Bath Time at Grandma's

In my family, bath time at Grandma's means a trip to the kitchen sink. Thankfully, Gavin was small enough for this rite of passage during our trip. No doubt, he'll bring this tradition to the cabin in Minnesota next week.

After dinner Saturday night, we moved the dishes out of the way and made room for Gavin.


After bath time, Gavin snuggled up in one of my old beach towels before getting lathered down with lotion and cuddled in his pjs.

See I told you baths in the kitchen sink are a tradition. Here's a picture of me from August 1976 in my Granny's sink!

Shower

As I mentioned, part of the purpose for our visit to Georgia was to introduce Gavin to everyone at a party hosted by my cousin's Jennifer and Stephanie. The food was delicious. I feel so honored, Jennifer spent a few weeks perfecting her homemade biscuits to make them for brunch; they were top-grade. The cake was beautiful. (Did I take a picture? Of course not, but GrandBob was roaming around with his camera, so I hope to get some pictures from him.) As good as the food was, the company was better. Dave's family came to join lots of members of my extended family. My friend and mentor, Nancy, came to meet Baby Gavin, too.

Jonas helped me with the gifts. I asked him to help me pull tissue out of gift bags. Before I knew it he was taking each piece individually to the trash can. He stayed entertained, he got to practice his walking, and the house stayed tidy--not a bad deal.



My Aunt Redia makes quilts for each new baby. Here's Gavin's quilt. She considered quilting a Texas star, but this one is perfect. I hope Gavin loves to fish the way his Dad does. We head to Minnesota the end of this week; this quilt is going with us. It will be perfect for laying on the floor or out in the yard for play time. I was so glad to hear Redia's response to someone saying the quilt was pretty enough to hang on the wall, "No. Don't hang it on the wall. Use it. You let him drag it around and play on it. Then wash it." A lot of good memories will be made with this quilt.


Gavin assisted with opening gifts. We had him dressed in cute outfit. As we left Mama's, we thought about a back up outfit, decided we had back-up onesies in the diaper bag, and headed out the door. We should have gotten a back up outfit. When we arrived at Jennifer's house, Dave took Gavin out of the car seat to discover a blow out that went out both the top and bottom of Gavin's diaper. We quickly headed to Jennifer's bedroom for an outfit change. In the diaper bag we found 3-6 month onesies; Gavin is now wearing 6-9 month. We squeezed him into this one. Oh well. No one really cared what he was wearing, they just wanted to see him. Right?
Bridget came in from outside to sit and watch the gifts being opened. She and Tessa have grwon so much in the past few years. They used to want you to play with them all the time. Now they play independently--kind of bittersweet. Gavin will do the same thing.

Jonas was tired from all that trash haulin', but he still stopped to smile for the camera with his mom. (Just not sure whose camera he's smiling at.)

Like I said, I hope GrandBob has some good pictures to share with me. I'll try to get some pictures of our loot. Thankfully, everyone was cognizant of the fact that we had to bring what we got back with us. Gavin got lots of books for his library, which we needed. He got some really cute outfits, some toys, a few gift cards, a quilt, a blanket, and some money which we'll put in his college fund. Everything fit into the extra duffel bag we had packed and taken with us. But most importantly of all, Gavin got lots of hugs, kisses, and attention from his aunts, cousins, and grandmas! (And uncles and grandpas).

An Important Message From Gavin

We interrupt these reports from the weekend trip to Georgia for an important message from Gavin.

Cousin Hayden

Gavin got to spend time with his cousin Hayden Saturday and Sunday since Hayden got to spend the night at Grandma's Saturday night. Hayden will be 3 in October and is big for his age both in stature and vocabulary. Hayden was sporting a new pair of boots that his mom bought him Saturday morning. He couldn't have been prouder of them. I told him that he needed to come to Texas with those sharp boots.

He showed me and Uncle Dave how he can ride his bike. As he rode on the driveway at Grandma and Grandpa's he was saying, "I'm off on the open road." Where did he hear that?

He did take enough time from his bike riding to pose for a picture with Gavin and Grandma. He typically will not let Grandma take pictures of him, but for whatever reason he did Saturday. I even got to take multiple shots, smiling saying, "Again. Again." So, I'd snap another one.


His good mood kept up and his dad got into a few pictures.


Matthew and Hayden even acted silly in a shot or two. (Grandma didn't get the silly-face memo.) Note Hayden's little gun. I think Daddy told me it came from his Uncle Richard--Hayden LOVES this gun. He carries it around in his pocket "shooting" people. He can demonstrate how the gun-slingers shot rapidly. But he doesn't like anyone (Uncle Dave) shooting back with a finger pistol.

