I Love NY

All three of our boys have worn this outfit that Auntie Holly gave us back when Adam was a baby. Here's a couple of photos--one of Matt and one of Gavin wearing it. I have a photo of Adam wearing it as well but we didn't have a digital camera when he was a baby so that particular photo is not on our computer. Matthew is 3 1/2 months in his photo and Gavin is 4 1/2 months in his. Can you tell who's who?

Gavin's 1st Cereal

On Sunday, Gavin had his first serving of rice cereal. He seemed to enjoy it and didn't fuss at all about eating it.

Matt wanted to be in the middle of the action. Here he is helping feed Gavin.

Weekend News

I title this 'weekend news' although I can't really say there's much news to it. We've had a nice weekend. Yesterday Adam and Matt seemed to get along better than most days and played well together. Basically just goofing off and having fits of the giggles. It's great fun for Rob and I to see them laughing and having fun with each other. Two weeks ago Robert repainted the basement. Yesterday we finished painting the trim. Only the doors are left now. We fed Gavin his first baby cereal today. He did better than expected--no crying, not even a 'what-the-heck-is-this' face. I'll post pictures later. He has dropped his evening nap. Now we're down to three a day. Last Sunday after church we were informed that the spanish branch we attend would be dissolved into the english ward. That officially happened today. I'm excited for the spanish members to be in a fully functioning ward and be able to enjoy all the blessings that come from that. I hope the language and culture differences won't be a barrier to anyone feeling welcome and/or accepted. So, that's my short post. Just wanted to record what's going on around here.

Growing Up

Earlier this week Matt and Adam were discussing who was stronger. Matt said he was 'cause he could do more push-ups. Of course Adam countered that and said he could. So, they both got down on the floor to see who could do the most push-ups. Adam did a typical kid push-up with his bum in the air, but Matt had the correct form and quickly did 10 of them. This caught me by surprise. Not that Matt hasn't always been athletic and quite stocky, but that he could do push-ups properly at his age. I told him to let me feel his muscles. I noticed that his biceps, triceps and shoulders seemed to be quite a bit stronger. So, I asked him if he had been practicing doing push-ups. He replied that he hadn't. So, then I asked what he had been doing to get stronger arms. He said that he's been doing chin-ups during recess.

Adam went to a classmate's birthday party this week. It was the first girl party he has been invited to. He even received a princess invitation. I wasn't sure if he would want to go but he said he did. When I took him over to Alexa's house, I noticed there were 6-7 girls there but no boys. Alexa's mom (who happens to be Matt's kindergarten teacher) told Adam not to worry, that more boys were coming. After the party ended and Adam came home, he told us about the party. He said, "When I went inside, all these girls swarmed around me and my stomach felt weird and I didn't know what to do". Both Robert and I started laughing.

4 Months

Gavin is four months old today. He is doing really well. He has a happy disposition and really enjoys smiling at anything and anyone. He seems a lot more interactive this past month. His current stats are: weight: 14 lbs. 5 oz (50th percentile); height: 24 inches (30th percentile).
In comparison to Adam and Matt, Gavin is the heaviest (by one ounce) and the shortest (by 1/4 inch). So, I'm thinking of him as our "stubby chubby". He continues to nurse six times/day and nap four times/day. He goes to bed about 9pm and sleeps 'til 7am. He's grown into his 3-6 months clothes. He loves to stand on our laps and has little interest in lying down. He no longer wants to be in his bouncy seat since it's too reclined for his liking. He is enjoying his exersaucer, as seen below. He also likes to sit in his highchair and be scooted up to the table with the rest of us during mealtime. He recognizes himself in the mirror and is just thrilled to see himself or any other baby. He breaks out into a big smile. He is getting quite adept at grabbing and holding onto his toys, our glasses, my hair, etc. He rolls from his tummy to his back and is starting to work on rolling from his back to his tummy.

His hair has fallen out on the sides, so he's sporting a mohawk along the top and down the back. He's got big, blue eyes that always seem to be very alert. It looks like he is starting to develop a dimple in his chin like his Grandpa Chichi. He has started drooling a lot and some days sports a rash on his chin from it. He continues to spit up a lot and it has gotten gradually worse as he's gotten older. I've been eliminating any and all foods that could possibly be bothering him. I feel like it's only safe to eat bananas and turkey sandwiches. However, the doctor today told me that at this point I can start eating everything again, including dairy. And simply try to pinpoint the exact foods that bother him. We're glad Gavin is doing so well and is a healthy boy.

Weekly Update

So, here's an update to my previous post this week. Gavin is doing much better. He's back on his normal schedule, including four naps and six feedings. He has started rolling over from his tummy to his back. I've done a better job of having Gavin do 'tummy time' than I did with Adam and Matt.
Adam is enjoying school. He's started up his gifted class again, which he loves. This year he is grouped with another student and not on his own.
Matthew won't admit it but he likes school. He did tell me he liked preschool better because it wasn't as long, but he said he laughs more in kindergarten because he has made lots of friends and "they are funny".
Robert spent all day yesterday painting the basement, at least the family and guest rooms. He's going to paint the study tomorrow. Somehow Labor Day weekend is always full of labor in our house.

Where Are You, Calgon?

Gavin and I have had a trying few days. He's just not himself. Since Friday, he's dropped a feeding and a nap. He's only nursing five times a day. That doesn't seem like enough for a three-month old. And's he's only napping three times a day, for a total of 90 minutes. Up 'til this point, he's been a great napper. He never fussed about it. I would just put him down and he would happily sleep. But the past few days, he's been falling asleep on my shoulder but as soon as I put him down in his crib, he clings to me like a monkey and starts crying. The schedule we had is now totally blown. Most of the time now I'm not sure when to feed him and when he's tired. I'm hoping today we'll get back to normal. He fell asleep on our walk this morning. So, when we got home, I didn't dare wake him up. I just wheeled the stroller into my room while I showered. In fact, he's still sleeping now and it's been an hour. Not having some type of schedule is stressful for me. To help me survive, I just keep telling myself that it won't last forever. In fact, it will probably last just a week or so before we get it figured out. Until we get to that point, though. . . . .AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!