Gavin is ONE!!! And a Farewell Post

This will come as no surprise to anyone, but I'm seriously considering closing up shop around here at Our Fabulous Life. This space doesn't really feel like "home" to me anymore, and I think I'm ready to move on to something new. I do think I will continue writing, and I'm thinking/hoping that a new space and all new "brand" will be the right move for me. With that said, there's a good chance that this post may be my last real post here on my beloved little blog. Once I know for sure what I decide to do going forward I'll come update things here, but until then, this is probably it.

And that feels incredibly appropriate to me, because this is Gavin's first birthday post! This blog launched as a way to keep family and friends in the loop with all the happenings when A and I first moved to Texas after graduation, and it's basically been an online diary of our engagement, wedding, newlywed years, early parenthood, and in reality, it's turned into one big baby book. I think that is wonderful and I LOVE having so many memories to look back on, but I know that's not what things will be about for me going forward. 

So today, let's talk about my sweet, sweet Gavin! This boy is a delight in every sense of the word, and I couldn't adore him more if I tried. He is an absolute angel, and I'm sure the bragging about him is annoying but I can't help myself. We celebrated his birthday on October 29th, just one day after his first birthday, and it was a great day. All his grandparents, our amazing Guncles, and several close friends came to celebrate with us, and it was such a fun time. 

I won't lie, I started panicking about a week before the big day because I hadn't done much planning. Let's be honest, I had a couple packages of balloons, the invites were sent and the cake was ordered, and I knew the theme. At this point for Grayson's first birthday I had about a million details nailed down, so I got on Amazon the Sunday before his party and ordered a ton of decoration, got on Pinterest and planned the menu, and moaned about how awful I felt for my poor second child. Nevertheless, I pulled it all together at the last minute. 

Our theme was "Gavin is a Party Animal!" because of his wild and crazy personality. He's always reminded me of a little monkey, so a jungle theme seemed appropriate. While the party was pretty low-key, I think it was perfect for Gav. Where Grayson totally relished in the huge party atmosphere and all the attention of his first birthday, Gavin is so happy 24/7 that he would have been just as content with the four of us celebrating as he was with a house full of people. He had a super fun time and got loved on by a lot of special people, and my heart was totally full all day long.

I still can't believe this little guy has been with us for over a year now, but at the same time, I have a hard time remembering life without him. This past year has been wonderful - adjusting to life as a family of four was a smoother transition than I was expecting, and I think sweet Gavin was the absolute perfect addition to our crazy crew. He's so sweet it makes me question my desire for a third baby sometimes, because there's no WAY I'll get one as easy going and happy as this one!

Friends, thank you so much for supporting me here over the years. I have been so, so absent for so long, but so many of you still stay in contact on Instagram on a regular basis. I really cherish the friendships that I've made here, and I hope they'll continue on once I move on to my next venture. I'll be back at some point to let you all know what I'm up to and where to find me, but until then, I'd love for you to follow along on Instagram! 

12 Months

Sweet little Gavin,

Oh, Gav. I will never get tired of telling you all about how much I love and adore you. This first year of your life has been one of the absolute best of mine. You are pure sweetness with a little dash of crazy thrown in, and the older you get the more I fall head over heels for your silly little personality.

You're entering that magical age where it seems like you're learning or doing something new and exciting every single day. I can see my tiny baby slipping away as you become more and more independent. And independent you most certainly are. You don't want to hold hands in public, you don't want us to cut your food into small pieces, you don't want to be held down for any reason, and you have zero fears that I have discovered. You are constantly wandering off on your own, exploring all the nooks and crannies our home has to offer. You are also attempting to climb just about anything that can be climbed, but thankfully you haven't gone full spider-monkey on me yet.

Now that you are officially a toddler, things have changed a bit. You've added a bit more "spice" to your constant sweetness, and we've had our first foray into tantrum territory with you. I have to say, your brother was the king of tantrums at this age, so yours are kind of just adorable. If you get mad at us and happen to be standing on the tile, you will run as fast as your tiny legs will take you while crying as loudly as you can, then dramatically fling yourself to the floor the second you hit the carpet, where you'll cry as if your heart has been broken in two. While Grayson's tantrums seemed more angry, yours seem to be much more based on heartbreak.

You're still happy most of the time, but you are starting to protest and fight back at times. If anyone takes anything away from you that you really want, you will totally freak out and scream and cry. If Grayson won't share a toy, you'll grunt and scream, and you've recently started a baby-version of hitting. You aren't packing much of a punch, but you are definitely getting your point across.

You are SUPER silly, and you literally walk around smiling and laughing most of the day. All we have to do is make eye contact with you and you break into the sweetest little grin. The tiniest ounce of attention seems to fill up your little love tank, then you're back to independent exploring until you need another couple minutes of being loved on. You love to be chased and tickled, so I spend an absurd amount of time doing both. You also have an ornery streak, and you love to take things you know you aren't supposed to have and run run run as fast as you can with them. At the moment the things from my bathroom drawers and the Christmas tree decorations are your favorites to steal. You'll slowly, sneakily take something, all while watching to see if anyone has seen what you're doing, then you'll give the orneriest little smile with a side-eye before you run away. It's hysterical and sometimes totally infuriating.

You are understanding so much of what we are saying, and I've noticed you love to be helpful. You'll load the water bottles into the bottom bin of the fridge after I show you how, or help me put toys up in the baskets around the house, or bring me whatever I ask you to. It seems like just about anything I ask you do to you will do with very little direction. Of course I think you're a beautiful genius baby just like your brother - and I'm pretty sure I'm right ;)

You've started communicating with us a lot more (to be fair, you're over 13 months as I'm writing this). You answer me by nodding very decisively with a grunt for yes, and give a pretty brief head shake for no. You point to whatever you want, and come running and grunting and shaking objects at me anytime you want me to do something for you, like turn on a toy or feed you something you found. There are videos that you watch and dance to on YouTube called Gigglebellies (you're obsessed) and you'll find the remote, run over to me shaking it while going "Ahhh!Ahh!Ahhh!" and point at the TV, then you'll start dancing in a circle until I get it turned on. You definitely know how to get your point across.

You LOVE to dance, and you literally start at it the second you recognize a song or beat of any sort. Even if I sing like three words or tap on the table a few times, you start dancing. You also love to sing, which is just precious. Sometimes you'll sing in your carseat, and you almost always sing to music. You also sing your ABC's with me during diaper changes, which is the only way I can get them done these days. You also have the sweetest little baby voice in the world, so the singing totally melts my mama heart.

You are eating like a champ, which is great because you are a teeny tiny little guy. You were really sick last month, so I'm sure that didn't help anything, but we are currently trying to beef you up a bit before your 15 month doctors appointment. You are several pounds lighter and a bit shorter than Grayson was at this age, so it's kind of strange for me. The good news is you still feel like a baby when I hold you, so it's helping to keep any baby fever at bay ;)

Your favorite foods are grapes, strawberries, broccoli, carrots, soup, and pancakes. You haven't accepted my offerings of cow's milk yet, so all you're drinking is water. You're still nursing several times a day...and a few times a night, as much as I would love for you to not be doing that. However, since you're so little your doc said I need to keep it up as long as you're asking, so looks like mommy just won't be sleeping through the night for awhile. You're also working on your top two molars at the moment, and you handle teething so, so well that we never realize you're getting a tooth until they've broken through. This will bring your grand total to 10.

Your brother is starting to love you more and more, the older you get and the more you start to interact with him. He thinks it's hysterical that you answer us yes and no now, and the other day when I was feeding you and telling you to eat certain things he said "He always does what you tell him to do..." like he was amazed. I told him he should learn from you! Every once in awhile I catch him being really sweet to you, usually when he doesn't know I'm watching or you're being sweet or sleepy. I adore watching the two of you bond, I am so incredibly glad I get to experience the sibling thing through you guys.

You are the sunshine in my life sweet boy, you make me so super happy, and you were just the most perfect addition to our family. I couldn't be more obsessed with you, and you bring so much joy to everyone that knows you. I love you so much baby boy! I can't believe you're one!

Mommy

Photos by my sweet friend- Shana Pisanich Photography

Gavin - 11 Months

Oh sweet Gav. This past month with you has been so, so much fun. You are just the silliest little thing I've ever seen, and you keep us laughing all the time around here. You are so sweet, so much fun, so very independent, so adorable - I'm a bit obsessed, but in a totally healthy way, swear.

I know every mom goes on and on about her kids, but you really are the best. I know this because everyone who meets you adores you, and you basically have your very own fan club. We spend a lot of time at the church, so the ladies in the kid care area know you well. When we show up I hear "It's Gavin! Gavin's here!" from at least four or five different women. I repeatedly hear that they are obsessed with you, that you are the best baby, that you are so sweet, on and on and on - one lady actually stopped me in the hall the other day and told me that you are her favorite. So funny, but I totally understand ;)

When I try and think about the best way to sum your personality up, the words sweet and goofy are the first things that come to mind. You are just the sweetest little baby ever. You have the sweetest little voice - other than when you're screaming, which you do a lot (playfully, but still). You give the sweetest kisses, although you're not super affectionate. I have to ask for kisses, but then you'll give me like 10 so I get my fill for the day. You'll give me one very sweet kiss, and then when I look away you grab both sides of my face and make me kiss you again, and again, and again. Sweetest ever. You also don't give many hugs, or even like to be held a ton. You tend to wander off on your own, play for quite awhile, then wander over to hug my leg or grunt at me until I pick you up and give you some hugs and kisses, then you're ready to wander off on your own again. You're so independent and like to play by yourself for the majority of the day, but you have to check in every 10 minutes or so, just to make sure I'm still there. You also don't mind dark rooms at all, so I'll find you playing in the dark playroom or shut in a room where the door hadn't been shut all the way, totally happy and playing with whatever you've found.

Your goofiness is just the cutest thing. You laugh all the time, about everything, and sometimes you just sit in my lap, looking at me, and we just laugh at each other for awhile. Literally anything makes you laugh. All we have to do is look at you and laugh, and there you go. You aren't talking yet, but you're a pretty good mimic, so we've got Dada, Mama, and Uh-Oh out of you so far. I think Uh-Oh is your favorite to say, and it's so cute how your little mouth curls up to make the Ohhhh sound. You still love clapping, high five-ing, and you really like to take my hands and make me clap or tap your mouth and then mine to make that silly sound you love.

You have totally mastered the walking thing - although you will be one in TWO days, so I'm a bit late here. When you had actually just turned 11 months you were walking but walking a little rickety still at that point. Now, you're practically running. You actually are running, but tripping over your feet and splatting to the ground every so often. You are constantly, constantly banged up and bruised. Since you have zero fear, you just do whatever pops into your head. Climb anything, dive off anything, crawl into anything - you make me nervous, to say the least. You rarely seem to mind if you get hurt, unless you're really, really hurt, and then we have tears.

