Gavin pictures, yay! He's quite the active little monkey, crawling around, eating grass when he can sneak it, chasing cats, and generally causing mayhem- in a good way, of course.

I ended up not needing to make more baby food, as Gavin has quite quickly learned how to self-feed and is eating chopped up table food. He regularly eats bits of fruits, vegetables, and bread of any sort. He's not quite ready for meat yet, but I expect he'll make the transition soon. He is also quite vocal in voicing his opinion. If he sees that what I'm feeding him is different from the food on my plate, he loudly demands that I share. He seems determined to grow up quickly- he's got a big brother to keep up with after all!

He's getting his top front teeth in, too. The one on the left has already broken through, and judging by his crankiness, I expect the one on the right any day now. He's quite adept at crawling and pulling up, and can even climb a bit. He seems to prefer all fours to standing or walking, though I've seen him stand alone for a second or two at a time. He loves to play ball and will attempt to roll a ball back and forth, with limited success. He also rolls a ball and chases it around, amusing himself quite well.

He's learned a few new words besides Mama and Dad dad. He now says 'good', which means anything that goes into his mouth, but particularly food. He also says 'bird', as we've visited the tropical bird exhibit at the zoo several times in the last few weeks. He loves to watch them eat while we hold them.

Gavin at Grandma's house, playing in the sprinkler and of course, the mud!

Watching Mommy work in the garden.

Look, Mom, I can do it myself!

He wants to go to work with Daddy.

Little chubby baby boy.

Playing with Gwydion while Mom tries to get some work done.

Gwydion loves his giraffe.

A day at the lake, testing out the mei tei carrier Mommy made.

Gavin wants to eat the camera. Big surprise, hmm?

Showing off his new tie dye shirt and matching diaper.

Gwydion goes to school!

Well, it finally happened. My little boy has started school. It is only for 2.5 hours a day, but he loves it! It gives him plenty of opportunity to gain some social skills and practice for the academic stuff he's picked up here at home. He loves library time (daily!) and music time once a week. He's even made a friend already. His teacher has said he's doing quite well and is impressed that he's such a good reader already.

There are lots of other 'firsts' below. It has been a big, busy month for Gwydion.

Gwydion explores his classroom on the first day. He's already helping the teacher organize things.

Daddy and Gwydion in front of the school.

Gwydion's first carwash. My car never looked so shiny! He had so much fun that he washed his bike too.

Gwydion goes bowling for the first time. He had a blast!

A winning team!

Riding the new rollercoaster. This thing sees nearly non-stop action when we're outside.

Big 4 year appointment

Gwydion is such a big boy now! I know I sound like a broken record, but he's growing and changing so fast that it is hard for me to adjust. He had a fantastic time in swim classes. He's never been afraid of the water, but at least he's a bit less likely to drown himself now. He's mostly learned how to keep his mouth closed in the water and knows the mechanics of a dog paddle (though it will take a bit of practice for him to build up the strength to keep himself afloat while doing it). He's also learned how to put his face under the water.

He will very likely start preschool at the beginning of August. We're going to check the school out in a week or two. If I feel like it isn't a good fit for him, I'll look for other alternatives. Here are some recent pics:

Gwydion doing yoga. We try to do a little every day. He really likes it.

Hi Mom!

So strong!

Swimming in Uncle Ben's pool.

Swim class. Gwydion is the little blob in the green suit, next to the
first instructor in the yellow shirt.

6 month appointment and more

Gavin has been a super busy boy lately! In the last week he's started scooting around and following Gwydion everywhere. He's also raised himself into a push-up position several times and pulled up to his knees in the crib. He 'talks' nearly non-stop and is getting very good at imitating sounds.

His 6 month appointment was delayed until nearly 7 months due to a fever, but here are his stats:

Weight: 19 lbs 12 oz (80%)
Length: 27.5" (80%)
Head circumference: 45 cm (80%)

He's just a big boy all over. I have noticed that he's slimming down a bit already- some of his little chub rolls are loose. He's getting longer and leaner, almost by the hour.

He's also been able to tolerate more foods recently, so he's eating biter biscuits, rice, oatmeal, peas, and zuchinni. He loves to taste new things, so I'll have to start making baby food again very soon!

Here are some recent videos and pics.

As you can see, we're in trouble! He's such an active little monkey. He's happy 99% of the time, but he also doesn't hesitate to let you know when he's not. The last two pictures are after bath time last night, when I not only took away the cup he was playing with, but actually had the temerity to remove him from the bathtub. Egads!

June movie

More pics to come, I promise!

May 2008

Gavin is now 6 months old. He's adorably cute, if I may say so, and he's gigantic in comparison to Gwydion at the same age. He hasn't had his 6 month appointment yet but by my measurements he's 20 lbs and 27.5 inches. He's rolling quite well, sitting unassisted and trying very hard to crawl. All he can manage at this point is a sort of kneeling push up position, and that only for a few seconds. He's fascinated by almost everything we do and most fascinated with Gwydion and the cats. He's also the model and test subject for my cloth diapers, so you'll see lots of pics of him in diapers or diaper covers.

Gavin and Grandma Susan.

Grandma Susan and the grandkids.

What's that on my head? Ah, I don't really care!

Gavin happily models the fleece diaper covers I've made for him.

My sweet boys.

My cute baby in a cute diaper!

Gavin loves the keyboard as much as Gwydion did at this age.

My little chubby baby.

How did I get both these balls?

May 2008

Sorry I've taken so long to update. I swear, these kids keep me so busy I can hardly think straight! And I've been trying to start a cloth diaper sewing business and keep our garden going. Lots of work going on around here. Anyway, on to the update you've all come here for:

Gwydion had a fantastic birthday and has had a fantastic month in general. He absolutely adored the visit with Grandma Susan, Aunt Shawna and his cousins. He asks to visit and play with them all the time. I'm thinking we'll have to try visiting sometime later this year so that all of us can maintain our sanity.

He's changed so much in just the last few weeks that it is hard to see my little baby in him anymore. He's such a big boy! Gymnastics classes are over for the summer and swim classes start soon. He won a trophy in gymnastics, which you'll see below. It was mostly for his enthusiasm, I think. I know he'll be just as enthused about swim classes, if not moreso, because he's such a little otter. He's out playing in the pool with Michael right now and could happily stay there for hours, even if the water is freezing cold.

He had his 4 year appointment on Friday and he's now 41 inches tall (he's grown an inch in the last month) and 36 lbs (and lost a pound, somehow). Doc says he still has a bit of a speech problem. She feels that it and his sensitivities will work themselves out when he starts the 4 year old program this fall. The only remaining worry we have is his heart murmur, which is still present, but at least sounds no worse than it did last year. We've scheduled another visit with the cardiologist, so we'll see where things go from there. As of last year they wanted to wait and see how things progressed, thinking that he might even outgrow it.

Gwydion and his trophy. On the left is Mr. T, his much adored teacher.

The birthday boy. Sorry folks, this is the best of the birthday pics.

Gwydion-in-a-box. Gavin is very amused by his antics.

Gwydion got a new 'big boy' bike for his birthday.

These boys know how to have fun!

A sprinkler AND a bounce house= a great recipe for fun.

Gwydion loves his little brother very much!