First Day of School

"Gavin had a good first day. He liked the big purple block with mirrors on it, so he could watch himself =). He also liked being rocked in the rocking chair and was really happy as long as he was in someone's lap and was happy for a few minutes at a time being on the floor with his new friends. It takes awhile to get used to so many other babies being in your space!"

-- Note from Leah (Gavin's teacher) about his first morning at school.











We have an amazing kid, but he is not an easy daycare student. He has taken a bottle less than ten times and has fallen asleep with someone other than mom or dad a total of three times. However, at his first day of school yesterday, he drank three ounces from a bottle and slept for 30 minutes. More importantly, he was all smiles and hugs when we picked him up. We're calling it a complete success.

Kiddie Karma

Someone told me that with a newborn you should expect one tough period every day and one tough day every week. I cannot say whether this is entirely accurate because the magic potion of overwhelming adoration and infant smiles mixed with limited sleep puts parents in a constant state of drunken love such that it is nearly impossible to clearly remember those tough times. The good times, however, remain crystal clear.

For 115 minutes on Wednesday, I was the Baby Whisperer #2. (No matter how good, I can never be Baby Whisperer #1 because the title is already taken by our beloved Clay.) I had to dodge a cup of lemonade swarming with bees, push through a blister rubbed raw by the thong part of my sandal, and scare off a stray dog that charged us, but I did it. I had one of those moments where I thought, you know what, I'm rocking this parent thing.

While babysitting Lewis (our friends' son who is 6 weeks younger than Gavin), I managed to simultaneously feed him and Gavin, play and sing songs with them without any crying, and get them to sleep at the same time while out for a walk. It was awesome. And it might have lasted for 116 minutes, but for one small thing: I thought, you know what, I'm rocking this parent thing.

That's when it ended. It didn't end badly, but it ended. Lewis decided he was done with the walk, his cries woke Gavin, Gavin's diaper leaked, and we were still three blocks from the house.

Happy Halloween

Did you know that my mom has kitchen towels, bath mats, soap dispensers, door wreaths, and many other random knick-knacks for every major holiday? No, seriously. Starting in October with Halloween and continuing until Spring with Easter, the entire house is decorated. For me, it is what makes the holidays feel like the holidays; for others (and sometimes my dad falls into this category), it is a little overboard. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, I think I inherited the gene. For Halloween this year, Gavin had not one, not two, but three costumes.

A bumble bee . . .

A pumpkin . .

And, yes, a janitor . . .

Paparazzi

picture slideshow months 2 - 4

You Are Sillier Than You Remember

My dad sent me this really interesting NY Times article about childhood development. You can read it in full here (Your Baby Is Smarter Than You Think), but the last paragraph really says it all: "What children observe most closely, explore most obsessively and imagine most vividly are the people around them. There are no perfect toys; there is no magic formula. Parents and other caregivers teach young children by paying attention and interacting with them naturally and, most of all, by just allowing them to play."

This is most important job Daniel and I (and all parents) have ever had . . . the most difficult job we have ever had . . . the most rewarding job we have ever had and doing it successfully requires that we play. Our lives have become a blurred conglomerate of funny faces, goofy games, silly songs. Indeed, routine daily chores have become play time. Peek-a-boo with the bath towel. Reach and grab at the grocery store. Toe sucking during diaper changes. It is fabulously fun, for Gavin and his parents.

I knew that having a child would be rewarding, but regaining the ability as an adult to look at all of life as a silly game of exploration is an unexpected treasure. Admittedly, this perspective is probably most vibrant now. In fact, beside the sleep deprivation, I'm sure that a total surrender to the sillies during the newborn weeks is the impetus for "mommy brain" - the term used to describe a new parent's inability to speak coherently, sing any song other than a nursery rhyme, remember what day of the week it is, etc. But I am hopeful that at least a part of it remains forever. Perhaps this explains why, during one of my visits home from law school, my dad with a huge genuine smile could still excitedly ask me if I'd like to stir the new jar of peanut butter. My answer then was something along the lines of, "no, dad, I'm not five years old anymore." Next time, I think I'll go for something more along the lines of, "heck yeah."

Picture Perfect

because a picture (and particularly one by kim donald jackson) is worth a thousand words, i don't need to mention that:

gavin now weighs 12 pounds (65th%) and is 23 inches long (60th%)

he has developed a panoply of facial expressions, some serious and some playful, but all laugh provoking

he may grow up to be a punk rocker

he still impresses his parents with his every move (even a simple yawn)

he too often drinks too much while celebrating the longhorns

and his mommy and daddy love him very much

here are some of our other favorite pictures from his professional shoot (thanks kim!)

