Gavin Two Months

At Gavin's 2-month check up yesterday, Gavin weighed 13 pounds, 10 ounces, and was 23 1/2 inches long.  His head is 39 centimeters, whatever that means!  He is growing like a weed. 

Gavin is still the happiest baby.  He is content to play on his activity mat all day long.  He'll nap here and there, play in his sleep, and wake up ready to play some more.  Gavin is very social.  He loves to coo at us, and offers goofy smiles.  Laura gets the most smiles! 

One of my favorite quirks is that Gavin heaves this gurgly little sigh after he sneezes.  As if baby sneezes weren't cute enough!  He finishes a set, usually 2 or 3 sneezes, then looks up and sighs so dramatically, like "woah, glad I got those sneezes out!"

It's been two months, and Gavin is still frantically searching for his thumb.  He's getting closer!  He usually tries to hold his left hand up to his mouth with his right hand, but has the most success when he tries to suck his right thumb.  Pacifiers really don't do it for him.  At all. 

And a few extra milestones from the first few days of Gavin's third month:
7/28: real tears!
7/29: rolled front to back, but has not repeated the feat!
7/30: spent his first night in the crib in Laura's room!

Laura June Recap

Laura just posted a huge photo dump for you all to enjoy, and I have just a few quips to add for the month.  I didn't get too much typed into my little iPhone list.  We were in the car a lot, and I can't exactly type things while I'm driving!  But here are a few:

• Once upon a there was abc's where the bears live
• How bout we buy another daddy
• Wanna buy something that buyers buy?
• Daddy's going to buy mommies and carseats and piggies and coins and more baas for Wawa to play with. And toys too.
• Me: Laura! Did you see Nico?  L: Yes! She has much and much hair! Much hair! The other one, he can't found his much hair. Its all gone.
• When I get big I get a peanut. (Peanut = peni$)
• I small and short!
• Singing the alphabet: h i k k Elmo yellow p
• Can I fluff him?  (Fluffing is patting a head)

Laura had a great month playing with all the new babies.  Cousin Nico was born five weeks after Gavin, and Laura has loved fluffing them both.  Laura's imagination is also really beginning to flourish.  It's too bad I can't type while I drive (or just leave a camera rolling constantly) because Laura has the most hilarious conversations with me and herself in the car!

And in Gavin news:  He's still cute!  We're halfway through July, but he's been smiling and cooing for a few weeks now.  So sweet!  At one month, Gavin weighed 11 pounds - the same weight Laura was at 2 months!

June!

Hi Fwends!  I have not had a single minute to blog.  Taking care of a baby brother is a lot of work.  He constantly needs his paci, his stucky toy, and some head fluffing.  He even needs some hugs sometimes - I'm not squashing him!  I promise!  Anyway, here are some pictures from the month of June.  Enjoy!

June 1: Hugs!

June 2: Aunt Julia and Uncle Taylor meet Gavin

June 9: Hiking

June 9: Uncle Vin and Aunt Liz

June 10: Playing dress-up!

June 11

June 14: Let's go O's!

June 21

June 22: Pool with Grandma and Pop-pop!

June 24: Cousin Nico is one day old!

June 27: Nico is four days old, Gavin is nearly six weeks, I am 2 and a half!

June 28: Ries is a good big sister

June 29: A really good big sister

June 30: Camping!!

Gavin One Month Old

At one month, Gavin weighs 11 pounds and is 22 inches long! 

 (For reference, Laura was 10 pounds at one month.)

Laura May Recap

With Gavin's arrival on the 18th of May, I am very glad of the little "notes" app on my iPhone.  I can add quick little notes about Laura as they happen.  Here are some of the hilarious things Laura was up to in May:

