A 7 Month List

So I feel like so many things are changing in Gavin's 7th month of life and I haven't made note of any of them. So, I figured I'd just make a list of things that are happening or have happened recently that I'll probably want to remember someday (and since this blog is primarily for my own records, everyone who reads it, just has to endure).


1) Gavin is crazy with the rolling. He has rolled for awhile but just recently has become very efficient in using this as a method to get from point A to point B. He rolls with aggression, perserverance and extreme intent.

2) He is on all fours rocking back and forth. Crawling is in the future...just when I thought I'd get a handle on the rolling.

3) More on the movement--the kid won't be still in his crib. I always find him turned around, upside down and backwards...usually with a huge grin. He also likes to use his feet to turn on his Ocean Aquarium...kinda lazy like his mom, why bend over and get it when you can use your toes?

3) He has decided nursing just ain't his thing. He fights for 2 out of his 4 nursing periods a day. But taking a bottle...bring it on. He loves it. Which leads me to...

4) I started giving him formula once a day. Its fine except that formula smells. It is kinda gross. Not sure if it is the kind I am using or what but he drinks it down. However, he has been so darn crabby lately, I am wondering if there is a correlation and I should switch brands...hmmm.

5) Yesterday, for the first time he pooped in the tub. Yep. He loves loves bathtime. He gets crazy with excitement and anticipation when we even go into the bathroom. He rolls, bends, squirms and splashes through his whole bath and loves it. Yesterday, he was feeling so good, he left a present floating in it. Gross.

6) He screams bloody murder when I leave the room. If I am not around, not a problem but if he sees me, might as well give in and get him, because he will scream until I respond. Not an endearing phase.

7) When you reach for him, he reaches back. One of my favorites.

8) He has taken to lots of high-pitched squealing and screaming when excited. All fine and fun at home but no so much in the middle of dinner at a public restaurant.

9) He has mastered lots of "bababa" and "mamama" sounds with no real meaning and even likes to imitate his quacking duck stuffed animal. He talks alot and often finds himself quite funny.

10) He loves chilling in the big part of the stroller--kicks his legs up, arm over the side...and just enjoys the ride.


I can honestly say...he is changing very quickly from baby to little boy.

A Healthy Boy

Just wanted to put up a post dedicated to my HEALTHY baby boy. On Friday we got the great news that Gavin's EEG and MRI came back completely normal. The tests were a bit traumatic (probably more for me than him) but we survived both and in the end, we have the news we hoped to hear. The Dr. said that there are no more tests for now which is such a huge relief. Although the tests didn't tell us why he had the seizure in the first place, they did rule out a lot of scary reasons that could have been the cause. We are so grateful to everyone that went to God in prayer on behalf of our family. Through this whole process, more than anything, we have prayed that our baby would be ok. And God heard our prayers. We do serve and awesome God.

Separation Anxiety

So, this past weekend I had my first night away from Gavin. A few of us drove to Michigan City for a little girls time and shopping. We left on Friday night and after a full day of shopping, we came home on Saturday night. The thing is, when you really count it out, I wasn't even gone from Gavin for a whole 24 hours....and when I am talking about separation anxiety, I'm definitely talking about MINE not his! I couldn't get it out of my head that for his entire life, I have been there every morning when he wakes up...except for this one. Not that I had anything to worry about, he was in good hands--his Daddy was very excited for some uninterrupted one-on-one time. There was no shortage of shed tears and pangs of guilt on my part but we all survived. In fact, I had lots of fun with the girls talking weddings, babies, family, food and clothes. We enjoyed spending time together and getting in some serious shopping. Thanks girls for a great weekend--it was great to get out and spend some quality time with you! When all was said and done, I have to admit, I couldn't wait to get home and fill my night with silly kisses and belly laughs from my two favorite guys.

Katelyn's Big Day

Gavin with his Grandma and Grandpa Harris.
Aunt Jenny and Moe.
Kate shared her brand new birthday toy with Gavin.

Morgan, Gavin, Katelyn The birthday girl in all her glory.

This past weekend we went up to Detroit to visit Chad's family and celebrate our niece Katelyn's first birthday! Her birthday was on Sunday, April 13 which means her and Gavin are exactly 5 months apart. At this age, it is such a difference but soon enough they'll be all over the place together. We had lots of fun with both Katelyn and her big sister Morgan who turns 3 next month. Gavin loved watching his cousins play and thought they were solely there for his entertainment. As always, our weekend was filled with lots of good food and great company. Thanks for hosting us again Mom and Dad Harris.

