Gavin is WALKING!

Of course right after I type a post about how I think my little man will walk soon...he goes and walks! This morning when G got up from his am nap, we played out in the front yard...and I of course had to snap some pics of him. Like all of his other "firsts" I caught this one on camera too! He was standing up by the fence (sticking his fingers in a little hole) and then he turned towards me (I was sitting over by the bushes) and WALKED! BY HIMSELF! I was shrieking and clapping and screaming...telling him how great he was doing. He just looked at me with big eyes and a VERY proud face. I am not sure who looked more proud. Him or me! I called Derek to tell him and his voice was so happy...we are SO proud of you little man:)

Almost Walking

Gavin has been on the edge of walking on his own for a few days now...he is holding one of our hands and walking. He is barely even holding on to our hand, he just likes it for comfort. If we let go of his hand, he will stand there, complain, and then sit down and crawl where he wants to go! I am watching him ALL the time, because I don't wanna miss his first steps:)

He also has his first tooth on the top. That's 3 teeth now, 2 bottom and 1 top. He is putting everything in his mouth again, and this time he will bite down pretty hard and then pull it out. Looks like it hurts!

Last Night on Hutchinson Island

Tonight was our last night on Hutchinson Island with the family. We decided to head to Archie's bar (Its actually a biker bar) for some good burgers and sweet potato fries. There was a band and we sat outside. It was a fun time, and we will sure miss everyone! I could not help but buy these matching outfits for the boys. They were so cute!

Sunny Beach Day

Every single day, we head to the beach, and play in the sand and ocean. Griffin could sit here ALL day long. Really, this boy LOVES the beach, he wakes up screaming "beach, beach, beach!" It is SO cute! A few mornings while Gavin was napping, I got to take Griffin to the beach to play. We had a few games we would play, and he is at the age where things NEVER get boring, so we had to repeat play our games over and over. His favorite was when we would "fall" down the steep edge of the sand, and then try to climb back up. I seriously "fell" down this and then climbed back up about 500 times in a week. He would laugh so hard, it was worth it:)

In the afternoons, we would all go to the beach, and G & G would sit and play in the sand. After a few minutes, Gavin would be crab crawling all over the beach...and he would head straight for the water and waves. After about 15-20 minutes, he would only want to be held, and we would enjoy standing in the water together. So much fun:)

Lil Firemen

We found this firetruck in the closet at the condo...First of all, Griffin is OBSESSED with all trucks, so this was perfect...second, Gavin LOVES to sit and be pushed around. The only problem was finding time that Griffin would not mind sharing the firetruck:)

Loving Vacation

We have all been loving our vacation together! It has been so much fun...spending time with our family has been perfect. Every day we go swimming, go to the beach, swim some more, play in the condo, and either cook dinner or go out to eat. Gavin has been taking some pretty good naps...probably because he is SO busy out in the sun...it really wears him out!

Hutchinson Island Fun

We are having so much fun in Florida. The food has been great, the company even better, and the weather has been nice and sunny. That's all I can say about the weather because it is HUMID! That's OK, because we spend all our time in the water anyways:)

One Hand

Here is Gavin playing with Ava (Patrick and Liz' baby) in the condo...they are the same age (Ava is 2 months older) but the same size...and they are SO cute together! Of course Gavin is making the stink face!

Gavin and Ava look alike too...at least more than Gavin and his cousins look alike! We all joked the entire trip that Gavin and Ava look more like cousins than Gavin and Griffin:) Something about the skin color difference AND hair color difference:)

And last but not least....Gavin is now walking with only ONE hand holding on! He was practicing for one of the very first times with Grandma (Mamu as Griffin calls her:) on the beach.

Tiki Bar

Tonight we headed to the Tiki Bar for dinner...8 adults, 4 children under 3 years old, and a lot of drinks. It was a lot of fun:) Gavin and Griffin split a children's meal (I did not think I would have to order him kids meals until he was at LEAST 2 or 3...that was before I knew he ate like a champ!) of pasta and marinara sauce. Gavin loved it of course, and that meant Derek and I were able to enjoy our dinner:) The Tiki Bar is always so much fun! (Used to spend our time at the Tiki Bar VERY late at night with a LOT of drinking...now it is full of babies and highchairs:)

Happy Father's Day!