Hayden loves being outside. After riding his bike, he had to head down to the barn. (Doesn't he look like a little man?)



Wait for me, Grandpa!

And, of course, no pictures of Hayden would be complete without a picture of "playing tractors." Hayden loves his tractors, probably more than his little gun. He can play for hours in the floor with his John Deere tractors and various men that he has to ride in them. Note the blue "rope" that he's using along with the guard off of a heater. Uncle Dave and Hayden played tractors and play-dough Saturday night. I heard Hayden talking to Uncle Dave about "wretched people" during their play session. I also had to stifle a laugh when I heard him say, "Looordy, looordy." I regret that I didn't video record him so you could hear his drawl. I swear that boy can add an extra syllable of vowels to most words.


Hayden took another break from playing to hold baby Gavin. He was very gentle with Gavin, giving him kisses on the nose and head. The kisses are a rare treat. Grandma rarely gets a kiss from him. Hayden told me Saturday evening that Gavin could sleep with him in his room that night. My mom has a bedroom with twin beds decorated with cowboys fixed up for Hayden. Hayden showed me which bed was his and which was Baby Gavin's. I had to convince Hayden that Gavin should sleep in the pack and play in my room since Gavin sometimes wakes up crying in the night and needs to be taken care of. At some point, Hayden also informed me, "Baby Gavin is mine; he's not yours." And once when Gavin was fussy and ready for a nap, Hayden said, "Let me see that fussy baby." Hayden loves to talk and ask questions, usually in a sort of loud voice. He was very good when we'd remind him that Gavin was napping; quickly, Hayden would start whispering and tip-toeing in his new boots. What a good guy!


Hayden loves to ask questions. Saturday afternoon Hayden came upstairs while I was nursing Gavin. Knowing that he might come up, I was draped.
Hayden wanted to know, "Where's baby Gavin?"
"He's under here."
"Well, uncover him."
"No. He needs to stay covered up. Sometimes he gets distracted when he eats. And, he's hungry so he needs to eat."
"Well, where's his spoon?"
I smiled, "He doesn't use a spoon," and quickly changed the subject by talking about his gun. I am not going to be the one to try to explain nursing to him.

Sunday Hayden wanted to hold baby Gavin again, so with Matthew's assistance he did. Hayden was agreeable, so I slipped next to him for a quick picture. Maybe not the best posture or pose . . .

It will be fun when Gavin is big enough to play with Hayden.

Dave did shoot a short video of Hayden riding his bike with our camera. You can hear him talking. At the end I start talking, I guess I can draw out my words, too. It seems my north Georgia drawl comes out when I go home.

A Quick GeorgiaTrip

Dave, Gavin, and I made a quick trip to Georgia over the weekend to attend a shower hosted by my cousins, Jennifer and Stephanie. I was unable to travel before Gavin's birth, per doctor's orders. So, Jennifer and I decided a meet the baby party was in order. So, Gavin made his first plane ride this weekend.

Getting on the plane was a hassle. Our 9:30am Delta flight was canceled due to mechanical problems. My cell phone started ringing at 6:30 while I was feeding Gavin and Dave was in the shower. I sent Dave down to check the phone when he was able. We had been rescheduled on a flight leaving at 5:30pm and arriving at 8:45. This would seriously reduce our already limited amount of time in Georgia, so I got on the phone. After 52 minutes, I had us on an American flight leaving at 11:55am. (I had to ask for them to look for flights on other airlines.) Dave made us a nice breakfast, and we headed to the airport at 10:00. By 10:45 we were standing at the ticket counter to discover that we were booked on the American flight, but not ticketed because Delta didn't release the ticket. The American agent started calling Delta--no answer. I started calling Delta--a busy signal. Finally, Dave and I were both calling. After sitting on hold, I finally got an agent. By 11:15 the nice American agent was saying, "You know you aren't going to make the 11:55 flight, but I'll get you on the next flight at 12:45." Thankfully, Delta finally released the ticket, and we were on our way after standing at the counter for 50 minutes. We got through security, changed Gavin's diaper, picked up a sandwich, walked to our gate, got gate check tags for the stroller, and first class started being called to board.

Gavin did well on his first flight. He needed to eat when we got on, so he was fine on the way up. He slept for about half of the two hour flight. Near the last 10-15 minutes, he was ready to stretch and get off of the plane. During the decent he sucked on Dave's hand to alleviate pressure on his ears. He would have nothing to do with the pacifier; thank goodness Dave's hand was an acceptable substitute.

