Bathing Babes

Tonight we had the McCulloch's over for dinner. We had a great dinner of BBQ chicken, and the best part was we ALL sat down to eat! This was a first for us! Usually one or both of the little ones are running around/cranky/needing to be held/wanting something else. So, this was really neat to sit and enjoy a meal together! Both Gavin and Kaylin ate lots of food, and did not make much of a fuss at all. (Shh, there may have been some Baby Einstein playing on the computer! HA! Just another one of those things that "I would never do as a mom" Yeah right!!!)

After dinner, G & K ran around the house. Kaylin is now an expert at walking and G showed off his dancing skills. It was time for bath, so we decided to put them both in the tub. Danny said "As long as Gavin does not pull a fast one!" That was pretty funny!

Dance, Dance, Dance

Gavin has always loved to "dance" but now it is SO cute to watch him dance on his own. He will hear music, and start dancing. His dancing consists of stomping his feet really fast, like he is running in place. Not sure where he learned his dance moves...Wait, yes I do, from his DAD! Here they are dancing to Christmas music (Playing on the TV music channel). They are running around in circles dancing together. My smile could not have been any bigger!

Gavin picks a Christmas Tree!

Today we headed to the tree farm in the Santa Cruz mountains to cut down our Christmas tree! This is our family tradition now, and it is always so much fun...not to mention the views are just gorgeous. It turned out to be a very sunny day, so it was perfect. 

As soon as G woke up from his AM nap, Grandma and Grandpa came over, and Gavin was thrilled to see them. His entire face lights up when he sees them come to the front porch:) We packed up some food, and headed out!

As soon as we got there, Gavin was off exploring. Picking up sticks, and carrying them around. Then he helped pick the perfect tree and cut it down. He REALLY wanted to use the saw himself, but we thought Daddy should do that! After we got the tree to the truck, Gavin sat in the bed of the truck, and "helped" secure the tree. 

After he screamed his head off the entire way home (a car ride would not be the same without a meltdown one way or the other!) he was happy after he had some lunch AND pumpkin pie:) Oh what a fun day....I love our little family tradition!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today we celebrated Gavin's second Thanksgiving over at Grandma and Grandpas house. It was a wonderful day, and a very yummy dinner. We headed over at lunchtime, played outside, went to the park down the street, played with Shadow, and Gavin took a long afternoon nap. When he woke up, we sat down and had a very nice dinner. Gavin's Great Uncle Glenn and Great Aunt Mary came to celebrate with us too.

Gavin loved his Thanksgiving meal. He especially loved the carrots, yams, dinner rolls, and cranberries! Oh, and LOVED the pumpkin and apple pies...he had an entire piece of BOTH! Absolutely everything was homemade, and very good! After dinner we sat by the fire, played piano, and read stories. It was a very nice and relaxing Thanksgiving. Today, and every day, we are very thankful for our entire wonderful family. We are truly blessed to be a part of such an amazing family:)

Bed Head

I am still laughing at these pictures. Here is G's hair after his long afternoon nap. What a mess:) He is also giving Arnold a "kiss." Arnold is not too happy that Gavin woke up from his nap! Also, check out the drool. Must be the molars...

Big Boy Now

I cannot believe it. Gavin is really such a big boy now. I just got done organizing the Gavin cabinet in the kitchen. No more bottles, homemade baby food storage/supplies, baby spoons, breastmilk storage supplies, or anything else baby. All thats left is a few pumping supplies(I still pump at work) and lots of big boy sippy cups. Gavin has decided that his plastic bowls and cups go in the bottom cabinet because thats where HE can reach to put them away:) He is so big, and needs none of this stuff anymore.

The second picture is Gavin in his bed....but there are 2 new things in there. A toddler pillow and a big blanket! The pediatrician said he is OK to have these things now, and he LOVES them! Today he took a 3 HOUR morning nap and a 2 HOUR afternoon nap. We even had to wake him. He must love his comfy bed now!

Mailman Gavin

Mark, our mailman, is one of our very good friends. We see him almost every day, and we always have a very nice conversation. Gavin knows him so well, that he will just walk up to him and put his arms up to be held. He is so sweet to Gavin, and lets him sit in his truck. We really look forward to seeing Mark each day:)

15 Month Appointment

Today we had Gavin's first TODDLER appointment. I know he is a toddler, but I was still stunned when the nurse came in and said "welcome to Gavin's toddler check-up!"

I will say it yet again. Where has the time gone.

