Lil' Goblin

Our little goblin has celebrated Halloween all week long. Thankfully, he's too little for candy and sugar, so his celebration has been in the clothes he wears.

I bought this little ghost bib last year and put it up for Gavin.

Grandma brought this little onesie to Gavin when she visited a few weeks ago.Miss Glenda gave Gavin this little ghost onesie.

Grandma Judy sent Gavin a Halloween card. He enjoyed looking at it--after we were able to call his attention away from the GA-FLA ball game (Go Gators!).

He especially enjoyed chewing on it, and he got really mad when I took it away from him.

This is his scary face in his skelton outfit.

Happy Halloween, y'all!!!

It's Two Great Pumpkins, Charlie Brown

Our friends Alan and Kimberly are expert pumpkin carvers. Each year, they have a friendly competition--winner gets a mini-shopping spree. You can view past pumpkins and cast your vote here. You'll have to enter your email address, but when you do, you'll get an email notice next year so that you can vote.

Dave and I hope to one day be able to carve the pumpkin we buy each year. It seems October is always a busy time for him. And, the fall is busy for me with Friday night football each week and the various other school activities.

Maybe the delight of Gavin will push us to do more next year. There's always next year, right? Until then, we continue to marvel at the talent of Alan and Kimberly.

Cullman Liquidation

so funny...

Eight Months Old

Gavin is 8 months old today. He has started doing a lot of new things in the last month.

We're introducing new foods. Yesterday, he got his first taste of pears and loved them. We've also started giving him table food--pieces of a blueberry muffin, rolls, mashed potatoes (not a big fan), churro (loved it), cooked carrots (loved it). We also added a third meal to his diet this weekend. Up to now he had been having cereal at lunch and dinner, but only milk for breakfast. We'll see how we work out the addition of cereal for breakfast wreaks havoc on our morning work/school routine.

It's starting to cool off, so I've starting putting shoes on Gavin. He wants to chew on his shoes. He has finally found his foot and gets it to his mouth. He might do this more if he laid on his back more, but he loves to sit up and doesn't lay down when playing that much. He has also discovered his socks and can pull them off.

Gavin has his two bottom teeth, and I suspect there's something going on up top. Time will tell.

Gavin smiles when I come into his classroom to pick him up at the end of the day. He definitely recognizes my voice. My heart melted the first time he squealed when I walked in. I'm sure I'll become a puddle the day that he cries after me when I leave him.

More and more, Gavin is "talking" and making sounds. Many days on the ride to/from school, Gavin makes a "bbbbbb" sound the entire time. He says "Mama" when he's upset. He smiles and babbles "Dada." And, we've heard "doggie." It's funny how he's beginning to mimic the intonation of words as Dave and I talk with him.

And, G is developing a temper. I suppose he comes by it honestly. As much as both Dave and I would like to blame the temper on the other, we are equal contributors to his temper. Gavin can get quite upset when something is taken away from him. One morning last week I had to leave him crying at school because he had been holding my ID badge when we went into his classroom. When I had to take it from him before I left, he turned red and started crying. Miss Kim was quick to swoop in to attempt to distract him, but the damage was already done. I felt horrible leaving him mad, but I know he got over it quickly--at least I hope he did.

And, our little man is super strong. He grabs anything he can get his hands on these days. While making nachos for lunch, Dave pulled out the 2.5 pound bag of shredded cheese from Costco. Gavin quickly grabbed it and was holding on to it. (Incidentally, he got mad when we took it away from him.) Dave also had him "lifting weights" with my microwavable corn heating pad yesterday. I have a bruise on my arm where he pinched me the other night while I was trying to get him to go to sleep (or was it while he was eating?).

We enjoy every moment and every change that each new day brings. (Well, maybe not the new diapers . . . )

Having Fun

Waking Up EARLY

Gavin has started developing a bad habit of waking up earlier and earlier lately. A couple weeks ago he was sleeping till his normal time ~ 6:00. Then it gradually changed to 5:30, then 5:00, and now he is up at 4:30-4:45! We aren't sure if he is hungry or just waking up that early.

This morning Miranda got up and fed Gavin. We thought that he actually might be hungry this morning since he didn't get his cereal last night because it was really late when we got home. After his early breakfast, he wanted to play! I went up at 5:30 to relieve Miranda and played with Gavin in between trying to get him to go back to sleep. I even tried some "tough love" and let him cry (scream) for about 10 minutes thinking that he would eventually soothe himself and go back to sleep....not so much. Mom and Dad are really really hoping that this thing works itself out soon.

