Cousin Love...

Another wedding this weekend! Congrats to cousins Jeni and Rob! Here's a pic of Gavin with his second cousin Sam. Sam is 9 months old and so loveable to babies. Here's a big kiss for Gavin! Too cute!

 

Just Hanging Out...

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Congratulations Kajja and Josh!

Gavin's first wedding...and his first trip to Wisconsin. He was an angel for the six and half hour car ride, both on Friday and back today. No traffic either way--yay! It was a great time and so wonderful for Gavin to meet all the Schillings.

Congrats to the bride and groom! We're so happy for you both!


Gavin in his car seat for the long car ride



Entertainment for the long car ride...Gavin loves his spider bug and bumble bee



Family photo opp

Back to Work

Yesterday marked my first day back at work, after 3 months off. Everyone always told me how quickly my maternity leave would go...but I didn't realize how quick it REALLY would be. It seems like just yesterday I was waking Brad up to tell him my water had broken. Yesterday was incredibly difficult. I was teary eyed all weekend and earlier this week in anticipation of my return. And then of course the tears continued yesterday, along with anxiety about leaving Gavin. Would he eat okay when I was gone? Would he nap sufficiently? Would he get enough play time? Would he get too much play time? Would he be rocked the same way I rock him? Would he smile while I was gone? Would he even know I was gone? Would he miss me?

Today was a bit better. I, at least, didn't feel so out of sorts at work. Yesterday, I just didn't know where to start when I got there. I felt overwhelmed, out of the loop, worried about Gavin, a little nervous about pumping at work (it's just not the same). Today, I was able to get back into the groove, actually getting excited again about the projects I had left behind. I think that's the best way to handle this transition to "working mom" -- I need to totally throw myself into my work while I'm there to keep my mind busy.

We're very fortunate to have loving childcare for Gavin for these next two weeks, prior to Brad being done with the school year. Cousin Hillary is doing a great job with our little guy. In fact, he's had three days in a row now with adequate naps. That eases my mind considerably. I must say, though, we are looking forward to having Brad home with Gavin. It will be so reassuring to me knowing that Gavin is in loving hands while I'm at work.

The most difficult thing for me is that I only get to spend a few hours with Gavin in the evenings now, before he goes to bed. I miss seeing him during the day. Thank goodness for weekends!

All in all, my transition back to work has gone really as I expected. It seems to get a little less sad (still sad, though) every day. I am looking forward to a long weekend. We'll be traveling to Wisconsin for a wedding--pray for us that we have safe travels.

Then and Now...

Yesterday, Gavin turned 3 months old! He’s so quickly exiting the newborn stage and entering the more independent (though still very dependent) infant stage. I thought it would be nice to highlight how our little guy has grown, both physically and developmentally. Gavin has nearly doubled his birth weight over the past 3 months, weighing in right around 11 pounds now. While he was gaining about two pounds per month, I’ve noticed a slight decrease recently. From what I’ve read, this is completely normal. As babies age, their rate of weight gain decreases, particularly breastfed babies. The last time he was measured, he was 24 inches long (20 inches at birth). He is still a long and lean little guy, but has certainly filled out over the months, especially his face and thighs. His 0-3 month clothes fit him quite well (some are almost getting too small) and he now fits into some of his 3-6 month sizes as well. He’s gone from eating 9-10 times per day to 7 times per day (some days only 6). And he’s down from nine to 10 dirty diapers per day to just two to three per day…how exciting, huh? Gavin is getting very good at supporting his head, both when he is carried and when on his tummy. In fact, I think he’s actually beginning to like tummy time a bit now.

What’s more exciting are the developmental changes. He smiles at everyone, recognizes familiar faces and voices, coos uncontrollably, squeals, waves his arms and legs in glee (still a bit uncoordinated), grabs toys, delights in bright colored objects, stares at pictures, and just loves to take in everything around him. He’s become a very efficient eater over the past weeks, but there are times now, when he just wants to have a conversation with me instead of eating. He is highly distractible, but in the cutest, most precious way. He wakes up happy as a lark (never really understood that metaphor) in the mornings and flashes huge smiles when he sees me in the morning. It melts my heart. This is truly what having kids is all about!

Other changes: sleep. Gavin is now consistently sleeping in 6-8 hour stretches at night, down from waking about every two and half to three hours as a newborn. He sleeps for about 11-12 hours at night and much less during the day than he did as a newborn. I do think it is a blessing that newborns sleep so much during the day – new mommies need their rest, too, during those first weeks. So, as I posted a couple weeks ago, we’re still struggling with day time sleep. I’ve been doing an incredible amount of reading on this and I’ve self-diagnosed him with “one sleep cycle disorder”. He will sleep for about 45 minutes in his crib, the length of one sleep cycle, and then he’s not able to put himself back to sleep. Somehow he’s able to do it at night, just not during the day. So, I’ve been working diligently to help him learn to put himself to sleep. This afternoon I had success, though it may be short lived. Gavin slept for nearly three hours...waking for short periods every 45 minutes. I think, though, that it is one thing I will not be able to consistently teach him prior to my return to work (which is tomorrow). It’s difficult for me to accept this, as I’ve always been one to finish what I start. I suppose it is something that Daddy will have to work on with him this summer!

All in all, we have an adorable, loveable, healthy little man…who is growing ever too quickly!

To wrap up the “Then and Now”, here are some comparisons of “Then” and “Now”...

Our family, "Then" and "Now"

Snuggling with Dad "Then" and "Now"

In the car seat "Then" and "Now"


In the Boppy "Then" and "Now"

Blowing Bubbles

Just too cute to not post it...

Baptism

Today, on Mother's Day, Gavin was welcomed into the church through baptism. It was a beautiful morning and the celebration was spectacular. Thank you to all of our family who were able to be part of this wonderful event. A special thanks to Aunt Jodi and Uncle Chris for accepting the responsibility of godparents for our little guy. You are a great example for him!

Here are some pictures of Gavin's big day...

All dressed up. Thanks Grandma Mary for making me such a handsome baptismal outfit!

Getting dunked in the holy water (Fr. Mark really likes to soak the little ones!)

With Mom and Dad. Nice suit Dad!

With Mom, Dad, Fr. Mark and godparents, Aunt Jodi and Uncle Chris

Happy Mother's Day!