Cuddles...

Ever since Gavin was born, I followed certain rules about sleeping. Even as a tiny baby, I followed the "put him to bed drowsy, but not asleep" mantra. He had very scheduled feeding time, awake time and sleep time. He rarely slept with us or on us because I was so terrified of having a child that didn't sleep well or a child that climbed into bed with us every night. That advice really seemed to work. Gavin has been sleeping through the night since he was 8 weeks old and has always napped well.

I did always have one regret about such a scheduled kiddo...he would never snuggle or sleep with us even when we wanted him to. When it was time to go to bed, he wanted to be put down in his crib and left alone. He even told me, "bye bye" one night when I lingered to rub his head, so cuddling before bedtime was out of the question!

About 3 weeks ago when I was putting Gavin down to bed, he said, "Hold you, Mama?" I said, "You want Mama to hold you?" He said, "uh huh". So, I gave him his monkey blanket, and we went over to the rocking chair so that I could hold him for a little while. After about 3 or 4 minutes, I put him down in his bed drowsy, but not asleep. The next afternoon before his nap he said, "Hold you Mama? Rocking in rocking chair?" This time we sat down in the rocking chair for about 5 minutes. I started to feel his breath get a little slower and louder, his head got a little heavier on my chest, and then he stopped moving. Oops. I rocked him to sleep!!! I sat rocking him for another 5 minutes or so just enjoying our time together. I picked him up and put him in bed, and he didn't even move! And guess what? I liked it so much, we did it again the next day! That night, I put him down after rocking him for a couple of minutes, and he started to whimper. "Hold you Mama? Rocking in rocking chair?" Realizing that this was a bad idea, I said, "No baby, it's time to go nite nite. I love you", and then I left the room. He went to bed without incident, but this really made me think. It felt so great to have him fall asleep on me, but doing that is pretty selfish. If I keep doing that, he'll expect it and won't be able to go to sleep by himself or he'll nap poorly at school because I'm not there to rock him. I guess rocking him to sleep every now and then isn't such a bad thing, but I need to be careful not to make it a habit...no matter how great it feels.

My boy...

It seems like over the last couple of days, Gavin has really started talking and budding quite a personality. There are many words that would describe him, but if I had to choose one word, it would be: comedian. I wonder if that is any surprise considering his parents. He is so funny and silly. He has great comedic timing and knows how to make us laugh. And when he does make you laugh, he mimics you! He knows falling is funny and invites you to partake. He knows it's funny to make you look away and then tickle you. He has the best little laugh I have ever heard.

I would also describe him as good natured. OK, that's two words, but those words are fitting. He is very rarely rattled by things that we do. Gary can tease him about something, and he just laughs about it. He is so easy to get along with.

I think he is a little shy, too. When there are a bunch of people around or a few people he doesn't know, he is a little observer. He is very quiet and just watches. Then, when and if he feels comfortable, he lets his inner comedian loose!

Other adjectives that describe him: persistent, goal oriented, sweet, lovable, sensitive.

He's speaking so well over the last couple of days. And, his memory and direction following blow me away.

For example, this week was very cold and we've stayed inside most of the week. I decided to bundle us up and run a couple of errands. We talked about looking for fire wood, so we could light a fire in the fire place tonight. He kept talking about "wood" and "light fire in fireplace". When we got home, he helped me unload the wood. I was unsure about lighting the fire myself (he was very disappointed we had to wait) and I told him we had to wait until Da Da got home. He seemed to forget about it pretty quickly and went off to play. As soon as Gary walked through the door tonight, he grabbed his hand and said, " 'mon DaDa, light fire". Gary said OK and then stated we needed our fire starter (giant lighter). Gavin proceeded to the drawer where we keep that lighter and fetched it for Gary. We lit a fire, and everyone was happy.

Later that night, Gavin was on the changing table and started to fuss. Gary was putting his diaper and pajamas on, and I walked over to him and asked him why he was upset. Me: "Baby, what do you want?" Gavin: "Um, beans and applesauce!" Me: "OK, I'm going to go warm up some beans, but you can't have anymore applesauce tonight. Would you like some yogurt?" Gavin: "Heat up beans, and NOOOO applesauce (waving his finger in the air), only yogurt!" He repeated that a couple of times and then when he heard the microwave go off, he looked up at us and said, "They're ready!" So, we went to sit down and eat our beans and yogurt. I was feeding him because I didn't want him to dirty his pajamas. He looked at me and took the yogurt and said, "I hold it!" And he did.

Today was a great day and a reminder that he is growing up so fast. I hope I can cherish every moment.

Catching up....

It has been a super busy time for us since the week before Christmas. We drove down to New Orleans with the boy and the dog. We hardly even knew Jack was there and Gavin was entertained by sleeping or the portable DVD player we borrowed. It was actually not a bad drive. We left super early in the morning to miss Dallas and Baton Rouge traffic. It worked. We got there Wednesday afternoon and rested that day. GiGi and "Unc Dada" pulled out the big guns..the tractor!

