Gavin James - 18 months

Ahhh, where do I begin to talk about our dear Gavin James....our curly-haired, blue-eyed, precocious, little firecracker.  After being such an easy and chill baby, Christian and I seriously thought we were on easy street with him and that Jack would be our little troublemaker.  Oh my, how wrong we were!  Jack is the easy one and Gavin has slowly become our little pistol.  He's demanding, stubborn, dramatic, and always looking for trouble, all of which has earned him the nicknames Mayhem and El Diablo!  But on the flip side he's equally as precious, hilarious, loving, seriously smart and so darn adorable that it's difficult to ever stay mad at him.  With Gavin it's always a wild ride and he definitely keeps Christian and me on our toes!

Sometimes all we can do is laugh at his antics.  The kid just cracks us up!  We literally can't take our eyes off of him for a minute because he'll be up to no good....whether it's dumping out cereal boxes, smearing my make-up on the floor, running in the street or eating dirt, the kid is always into something.  But I think having him around has really taught us a lot about patience because we know we cannot always control this child. We try to allow him the freedom to be himself while trying to teach him the ways of the world. He definitely challenges us on a daily basis.

And sometimes he just plain outsmarts us.  We can already tell he has such street smarts about him - I mean the kid is really intelligent!  He picks up on everything so quickly.  We are constantly amazed by his advanced development but sad because it's making him grow up way too fast. He's so not a baby anymore and it kills me.  We think a lot of it has to do with the fact that he wants to keep up with his big brother Jack.  He absolutely idolizes his brother and wants to do everything he does so he catches on to things very quickly.  And he always wants to be in on the joke and never left out of anything....especially if Jack is involved.

But in many other ways, Gavin is his own person.  He's strong, independent and unpredictable, while Jack is a lot more of a rule follower.  I honestly have no idea what Gav will be when he grows up but I know he won't be sitting at a desk pushing papers.  I know he'll have an exciting and adventurous life and I can't wait to see what lies ahead for him.  And boy does he love the ladies!  He's quite the little flirt when we are in public.  So while I imagine Jack to be a one-woman man, it might take Gav a little longer to settle down, which is just fine with me. 

He's such a little stinker, but he's my stinker and I wouldn't change him for anything.  He brings us way more happiness than heartache and we just love him so much.  I could just kiss that face a thousand times a day.  He's like my best bud because we have spent so much time together since I cut back on work when he was born - I cannot imagine a life without him.  It would be quite boring!  He brings a joy and excitement to our lives that we have become very accustomed to!  Here are some fun facts about our second born...

Stats:
Height: 35 inches - 95th percentile
Weight: 27 pounds - 75th percecntile
Clothing Size: 2T
Shoe Size: 8 Wide

Favorite Things: His daddy (can you see a pattern here), his big bro Jack, milk, nacks (snacks), bananas and oranges, his blanky-boo, Dora and Boots, Mickey Mouse, any Toy Story character, Jack's cars, specifically Chick Hicks, basically anything of Jack's, puzzles, reading books, counting, eating crayons, new t-shirts, dancing, Itsy Bitsy Spider, bath time, bubbles, stickers, belly buttons, wrestling with daddy and Jack, being naked, running in the street, eating dirt, talking, hugs.

Least Favorite Things: Breakfast, water in his juice, long-sleeved t-shirts, shoes and socks, dogs, brushing his teeth, kids church, strangers, sitting still, the morning, being clean.

What I love the most: His curly hair, his perfect little face, his laugh, his muscular little body, that he looks exactly like his dad, that he's smart as a whip, the way he runs like a crazed lunatic, watching his curly hair bounce when he runs, reading to him at night, how funny he is, his dancing, his free-spirit, that he's started praying with us at night, cuddling with him, when he holds my hand, when he picks me flowers, that he is always with me.

What I could live without: Chasing him down the street on a daily basis, watching him eat dirt, always having to hold him, cleaning up his constant messes, watching him throwing his food on the floor, hearing him say no, his constant whining, always crying for his daddy, his dirty diapers, his eczema, that he's growing up too fast, his moodiness in the morning...just like his dad.

Ok, cue the eye-rolls and judgement here because I'm about to be that mom and brag about my boy.  I try hard not to gloat in my blog, but you have to give me a little wiggle room here since I just mentioned all the bad stuff about Gav.  I mean, if he was a maniac AND not too bright, I would be in trouble!  So let me brag just a little...

Developmental Milestones: As I mentioned earlier, Gav is wickedly smart.  He loves reading books and can tell me them by name.  He can also count to 10, is a whiz at puzzles and has started learning his colors...blue is his favorite.  But beyond that he's just so perceptive about everything and has the best memory.  I was so worried that he would be behind the curve since he's not in preschool yet, but I don't think I have anything to worry about.

Early Talker: We thought Jack was an early talker but Gavin really takes the cake.  He started at about 9 months and hasn't stopped since.  By 12 months he was up to 15 words and by 15 months he was saying over 70 words (yes, I counted) and using 2-word sentences.  Now at 18 months, he's has well-over 100 words, but can pretty much say anything you tell him to.  And he's using 4 and 5 words in a sentence and trying to have full-on conversations with you.  I credit this talent to his love of books and having an older brother whom he talks to all day long.  And the fact that he loves to hear his own voice - I mean, the kid never shuts up....kinda like his mom!

Favorite Sayings: "Naked butt," "Shake Your Booty," "Thank You, You're Welcome," "I Want That!" "Tootie Fruity!"...usually said after he farts, which is a lot!  I have to thank the Fischer's for that one. He also does what we refer to as the nightly Roll Call - this is where he names every person he knows in the world before he goes to bed.  It's hilarious.

Firsts: Gavin got his first hair-cut in January (yes, I know I am way behind the 8-ball on that post).  I wanted to cut it all off because he was looking like a little hippie, but Christian wouldn't let me.  I'm glad I didn't because I love his curls now!

The little things: Today I cracked up watching him try to get peanut butter off the roof of his mouth.  He was struggling and frustrated but it was hilarious.  When he finally got it out he looked at me and giggled.  These little moments with him and Jack make the struggles of being home with them all day a little sweeter.

Proud Mama Moment: Just the other day, Gavin decided that he wanted to start praying with the family before dinner.  He had never shown any interest before and would just start shoveling food in his face as soon as he sat down.  But for whatever reason, he just decided to reach out his chubby little hands and grabbed ours.  Last night he said, "Dear Jesus, babble, babble, eat food (we always pray for our food), babble, Amen."  I think that's pretty darn great for an 18 month old!

Favorite pictures from the last few months: