Boys of the park

This afternoon we headed to Kekoa's house for a park playdate! Since G is finally on the same schedule as Kekoa, we are finally able to get together in the afternoons for real play-dates:) 

We played for a little bit at Kekoa's house, and then headed to Bachman Park, downtown Los Gatos. It was a beautiful walk, through the most beautiful town. We arrived at the park, and the boys made a dash for the sandbox. I never knew how much boys loved sand! They usually don't really play together, but today there was some interaction! Gavin was practicing "sharing" the sand toys, and I was very proud of him:) Kekoa did the funniest thing, he thought he should sit in the little dump truck...so cute!

Of course, Hsiaolei and I were able to talk, and have a really nice conversation while the boys played. This was so nice, and I really enjoyed our time. There is nothing like some adult conversation with a great friend:)

After the boys played, we had some snacks, and Gavin shared his snack with Kekoa. He tried to stuff it in Kekoa's mouth, pretty cute! Gavin LOVES to share his food. All the time. I think it is because he is secretly hoping he will get more food in return;) I am only kidding, he really does love to share food. Even with strangers at the market! 

Towards the end of the day, the boys were pushing each other in the dump-truck, and it was so cute to watch. Then Gavin caught eye of the older boys playing in the woods. Gavin always gravitates towards the older kids, especially the boys. He always sees them climbing trees, and running in the woods, and ALWAYS wants to join. He was off, in the woods, climbing the steep hill! Of course Kekoa wanted to join, so we were all in the woods. Hsiaolei laughed about how Kekoa has NEVER been interested in the  kids playing in the woods....that is until he saw GAVIN doing it! Such a good little influence Gavin is:)

We had a lot of fun today, thanks guys!

Gavin's Choice!

The past few days, Gavin has really been into picking his outfits out. I will tell him its time to get dressed, and he will go pick out his clothes. And socks. And shoes. And hats. This week he spent a few afternoons in his snow boots, when it was 70 degrees out! 

Gavin and HIS bike!

This is one of Gavin's Christmas presents from the Lyons family and Uncle Pat. The weather here has been very sunny and pretty warm during the day, so we finally got it out. Gavin and his daddy put this together one morning, and off he went! He cannot reach the pedals yet, so we have to push him. And steer for him. We have gone around the block about 800 times in a week. My back hurts!!! I just love how proud he is of himself, such a big boy!

Mr. One Nap

That's right. My baby is no longer the baby who takes 2 naps a day. He is on to one. Not by his choice, by ours. We have been doing a lot of experimenting around here to see if we can get him to sleep a little later than 4am. And this one nap thing has helped!

5:30 AM EVERYONE! Yes, you might say this is early, but NOT in our house!

So, here is the new schedule. Although it has been a VERY HARD WEEK, things are moving in the right direction. Slowly, but they are. Awake 5:30am. GO GO GO GO till 11am. Nap. GO GO GO GO till 7pm, then bedtime. We are pushing the nap a little later each day, so that eventually he will take an afternoon nap, go to bed by 7 or 8 and GASP maybe sleep till 6ISH. (I am up by 6am anyways, so this would be perfect.)

Since we are not taking any trips anytime soon, we thought this is the time. To be honest, we need to stay put for a while, as Gavin does best when he is on his schedule...and traveling is hard in general. I HATE not being able to see my family more often, but it is getting harder and harder. Not to mention its quite expensive, and we are living on a little more than one income. So, we are here, AND WE LOVE VISITORS!!! (And Delta has some good deals now, hint-hint!)

Gavin is a very big creature of habit. He LOVES his routines and schedules. So do I. This is an adjustment for all of us but it seems to be going in the right direction. Although, this makes him even more a toddler...only toddlers nap once a day! Goodbye 2 naps!

Happy Birthday KK!

