Bryan and Stacie Huelsbeck

In my defense, BRYAN was supposed to do the post this month.  We all see how well that worked out, huh?  So, it is now January 30 and I have been called out for not updating at all this month.  So now I have to go back and remember what all has transpired since my last post…

Christmas was great!  It was a little hectic with all of our travels, but Gavin did great and we all had a wonderful time.  Gavin enjoyed all of his presents, especially his push walker from Granny and Poppie and his ice cream truck from Grandpa and Nonnie!  He got a lot of cool presents and has thoroughly enjoyed them all.

After Christmas we went to Cancun.  We had some airline troubles and our luggage was temporarily lost which really stressed me out.  All of Gavin’s food, formula, and diapers were in that bag!  But luckily they got them to us the next day so we were really able to relax and enjoy ourselves.  Gavin got to meet Marley who was just as cute and sweet as she can be.  Looks like Gavin’s got himself a girlfriend!

January has been a big month for Gavin… while we were in Mexico, Gavin got his first tooth!  He now has another one coming in on top as well!  He has stopped drinking formula (just whole milk now- YAY!) and he’s pretty much eating big boy food most of the time.  Oh, and our big news is that he is THISCLOSE to walking!  He can stand up on his own without holding on and he’s even taken a few tiny steps towards us.  Of course as soon as he realizes what he’s doing, he sits right back down!  We also had our first trip to the emergency room this month :-(  Gavin pulled his stocking holder down on top of his head and Mommy thought he had a broken nose.  Turned out to just be a bad bruise.

I cannot believe he will be 1 year old next week.  I think I’m in denial.  It’s so exciting and a little sad at the same time.  I knew it would fly by, but wow, looking back now… it’s just hard to believe!  I’ve wanted to do this for a while now but kept forgetting so here’s a post of his ultrasound picture and a picture taken in the hospital soon after he was born. Pretty neat, huh?

OK, so here’s a month’s worth of pictures for you all to enjoy!

Gavin’s new ice cream truck:

 Gavin’s new animal sounds push walker:

Christmas Morning:

 Gavin and his aunt Megans:

 I love this evil grin:

On the plane to Cancun:

Gavin and Marley in Cancun:

Gavin trying to escape from the room:

Fun in the pool:

Random cute pictures:

Watching the snow fall:

And this one is just because she’s so stinkin cute:

It is so hard to believe that Christmas is in less than 2 weeks!  This year has flown by, as we knew it would.  We have a very busy schedule coming up… we go to Wisconsin for Christmas with Daddy’s family this week and then we have Christmas Eve and Day here in Georgia.  Then we go to Cancun after that.  We are really hoping that Gavin cooperates for all of this and that we all stay safe and healthy. 

Gavin is thoroughly enjoying the holiday season.  He loves all the lights and decorations.  Nonnie and Grandpa tell us that he actually applauded for their beautiful Christmas tree!  Gavin got to meet Santa for the first time a couple weeks ago.  We went with Coralyn and they both did really well.  No screamers here!  Actually, Gavin was sort of in a daze for the whole thing and found the giant Christmas tree behind Santa much more interesting than Santa himself!  I’m sure it will be a different story in years to come.  We also rode the Pink Pig.  Coralyn loved it, Gavin was pretty tired and nearly fell asleep.

Gavin is now 10 months old and quite mobile.  He still won’t crawl and prefers the butt shuffle, but is getting closer and closer to walking.  He went for his THIRD haircut yesterday.  The lady couldn’t believe how much hair he has at this age!  We went to a really cute place called Pigtails and Crewcuts.   Daddy has taken him there before, but this was Mommy’s first time coming along.  He is also becoming a bit manipulative and can throw some serious temper tantrums.  There is great picture of one of these below…  He is extremely stubborn… no idea where he could have gotten that from ;-)  Also, we are experiencing a sort of backward separation anxiety phase… instead of crying when I leave the room, he cries when I come back.  Makes me feel good, let me tell you!

