23 Months Old

My sweet boy,

Just one month away from 2 years old!! You continue to amaze Daddy and I with all the new things you know--like your incredible vocabulary! You are so very smart and we just adore every moment with you. With all of your new words, you say the funniest things and keep us laughing all the time. Here are a few new things about you this month:

• We took a trip to Toys R Us and I bought you a pack of Thomas the Train underwear. Once we got in the car, you insisted that I open them. While I was driving, I looked back at you, and you had a pair on your head and you said, "Hat?" I laughed so hard I could hardly keep my eyes on the road! That night, you continued to wear your new "hat" around the house.




• You love to draw and will often want company when doing so. You will say, "Mama, draw" or "Dada, draw" when you want one of us to join you.



• One day while we were drawing, I drew a picture of a sun and you covered your eyes and said, "Bright!" It was so funny!
• You love to cuddle and will often say, "Mama, cuddle." Whenever possible, I will drop everything I'm doing to cuddle with you because there is nothing I enjoy more!



• You love to help around the house. We recently had an ant infestation (yuck!) and you wanted to help with the vacuum any time you saw an ant. You were the cutest exterminator ever!



• You are such a ham and you love to laugh. You will often do silly things and you can have Daddy and I in tears because you make us laugh so hard!





• If you're tired you will still fall asleep anywhere, even in the middle of eating your favorite: peanut butter and jelly!



• One day after you woke up, you wanted to stay in your room, so Daddy and I went back to rest in bed while you remained there. We heard you talking through your monitor so we peeked in and saw you sitting in your glider-rocker "reading" one of your favorite books. It was so cute! You were on the page with a dinosaur crying and you were saying things like, "Dinosaur crying. Tears." You are just so smart!







• You have great manners and are learning to use "please" and "thank you" regularly. After you woke up one morning, Daddy went in to get you and he said, "Do you want to go see Mama?" And you replied, "Yes, please!" I heard you through the monitor and it just melted my heart!
• You recently discovered fish sticks and you loved them! Thank goodness we found something else for you to eat. You are so picky!!!



• While I was getting my hair done, my friend/hairdresser asked you what you wanted for your birthday and you said, "Ummmmmmm..... Cookies!!" We laughed so hard!
• Two more teeth popped through recently so you now have 10 teeth. Thank goodness they're finally coming in!
• You are growing out of some of your 18 month clothing and moving into size 24 months.

I can't believe you are almost 2 years old! These past 23 months have been so wonderful. You truly are the sunshine in my life. You are just the sweetest and most easy-going child. Daddy and I adore spending time with you and we are excited for what the future holds. We love you so very much, Gav!

Gavin "Hearts" the Tram

For Matt's birthday this year, I decided to surprise him with a family trip to the Palm Spring Aerial Tramway. We have always wanted to go and I figured it would be a fun, inexpensive way to spend the day. So, the day before his birthday, we bundled up in warm clothes (the weather report showed 23˚F) and headed to Palm Springs. We didn't know how Gavin would react to the tram or the snow since he has never been in it before. I was worried that we would end up with a freaked-out child half-way up the mountain with no way to get out and calm him down. However, that was definitely NOT the case. Gavin loved the tramway so much that he didn't want to get off! The ride up went smoothly and then we headed over to the restaurant to enjoy lunch before playing in the snow.

The view from the top

It was absolutely beautiful at the top and it was so much fun to see Gavin playing in the snow. There is a long, windy sidewalk leading to the snow and Gavin insisted on carrying a small clump of it in his glove the whole way down. In fact, every time the little clump would melt or fall apart, he would have to pick up another little clump before we could continue on. And, each time people would pass us on the trail, our polite little man would say, "Hiiii," which naturally earned him many friends along the way.

Once we reached the snow, Gavin was excited to see a little snowman that was just his size. He piled some extra snow on the top before exploring other areas. We had such a wonderful time just enjoying the outdoors and being together as a family. Matt and I loved watching Gavin play in the snow with his poor little red nose.

After awhile, we returned to the station for the ride back down. Gavin was very excited to be getting on the "cam" again. In fact, once we reached the bottom, he burst into tears and yelled, "Cam, cam!!" We told him that we would return to the Tram another day, but trying to reason with a very upset 22-month-old is nearly impossible. So, we just walked as quickly as we could to the car to keep from disturbing the other guests with our screaming child. Good times.

Overall, it was a wonderful day and we would definitely do it again.

22 Months Old

My sweet boy,

You are growing up so fast and becoming such an independent little guy! You want to do things yourself and you seem to know exactly what you want at any given moment. You are so very smart and sometimes I don't even know where you have learned some of the things you know. You are talking up a storm lately and your vocabulary seems to be growing faster than you are! You also have several interests and skills, so it makes Daddy and I wonder just what you are going to be when you grow up - an athlete? a musician? an artist? a race car driver? The possibilities are endless. We are excited to see what the future has in store for you. Here are some new things about you this month:

• You love wearing your rain boots that Grandpa C got you. You want to wear them every day, even if it's just around the house.



• You love the guitar Grandpa and Grandma S got you for Christmas and you look absolutely adorable when you play it!




• You told me one day that you needed to go poop and I set you on the potty and you went! Then, you did the same thing later that day. Daddy and I were so proud of you for using the potty twice in one day all on your own!
• I came home from work one day to find that you had learned how to do "push-ups." You lay on your tummy with your arms pushing yourself straight up and you bob your head up and down. It's too cute!!
• You love to use your new tools that Grandpa and Grandma S got you to work on your new car.







• You decided that you love "Choo-choo's." So now, we TiVo Thomas the Tank Engine for you to watch every now and then. I even bought you a little Thomas toy that you love.
• When you pick things up, you will sometimes say, "heavy!" with a lot of strain in your voice. It is so funny!
• In addition to the guitar, you also love playing Grandpa S's keyboard!





• When I made a casserole for dinner one night, you were curious about what I was making and I told you that I was cutting an onion. After that, you kept saying "onion, onion" until I gave you some from dinner. Surprisingly, you loved them and only wanted to eat the onions in the casserole.
• You make the funniest faces and really crack me up!

• You got three more teeth this month so you now have eight! I'm hoping that, with more teeth, you won't be such a picky eater because you'll have an easier time eating. (Ha! A little wishful thinking can't hurt, right?)

Each new month with you brings new joys (and a few challenges). You are growing up so fast and I just adore seeing you become an independent little guy who wants to do things all by himself. You amaze me everyday with how smart you are and how fast you learn new things. You are such a sweet and loving kid and I am so thankful to be your mommy! I love you so very much, Gav!!