Have you been good this year?

Santa Gavin says, "Merry Christmas!"

Sorry for the late post today, but with the amount of things to get done this week before we make our return trip to Illinois, it is tough to find time to squeeze everything in.

We went to the doctor today for our latest round of shots. Gavin did just as well as last time. Nicole was markedly better. All in all, it was a pretty pleasant visit to the doctor. But the effects of the shots have had him a bit out of sorts today, so it has been a trying afternoon.

As far as news and developments: we are rolling over pretty regularly now (well, at least belly to back) and we are starting to string together all sorts of sounds. It is quickly becoming evident that he is, in fact, related to me: there are times his "chatting" continues on and on and on and on. He has so much to say, and yet I'm not sure what any of it means. It's a lot like trying to solve a Rubik's Cube using the instruction manual from the lawnmower.

As you may be able to tell from the image of "Santa Gavin," we put up our Christmas tree last week. Gavin helped--that is until he had to go to bed, which was mostly because he was falling asleep. But Christmas cheer is in the air and we can't wait to get home and celebrate the holidays with friends and family. Because of limited space in the car and limited time once we get home, I hope to be able to make some rock candy this week so all we have to transport is the candy. But, if time doesn't permit it here, then I most assuredly will find a way to get the necessities home for the Rock Candy Extravaganza: we can't have a Christmas without rock candy; that would be like having Easter without peeps.

Anyways, I must now return to my extensive "list." Unlike Santa Gavin, who's list includes the names of little girls and boys and their Christmas wishes, mine is just a "to-do" list. Though, I too check it twice...and sometimes three times, unfortunately.

Long road home...

It was quite the excursion our returning home...much more interesting than our smooth late night drive up. I will save the full details of that tale for our return trip in a week or two, but let's just say that we circled through Brevard, NC a couple of times (neither time was it necessarily on our way home).

The big news today is that Gavin managed to roll from his belly to his back! It was so freakin' cool that I had to call Nikki at work and tell her. Of course, he only did it the once for me, but has done it twice since she returned home. Who knows, maybe he'll make dinner tonight. Then again, that may be asking a bit too much.

Unfortunately, this week has been crazy busy (and there doesn't seem to be reprieve anytime soon), so I have not had a chance to throw together a music video of sorts from the images we took last week. Nonetheless, I have included a few shots from the trip home. Hope you enjoy!

Turkey, Travel, and all-that-jazz

Our Turkey-Week festivities have kept us/me busier that anticipated, which is why I haven't had an opportunity to post, and sadly it is coming to a close as well must be venturing back to South Carolina. But not to worry Gavin-fans, we will return in a few short weeks. I did want to say that it was really great to see those of you that we could--and we really appreciate those of you who traveled to visit with us. And to those we didn't get to this time, we hope things will be different at Christmas and that we'll be able to expand the number of people we can visit (and the duration of those visits).

Anyways, I must get busy packing for our return journey home. Once the dust settles this week, I hope to put together a photo montage of the various wonderful images we have from Gavin's first trip to Illinois. But until then, I hope these two images will hold you over.

Happy After-ThanksGivings!!!

Aunt Laura comes in and then home we go...

Sorry for the delayed post today, but I have been trying to get everything ready so we can venture to Illinois for the holiday break. The big help during this crazy time has been Gavin's Aunt Laura who came in on Friday to hangout with us for a few days and to make the journey home with us. As you can see, here are a few photos of her and Gavin.

The big news is that during Laura's visit Gavin has slept all night two of the three nights. I tell you, I think the kid does it out of spite. Nonetheless, it has been a pretty enjoyable past couple of days, and I'll try to get at least one post in during out time in Illinois.

See many of you soon.

a bit o' laughter

We had a pretty big milestone this past weekend: our first night away from Mom. Gavin and I got to hang out by ourselves Friday night and nearly all of Saturday as Nikki had to be in Nashville for some work-related things. I think it was more difficult on her than on us, but we all managed to survive.

That is not to say that Friday wasn't without its own challenges. Gavin was a bear all day on Friday--fussy, angry, didn't want be held, didn't want to be put down, didn't want to sleep, and so on. He and I just tried to survive one another for most of the day, hoping to make it until the evening when we would venture to the monthly social gathering for my program (open to all connected to RCID). Of course, once we got there, he was the model child. On the one hand, I was completely appreciative that he behaved so well and just had people fawning all over him. On the other, I was angered a bit as he was clearly just putting on a show after putting me through the ringer all day--I tell people he has been a bear all day and he sits there perfect, content, charming...well played, son, well played. There seems to be a bit of spite in the child, and, unfortunately, I think he gets that from me.

Anyways, aside from the few new photos here, below you will find a brief video with a snippet of our day on Saturday--some of our more joyous moments--as we waited for Nikki to find her way home (battling traffic jams along the way). It is quite amazing what a few giggles can do for team morale!