We got to Grandma's around 6:45 and had dinner. Saturday was filled with the party, playing with Hayden, and a visit from my Aunt Fredia and Uncle Sidney. Sunday we played with Hayden some more then headed to the airport for our 6:55 flight. Though we got stuck in traffic, we walked to the gate for our flight as it was boarding. While Gavin was more restless on the flight back, he did better than 2 other babies sitting behind us. He was fussy as the plane decended, but not nearly as unhappy as those other babies. I hope our flights to and from Minneapolis this next week go as smoothly.

I'll be making several posts with pictures to chronicle our Georgia visit.

Four Months Old

Gavin is four months old! I really don't know where the time has gone. He is growing by leaps and bounds. For his 3 month pictures, we squeezed him into a cute OshKosh polo-style onesie and shortalls that were sized 3-6 months. The outfit above is a 9 month. It's a little roomy, but not that much too big. It's super-soft cotton (thanks Aunt Letha and Uncle Mike; we love this one). It's so sad to pack away clothes that have barely been worn and wash bigger clothes.

We went in Tuesday for his 4 month check up and shots. He weighed 15 pounds 7 ounces--in the 65th percentile; measures 25.5 inches--in the 75th percentile; and his head circumference is in the 25th percentile. (I suppose they measure the head for encephalitis ? I really don't know why--I should investigate that.) Dr. K reports that he's healthy and doing well. While Dave and I knew that, it was nice to hear it. Gone are the days of me fretting over him not gaining enough weight. I get teased that I should feed him more :).

Gavin loves his toys and is becoming more aware of them and ready to play with them. The cow is one of his favorites right now. It's a good size for him to grab ahold of and chew on; however, yesterday I caught him with Freddie the Firefly on top of him as he chewed on Freddie's head. He was laying on a blanket in the floor of my office just chewing away. He has been a trouper the last 2 weeks going to work with me each day. He's had a good long nap in the morning followed by 45 min. - 1 hour of play time on the floor. He gets loved on by Aunt B and Uncle Ted. I'm so glad that I'll be home with him until August 3rd, when he starts daycare.

Gavin has been kicking those legs and moving around more. You can see how the blanket is all bunched up in the picture. He's moving himself in the crib at night. Dave and I have been going in to pull him back to the middle of the crib because he has scooted all the way to the top and hit his head on the crib. His head and neck strength is increasing; he can hold his head up for long periods during tummy time, when he's in the mood to do so.

And, he's much more vocal. He coos and "talks" up a storm while laying on his back. He has started to squeal some. He's working on the laugh. I think Uncle Ted may have gotten some of the first ones out of him last week while Gavin sat with him while I make a quick run to Wendy's for lunch and a Dr. Pepper. Gavin definitely opens his mouth, he just can't get the sound to come out.

Dave and I couldn't be happier playing with our little guy.

Jonas and Gavin

Saturday some crazy Mama had the idea to take the boys to the park and that we should walk the mile to the park instead of drive. I'm not naming anyone, but I think her initials are MM. We headed out around 10:30, before it got "too hot." Thankfully, the playground has a big blue canopy giving shade. We did have the good sense to take water with us. Once there, Jonas had a great time playing on the slides and toddling around.

Gavin and I sat on the sidelines watching.
Mike and Jonas get ready to race down the blue slide.

Jonas decides to go down the taller red slide.

At first he wasn't sure about crawling through the tunnel to get to the red slide, but soon he was a pro.


Jonas takes a water break. Gavin looks at Buford.


After a long mile trek back, we stripped the boys to their diapers, cooled them off, and put them down for naps. Jonas was tuckered out after all that playing and slept a good long while. Then, we were off to a pool party. While the big kids played in the pool, the little guys stayed safe in the unheated hot tub. (Believe me, we didn't need anymore heat.)

Jonas and Dad (Mike) smile for the camera.

Gavin tries to keep the sun off with his hat.
We all pose for the papparazzi (aka Dave and Letha).
Sunday morning we celebrated Father's Day with breakfast out. Afterwards, we posed the boys on the sofa. I know Jonas and Gavin will be great friends one day. Jonas was very gentle with Gavin. Their car seats were next to each other in the back; it was so sweet to look back and see Jonas' hand on Gavin's seat. Gavin sneezed, and Letha and I heard Jonas say, "Bless you." Jonas loves to sniff hair as a sign of affection, while he didn't sniff Gavin's hair, he did rub his head. Maybe Jonas saw that Gavin doesn't have much hair to sniff these days :).

