So cute when they are small!

Here is G sporting his new Croc's that Grandma brought over...he walks very well in them, and I think they are SO cute! Croc's are not the most pleasant shoes to look at (I think they are pretty ugly) but when they are this small, they are adorable! Every once in a while his foot comes out to the side a little, and he stops in his tracks to correct his foot. As usual, Gavin was VERY busy running around with his bubble toys while I was trying to get a picture of him...so here is the best I could do.

Thanks Grandma Dayle!

Birthday Celebration with friends

Today Gavin got to celebrate his birthday one more time with all of his play date buddies. These are all the babies in my moms group (Las Madres) and their mommas. It was a celebration for Gavin and Raj who share the same birthday. We had cupcakes (That G and I could not eat, I brought animal cookies that he was even more happy about!) and we had lots of fun playing with everyone. It is so nice that the kids can play and the moms can talk. There was a lot of pushing and toy stealing going on...and I am proud to say that G was doing neither...not yet at least! Most of the babies are walking, and this makes it a little more challenging. I can't believe that its been almost a year since I joined this moms group...it has been so nice!

Now You...

-Laugh every time someone else laughs

-Run everywhere

-Say Bye-Bye (Buh-Buh)

-Go down the slide by yourself

-Shake your head side to side to say no

-Say Stink (Sssssttt!)

-Give Big Fat Slobbery Kisses!

-Hold one of our hands while you walk (not for support, just because you want to)

-Don't mind when your friends take your toys from your hands...as long as you find something else to play with

-Love to go to bed with your blue blanket and paci

-Are a wild, beautiful, energetic, curious, demanding, sweet, engaging, sometimes impatient, and very affectionate toddler!

You Still...

-Are my baby

-Smile at everyone you see

-Are as curious as ever

-Nurse 4 times a day

-Love to cuddle

-Have a serious passion for food

-Like to read, only one page at a time!

-Are a non-stop lil man all day long

-Make your Mommy and Daddy the happiest parents in the world:)

Day Trip to Felton

Today we decided to take a little day trip to Felton Califonia. It is about 40 minutes away, and we wanted a fun activity, but it could not be too far....as Gavin is not the best car companion (Unless fed the entire time) So, we headed to the Felton river where we took a short hike to a little secluded beach. Gavin and Grandma got to explore the river and beach. We also had a little picnic. The key to a happy Gavin is always food. Go figure.

After the river hike, we went to Roaring Camp Railroads where we took an hour train ride through the redwood forest! We had never been here, and it was so neat. While we were waiting for the train, Gavin sat on Grandma's lap and had his portrait done. He held still for the lady to draw him, pretty cute! We also got some pictures in the scarecrow, pumpkin, and the best was the picture with Grandma and Derek, I could not stop laughing! During the train ride Gavin was mostly fascinated with the other people and kids on the train. He liked to look out, and listen to the train noise. It was a beautiful day, and the redwood forest is a pretty cool place. Thanks Grandma for a great day:)

Happy Hollow

Today Gavin got to go with his Grandma's to Happy Hollow! Happy Hollow is a park and zoo, and has lots of things to do. Rides, animals, food, and lots of areas to play. We got to meet up with Gavin's friend Nicholas, and the boys had a fun time together.

After the zoo, we headed over to Kelley Park, which is right next door. AS soon as the boys were in the stroller after the zoo, they were passed out. Kelley Park is a beautiful park, that is part of original San Jose. There is a little area that is set up like an old fashioned town, with original San Jose historic homes. It also has a Japanese garden inside, and we walked through that as well. Thanks Grandma's for a very fun day!

Gavin in his GLORY!

Today we got to take Grandma to the Children's Discovery Museum! This is one of Gavin's ultimate favorite places to go...and he really shows it. We started the day with G taking a 2+ hour nap, and waking up in very good mood! We picked up some McDonald's so we could eat a little something in the park before we went into the museum. The park is right outside the door of the museum, and there were bulldozers working on some things, so G was so happy to watch while we ate. Funny story about lunch--We were eating and there were some pigeons nearby, but not bothering us at all. Gma kept saying how much she does not like them, and she hopes they stay away....well they did not! Gavin was SOOO excited to watch them around us. Gma? Not so much. She even jumped up on the bench because she was scared they might get too close to her. HAHA! We finally threw them some french fries, and then about 5 more appeared:) Again, Gavin loved it.