Cooperation...a lost art

My apologies about the video not working. Google has been having issues today--at one point I couldn't even log in to my account without getting redirected to a service error message. As such, I have finally had a moment to post this through YouTube and embed it. Again, sorry! Enjoy.

Well, I was hoping to post some footage today of Gavin "chatting" and laughing, but one of us was less than cooperative. He was just a carrying away and when I turned on the camera. . .nothing. He even stopped moving and just sat there, quiet and motionless. I know he does it out of spite because as soon as I turned off the camera back to life he came. We tried again. . .nothing. We played this game for 30 minutes or so and finally I just decided to snip together a bit of footage and go with it as I am running out of time this moring.

Anyways, enjoy the clip below. For such a tiny thing, it was quite a frustrating game. Maybe next time he will decide to play along...like now, as I type, and he just jabbers away at the screen.

Monday afternoons

The question should be, who is watching who?

Clearly some folks are pretty worn out.

As you can tell from the slideshow below, we have started adding cereal to our diet. This has been a "trial and error" adventure, but a fun game nonetheless. And it was nice having Gramma Nance & Granpa Joe here during this adventure.

Anyways, enjoy the slideshow. . .I didn't have time to add music, but these work so well I didn't think they needed it.

Remixing a Vlog

Another Vlog

This vlog was done in a bit of a rush, as my co-star makes it difficult to really spend time with multiple takes and editing...but I hope you enjoy.

Visitors & Visits

It has been an interesting past two days as we have both received visitors and went to our 2-month doctor visit.

Aunt Pam, Uncle Roger, Matt, and Jordan stopped by Sunday evening after they had taken in the NASCAR race in Charlotte on Saturday night. They came with gifts and smiles and good cheer, and we spent our evening just getting caught up and enjoying each other's company...not to mention dinner out at Columbo's, a local pizza establishment of some notoriety. But as they have others to visit and a full bevy of plans, they could not stay very long as they had to continue their great October journey. However brief, it was really good to see them and we are so glad they managed to stop by.

As to our doctor visit, that was less enjoyable. We got our first round of shots today and I say we because I think Nikki felt them as much, if not more than, Gavin. Minus a few bouts of screaming during the initial punctures, he was perfectly fine. Though, he has pretty much slept all day since as tiredness is one of the side effects on like three of the vaccines.

Beyond the shots, he weighed in at 12lbs 4.5 oz and was measured at 23 3/4 inches...needless to say, a lot of the 0-3 month clothing either no longer fits or only has about another week or two lifespan. Outside of the shots and the "shrinking" clothing, Gavin is doing great. Everything checked out and the doctor says he look good. So, provided the doc just isn't full of crap, things should be fine.

Vlogging

Work Delays

I know it's been a little longer than anticipated since my last post, but I've been battling a little bit of a cold and trying to squeeze out the latest chapter in my dissertation (which would have been considerably more difficult if Nikki's parents hadn't visited--their being here makes it easier for me to work for 6-8+ hours a night).

As always, their visit was enjoyable and we were saddened to see them leave. I know Gavin misses them as now he is stuck with just Mom and Dad--and mostly Mom as Dad is still trying to get a bunch of things done...though that will change next week as Nikki ventures back to work.

This past Tuesday night, Gavin slept from around 11:30pm to 7:00am. It was a great bout a sleep--would have probably been greater had I gone to bed at 11:30 instead of staying up until 2:30. But it was sleep that both he and Nikki needed. I think he was just getting well-rested to put out a burst of energy Wednesday morning before Joe and Nancy got "on the road again"--it was his sort of "goodbye bundle of joy", but, I like to think these kinds of weird things.

Anyways, who knows what our next post will bring. I am sure I will have comments on "life after Nikki goes back to work," and we are still in the midst of identify the mysterious creatures that roam our kitchen at night--it is becoming quite the game of "cat and mouse," seemingly straight from a Disney film. But more on that later when there is a resolution.

Who...Who...

We are still in the midst of our latest visitors, but I had to upload this photo of Gavin wearing an Owl hat his Aunt Laura got him. Also, below you will find a video of Gavin "talkin'" with Nikki.

Beyond these fun things and spending time with guests, Gavin has been sleeping in fairly decent chunks at night...though sometimes he is a bit of a bear during the day. Hopefully, we will all get together in some semblance of routine in the coming days, until then, we are enjoying the ride. :)

Introducing the Bumbo

After a few nights of the blissful 5-hour sleeps, we have since gone back to the every 3 hours approach, sometime less. And Nikki has been taking the brunt of it as I have been trying to make a push to get some work done (with my own sleep schedule of bed around 1am and getting up between 6:30 and 7:30am). As a result, we are both a bit exhausted--though I think she should be rewarded for her efforts. In case I haven't said it, she is a wonderful mother: caring, attentive, concerned, and 100% invested in Gavin. It is going to be difficult on us all when she goes back to work full-time.

