Trick OR Treat! (or let me come in your house!!!)

Tonight Gavin got to go trick or treating for the first time! We had Grandma and Grandpa over for dinner, and Grandma came with us trick or treating...while Dad and Grandpa stayed back and passed out candy (AND watched the very important GIANTS game!!) 

I was unsure of how he would do, and thought  he would only make it to one house...because I knew his problem would be that he wanted to go INSIDE each and every house:) To my surprise, he made it all the way up and down our street! He did want to go in a few houses (places he has been before) but he eventually learned that he was supposed to walk away. So, Gavin would walk up to the house, stand at the door, and bang on it. Then he would pick his candy, and be on his way. A few houses had toys to pick, and he LOVED these:) G got to eat a sucker, a tootsie roll, and a twizzler. He would have eaten each and every piece of candy he got, but I had to distract him:) 

Overall, it was a great first trick or treating experience:)

Carving Pumpkins!

Gavin started off his Halloween by sleeping in until 6:30am WITHOUT waking up at all last night! (It is rare that he does not wake up at night, and it is rare that he sleeps past 5am) We spent the morning eating a very yummy breakfast, running around the house, and playing with a million toys. G went down for a nap at 8:45 and slept until 11:15! Mommy and Daddy got a nap too:)

Then it was time to carve his pumpkins. Gavin had a blast getting all slimy and gooey. He helped with each and every part of the carving. He even helped his dad clean the gutters and get the porch cleaned up for the trick or treater's. We carved 4 pumpkins, no I am not pregnant, the last one was for ATC-Arnold The Cat:) And yes, G did try to eat the pumpkin guts...of course

Halloween Toddlers

Today Gavin and I went to a Halloween playdate with all the babies and mommas from my mom's group. All the kids were so cute all dressed up...and little Patrick was dressed as a monkey just like G:) 

Gavin was immediately in absolute heaven when we got there....there was an entire table of snacks for the kids. I swear the child acts like he is STARVING whenever he see's food while we are out. (let me remind you that he just ate an entire pear in the car on the way there...it was only 10:30am and he had already had 1 meal and 10 snacks at home...) He is totally obsessed with anyone elses food, and is such a mooch. He will stand right next to you, stare at your food, and say "ohhhh, ohhhhh, OHHHH!" until it is in his mouth. 

After he devoured a few plates of snacks, he played with all of his friends, and then we tried to get a group pic of the kiddos. HAHAHA, this was funny! There were 14 toddlers, and we tried our best to get them to all sit on the couch. The pics are of the last remaining kids that would sit. About 3 or 4 threw total tantrums, and jumped off the couch. Gavin heard them cry, and the waterworks started. I have no idea why, maybe just following the crowd? He was just crying (total fake cry) and staring right at me. Such a little faker! We ended up getting a shot with us all at the end...probably because all the kids were so full from eating a pound of dry fruit and goldfish!

I can't believe how different holidays are now that I have a baby. Ahem, I mean toddler. Halloween used to just be another day, I usually would even volunteer to work on Halloween so that the other nurses with kids could be home with them. Now, it is so much fun! The last time I remember Halloween being fun was when I was little. Holidays are taking on a whole new meaning now, and we have been having so much fun with Gavin. He is such a happy little guy and just loves to be out seeing and doing new things. Can't wait for this winter:)

Busy Boys @ Central Park

Today we went to Central Park in Santa Clara with my friend Laura and Nicholas (17mo). We walked from their house to the park, and it was such a beautiful walk...not to mention it was 75 degrees and sunny. We stopped at Togo's to grab a sandwich to eat, and headed straight to the park. As soon as we got there, the boys made a b-line for the sand and water table. It was more like a sandy-soupy mess, but of course they loved it. G was a big sand ball after only 5 minutes:) It is so funny how at this age the boys don't really play with each other, but right next to each other. Ahh the beauty of parallel play. No one has problems sharing. No one fights for toys. They each grab what they want, and play side by side. I know this will not last much longer! For few minutes, they were both grabbing the bars of the "baby jail" and acting like they could not get out...that was cute:)

