Super September

The whole month of September was a blur. Gavin is acting more and more like a toddler and less like a baby. He's a very vocal, opinionated boy, though he's also very sweet. He loves to give Mama kisses and loves to snuggle. He's learning to identify facial features. He's particularly fascinated with noses and teeth. Michael thinks maybe he'll be a dentist. He's very close to walking now, though he prefers speed crawling as a means of locomotion. Here are some pictures of my big boy.

Happy boy at the park.

Too tired to play anymore.

Gavin and Grandma Diane.

Silly baby!

Ready, set, go!

Goodbye September!

September flew by. We were so busy with school and having fun that we didn't get many pictures taken. Gwydion is really enjoying school and making lots of friends. He's learning how to write and is reading very well.

Big boy on the playground.

Blue!

Hopscotch (or what Gwydion does while Mom pulls weeds).

Trying a costume, just for fun. He's adamant that he'll be a doctor for Halloween, just like last year.

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!