But before then, we have another round of visitors coming in. Nancy and Joe will be returning this week, and then in a couple weeks Aunt Pam and Uncle Roger will be stopping by. Of course, our visitors will learn that Gavin is growing so fast. Aside from being longer than most of the clothes allow for his size, he is developing decent control over his upper body (as you can see from the images of him using the Bumbo). He is also becoming more responsive: he likes to play, his "cries" are becoming more distinct depending on what he wants, and he often smiles in ways that aren't just gas related. It is a joy to watch him grow. :)

Sleeps... ... ...

The other night he slept for five straight hours. I woke up to the sounds of a church choir singing hallelujah and little cartoon forest creatures dancing around me like they do Snow White. It was glorious. Nikki and I almost cried.

And much to our surprise, this 5-hour thing has been a regular staple of his sleep pattern since...of course, some nights it begins at 9 or 10, which means it's almost over by the time I go to bed, but I'll take it nonetheless.

Anyways, I've included some photos taken be Nikki and some taken by my mother. Notice the sad face I mentioned in the previous post as well as his enjoyment of bath time.

Grandparents (round 2)

It's been a bit longer than anticipated since my last post, but sometimes life just gets in the way. Between having guests, doing work, going to work, and a bit of a sore belly for Gavin for a day or two, things have been busy. But things should be returning to some sense of normalcy as his grandparents will be leaving us today--which, as always when our guests leave, saddens us. Much like the previous visitors, I'm sure both they and Gavin will miss each other.

As far as developments and cool things, in the past week Gavin has learned sadness as an expression. He occasionally gets so sad that he cries tears of sadness...it will nearly break your heart. He has also started to really enjoy bath time now that we have moved him into the big tub. And he is getting exceptionally better at responding to our voices and smiling. He finds joy in the most random things (including gas and the ceiling fan).

Who knows what joys this week will bring, but we're hoping he stretches out to a consistent four hours of sleep between feedings at night. We're still on the 3-hour pattern, but then again I think we may be getting a bit more used to it--if such a thing is possible. :)

Movin' on up

Life if moving along. In just the last day or two, Gavin has moved up to 4 oz per feeding, which we didn't think we'd get to for another month, but he seems to be a bit more content with the additional oz per round. And just last night he slept in a four-hour chunk and a three hour chunk (which we greatly appreciate), and we hope this is a correlation with the increase in quantity per bottle.

Gavin also seems to enjoy our nightly walks around campus (I think he can already feel the mystique of the football stadium), and he is starting to enjoy bath-time quite a bit more, especially now that we moved this operation to the tub (our sink was just a bit too small for his "bath" seat). And, aside from smiling a lot in his sleep, he even broke into a short fit of laughter while he slept yesterday. It was, to say the least, quite funny.

Anyways, his other set of grandparents come into town this week, so I am sure to have more things to post in the coming days. Until then, enjoy the photos!

The latest...

Gavin has been doing really well the last two nights. In fact, the night before last he slept from midnight to nearly 5 in the morning. What a glorious bout of sleep that was!!! But, for the most part, he is a 3-4 hour sleeper at night, which is manageable.

He changes so much so quickly that it is hard to keep up with everything. He is now holding his head up much better (though he occasionally tries to leap from one's arms as his strength gives way to gravity). We also think he will start making purposeful sounds any day now...or so we hope. If not, then all this talking to him and trying to get him to talk back would just seem pointless. But I am sure he will communicate (beyond crying and grunts) in his own time, and it will probably be sooner rather than later.

Beyond that, we are developing a solid life pattern of eating and sleeping, interrupted only by play time, diaper changes, and the occasional unexplainable fussiness. All in all, things are going fairly well for him being between 3 & 4 weeks old (though, perhaps I should knock on wood).

Memories (of sorts)...montage-style

Weekend Visitors...and growing in pictures

Aunt Laura and Stuart arrived Friday night. Since then, all current visitors have lavished Gavin with attention. Aunt Laura volunteered to hold him, feed him, clean him, change his clothes, take him off our hands, ditch class to come back and visit, and so on. She, like the rest of us, is enamored by Gavin. In fact, he has received so much attention this weekend that he may be bored with just Nikki and I next week.

Other updates: he's becoming more alert; tracking objects fairly well; no cooing yet, but we're getting close. It's only a matter of time before he starts talking to us...which will only be the beginning. Until, enjoy the photos.