Feeding my Girlfriend

Tonight we had Danny, Angie and Kaylin over for dinner and to watch the Giants game. G & K got to eat right along side one another...and Gavin even shared his food with Kaylin! As soon as she realized she could get her hand on his tray, she pulled him closer, grabbed a piece of chicken and stuffed it in her mouth. It was pretty funny! (Funny because she does not really eat table food yet, and she acted like she could handle it;) Then Gavin fed her some of his graham cracker. She loved it as much as he does. Oh, and the dads? Well, lets just say that they both ate their dinner in 2 minutes flat. Why? The Giants game was on TV in the OTHER ROOM:)

2nd Annual Pumpkin Patch

Today we headed to the pumpkin patch again to show Daddy....and of course because Gavin is in heaven when we are there! Today was a perfect day for Gavin to wear his monkey costume! He looked so adorable, and of course there was always about 5 people stopping to look and even take his picture:) We ran around the patch, picked out 3 pumpkins, and ate lunch while we listened to the band. Gavin got one of his favorites, corn on the cob. He LOVES to eat corn straight off the cob, and he ran around and danced in between bites. I love that we have this little family tradition now...it is so much fun! 

He has no idea...

That his "slushie" has no sugary syrup in it! He saw that the other kids had slushies, and he REALLY wanted one. So we got him one. Minus the sugar. I know, not very fun of us, but TRUST me this child gets PLENTY of sugar. He eats fruit (raw, cooked, sauce, dried) ALL day long. He gets plenty of sugar.  Oh, and he is a cookie monster like his momma, so we skipped the sugar here! Look how excited he gets to eat shaved ice. Such a happy little man;)

Busy Boys

Today we went to the pumpkin patch in Morgan Hill, called Uesugi Farm. It is the cutest little pumpkin patch, with so much for little kids to do. We met our friends Hsiaolei and Kekoa there, and the 2 boys ran around together:) We went on the carousel, explored the pumpkin patch, climbed the hay stacks, took a train ride, and took a million pictures. Hsiaolei and I sounded like the paparazzi with both of us snapping away with our cameras. These 2 boys are so cute, how could we not?

 

Black & White

Serious about his bike ride

Gavin loves to go on rides with his dad. He will stand by the bike and lift his arms up to get in. He always has a serious face until they get moving...then he cracks the smiles:)

{Gavin 14 Months}

Dear my sweet G,

Today you are 14 months old. That number just seems so big. I can't really say to people that you are "a year" anymore because you are not. You are much older than a year;) Everywhere we go people comment on "how cute" you are, and we agree. People also tell us that you need to be a "baby model" and we agree with that too. If only we lived in LA:) You are such a little people person. You walk up to complete strangers and "talk" to them. You will let people pick you up, and most of the time you will put your arms up because you want them to hold you. It is quite funny, but I just sit back and watch...and you are the center of attention wherever we go. You are also the biggest mooch in the whole world. You always want whatever food anyone else is eating. You walk up to them, and "tell" them you want a bite. I can't take you anywhere without you wanting whatever food someone has OR toys. You want it all. We are working on this issue! You know exactly what you want and when you want it. Gone are the days where we can just hide something or distract you. You are a smart little boy, and you don't give up easily. Some would say you are stubborn, (ahem) like your momma. Just the other day you threw your first real tantrum at the museum. Someone else was playing with your favorite toy...the tea kettle. We removed you from the situation (otherwise you would just keep trying to grab it from him) and you kept running back to it. Finally when you realized that we would not let you get to it, you laid down with your head in between my knees and sobbed. Very pathetic. The poor boy who was playing with it felt bad eventually, and brought it to you. OH LORD, what will the terrible two's bring? Each and every day you do something new, and it is so fun to be your momma. We are having the time of our lives:)