Another way you're often hurt is that mean ol' big brother of yours. The two of you have a ton of fun together, but he's mad at you about touching his toys approximately 83% of the time. Aside from that you're all wrestling, giggling, dancing best buds. Watching you two together is seriously the cutest, but I'm bracing myself for years of insanity. It's already pretty insane. Ya'll are LOUD and crazy.

You're a pretty good eater, although you still don't eat a ton most days. You're really weaning yourself when it comes to nursing, and we're at about a four hour stretch during the day most days. If I'm not with you I don't leave a bottle and you're totally fine. You love strawberries, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, black olives, cereal bars, and pizza. I gave you chicken strips and french fries the other day and those were a pretty big hit, and you love veggie straws. You like most things, but then some things, like cheese, you just refuse completely. You eat a lot of those little pouch things, a few a day, but if you see real food you typically prefer that.

You've got eight teeth, and we're thinking another one may be on it's way, judging by the way you've been acting. You're still a teeny tiny guy at close to 28 inches and just 18.5 pounds, but maybe you'll catch up at some point. Or maybe you'll be little and scrappy, you've certainly got the daring personality for that. You're starting to stretch your naps out, and we're down to two most days, sometimes one if your morning nap is super late. You're a pretty good napper, so we usually get one from around 9 to 10:30 or so, and another one around 2 or 3 for at least an hour. You go to bed right about 8, and wake up anywhere from 6:30 to 7:15. A couple weeks ago we had a stretch of waking up before 6 every day for over a week and I didn't think I was going to survive.

 You are doing all kinds of fun stuff these days, but one of my favorites is the dancing. You are such a little dancing machine and it's so, so cute. You are completely obsessed with this Busy Bumblebee song that Nana discovered on Youtube, and we turn it on and you just start dipping and swinging your hips and bouncing up and down and waving your arms around. Absolutely precious.

You're starting to have a bit more of a temper, but usually only when I'm not getting food to you quick enough or I'm not letting you hold your tooth brush. You really hate to have your diaper changed, but it's just because you don't want to hold still. You don't get mad, you just flip over and run away. Makes things rather complicated for those of us changing you. You don't like to be told no. You shake your head no back at us and kind of grunt in disapproval. Aside from those few things, you are a happy camper basically all day, every day.

I absolutely adore this age with you, but I have seriously enjoyed every minute of being your mama so I know I'll never be able to pick a favorite age. You have totally ruined me for any future babies that I may (somehow, maybe, hopefully) talk your daddy into, because it is HIGHLY unlikely I would ever be so lucky to have another baby as good as you. Your crazy, silly little personality is so different than what I was expecting from my mild mannered, laid back tiny baby that I brought home almost a year ago, but oh my goodness I wouldn't trade this for the world. I am loving everything about watching you grow, and watching you and your brother bond, and I am so, so thankful that I get to be your mama. I love you so much my sweet baby!

Gavin - Ten Months

Sweet little baby of mine! Man oh man, you are just a delight. You are seriously just the best little guy in the world. I know, I'm gushing. It's annoying. I can't help it. You are basically everything a person could want in a baby. My only complaint is that you don't sleep all night long in your crib. This is my fault, so really, can't complain too much! Other than that, pure delight, I tell you. 

You are hilarious. Seriously, you have me laughing all day long. Combined with that crazy brother of yours and you guys are really just too much. You get so excited about things and kind of bounce up and down and do a gasp-y, opened mouth happy sound that I adore and seriously hope I can capture on film before you outgrow it. You are always smiling, always laughing, and always doing something a little bit crazy. 

You are totally mama-obsessed right now, and I cannot get enough. You are so tiny that I can just pop you up on my hip and cart you around, but you get pretty bored up there after about two minutes. Even though you want to be around me at all times, it's usually good enough to just know that I'm in the room. If I leave your line of vision, that's another story. You are so great at entertaining yourself, and will just happily play with toys or crawl around exploring (getting into things) for long periods of time. This is CRAZY to me, because I vividly remember the first time your brother actually played by himself - at all - and it was for like five minutes and he was maybe a year and a half old. The fact that you entertain yourself for large portions of time every single day boggles my mind. But THANK YOU. 

You are also food-obsessed right now. Just within the past few days, really. You've been eating maybe three baby food pouches a day for awhile now, but within the last few days you have been positively freaking out over our food. If you see me cooking, or even if I just open the fridge, you immediately start whimpering and whining and fake-crying until you are in your chair with food in your hands. Then you whine/whimper anytime the food on your tray runs out. I'm trying to teach you to say "more", because that would be much more pleasant. You're still nursing several times a day, and usually once or twice in the middle of the night, but I can tell your interest with this is fading already. I know it's more of a comfort thing, because anytime anyone else watches you, they don't even really need to feed you a bottle unless it's an entire day that I'm gone. We'll see how long you keep it up. 

Like I said, you aren't sleeping "through the night", but you go down around 8/8:30, are usually up sometime before midnight, and then again middle of the night, then up for the day around 7/7:30. Some nights you'll sleep in your crib until your last middle of the night feeding, some nights you won't settle at all after your first wake up, so I just bring you in my bed because mama's TOO tired to deal with that. You also just dropped from three naps to two within the last couple of weeks (and yes, you will be 11 months old tomorrow, I'm super late with this again). 