Pictures of the Boys

Mike, Letha, and Jonas arrived today to meet Gavin. After a lunch in Grapevine, we hung out around the house letting the boys play in their own ways. Jonas has been very gentle with Gavin, rubbing Gavin's head. After some dinner, we made the boys sit down for a picture. These two were all we got before Gavin got grumpy and Jonas became uncooperative. We'll try for more pictures tomorrow when everyone is well-rested.
Both Gavin and Jonas were asleep by 8:30, so we sat down to watch No Country For Old Men. I couldn't tell you the last time I watched a movie.

Gavin "Hefner" McLaren

Just call him Gav for short. We are looking into getting Gavin a bubble pipe and some slippers to go along with the robe....But Momma said no bunnies are allowed in the house (the plush variety of course).

Mmmm. . . Lion Meat

Gavin is learning new things. The first week in June, Grandma bought him Buford the Cow. During that week, Gavin figured out how to bring Buford to his mouth. Today during play time, Gavin decided to see how this lion tastes. It's so exciting so see him doing new things. He's reaching out and grabbing toys now. He's also started grabbing onto your shirt when you hold him. For a few weeks, he's been grabbing at necklaces when I have one on. And, he's figured out how to grab a handful of Mama's (and Grandma's) hair.

He's making new sounds. Occasionally, we get a squeal. I keep waiting for a laugh to accompany his big smile. He goos, he ahhhs; sometimes we get ah-goo. He's working on brrrrrr. He bubbles and drools. It's all so exciting; we never know what he'll do next.

Austin Trip

Dave and Gavin traveled with me to Austin so I could attend the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals' annual conference with my coworkers and still be close to Gavin. We left Tuesday evening around 6. Gavin was good for the first hour, slept for about 30 minutes, had to be fed, fussed a bit for 1 1/2 hours, then fell asleep 30 minutes from downtown Austin.

At the hotel, we were taken to 3 rooms before getting settled, all while carrying all of our luggage since no carts were available. Thankfully a Hilton associate was with us helping with the bags. The first room wasn't ours. The second room reeked of cigarette smoke. The third room was across from the ice machine, but I wasn't about to complain at that point. Gavin was awake, and I knew any minute he'd be crying because he was hungry.

After getting situated, Gavin got dinner while Dave set up the pack and play. Then we all crashed. The next morning, we found Gavin had turned himself at least 90 degrees in the night. (Dave says he may have made multiple circles around the pack and play, since every time Dave looked at him he was in a different position.) I headed off for sessions and left Gavin asleep with Dad. Gavin slept until 11, when Dave opened the curtains to let light in and wake the boy up.

Wednesday evening we had dinner with Pete and Lisa. I was supposed to go to the Oasis with the group, but it was hot. I didn't want to take Gavin out in the heat, and I didn't want to leave him and Dave behind. So, I elected to stay behind. Pete called us about 15 minutes later, so we decided to meet up with him and Lisa for an air conditioned dinner at Z Tejas.Gavin was good and let us eat before he tired of sitting around the table.

Life is good when Mallory (the red monkey) is around.

Ah, this is the life: a king size bed for a growing boy. (We had to dig out the 6-9 month zip'n'plays this week for him to sleep in. I'm troubled that the package indicates this is the biggest size. Yikes.)

After our sessions on Thursday, we headed out to the Salt Lick in Driftwood for some barbecue in honor of Ted's birthday.


Gavin was napping when we first arrived. But he soon woke up so he could enjoy the fun.

Waiting for a table at the Salt Lick is never too bad since there's live music and picnic tables for group conversations. The gang: (clockwise: me, Gavin, Becky, Susan, Ted, Krista, and Sharon).

The open pit at the Salt Lick...mmmmmmmm

Inside, Gavin was passed around while we ate. He loved looking at all of Dad's barbecue. One day we'll take him back when he can sink his teeth into some meat.

Aunt B had her turn entertaining Gavin, as did Ted and Krista.

Back at the Hilton, Gavin slept like a baby.

Friday, we got up, packed up the car and headed north. Gavin slept for 2 hours, we stopped for gas, to feed him, and to stretch our legs in Hillsboro. Gavin was awake for a while then fell asleep as we hit traffic. He woke up just a few minutes from home and was ready to get out of his car seat. We'll see how the 4 hour drive from the airport in Minneapolis to the cabin goes in a few weeks.

Traveling is fun with Mallory, Freddy the Firefly, and Buford the Cow.

Sitting???

We have been working on Gavin sitting on his own lately. Sometimes we are successful, sometimes not so much.

Going...
Going....
Gone.