Gavin is doing very well! He seems to be gaining weight. I can tell this not from the scale, but from how long it takes my arms to get tired when I’m holding him. (It’s significantly shorter before achiness sets in now.) He’s very vocal, but doesn’t say many words yet. He loves to make all kinds of noises though. He has taken one step on his own, and likes to walk around while we hold his hands. He also has started climbing. Into milk crates, onto boxes, wherever he can reach.

He cries when his Dad leaves to go to work and squeals in excitement when he sees Dad coming home. He likes to flip through his books on his own and he loves to drink out of his cup with a straw. He likes to try new foods, but especially loves sweet things. Grits with maple syrup for example. That’s one of his favorites.

He’s pretty good about going to sleep on his own since we cut out the hidden dairy in our diet. He still wakes up often during the night but usually is able to go back to sleep after eating a little.

Gavin loves it when I’m putting laundry away in the bedroom and he can play in there. He loves to open and shut the dresser drawers, pull clothes out, “help” with the laundy folding, look in the trash can (this is discouraged), pull all the tissues out of the box (also discouraged), lie down in the cat beds on the floor, try to look out the window, open and shut the bedroom and closet doors.

He still loves the feel of the wind on his face like he did at three or four months old, and kicks his legs in excitement at the taste of yogurt (soy!) in his mouth. When he smiles at me I think: how could I have ever had any doubts that I would love being a mom? All the stinky diapers don’t hold a candle to all the fun we have. Chris and I spend much of our time together saying “He is so cute!” or “Look at Gavin. Isn’t he the best?” etc.

As I spend time around Gavin, the looks of amazement and delight blooming on his face remind me of the magic in the world. I don’t mean wand-waving and potions with rat tooth and eye of newt. I mean the feeling of inherent goodness in people and the world in general.

This was a prevalent part of my childhood. The thrill and sense of well-being in myself and everything around me when I picked flowers or saw the moon rise orange and change to white, grew sugar crystals in a canning jar on string hanging from a pencil, or cooked something that was a brand new invention by my sister and I. I still find this magic sometimes in my adult life, but less frequently. I can tell Gavin feels something like what I remember of being a kid. His eyes light up that way. The grins are too full and ecstatic to be anything else. I think this must come from love. Our love for Gavin. Our love for eachother. (He likes watching Chris and I hug.) His love for us. I consider myself very lucky to have experienced life in this way, and to experience it in again with Gavin. And I thank my Mom and Dad, and my sister for sharing that magic with me when I was a kid and also now, in Gavin’s life and at times in ours.

(Note to self: grow sugar crystals with G when he’s older.)