Thursday, July 22, 2010

16 Months Old

My sweet boy,

You did so many new things this month that I decided to keep a list. It seems you have grown in leaps and bounds! Daddy and I just adore being your parents. You are just the happiest kid and find joy in all the little things in life. You are such a pleasant, easy child to raise (so far, hee hee) and we look forward to all the years to come! Here are some new things you are doing now:
  • You said your first word shortly after turning 15 months and it was "Dada." Daddy called me at work and had you tell me over the phone. It was the cutest thing!! He was so very excited that his name was your first word.
  • Shortly thereafter, you said your second word: "Daddy." Yes, seriously. I don't know how you just skipped over "Mama" and went straight to "Daddy," but I'll get over it. (Someday.) It is so adorable to hear you say "Daddy" because that is something that I thought usually comes later for most kids, but when you want Dad's attention, you will say, "Dada...Dada...Dadddddyyyyy!!!!"
  • You suddenly love wearing your shoes. You went from hating them and despising them on your feet to wanting to wear them all the time and crying if we tried to take them off when we were at home. You will go get your shoes and bring them to us when you want them put on.


  • You like to help clean (which is so nice for us!) and will often use a wipe to tidy up your tray after you eat.


  • You are a fan of the fan and enjoy letting the air blow through your hair.



  • You love wearing Daddy's hat around the house.


  • You also love sunglasses and cell phones (you're very Hollywood, you know). One day, I bought some storage boxes and let you play with them for awhile. A few moments later, you had Daddy and I cracking up because we saw you like this...


  • And here you are with the phone once again...

  • You blow kisses. Not just to us, but to EVERYONE. Once you learned how to do this, you wanted to show off this new skill to everyone you saw. We were at a car show recently and you began flirting and blowing kisses to the women at the table next to us. Of course, they thought you were just the cutest little guy and you kept them entertained for quite awhile.
  • When you've had enough of something, like getting your diaper changed, you will sign "all done." So, when we recently went to the doctor for your 15 month shots, you cried and frantically signed "ALL DONE" repeatedly so the nurse would know that you were done with the shots. Unfortunately, she had communication problems, because you got all three of your shots anyway. How rude, huh?
  • You were not a big fan of the "Little Piggy" song in the past, but decided that you really like it this month. In fact, when you are in a Piggy kind of mood, you will remove your socks and grab your little piggies and say, "wee, wee, wee..." so that we know that we need to do the Piggy song for you. You will also occasionally grab my toes and say, "wee, wee, wee..." as well. So stinkin' cute.
  • You showed interest in your potty chair and wanted to sit on it. Does this mean you will be ready for potty training soon??? Hmmm...


  • You LOVE the hose. (That may have been obvious from three out the four previous posts.)


  • You can give a "high five."
  • Your sign language skills are improving and you can now sign "milk."

  • You do really well eating with a fork all by yourself.


  • You give kisses!!! You absolutely melted my heart when you gave me your first real kiss. Each night after your bath, when I am getting you ready for bed, I give you a kiss after I clean your ears. Well, recently, I finished cleaning your ears and then I said, "Give Mama a kiss" and you put your little hands on my cheeks and pulled my face in and gave me the sweetest little kiss! My heart absolutely melted!! I asked Daddy to try to video tape it, but you wouldn't do it after you saw the camera. However, I tried to be sneaky and I caught you doing it later. The video is below. It's not the best shot, but you get the idea.


  • You know a few body parts: nose, eyes, toes, and hair.
  • You said your third word - "Mama" - hooray!!! That was a great day!

  • Your fourth word (yes, you are just talking up a storm now!) was "yuck" and you will say it when you find dog hair on the floor.
  • You can follow directions very well. For example, when you found some dog hair on the floor, I asked you to throw it in the trash and you carefully carried it all the way to the kitchen, lifted the lid of the can, and flicked it in. It was so cute. Now, whenever you bring us some "yuck," we ask you to throw it in the trash and most of the time, you oblige.
  • When we ask you if you want to do something that you don't want to do, you will give us a whiny "mmmm" and shake your head "no."
  • You give eskimo kisses. (And very well at that.)
  • You think picking your nose is hilarious and will do it often while I chase you around saying, "no, no, no!"


