Sitting Up Like a Big Boy!

It is amazing how quickly Gavin goes from just beginning to do something new to mastering it. He is now sitting independently for long periods of time. A few short weeks ago we were working on sitting and he would squish himself over and manage to stay that way for a few seconds on his own. In the last week he has gone from squishing over to sitting up while holding toys, reaching out for toys and even scooting a little to get to toys just out of reach.



Look at what a big boy he is already!!! He still has some learning to do when reaching for things in certain directions because he still topples over but he is learning to balance himself better and I am working with him so that he will catch himself before he face plants.

Tonight I also saw his second tooth starting to poke through! He now has two bottom teeth growing in...

Slow down sweet boy, please!!!

Baker's Anonymous...

Hello, my name is Angela and I am addicted to baking.

I think I have a serious problem. I have always enjoyed baking and for years I have had the benefit of being able to make said baked goods disappear by bringing them into the office. Everyone loved when I had found a new recipe I had to try or was in the mood for something. I was quite proud that people "hated" me because they couldn't walk by my office and not stop in for some of whatever I had brought it and I would ruin whatever diet they happened to be on. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Well, times have changed. I have two problems now. The first being, the sweet tooth I have always had, somehow managed to get worse and I have lost most of the self control I had prior to pregnancy. The second being, when I am in the mood to bake (which is often) because I want a little something sweet, there is no easy outlet for making the baking disappear after. This results in me eating most of what I made... not a good idea!

In the last two weeks I have made banana muffins with cream cheese frosting (twice - but in my defense we had a few bananas that were beyond the point of me being willing to eat them but perfect for baking), chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting and the latest culprit is chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting (absolutely delicious!!!)...


At least I try to modify recipes, where possible, to make a smaller batch... that makes it ok, right?

So, I think I need some kind of rehab or intervention to keep me from entering the kitchen when I get in the mood to bake. It doesn't help that I have also regularly been making rolls/biscuits/pasta for dinner because they complement our dinners and make them so much better!! I think I need some serious help... fast...

Already Reading!

I always hoped that my children would love to read as much as I do. So in my attempt to have this be the case, I try to read at least a short book to Gavin every day. Well, I think that this is already paying off!


He is already reading! What a smart kid he is!

Too bad that within a few seconds of that picture, he had moved on from reading to eating the book... just like everything else, it isn't fun or worth his time if he can't put it in his mouth.

I guess I have some work to do teaching him to show more respect for all his wonderful books! Until then, I am just happy he is showing interest in them and enjoys being read to!

A Little Bit of Everything...

Well, due to some technical difficulties connecting to our shared drive where all our pictures are backed up and uploaded from, I have not been able to get much posted in the last few days. So, since there has been quite a bit going on, I will just post a mismash of everything so I don't have to create 10 different posts.

Gavin's new car seat came last week. We are quite impressed in how it looks and feels. We are hoping Gavin will be more comfortable and not completely hate car rides now that he has a new seat. Maybe we will even get lucky and he will decide it is comfortable enough to even start falling asleep in the car. Doubtful, but I can dream, can't I?



Once I figured out how to adjust the straps (the directions were quite vague and even lacking explanations on a few things), I sat Gavin in it so I could get the adjustments right before it was loaded into the Terrain where it will be more difficult to make those adjustments.


We have only taken one ride in it so far, but considering he didn't scream at me the entire way to the store and back, I consider it a win. Hopefully that was not just a fluke and he really does like his new seat considering how much time I spent picking out one that looked comfortable, was highly rated for safety as well as by other consumers.

Gavin's first tooth started really coming in last week. He has had some "signs" of teething for a couple of months now (massive amounts of drool and chewing on everything he can get his hands on), but there were no signs of an actual tooth coming through. That is until Wednesday night when I thought I saw a little white spot on his lower gums. Sure enough, when I got a better look (with great difficulty), there was a tooth starting to come through!

Well, it was all downhill from there. Since Wednesday night, he has clearly been uncomfortable. He has been a lot more fussy and generally unhappy since then, which is not helped by the fact he is also not sleeping as well. We have tried all kinds of things to try to help him (teething toys (pacifiers now have a use as he chews on them!), cold wash cloths, chewing on my fingers, his own, baby orajel and I even resorted to trying a little baby tylenol) but nothing seems to help much or is completely rejected (in the case of the cold wash cloths or toys). Hopefully the tooth will finish breaking through soon and any others either come in quickly or hold off for a while. I managed to get a picture of it while we were playing on Friday.