A Flying Pro

I just had to include a few more pics from the trip of Gavin travelling. I couldn't resist. We are teaching him early how to enjoy business class. My mom and dad used a bunch of miles to get us upgraded to business class for the trip which was AWESOME. Even Gavin appreciated the upgrade. Check him out! :)

Should have stayed in bed

So this morning was one of those that I should have just stayed in bed and saved myself a lot of trouble. It started out normal with me nursing Gavin and some playtime...mind you Gavin is crabby and has been for a couple of days now. I am desperately searching for teeth just to have a reason behind the madness. Well, I go to take Gavin downstairs and kinda fall down a few. In light of recent events, I panic. However, after much crying on his part, he finally calmed down. (Don't worry, we were both ok). In the process of calming down, he has a blow out diaper. So we go to get a clean diaper and I notice Maddie licking her leg like crazy. I go to look and she has some sort of rash which is bleeding all over her chest. I panic, again. Between Gavin yelling, Maddie licking and the blowout, I am on the phone with Chad, my mom and the vet. The only option was to get Maddie in some sort of get up that would prevent her from licking and causing more irritation before I could get her to the dr. These pictures show what I came up with using Chad's t-shirt and hair ties. I thought it was genius and she definitely thought it was humiliating. This was all before 8:15 am. So like I said, if I had the choice (which we all know I never really did) I should have stayed in bed. Thank goodness tomorrow is another day.

I see Spain, I see France....

Just the kids on the Spanish coast.
Chad, Jen, Kyle & Heather in Chad's town of Denia.
Mom & Dad at the chilly Alhambra Palace in Granada.

With the palace in the background and Gavin actually awake, we stopped for a quick picture.
The whole crew at the Alhambra Palace.

Chad and Lorien
Heather and I throwing out a Peace to the Far East.

Gavin LOVED getting carried around by Daddy in the backpack.
In the bullring, we weren't intimidated by Chad's bull.

Gram and Gramp--84 years young and hanging with the best of us.
This is the infamous "stoller incident"--there are claims during this moment, the stroller

was rolling toward the street...unattended while I took a picture. They exaggerate, it was only for a second. :)

...and baby make a very happy three.
His Uncle Chad and Daddy got Gavin all ready for Morocco.

Daddy and Gavin cruising the kasbah in Morocco.
Grandpa and Lorien getting close to the camels.

Mom and I went for a "wild" ride.
Even Gavin wanted in on the action--and look at that smile.

Uncle Chad and Gavin keeping it real in their shades.
Proud new owners of a Moroccan magic carpet.

Gavin missed alot of excitement b/c he did this alot. I love that sweet face.
Chad and I on top of the Arc de Triomph.

The weather in Paris was definitley different from where we came from.
Gavin was helping keep Mommy dry.

A bit cold, wet and windy
Uncle Kyle couldn't wait to make Gavin look like a native

Outside the Louvre while the boys are narrating all the scenes from DaVinci Code
Grandpa and I waiting for the double decker bus outside the Louvre.

Kyle and I trying to share the center point of Paris
My little Parisian.

Well it is hard to sum up our two week vacation to Spain and France in a short blog...and even harder to pick what pictures to post out of the hundreds that we have. (Above are some of my many favorites.) We had an amazing time with our family. Obviously there were some bumps in the road (from Gavin's health issues to getting pulled over by the police to flight delays, etc.) but overall we are so grateful and so blessed to have had this time together as a family. We loved seeing my brother Chad and where he is living now. Most of all, we loved all being together and exploring Spain, Morocco and Paris as a family. Thanks Mom and Dad for the amazing trip and all the adventures you provided us with!

PS--So sorry it has taken me so long to finally post!

El Hospiten (the Spanish Hospital)

Well, we are home from our trip with LOTS to report. Our trip was great and I will be sure to post more info and more pictures later. First, I need to update on Gavin. The first day we arrived in Spain, Gavin had a 103 temp and was quite visibly miserable. His temp stayed for a few days along with congestion, runny nose and lots of crabbiness. Poor guy was not sleeping well which means poor mom and dad were also struggling with a lack of sleep. As the week progressed he improved and we were all surviving. Chad and I also were suffering from Gavin's cold which made things a little tough. However, about a week into the trip, we had a major scare. Gavin had a febrile seizure while we were staying in Marbella, Spain. We took him to the hospital (El Hospiten) where he was admitted and had to stay the night. Gavin gave us a huge scare and it was definitely a traumatic experience. He seemed to bounce back from it quite well and as you can see in his pictures, was smiling even in the hospital. His Dad and I on the other hand were a wreck with worry. Our main concern is that he never registered a fever which is the key ingredient in a fever induced (febrile) seizure. Experiencing Gavin's seizure was by far the worst moment in our lives to date. However, God was watching over us all that day and got us through with no shortage of praying and pleading. We have some more tests that need to be run now that we are home but we continue to pray for good results. The whole experience was a difficult one being so far from home and having a language barrier as well. It delayed our plans to go to Paris the next day so while the rest of the family travelled to France as planned, Chad, Gavin, my mom and I stayed back one more night. It was a very difficult time but thanks to EVERYONE who prayed for us and for Gavin. That is what got us through each moment of that experience. All in all, Gavin was a trooper and we were amazed at how well he managed to survive the sickness, seizure, longs plane rides, car rides and confines of his stroller. Although he relished every spare moment of love and attention he got from his Uncles, Aunts and Grandparents. He was definitely spoiled...and none of us will apologize for that.