You are SUCH a daredevil that I have pretty much given up at this point. You will climb anything, crawl under anything, touch anything, taste anything, hang off of anything, dive off of anything - you are exhausting, to be honest. Yesterday I caught you literally balancing on the handlebars of your toy train, hanging onto the rim of the plastic basketball hoop, leaning against a window. You were at least two feet off the ground, and it didn't faze you a bit. You have also figured out that you can push Grayson's chairs and little footstool around the house up to anything you want and then climb onto a higher surface. I've caught you on a few tables this way. I am constantly figuring out new ways to baby-proof, but I've pretty much figured out that nothing is really Gavin-proof. 

You have learned several fun new things this month, and it reminds me why I love this age so much! Although, you could slow down a bit - I'm not really to see my baby turn into a big boy yet. But the most exciting thing you've conquered this month is walking! You started taking steps about two weeks ago, and within just the last couple of days we can officially consider you a walker. You still crawl when you need to get somewhere quick, but you are up to probably 15-20 steps at a time, walking across rooms and getting wherever you need to go. You are so proud of yourself, and it's so cute! You also "learned" to wave (you've known how for quite a while but literally would refuse to do it until a few weeks ago), you high five, and you LOVE to clap. You shake your head no A LOT, but sometimes I think you just do it anytime you want to answer me either yes or no. You also love to grab my hands and make me clap constantly, especially if you've done something you think I should be impressed by. You love it when we say "Yaaaayyyy Gavin!" and clap for you, so now you think you can look at literally any human being and clap your hands and they should applaud you. 

You've started babbling in a way that sounds a lot more like sentences than just random babble, and I'm not sure we can say it's official, but you've been saying a lot of "A-dada" when requested, so I'm sure Daddy would like to claim Dada as your first word. I'm not saying it counts quite yet ;) You discovered flipping light switches on and off a few days ago when I was holding you in the bathroom, so now anytime I carry you by a light switch you start kicking your legs and doing your excited, gaspy noise. When I let you turn it on or off, you look at me with a silly grin on your face for awhile while you hold your finger right by the switch, like "Is this really OK?", then when I say it's OK you can do it, you flip the switch and it's SO exciting every time. So dang cute. 

You love music and love to dance, and Daddy plays a lot of music when he gets home from work. As soon as he turns a song on, you head to the middle of the living room like it's a dance floor and start moving your little booty up and down. Now that you're walking, you bounce up and down, and just like your brother, you've got perfect rhythm. You also have started doing your weird little bear crawl in a big circle, which I just figured out tonight is some hilarious dance you've created. The second the music came on tonight you crawled to the center of the room, then started crawling in circles. You are seriously hysterical. 

There isn't much that makes you upset. Me leaving is probably the major one, followed closely by bath time, which is crazy because you've always loved it! But right now you scream hysterically the entire time you're taking one. You don't mind diaper changes, but you refuse to lay still for more than two seconds, so I personally hate them. You also are impossible to dress. I end up crawling around the room trying to shove arms and legs inside clothes. I'm always sweating at the end of a diaper/clothing change. You protest maybe half the time, sometimes with tears, when I put you in your car seat, but are usually fine within like thirty seconds. And you sometimes cry when I try to put you to sleep. Other than that, happy as can be! 

You and your brother are growing closer all the time, and he's starting to talk to you more like you're a friend. He tells you to come play, encourages you, tells you you're annoying, yells at you to get away from his toys, tells you he loves you, tells you he does NOT love you, begs for you to take a bath with him, gives you big hugs, then pushes you on the ground or picks you up rather violently. Brotherly love is a crazy thing to watch develop. Maybe my favorite thing the two of you do is "walk" together. Since you've been up and trying to walk, he's started grabbing both of your hands while you face each other, and he'll walk backwards while you walk toward him. It's so cute and sweet and almost always ends with a little too much force for my liking, but he gets so excited that he's helping! He's having so much fun watching you learn how to walk and he jumps up and down and says "He's walking! He's walking!" almost every time. I'm sure that excitement is about to wear off. 

I can see your Daddy falling in love with you more and more every day. The baby phase isn't his favorite (although he obviously loves his babies as babies), but now that you are funny and wild and crazy, he is SO into it. You are clearly going to be the one he can do all the crazy stuff with that Grayson has always been too cautious to try, and I can see a little sparkle in his eye when he watches you do something ornery. He loves to toss you around and hang you upside down because you just squeal and eat it up. I may have to watch you two. 

I am having a blast watching you develop into the little guy you are going to be. It's so fun to try and guess your personality based on who you are as a baby. My guess at this point would be laid-back and chill, but with an ornery, adventurous streak. Super decisive, and maybe a little impatient (join the club with the rest of us in the house on that one). Sweet as can be, but not super into cuddling and physical affection (I'll have to keep getting this from big brother I think). Overall I think you are just going to be content and happy, because that's how you've been since day one.

Clearly, CLEARLY, I am super obsessed with you, and I adore you more than is reasonable. You and your brother and that Daddy of yours make me so happy I could explode, even when you're all driving me nuts. I love you so much, sweet boy, you make every single day so much better just by being a part of it.