The next night we went to Beth and Joey's to eat dinner and exchange gifts. My poor monkey didn't feel good...he kept saying "Bye bye, GiGi home".

Friday was Christmas Eve. We had dinner at my sister's house....ham, sweet potato casserole, spinach casserole, etc. Yum! We opened a couple of presents Christmas Eve for those who weren't going to be there in the morning. We made some cookies earlier in the day that we left for Santa, along with some milk. Santa ate most of the cookies and drank the milk.

Gavin very methodically opening a present

We woke up Christmas Day, early, and opened presents. No one was as excited as Gary, Gavin and I. We opened some presents and ate breakfast. It was a little overwhelming for Gavin because he had a LOT of presents!!! He was a great helper and was bringing presents to people and offering to help open them. Later on that day, we went to Jan's house for dinner. Gavin and Sara got along really well! She entertained him most of the night, which was great. And, we got a great surprise...Michelle got engaged!! We are so happy for her! Gavin opened most of his presents, but was starting to get overwhelmed, so we took a couple for him to open Sunday. Gavin loved his dinosaur that Santa left! "EHHH!"
The Marchand boys

Ellie, Sara and Gavin

On Monday, Gigi, Gavin, Gary and I went to the aquarium. Gavin was soooo excited! He ran around pointing to everything...It was really cool to see him so excited. Monday night, Michelle and Leonard came over to watch the Saints vs. Falcons game and share their news.

Tuesday we were supposed to go to Fulton Street and to the Roosevelt to see lights and snow. Gavin's "cold" finally got the best of him, and we had to take him to the urgent care center. Turns out, he had an ear infection and RSV. Doc put him on cough syrup and antibiotics, and we ate Popeyes for dinner.

We left first thing Wednesday morning. We left early again to miss all the traffic. Oh my goodness was it great to be home!!!

A couple of days later Beth and Joey came in to celebrate New Year's Eve. We made dinner reservations at Sambuca. The meal was pretty good and the service was pretty bad!! Overall, it was a good time, although our friend Jonathan got sick and had to leave early. And Joey was ready to go 30 minutes before midnight. The band was pretty fun and the group of people there was so diverse. The next day I got to cash in my Christmas present and go shopping with Beth all day. It was sooo fun! The best Christmas present EVER!

The weekend after that, Dad and Ellie came in town for the Cotton Bowl. The game was incredible! We sat six rows up in the end zone. At first, it was annoying because we were in the Aggie's section, but they soon stopped making so much flippin' noise! Games are always more fun to be at when your team wins :)

The next day, we went to J and Tina's house for a BBQ and to watch the Saints playoff game. Sadly enough, they lost. Better luck next year, right? Then, we came home, gave Gavin a bath and lit our own fire in the back yard and talked until the boys came home.

Sunday...it snowed! We got a couple of inches of snow that accumulated briefly on the ground. Gary built a snowman (about a foot high) and Gary, Gavin and Jack played in the snow. It was too cold for anyone else! The next day, Dad and Ellie's flight was cancelled, so we went to the mall and to Houston's for dinner. MMmmm! There flight left the next without incident.

Dada, Gavin and "George" the snowman.

We have been busy. And I am whipped! I so enjoyed having company, but I'll enjoy having the house to just us for a few weeks!

Pictures

The biggest news of late is that Gavin got a haircut. Gary likes it, but I miss his curls! I think Gavin misses them, too...he sure is fond of hats lately!! Here are just a few pictures of my boys.
Gavin truly does love Jack. He wants to play with him all of the time. Jack just thinks he's annoying right now, but one day he'll be thankful for him and the outlet of energy he provides.

Roasting marshmellows.

"Who Dat?!" Gavin put this on all by himself.

Look at those blue eyes!! And Gavin has pretty eyes, too.

Gary raked some leaves for Gavin to play in. I think Gary had more fun then Gavin did.

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving 2010 came and went pretty fast. But, it was pretty amazing! We knew very early on that the Saints were playing the Cowboys right here in Dallas, and that we wanted to go!! We realized rather quickly that it wasn't worth the $250 plus they were asking for noise bleed seats, so we resolved to have Thanksgiving at home and watch the game with family. But, as fate would have it, we scored 50 yard line seats in a suite with food and drinks included...for 6! Enough for everyone to go minus my sweet baby and sweet sister who stayed with him while we enjoyed the high life in the Death Star (aka Cowboy Stadium). Not only did we score these tickets, we scored parking right in front of the stadium. I really could have thrown a football at the stadium from where we were parked...and I throw like a girl!! This parking came in handy since it was brrrrr-freezing that day! I mean COLD! We ran into to some fellow Saints fans that were tailgating and my mom, Josh and Leonard got back in the car until we were ready to go into the stadium. Only the Marchands stayed outside, braved the cold and had some beverages :)

The view from the suite was amazing. It was really surreal. I couldn't believe I was going to watch my favorite team play from here. Add all of that + food + drinks + family = heaven! We had a great time. I'm not really sure we were supposed to jump up and down and yell and cheer as loud as we did. The other suite occupants, including the owner of said suite, (Cowboys fans) did not seem thrilled. In fact, after the game was over, they just got up and left. No good byes or anything. Sore losers? Who knows!? All I know is that we had a fantastic time despite some awkward moments with strangers and traffic nightmares!

