Gotta Love Gav

At nine months old, here's what I love.


His nicknames. I never thought he'd have one when we named him. Sure we call Owen just plain "O". But we call Gavin anything from "Gav-man, Gavzilla, Gav-monster, Gavies, Gavers" to just plain "Gav".


His chub. I can already tell he's starting to lose his rolls of baby fat now that he's on the go. But it hasn't left his cheeks, his thighs, his wrists and ankles. He weighs a sturdy 22 lbs. And he is comfortably fitting in clothing that's one size up.


His eating habits. Piggy likes his food. And though he only has two teeth with a third on the way, he'll eat just about anything; especially if we're eating it. A little-known fact? He grunts whenever he wants something. And if he goes unnoticed for long, he adds a terribly high-pitched screech that is almost unbearable (think ringwraiths from Lord of the Rings).


His dramatics. I don't know if it's having an older brother around, but he has quickly learned how to get noticed. When he wants your attention he will pull himself up onto something, let go, and just drop backwards onto the floor. This purposeful routine usually leads to a cry of pain...and of course, attention. If ever he wants something Owen has or gets something taken away by Owen, he'll look up at me with a grunt or shriek that means, "You're going to do something about that, right?"


His keeping up. If I put him down and turn my back for even a minute, he's gone. He doesn't stay in one place for long. He is either crawling, cruising along, or climbing up anything in sight (namely our stairs). Always trying to keep up with us, he is on the go.


His hair. It's always been somewhat of a mixture of things. Short and long. Calic here, calic there. Blonde, sandy, reddish. But it's finally filling in nicely. And I quite like the color. We've given him a couple haircuts already, but I'm still not quite sure what his "look" should be. It grows in a forward pattern, making it difficult to keep out of his eyes. I can't work up the courage to buzz it super short or anything. Guess I'll just let it do its thing.


His smile. He is seriously happy a lot. He has his normal smile, and then there's his total mouth-gaping-open smile like he just can't contain himself. Even his eyebrows seem to smile, adding an all-around effect. He lights up when he sees me, Mark, or Owen especially. He loves to be chased and tickled. We have even got him to clap and wave to us. All the while smiling.

With looks and charm like his, there's sure a lot to love.