Living Room Tailgating

Miranda, Gavin and I ran some errands this morning, and then settled in to watch Georgia Tech beat Virginia. We spread out a blanket in the living room so that Gavin could play while we ate our lunch. Mason had to be as close to the blanket as he could get.
Gavin was in a GREAT mood. We think that he was really excited because he absolutly loved the pears that he had for lunch. He ate just about the entire container of pears. Mom and Dad had hotdogs. It won't bee too long till G wants a bit of our hotdogs. He had some carrots at Cotton Patch Cafe last night, and ate a few bites of blueberry muffin this morning for breakfast.

We are working on getting Gavin to do the touchdown signal when Georgia Tech scores. Gavin's friend, Dean, has learned this crowd pleasing trick and we are hoping that some it rubs off on Gavin. It's coming along quite well (actually in this picture he was just excited that he got his sock off and was waving it around).

Gavin's Six Month Pictures

In order to quiet the masses that demand more Gavin blog content, I humbly submit Gavin's six month pictures. He's a photogenic little guy who is typically more interested in the camera than smiling for the camera. These were professional pictures....no stuffed animals this time.

"This is my gun, there are many others like it, but this one is mine"

Texture gun that is.....The bathroom renovation is continuing slowly but surely. I finally got the walls textured today. I initially considered renting a texture gun from Home Depot, but the rental price was just $2 less than just purchasing one. So I am now the proud owner of a texture gun.

It was surprisingly easy to texture the walls. The hardest part was holding the hopper that was full of wall texture. It was only probably around 20lbs. But you had to continuously hold this thing up while moving it very slowly and getting an even amount of texture on the walls. It took a surprisingly delicate hand to do the knock down part of the knock down texture.

Now that the texture is complete, the painting will begin this week. I have incentive to start the painting quickly. There aren't any lights in the bathroom right now. I had to take them down to texture the walls, and can't put them back up till I get the walls painted.

Doggie?

Gavin is babbling more and more these days. He can say "DaDa" and "MaMa". We also get "deedee" from time to time. One night this week, we would have sworn we heard "doggie." Not wanting to think too much of his sounds, we dismissed it. But after this morning, we're thinking maybe he does know "doggie."
He was sitting on the island in the kitchen with Dave's support. When Mason walked through the kitchen, Gavin looked right at Mason and said, "Doggie." Dave and I stared at each other in disbelief. Gavin continued to chat and wiggle. We couldn't get him to repeat it, but can't get him to say "DaDa" or "MaMa" on demand, either.
Gavin enjoys watching Mason. When Gavin is in his exersaucer, Mason always comes over to give G a few kisses. Gavin smiles widely when he sees Mason headed his way. We've taught Mason that he cannot step on a blanket laying on the floor. (Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?) But, Mason fudges a little so he can be close to Gavin while he plays on the blanket by laying down as close as he can to the blanket, sometimes pushing the blanket out of the way of his paw. These two are going to be inseparable later.
So, I guess now he knows all the members of the family. I wonder what he'll "say" next.

Selling Junk in the Driveway

Today was the semi annual TC garage sale. I REALLY wanted to clean out the garage, so we decided to participate this time. Miranda and I have been accumulating junk steadily for the past year or so in anticipation of having a garage sale. Since we are on the main street in TC, we always have a good crowd. People started driving through at 7:30, and we had all our stuff out in the driveway by 8:00. We did pretty well for only having a relatively small amount of stuff to sell ($200). Gavin helped out supervising the sales staff (call him the sales manager...he drives a hard bargin). It was cool outside so the sales manager decided to retire inside and take inventory of his toys while watching some college football.

All in all, it has been a very enjoyable day. We made a little money (that will be used to partially fund the bathroom renovation), and got to enjoy a cool morning outside.

State Fair 2009

One of the great things about living in the DFW area is going to the Texas State Fair in the fall. As an educator, I get a free ticket from work. Students get a free ticket that is good for Fair Day (known as Columbus Day to the rest of the country). I love corn dogs, and the best corny dogs in the world are the Fletcher's Corny Dogs from the fair. There is so much to do there. Dave and I love the livestock pavilion, the arts and crafts winners (really, we could win, if we'd make something and enter it), the shows, and the people watching.

