Gaskins Family: October 2011

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

5 Months

Ava is on the move! During this 5th month, Ava rolled from her front (tummy time) to her back. She's very close to also rolling from her back to her front. And with all her "wiggling" it's amazing how much she can move, especially around her crib while sleeping! During this month Ava also found her thumb to suck, although she more often likes to suck on her pointer finger or any other toy or object she can get to her mouth. (We try a pacifier, but she immediately pulls it out to play with it and has not yet figured out how to successfully put it back in!) Ava is passing items back and forth between her hands and is very alert/aware of all of her surroundings - no problem tracking us as we move around the room. She is a chatter-box with all sorts of "talking" sounds and started making "raspberry" noises which is so cute. Ava smiles easily and has a very sweet disposition. She is such a joy and a blessing to our family!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Month 4

Ava will be 5 months next week, so I figured I better squeeze in this "Month 4" update before it's totally out-of-date!

Month 4
During her 4th month Ava began intentionally self-soothing by sucking on her hand. We stopped swaddling her while she slept so she could sooth herself throughout the night. This change quickly led to her longest stretch of nighttime sleep - 10 hrs! We also moved Ava from her bassinet to a crib. Originally, our plan was to move Owen to a big-boy-bed so Ava could have the crib. But Owen loves his crib and isn't ready to move-out yet. We contemplated doing it anyway, but after some research/reading and talking with friends of young toddlers - we came to the clear decision that there was no reason to rush Owen. If he likes his crib and isn't trying to climb out, then it's the safest place for him to be! So rather than buy a toddler bed for Owen, we bought Ava a crib. We are now a 2-crib household! (both cribs are convertible, however. So when Owen is ready, we can simply convert his crib to a toddler bed).

Ava is a chatter-box and does lots of cooing, "talking" and high-pitch sounds. She learned to use her hands to intentionally grab something, and she usually brings the item to her mouth. She also loves to grab her feet and pull them up toward her face. Ava is getting stronger at tummy-time, and other new experiences this month included her first bottle of formula (just to keep her flexible, especially when Linnea travels to Seattle for business), and sitting in her Bumbo! At her 4month doctor checkup, Ava weighed 11lbs 12.5oz, and was 25.25" long.

Ava is very alert & aware, but also very calm & laid-back. Plus, she loves to snuggle! Ava is such a sweetie, and we are cherishing every moment.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Take a Break!

A little deviation from my usual postings of pictures. I received this in an email and can't resist passing it along. A tribute to all the moms out there - I know we can all relate! Wishing you a wonderful day - and "take a break" (a real one) if you can!

If You Give A Mom A Break:
If you give a mom a break, she'll decide it would be nice to read a book. As she sits down to read her book, she'll remember that she likes to drink hot chocolate while reading. When she goes to make the hot chocolate, she'll decide to do a quick load of dishes while it heats up. When the dishes are done, she'll decide that the counters need a quick wipe-down. As she wipes down the counters, she'll find a stack of school papers to fill out. She'll sit down to fill out the papers, and realize she can't find a pen. She'll go to the office to get a pen and see the stack of bills to pay. After she sits down and pays the bills and does the paperwork, she'll set it all on the kitchen counter, and see the dishrag still laying there. So, she'll take it down to the laundry, where she will decide to throw a load of laundry in. By the time she comes upstairs to get her book and hot chocolate, the hot chocolate will be cold. She'll decide to skip the hot chocolate (better for the wais tline) and read in a hot bath instead. So, she'll go to draw the bath and find the tub full of toys. She'll empty it out, and notice it needs to be cleaned. So, she'll clean up the tub quick, and also the toilet, since the cleaners are all out. Finally, she'll start to fill the tub with water for her hot bath. Just as she does, her husband and kids will come home. The hot (now cold) chocolate will be consumed by one child, while the other gets in the tub. And, she'll realize that she really needs a break.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Change of Seasons

As the season changes from summer to fall, we say goodbye to the warm days and long daylight hours. I love fall (the crisp feeling in the air, sweaters, visits to local farms and of course football!) but have to admit that this year, summer went a bit too fast for us. Or maybe it was just too short? Either way, we enjoyed the summer while it lasted!

Photos from a fun day at Linnea's parents place (and the home where she grew up)

Oh boy - family photos are a challenge...with a toddler literally saying "cheese" and a newborn still learning to hold her head steady! Oh well, we'll keep trying anyway!

Brian's first time on a wakeboard. Go Brian!

A visit to the State Fair:

We bumped into our good friends at an "imaginary circus" show. Isn't Madelyn so sweet?!

Owen's first ride!!
(one of the few where he met the height restriction)

"Winning prizes for Owen" made for a great excuse for these "boys" to exercise their skeeball skills! What fun they had!

This photo is so sweet to me. Whenever Owen sees flowers he wants to pick one for mama. We try to keep him out of people's yards :) but he sees these weeds as just as lovely. And with his careful and diligent picking, when he gave me my bouquet I couldn't help but agree. Weeds or not - my heart melts when he beams with pride at the gift he picked for me! And oh yes - he insisted I smell them too :)