now and I often forget that John likes to have adult conversation with me in addition to all of the baby talk and attention on Gavin. We're trying to make sure we have at least two dedicated date nights per month where Gavin has a babysitter.

**I'm finishing this post several weeks later**
Today is Gavin's 4 month appt./shots (eeeeek!!). He is in his 3rd week of the 4th month- Dr. Sarantos was on vacation so his appt. is later this time and not right around his "b'day."
New things Gavin has been doing:
- New sounds: he's perfecting all different octaves of squeals! :)
- In big boy jammies- no more swaddling!
- Easily going in circles in his exersaucer
- Started SOLID FOODS: so far we've tried rice cereal (ick-didn't like it so much); avocado (liked this better); oatmeal cereal (kinda likes this) and bananas (yum for this). I wouldn't say he's scarfing it down for John or I- he's still pushing a good amount of it out but seems interested.
- Spent his second night away from Mommy and Daddy on 6/19 so we could have date night. Robin says he was very interested in the oatmeal with her- couldn't get enough! :)
- Still more interested in sitting and standing than rolling on his own. He's rolled from belly to back probably a total of 5 times on his own and from back to belly none on his own.
- He did start to scoot a bit when I put him on his tummy just yesterday (6/21). Starting to lift himself up higher at times as well during tummy time.
- He's now waking TWICE again during the night to eat- and he does fully nurse one side (part of 4 month wakeful; sign he's ready for solids---??).

**First beach trip with Aunt Laura and Katelyn was from 6/15-6/18 at Panama City Beach. He was better the first day on the beach than the second. I think it's just too hot out there to really get comfortable for his age. He LOVES pools!


More to come soon....