Look at that little tooth coming in!

Gavin's sitting has improved, although still relatively unstable, he is getting better and lasting longer each day.


He often ends up squished almost in half because he either sees his feet and must try to eat them (of which he often succeeds) or he is trying to get a different part of a toy or a different toy altogether.


I also did a little baking the last few days. Not that we really needed to have anything around the house for me to eat, since my will power has apparently dwindled to zero, but we had a few bananas that I wouldn't eat, but they were perfect for baking. So I made some banana cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.


Thankfully the recipe only made 12, too bad I think I ate more than half of them between Wednesday night and Friday night... that is ok because they are healthy, right? That is what I tell myself.

I made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting Saturday morning because we had our friends Chad and Heather coming over that afternoon and so I had to make something, right? I know, I know. I didn't have to, but I used it as my excuse anyways.


Not all that impressive looking because my decorating skills are seriously lacking but they were so yummy! Quite obvious they were a hit with all of us (especially me) given that there are only 5 of the 15 left... oops.

We had a great visit with Chad and Heather. Despite Gavin's understandable mood swings, he seemed to really enjoying meeting them as well. He loved the shadow puppets Heather was making on the kitchen wall, he was just giggling away. He enjoys having an audience and likes to show off what he can do. Such a silly boy! Hopefully we will all get to see them again in a few months when their little girl is born and Gavin will have another baby to interact with!

Other than that things have been pretty normal, for us anyway. Scott is busy with radio and antennas in between entertaining Gavin when he gets sick of me. I drive myself batty trying to keep the house clean to my standards (a losing battle that I have yet to give up on) and try to fit in all the other things I need to get done in between playing and working on things with Gavin. Life is good, especially since the sun has been out the last few days and even though it is still pretty cold, seeing the sun, the longer days and the occassional 40 and 50 degree weather gives me hope that warmer weather is close which means it is easier to grill for dinner! Wahoo, burgers for dinner tonight!!!

Food! Nom, nom, nom!

Gavin's first "solid" food attempt was a success. He really seemed to enjoy it and most of it even made it in. He didn't end up wearing all that much. I have to admit that even though this is an exciting and good thing, I am a little sad. I had said even though the pediatrician had given the go ahead, we were not going to try it out until Scott and I had found a high chair we both agreed on. Sadly, last weekend I ended up coming across something that was a happy medium between what we both were looking for and it came Tuesday. Once we got it together, Gavin took it for a test drive...


He seemed to like it or at least not hate it, so we hope it will be a nice addition to our kitchen decor


I was still holding out hope that even though we were going to give it a try that Gavin wouldn't be impressed and would reject it. I knew that was unlikely given his interest in everything around him (including food) and him wanting to put everything in his mouth.

So the following afternoon I mixed up some rice cereal and I gave Gavin a spoonful and Scott stood by documenting with both cameras. Unfortunately, the video he took was much better than the still shots and I have yet to try to tackle uploading video. So, the one Scott got that at least shows that Gavin is eating...


Scott took over after a bit because I had to start rolls for dinner and I got a couple of pictures that are pretty funny and show Gavin's enthusiasm for his new adventure.

"GIMMIE!!!"


"I'm trying to eat here, leave me alone! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!"


So, I now have to come to terms, yet again, with the fact that he is very quickly growing up and no longer needs only me... very sad indeed!

Pierogi Casserole!

Last night for dinner I made a new recipe I had recently come across that sounded good. It was simple and fairly quick to make, but it tasted even better than I ever imagined. It was seriously awesome! I did not take any pictures (sorry, I was too preoccupied with eating it!), maybe next time.

You Need:

4 Large Russet Potatoes

3/4 lb Farfalle Pasta (or whatever pasta you like and have on hand - I used mini ziti because we were out of farfalle)

1 1/2 Sticks Butter

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream (or Half & Half)

2 1/2 Cups Chredded Cheese (Cheddar or whatever you prefer)

1 Tblsp Onion Powder or Minced Onion (I used minced onion because we do not have any onion powder and I actually thought it was better)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Wash potatoes and poke venting holes for the steam. Place potatoes in the oven for about 1 hour or until cooked. (You can also peel and cube the potatoes to boil until tender instead, I just prefer baking them because it takes me less time to prepare.)

Meanwhile, prepare selected pasta according to the package and toss with 1/2 stick of butter and a little salt and pepper.

Slice potatoes and scoop out the interior into a bowl. Add 1 stick of butter, onion (powder or minced) and mash with your preferred method. Then add the heavy cream, salt and pepper to taste and 2 cups of cheese.