Today was...

Derek's first Father's day.

(It was perfect. Spent it in the sun with the family. Could not have asked for more)

Gavin's first day seeing the Florida beach.

(He was SO excited....and a little unsure of it)

His first time feeling the sand.

(And he did not even try to eat it!)

His first time feeling the waves on his feet.

(Loved this at first....then got a little scared:)

The first day of our very first family vacation.

(Ended with a hose bath out by the beach...and some beers for the daddy's of course!)

Going to Florida!

Here is the excited boy on the way to Florida...he was running up and down the halls at the airport! He did really well on the flight to Florida. It was 5 hours long, and boy is that LONG! Gavin just made sure we kept him very busy and entertained. He even slept in the carrier for almost 2 hours, so that was helpful! Once we got to Florida, we still had a 90 minuet car ride to the condo...Gavin only fussed for a few minutes and then took a little nap. Once we got to the condo, he was WIRED! I mean, it was almost as if we Gavin him a cup of coffee...he was WIDE awake and exploring all around the inside of the condo. We were up until about midnight, crawling up and down the hallways of the lobby. Such an excited little guy:)

Family Vacation

We are headed to sunny FLORIDA bright and early in the am!

After cleaning, packing, laundry, errands, packing, cleaning, repacking what Gavin took OUT of the suitcase, more laundry, 2 more errands, and one last load of laundry, we are packed. That is until Gavin gets into the suitcase and empties it again. Oh and until he pee's through his jammies again...all over the sheets;) Oh, and I thought I will mention that we just finished MAKING our father's day cards for daddy and grandpa's. Yep, Gavin and I were crafty!

Erica and I were talking yesterday about how we like to have the house nice, clean, and organized before we go on vacation...so that it is that way when we return...we TOTALLY got this from our mother. I can still remember growing up, the day before our annual Florida vacation was spent cleaning the house top to bottom. I always thought to myself, this is so ridiculous and crazy...why do we need to clean BEFORE we leave??? Well...::sigh:: now I know! I am turning into you Mom!

2 suitcases

1 pack n play

1 diaper bag

and 1 smiley baby all ready to go!

Please keep your fingers crossed for a very smooth travel day...its going to be a very long one!

Little Musicians

Today Gavin and I headed to Drum Circle with Angie and baby Kaylin. Drum circle is an hour of tons of kids playing with LOTS of drums and other musical instruments. I took Gavin here a few times when he was really little...he usually just slept to the noise. Now that he is a little older, he really likes it and interacts! Both Gavin and Kaylin were very busy the entire time, and LOVED the very loud noise...it was actually Angie and I that were ready to go! Besides Gavin trying to eat EVERY instrument, he did a really good job and even hit the drums with the sticks. I am pretty sure he touched and played with every single instrument in the room. Kaylin just smiled and watched....she even played with the bell. She's such a happy little girl:) Thanks for the pics Angie!

Notice Gavin's very first battle wound on his face. We had a feeling that this may happen...but we were just keeping our fingers crossed that it would not! Gavin vs Arnold the cat. Arnold won, and Gavin went to bed last night with a few scratches on his face. I told myself that if Arnold ever did anything to G, then we would have to do something...as in Arnold would probably become an outdoor cat. Well, it came true. Arnold is now not allowed in the house when Gavin is awake...and must stay outside or in the garage. I am taking him to the vet when we get back from vacation because I just want to make sure that he is not in any pain....maybethat's why he keeps acting out and attacking us. I guess we will see...I just still don't understand why he all of the sudden started to turn on us, and became such a mean kitty! He has always been so sweet. Ugh, poor kitty!

Seriously Spaghetti

It is safe to say that Gavin's favorite food right now is spaghetti! He LOVES when I start to cook the spaghetti noodles, and goes to town with it on his tray. Here he is devouring an entire bowl (big bowl) of fresh organic spaghetti! (with ground turkey) The last picture is Gavin getting a little upset that it is all gone...he wants more, can you tell?