Outings (battling "Gavin fever")

We had a pretty big outing last night: we all went to the Olive Garden for dinner. I think there was a general hesitancy on all parts as we weren't sure how Gavin would do, but he was fantastic. He fell asleep in the car on the way there and slept through the entire meal. Afterward, he woke up, ate, and then was quite content as we did some shopping at Target and Lowes. Nikki was excited about the shopping because she got to use her sling, which seemed to work quite well for both her and Gavin. Plus, I think everyone was just happy to get out for a while. A little "cabin fever" (maybe that should be "Gavin fever") had set in with the last few days of rain and the preference to stay close to home (no need to expose Gavin to too much to soon), so the outing was good for all involved.

Today, Nikki and I will be returning to the OB for her 2-week (since release from hospital) check-up. Hopefully, they will tell her she can resume normal (or moderately normal) activity. I think the restrictions, coupled with her own physical limitations, have been taxing, and we hope that a clearing to do more may help her get back into the (full) swing of things a bit quicker. Of course, there is no need to rush these things either, so we'll just see what the doctor has to say (we're seeing Dr. Hood again today--he's so charismatic that it makes you want to go for the office visit).

Anyways, Gavin is progressing nicely. He tries to be a bit older than he is (as indicated by the rolling attempt in the video below). He is eating 3 oz every 3 to 4 hours now, which is a stark improvement over 2 oz every 1-2 hours. Plus, he has been sleeping in 3 to 5 hour chunks at night (some nights better than others--and the bad nights usually correspond to PawPaw Larry calling me [maybe I should put a block on that occurence?]). But all-in-all, things are quite well, and we hope we just keep rolling along.

Gavin's Grandparents (round 1)

The first round of grandparents made it in on Saturday and they have been loving Gavin rotten. It has been quite an enjoyment having them here, watching them spoil him with attention--not to mention the fact that they have been unbelievably helpful, allowing Nikki and I to have a break here and there. Of course, all four of our lives now revolve around Gavin (he is such a gravitational center) and so we have been relatively homebound, but it has been a good past few days.

With their arrival came more gifts; they brought presents from several people, including a fantastic gift of their own: Nancy recorded Gavin's heartbeat off the blog and then had that put into a bear at the Build-a-Bear workshop, so now when you push the bear's hand you hear Gavin's heartbeat...it's pretty cool. Also, we have received cards and money and giftcards from so many of you who have already done so much and we can't thank you enough. We appreciate all of your thoughts, well-wishes, and congratulations, and the numerous gifts have made it really easy for us to transition into the first couple of weeks of parenthood.

And incase you lost track, Gavin is 2 weeks old today! The time has flown by. I literally think I blinked and a week passed. At this rate, he will be 6 months with one good night's sleep.

Anyways, I'm not sure what all this week has in store for us. We're hoping his umbilical cord falls off this week, but beyond that who knows. We just went back to the doctor today for his 2-week checkup and he was fine (weighing in at 8lbs 6oz). We don't have to return there for another 6 weeks or so, at which point he will begin some of his shots--I'm sure that will be fun--but until then we are just going to take it easy and see how the world unfolds.

Some housekeeping...

A couple of blog-keeping things (with a few photos and video).

1) As you can probably tell, I'm not going to be able to keep up the posting everyday. As I rapidly get myself back to work, it becomes a bit more difficult to squeeze in time to post, upload photos, make videos, and such. I will do my best to post as often as I can, to keep everyone as "up-to-date" as possible (especially after important days/events--like Gram Nance and Papa Joe [names yet to be confirmed] arriving today), but daily is probably not likely--though I will try to maintain at least 2 posts a week [hopefully with more]. And again, sorry to those who may have felt "slighted" the last couple of days with the missing posts. I apologize for getting you hooked on the blog and its daily entries and then missing a day or two without warning.

2) It has been brought to my attention that my blog may be "scaring" some folks about parenthood (those friends or family contemplating becoming parents who think the "troubles" and "rough patches" that I post are in fact the way things are all the time). The truth is that it couldn't be further from the truth. Gavin is a really wonderful baby, and we count our blessings everyday that he is healthy and that these are the only consistent issues we have to battle. The minor sleep deprivations (which are to be expected with a new born, and which are quite taxing) and the battles with gas really are the primary challenges we have. Sure, we would like more sleep, but it isn't as rough as it may sound here--I can't always write posts that say, "Everything is good. Enjoy your day" (not as exciting to read). Also, the first few days of trying to get things into some manageable semblance were actually a bit rough--I won't kid about that, especially in the hospital with those stupid leg-compressor/blood circulation things Nikki had on--but now that we have found a rhythm things are quite nice.

Anyways, Nancy and Joe will be arriving very soon, and so I am sure I will have photos and video to post in the coming days of them meeting Gavin. Nikki and I are really excited for him to meet them, with him being their first Grandchild (and a grand one he is), and we are "chomping at the bit" for their arrival. It should be a fun week (and then Aunt Laura and Stuart will arrive...and all bets are off at that point).