Once in the museum, Gavin showed Gma all of his spots. The baby area with balls, blocks, toys, books, lights, sounds, music time, water play, mirror(that he kissed himself in;) sand table, Bob the Builder, tools, cars, trucks, rock climbing, tunnels, and LOTS more. G was, as I say, in HEAVEN. It was pretty fun to watch G and Gma have so much fun together:)

Oh, and did I mention that G got some french fries with lunch? This is one sure way to make him a VERY very happy little man.

One Year Check-Up

Today Grandma and I took Gavin to his one year check-up. Gavin started to get clingy to me as soon as we got out of the car, as if he knew where he was and what was going to happen. He stayed in my arms for a while! We started the visit with his measurements and his development. Dr. Copeland said that everything looked great, and he is exactly where he should be. Here are the little man's stats:

Height-30 1/4inches (50-75% percentile)

Weight-21 pounds 3 ounces (25th percentile)

Head Circumference-45cm (25th percentile)

The next thing we discussed was his possible food allergy to milk. We decided that it is time for him to see an allergist, since he is 12 months and still having these issues. She recommended a very good allergist, and we made an appointment with him in a few weeks. We will just go from there when we need to. Until then, G is doing just fine (as long as we stay away from milk and soymilk). She said that I can call her to discuss what the results are of the allergy tests if we have any other questions, like diet and other nutritional things. I am sure that the allergist will be able to (hopefully) answer all my questions, and get some things figured out.

At the end of the appointment, Gavin got his 2 shots, 1 in each thigh. (Prevnar and Varicella) We will wait a little longer for the Hep A and MMR, and do these at a later date. Gavin did NOT like the shots, and screamed pretty loud. I gave him his pacifier right away, and that did the trick. Then we made him mad again by getting in the car to drive home, so Grandma climbed in the back with him to play with him...as soon as we got to Erik's Deli for lunch, he was a happy little guys again. Go figure, give him food and he is always happy:)

The Aftermath

This afternoon Gavin opened all of his birthday gifts. He liked to open the presents that were wrapped with paper. He was not so big on the gifts in the bags...I guess it is not as much fun! He got some pretty neat presents, and he loved each and every one he got. It looked like toys R us exploded in our living room! He sure is one lucky one year old:)

Birthday Party!

Today at 4pm we had Gavin's First Birthday party! Gavin took a pretty good afternoon nap, and was ready to party. It took him a while to warm up, and only wanted to be in someones arms...after about a half hour, he was ready to play. We had lots of family and friends here to celebrate, and we had so much fun. Gavin got to play with his friends Nicholas, Kekoa, Kaylin, Patrick, Aiden, and his second cousin Nathan. He LOVED to play with Nathan (or watch him!) and "learn" things from him. These 2 boys spent a while in the front yard and garage playing with all of Gavin's push toys. Everything Nathan wanted, Gavin would want, and it was so cute because Nathan did not care! He would just go find something else:)

Gavin got to eat his cake, and BOY did he like it. I made a special dairy free cake for G, and let him have the entire thing. He got one hand in it at first and licked the icing...then he realized that there was cake underneath, and kept digging and digging. He eventually had both hands in the cake and was devouring it! At one point, we had to take the cake away because he was eating SO much! He did not care because I left a big piece in the tray...and he kept eating and eating. I did not know this boy was capable of eating so much cake! So, we think he really liked it;)

After dinner and cake, Gavin got a second wind (sugar high??!!) and was just running around playing. From one end of the house to the other, he was wired. Finally at about 8:30 (Wayyy past his bedtime) he got tired, and went right to bed. We were all tired.

We feel so blessed to have such a great family and such amazing friends. We all had so much fun, and it turned out so nice. I wish we could do this more often! A special thank you to everyone who helped out, and a big thank you to Grandma Podie and Grandma Dayle...we could not have done it without you.

Still in shock that my lil man is ONE!