First Haircut

Today my good friend Jeni came over to give Gavin his first haircut! I met Jeni a while back at work...she was a foster mom to one of my very favorite patients:) She is the sweetest woman in the entire world...she fosters medically fragile babies, and his SO amazing with them. She takes such great care of her "babies" and we all know they are in the best hands in the world:) She lives close by and we get to keep in touch. She offered to cut Gavin's hair (She used to cut children's hair) and we were so excited that she came over!

Gavin did not sit still AT all the entire time...so I though there was no way it would work...but Jeni was great, and cut his hair while he squirmed and wiggled around:) I even gave him raisins, a "cookie" and other things while she was cutting...but nothing worked for very long! I am still so surprised that she was able to do it...and she did a GREAT job! All of the long parts that fell in his face are gone, and the sideburns and back is nice and trimmed...the only concern I have is that my BABY looks like a LITTLE BOY :) Oh where has the time gone!

Is it possible that he gets cuter and cuter with each passing day? I am so in love with this lil man!

Before:

After:

{Gavin 10 Months}

Dear baby Gavin,

Today you turn 10 months old. Ten. This last month has been so much fun, and you learn new things each and every day. Your little personality is developing so much, and we are having so much fun with you. You are understanding more and more every day.

You have really started to LOVE eating big boy food. We give you whatever we are eating (minus the spicy stuff) and you eat absolutely everything! There is not anything you won't eat! Your favorites include blueberries, cherrys, mangos, apples, carrots, sweet potato, rice/veggie pasta, toast, spaghetti, raisins, peas, chicken, and puffs. These are just to name a few. You still nurse about 4 times a day, and you take bottles for Daddy/Grandma while I am at work.

Your favorite activities include going to the park, library baby story time, swimming, library drum circle, play dates with friends, park dates with friends, reading books in your room, playing in your water table, playing at Grandma's house, swinging, and much much more. You are definitely a very busy baby...love to on the move. Go, go go!

You wear 12-18month clothing, and seem like you will need more 18month stuff pretty soon! You are in size 3 or 4 diapers, and sometimes a size 5 at nightJ Your feet have really grown in the past month, and you are now in a size 4 shoe. We went out and got you your first pair of summer sandals…specifically made for learning how to walk. They look so cute on your chubby feet! You weigh a little over 20 pounds now, and feel like you weigh a million. I can’t believe that my baby is 20 pounds!

We are headed to Florida this weekend, and we are all looking forward to spending the week with everyone. You will be SO excited to see them all...and I am sure you will be following Griffin around everywhere!

Gavin, I thank God each and every day that we get to spend with you. You are so loved by us, and we cannot imagine our lives without you.

Love you little man!

Swimming with Grandma!

Gavin and Grandma went swimming together and Gavin had a blast! He sure loves the water! He got to sit in his raft that Grandma Podie got him, and he was kicking with excitement the entire time! His favorite part of the swim was when Shadow the dog would give Gavin the soccer ball to play with. Gavin would throw the ball, and Shadow would return it...Gavin loved when it would splash the water on him:) I have a feeling that we will be needing a LOT of sunscreen this summer!

Really???

I guess this is what I get for putting Gavin in this ADORABLE outfit and trying to take his picture. It was a beautiful morning, and we were having fun just playing outside. As soon as I turned the camera on and said "smile Gavin!" this is the face I got. For over 20 pictures, he would not stop making this face. Really Gavin??? I was laughing pretty hard...

On another note, Gavin had his last swim class today and "graduated" to the next level. He is now able to go under water when I say "One, two, three, big breath, eyes in!" He does really well with this when he is RIGHT in front of me and we are face to face. If I am on his side and he is not concentrating enough, he will swallow water when he goes under...we just need to work on him hearing the phrase, being patient to wait for me to finish saying it, and more practice. Gavin also will float on his back (with my help of course!) and then he will flip over and go under water. The last skill he mastered is sitting on the edge of the pool, "jumping" to me and going under, and then I turn his body towards the edge of the pool and he reaches his arms out to grab the ledge as he is coming up out of the water. This task was a pretty hard one to learn, so we will do a lot of practice in Florida! Gavin now kicks his legs while he is swimming, and I don't even need to say "kick, kick, kick!" He really loves the water! Michelle, our swim coach was the best there is! She was so helpful and taught us mom's a lot about how to teach the babies. We went over a LOT of safety tips, and the biggest one that she taught us is very simple. WE are our babies safety...they should NEVER be out of our arms while we are in the pool. No floatation devices (Except life jackets) and NEVER to assume they are doing well and we can look away or even get out of the pool. She was really a great teacher!