Today was Kaylin's 1st Birthday Party!!! This was such a special day, and it was soooo pretty outside! (70's!!!) I got to the party when it started at noon, and got to enjoy lunch with friends and even got to hold KK for a few minutes. G and Derek showed up a little after 1, because Gavin was still sleeping from his nap! (We are trying this one nap a day stuff.) Anyways, once G got there, he ate a ton of food (shocker) and had TWO cupcakes! Kaylin was so cute with her cake. She would get a crumb off, and eat it. Over and over. She was not messy at all! It was such a big difference from Gavin's cake eating!!! (I guess that's the difference between girls and boys;) Kaylin was then baptized in the back yard, and it was a beautiful ceremony with all her family and friends around. I think I got a little teary!!! 

After her party, we walked home and stopped by the park. Gav had to run off all the sugar he just ate! Such a beautiful day, Happy Birthday KK!

{Gavin 17 Months}

Dear Gavin Donovan,

Yes, I have been using your middle name a LOT lately. You seem to be learning how to test your limits! I remember people saying that they could not believe that their toddler had entered the terrible two phase BEFORE they were two....now I see why!

Oh Gavin...you sure are such a little monkey! Most of the limit testing you are doing is all about standing places you shouldn't (high chair, couch, table, toilet, you name it!) You love to climb, and then you love to see our reactions. Hmm. Most places you climb are OK, but its not OK to stand in your high chair, or stand on tables. You look at your Daddy's face, and you will usually sit down! You sure do obey your Daddy! As for me? Well, sometimes you listen to me. Other times not so much!

Another new thing you have done in the past few weeks is attempt to bite someone. Holy Lord, this was a big surprise to me! I could not believe my eyes when I saw you PULL a friends sweater to GET HER CLOSER to you so you could BITE HER! I was in shock. Of course I was able to grab you in time, but seriously? Oh man. So the discipline has started! Thankfully, you have only done this 2 times, and both times I was able to grab you first. Both times you were tired, and cranky. And NOT in the mood to be touched or messed with by others! SO, the advice I got from others who went through this? WATCH YOU LIKE A HAWK! Hahaha I already do, because if I didn't you would be GONE.

Your activity level? Its crazy. You go-go-go all the time. You nap when you are tired, and you get up at 4am. This does not make sense. How can you do so much and require such LITTLE sleep? We have a call in to the pediatrician to ask for help with your sleeping habits. Your dad and I are pretty tired!

You have recently started to really love to bead books:) You LOVE to go get a "Boo" and sit in our lap to read it. Your favorites are Goodnight Moon, The Hungry Caterpillar, and any other book that has animals, or cars/trucks. Each day you love a new book. We LOVE reading to you...and you will now sit still for almost the whole book!

Just today for the very first time, you read ME a book!
Mom-"Baby see's a cookie, what does baby say?"
G-"More!"
Mom-"Baby sees his bottle, what does baby say?"
G-"JUICE!"
Mom-"Baby opens mommy's pocket book, what does baby say?"
G-"KEE!" (keys)
Mom-"Baby gets in mommy's car, what does baby say?"
G-"Buh-Buh!"

You love your books so much that you pick a few to sleep with each night and when you nap. I lay you down with your blankie and paci, and books, and you read them in your crib (After we of course have already read 15!) I say goodnight, kiss your cheek, and shut the door. I hear you "reading" your books for a few minutes and then you go to sleep! WOW! What a change from when you used to scream in your crib! This new routine is AWESOME:) It is so adorable to hear you in there reading your books.

Your words increase by the day. Most of them are just sounds, that we understand. You try and try to mimic my mouth, and love to hear me sing. I have a terrible voice, but you don't care! Each day you surprise us with a new word, and this is such a fun time.

One of your favorite things to do is go get things and bring them to certain people. I will say "Gavin, please go get your Goodnight Moon book and bring it to Daddy." You go and do this. We tend to do this all day because you LOVE to bring things to people. You follow instructions very well, and sometimes you really surprise me with how much you really understand!

Oh Gavin, you are such a little toddler now. We are having so much fun with you, and each day you make us smile and laugh so much. We love you little monkey!

Momma and Daddy

Weekly Dinner

Tonight we had Danny, Angie, and Kaylin over for dinner. We usually get together about once a week for dinner, and we love it! KK (My nickname for Kaylin) is turning one on Friday!!! We are SO excited to go to her party:) (I am also still in shock that she is turning one!!!)