Last weekend, we went to Gavin’s bestest friend’s 1st Birthday party.  Gavin had a great time and really enjoyed playing with all of Luke’s toys.  He also really liked the balloon that we brought home.  That entertained him for a couple more days!  I can’t believe Luke is already 1 and Gavin’s birthday is just around the corner!  What happened to my tiny little boy?  Enjoy all the pics…

Gavin and Coralyn with Santa- both of their expressions crack me up!

I love this picture of Coralyn on the Pink Pig:

Mommy having fun with a naked baby and some Christmas lights…

Our very pretty (albeit fake) Christmas Tree:

Temper Tantrum!

Getting his haircut:

Gavin and his balloon:

Happy Birthday Luke!

Gavin just being cute:

Getting into trouble…

Gavin riding on Daddy’s shoulders:

Our 2008 Christmas Card:

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Gavin has become proficient at a skill that can only be called the “butt shuffle.”  He scoots across the floor on his butt.  Not sure exactly how, but one minute he’s on one side of the room and the next he’s on the other side.  He’s also getting pretty good at standing and walking while holding onto the coffee table, bed rail, or around the perimeter of his play pen.  Forget crawling- that’s not gonna happen!  He’s going straight for walking.  We finally started baby proofing this week.  What a pain. Still no teeth at this point, I’d like to say I think they are close, but I really can’t feel anything breaking through yet.  Right now, he’s not feeling so great.  He’s had an upset tummy for the last 3 days and basically every diaper change has been a dirty diaper.  Poor guy.  Poor mommy and daddy too!  But no fever and he’s not getting dehydrated.  He’s still his normal happy self.  Such a good baby!

We’ve been busy, as always.  Two weeks ago, Mommy went to Hershey, PA to the Chocolate Spa.  It was heaven, but I sure did miss my boys.  Then last weekend, we all went to Disney World for Gavin’s first time!  We had a great time with Granny and Uncle Chris and Aunt Corrie and Cousin Coralyn.  Gavin did awesome!  He was totally happy to just ride around in his stroller all day (and all night!).  He liked all the rides, but “It’s a Small World” sort of subdued him into this trans like state.  There’s a picture of it below- the one where his eyes are glazed over!  He did great on the plane as well.  He’s really becoming a good little traveler.  By the end of this year, he will have gone on 7 trips for a total of 4 states, 2 countries, and 14 flights!  All in a 6 month time span!  Pretty good for a baby, huh?

Next week is Thanksgiving.  That is so hard to believe!  Time has flown by!  It’s almost time for Christmas decorations.  We’ve already been listening to Christmas music.  Gavin likes it and it’s a nice break from Baby Einstein for us.

Well, that’s enough from me.  Enjoy the pictures.  I’ve got a bunch this time!

Daddy seems to think that if he gives Gavin an X-box controller, he’ll learn how to play it sooner.  We shall see.

I just love this picture.  Especially his unbuttoned pants!

This is Gavin getting ready for lunch at school.  Isn’t he so cute in the big boy chair?

OK, here’s the one from “It’s a Small World”.  As soon as we got in the tunnel with the music, he just zoned out!

Coralyn in “It’s a Small World”

Chris and Coralyn on the Carousel

Gavin trying to pull the Sword in the Stone

On the train at the Magic Kingdom:

Tired boy…

The kids loved meeting the characters…

Gavin was especially interested in their noses:

I just love the look on Chris and Coralyn’s face here!

Again with the nose:

And of course Chris had to PICK Pluto’s nose!

My handsome boys:

Our first family picture at Cinderella Castle:

OK, so I’m a little late… but give me a break- I’m a kinda busy here!  Last weekend we went to Texas for Colin’s birthday with Granny.  We all went to Six Flags and had a great time.  Of course, Gavin slept through most of it… but that’s a pretty successful outing these days! 

