Then and Now (Part 4) - Social Butterfly

Then: 6 months - We called his first day of school a success, but reading between the lines you could probably tell we were still a bit nervous about the whole affair and whether Gavin would thrive there.

Now: 11 months - Gavin blows kisses to the teachers, pushes out of my arms to go play with his friends the second we walk through the door (although he still whimpers when I finally leave . . . for a whopping 15 seconds), and has indeed thrived. He is getting ready to graduate from the Butterfly Room to the Monkey Room (1 year to 18 month olds), which means one nap a day on a big boy mat rather than a crib, constant outside playground time, and eating at the table in a proper chair. It is bittersweet. I've watched other infants from Gavin's class make the transition, and they instantly turn into big kids. Definitely more sweet than bitter though because each and every phase of this wonderful person's life has been better than the previous one.

Sampling of Daily Notes from the past 6 months:

"Gavin had a great day today! He enjoyed going outside on the buggy and watching the butterflies fly around the flowers. He also really liked playing with the blocks and trying to give Bailey kisses."

"Gavin was the Butterfly dentist today. He would crawl to Bailey or Gretchen and gently put his finger into their mouth. He also liked going on the playground and going down the slide."

"SUPER HAPPY BOY! Loved going out on the buggy and climbing in and out, in and out, in and out of the donut. He also must have had one crazy weekend, because he talked nonstop. Also played chase with Daisy and Lula around the chair."

"Gavin had a great day! He liked being king of the room. He made sure to pull ALL of the toys off the shelves and made a nice big mess. =) He liked getting to play with Kai (new Butterfly). Kai would chase Gavin all around the room and Gavin loved it."

"Gavin had a wonderful day. He liked watching the rain from the open window and the birds that kept landing on the porch - very interesting! He liked crawling up onto the big singing block and made his surprised face each time it would start to sing. :0 He also found the LOUDEST toys to play with while Henry and Bailey were sleeping."

In case you need a visual on the referenced surprised face that occurs each time Gavin here's a noise (music, dog bark, chickens next door, loud truck, lawn mower, car alarm, etc.) or sees any animal (dog, cat, bird, fish tank) or someone that he wants to meet (kids at the grocery store, mailman, random stranger walking on the sidewalk while we are stopped at a red light) or on command/response to your surprised face:

Then and Now (Part 3) - Walking on Sunshine

Then: 1.5 months - Remember the July 2009 "Kickin' Coaster" post? (You can catch it here if you need a refresher: ) We described Gavin as "our little mountain climber" and a mover and shaker.

Now: 6 months - Gavin started pulling himself up to a standing position and trying to climb furniture. He refuses to sit and instead belly scoots to you (imagine something ala Stripes with Bill Murray yelling, "Never leave a man behind!"), climbs up onto your lap, turns around, and grabs your fingers like they are his personal reins as he yells "giddyup!" (or, at least, pulls on your fingers, rocks back and forth, and grunts). Being the novice parents that we are, Daniel and I accommodate, no encourage, this "walking."

7 months - Still refuses to sit. Legs. Must. Be. Moving. Mom and Dad are thoroughbreds. (Plus, let's admit it, we're not particularly tall so we don't have to bend down that far to walk holding onto Gavin's hands.) We're surviving and we're still so proud.

8 months - Still moving. Still refuses to sit. Must. Kick. Ball. For hours. NO, seriously, hours. I feel guilty that Gavin is at daycare during the day where his teachers obviously cannot give him the individual attention that he needs (read, demands) and probably cannot spend all day walking him around the room playing soccer with whatever toy crosses his path. So, at night, we walk. And walk. And walk. And walk. And kick. And kick. And kick.

9 months - Alright kid, let's get a move on. You may have started this, but Mom and Dad are going to finish it. We're practicing because Mom and Dad are about to be taken out to pasture. We're cutting the reins, or at least we're trying. Unfortunately, it works like a kill switch. Gavin is walking us around the room, I mean Speedy Gonzalez style walking around the room, holding onto both hands. You quickly slip one hand away and FREEZE. Midstep. Followed by a full blown toddler style temper tantrum where he throws his head back and arches his entire body backwards (which is precarious considering you're holding onto only one of his hands) until you again give him both of your hands. And the switch is instantly flipped back. No more tantrum. No more crying. Just walking.

Thankfully, we've discovered that he loves to push his cart across the room, which means no more humpback-of-notre-dame-style walking for Mom and Dad. He walks from one end of the room, bang, hits the wall on the other side. Mom, turns the cart around. He walks to the other side of the room, bang, hits the opposite wall. Dad, turns the cart around. You get the picture.

10 months - "I may be walking in circles, but I got this Mom, leave me alone." Why did I ever want him to walk holding onto only one hand? Please, remind me. Because now, he still crawls (or cruises) over to you, sits in your lap, grabs both hands, stands up, and then throws one of your hands away to walk with just your other hand. The problem? His balance and coordination are still a little off and he ends up walking in a circle - to the right if it is your right hand, to the left if it is your left hand. This do-si-do is fun for the first 10 or 15 minutes, and then I get dizzy. I try to grab his other hand, but he pulls ninja tricks, hiding it or rolling it so that it is impossible to hold onto.

Having said all of this, watching the look on his face as he practices and then masters each new motor skill has been amazing. He is a determined little boy. I know exactly where he gets it. A few months before Gavin was born, Daniel kayaked 65 miles in a single day after having previously kayaked a total of three times for a total distance of, maybe, 5 miles. Daddy D and Little G power through it. And although it means a (nearly) one-year-old has got us by the reins, his determination is a wonderful quality.

11 months and 3 weeks - Watch out world, he walks.