  • When we say, "Did you go poop?", you will reply with "Pppppffffftttthhhh." (That's supposed to represent the toot noise, but I have no idea how to spell it!)
  • When we're out and about, people will sometimes tell me that you are so little for your age. Of course, I don't know what "average" size is for a 16-month old, but you don't seem little to me. Well, at your recent doctor appointment, you were 21.5 pounds and 29-1/2 inches, which is only 10% for both height and weight. So I guess you are little! The doctor wasn't concerned though, because you are continuing to grow and you are healthy. I guess you're just small. But, like I've said before, with parents like yours, you aren't destined for the NBA.
So those are the new skills you have learned this month. You are so much fun and just do the silliest things. I love you so much, Gav!!!

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Fun with the Hose (Yet AGAIN)

We really have created a monster. Gavin LOVES the hose and wants to play with it every time he sees it. Matt was recently playing with Gavin in the backyard when he yelled for me to come outside with the camera. Of course, our little man was playing with the hose (in his pajamas again, but this time while sitting in his cozy coupe and creating his own personal tub), but what Matt really wanted the camera for was this...

It was exceptionally hot outside and Bocephus (our huge black lab) had decided to make the 20-gallon tub we sometimes use as his outdoor water dish into a pool. He looked absolutely ridiculous squished into the tiny vessel!




Now, of course, I couldn't go outside and see my sweet boy being adorable as always and not take a few photos of him! So, here is my little man sitting in his cozy coupe (in his pajamas) while creating his own personal pool. I guess he figured "if the doggie can do it, why can't I?"





It was at that point that Matt and I decided that we should just go buy a little kiddie pool to save our poor dog and son the trouble of trying to create their own. So, Matt headed off to the store while Gavin and I headed inside.

I changed him into more pool-appropriate attire and gave him a snack...

he asked for more...

he got upset when I wasn't quick enough with "more" because I was too busy taking pictures...

then he presented me with the "yuck" he found on his tray (a dog hair)...

Once Matt returned home with the pool, we went back outside for more watery fun.














It looks like we flooded our backyard!

And finally, some more cozy coupe time! Gav was making his doggie noises that involve making a silly face at the same time. And you may have noticed the transformation of the cozy coupe...complete now with stickers from various companies Daddy purchased from for his Chevelle. To Gavin's right is the lovely "I love my HOOKER headers" sticker. Oh joy....

Fun with the Hose (Again)

Little did we know that by letting Gavin play with the hose, we had created a hose-fanatic. He wanted to play with it again a few days later, but this time, I made sure he was more prepared in his swim trunks, swim diaper, sandals, and shirt. Once again, he had a great time and made the absolute cutest facial expressions ever!!










4th of July

There is a nice little park at the end of our street that has been the center of a fireworks show every year as long as I can remember. As kids, we would always watch the show comfortably from our front yard. And since Matt and I have moved into my childhood home, we have continued that tradition. We don't see a reason to leave the house when we have the best fireworks view of all from our own front yard. This year was no exception. We barbecued and enjoyed time with friends and family in the afternoon until the show began. Gavin was sporting the cutest "Red, White, and Vroom" onsie. Unfortunately, I really need to work on my hostess skills because I was so busy watching Gavin and making sure everyone was having a good time that I only took pictures twice and didn't even eat! I was so bummed because I know there were some really great photo-ops, but I didn't take advantage of them. However, the fireworks show was the best I've ever seen so far (which baffled me considering the state of our economy). Unfortunately, Gavin missed most of it, as he fell asleep shortly after it began. Oh well. Next time we have a party, I am really going to make a point of trying to take more pictures.

Our friend/neighbor offered Gavin a cupcake and Gav grabbed ahold of his hand to make sure he didn't take the tasty treat away before he was done!



Gavin and Mommy