OK, let’s get to some stats- Gavin weighs around 22 lbs these days (not sure exactly, since we have been to the Dr in a while- knock wood).  He has pretty much outgrown his infant carseat.  But the big carseat that we had for him won’t work in our car, so we had to order a new one… it should be here this week.  As far as moving around, he is defintely getting very wiggly but still no signs of crawling.  He is standing on his own holding on to the side of the crib or coffee table, but not trying to walk at all yet.  But he REALLY enjoys standing up.  He makes us hold his waist so that he can stand up all the time.  And he just has this big cheesy grin on his face- like he’s so proud of himself! 

He has also moved into the big hugs and kisses phase and I cannot get enough.  When I pick him up he will throw his arms around my neck and squeeze so tight and if I’m really lucky, he’ll smoosh his big open mouth into my cheek and give me a big slobbery wet kiss!  He is also babbling more now.  This week his new sound was Dadadada.  Of course, Bryan is SURE this was his first word ;-)  But I know he’s made the Mamama sound before… of course that one only comes out when he’s mad at me.  Like if I’m changing his diaper and he wants to be playing… he’ll say it.  It just comes out more like “MehMeh” in this really whiney, irritated voice!  Guess I better get used to it. 

Gavin was a monkey for Halloween on Friday.  There are a couple of pics of him in his costume down below.  Enjoy!

These are our sneak peeks from our family photo shoot with Jody.  She did a great job, and I can’t wait to see the rest.  Check her out at www.jodylynnphoto.com

Pictures from the Play Park- Gavin loves the swings!

OK, now I don’t know why he looks like such a hoss in this picture- but it’s so funny, I HAD to include it!  He looks like he’s going to eat me!

Now, this is more like my sweet boy…

And here’s the big boy standing up in his play pen…

Passed out at Six Flags

Halloween Pics

We’ve had such a nice weekend!  I got a new camera last week and now we’re back in business!  First we went to the zoo on Friday with Poppie.  It was great weather and all the animals were right up close.  I got some good pictures to share.  The orangutans were especially cute.  Check out the picture of them about to kiss.  They actually did a couple times but I haven’t quite figured out the timing on my new camera yet! 

On Saturday, we went to a pumpkin patch.  Again, the weather was great and this was a really nice farm.  We will definitely go back next year.  I got lots of great pics of Gavin with the pumpkins- although he was much more interested in eating grass. 

 Today, we went to church and came home and mommy cooked a ton of meals to freeze while daddy and Gavin played.  Gavin never took a nap though, so he is currently passed out on the living room floor.  There is also a picture of this

Tomorrow is Columbus Day so mommy has the day off but daddy has to work :-(  Hopefully mommy and Gavin will get to go to the park and swing for a while. 

 I hope everyone else is enjoying this weather as much as we are.  I LOVE FALL!

Gavin’s favorite new trick… removing his socks!

Yummy toes…

I love bath time…

Baby gorilla

Daddy gorilla

Kissing Orangutans

Naked Mole Rat

Elephant

At the pumpkin patch…

Sleepy time…

And just in case you weren’t aware of the cuteness…

This one just makes me smile…

Ugh, Gavin does not seem to understand the concept of sleeping in on the weekends.  So here I am at 7 am on a Sunday morning playing on the computer while he sits happily in his play pen and Daddy gets to sleep in.  I have been very bad about updating this site- sorry about that.  Things have just been so busy lately. 

 So here’s what’s been going on with us in the last month…  Mommy went to St. Thomas for work.  It was beautiful, but very hot and humid, and I got eaten alive by no-see-ums (these tiny bugs that bite).  Those bites are awful!  They itched for almost 3 weeks and the marks won’t heal!  I must have had 2o bites.  As soon as I got back, we got on another plane and went to Phoenix for the UGA vs. AZ State game.  Well, Daddy, Poppie, Uncle Brent, and Cousin Marshall went to the game.  But Gavin and Mommy, Grannie, Aunt Kim, and cousin Peyton stayed at the nice hotel :-)  It was really hot out there too, but still a very nice getaway.  Gavin did really well on the plane ride out there, but was not so cooperative coming home.  Oh well- we made it.  Some people think we are crazy for trying to travel with him as much as we do, but we just really want him to learn to love it as much as we do as early as possible.  So if that means hauling a bunch of baby stuff through the airports and dealing with his occasional outbursts on the plane… so be it.