FYI, I'm super bummed about the bad cellphone pics this month, but my camera died and I didn't have time to retake them :( :( :( 

Gavin - Seven Months

Well, he's done it again. He's made me think that this is my favorite month with him. Sweet Gavin is still the best baby on earth, pretty sure, but he's starting to sprinkle a little bit of mischievousness and stubbornness in with all the sweetness. But honestly, it's just making him even more fun! It is so hilarious how different my boys still are, and I swear at least once a day we're like "It was SO different with Grayson!". They are equally amazing and precious, but they are night and day in personality and temperament. Since I'm almost a MONTH late with this (I know), I'm going to do my best.

My Gavin,

Man oh man, your mama is obsessed with you. There's just something about you that makes me melt into a puddle of love anytime you look me in the eye. You really have the sweetest way about you - even your little baby coos and chatter are sweet. Unless it's loud. Then it is LOUD. That is one thing you and your brother most certainly have in common. You've started "singing" a lot. When you're sleepy, after I'm done nursing you, sometimes in the car - you start making the sweetest little melodious sounds and it is so adorable. But then you usually top it off with some insanely loud yells, just to make sure I'm not too enamored I'm sure ;)

You're starting to make me think your Papaw may have been on to something this whole time, because you my friend are a little bit ornery. You are into EVERYTHING. You are pulling up on EVERYTHING. You are trying to climb the stairs and crawl on top of your activity table, for crying out loud. Your favorite thing to get ahold of is any electrical cord you can find, and also tiny things that you find on the floor and shove in your mouth before I can stop you. You are also quick. So quick. If you see something, you've got it in your tiny hands before I even realize what's happening. Anytime you're in anyone's arms anywhere near something you can grab, it goes straight to the floor. And you do it with such a nonchalant look, like "What? Was that cup not supposed to go crashing to the floor? Oh, didn't know."

Right now your favorite thing in the entire world to get in your paws is a plastic water bottle. Seriously, I wish I cold capture the face you make on camera, because the only way to explain it is PURE EXCITEMENT AND OVERWHELMING JOY. Your mouth opens as wide as it can and all your tiny teeth show and your eyes get wide and light up and you cling onto it so hard that you shake. It's hilarious. Nana said you're just like a puppy dog because Addie always loved water bottles. She also thinks you're like a puppy dog because no matter how mad you are about something, the second your attention is on something else you're back to open mouthed smiles and eyes wide with joy. In a word, you are HAPPY.

You still are not technically crawling, although you are. I've seen you do it multiple times, all the way across the living room into the kitchen once, but your preferred method of transportation is weird army crawl/body dragging/froggy leg. You typically crawl until you need to go fast, then you drop down and drag. And again, you are quick. You can drag that little body of yours across the room in a flash. Your favorite thing to do lately is spot something you want but know you shouldn't have, then look at me and squeal until you've got my attention. Once I'm looking, you drag/frog your way over to it as fast as you can, squealing and giggling the whole way until I catch you - and then you giggle some more. Like I said, a bit ornery.

I think Daddy's favorite thing about you is that you're a bit of a daredevil. Nothing scares you, which terrifies Mommy. You'll climb anything, dive off of anything - although you're usually somewhat cautious about it -  and you let Daddy toss you into the air and you just smile and squeal in delight. He LOVES it. Grayson has never let him do it, he's always grabbed onto Daddy's arms so he can't toss him, so he's having a blast tossing you around - again, terrifying Mommy. So I think you and Daddy are going to have LOTS of fun getting into things that Mommy doesn't necessarily approve of...

Your brother and you are starting to have fun playing together. He's BIG into pretend play right now, so you're his doctor's assistant a lot, sometimes you're an animal - baby tiger, mainly - but most of the time you're just driving him crazy and making him yell at you because you're TOUCHING HIS STUFF!!! And he gets mad and growls at you like a tiger, because that's what Grayson does when he's mad, and you smile and giggle and think you're totally in on it all together as some fun game. I keep telling him he better stop being mean and taking toys away from you, because when you're big enough to do it to him I'm not going to stop you. One of the only things that truly makes you mad is when Grayson takes your toys. That will get an angry scream quicker than just about anything. This sibling thing is so fun for me to watch, even when it isn't all happiness. I love the bond you guys are already developing.

The only other things that make you mildly unhappy are diaper changes - which you typically just flip over and run away from (fun for me, thank you) - being put to sleep when you aren't just passing out from exhaustion, being pulled off of or away from something you're attempting to climb, and being told no, because you totally know what it means already and sometimes protest loudly when you hear the word. Oh, and it also makes you mad when anyone other than mommy has you if you are tired or grumpy in any way. Mama's boy #2, and I'll gladly take it - although it gets a little tricky when both of you guys need me to hold you and I'm the only one that will work. Maybe you'll keep me somewhat fit this way.

You still don't care for food much, although if I let you lick some of my food off my spoon or give you a teensy bite you're into it. If it's your baby food, no thanks. This is one more way that you and your brother are alike. We're still not super routine with anything, but you typically eat every three, maybe four hours most days, and nap once a couple hours after you wake up, once early afternoon around noon or one, and again anywhere from three to 4:30. Bed time is usually 7:45-8:15, and you're even sleeping in your crib pretty good! Wahoo!

You had your top two teeth break through around 7 1/2 months, and that was rough. Four days of fever and horrible sleeping and misery - for all of us. Thankfully they finally pushed through and now you've got two cute little gapped teeth just like your sweet brother. I love seeing the little similarities between the two of you.

