"Gavin the Graduate"

Happy one month birthday to our youngest son, Gavin!  

A good friend, Marci, handmade Gavin the onsie he's wearing, which says, "Gavin the Graduate" with an inscription on his tushie, 12-21-11. 

That date marks the day he came home from the NICU, passing that first test life gave him and graduating to the next step of coming home.

Today he graduated again, from the third trimester! Born one month early, today he is the age he should have been to be... born!  Only now should he have started his life outside the womb.  

But he lives life on his own terms it appears and we've been blessed to hold him in our arms and love him on the outside instead.  Since coming home three weeks ago, he has grown a full inch and added TWO POUNDS to his 5lb 9oz birth weight!  

Each month I'm going to be taking a picture of him in this same chair with the same teddy bear.  The bear is about his size and the chair is way too big for him. Over time, we should be able to watch the differences month to month by comparing him to the two!

"Hugs Mommy!" 

(Okay, maybe it's "Enough of this photoshoot"! Or, just the startle reflex.  But I'll go with the hugs theory.)

Fantastic time with my fantastic family of four!

With Gavin being born early with a stay in the NICU, he and I have been secluding ourselves at home working hard to protect him from any outside germs or the elements.  Well he is three and a half weeks old, growing stronger every day (gained 1lb and 3/4ths an inch in the first two weeks home!!), and both of us (especially Gavin) have been suffering from cabin fever!  Today was a rare 60 degrees outside and we decided it was finally time to go for a family outing!  Admittedly, it was pretty conservative.  A walk to our Towncenter and a couple stops at small places without crowds where we could keep Gavin away from others.  But still, we got out together- and it was a blast!

 We assembled the stroller as a double for the first time and took a walk as a family of four.

 Our Towncenter has installed a full, real ice, ice skating rink.  

 Me and my boys.

 Gavin's first day out without it being a doctor's visit!

 We thought Ethan might be down for a professional haircut as he showed interest when Daddy got one with him earlier today.  That interest quickly waned and you'll find no more photos.  Our hands were busy wiping tears instead of clicking the camera.

 To forget about the haircut incident, we walked to our favorite pizza place. Both Gavin and Ethan are basically built from this pizza as I ate it throughout both pregnancies... a lot.  Gavin's first restaurant visit too! (At the most secluded table of course).

Ethan gobbled the pizza... and itched his neck the whole time.  

Fantastic time with my fantastic family of four!

When the clock strikes midnight...

A certain little night owl awakens!  He is the most alert all day (or night) after midnight!  It's almost creepy to see his large dark eyes WIDE open looking up at me in the dark when they are shut most of the day.

When the sun comes up in the morning, the yawns and shut eyes return.   This is about to be a little less cute once Daddy goes back to work and I have to be up with one son all night and up with the other son all day.  We're working on it, wish me luck...

And yes, this post is written at 1:45am, I'm now wide awake too.

Ethan's Daddycation

Chris is on leave from work after Gavin's birth and has been dedicating himself to being Super Dad, particularly to Ethan while I focus on Gavin's needs (I've cornered the market on Gavin's food supply).  Chris' patience and creativity have been remarkable and he's been maximizing every single day with his little redhead!

Today they took a trip into DC to play football by the monuments.

Here are some highlights of them playing on the Washington Mall and the Ellipse by the White House.

And yesterday he took him to his fourth GWU basketball game this season!  Think this picture will seal his admission into GW?

Best father (and husband). Ever.