Gavin (Month 10)

Oooh... just want to smooch you!  You make me smile!

I had to use "Signing Time" to get you still enough for a few green-chair pictures!
(It's December, so the Santa pants were appropriate!  These have now been worn by Gracie, Preston and you!)

THIS... standing, cruising, moving all about the house... is what you do rather than sit in the green chair!
You're cruising and transitioning like a pro now.  Fewer bonks and bruises, which makes me more sane.  You haven't gotten very bold about standing on your own yet... just a split second at a time... thanks for slowing down that part of your speedy development! 

Oh, Gav-man, so much is going on with you!

You sign "all done" and have a sign approximation for "more."  By 9 1/2 months, both had been used unprompted - - "all done" on three separate occasions when you did not want anything else to eat.  So cool.  Now you sign it every time you eat! Your wave got super defined during the last month and is now completely outward rather than a wave toward yourself. (You wave to everyone!)  You've also started noticing when Girlie (Gracie's nurse) puts on her shoes that it's time to say "bye."  Similarly, I have caught you listening to conversations about leaving and you start waving "bye."  I love all of this emerging communication.

You also sign "dog," say "mama" and come searching for me chanting it over and over!  It's so cute! You say "Bubba" for Preston and "da" for dog.  You have a (darn close) sign approximation for "ball" and say "ba" for ball. You also seem to be attempting to say "hi!"  You are quite the mimicker of sounds, whether words or the crazy sound effects from your brother and daddy!

You love: hi-fiving, waving hello and goodbye, playing peek-a-boo in your car seat or stroller by putting your blanket up and pulling it down really fast or going behind a door and then peeking around it while pulling it open. You give kisses by smacking your lips together. "Go give sissy a kiss... and you crawl toward her "smack, smack, smacking" your lips.



This is how you use a binkie!  Unlike your brother (who couldn't go anywhere without at least two binkies), you are pretty indifferent.  When you're teething, you enjoy biting one, but don't really hang out with one in your mouth. 
You love going in and out of Preston's room... and playing peek-a-boo at his door!

This month we started Sleep Training... I really dislike that term. Anyway, regardless what you call it, we (you and I) started the month by working on getting you to go down on your own rather than me nursing you and holding you. I am not sure who it was harder on... you or me. And I am not certain who misses the old way more. It's likely me on both counts. You're my baby and I love snuggling with you. I love that you need me and want to be held by me. (Selfishly, and now, not-so-secretly, I also love that time because I have a legitimate reason to actually sit down for a bit!) You did great with it... once you got over your stomach flu. We had to start over when you were feeling better. By the third day, you had our routine down pat and wake up once to quickly nurse and go right back down. We should have done it a long time ago... but I am selfishly (there's that word again!) glad we didn't!

Brotherly Love
Preston loves being your big brother as much as you love being his baby brother!

You get so excited in the morning to see Preston.  You squeal and chat with delight when he comes into your room and plays with you while you're still in your crib.  When you're out, you love going into Gracie's room, waving to her as you stand at her bedside, while I tend to her and unhook her feeding pump.  You lay your head down by hers and pat at her.  SO SWEET.  Melts me every time.  You continue to love pulling all the books off of her bottom shelf.  I think I re-shelve those at least five times a day!  (Girlie does, too!)   

You have the most infectious smile and giggle.  Seriously.  In the evenings, you laugh uncontrollably while we wear you out before our bedtime routine.  It's so fun.



This is you at 9 months and 1 day... hamming it up on your new toy and sporting your CHP onesie.

Hanging with Elmo on your 10-month birthday

Mama's laundry helper... all retro in your Santa pants!

For a little guy, you play independently so well.  It's amazing to me how different you and Preston are in that way.  You will go from toy to toy... down the hall, to your room, back to the hall, down to the playroom and play all while I stand at the linen cabinet counter in the hall folding laundry.  It amazes me how long you will entertain yourself with only a brief "check-in" to see me for some kisses and a hug before you're off again.  Granted, if you're hungry or slightly tired, it's a whole different scene!

You LOVE the Christmas decorations and wave at all of them! Your favorite is the Nutcracker. You crawl over to the table and talk to him, wave at him and seem to wait for him to answer.  You wave at all of them, actually... but the Nutcracker is, by far, your favorite!

You have cut two more teeth... six now.
You had your first bout with the stomach flu and you didn't mess around. It was BAD. Poor baby.  The worst of it was three days, but a total of a week.  You lost 15 ounces by day four and narrowly escaped a hospitalization. :-(  You also had a bilateral ear infection.
  

Sad, so sick baby boy.

You love big boy food and pretty much turn your nose up at anything resembling a puree unless it's yogurt!
You love cottage cheese (have for some time), yogurt (especially Greek... you also love the kid yogurts), avocado, cooked carrots, bananas, baked squash, garbanzo beans, pasta with sauce of all kinds (even slightly spicy!)... the list is long.

The leaps and bounds by which you are growing and changing makes me want to freeze time (I say that a lot) so I can savor these last two months of you being under one.
I love you Boo-Dee!