• I need a grow
• I eat my snack and it goes my tummy and I get big and big and strong and strong!
• Laura yelled at my tummy: Gabbin! Stop kicking Mommy! (Of course, he loves hearing her, so he only kicked harder!)
• Laura was being rude to nate and I told her so. She asked for a timeout. Sat for a minute or two, then said "I ready to say sowwy!" and did!
• I like being bossy!
• Fudding - pudding
• I eat my (whatever was on her plate) all!
• Pwease my hab a ___?
• Gabin! Come out and play wif me!
• Come out Gavin! I get my wand and say abwa da-dabwa and he come out! My wand needs batteries so it will work. Won't get Gavin out without batteries.
• I might hab this? (I can/may have this?)
• When we get Gwammy at the hairport?  When Gavin is born! Soon!  Come out, Gabin!! Need a get Gwammy at the hairport!
• Wheres the thingy? Need a thingy to sing to my babies in a cwibby! (Nate had hidden the noisy music box from Gavin's bassinet)
• Named her puppy purse "Grass," giraffe rocking horse "Tona," and horse ride-on "Team"
• (watching daddy mow) My need a wittle wan mower. (got her a bubble mower, she insisted it be parked next to daddy's in the garage
• May 17th: Laura woke up singing happy birthday to her giraffe.  Nate asked who else had a birthday that day.  "Um... Gabin!"  My water broke that night...
• Mommy and Gabin at the hopstabel
• I gib her a boob snack! (holding a baby doll to her chest)
• I hab it somewhere... (looking for a specific toy)
• Taps her cheek when thinking
• It was yucky anyways
• Reading 'Honey the Pooh' to Gavin
• Laura's been "reading" in gibberish so I asked Can you read that in English? No I can't. What language are you reading in? Spanish.
• Called Uncle Andy "this little guy'
• I wib in mawi- mawi- mawi- huff! I don't know how to say it! Mawiwind!
• Current favorite movie: Beauty and the Beast. Calls Gaston "Scandon," and yells that he needs a time out, since he is "not a nice fwend."  Her favorite part is when ottoman turns back into puppy... in the last 2 minutes of the movie.

The Rest of May

Babies take a LOT of time, friends!  So much time, I haven't had a minute to blog about life as a big sister.  I've been running around like crazy, making sure every baby seat, swing and bassinet is occupied by a baby, doll, or stuffed animal at ALL times.  It's a tough job!  Anyway, here is a photo dump from the rest of May:

Gavin's Birthday

With Mommy, one day old

With me, still one day old!

Comparing feet sizes: mine are big and big and strong (two days old)

I'm a great big sister!

So much love!

Reading with Daddy

Swimming at my friend's house - finally something without Gavin!

A little photo shoot on the last day of May (twelve days old)

Baby Gavin is HERE!

Dear Readers, please "hear" my words with a deep Oprah sort of voice.  It's the voice I use when I am MOST EXCITED!  And why am I excited?  BABY GAVIN IS HERE!  He's out of my mommy's tummy!  He's all cooked!

Gavin Michael was born on May 18th at 3:16 pm.  He was 7 pounds, 6 ounces, and 21 inches long.

For anyone who cares to remember little old me, I was 7 pounds, 12 ounces, and 20 1/4 inches long.  We are comparable sized babies, but for some reason, I went immediately to size 1 diapers and 0-3 month clothes.  Mommy and Grammy had to buy newborn size diapers and outfits for Gavin!

Gavin's arrival was really quite convenient for me.  Thursday night, Mommy and Daddy hopped in the van and headed to the hopstable.  Grandma was already here to watch me, and it was my bedtime anyway!  Mommy read me some bedtime stories on the porch for a while first, which was really nice.  The next day, I got to play with Grandma and Grandpa.  We went to the Inner Harbor, and I got to ride in a DRAGON BOAT!  I named him Pete.  After we finished our ride in Pete, we went to the hopstable and I got to meet BABY GAVIN!

My reactions to Gavin are as follows:

He's so tiny!  He needs to grow.

I'm still little.  I grow big and big!  I am a big girl.  I'm still little.  (I might be confused).

Gavin doesn't talk!

I need lots of hugs.

Gavin needs to take turns with me so we can both share Mommy, Daddy and Grammy.

I like helping to buckle Gavin into his bassinet/swing/carseat/anything with buckles.

I think his tub should always have water in it, and that my dolls should take precedence for baths, and that I should fit in it too (I don't).

All in all, Gavin is so cute.  I'm very sweet and good with him, and have only had a few extra tears and tantrums.  I'm a big sister!

Busy Bees Bring May Flowers!