Today's appointment went really well, but it was also a sad one because I think it was the last time we will see Dr. Copeland:( Gavin and I have to switch insurance and we will be going to Kaiser now instead. While I am sad we will not get to see Dr. Copeland anymore, I am also relieved that she had some very good things to say about Kaiser, and recommended a few good doctors.

Back to G man. Here are his stats:
Head Circ-48cm (72%)
Height-32in-(70%)
Weight-23.5lbs-(25%)

He got a TDap immunization today. Pertussis is a very very nasty thing, and we can't take any chances with that! We skipped out on the influenza vaccine and Hep B. He will eventually get Hep B when he is older. We also decided to wait on the MMR for now as well. I think we will start MMR when he is two or 2 and a half. One of the reasons that I LOVE Dr. Copeland so much is because she is so open to us delaying some vaccines, and she does not pressure us at all. She believes in the delayed schedule as well, and she has done a lot of research in this area. Of course, I 100% believe in vaccinations, for our health and the health of the public. I just believe that there are a select few that are not important (And are not deadly) and there are some that can wait until Gavin's immune system is more mature. I really hope we can find another pedi as great as Dr. C!

At 15 months Gavin:
-Feeds himself. Sometimes we still sneak bites in his mouth while he is eating.
-No longer drinks from bottles when mom works. Just the sippy!
-Eats everything we eat.
-Nurses 4 times a day.
-We try to give him whole milk, but he does not seem to like the taste.
-Gets a multivitamin every morning.
-Brushes his teeth in the AM and PM.
-Sleeps from about 7pm to 5 or 6am. This gets all messed up when we travel. We travel a lot. Dr. says that it can take a few weeks for a toddler his age to get back to where he was. Poor thing gets so confused!
-Naps 2 times a day. 8 or 9am and 2 or 3pm.
-Shakes his head no when he does not want something. Sometimes if we say "time to go to bed" he will tell us no:)
-Has had a few temper tantrums. Mostly over wanting his pacifier out of his crib, or when I get in the shower.
-Is a total mommas boy. Needs me near at all times. Only time it is OK for me to walk away is when Grandma Dayle is near.
-Runs, walks, climbs, jumps(tries), dances, plays games, and lots lots more.
-Follows commands such as putting shoes on, sitting down, going "bye-bye", throwing something away, flushing toilet, getting certain toys or books from the shelf, and lots of others.
-"Kisses" others. Especially other kids his age.
-Likes all his books. Especially the book set of 10 little books about first words. His cousin Nathan gave him this, and he LOVES the small books! Other favorites are any and all books about CATS! He loves to see and hear about "Kitty-Kitty's." Also loves firetruck books. He calls them "that" just like everything else:)
-Loves bath-time. Really loves BUBBLE's! Says "Baa" for bath and "Bubu" for bubble:)
-Loves to fake laugh. If something is funny he will laugh, and then we will laugh. Once he sees us laugh, the fake laugh comes in. So cute.
-Can't leave the store without a balloon. Always wants one. Also can't leave the store with an empty stomach. He also eats half of what we buy before we buy it.

While Mommy works

Here is what goes on when I am at work. Gavin and Daddy always have a lot of fun together...making fires now that it is cold, and lots of playtime around the house. They are both alive when I get home....that's all I can ask for! I should also mention that the house is always picked up (Gavin's toy explosion), dishes are done, AND homemade dinner is always waiting for me. Seriously, Derek is wonderful:)

A day out with Griffin and Gavie

Today I was our last day in Cincy, and I wanted to do something fun with G & G. It was cold and rainy....perfect day for the children's museum! Griffin came over about 9am, and we headed down to Union terminal where the museum is. I was just a little nervous to take them at this time because Gavin was skipping his AM nap....and I was unsure of how he would handle it. To my surprise, he did very well! As soon as we got there, both the boys hoped out of the double stroller, and took off! "T'mon GAVIE!!!!" Griffin would say over and over.

They played so well, and were so busy the entire time. We explored each and every area of the museum, and Gavin never really got too tired. At one point, Gavin was getting hungry for a snack, so I asked Griffin if we could go into the little "mothers room" so he could eat. I gave Gavin and Griffin a little fruit snack, and something to drink...I know Griffin would rather have been playing out with the toys, but he sat there so patiently! He just watched Gavin finish his snack. Of course I teared up because it is so neat to watch them together...I would love to be able to do this more often...