KK and G have fun together...well when Gavin is not bopping her on the head! We are working on being gentle... The really good thing is Kaylin has no idea whats going one when Gavin does this, and she does not even cry! Little does Gavin know, that one day she is going to realize whats going on, and get him back! 

At one point we looked up to find Derek and Danny pretending to play in the band too! They were actually just talking, but they were holding the guitar and microphone...HA:)

Of course, the best was KK and G playing in the band. Gavin was even singing for us:)

We are so excited to celebrate with KK on Saturday!

Little Helper!

Gavin has really started to help us do lots of stuff around the house. He LOVES to help, no matter what it is! Here are some of the things he likes to help with:

-Cooking-His favorite! I was planning to get him a play kitchen when he is 2, but that may have to happen sooner! He has one now (I got at a garage sale) but it is not very big, and does not do much. Gavin will help with anything while cooking. He especially loves to make "soup." Oh, and he always helps eat when we cook!

-Laundry- He loves to bring you clothes in the basket. I will go in the bedroom, and wait for him. He will push the basket through the house with ONE sock at a time, all the way to the bedroom to me. He will then look at me and say "More????" And I say yes. He will do this over and over. When I tell him good job he claps:)

-Dishes-We cannot open the dishwasher without Gavin jumping in to help. He unloads it. Even if its dirty.

-Cleaning-He sweeps, vacuum's, and mops. He prefers the real things, not the toy ones!

-Putting on makeup-Yes, I know. He LOVES to help apply blush or bronzer. His Grandma Podie taught him this one!

-Put toys away-For now, Gavin likes to put things away. He will help for a few minutes. He then decides to take them back out, but he is getting the hang of it!

Gav & Kekoa

Today we had Kekoa and his mamma Hsiaolei over to our neighborhood for a little play date. It has been months since we have seen them....way too long! The boys are SO cute together...and they were both trying to stand on the table. We went to Kirk Park down the street, and both boys took off! They are both VERY busy little ones, and we were running in all different directions:) So, here is my proof that they are busy, I could not even snap a pic of them together! When Kekoa was getting ready to leave, they gave each other a hug, and that was adorable. Hsiaolei and I just joined another playgroup together, so we are really looking forward to seeing them more!

Growth Spurt

Derek and I are completely convinced that Gavin is having a {very big} growth spurt. For the past 2 days the child has NOT stopped eating. He is eating 3 "meals" a day, and snacking all day too. We would not let him snack all day if he did not eat well with his meals, but he has been eating. Everything. And with that {TMI} he has been going to the bathroom 6 times a DAY! I am talking crazy amounts of food, so much that today I told Derek I think he might have a tape worm in his stomach. Seriously, I guess I am just in shock. This must be what it is like when a growing boy grows bigger! 

2 nights ago we had Grandma and Grandpa over for take out PF Chang's...to celebrate Grandpa getting a new job at STANFORD!!! We are so SO happy for him, and yes we are proud too! He will be working VERY close to where I work at Stanford, so now we will be able to have lunch together when I am at work on a weekday! {well, we will see if Grandpa can eat his lunch in the 30 minutes I get for a break;}

Tonight we put G to bed at 8PM. Yes, 8. That's a whole hour later than normal. It is time for an intervention with G and his only sleeping till 4am issue. Since we got back from Ohio, the child goes to bed so early, and only sleeps to 4am. We tried the cry it out. Did not work. He is UP AT 4AM! That's all he needs, and we are OK with that....just not 4AM! So, the next step in our plan {We made this plan with the help of a Pediatric Sleep Specialist....oh the Joys of working at a Children's Hospital!!!) is to keep him up later. I know, it seems logical, but we tried in the past, and he still gets up at the same time. So we need to stick with it, and give it time. Eventually he should be able to still sleep his 9 or 10 hrs, but hopefully later than 4am!!! We shall see. He has been napping great, and sleeping straight through the night, its just too early for us. I can do 5am, but not 4. Fingers crossed!

