14 Months Old (And First Steps!)

My sweet Gav,

You are now 14 months old and becoming quite the little man. You have so much personality and are an absolute joy to be around. You laugh constantly and make others laugh as well. You are a very happy and caring little guy. I adore being your mommy! Here are some new things about you this month:

• You want to explore everything. You love to touch, look at, and flip things around in your hands trying to figure out what they do.



• You love sunglasses and really enjoy trying them on (and I think Daddy and I enjoy putting them on you just as much as you do!).



• You still love to dance and when you hear music, you just can't control yourself because the beat takes over! You sway back and forth and sometimes even shake your little fists.
• You have figured out how to turn light switches on and off. So, sometimes when you wake up in the morning, you stand up in your crib and flip the light on (and you are quite tickled with yourself when you do).
• You like to "help" with cleaning by wiping things down with tissues, wipes, and paper towels.




• You continue to be fascinated by ceiling fans and are amazed by yourself when you turn them on and off with a remote.
• You make a funny little face where you crinkle your nose, do pouty lips, and breathe heavily. You often do this when air is blown in your face.



• You learned how to use a fork and are so proud of yourself when you do.
• You still love to be outside and have begun wearing your shoes while outdoors.



• You have once again become a picky eater and clearly express your feelings about certain foods when they are offered. One of your favorite things to eat is fruit bars and will usually eat at one each day. There are also several things you strongly dislike and you make that pretty obvious.




• Bocephus (our dog) is your buddy and lets you pull his ears, poke him, and even sit on him.



• You absolutely love cars and want to sit in the driver's seat every chance you get.
• And... one of the biggest milestones you have reached this month occurred on your 14-month birthday - your very first steps! You took your first steps to Daddy in our bedroom while we were painting. I immediately ran for the video camera and caught you doing it on tape several times thereafter. It was absolutely heart-warming to see your little legs in motion. You look like such a big boy walking back-and-forth to Daddy and me. We are so very proud of you! (I will post a video soon!)

We love you so very much, Gav! You bring sunshine into our lives everyday. Thank you for making parenthood such a joyful experience. XOXO

April 29, 2010 - 4 Year Anniversary

April 29, 2010 marked my 4-year wedding anniversary. Matt sent a beautiful dozen roses to my office and we made plans to enjoy a romantic dinner out. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned...

While getting ready, Matt cut his ear shaving and the darn thing would not stop bleeding! It must have bled for about three to four hours. Seriously. By that time, Gavin was already in bed and we were both too tired to go out (we're not as young as we used to be, you know). So, we ordered PF Chang's to go and enjoyed it in front of the TV at our house. Maybe we'll make it to dinner next year.

I can truly say that I fall more in love with my husband each and every day. He is a wonderful husband, father, and friend and I am so very thankful for our life together.

2006 - Los Willows in Fallbrook, CA (Honey Stetson Photography)

2007 - anniversary cruise to Mexico

2008 - Friend's wedding (Pregnant with Gavin!)

2009 - Mission Inn in Riverside, CA (Kristin Rogers Photography)

2010 - Las Vegas

Visiting Uncle Jason

Gavin and I recently got to spend a fun-filled day visiting my brother in Hollywood. My two sisters came, too, and while I got my hair done by my brother's fiancé, Gavin spent time with his aunts and uncle. They took him for a walk to the park, but since it started to sprinkle, they quickly went for cover in a little café across the street. They had to sit in the covered outdoor patio area because they had my brother's little French bulldog with them.

After my hair was done, my brother's fiancé and I met the group at the café. As I walked up, I saw my sweet Gav sitting in a high chair, with his "spare" white onsie from his diaper bag wrapped around his foot. I panicked, because I immediately thought that something terrible must have happened to his foot and the onsie was acting as a temporary bandage. Well, my brother explained that my sister had tried to give Gavin a sip of water from a cup and it spilled on his foot and soaked his little sock. Since it was cold outside, my siblings were taking turns holding his bare foot in their hands to keep it warm. They then realized that it would be easier to simply tie his onsie around his foot. So then I asked where his sock was and my brother laughed as he pointed up and said, "It's up there." I looked up at the heat lamp next to me and saw Gavin's tiny white sock hanging from the top. It was quite a funny sight! But I have to give them points for creativity!

Gavin had a great day with his uncle and aunts and we look forward to visiting with them again soon.

Uncle Jason helping Gavin walk around his house

Annual Cranio Team Appointment

Gavin had his annual craniofacial team appointment at Loma Linda on April 19. We started by meeting with Heather, the speech pathologist who worked on helping Gavin learn to use a bottle before I returned to work. She asked about his speech sounds and if he was saying any words yet. We told her that he babbles constantly, but has not said any words with meaning at this point. We have been working on "mama" and "dada" but to no avail. She said that she would like to see him again at about 18 months, just to make sure that he is saying a few words by then. However, she is not overly concerned about his speech, since he is saying so may consonant and vowel sounds.

