First (two) Steps!!!!

Gavin took his first two steps unassisted today in front of mommy, daddy, Easton and Grandpa!!!! Way to go Gavin!! Not surprised too much, as he is the strongest most determined baby I have ever seen (not to put you aside eman, you have qualities that make you just as amazing). I can't wait to see how he starts taking off from here:)

Gavin turns 9 months!

I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked at our blog and saw that the last time I posted was in early November! There is so much going on, that it seems that I will never have time to get to these little things that someday are going to mean so much to me. It makes me glad I have boys:) If I had girls, I could guarantee they would scrutinize how often mommy wrote on each one. SO much has been going on with our little guys, who are not so little anymore. At Gavin's 9 month check up, he weighed 18 lbs, and is 85 % for height, and 50% for his head and weight. The doctor told us he already has an advanced vocabulary, but then turned and looked at the chatterbox in the corner, and said he could see why:) Gavin has 9 or 10 words he can say( obviously not perfectly, but understandable). Brabra(brother), mama, dada, nana(banana), tht(light), eta(easton), ma (more), baba, di (diaper). He is all over the place, and has got to start walking any day now...we are excitedly awaiting that. We think it will be the cutest thing to see him chasing after his brother. Gavin is an awesome baby. We have been blessed, because just like Easton, he is a calm and even mannered baby. He plays well on his own and with Easton, although he loves to shake the bologna out of train tables, firehouses, whatever those hands can touch! Gavin loves to smile, be lovied, and has a very jealous side. He does not like it when mommy holds Easton, or when Grammy holds Gavin's cousin Lilliana. Gavin is working at eating some table foods and with the four or so teeth he has, he is doing well! Easton is amazing in his own way as well. He has the kindest heart I have ever seen in a child. Sometimes to nice, but what can you do. He is quite the big brother, and has taken on a whole new role of big helper around our house. We are very proud of him. We recently took Easton to view preschools for the fall. It blows my mind that we are there already. He will have a hard time going. He already tells me he doesn't want to leave me. He is very needy and emotional about things, but it is what makes him Easton. It will be a difficult transition for all of us, but it will also be something I will smile about in 5 years when I think about it.

Back to Work and Reality

Wow, I had it good being off! Cleaning and cooking and time with my kids were manageable, and I even found time in my day for some mommy time. Now, if I stay up till 10:00 or 11:00, my chores are done and I can get some me time around then. Me time consists of me, my pillow and my mattress all wrapped up into one cozy ball!
In general, thing have been crazy around our house, but we couldn’t love it more. The swine flu made its way through the family, luckily missing Gavin. He was put on the medication along with the rest of us so he wouldn’t be vulnerable.
Easton has adjusted much better to mommy being at work this time around. He does have his moments, but they are nothing compared to last year! Easton is very passionate, genuine and needy all at the same time. He wants to be home and he wants to be around his family. He likes to be held and cuddled (although he gets hot quickly and cuddling doesn’t last long) and kept close. He is a homebody, but so are Shawn and I. He loves to talk, and can fill up a 45 minute car ride with no problem! He just wants to know everything! He is a great big brother and very protective of Gavin. I can't set him on the floor or give him a bath without Easton making sure I'm watching or supporting him enough. Easton allows Gavin to climb on him and grab at his hair and face without too much of a problem or fuss. He says he is ready for another brother, and doesn't want any girls.
Gavin is doing really well to. He doesn’t even know I’m gone! I enjoy coming home though, because as soon as he hears my voice, he squeals and smiles and plants big wet kisses on my cheeks. Although he is now 7 months, at his 6 month appointment he weighed in at 16 lbs. 7 oz. and is 23 in. long. He is hard to recognize anymore. He has the army crawl mastered and can get around the house pretty quickly that way. He gets up on all fours and will take a crawl or two forward, but then realize the army crawl gets him to his destination much faster. Unbelievably, he is also crawling to things and at times pulls himself up to a kneeling or standing position. It makes us smile to walk into his room when he wakes and find him hanging onto the crib bars smiling! So far, the words include: ah dada(hi dada), mummmmm(mom), ato(Easton), and baba. ...and this just in! He is now crawling up the stairs! He made it up two steps before he lost it:) Time to break out the gates!

Hopefully it’s not another three months before I can get to this again!