We've been traveling back and forth to Oklahoma quite a bit, and you are a dream of a traveler for a tiny guy. You usually sleep most of the time, and if you're awake you're usually ok, playing with toys or laughing at Grayson - unless it's at the end of a long drive and you're hungry/wet/tired of being in the car. Then it's a pretty miserably loud trip until we get there or pull over and fix it for you. But you'll sleep wherever you are, you let everyone hold you and pass you around, even if you don't really know them, and you're content to just hang out for the most part. We went to a birthday party last weekend and were there for about five hours and I'm pretty sure you didn't cry or even make an unhappy sound once. Such an easy peasy little guy. You're definitely my sucker baby, because I just know I won't ever get another one as good as you!

If it isn't obvious, I absolutely adore you. Adore adore adore. I love just looking into your little eyes and staring at you. You either jabber or yell or coo at me real soft, and I just imagine all the things you're trying to say. I remember doing this with your brother, wondering what type of little boy he would turn out to be, and he's better than I could have ever even dreamed. I think having gone through this experience with him makes it all the sweeter with you, because I know how amazing it is to watch a tiny baby develop into a hilarious and sweet little boy, and I can't wait to see who you are. I love you so so much, baby boy.

Gavin - Six Months

Half a year already?!? Are you kidding me?? Man, time flies when you've got a teensy baby, doesn't it? It is so hard to believe that we are less than six months away from a year with this guy. He is such a sweetheart, and I still swear that he's the best baby in the entire world. Such a joy!

Oh my Gavin, I'm pretty sure there's not much to say that hasn't already been said. You, my dear, are a true delight. You are smiley and always happy and silly and full of giggles. And oh my goodness, those giggles. You have a good belly laugh, but when something is really hilarious you do this kind of weird throaty cackle kind of laugh. I actually have no idea how to explain the sound, but it reminds me of an old man more than a baby. Maybe a chortle? Not sure what that is really, but that sounds right. It's so, so funny. You LOVE people, and you make sure they know it. It doesn't matter if it's family or friends or people you lock eyes with at Target, you are guaranteed to break into the biggest smile and let that person know you are so HAPPY to see them! I absolutely adore your little personality. Adore.

Even though you are an absolute joy 99% of the time, you are starting to show some other sides of who you are. You aren't the most patient baby (surprise), and you are starting to grunt and squeal in protest if things aren't going your way. You are also starting to protest loudly by either screaming or crying when Grayson takes a toy that you are playing with - which happens at least once a day, of course. If you don't want to be somewhere, whether it's the floor or your swing or your jumper, you will definitely let me know that you would like the situation dealt with immediately.

We've started trying some solids with you, and so far you are less than impressed. I started with homemade purees of avocado and banana, and you felt kind of meh about it. So I gave up for a bit. Then I talked to your pediatrician about your lack of interest and my lack of time to prepare your food, and she said there is nothing wrong with feeding you store bought organic baby food. I must tell you, I never would have done this with your brother, but in true second-child form, you are now being served store bought food. And to be honest? You're still kinda meh about it. If you can physically hold the pouch in your tiny little paws and jam it into your mouth on your own, you will eat a few bites. If I try with a spoon, you press your tiny lips together and I get a big no thanks. So. We're working on it.

At your six month appointment you were just a serious charmer, flirting with the doctor and nurse nonstop. The nurse kept saying you were making her feel terrible about her job, because you got three yucky shots that day. Your doc also said we may have to watch out for you, the way you use that smile of yours. You very well could use it to your advantage, which is scary. Two flirty boys. I see years of worry in mommy's future.

We have no real routine at this point, every day is just too different with your big brother's activities and social life. You typically are up anywhere from 6:30-7:30, eat, play, and then nap again about two hours later. If we are out and about you'll sleep for an hour or maybe even two if you're in your car seat, but if you're home it's more like a 30 or 45 minute nap. Then you'll be up until around lunch time, and the length of the nap totally depends on if we're home or out. You always need one more afternoon nap, but if you've taken a late lunchtime nap and didn't wake up until 2 or so, then you sometimes totally skip the late nap, making our evenings loooooong. You are just like your brother and I can't let you sleep before 7:45 - at all - or you will treat it as a nap and wake up at 9pm, ready to party.

You are finally sitting up on your own, just within the last couple of weeks (and hello, I'm almost three weeks late with this post, so you were just over six months when you got that down).  You absolutely have had the ability for weeks now, but you are so busybusybusy that you never sat still long enough to actually sit. The second we would sit you, you would dive out for whatever object was nearest to you. You are sooooo right on the verge of crawling, too. You are up on all fours, rocking, picking up a hand and putting it down, moving each of your knees forward individually - you just haven't put it all together yet. You always start to go, then just lean over on one of your hips and kind of rest there. But you get wherever you want to go by either spinning around in circles, doing a slow army crawl of sorts, or just kind of lunging forward and sliding.

Even though you are sweet as can possibly be, you are also just a tiny bit crazy. In fact, I tell you how wild and crazy you are several times a day. You are fearless, and attempt to dive out of my arms regularly. If I'm holding you and anything at all is within reach, you will 100% of the time grab it and throw it on the floor. You never, ever sit still, you are constantly trying to get ahold of things that you don't need. And you watch your brother like a hawk, and the crazier, rougher, wilder he his, the harder you laugh. Again, years of worry for mommy coming my way.