Leonard and Michelle
Josh, me and mom

Gary and I...this was our view. OMG!

Since we went to the game on Thursday, we had our Thanksgiving on Friday. I woke up early Friday morning to cook the bird (that I brined for about 30 hours), make sweet potato casserole and stuffing. Michelle made mac n cheese, mom made mashed potatoes, Gina made green bean casserole and Leonard made dessert. Everything was incredible!!! I think this was by far THE tastiest Thanksgiving EVER! Yes, I want to go on record as saying this was the best feast EVER!

My bird.

Mmmmmmmm!

The table all fancied up.

The family eating.

Gavin reliving his fireman days.

Jack got plenty of turkey and some exercise in the park.

Random. This cracks me up. My sister started to put olives on her fingers and talk to Gavin. Then, when she...er...it was done talking, she would eat it! Gavin looked horrified the first time she did it!! So what did she do? Kept on doing it...who got involved??

"Apple", "Ma-maw", "Geeda" and Gavin. Weirdos ;)

After dinner on Friday, we went to get a Christmas tree at Home Depot...a Marchand family tradition since 2004. Michelle and Leonard came with us to help pick out the perfect tree! We also got a fire pit. Later that night after Gavin went to bed, we roasted marshmallows and made S'mores!

Our tree!

Gary got right on it and put all of the lights on. We decorated that weekend, too. Gary also put up our blow up snowman and lights around a tree outside. Everything looks great! What a fun weekend. I'm so glad everyone came in to spend this time with us, and I was so sad to see them go. But, we'll see them in about 3 weeks for Christmas!

Zoo to Do 2010

This past Saturday, our friends invited us to Zoo to Do at the Dallas zoo. In a nutshell, it was really cool! When we first walked in, there were a couple of different keepers with animals. One was an armadillo that folded up into this perfect little ball. His head tucked in on the upper right and his tail tucked in to the lower left. There was also a chinchilla, penguins, a snake, and a porcupine.

An armadillo ball.
The porcupine was really kinda cute. His keeper tried to keep him up on his little stoop by feeding him biscuits (BTW, porcupines prefer their biscuits soaked in water), but he just kept throwing them on the floor. He just wanted be held by the keeper...just like a spoiled child!

Penguins. They didn't really do anything cool. They did smell like fish.

Gary and I at the front entrance.

Tina and I with the really tall man.

We made our back to the animal exhibits. There is a new portion of the zoo that is really cool. You get to see the animals really close up.

Elephant.

This was really cool. The front of this truck was outside of the exhibit and the bed of the truck was inside of the exhibit, obviously separated by a piece of glass. There was a piece of meat tied to the back of the truck that lured the cheetahs so we could get a really good look at them.

This was the coolest thing of the night! We got to feed the giraffes lettuce and crackers. They come right up to you and eat out of your hand! You're not allowed to touch them, but I just want to nuzzle this little guy. They're awfully skittish.

Gary, me, Tina and Jonathan

Our first self portrait in a while

"Tinathan" They love it when we call them that :)

The boys

The girls

So, after we mingled with the animals, we headed back to the dinner area. There were about 25 booths set up from great places all over Dallas. We got to sample some food from each one. One of my favorite booths was the coffee one! It was pretty cold outside, so the hot beverage was much appreciated....plus, they spiked our coffee with Baileys. YUM!

We went back to sit at our table and listened to the live auction. There was also a silent auction, but I didn't see anything I was that interested in bidding on. Gary was pretty intent on bidding on something. Suddenly, something caught Gary's eye. He saw "Thanksgiving tradition with the Cowboys" and asked what it was. I secretly thought, "Who gives a crap, it's the Cowboys" Well, the Cowboys are playing the Saints this year on Thanksgiving! Sure enough, it was 6 tickets to a suite on the 50 yard line!! No one bid on it! So, Gary and I briefly discussed whether or not we would bid and what would be our limit. After a nervous hour, we discovered we won the tickets!! How cool is that!?

It was a wonderful night filled with unique experiences, good friends, stiff drinks and great food! And, we get to go see the Saints play!

'Tis the season!

The weather is getting colder and that just reminds me that the holidays are here! I did deem this time of year "fat season", but I really LOVE the holidays. Here a few of my favorite things:

1. Peppermint hot chocolate/milkshakes/latte
2. Fuzzy sweaters
3. Sweet potato casserole
4. Spending time with family
5. Boots
6. S'mores!
7. Sleeping with the windows open
8. Snuggling
9. Scarves
10. Presents
11. Football
12. Turkey
13. Christmas shopping
14. Christmas lights
15. Fresh Christmas trees!
16. Flannel pajamas