Only major meltdown....when we went to the "Grocery Store" area. The boy's had their shopping cart, and were picking out food. As soon as Gavin got to the boxed food (Cereal, cookies, fruit snack's) he freaked out! HE wanted to eat the food! He laid there and sobbed because he could not open the boxes. Poor boy, always needs to eat.

Griffin really took great care of "Gavie." He shared his toys, helped him get up and down from different areas, and even helped Gavin when someone took his toy. Griffin walked right up to the little boy who was trying to take Gavin's toy and said "No take that, its GAVIE'S!!!" I almost died, it was so adorable.

We packed our lunch, and had a little picnic in the lobby of Union Terminal. The boys shared their food, and ate their oreo's for dessert. After lunch we headed back to the museum for a little more fun. This time we went to the water play area, and they had a blast. It was really hard to get them out of here...it took a little bribe about more oreo's :) We got to the car, loaded them up, and Gavin's eye's were closed before we even back out of the parking spot. We had so much fun, and can't wait to do it again in December! 

Fun with Cousins

This afternoon we went to Beth & Eric's house to visit with Jack, Cal, Wiley, and Daniel. Gavin got to explore the house, play with toys, and of course have a snack. It was so nice to see them, and have the boys "hang out" together:)

Bathing Babes

Gavin had a lot of fun the past week during bath-time. He got to take a bath with griffin AND Annabel most nights...and he always loved it. For some reason, G was a fuss bucket almost every night (lack of sleep???) but bath-time remained a favorite activity. Look how cute these cousins are!

Gavin & Annabel

Erica and I took these pics today after Annabel woke up from her nap. Gavin and Annabel were playing in the crib, and looked so cute together. Gav and A-Bells are only 7 months apart...Right now, Gavin does not have much interest in her...he gives her hugs and kisses, she gets SO excited and pulls his hair, he cries and cries...pretty much how it goes.

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Day out with Grandma

Here are a few pictures of G & G playing at the big jungle gym warehouse. There are a ton of jungle gyms, trampolines, and bikes/toys. The boys had a blast!

Warm Cincy!

Gavin and I have been in Cincinnati since Thursday night, and we have been having so much fun with everyone. It has been pretty warm for Cincinnati, so we have been spending a lot of time outside. Lots of walks, parks, and backyard fun. Last night Gma and Gpa had a little dinner party so that friends and family could come see Gavin. The dinner was delicious, and it was so nice to see everyone. Gavin was just a little overwhelmed with all the people, so he spent most of the night in my arms. He has had a pretty tough time adjusting to the travels this time around. Sleep is off, and naps are cut very short. Just today he finally took a decent 2hr morning nap, so fingers crossed! I think its just hard on him to adjust to the time change...and we come here so often that by the time he is back on Cali time, we change it up! Poor babe!

{Gavin 15 Months}

Dear toddler G-

Today you are 15 months, and we are spending the day in Ohio with your family here. Every month I write these letters, I always say that I cannot believe that you are getting older. Again, I will say that now. You have changed so much lately, and you make us laugh all the time. You are turning into such a little show-off, and you sure know it!

Here is what you are up to lately:
-You run around everywhere.
-You climb on anything and everything. You usually have no fear at all.
-You say Mama, Dada, Hot, Kittttt (kitty), Duu (Duck and Dog), Uh-Oh (million times a day), Ohh, Baa (Bath and Bread). You have a LOT of sounds...and you will try to say what we are saying, but usually only get the first sound. Most of the time you just babble about everything, and I have NO idea what you are saying. You go on and on about things, and sometimes you even get frustrated about what you want. There is a lot of pointing going on, and you can usually get what you want by pointing to it.
-You love people, and sometimes love strangers. You will walk up to random people, and just stare at them and smile until they notice you.
-You are still napping 2 times a day. Very busy in between naps. Don't think this is changing anytime soon....or I could be soooo wrong!
-You sleep through the night on some nights, and others you wake up and scream very loud. We have no idea why. We have never known why you do this. But you do and its our normal now. One day....
-You have proven that traveling now that you are a toddler is 100times harder than it used to be. You have a hard time adjusting to the new environment, and a hard time with the time change. It also takes you a while to warm up to everyone, because you don't always remember them. This is hard for me, because I don't like to see you have a hard time. We hope you travel a little better when daddy comes with us too...you REALLY miss your daddy when we travel.
-You eat everything and anything. You have now had cheese and dairy for over a month and you have done great! No rashes, or upset tummy. You have had ice cream, and everything else in the world that has dairy. We are so thankful that you are not sensitive anymore...really thankful!
-You wear a size 4 diaper and size 18mo clothes.
-You are 24lbs.
-Your shoes are 5.5WIDE!
-You wake up each day with a smile on your face.
-You have a mild...OK Severe obsession with your paci and blanket. You get them both when you are in your crib for naptime and bedtime. If you see them when its not bedtime, and you are able to get your hands on them, you are obsessed. You will throw a big old tantrum if they are taken away.
-You are SUCH a snuggle baby. You love to give hugs and "kisses" and melt my heart every time you snuggle with me.