Next, we met with the pediatric team dentist, who came with two assistants. Gavin didn't like them from the moment they walked in. Not because they weren't nice people, but because Gavin becomes extremely upset whenever anyone wants to touch or look in his mouth. Matt and I think that it probably stems from memories of his lip repair. Poor guy has already been through so much! I had to hold him down while they looked in his mouth. He screamed the whole time and it was traumatizing for both of us. The dentist said that we should move from just using a finger toothbrush to using an actual stage 1 toothbrush with water daily. She also recommended that we bring Gavin to see a pediatric dentist since it is beneficial to get cleft-affected children checked out early.

Our third and final team doctor of the day was the plastic surgeon. This time it wasn't Dr. Martin, who did Gavin's surgery, but another surgeon whom we hadn't met before. He was very nice, but had some unfortunate news for us - Gavin would probably need two additional surgeries! He explained that Gav would need a second aveolar ridge (gum line) surgery when he is about 7 or 8 years old and possibly another surgery on his nose sometime down the road. We were definitely not thrilled to hear the news, but he was able to explain the reasons why and helped it all make sense to us. He said that if Gavin does not have a second gum line surgery, he risks losing some of his adult teeth, which we certainly do not want. And the nose surgery may need to be done to prevent the risk of the nose collapsing over time, which, of course, we definitely do not want to happen. At this point, I am wearing my rose-colored glasses and hoping that he won't need any more surgeries, but I guess only time will tell.

Relay for Life

This Saturday, May 22, I will be participating in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. This is a cause that is dear to my heart. My grandpa died of cancer in 2008 and I have friends, coworkers, and family members who are currently battling it. I would love to see a cure found during my lifetime so that lives can be saved.

The Relay for Life gives people a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. It helps raise funds and awareness to help the American Cancer Society save lives from cancer.

If you are interested in supporting me, please visit my personal web page by clicking here to make an online donation. Although times are tough, every donation really does make a difference, and helps the American Cancer Society save lives every day by helping people stay well and get well, finding cures, and fighting back.

Thank you and I will keep you updated on my progress.

13 Months Old

My sweet Gav,

As I write this, you are just a week away from turning 14 months. So you can see how very far behind I am because we have just been so busy lately. You are becoming such a little man lately--you can be so incredible funny that you make Daddy and I laugh constantly and you are also developing a stubborn side that you inherited from both of your parents--but overall, you continue to be the most wonderful thing to ever happen to us and we love you more than you could ever know. So here are some new things about you at 13 months:

• You absolutely love to be outside; whether you're swinging, riding in your Cozy Coupe, sitting on the front porch swing, or just hanging out with Mommy or Daddy, you just adore the outdoors.

• You point at everything and love to demonstrate this skill.
• You now have four teeth! Your second tooth to pop through was your lower right and it showed up shortly after you turned a year old. Then, your upper right and lower left popped through a few days before you turned 13 months.
• You can stand on your own briefly, but if you notice that you're doing it, you fall down.

• You switched from bottles to sippy cups in a days time. After a trip to a new pediatrician, he told us that whole milk should not be served from a bottle, but rather from a sippy cup. So, the very next day, we didn't offer you any bottles and you took to the sippy like you had been doing it all along. We realized that you catch on so very quickly and transitions seem to go quite smoothly.
• You are very intelligent and have figured out how to get to things you want. I recently found you in the kitchen with the box of Honey Nut Cheerios tipped over and opened, as you helped yourself to several handfuls.

• You are a pretty good eater; in fact, as a 13-monther, you ate several Puffs, a cereal bar, some Macaroni and Cheese, and an entire peanut butter and jelly sandwich in one sitting! (That was more than Mommy ate!)
• You are still not walking on your own, but you have discovered how to use the little push walker that you got from Mamaw and Papaw on your birthday and you love it! You push it all around the house but fuss when you run into a road block because you haven't figured out how to turn it around yet.
• You continue to be a great sleeper, going to bed about 8:00 p.m. each night and sleeping until about 7:00 a.m. the next morning. You usually take a 1-2 hour nap each day sometime between 11:00 a.m. and noon. However, if we get busy and don't pay attention to the time, you will nod off wherever you are at.

• At your 1 year check-up, you were 29" tall and 20.14 pounds. That puts you at about the 11th percentile for weight and 19th percentile for height. The doctor said that he was happy with your growth. I guess you're a little on the small side, but then again, so are your parents!
• Your orneriness continues to develop and boy can you get mad! When you are really angry, you will scream, kick your legs, and make little fists. Sometimes I even have to close the windows because I'm afraid of what the neighbors will think!

My sweet Gav, you continue to be the sunshine in my life. I love you to pieces and adore every moment with you. You are such a good and happy boy and being your Mommy is the best job in the world!

Gavin's New 'Do

Easter Sunday marked a particularly special milestone for Gavin as he got his very first haircut! Since Aunt Evie is a hairdresser, she was naturally going to be the one to give him his new coiffure. There were tears, gasps, and gulps - but that was just from me. Gavin, on other hand, did fairly well. As long as he had a shiny hair tool to play with, he was fine, but getting him to sit still took some major persuasion. Unfortunately, my camera was not fully charged that day, but we still managed to get some great shots that sum up the experience.