A Cousin Playdate

Last week Tuesday we had a very fun playdate at our house. We had my cousin Debbie and her daughter Bea, my cousin Anne and her son Sam and daughter Margot, my cousin Erin, my sister-in-law Heather and of course Gavin and I. It was busy in our basement that's for sure. Sam & Bea just love playing together and Gavin was totally content to watch them and be entertained. Margot, just relaxed, snoozed and hung out in the bouncy seat. All this while my cousins and I talk, talk, talked which is what we tend to do when we're together. It was so fun to catch up and have lunch together. Trying to get a group picture of the kids was a challenge...here are our attempts.

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.