Last but not least, I wanted to write down something that G did today that amazed me:) We were reading Goodnight Moon, which he has never really cared for until now {He has never cared for books that did not have something to touch (animal fur) or stick his fingers in (holes)}. He now really enjoys reading books, and can sit still for about half of the book. He especially loves books about animals. Anyways, while reading Goodnight Moon, when we got to the "goodnight stars" page he stopped the page. He got up and pointed to the stars on his ceiling. Then got another book with stars on the cover and pointed to that. THEN got a toy off his shelf and pointed to the star on the toy! WOW! I know he is a smart boy, but WOW! I guess I did not realize that he was paying attention that much! I mean, I don't even pay attention to all that detail;) Anyways, I am so proud of my smart and oh so growing boy!

Gavin the toddler!

-Gavin enjoys Yo-Toddler yogurt in the tub each night. This is the only place the child will sit still, well somewhat still. He has a blast in the tub. Whatever works, right? OK, well that's my new motto, so deal!

-We took these pics with Daddy's Christmas present! A new Nikkor 50/1.8 Lens!!! This lens is Awesome! In a summary, it is great for close up shots, and lets more light in the pictures, especially the natural light. We LOVE it! I am not sure who is more excited, me or Derek!

-We took Gavin out to dinner tonight. BIG MISTAKE! Before we left Derek said, "Didn't we say we would NEVER take him out to dinner again, last time we went out???" I replied "Ohh yes, we did. But I did not cook, so too bad..." Ummm Derek was RIGHT. Sooo right. Gavin would not sit still, poured the salt and pepper out all over the table, threw the food at me, and even popped his monkey balloon with his TEETH! This child is a wild animal. (Yes, we paid some guy a few dollars to make Gavin a monkey balloon, only to be eaten by Gavin!) When we left, it looked like a tornado has gone through our table. Oh, and we had to box my dinner up because I was not able to eat. I was too busy with the wild animal. Really, not doing that again for a LONG time. Or at least until he understands the command "please sit!!!"

-I have been reading my new book I got for Christmas. Derek got me Digital Photography by Scott Kelby. So far I love it, and am learning new things each time I read it. 

-We attempted to change Gavin's nap over to once a day, not two. Another big mistake. The boy needs BOTH of his naps. We will not try that again. Just racking our brains trying to figure out how to get him to sleep better at night. Still have no answers. 

-Derek is going to take me out to dinner for my birthday soon. I hope. We did not get to do anything on my birthday because the boys were sick. 

-Gavin is getting not one, not two, but 4 MOLARS! I guess this could explain the lack of sleep. Tonight when he started screaming to get out of his bath, we noticed all FOUR! Ouch, I guess that is why he is biting EVERYTHING? Including my neck. Not only is he an animal, he is also a vampire!

-I am realized as I type this that Gavin really is a toddler! Seems like the terrible two's a little early!

-I also realize as I type this, that I am complaining a lot. Really, I am not meaning to. Once again, I find myself realizing that I am the luckiest person in the world to have such a beautiful, fun, hilarious, sweet, and HEALTHY toddler. For this I am very thankful. And even though no sleep is no fun, I am thankful for this as well. I know it could be a LOT worse, and this is such a small issue. Some mothers would kill to just have some "sleep issues." So again, I will take this. 

-I have been on the computer for an hour, so now its time to go chillax with the hubby:)

Gavin's Band

Today Grandma Dayle brought over a present for Gavin....his own Band set!!! He got a piano, guitar, and a mic! He immediately sat down and started to play the piano...and then he would breathe really heavy in the mic;) He has been playing with it non-stop ever since....and the best thing is that the guitar connection is broken, SO IT NEVER GETS TOO LOUD:) I am sure daddy will fix it soon enough though!!! Thanks again Grandma!!!

In other news, I have been very slow and not very up to date with the blog. Traveling, Christmas, more traveling, more Christmas, no sleep, cleaning, unpacking, more Christmas, 2010 stomach flu, more no sleep, and lots of other stuff has kept us pretty busy. We are currently trying to get back some of that sleep we have been missing, but Gavin does not understand this concept just yet. One day....One day!