Where in the World is Gavin?

The Gillard family has been on the move lately - so wanted to send a quick "hello - and yes, we are alive" to all our faithful readers. We are back home in the Nati - and trying to play catch up as we have been out of town for the last 10 days.

Gavin and I were in Illinois with my family - and we had tons of fun! Yes - Gavin kept us on our toes (read below for many updates) but we had a wonderful time and Gavin got to experience lots of "new" things on the farm.

Scott enjoyed a few days with his family in Michigan - then to Colorado for his National Sales Meeting - and then back to Michigan/Canada for his camping trip with friends. So - we missed Daddy lots and were excited to see him after a long 10 day stretch.

Glad to be back home and we hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend!

Tractor Footage

Gavin enjoyed his first tractor ride with Uncle Ryan... maybe he will be a farm boy? Who knows? Probably a city kid - but time will tell.

Tractor Ride

So Gavin got his first real "farm" experience - a ride in a John Deere Tractor. Uncle Ryan was planting corn on Sunday - so we headed over to the field to take a few rounds with him. Gavin was taking it all in.... so much fun!

Surprise - Grandpa's Party

Happy 60th Birthday Grandpa... SURPRISE!

End of the night with Grandpa and Grandma - Gavin has his PJ's on.

Gavin and Riley playing at the party

So Grandpa Cross (my dad) turned 60 in April and my mom and I decided that we were going to throw him a surprise party in May (one - because we THOUGHT they would be finished planting and two - that would really throw him off since it would be a month later). However, they were still planting so we actually had to tell him so he would show up that night for the big surprise. Although he ended up finding out before he got there - it was a fun night seeing lots of family and friends. And - great stories too.
We were so glad to be there to celebrate with you Grandpa!

Gum Smacking

Gavin started a "new thing" this week. He would smack his gums together - he looks like an old man that has no teeth. I finally got a picture of him doing it... hillarious! I think he was doing this because he is starting to teeth - but then again, who knows?!?!?!

Look at those Feet

I think Ethan's feet may be bigger than mine?

Ethan Cross

Here is the newest addition to the Cross side of my family - Ethan Cross. Gavin was so excited to meet him... gosh, does he look little or what? And, Gavin was that size when he was born!

Dr. Cross to the Rescue!

My first cousin, David is a peditrician in central Illinois (Morton actually). However, we got a "house" call and went to visit him and his wife Amanda in Germantown Hills and his new baby, Ethan who was born in April. Here is David giving Gavin a "thorough" examine... and playing too! All seemed to be fine - and he checked his ears - which the right was "prestine," his actual words and the left had a little wax (so he got that out too...). Thank goodness we didn't have an ear infection... pretty sure it was/is teething! Gotta love it....

Oh the joys of Parenting....

So - after arriving at my parents for our first weekend in IL - everything was going great. Gavin was sleeping fine, napping, eating lots (since he started eating 2 weeks before we headed to IL).... but then, things are not always as easy as they seem.

Starting on Sunday night, Gavin decided that he wasn't going to sleep through the night and woke up several times. Between myself and Grandma - we were consoling him, rocking him, you name it - so I was getting concerned that he was sick. Then he was having some constipation problems - so we started giving him a little juice and not as much food. That seemed to help for a few days - but then he got a fever of 101.5 which lasted for a half of day followed by a pretty significant rash. So I called our dr. and they wanted to see him BUT we were in IL.... so what to do! Thank goodness we have a peditrician in our family - Dr. David Cross to the rescue! On Friday, we headed up there - but I was beginning to think that it may be teething... and we were pretty sure it was. Still, Gavin had lots of restless nights - so Grandma and Mommy didn't get lots of sleep throughout the week. We would play catch up in the morning when Gavin went back down for his morning nap. Towards the end of the week - his humor and demeanor were much better - but still - not sleeping through the night. NOW - IF we had been at our house - we would have let Gavin cry it out a little. But, I didn't want to do that at my parents and keep them up all night. So - I know you are asking - what happened when you got back home??? Yes - he slept through the night.... so I think he missed his bed! Sorry Grandma and Grandpa... we will have to work on that before we come and visit next time.

Tractor Wheel

Many of you know, my dad farms and this time of year they are planting corn and beans. So needless to say - there were tractors, and plows, and trucks everywhere while we were there.

On one of the pit stops at my parents house - we took time to put Gavin in one of the tractor wheels. How fun to show how big the wheels are and how little Gavin looks in there.... and Grandma was close by too!

Mower Ride

Some video footage of Gavin with Grandma on his first mower ride... and gotta love my commentary too (I'm always behind the scenes as mommy....).

My First Mower Ride

So Gavin got his first mower ride on the farm with Grandma! (Actually they just drove around in the yard because Grandma was afraid something would fly up at him... but we will say it was an official mower ride). He loved going round and round - and can you tell that Grandma was loving it too? This may have been her most favorite mower ride to date!

Cole is my Friend

As we were taking the group photo of all the kids - Cole just got in there and took care of Gavin. So cute.... I got several photos of him and Gavin... I was dying laughing! And, this was the first time they had met... clearly not the shy ones.