Twisty Curvy

we've grown accustomed to the fact that each time we think we've figured something out about this cute boy's likes and dislikes, wants and needs, etc., he changes. indeed, i am suspicious that he takes great delight in making a liar of his mom. we've been advised that this only lasts for the first twenty years or so. excellent.

interestingly (to us, at least), over the weeks we've also discovered new things about the way he looks. not just that he is growing up (and quickly) or that he is starting to look more and more like daniel (so much so that daniel remarked the other day that it was a really odd and special feeling to look at gavin and see himself . . . handsome boys!), but small little features that are either just appearing or just appearing to us. (you'd think that after staring at him for endless hours every day we would have each of his features memorized by now. not so.)

it took about a week for us to notice that he has an irresistible dimple on his right cheek. (actually grandma noticed it first.) and, while it may just be a result of the extra chin chub he has put on in the past few weeks, we just noticed that he has somewhat of a cleft chin. but there is another more surprising and fun (if i may say so myself) discovery. gavin has just begun to unclench his little fists and spread his fingers out to reach for the world and would you believe it . . . he has his mom's curved pinkies. who knew it was genetic? or perhaps just an exclusive club of two. either way, how wonderful that gavin will be able to pull the same date trick his mom pulled of yelling ouch when his date grabs his hand and then holding onto his pinky as his date stares in great concern that she has broken his little finger. (daniel just shook his head and rolled his eyes disapprovingly when i expressed my excitement about this party trick.)

for a very cute haiku and professional photo of the pinkies (as well as a sneak peek at the other photos we'll share next), visit our dear friend kim's website: http://kimdonaldphotography.typepad.com/kim_donald_photography_bl/

Welcome - Birth to Week 5

we've been a little behind in getting this blog going, so i'm going to try to summarize what has been the most amazing five weeks of our lives in one post, bare with me. (i get a pass for all typos or other mistakes 'cuz i'm not operating on full sleep and often typing one handed with gavin in the other.)




arrival. gavin was born beautiful, super laid back (he has become a bit more . . . um . . . spirited over the past few weeks), and very alert (except in this picture, which is too cute to pass up). we are truly in love.



week 1. if a newborn's facial expressions say anything about what their personality will ultimately be, then gavin is an interesting mix of playful and pensive. he switches between a furrowed brow contemplating his surroundings like a wise old man, a full smile, and a half smile that is either a smurk or an impish grin. we are in trouble.


week 2. during belly time, he picks up his head and looks from left to right. either belly time is not his favorite or he is a show off because he rolled from his belly to his back for the first time at ten days old.


week 3. he has not quite realized that his hands belong to him. as a result, mom and dad had to stop laughing before they could attend to his cries as he grabbed the back of his hair with a white knuckled fist. he has gained better eye coordination (usually, although we still have some crossed eyed moments), and can follow your hand or a persons face as it moves side to side or farther and closer to him.


week 4. at his one month appointment, his pediatrician told us that he is perfect. while i would have assumed the dr. said this to all new parents, after the door closed as she exited the exam room we overheard her tell the nurses, "he is just a perfect baby." we couldn't agree more.



week 5. he has started talking. well, ok, not talking, but verbalizing with something other than a cry. he smiles at daniel at the end of the day when he comes in from work. his smile is heart melting.and for those gavin photo junkies, you can see more pictures here.

kickin' it and chillin

our little mountain climber. if you saw my belly jolt left and right when i was pregnant, then you know that gavin was working out his legs in utero, hard. the first time that we put him on his belly (at about 7 days old) he kicked and kicked, ultimately scooting (slowly) across the blanket. at about two weeks old, he used those little legs to roll from his belly to his back. (i know none of you parents believe it, but he has rolled over a half dozen times in his five weeks and i have the video to prove it. it is available only upon special request, however, because we filmed it during naked time - a daily activity gavin loves.) he has discovered a new game (pop goes the weasel, we call it) that is quite fun for him i'm sure and quite unnerving for mom. when we are sitting on the couch snuggling together with his chest against mine and his little legs tucked in fetal position against my lap, my cheek against the side of his head whispering sweet nothings in his ear, he will without warning and quite violently pop up to a standing position. so far, neither of us has sustained any injuries, but he is getting stronger by the day . . . . for evidence, check out the video of him playing in his "kickin' coaster." he's too little for it, so we have to put a large book between the seat and the kick plate, but it doesn't keep him from popping and marching away.



cold chillin'. after a long day of leg exercises, you can find gavin chillin' in the water. he had his first bath in his big boy bath last week, which has a hammock that cradles him in the water. in true daniel glauser laid back style, he swung his leg over the edge of the hammock dangling his foot in the water (edited again for pg rating) and put his left arm up on the ledge. the only thing missing is the koozie.