Your sleep has regressed back to what it used to be when you were about 9 months old...meaning you are again waking up at 4am and screaming. Your bedtime has been later the past few weeks, and you are now going to bed at 8pm. You sleep straight to 4am and then wake up and scream. Most days you will go back to bed after I get up with you. This too shall pass...in the mean time, your momma has been napping a little bit during the day too...You still nap at 9am and 2 or 3pm, and most days these naps are about 2 hours. Until you sleep a little better at night, you need these naps:)

You are an eating machine. You eat eat eat all day long. Big meals, and lots of snacks. You want WHATEVER we have, and there is no sneaking food around you. You know when we are chewing, and want whatever it is. Some would think that we starve you. We really don't. You eat more than most kids I know. For the past month or so I have had dairy in my diet and you have been fine. No rashes, and no tummy-aches. (You are still nursing in the am and pm, and a few times a day) You have had pancakes made with milk, and a few bites of cheese. Again, so problems so far! We will take the dairy slowly, and hope for the sensitivity to be GONE!

As far as your activity? Well, lets just say that our nick-name for you is monkey. You walk, run, jump, dance, climb, and walk backwards. You are very physical, and most people comment on how quick you are. I spend my days chasing after you, as I cannot take my eyes off of you for 2 seconds. If I do, I will find you in the toilet, on the bed or couch, or eating something you are not supposed to. You are in to everything, and want to do whatever we are doing.

You are also really starting to really learn new things. When we change your diaper, you will take your diaper to the kitchen, lift up the lid to the garbage can, and throw it away. You are very proud with this one. When it is time for your vitamin, you will go lay down on the kitchen rug and say "Mmmmm." (We had to start laying you down a few months ago because you were spitting out the vitamin...) When it is time to go outside, you run to your shoes and socks, and sit down with your feet in the air...ready to put them on. When I tell you its time to get in the car, you run to the car (to your door) and wait to get in. You are really understanding a lot these days, and it is starting to show. As for your words? Well, you say dada, hot (in a whisper, as that is how we taught you), mmm (when something tastes good), hey (when someone says hi, you will yell hey back). You don't have many words yet, but we know that those will come in time. You are in no rush to speak (a language we understand). You have your own little language, and you seem to get what you want and need by "talking" and pointing.

Mommy has been only working one day a week, and it has been going so great. Daddy watches you if its a weekend day, and Gma if it is a weekday. During our days together we have so much fun, and go out and do so many things. We head to the museum a lot, go to new parks each week, and lots of play-dates. Since you are so busy, we can go anywhere and you have fun just running around. Your momma feels so lucky and very blessed to be able to be home with you the majority of the time. It is what she always wanted:)

We are looking forward to a very fun-filled fall and winter, and are so fortunate that you are a very happy and healthy little boy.

We love you little monkey G!

Momma & Daddy

Fun with cousin Nathan

Tonight we had the Tam's (cousin's) and the McCullough's (friends) over for a little dinner party. It was a really nice day, and perfect for a grill out. I did not get many pics, but the ones I got of G and Nathan playing were pretty cute:) Nathan has a little obsession with letters, and always plays with Gavin's foam bath letters. He can spell a ton of words, and he kept telling me that I was "missing some letters" so there were words he could not spell out. What a smart little 3 year old! I kept telling him that he needs to teach Gavin all this stuff in a few years. Oh, and Gavin loved giving Nathan hugs and kisses...he sure looks up to his older cousin!

Fun day with Daddy

Today we went to Gavin's second home....the discovery museum! We are there quite a bit, because G LOVES this place. Always something new to discover...and it is even more fun because it was the weekend and we got to bring Daddy! G showed his dad all the stuff he does at the museum...and it sure is a lot! I always tell people that this membership pass is SO worth it! G has so much fun, and he learns new things there all the time...We will have to get another pass next year too!

Caught You!

Here is how I found Gavin when I came into the family room after doing some dishes in the kitchen....it got really quiet, and I darted out of the kitchen pretty quick because quiet is NEVER a good sign with G monkey. What you cannot see is Arnold the Cat. He was sleeping on the blue blanket, and G was "snuggling" with him. G got up here all by himself, and was so very proud of himself. He also knew I would tell him to get down, hence the quiet in the room. There is officially nothing off limits in this house for Gavin. He gets up and down off everything, in and out of everything, and now he has learned how to open doors (Pull the handle down) and escape certain rooms. Knock on wood, I am very pleased that a small chip in his front tooth is the only major trauma we have had! 