One thing that is absolutely hilarious is the way you show excitement. You get sort of still and stiff all over and then you start moving your little hands like crazy. The reason this is so funny is because your brother did the EXACT same thing as a baby, and he still does a version of it to this day, and I've never known another kid to do that. So there is something that your dad and I produce that makes kids have a hilarious, over the top reaction to excitement apparently.

Right now the things that you love most are Grayson (obviously), jumping in your jumper, "jumping" on the bed with Grayson, chewing on anything and everything, bath time, and the Hot Dog song from Micky Mouse Clubhouse - no matter what you are doing, if you hear this song your little head whips around and you stare at the TV intently before starting your excited hand moving thing. The only things that seem to upset you are getting dressed and diaper changes, because you are forced to stay still for more than two seconds, and when you can't have exactly what you want when you want it. Which basically means you fit right in with the rest of us ;)

Every day I think I can't possibly love you anymore, and then you prove me wrong. You truly bring me so much joy, and watching you and your brother develop a true relationship is making me a big puddle of emotions on a regular basis. I'm so very glad that you made your way into our family, and I just can't wait to watch you grow into the amazing little boy I know you're going to be. But don't grow too fast! You're too perfect of a baby to rush this part!

Love,
Mama

Gavin - Five Months

Five months in as a mommy of two, and I have to say it's just the best thing. Grayson and Gavin are really starting to enjoy each other, and I'm pretty sure every time I see them laughing together my heart is on the verge of actually bursting from the happiness of it all. Don't get me wrong, there are still the challenges of managing who gets my attention when, and a little jealousy here and there, but for the most part it has been such an amazing experience. Gavin is still a little angel baby, and I adore this kid so much!

Sweet boy, life just keeps getting better with you in it! You are so, so much fun these days, and everyone in this house just wants to eat you up.

You are a happy little baby, and our days are filled with baby giggles, which I couldn't love more. We all seem to have our own way to get some good laughs out of you, but I have to say no one makes you giggle the way that Grayson does. Honestly, it seems like the rougher he is with you, the harder you laugh. He'll practically dive on top of you and just lay there and you think it's hilarious - meanwhile I'm yelling "Grayson, get off of him!!" and Grayson is saying "But he think it's funny!". I have a feeling you're going to be one tough boy after being forced to deal with him.

You are rolling over like a champ, and diaper changes have reached the very challenging stage. There were a few days where you were up on all fours and I thought crawling might be on the horizon, but you seem to have forgotten all about that. You can sit up on your own for a few seconds, but you get distracted so easily that you quickly dive forward or to the side to grab ahold of something.

Speaking of that, you are the busiest little baby I've ever seen. You are super observant, and you want your hands on everything that catches your eye at all times. If something is close enough to you, you immediately grab it and either stuff it in your mouth or throw it on the floor. If I'm holding you and eating or drinking, you do everything in your power to get your hands on it. Seriously, if anything is within reach you MUST HAVE IT.

You are starting to get super frustrated with your limitations, I think mainly because you are constantly watching Grayson and wanting to keep up. When you watch him and his little buddies play you just fuss the whole time because you're so frustrated that you can't play. You also stare at him or at things and grunt or scream, and your little body stiffens up and your arms shake when you want his attention or to get ahold of something. I have a feeling you are going to be just as impatient as everyone else in this house, which should be super fun.

Like I mentioned, you have been going after our food like a little psycho, so I decided to go ahead and let you have some food. Grayson showed no interest in food really until like eight months, so this is all new territory for me. We gave you your first bite right at about 5 1/2 months, and you got some delicious homemade, pureed avocado. You literally were grabbing the spoon and shoving it in your mouth, so I think it's safe to say you were ready. We will be trying bananas tomorrow, so I'm betting you'll be pretty pumped about that.

I've been taking you to the church nursery during bible study and church on Sundays, and I always get an excellent report when I pick you up. They always mention how good you are, how happy you are, how you are just the sweetest baby - and I always say, yes I know, he is an absolute angel baby! Which you really, truly are. So obsessed with you.

The only time you are ever anything but perfectly happy is when you are teething, which you currently are. We're working on tooth number three over here, which is crazy! The teething messes with your regular sleeping and eating routine, so it's a bit of a challenge, but you are still happy, just a little more yell-y. Oh, you are actually yell-y all the time, but this is more frustrated/angry yelling, and your normal yelling is happy and LOUD. So, so loud. And usually happens when we're in public, causing everyone to stare. You happy-yelled allll through Target the other day for like an entire hour. We got a lot of looks and comments, let me tell you.

I am starting to think that your Papaw may be on to something when he says you're going to be ornery. You are just into everything, constantly moving, not scared to just dive right out of my lap after something - and you are always grabbing my stuff and throwing it on the floor! I swear you're doing it on purpose. You also think it's hilarious anytime Grayson does something like jump off of something or anything else slightly crazy. I may have my hands full with you, little boy.

I am so, so, so in love with you, and so is everyone else that knows you. You are the best little baby ever, and you bring me oh so much joy. I adore watching your silly little personality develop, and I am LOVING every second of watching you and Grayson become buddies. Love you so much sweet one!

Gavin - Four Months

Oh, my sweet, sweet Gavin. This baby boy is a pure delight. Seriously, he is such a joy in my life. Every time I see his little face I'm just overwhelmed with nothing but love and joy. He is so happy, so content - I say he is a true second child, because he is just so happy to be here, and to be included in our lives. I couldn't love this boy more.