 Now, as for Gavin, he has certainly mastered the art of sitting up.  We went to cook in front of you (Japanese Hibachi) last night and he sat in his high chair like a big boy and watched everything.  He loves it!  He’s still not even close to crawling but every once in a while he will lean forward while he’s sitting and it looks like he’s getting into position to go somewhere, but as soon as he realizes it- SPLAT- flat on his face!  He has definitely become more wiggly though.  If he’s in your lap and he starts to have a wiggle fit, there is really no way to hold on to him.  He’s gotten so strong now!  He is very tall for his age so people always think he is older than 8 mos.  When I tell them that, they look at me like I’m crazy or something.  Too funny.  Oh, and he is in this phase where he sticks his tongue out All THE TIME.  Everytime someone walks into the room- he gives them a big cheesy grin and then sticks his tongue out.  It’s his official greeting.  And if he’s really happy to see you- he’ll blow a big wet raspberry.  Nice.

It’s beautiful weather now- fall is my favorite time of year.  So this Friday, we are going to try to go to the zoo with Poppie.  Gavin will probably enjoy it- he loves to go for walks and he loves to people watch and look at new things- so I expect this to be a big hit. 

I don’t have very many pictures to post b/c I still don’t have a new camera.  But here’s what I have and I’m going to try to get a new camera soon (like today).

Sunset in St. Thomas

My not-so-little iguana friend by the pool.

Here is iggy just before he decided to join me on my chaise lounge…

And here he is ON my chaise lounge.  My foot was there just seconds before.  Yeah- I’ve never moved so fast in my life!

Gavin enjoying his bouncy seat… he’s almost outgrown this favorite toy

Sleeping in his jumperoo

Getting ready to watch the UGA game in the Man Pit

So hard to believe!  Gavin had a tough week, he got another sore throat… 4th one in a row.  Since it’s not strep, they won’t do antibiotics so he just has to suffer through.  This was by far the hardest though.  We had our first sleepless night.  I know- it’s insane that we made it 7 mos without having a bad night!  He didn’t eat much for about 4 days straight and actually lost half a pound in 48 hrs!  But he’s over it now and back to his usual happy self.  And apparently he’s trying to make up for the weight he lost b/c he’s eating everything in sight!  The Dr’s are not sure why he keeps getting these sore throats.  It’s an odd illness for a baby his age and none of the other kids at daycare seem to be getting them.  We are trying some Zantac in case its caused by Reflux irritating his throat.  Here’s his stats from this week’s appointment:

Weight- 18.8 lbs (75%)

Height- 27 3/4 in (90%)

Head Circumference- 17 3/4 in (90%)

He is doing great and has hit all the main developmental milestones.  He’s sitting on his own really well and the Dr was impressed with that as its more of an 8 month milestone.  He can roll over, but rarely does b/c he hates being on his tummy.  The Dr said this is fine and that he may not ever even crawl… might just go straight to standing and walking.  For now though, he’s pretty content to just sit still- and we are pretty thankful for that!

 Here’s some recent pics of the cutie pie.  I haven’t been taking as many lately b/c my camera is a pain right now.  Hopefully I’ll get a new one soon and get back to business!