Looking forward to Florida next week!

Standing and Throwing!

How is my BABY standing up all on his OWN, ALL the time? I have no idea how this happened! One minute he is crawling around the next he is standing up, bending down, looking all around, and then moving to another spot and doing it all over again! He is SO proud of himself when he stands, and just smiles. Then when he gets tired of standing and not moving, he will shout to us, meaning he wants our hands so he can walk. If we walk away, he will yell at us and wave bye-bye:)

The next thing that Gavin has started to do is throw things. He can throw the ball, and then he will chase it. He will also throw things out of the stroller while we are walking. I kept thinking that maybe he did not mean to throw his pacifier out...then I realized after a few times, that he was doing it on purpose. Each time I would hand it back to him, he would giggle. Oh, he is so freakin cute:)

One Year Ago

One year ago today, I was put on bedrest. I still cannot believe that it was an ENTIRE year ago that the whole preterm labor scare happened. Wow, it is amazing that time goes so fast.

I think this day, June 9th, was the scariest day of my life. I know everything turned out just perfect, but it was still very scary for me. I remember thinking that I would give ANYTHING to just be able to carry Gavin to full term and for everything to be OK...and most importantly, I just wanted to have a healthy baby. I still look at this experience as being a blessing though...because it has really made me appreciate all the small things, and big things. Having a very healthy baby is God's greatest gift to me, and I know that I will never forget this.

I know that going through this experience, and being in the profession that I am in, makes me appreciate all of this on a deeper level. I still have a hard time when I hear people say "all I want is a boy" or "all I want is a girl" or "I need this and that..." and these "must haves" never include simply a healthy baby. I know they mean well, and I am sure that's what they want, its just hard to hear those words sometimes. I feel so blessed to be where I am, and my heart hurts for those who cannot experience all of this. It really is a dream come true, and I will never forget God giving me this opportunity.

It is starting to get pretty warm here, and all I can keep thinking about is how last year I was STUCK on the couch, needed all my meals cooked for me, all my cleaning done for me, pretty much everything I could not do. I am still as thankful as ever for Derek and Dayle, as they really took on everything. Now I am THRILLED that we can enjoy this summer as a family:):)

I could not ask for more!

Playgroup Boys

Today we had a play date at De Anza Park with some boys from my Las Madre's Mom's group. There are a LOT of babies in this group, all born in 2009 and all live in the same zip code. The past few weeks, 5 of us have been having extra play dates with our babies because they are all VERY close in age. Here is Gavin, and then to the left it is Brent (10mo), Aiden(10mo), Raj(10mo, same Birthday as Gavin!), and last is baby Patrick(6mo). They are all so cute together, and they all (besides Patrick!) crawl all over EVERYTHING! It was amazing that we got a picture of them all sitting in the circle!

In some pics, Gavin is standing on his own...he likes to crawl somewhere, stand up and look around and wave, and then plop back down to move somewhere else to do it. He is very close to walking on his own!

Can I keep you this age forever?

Dear Gavin,

Can I keep you this age forever? You are so much fun, and every day brings new adventures. I am getting a little sad that you are becoming a big boy so fast.

