One

Gavin turned one today. It was right about this time last year that I was delivering him. RJ was on the side of the road somewhere between here and the valley listening to everything on the phone, and my mom and best friend Megan were with me in the delivery room. What a wild day that was. I woke up that morning with contractions, but denied it all day because RJ was gone on business, and I wasn't going to have this baby without him here. But, the contractions never stopped...I taught all day, came home and rested...drank lots of water hoping the contractions would go away. Finally, when I knew it was the real deal, I told RJ he needed to get on the road and come home. My mom took me to the hospital and by this time, there was no denying that Gavin was coming. We got to the hospital around 5:30 or 6:00PM and he was in my arms a few hours later.

After we had Aidan, RJ and I worried that we wouldn't be able to feel the same way about another child. We loved Aidan so much...how could it be the same with the 2nd? What we didn't know is that our hearts would grow that day and open wider to take in this new baby. Gavin has filled our lives with such joy...he has been like a ray of sunshine from the moment he was born. He is hands-down the best baby I've ever been around. He rarely cries...if he does you know something is really wrong. He is starting to get a little personality now and sometimes tries to show a little attitude, but he is still happy when he does it and usually laughs afterwards. He and Aidan have very different personalities. Aidan is our cautious child who thinks everything through and has a specific way he wants things to go. Gavin just goes for it. I have a feeling that he is going to be a little dare-devil because he is not afraid of anything. He is sweet, yet fearless.

What he is up to these days...
*He says a few words: Mama, Dada, tries to say Aidan (which is the cutest), uh-oh, no, more...
*He is cruising all around the furniture still and will stand on his own for quite a while. But, he will only take one step. Then he'll plop down and crawl. He is doing the one step thing more often now, so I suspect he'll take off any day.
*He "dances" when music comes on.
*He wakes up happy in the morning and shows me a smile when I go in to get him.
*He falls asleep in my arms at night and I hold him for a long time...this is one of the sweetest moments of my day.
*He has 4 teeth on top and 2 on bottom.
*He LOVES to eat and will eat as much as his big brother.
*He adores Aidan...he wants to be with him all the time and mimics everything he does.
*He loves to slide...head-first! His daycare has a small toddler sized playset...he will crawl up the stairs and then slide down...then crawl around and do it over and over again.
*He has become quite the escape artist...not only can he get out of all our barricades, but he has recently learned how to crawl out of his exersaucer (head-first again!)...can't use that to contain him anymore!

I am so blessed with my babies. I cannot imagine life without either of them, and I am so grateful to be able to experience being their mommy.

Gavin, your joy is contagious. I pray that you keep that quality about you all of your life. May you always have a joy in your heart and spread it to those around you. Thank you for all that you have brought to our family. Mommy and Daddy love you more than you will ever know!

Then

and Now