Final Countdown

Sadly, I believe I only have twenty more days with the boys. I return to work on Monday, September 28th, and am really not looking forward to it. Gavin turned five months this past Friday, and we still sit back and laugh at how the time flew within a blink. I've been trying to do as little of that as possible! That will put Gavin close to 6 months by the time I return to work. I feel so lucky to have had all that time with him and Easton.
Gavin is doing a great job of sitting on his own and will do so for longer periods before falling over like a tree that has been cut by a lumber jack! He can't be left alone for too long, as he has found how to scoot himself around or roll continuously until he gets either what he wants or where he wants to go! He is pushing and crouching into the crawling position and just might be doing so in the near future! He is also grabbing and big and small objects and bringing them to his face for a taste! All little toys are gone! Gavin is very active and outspoken, and enjoys letting out shrill squeals! I am so afraid of what mischief he and big brother are going to get into when they are older.
We can now say that Easton is FULLY potty trained!!! He goes all day and night without diapers. He is definitly fitting the big brother shoes now. He is very sweet with Gav, and will sit and talk or play with him, which is nice when mom needs to do a quick clean up. We can see that Gavin thinks a lot of his big brother, because he stares and smiles at him whenever he is near him. I forgot to mention in the last post a couple things Easton has been up to! Easton has been able to spell his name for a good two months now! He will get o confused with u, but it's close enough for us! He can name and point to about 9 different states. He also can tell you most of his address, but gets confused at the end. It's 21239, and he will say, 21239 10, 11. or 21234,5,6,7,8...! We are having a lot of fun this summer and mommy is doing her best to get the boys out and about before she heads back! We will be heading the Children's Museum in Chicago, and touch a truck this coming week, so I will post some pictures of that!

Summer Catch Up!

I thought the days flew when we had only Easton! Add another kid to the mix and the whole week is gone before we know it.
And where to start. My mind is so full of everything, I only hope that it returns to it's normal state. Although what is normal anymore?? Easton, surely isn't:) The child is an energy ball, and mommy is having quite the time keeping up. He no longer naps, and is still going at 7:30 at night. He is hard to keep still and focused, so I have all but given up for the time with the teacher antics and trying to educate him myself. I am thankful for his ability to retain information that comes out of my mouth while he is running around at 90mph and throwing whatever he grabbed off the couch at the cat. My anxiety rises when I think that I have another that will be joining him shortly. He definitely is a comedian and loves coming up with interesting things to say to make us laugh. He enjoyed his most recent outing, "A Day with Thomas the Train", in Union, Illinois. I was surprised at his interest in the old trains, and he loved the little attractions the had for kids.
Gavin is doing great and is truly a big boy. He weighs 13lbs 9oz as of his last appointment and the doctor gave us the go ahead to start rice cereal. We had our first go of it yesterday, and just like Easton, he was one messy boy. He wasn't to sure of what he thought about it at first, but once he got the hang of it we could tell he liked it just fine...any child of mine will eat whatever:) Mommy and the boys took a trip to Oakbrook to buy some food cubes. I am going to try making Gavin's baby food from scratch and see how that goes. Hopefully with work, it won't be too crazy. Aside from that milestone, Gavin continues to be a very calm and happy baby. He rarely cries, and we can most often get a smile or chuckle out of him. He, when positioned right is sitting for a good five seconds and is scooting and pulling himself around the floor...and under our bed(thought he'd be ok while I put away a few shirts)!
Now that Gavin is more into playing with toys and talking,the bond between he and Easton seems to be even stronger. To see the way Gavin stares and his brother is something to smile about. He already looks up to him. It is going to break my heart when they start fighting and name calling and that admiration fades. Enjoy the pics!

Update on the Boys

Gavin is now 3 1/2 months and ever the observer! He loves watching and following people. Gavin is so different from Easton. I could never get Easton to smile or talk to me as a baby, and Gavin is a big flirt with his big grin and endless chatter! Looks and a heart problem...how will I ever spank him:) He has gotten better rolling over from tummy to back and is doing so more frequently. He has almost mastered the back to tummy roll, so we are awaiting that. Within the past week we noticed him grabbing objects and pulling them towards him. The time is going by way to fast!
Gavin's last appointment with the cardiologist went well, and his heart is looking as good as could be expected from his complication. The doctors will monitor the scar tissue from the surgery to make sure it stretches as everything else grows. In the event it doesn't, the doctors will put a balloon in the artery to widen it. The only other note the doctor made was that Gavin's tricuspid valve has only two leaflets instead of the normal three. He said it's like and old ugly front door. Doesn't work great, but it does the job.
Easton is making up for the lack of talking and smiling he did as a kid! He continues to question everything, and his questions seem to get harder and harder to answer. I'm getting nervous as to when exactly he will become smarter than his mama!
If you haven't already, check out our video: http://animoto.com/play/uOShFrfGv4XIdc44O4wB3Q