Almost a year

I cannot believe that in less than a month my baby is turning a year old. And I realize that I haven't been too diligent in keeping up with this blog. The past year has been indescribable. Challenging at times but simply amazing. Gavin is becoming such a little man. He is a sponge that literally soaks up something new every day. He is crawling everywhere and has started to cruise along the couches. Still hesitant to take some steps but I have a feeling that will change very soon. He is fearless which means I cannot let him out of my sight for a second. Today he climbed halfway up the stairs (with me right behind him) to get a much desired cat toy. He has 4 teeth on top and 4 on the bottom and I think a molar is slowly making it's appearance (hence the crankiness). In January he came down with an awful cold/respiratory infection/RSV. It was a scary time. He ended up in the ER due to low oxygen levels and breathing issues. He was on a nebulizer for months and still is experiencing loud breathing. He has been to 2 pulmonologists and we still have no diffinitive answers as to the cause of his loud breathing. One dr. is leaning towards allergies and basically said I need to chill. Hard for me to do especially as a first time mom. He is thriving though in every way so the drs. don't seem concerned. He has yet to find a food he doesn't like. His new thing is to scream when the food stops coming. I swear he is an endless pit. He is babbling a few words here and there, waving, clapping. I am trying to break him of his paci (hate) obsession because I think it may be hindering him talking more. I say to him you don't need that stinky binky and he hands it to me. Of course there are days like today when he was super needy and cried every time I put him down and tried to do something real fast that it came in handy. I am hoping this sudden phase of crying ends soon. Real soon! He is weighing in a little over 24 pounds and is about 29 inches long. He has evened out and has leveled out. Eric and Gavin are doing a Saturday morning swim class at the Y which he loves. He loves water of any sort. We bought a blow up baby pool and he loves, loves, loves it along with his new swingset. I don't know where this past year has gone. I feel like I blinked my eyes and here we are almost a year later. I see what people mean now when they say how fast it goes.

Blessed

Every day I want to pinch myself because I still can't believe Gavin is really here. After all we went through I can't stop feeling incredibly blessed. It pains me to see others take their children for granted and I hope I never do. I have to say I'm not sure if it's because of our journey but Gavin is such a happy go lucky baby. I'm also hoping I didn't just jinx myself! I definitely have the mommy guilt and hope that I am doing things right. When I see the constant smile on his face it gives me a little reassurance that I am. Of course there are still some people who want to put their two cents in and say how things should be but I'm doing with feels right for us and so far things have been working out ok.
Gavin officially has 2 teeth on the bottom and 3 are SLOWLY making their presence known on the top. We had a few rougher nights when I think he was in pain and extra needy. He is sitting up on his own now (with a pillow behind his head...just in case). He isn't crawling yet but does do a 360 turn on his belly and pushes across the floor backwards on his belly. He has definitely found his voice and loves to scream. He puts a smile on my face every single day and the best is hearing him giggle at things such as a cough or hiccup. He lets out such belly laughs and they are the greatest! My in-laws bought him a car that you push him in for xmas and he loves it. He sits there with one arm on the wheel and one arm on the back as though he is cruising for the ladies. He's going to be a heartbreaker! Developmentally he seems right on track. Weighs in at about 22 pounds but is a tall boy too. He started off big and his weight seems to be leveling off now that he is more active. He loves playing with all his toys and I am amazed that he is already able to pick up how his toys actually work.
We started him on solid foods and he LOVES them which I didn't doubt he would. I'm still nursing him and while I would love to stick out until he is a year I am not sure how long I'll go. It's a much different ballgame when teeth are involved. Ouch! Sleep is going ok. Naps could be better. Unfortunately he sleeps the best while napping on me which I've found to be a hard habit to break. I keep telling myself that soon enough he isn't going to want his mommy to hold him so I'm taking advantage of it while I can. I have him on a flexible schedule and some days he is in agreement and other days he is not!
I'm just enjoying watching him evolve into this little man. I am loving motherhood. It has it's challenges but it is the most rewarding experience I've ever had.