Constant Beginnings

Gavin, You have been on this Earth for 7 amazing months. Each one is better than the last. You are getting so big and interacting so much more than you ever have. Here are some milestones from this month: -You ate mashed potatoes, banana, refried beans, yogurt, sweet potatoes, squash, & scrambled eggs. You are constantly eyeballing our food, wanting to eat it all! -We typically give you a small container of fruit/vege combination at lunch and mix a container with oatmeal for dinner. -You continue to have 24+ oz of milk per day. We've ended our breastfeeding journey this month. My poor supply continued to dwindle despite my best efforts and the added stress made the situation worse. I know you will be a healthy, happy boy regardless. - You are off of your reflux medication and doing great! -You sleep through the night in your crib. We put you down around 7 pm and you wake around 5:30 am. -You went on your first ride in the swing this month and loved it. Seriously. All smi...

This little blog is my outlet. As a result, I often write my crazy thoughts when they are at the peak of craziness. When I am at my whits end. When life seems as though it is in a hurricane. Needless to say, there are many more blue sky days than dark ones. And that, my friends, is what matters most. Just to assure you that I am not living in a life of chaos or disaster or regrets, I thought I'd update you. This month has been one of transformations and changes. Slowly but surely we are getting there. Sometimes the things you've been searching for come when you stop searching and just live. That's where we are now. Just living. Here's the point by point dealio: 1. I searched for an on call babysitter much of last year that could come watch my kiddos for an hour or so each day so I could workout, run errands, etc. No luck. Well, well, well...I stopped looking and one fell in my lap. Sort of. I've discovered a pretty fabulous friend who hooked me up with the daughter...

I blinked and all of a sudden, I have a 6 month old baby! Where in the world did time go?! While these past six months haven't been the easiest, they've been amazing. There is nothing like living life through a child. Gavin has grown and changed in so many ways this month. It has been a huge month for him! He has gotten so much longer. His hair is finally becoming more abundant. His blue eyes seem to be sticking around for awhile longer. He has finally tried out some food, eating oatmeal (loved), sweet potato (loved), a chunk of banana (not quite a fan), some avocado (didn't eat much, mostly played with it) and even some mashed potatoes. I am sort of doing my own thing with feedings, but trying to stick mostly with vegetables  until they are solid successes. Gavin lights up when he sees his sisters. They can make him laugh better than anyone else. They read to him every morning and lug him around every afternoon. He takes it all in,  every squeeze, every tickle, every sill...

Everyone told me going from 2 to 3 kiddos was going to be easy, that from 1 to 2 was the challenge. Ha. These past 5 months have been hard! I could blame it on reflux, sisters constantly bugging him, our noise filled house, the chaos of our schedule, but I truly think it has to do with me being 35 or 36, whatever I am, and the fact that it has been 5 long years since I've had a baby ANNNDD the fact that I am pretty much set in my ways. Whatever the reason, I've struggled. 1. I've struggled to take care of me. I plan to start my diet, do well one day, then something comes up--exhaustion, fussy baby or a change in plans and well, that diet goes down the drain. 2. I started working out, following Jamie Eason's lifting program. I loved it. It was organized like the sessions with my personal trainer, didn't take a whole lot of time to do and I enjoyed the ease of working out at home. I did that one week. Then, excuse number 9999 came back--exhaustion. 3. We continue t...

Mya is officially in kindergarten! She has a fabulous teacher whom I love. She seems to have a passion for teaching little ones, combines rigorous academics with fun--a perfect fit for Mya who has already nearing the end of kindergarten expectations. Mya had a great first day, but was a bit tired on day 2. She is struggling with rest time and having to play on the "small" playground. I've learned my lesson and simply stay away from her during the day. Perhaps I'll stop by during lunch as I do/did with Claire, when the routine of school becomes more established. I can't believe she is already in kindergarten, but so excited to cheer her on as I watch her flourish!

We spent the Labor Day weekend in Como, Italy on Lake Lugano with friends. It was heavenly, surrounded by mountains, gorgeous waterfalls, warm weather and loads of sunshine. We stayed at a resort which offered tons of kids activities--zipline, playground, treasure hunt, kids club, fitness area, beach, sand, paddle boats. The kids loved it. The lake was a tad chilly to swim in, but the resort also offered both indoor and outdoor pools. It was fabulous and exactly what we were looking for--total relaxation!

Gavin is officially five months old! He has grown and changed so much this past month. He is sitting for a short time unassisted. He loves to bounce in his exersaucer, drools constantly and mouths anything he can get his little hands on. Gavin smiles at the sight of his sisters and sometimes his parents. He laughs when tickled too. Gavin is looking at books when we read to him, touching the pages and according to Claire, turns the pages. He loves to snuggle, face out in the stroller so he can take in the view and hates, hates, hates the carseat. Gavin has rolled both from front to back and back to front now, wiggles/scoots backwards and still enjoys the swing. He is eating 6 oz. of milk per bottle, wearing size 2 diapers, and growing into 6 mo. clothing. Gavin was baptized this month at the same church I was baptized as a baby. His Godparents are his Aunties Lauren, Lisa and Uncle Phil. Gavin completed his second international flight this month as we returned from our 5 week vaca...