Our Village

Driving home from work today (after being there for only 5 minutes), I contemplated whether or not to pull over to throw up or to keep driving home. I wondered if I pulled over on the side of the road, if Mark would come and get me.  I knew that tomorrow i'd come to Facebook to see "i'm thankful for..." all over and it made me wonder, what am I really thankful for this year? I'm not thankful that i'm sick, that's for sure. I'm thankful for my "village."

You've all heard the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child," and that couldn't be more accurate. This year especially, I don't know what I would have done without my village.

•  Our parents, who watch Gavin one day a week, saving us loads in daycare costs. Several times, they have driven us over soup, Gatorade  and crackers when we were sick. They have taken Gavin when we needed a night to ourselves. It melts our heart to see how much love they have for our little kiddo. 

• Our friends, who have driven a long ways to deliver us "get well" baskets, taken Gavin for us, came to visit us when Gavin was in the hospital and we needed you most (also our family who came to visit as well), just "checked in," or called to say hi, taken US out for some adult time, and just "been there." Let's not forget my mommy friends who have answered countless, "is this normal?" questions about having a baby. 

• My sistrina, for having phone dates with me. It's fun to raise kids at the same time! Also being a trooper and coming to visit Gavin and I in the hospital, when my mom couldn't. She's always got my back.

• My husband. I wouldn't survive parenthood...or life, without him. For those of you who don't know, we've been together since I was 14 and he was 15. We go wayyy back, as they say. A few wonderful things this man has done...does up the "sick" couch when i'm sick (blankets, fluffy bed pillows, side table with water, book and crackers), stuck with me through our breastfeeding days (huge time commitment), cleans up dog vomit because I still can't stomach it, still to this day is the get-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night- parent as well as everything else he does. 

We've been sick more this year than in the history of us being together and we've needed everyone who has helped, to help. Our Village has been a blessing and I am thankful for everyone who has stuck with us  through parenthood, as we muddle our way through it :)

Crabby Gavin with his Crabby friends

Sarah and Mike meet Gavin

Auntie Katie

Uncle Adam

Sarah!

Auntie Heidi meets Gavin

Diana!

Gramma T

Laura, always bringing the fun

Gramma T, brings Gavin to the hospital

Grammy P

Grandpa 

Daddy and Gav watching cartoons

Cousins

Auntie Katie

Friends!

Sarah

Auntie and Uncle 

Two Grandmas that Gavin has wrapped around his tiny fingers

Auntie

Kera drives all the way from OK, to see us!

Sara drives from Chicago to see us!

SO thankful this year!

Don't DIY

Dear Fellow Pinteresters...

Just a word to the wise...people who's websites are linked to Pinterest are either professionals or super duper crafters. I thought i'd be all crafty tonight and make my own Christmas bulb wreath. Bad idea.

I should have taken Mark's advice to stop while I was a head and could still return the expensive pile of bulbs I bought. I had originally set out to make this, DIY Wreath.


Pretty little thing, huh?

Well I start out my cheap bulb hunt at Target- wrong place to start. For a pack of 8 or 10, it was  $15. I did peruse the already made wreaths and thought, "Who spends $20 on a wreath!?" Next I went to Michaels, and settled on several packs of bulbs for $5.99 a piece. $33 later, I left with more work and $ down the drain that if I just bought a new one. I digress...

30 minutes of hot gluing bulbs shut, I get them hung on my not-so-perfect-circle of a hanger.
This POS I ended up with, doesn't even hang on the door. The bulbs are of course, huge and it sticks out from the door quite a ways. I'm not even sure if I'd be able to close the door if I left it on there.

Here is what I ended up with....

It's bottom heavy, it's not cute, it's hardly a circle, and it's expensive.

I took it off the door, to have two bulbs come off and shatter all over the place.

Word to the wise, DON'T do this yourself. Go buy a pretty little pre-made $20 wreath from Target and save yourself. Unless you can find bulbs from the dollar store, and have some eye for working bulbs onto a hanger- not worth the work.

Excuse me while I go take the bulbs off and try to stuff the hot glued bulbs back into their packaging, and pretend they are new.

~H

Busy boy!

Gavin has become the most entertaining child. He makes us laugh all the time. He's also become so intelligent... overnight almost. It's as if he's spent 12 months soaking everything in, and now he's showing us what he's got. He constantly surprises us with new things all the time.

He understands so much, it's surprising such a little person can be so knowledgeable.

He responds correctly to us if we tell him to "put it away," "go give that to dad/mom/grandma," "night night (bedtime)",  "I'm going to get you (he runs)," "say hi/bye," as well as knows people by name including his daycare lady's name, mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, Trooper/Puppy. He's also started saying "uh oh," and being much more vocal (gibberish) and has learned how to blood -curdle- scream. He's so interested in his toys lately too. He stacks toys, LOVES taking toys out and then putting them back, block puzzles, legos, shape sorters, colors, numbers, books (including reading to himself) and self-entertains very well.

He's never been a cuddle baby. Once he could walk, he was off. He will sit in our lap if he's hurt/sick, or wants to be read to.

It's so fun watching him grow up and learn. They say kids are like sponges, and it's so true. We're in an ECFE class now on Tuesday nights. We love spending time with him and encourage his learning and making friends. Mom and dad may even make a few friends with fellow parents too!

This skilled boy can tear apart a clean house in minutes

The song "Happy and You Know It" was on, in the car...I look back, and see this emo face.

Clearly helping mom with dishes

Last day of swimming lessons (with dad in the middle)

~Pounds

13

Wearing:
       ~ Size 18 month clothes
       ~ Hats as often as possible
       ~ Size 4 diapers + cloth
       ~ Shoes on good days

Eating
      ~ Baby food (hey, he needs his fruits and veggies!)
      ~ Any carbohydrate he can get his hands on
      ~ This week he also switched to having a sippy cup during the day and evening. It may be a while before he gives up his morning bottle. He cried for an hour this morning (yes, we let him), with sippy cup in hand, until he got his bottle. Stinker! He still has trouble with aspirating, especially water in the sippy.

Playing
      ~ He loves being with his friends
      ~ Climbing (stairs mostly)
      ~ Taking things out, then putting them back (book shelf 12x/day, shoe rack, dog food, etc)
      ~ Shapes (we have a shape sorting ball that he loves to put the blocks back into by himself)
      ~ Big legos
      ~ "Reading" to himself
      ~ Big block puzzles
      ~ Pulling things behind him + climbing in and out of small spaces

Sleeping
     ~ One, 2-3 hour nap, mid-day
     ~ 10-13 hours at night

Talking
    ~ Since last month, his jabbering has taken off. He always has something to jabber about
    ~ He tries to respond or mimic us when we make funny noises
    ~ "All done, mom, dad, hi, bye"

Loving
     ~ Being read to
     ~ Being counted to
     ~ Being sang to
     ~ Helping cook/clean
     ~ Mom, Dad, Grandmas, Grandpa

Gavin helping daddy