Lots of New Friends

L to R: Marin & Evan (Christina's 2 - and baby #3 on the way), Reese (little one crying is Beth P's), Cade & Keegan (Dana's 2 boys), Gavin in the center with Cole (Beth P's boy), Collin and Kate (Carrie's), and Neely & Maeve (Beth G's 2 girls)

Gavin and I left early on Friday morning to head to IL to my parents in Hartsburg. He was so great in the car - didn't cry at all and slept most of the way. One stop in Champaign, IL for a bottle, bathroom and lunch for mommy too - then back on the road. It eneded up being a very easy trip - thank goodness, as I had never driven that far by myself with Gavin.

The first weekend in IL, we got together with 5 of my high school friends and all their kids. Now - when I say 5 of my friends - guess how many kids that includes? Yes - 11 between the 5 of us. They all have 2 already, I'm the only one with 1 - and my friend Christina has baby #3 on the way - congrats! 11 kids from 4 years and younger - with Gavin the youngest at 6 months.

We had so much fun with our BBQ at the Cosgroves and the weather was fantastic! It was so much fun to get all of us together. Then, just the "girls" enjoyed all day Saturday together at the spa and then out to dinner with drinks for late night (yes, late night was until midnight...ha, ha!).

All the grandparents (who all live in the area), got to babysit all the kids on Saturday. Thanks mom and dad for watching Gavin!

Gavin is eating solid food now!

Gavin had his first solid food, rice cereal, on May 3 and has since graduated to oatmeal cereal, and some veggies and fruits, like sweet potatoes and applesauce. It was a slow start, but I think we are getting the hang of it. Going to show two videos, one of very first feeding with rice cereal and another of a week later with some sweet potatoes.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Happy Mother's Day Mommy!!! I had this great idea, so I made this sign and told Daddy to snap a few shots of me expressing my love for Mommy on Mother's Day. You are such a great Mommy, I cannot imagine having anyone else love and take care of me like you do. I look forward to many many more Mother's Days!!!
Love you so much,
Gavin
PS Sorry, I got hungry in the middle waiting for Daddy to get the right shot...

Talking at Easter

My Belly is Full....

I kind of like this eating thing...

Too Precious

Now this is a "fun" moment of parenting...

New Foods

So it had been 1 week of rice cereal and then oatmeal cereal for Gavin - and he really wasn't into it all that much. Now - that could be for several reasons (timing, amount, taste - who knows). So we thought we would throw in some new food this weekend - sweet potatoes and applesauce. He LOVED the sweet potatoes (i.e. orange stuff all over his face) and the applesauce made him pucker up. It was pretty fun and he kept opening his mouth for more... we got a winner in the food department!

Go Detroit Pistons!

Thanks to our family in Michigan - the Gillards & Ciuffetelli's - Gavin has lots of great Detroit gear (i.e. Pistons outfit). So Saturday, Daddy & Gavin watched the Pistons game (yeah, it was on before his bedtime) against Orlando, Game 4 where they won 90-89. They are up in the series 3-0 (thanks to Daddy for all this comentary). We love rooting for our Detroit teams - Go Pistons! (And the Red Wings too....)

More pics from Indy

I love my Grandma... and love giving her kisses! We were excited to see her in Indy.

And, here was our family with the new graduate, Alyson. We LOVED eating some Maggiano's good food... thanks for a fun celebration!

Alyson gets her Hood

Congrats to Alyson (that is Dr. Kastner) on her recent graduation from Butler where she received her degree in pharmacy. We all attended her Hooding Ceremony (very cool) and we're glad that we could share such a special day with her. Many years of studying and dedication have paid off - way to go!!!

Day at the Park

Gavin's 1st time on the swing at the park.

Swining at the Park

So Gavin's 1st time to swing at the park by our house. He LOVED it - and got some coaching from his friend, Cricket too. We love enjoying this nice spring weather.

Flying Pig Marathon

Each May, The Flying Pig Marathon (Cincinnati) race runs right by our house on Murray (we are actually sitting in our neighbors yard - the Collisters). It is so much fun to watch all the runners and cheer them on - so this was Gavin's 1st year to watch. He took a nap at the beginning in his stroller and then he was ready to watch all the runners. It was a beautiful day and we wanted to also send a shout out to our friend, Johnmark for running the entire marathon. (Scott ran with Johnmark for about 3 miles to keep him motivated; mile 15-17 runs through our neighborhood in Mariemont). Also - congrats to our friends Maggie, Megan & Julie for running the 1/2 marathon. And, several of our friends ran the relay this year too (Melanie, Brigitte, Brie, Beth, Melody... way to go girls!)

First Food - Oh my!

So much anticipation - counting down the days until Gavin got to eat rice cereal. We could hardly wait - and May 3rd was the big day.

Check out the video for the play-by-play.... needless to say, Gavin really didn't know what the heck was going on. Looking at the spoon intently to spitting out the food, to not really not liking the taste... just a few things that took place during this 10 minute eating session. Scott and I clearly were much more excited and it's hard to believe it is time to start feeding him food. Our little baby is getting bigger.... thanks for some good laughs Gavin!

Playing with Uncle Sam

No, not that Uncle Sam. Here is me getting some quality time in with Sam on the couch on a nice last minute visit over from a work meeting nearby. Love hanging out and giving hugs to Sam.

I'm Such a Big Boy

Gavin got to sit in Michael's chair at the table - boy does he think he is a big boy or what!