Really???

Monkey Butt Madness

Here is Monkey Butt Gavin tearing apart the play set at the park. He is up, down, around, up, down, around, up, down and around. Seriously I am chasing him all around because not only is he everywhere, he also has NO fear. He will walk off edges, run down slides, and try to do things he is not quite big enough for yet. He thinks he is 14 months going on 14 years. 

These pictures were taken after he went up to a big Mexican family eating lunch (KFC) and sat down with them. YEP! He walked right up, sat down, and started making "talking" noises. No idea what he is saying, but the dad of the family took it to mean he wanted food (and he was right, as always) and offered Gavin some corn on the cob. All 5 of their children (under 5 years old) were eating the corn, and of course Gavin wanted it. I politely sad no thank you, but Gavin was so excited. So, we sat down and Gavin DEVOURED an entire ear of corn. It was pretty funny. After he ate his food, he gave each of the kids a hug. He sure knows what to do to get some food!!!

**G had his 3rd haircut this morning. My friend Jeni cut his hair, and he was an angel. He did not make a peep the entire time....probably because he was too busy eating a big green sucker. He was in heaven, we could have been doing ANYthing to him!

"Bite him back"

Tonight Derek and I decided that we needed to try something different about Gavin's biting issue. Yep, he has a slight problem with biting. For the past week, he has been biting me, and only me. He will bite me when he is "hugging" me and being "so gentle." I am almost positive that he has no idea that he is hurting me, and is just teething? Anyways, I have always jumped, said "no" very seriously, and moved him away. This week I have tried to just walk away (He cries) and I have tried the whole positive reinforcement thing. Whenever he is "lovey" (Is that a word?) I will say to him "Oh, Gavin, you are so sweet, so nice to give momma hugs and kisses!!!!) Well, he is still biting. Its like the work "no" to him is not a bad thing. I DO say it loud, give a hurt face, and I am pretty upset. The boy sees nothing, he will not even cry when I do this. He WILL cry if I take something away from him, so I KNOW he understands....or does he???

Tonight Derek comes home from work and says "I know what we can do to get him to stop biting!!!" I am SO ready to try anything, so lets hear it! Someone at work said they went through the same thing, and they just solved the problem in one day. When her (the woman Derek works with) son bit her, she just bit him back, and he stopped! Hmm.....Won't that teach him the wrong thing? Won't he think its OK to bite? Oh well...at this point we have tried everything that the books say, that the MD's say, and that my own instinct says. So here it goes!

After Gavin's bath, he ran to me and "loved" on me. Kisses, hugs, and you got it. A big old bite...on the arm. I took one look at Derek, and I bit Gavin on his arm. I did it pretty hard as I was afraid he would not realize that it hurt. He looked at me, looked at Derek, and LAUGHED OUT LOUD! It was one of those times where it was IMPOSSIBLE for us not to laugh. Derek was WAY worse than me. He was rolling on the ground, that's how funny it was. 

So, here we have our very first (big) parenting issue. How in the world do we fix this one. I am pretty sure biting my own child did NOT fix things, and now he just thinks biting is funny. GREAT! 

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today is daddy's 31st Birthday! Mommy usually would say that he is old, but not today. Today daddy stayed home from work to take care of me and mommy because we both have a yucky cold. I actually have not acted very sick...just a runny nose, and a little hard to go to sleep with my runny nose. Other than that I have been playing with daddy all day long. We walked to Zanotto's for lunch, the park to play, and Gma and Gpa brought a very yummy dinner over to celebrate. I even helped daddy blow out the candle on his ice cream cake. I love my daddy so much, and am so glad I got to spend the entire day with him:) Oh, and mom says she thinks we are the luckiest family in the whole world to have such a loving and caring daddy!