This past month has been very fun with you, and you continue to make us smile and laugh every single day. We love you monkey G!

Mamma and Dada

Spaghetti Couple

Tonight we went to Giorgio's for dinner with Danny, Angie and Kaylin. Giorgio's is a great Italian restaurant that is just down the street from us. It was closed for a few months for renovations, and has finally reopened! The food is always great, and the service is just a little slow...well maybe it seemed slow because we had 2 squirmy little ones with us! G & K split a bowl of spaghetti, and of course they both loved it. Kaylin has a serious LOVE for food just like Gavin...these two will both eat anything! 

Sugar Smile

Ever since Halloween night, every time we walk by the candy bowl on the kitchen, Gavin yells because he wants some. So I gave him a blue sucker while I cooked dinner. Although he loved it, he also ate it so fast that he wanted another one in about 2 minutes. So much for a distraction so I can cook!

And, Gavin is now officially saying "uh oh" when he drops things off his high chair...or when he throws things on the ground. Its not really an accident, its more on purpose, but pretty cute to hear him say "uh ohhhh." He also says it when he walks over to the kitchen trash can and throws away his toys. Hmmm. He is 14 months going on 2 years old. 

On This Day

-The Giants won the world series. You have seen almost all the games, and whenever we clap and shout, you clap too. You think that it is for you.

-You bit your Dad in the arm tonight. We have no idea why, but you got yelled at. It did not phase you at all. Just kept playing with your toys.

-You went with Momma to take Arnold to the vet. Arnold was diagnosed with "possible seasonal allergies" and "possible allergic reaction to a flea bite." Your mom said that the word possible cannot be part of a diagnosis. You helped Arnold get his new medicine...after Mom spent $200 for the visit. You will not get to go back to the vet again with Arnold for 2 years because 1.) He is not going & 2.) You threw a tantrum on the ground and ate a piece of cat food off the ground. Seriously.

-You took 2 beautifully long naps today. Mom got a lot done. You needed the sleep.

-You and Daddy took a bike ride to the market while Mom cooked dinner. You love the bike rides.

-Mom figured out how to get you to be the worlds best toddler at the grocery store. All it took was one banana, one bag of dried apricots/bananas/cranberries, one rice husk, one rice milk box, one sucker, and one pear. Food is the answer to everything with you.

-You "kissed" and hugged a dog at the park today. You still think that kissing someone is rubbing your head on them. I love this because 1.) Your Daddy taught you this & 2.) You are not putting your lips on random things, people, and animals.

-You tried to eat a wood chip, bottle cap, candy wrapper, and used straw at the park. You love to pick up trash. So much for "kissing" with your head.

-You ate 3 Swedish meatballs, egg noodles, avocado, peas, and pear for dinner. When you like something, you love it. You also put most of this food on your fork to eat it. You can't quite get the food on the fork by yourself, so you stick the food there with one hand, and then eat it with the other. Pretty cute:)

-You played with a little 4 year old at the park. Well, he pretended you were a "scary monster" and ran from you, and played peek-a-boo. You thought this was the funniest thing in the world. You love to play with other kids. (Momma loves this, but it also sometimes makes her sad to think that we are so far from your cousins in Ohio.)

-You danced a laughed a lot today.

-You talked up a storm today. Non-stop talking. All day long. Not sure what most of it was, but most of it was like this. OoooOOOO! ADA ADA ADA, Mmmmm, Ooy-Ooy-OOY!, oh, Mama, Dadadada, Dada, MA!, HOT, ha, ha, HOT,  BaBu, Sssstt, Ssssstt and so on. Words we know you are saying are Dada, Hot, Babu(Bubble) and Sssttt(stink) Oh, yeah and eeeeeeeeuuuuuuu (peeee-you!)

-You continue to be the best thing that has ever happened to your Mom & Dad.