My boy, you are where it's at, let me tell you. You make me SO HAPPY. That's really the only way to put it. The four months that you have been in my life have just been so, so good. You are the best baby in the entire world, I'm quite sure of it. My favorite thing right now is hearing your baby giggles. You have such a good laugh, and I will do just about anything to hear it. But if we're honest, nothing makes you laugh like your big brother. Man, do you like that guy!

The cutest thing in the world is watching you watch Grayson. You will stretch and bend and move every which way just to keep your eyes on him as he runs around the room. When he pays attention to you, oh my goodness. You just light up. The squeals and giggles and screams - you really can't get enough attention from him. Of course he is way rougher with you than mommy would like, but you think it's hilarious. The only time you've ever been anything less than ecstatic is a couple of times when he's yanked a toy out of your hands and you have let him know that it definitely was not cool.

My favorite, favorite thing that we do is let you "jump" on the bed together. Grayson will actually jump, and I hold you up and bounce you with him. We say "Ready....jump!" and you laugh and laugh and laugh. I'm pretty sure you are convinced that you're actually jumping with him, and it might be the cutest thing I've ever seen in my entire life.

Even though you are such a sweet and mild mannered little guy, you are super LOUD. Happy loud, but just so loud. In the mornings when you wake up you start with the cutest little baby yells and squeals, and if Grayson isn't already awake you make sure that he is before too long. You are perfectly content to lay on your play mat for the first fifteen minutes or so of your day, just yelling and stretching out. My favorite thing is the first time that you see me in the morning - you immediately give me just the biggest smile, like you are so happy that I'm there. Talk about melting mama's heart.

Your brother is a total mama's boy, which I adore, and I'm hoping that you will follow in his footsteps. But I have to admit, when Daddy gets home you get so excited. Your little face just lights up and you kick and smile and watch his every move. I tell myself that it's just because you don't see him as often and I'm old news, but you may just turn out to be a Daddy's boy. Don't tell him, but I'm kind of crossing my fingers that's not the case.

I swear you are super advanced when it comes to using your hands. You've been great at getting whatever you want for awhile now, and most of the time it goes straight to your mouth. You always go for my phone anytime I have it when I'm holding you, and you're already paying attention to food and drinks when you're in my lap and they are anywhere in the near vicinity. This month you started rolling over really well, technically when you were four months and one week. Since that day (since I'm two weeks late with this post), you are a little rolling machine! Back to tummy to back to tummy, rolling all over your mat. Every time I turn around you're the opposite of what you were a minute before. Grayson and I still think it's really funny every time you roll over. You also are attempting to crawl, I swear. You bring your knees up under you, push way up into a push up, and kind of wiggle/slide yourself forward. I'm thinking you may be an early crawler. I'm bracing myself for the chaos that comes along with that.

You aren't a big fan of being in your swing anymore, and will only stay in there for five, maybe ten minutes if you've got Sophie or another toy to chew on. We sit you in your bumbo seat pretty often, but you don't like to sit, so you try to plant your feet and and stand up, or lean way over to one side and try to slide out. It's crazy. Your favorite place to be, other than just laying on your mat (or in my arms, obviously), is in your little bouncer. Your feet are just barely starting to touch the floor, so you aren't actually bouncing yet, but you love to play with all the little toys that are on it. You really are great at using your hands, so you can entertain yourself there for quite awhile.

You are basically always happy and content, which is just about the best thing ever. The only thing you don't enjoy is being laid down if you don't want to be, or being left in one spot for too long. Also, car rides after dark are not your fave, and you will scream and cry and wail until you cough cough cough, then do it all again. Seriously, you will not stop until we are home and you are out of your seat. This has pretty much shut down going anywhere after dark, but that's alright :)

You got your first tooth at just over three and a half months, which totally blew my mind. You had been drooling like craaazy, but I just couldn't imagine that you would get a tooth so early. But you did! Even your pediatrician was surprised by that. Now you are rocking one tiny, very sharp tooth, and it is so stinking cute when you smile and it shows. I'm pretty sure another one isn't too far behind, but you handled teething so well with this first one we didn't even know it was happening until you bit my finger one day and I felt your tooth! Hoping and praying it's the same for all the rest of the teeth that you get.

You got to go to the zoo for the first time this past month, and you also had your first hotel stay on our little overnight trip to Fort Worth. You were, of course, a perfect angel, which gives me this false sense of security and confidence that I can do anything I want with you in tow. So far, so good. You are going to so many play dates and fun things with your brother, and you are alert and wide eyed for all of them now. I can see in your little eyes how badly you want to be playing with the big kids. When I hold you up and let you watch you squeal and kick your little legs like you're trying to run right along with them.

You've really spaced your eating out, to maybe once every three to four hours during the day, and usually wake up twice to eat at night. You're still taking three or four naps a day, one just about an hour or two after you wake up, another late morning/early afternoon, sometimes another mid-afternoon depending on the second one, and then your last one no later than 5:30. Then you're asleep by about eight and sleep until around 7 to 7:30 in the morning. Not too shabby! Your four month sleep regression also wasn't near as bad as what I remember with your brother. We had two pretty rough nights with SUPER early wake up times, and that was that. Seriously, have I told you how much I love you?

I think it's clear that I absolutely adore you. You light up my world, and my heart is just so full of love for you and that crazy brother of yours. Watching you grow is so much fun for me, and seeing the relationship between you and your brother develop is just the best thing I've ever experienced. I love you so much little baby.