Adjust the oven temperature to 375 once the potatoes are done. Coat a 9x9 pan with cooking spray.

Pour half the pasta in the bottom of the pan and smooth half of the mashed potatoes over the pasta. Then repeat with the second half of the pasta and potatoes. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake (uncovered) for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Sleep Lines...

We discovered that Gavin sleeps much better on his tummy (I think he gets this from Scott because I hate sleeping on my stomach). Although at first I was really nervous about it and checked on him every 30 seconds, I have mellowed because he is very capable of controlling his head and rolling and all that. Well, that was all fine and well until he started sleeping with his head on his hands, not with his head on the side like he used to. That too at first made me crazy, but I quickly discovered his stubbornness with this because if you tried to reposition him he either wakes up mad or he fights you and you can't move his hands and head anyway. So this too I had to grow accustomed to. As a result he wakes up with some interesting marks on his forehead from his hands:


Poor kid... but it does make for a good laugh for Scott and myself when he wakes up!

Five Months Old!

Wow, it really is hard for me to believe Gavin is already five months old (well, five months and 2 days, I kind of missed the ball getting this all put together in time for Saturday)! It is so sad how quickly the time has gone and I find myself already missing things that he used to do. I am however enjoying every moment of who he is becoming. He has quite the personality!

Stats:

Weight - 20 pounds 2 ounces (96 percentile)
Height - 28 inches (98th percentile)
Clothing Size - This greatly depends on the brand, but Gavin mostly wears 6-9 and 6-12 month clothing. I just recently pulled out a few things he has that are 12 month and although they are big, they are not so big he can't wear them and get more use out of them.
Milestones -
*Gavin now blatantly refuses tummy time because he has started rolling over more frequently. He now promptly rolls himself onto his back with 30 seconds of my trying to enforce the torture. I have to work hard to keep him entertained so he continues to get enough time every day.
*He has started standing while holding onto things other than Scott or my hands, although not entirely stable, still quite the accomplishment.
*He is very effective scooting backwards while on his stomach and all over the place on his back (whether rolling from side to side or using his feet to push him all over).
*He puts anything and everything he can get his hands on in his mouth, no teeth or definite signs of teeth soon though.
*His napping and nighttime sleeping habits have mostly stabilized and are fairly good (most days).
*He is a giggling and laughing machine and SO ticklish now! Scott says to stop tickling him because it isn't fair, but Gavin doesn't seem to mind and it is so much fun (and super cute)! He laughs all the time at the craziest things. I am so glad he does this so much more often because it is the best sound in the world!
Other -
*We are going to start giving him "solid" food this weekend (we finally found a high chair we both like) and moving him into a new car seat. Both will be separate posts when we get there officially.
*He has added smacking his lips, blowing bubbles and making a "yumyum" type noise to his "vocabulary" it is really cute and always makes me laugh... such a silly boy!

It is such an amazing experience to watch him grow and learn. I truly love being a stay at home mom. I feel so blessed that we are in a position that I can be. He is an absolutely perfect little boy, we couldn't ask for a better addition to our little family!

So grown up!


Hamming it up!

Spring Fever and Saint Patrick's Day

We have finally begun getting some warmer weather and the snow is almost gone!! I know that March and even April are very unpredictable months in NY weather wise, but it is hard not to get excited for some nicer weather to be able to spend time outside, especially since Gavin loves it so much!

Last week we were able to go on several walks to enjoy the beautiful weather. Gavin was so excited to be outside in the fresh air and not be all bundled up. He was talking away, smiling and laughing at the different things we saw on our walk through Valkill.

"HI!"


Watching the water:




Our yummy Saint Patrick's Day dinner:


Corned beef, garlic cabbage and roasted "Angela" potatoes (Scott's name for them). It was really good!

When we went for our walk last Friday I got some pictures of some of the wildlife we came across.


It is a little hard to see, but there are several frogs in the previous picture. There is a small pond on Valkill that is filled with frogs. They make a lot of noise, it is pretty funny to watch them going crazy in there.

On our walk back to the house, Gavin decided he would test out how his stroller tastes:


I am actually wondering what took him so long to try it because that was his first taste. Then within a few minutes, that crazy kid fell asleep in his stroller. This is the same kid that pretty much refuses to sleep in his car seat and he falls asleep in his stroller! Unbelievable!


After his nap, we spent the rest of the afternoon outside playing in the backyard. Gavin was in such a good mood and was having so much fun. I took a lot of pictures, but I will only share a few of the best ones, especially since I have already posted so many!