Where to begin with this past week?  Chronologically, I suppose!  We were very, very busy bees this week!  Daddy was all over the place early in the week, driving to NYC and Delaware for meetings.  His work ethic pays off, so it's worth a few bedtimes with just Mommy.  Daddy and I went to the park to make up for lost time, and had a lot of fun.  But I had an epic fall on the way home, as a result of Riesling trying to chase a bunny!  Ask to see my battlescar - I'm proud to show it off!  Grandma and I played all day on Thursday, and then Grandma and Mommy went to Babies R Us to pick up a few more things for Baby Gavin (who should be getting here very soon) and some play dresses for me. 

Friday was when the real action got going.  We started early, with a trip to the allergist to see why my nose is always so runny.  The doctor checked Baa's ears first, then mine.  Then a really nice nurse wrote tickly letters all up my arm!  I liked the ABC's on there, but was not a fan of the scratches that followed.  In good news (sorta), I'm not allergic to anything!  I just have a really, really runny nose. 

Friday afternoon, I hung out with Grandma.  Daddy went to work and Mommy went to her 37 week check-up.  THEN Mommy met Daddy at the car dealership to buy me a new car!!  Mom's Honda Civic has been wonderful for the past seven years, but just wasn't big enough for me, Riesling AND baby Gavin.  So they upgraded to a 2010 Honda Odyssey.  I really like it!  I thought they bought the car for me, and was pretty upset when Dad said it was Mommy's car.  Mommy offered to share it, and Daddy promised I can have it when I turn 16!  I can't even count that high yet (1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-7)!  After car shopping, we drove up to Hunt Valley to have dinner with Grandma, Pop-pop, Andy and Maria.  I was exceptionally well behaved.  Daddy ordered the 54-piece "love boat" sushi platter, which was really pretty to look at.  I even ate some of the sushi rice!

My Mom's new van

Daddy had to work part of Saturday, so Mom and I drove the new van to pick up my friend Jackson and his parents to go to Derby Day at Pimlico.  There was live music, and food, and horses, and a HUGE field for me and Jackson to run around in.  Obviously, I kicked off my shoes as soon as I could.

Dancing

Daddy met us all there after work, and we had a great time.  I bet on Union Rags, and was disappointed.  But Mommy bet on Bodimeister to show, and won a few dollars!  After we watched the Kentucky Derby (and admired many hats), we skipped back to the van to head home:

Skipping

I was pretty exhausted, so I went to bed as soon as we got home.  I had yet another big day on the horizon and needed my beauty sleep!  Mom woke me up very early on Sunday so I could drive into Baltimore for a morning with Thomas the Tank Engine!!

My BFF Audrey's mom arranged it all, and we went just with our dads.  We had lots of fun, and here are some pictures!

Thomas!

With my BFF

Huggies!

On one of the stationary trains at the B&O Museum
(Daddy says I enjoyed those ones more than the moving Thomas one)

What a busy, but fun weekend!  We are all exhausted, but are back at work and school today.  Looking forward to more adventures this month!

Ice Cream!

I got my very own ice cream cone!  It was delicious, but I mostly liked eating the sprinkles. 

Daddy helped me to finish that HUGE cone of ice cream!  I didn't mind if he took bites, as long as he didn't get any of my SPRINKLES!

April Recap

Laura is as cute as ever.  I hope my recap posts don't get too overshadowed by the arrival of Laura's baby brother in the next few weeks!  Here are a few anecdotes I noted from the month of April:

My waffle wooks wike a boat!  Sure enough, Laura had bitten her waffle into a shape like a sailboat

Potato - play doh

We have been introducing some classical music with iPad apps.  So far, Laura really likes Verdi, but is not a fan of Tchaikovsky!

Laura got to meet her "Uncle Ruscle"

Laura loves playing with her cousin "Jamesman"

My fwends (any child she's playing with whose name she can't remember)

Sings twinkle, rockabye baby, wheels on bus, no more monkeys, Alice the camel

Recites humpty dumpty

Uses "Actually" and "probably" in correct context

Aw! He's so tiny! Laura says this to her dolls (all named Gavin) as she tucks them in and feeds them.  I take this as a great sign for Gavin's impending arrival!

Knows triangle, square, heart and star

Laura scolded me for saying "mm hmm" in answer to her, but has been using both "mm hmm" (affirmative) and mm mm" (negative) ever since.  That is a habit we need to break - I can't tell what she wants half the time!

Maleficent is tired. Needs a nap.  Maleficent (the evil fairy in Sleeping Beauty) probably does need a nap.  She is really cranky!