Dave and I didn't go last year. But we went in '07 with Matt and Rene. And, we went in '05. That year the theme had to do with Rock and Roll so we saw the Elvis Butter Sculpture.

(I'm sure you could really care less. Where are the pictures of Gavin, you ask. So, here are our '09 Fair Adventures.

Gavin has finally (almost) grown into his MacLaren Volo Stroller. We've been using it for the past couple of weeks. He sits up well in it, but even at their smallest the straps are just too big. He doesn't really mind. Isn't his little hat, too cute? It was sunny and 75 when we got to the Fair around 11:30. Our intention was to be there around 10, but G let us sleep until almost 7 this morning.

Big Tex is always there to greet you. He has a new yellow shirt this year.

After purchasing our coupons, we made a b-line for the Star of Texas Ferris Wheel. Gavin got his first ride today. We feared that it would be hot up there, but there was a nice breeze. Gavin just rode along. He even looked out. To see the world below.

The college-age couple sharing the carriage with us, snapped a family picture for us. I'm sure they were less than thrilled to see Gavin would be riding with them, but he was a good boy.

After the ride on the ferris wheel, it was time for lunch, so . . .

. . . we bought 2 corny dogs. Gavin shared Dad's. (Not really, Grandma, he had milk, as usual.) Gavin had a quick cat nap. Then, we headed off to see the livestock area. We looked at horses. Gavin loved riding in the stroller and looking at people (and chewing on his keys). One thing Dave and I don't like about the new stroller is that we can't see Gavin. I'm sure he loves seeing everyone and everything, but we can't check on him as easily. Dave pushed most of the time, and I montiored Gavin's happiness based on his feet. We pulled the sunshade back for a minute so Dave could see Gavin's happy feet.

Then, it was time for a nice funnel cake. While eating the funnel cake, the Kildares began to perform. It was cool to hear bagpipes. The music was a bit loud, and Gavin was getting the stare, so we knew it was getting to be time to head out.

On our way out, I heard more bagpipes, so we stopped to hear this group of traditional pipers play "Amazing Grace". It's neat that Gavin was able to hear the sounds of the mother-land at the fair.

We got back to the car and headed home. Within 2 minutes of being in the car, it started to rain. How lucky are we? Gavin was asleep within 3 minutes of getting in the car. Next year, we'll have to be sure Gavin sees the pig races and the butter sculpture. I left thinking that there was still so much to do and see, but 3 hours was just about enough for Gavin (and my feet).

Thanks, Avery

Josh, Sara, and Avery were recently in the States for a visit. We intended to go to Austin to see them and introduce Gavin, but Gavin had a fever following his 6 month shots, and we didn't think it was a good idea.

Though we didn't make it to see them, they were prepared with gifts from across the pond. This week, Gavin got his package in the mail.

He loves his Buggy Buddy book. We attached it to the car seat this week and have already detached it because he was gnawing on the corner. We'll put it back when he's not so into chewing his books and more into "reading" them.

We also got a cute bee bib. He broke it in that night with his sweet potato and corn dinner. Thanks to Sara, I know the wonderful stain lifting power of OxyClean for Babies, so the bib is good as new.

Thanks so much for thinking of us. We were talking today about a trip to the UK to visit and see the sites. We may show up next March or July--you never know.

That Didn't Take Long

Gavin was beginning to say Dada only a few days ago. He said Mama last night three times! Unfortunately, I was the only one around to hear him say it. Since Gavin has been under the weather, he hasn't been eating as well as his normally does. This morning at 3:15am he woke up crying. I ran up the stairs to see what was the matter. I pick him up and try to calm him down, and he lets out a loud MAMA, and continues crying. I think wow, too bad Miranda wasn't here to hear that. I then proceed to check his diaper, and try to get him to go back to sleep. He then says Mama again and continues crying.....like he is trying to tell me that he has no use for me, and he wants his Mama. He may have said it again while I was trying one last time to soothe him with no effect.

I then gave the boy what he so desperately wanted. I took him downstairs to his Mama, so that she could feed him. After the feeding, he was wide awake and wanted to play. He played, and we slept with one eye open for a little while. Then I took him back upstairs and fought with him a bit till he went back to sleep.

Next time I am going to kick Mama out of bed for her own good. :)