Standing already!

Gavin's new favorite use for his playmat/gym is:


A view from the top:


It really shouldn't be that unbelievable to me, he has loved standing holding our hands for quite some time (and insists on doing this all.the.time), but it is still hard to believe that he is well on his way to standing by himself!

We also managed to get a silly picture of him standing that gives a pretty good impression of how tall he is, that is if you know how tall Scott is:


He had quite the confused face on for this, trying to figure out what in the world we were doing to him now. Poor kid...

Visit with Andrew, Andrea and Joseph plus Some Birthday Fun

Andrew, Andrea and Joseph came to NY to visit us, along with some friends and to take Joseph to see some things he really enjoyed last time he was here as well as some new things. We really enjoyed seeing them and had a lot of fun! Gavin loved having them around. He loved how Andrew and Andrea made him the center of attention and he loved Joseph doing all kinds of crazy things to entertain him.


Unfortunately, I need to be better about getting pictures of everything (and making sure the pictures I take are clear and framed well) so I missed a lot of the silly things Joseph was doing. Trust me it was fun to watch all the silly faces, sounds, dances, etc. What a great cousin he is! His Aunt and Uncle were great also because they also were so great with entertaining Gavin. I love entertaining him, but it is nice when I get a break because others want to spend time with him and have some fun. Too bad I didn't get any pictures of this... I promise to be better about it and get more pictures next time!

We really enjoyed having all three over a few times while they were here visiting. They even came over on my birthday to hang out and we had some good food (lasagna - our way - and rolls). Andrew and Andrea even went out and got a fancy cake from the Culinary bakery - Apple Pie Bakery. It was SO good! It was a shame to cut into it because it looked so fancy:


But I got over that because who wouldn't want to eat a dark chocolate and mousse layered cake! Absolutely delicious! Thanks again Andrew, Andrea and Joseph!!!

The following night (Friday) we all met at Max's BBQ for dinner. It is such a great local restaurant with really good food! Despite Gavin being a little cranky, we had a lot of fun! Thanks to the help of Gavin's newest toy:


A Sing-A-Ma-Jig! Thanks to Andrew, Andrea and Joseph, Gavin is the proud owner of the funniest toy I think I have ever seen. I find myself enjoying a lot of Gavin's toys since I end up playing with them to teach him how they work and this is our new favorite!

We also had the "family" celebration of my birthday the following Sunday, one of the benefits of living close to my parents house because we get to see them on a regular basis and have a fun birthday dinner and cake. I am used to it just being Scott and myself with them (and now Gavin) but it was really nice to be able to spend some more time with Andrew, Andrea and Joseph and it was also the biggest birthday gathering here in many years. I really enjoyed it. They all helped out in making a delicious dinner and Mom made a fancy cake (it is called the best chocolate cake for a reason - super chocolately and yummy! I certainly ate way too much of it myself) and she decorated it as well. I wish I had the creative abilities that Mom does but sadly I did not inherit any of her creative abilities!


It was sad to see Andrew, Andrea and Joseph have to go home to Utah, but it was so good to see them so much while they were here. We can't wait to see them again soon!

Not Ready For This...

Apparently Gavin has decided that my punishment for forcing tummy time torture on him is that he is already trying to scoot around and even lift himself off the ground!



I am so not ready for that already, he can't possibly be anywhere near old enough to be starting this already! I seriously hope this does not lead to him crawling around early!

He also has been doing better with independent sitting. He is still only able to do a few seconds at a time, but that is progress considering only a few weeks ago he pretty much refused to even practice sitting with me. Such a big boy!


What happened to the tiny newborn we brought home from the hospital!!!

Family Fun and Exercise!

We had some warmer weather Saturday and even though it was supposed to be cloudy all day, the sun made an appearance! We decided that once Gavin woke up from his nap we would go for our first walk together over to Valkill. Unfortunately, the sun disappeared again before we were able to get out, but it was still warm enough that we loaded Gavin in his stroller (first time for him riding in the actual stroller, instead of his car seat on the stroller - very exciting).

"What are you crazy people doing to me now!?!?"


As per his usual reaction to new things, Gavin did not show much emotion.

"Are you done yet?"


I know he does enjoy being outside based on our short walks to the mailbox on the few days when the weather has been nice enough. He did not protest at all and by the end, even started to "talk" and smile some.

"Gimme!!!"


"Yesssss, I got it!"



We are looking forward to warmer weather so we can be outside for more walks and for the snow to finally all melt so we can be out playing in the yard.