Baby Grub

Gavin and I got together with Erin, Cody and their kids for a day of play and making yummy baby food. It is sooo much easier than I thought it would be. I'm surprised more people don't make there own. We made butternut squash, acorn squash and sweet potatoes. I cant wait for our garden to grow so I can use the veggies for baby food. What a money saver!

So far Gavin has tried the butternut squash and he seems to like it. Hopefully this trend continues. Thank you to my friends for the fun day of baby food 101.

Congrats Grad!!!

Congratulations to my niece Courtney Elizabeth Neal on graduating from Gig Harbor High School!

Doesn't she look beautiful in her cap and gown, so grown up and mature.

We are all so proud of her. She has been attending TCC for the past two years for running start, and working on her prerequisites for the nursing program.

The ceremony was better than I expected.

The speeches were actually pretty entertaining. It wasn't the typical boring, snooze fest graduations usually are. And if you were wondering, yes that is a gigantic blown up penis surfing the crowd. Teachers were not happy. I wasn't able to get a picture of the beach ball and rubber chicken that also made an appearance.

After the ceremony family and friends went out to celebrate at the Olive Garden. I finally got to meet her boyfriend. Get this, his name is Ian Johnson. And whats freakier is his brothers name is Seth. How crazy is that!

Congratulations Courtney!!!

Messy! Messy! Messy!

Now that Gavin is 4 months old we were given the green light by our pediatrician to start solids if we felt he was ready. He has been watching us eat and sometimes even leans forward, so we took those as signs he was ready if not at least curious.

As you can see from his bib most if not all of his food ended up down the front of him.

In fact, I think he was more interested in putting the bib in his mouth, not the food.

We started Gavin with the rice cereal but as soon as he got it in his mouth he made his YUCK face and out came the rice cereal. So, instead we tried the oatmeal which he seems to like better. Next we added in some peas which he also seems to like. However, he still has the reflex to push things out with his tongue, as you can see from the pictures.

Even though he is a messy eater, he sure is cute doing it!

Time to Spare

Wednesday nights are now resevered for bowling.

Ian joined a bowling league with Ashley, Scarlet, and Ksavara. Apparently there is another player named Phil but I'm starting to think he is a figment of their imagination because I have yet to meet him. When Ashley asked him to join Ian jumped right into character. He got himself a fancy ball, bad ass bowling bag and slick new shoes. It's hard to see in the picture but to improve his game Ian started wearing his hair in a mulhawk in an effort to make him more "aerodynamic" (his words not mine). He is even working the leg swoop when he bowls.

They are better than I think they even realized.

So keep your fingers crossed that they come home with the prize.

4 Months Old and Counting...

Our little guy isn't so little anymore.

At his four month check up he weighed in at 16lbs 7oz and is now 25in long.

I know I say it every month but he is growing so fast. I just had to buy him all new clothes because he has already grown out of all his 3-6 month clothes. I had to buy him 6 month clothes, all he has is shorts outfits and it is still a little chilly out. Not that I am complaining, he is fun to shop for. Baby clothes are so much cheaper, I actually feel as though I am getting my moneys worth when I shop for him. However, with how fast he is growing if his clothes were not inexpensive I would probably have a naked baby 90% of the time.

Gavin is getting stronger and more balanced every day.

He loves to stand up. He will cry and pout if he is layed down. He will stand for at least ten minutes at a time before needing a rest.

I have been trying to work on sitting up with him, because if he isn't standing then he wants to be propped up in a sitting position so he look around and take in his surroundings.

I've found the mosre we practice the better he gets. He can stay upright for a few seconds before tipping over. He tends to fall forward, but I have noticed he is learning to push himself up with his hands. He just isn't very good at it yet.

Don't let my previous post of tummy time fool you.

As you can see tummy time is still not his favorite part of the day.

The back of his head is still pretty flat. I'm sure he thinks I am a horrible mommy, especially when I let him cry and then take his picture:)

Drooling is his new favorite activity.

He is constantly putting things in his mouth. His fist, my fist, toys, or his favorite Gavin binky tend to find their way into his mouth.
It's actually pretty cute. Except when we play flying baby and I have him up in the air above my head and out of no where I get a glob of drool in the face. Awesome, right!

He is such a happy, healthy little boy. He rarely cries, but when he does he is easily settled down by taking a walk outside. He's like his daddy he loves to be outside and busy is best.

Keep reading to find out what he will do next!

Secrets to Motherhood

So, slowly but surely I am learning those little things that make motherhood manageable.

Lesson #1 Long Hair

A lot of mothers seem to cut their hair short in an effort to keep it away from the tight little grips of their children. However, as I have learned having short hair means having to do your hair every day. On those days when your hair is a huge grease ball and you haven't been able to shower in three days your going to be glad you have long enough hair to rock the ponytail look. Or if worst... your hair is not only greasy but caked in what you can only guess is spit up, dried buggers, or drool you can fashion yourself a neat little bun.

Lesson #2 Layering

On those mornings when you are trying to keep your self together and look as though you attempted to look polished it is inevitable that you will end up with either spit up, food, a colorful beverage of some sort, urine, or worst... poop down the front of you. I have recently learned the trick is layering. With layering, when you spill your coffee down the front of you while balancing a baby and pushing a shopping cart having an extra layer to work with makes life seem a little easier. You can either remove the layer or add to hide whatever mess is making you feel like a habitual disaster. There is always the option of keeping extra clothes handy but who wants to carry around one more thing.

These are just two of of the many lessons I am learning with motherhood. I feel as though I am starting to get the hang of this whole parenting with ease thing. But that is the misconception because as soon as you think you have found your bearings, something rocks your boat and you loose all faith your yourself. With each new experience I am going to have a new lesson to learn. All those individuals who say motherhood is an adventure weren't exaggerating.

Wish me luck!!!