A New Kind of Normal

Gavin at 1 Month Old!
He's growing so quickly. Can you tell he's already a Seahawks fan? (As if he ever really had a choice in the matter.)

Gavin is 5 weeks and 1 day today and we're finally settling in to a rhythm. Careful, I didn't say routine. That is something we are hopeful for in the future. For now, though, rhythm is nice. We've passed up the first couple weeks where we were always wondering "Why is he crying?" and "Is it really time to eat again?" or "How are we ever supposed to leave the house or get the dishes done?"

Now, we've settled into what you might call "normal" life. Here are a few highlights of "normal" life:
1. Carrying Gavin in the front pack and doing just about any household task while trying not to spill food on his head or bump his back into the kitchen sink. (Tony has also found it useful for his multitasking-- hanging out with baby and playing computer games.)
2. Singing the same silly song over and over again in hopes that Gavin will not scream his head off during the car ride into town. (Little guy hasn't really taken to his car seat.)
3. Devouring my favorite fiction books while Gavin is nursing (because my sister-in-law said that was God's gift to mothers who are readers :).
4. Constantly swaying and rocking any big "vehicle"-- car seat, stroller, shopping cart-- even when Gavin is not in sight. Too bad swaying probably doesn't burn too many calories-- otherwise I'd be set.
5. Cherishing his newfound smiles and cooing and doing anything we can to make him do it again. It just makes me melt (and I think that Tony would agree).

All in all, motherhood is a great gift. And I am so thankful to be able to stay home with Gavin.

Here are some other pictures from the last couple of weeks:


Aunt Tonia (Tony's sister) came to visit.

One of my baby carriers. This one I'm particularly proud of. This is my $3 WalMart version of the Moby Wrap.

Gavin has finally taken to the bath, although I think he probably still favors showers with his Papa. In fact, they often put him to sleep.

We can feel fall coming on-- especiall in the evenings.


First walk-- Gramme Windham was here for the experience.

Had to hit the Oak Table while Gramme was visiting.

An example of the wonders of multitasking with the baby carrier.

They say to sleep when he's sleeping. I'd say I'm boing a pretty good job.

Gavin's Room

While I'm working on photos for Gavin's one month birthday (that's today, can you believe it?!) I thought I'd give you something new to look at in the meantime.

I promised photos of "Baby Bear's" Room a while ago, but I was waiting for all of our furniture to arrive. The changing table finally arrived a week after Gavin was born. Someday we might add a thing or two to the walls, but for now, here's the "finished" nursery.

And, with the transition from guest room to nursery, we had to find a place for our guests. We now have an office/guest room. It's a little bit "cozy" but we think it works. I suppose you'll have to come test it out for yourself to let us know for sure. Many thanks to Andrew and Connie Toth for their gift of the daybed/trundle. It works perfectly!

Tony's (and a few of Claire's) DVD and CDs. Can you tell what Tony likes to collect? (To be fair, you could look at my closet and dresser drawers to see what I like to collect.)