These days Gavin is full of new tricks.  He started sitting on his own last week.  He’s still a little wobbly, but he’ll have it down soon enough.  His current favorite toy is his walker.  He hasn’t really figured out how to move forward in it yet, but he can certainly make it go backwards!  Then he’ll get backed up against a wall and start screaming.  He really likes to just sit in it and watch the cats and dog.  They crack him up.  All they have to do is walk in front of him and he shrieks with glee.  He’s also started blowing rasberries again.  He had stopped for a while and had adopted this weird grunting sound- but now we are back to rasberries.  Oh, and he wil make this high-pitched shriek that goes into that octave only dogs can hear… Duchess goes nuts. 

 He is sleeping really well now and we are very happy about that.  He goes to sleep at 9 pm and usually stays out until 5 am.  That works perfect for us.  He is eating lots of baby food now and so far he has liked everything we’ve tried… apples, bananas, pears, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, peas.  He must be going through a growth spurt b/c he drank a whole bottle yesterday and then cried for more.   We have to go to the Dr next week for his next round of shots- so I’ll post his stats after that.

Yesterday was his Baby Dedication at church.  Poppie got to say a prayer and Gavin tried to remove Pastor Ike’s microphone.  Then we went home and had hamburgers and hotdogs (well, Gavin had peas and cereal :-P).  All in all it was a nice weekend.  Labor Day is this coming week and we are going to the lake on Sunday.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate- its rainy and yucky today.

OK, well I guess that’s all.  I’ll try to upload some pics some time this week.

I tried to wait until the 1 year mark, but there was just no way that was going to happen.  His hair was out of control.  So Aunt Laura gave him his first haircut last Saturday and now he looks so cute!  Here are the before and after pictures… including his cool mohawk!

Before:

During:

After:

Mohawk:

How’s that for being decisive?  I just made Bryan take down the sign.  After a month of my heart breaking every time we turned into our driveway and I saw the sign again… and not a single call of interest.. and one of our neighbors undercutting our price by 15K…  we’re taking this as our sign from God that we need to stay put!  Which actually makes me happy- because I love my house, especially in the fall- its the best time of year!  Although we still haven’t solved our time issues- and with school starting back this week, our commute is sure to worsen.  But oh well, we’ll deal with it somehow.

OK, so on to the good stuff.  We have been very busy- as you have probably guessed from my lack of posting.  Last week, I went to Palm Coast, FL for a week of training.  Thankfully, my mom came too and took care of Gavin so that I didn’t have to leave him at home.  They stayed at a really nice condo with Uncle MawMaw (I mean Robbie) and Aunt Dottie.  Gavin had a great time and was spoiled rotten by the end of the week.  Gavin went to the pool for the first time which he was pretty indifferent about.  He did, however, really enjoy chewing on his float… Here are some fun pool pictures:

Gavin also went to the beach for the first time on this trip.  He’s not a big fan.  He did like watching the waves and watching the other kiddos playing, but as soon as I put his feet in the water, he cried.  It was really cold though.  Here’s a few pics from the beach:

Gavin has learned a couple new tricks… the first one is how to blow Rasberries.  He spits all over the place and is so proud of himself… especially when he has a mouth full of food.  Also, a not so cute trick- he will make this terrible cough/gagging noise to get our attention so we’ll pick him up.  Not cool.

He is very close to sitting up on his own.  We practiced a while tonight and he did pretty well.  He’s rolled over a few more times, but really doesn’t seem too thrilled with that maneuver.  And crawling… yeah right.  This kid has no desire to move anywhere on his own.  He is completely content being as immobile as possible and totally dependent on us for all transportation.  My mom says I was the same way- so I guess he comes by it honestly.  Here is a video of him attempting to sit up and play with his bunny… which he thinks is hilarious:

He will be 6 months old this week (how can that be???) and is growing like a weed.  He weighs about 18 lbs- maybe a little more.  And I’m thinking he’s probably about 27 inches long.  It’s definitely getting harder to carry him in his carseat.  Here’s a video of him pigging out on some applesauce and cereal:

And just for good measure… here are few other cute pics and one more video of him playing with his current favorite toy.  Notice how he uses his giant monkey feet to hold the ball?