I love when you put your head on my shoulder

I love when you grab my hair and try to eat it

I love when you stand on your own and then cry for me if I am not by your side

I love when you wave to others

I love when you "tell"me you want more food

I love when you make your "stink face" for no reason

I love when you chase the ball around the house

I love when you kick your legs when I say "dance, dance, dance"

I love when you laugh for no reason at all

I love when you cry to me when you want me to pick you up

I love when you play with your daddy

I love when you wake me up in the morning with big wet slobbery kisses

I love when you try to stand up in your car seat and stroller, only to get very upset when I tell you "no"

I love when you get very excited when you see a dog out on a walk, and squeal with delight

I love when you smile at everyone who tells you "you are the cutest baby in the world"

I love when you hug me when you are tired

I love when you play with other babies

I love when you study something with a very serious face

I love when you concentrate so hard, and drool because you are doing so

I love when you snuggle with me when I sing to you

There is nothing that I don't love about you

I know that this time that you "need" me is not going to last forever. I am so lucky to be your momma, and want to remember these days all my life:)

Sunday BBQ

Tonight we had Rusty & Meghan and Angie, Kaylin, & Danny over for a BBQ. It is so warm out, we thought it would be fun to sit outside and have some yummy food and drinks!

Gavin got to show off his crawling/standing/pulling-up skillz, and Kaylin got to show off her tummy time skillz...all in all it was a very busy night! The food was very yummy (thanks Grill master Derek!) and the company was even better:) It is SO nice that we all live within walking distance of each other...I am SO looking forward to this summer!

Here are some pics of Aunt Meghan and Gavin...First of all he is sitting still (odd) AND then they are waving "bye-bye" together. Aunt Meghan must have the touch because NO ONE can get G to sit still!

The last pic is of G and K. Gavin was doing his "Shake, Shake, Shake" with the ball, and we were all nervous that he was going to smack Kaylin in the face! They are so cute together:)

Happy Birthday Nicholas!

Today Gavin went to his first "First Birthday" party for Nicholas! Wow, I can't believe that he is already one years old...it really just seems like yesterday that Laura (His momma and my good friend from work) and I were sitting at work with our big bellies, talking about our pregnancy and our active little boys...now he is ONE!!! I think I get a little sad because that means that Gavin's first birthday is only a few short months away...ACK!!!

Gavin and Nicholas have become pretty good buddies, although I think Nicholas is getting tired of Gavin "chasing" him around. Gavin and Nicolas played with balloons and crawled around for a little bit...and then Gavin started to crawl after Nicholas, and would pull himself up on him! It was pretty cute!

The party was SO CUTE! It was Sesame Street theme, and Laura really went all out! I think I may need to hire her to plan Gavin's first birthday party because she did an awesome job! Actually, I learned that all I really need for Gavin on his birthday is a single balloon. It kept him occupied for a long time and he just laughed and laughed as he would pull it back and forth...and it would hit him in the face! Oh how I love this little guy:)

Happy Birthday Nicholas! We love you!

Standing

Gavin is now standing on his own, for long periods of time! He has been standing for a while now, but now he will stand for a few minutes all on his own. He can look around and even bend up and down while he is standing. When he gets tired of standing, he will just plop down on his bottom...and then he usually takes off crawling.

Gavin's crawl is extremely fast. One second he is sitting there, the next he is across the room with a cord in his mouth. He is so fast, he knows that he can get somewhere and do something he is not supposed to, before I am even leaving the room.

Gavin will leave my side and go explore, but it has to be on his own. If I come to where ever he is and he see's or hears me, he will come speed crawling towards me and cry until he is in my arms. He is definitely developing into a mamma's boy!

Gavin's favorite toy is still anything that is not a "toy." I swear, I am going to invent a line of children's toys that are not "toys" so that they will play with them! (oops, gave it away!) I really think that this needs to be invented! Or maybe I will just tell everyone I know who has a little baby that toys are a waste of money!

Skyline

Gavin Style!

Tonight we had Skyline, and Gavin could not get enough. I know I am not creating very good habits around here by letting him eat off the ground, but that's where he is happy! Sometimes it is a HUGE struggle to get him in his high chair...he just does not want to sit still. Those of you who know Gavin, know this to be a true fact. It was a nice hot day, so we sat on the porch and enjoyed our Skyline. He ate the entire bowl I gave him and then pretty much yelled at me...so he had another bowl. Oh lord!

Stink Face

Here is Gavin's newest face...I call it the stink face. Not because he does it for that reason, just because that's what it looks like. It is pretty funny, he will do this face when he crawls up to someone he does not know...like at story time, or the park, or a playdate. He will smile first and then make this face over and over. I just laugh because I have NO IDEA what it means:)