HOME and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Garrett made it home safe and sound on the 23rd and now we're spending some quality time in Nashville with his folks! Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

now TIME is crawling

we're waiting for garrett's homecoming, which seems to keep shifting later and later... right now he's scheduled to arrive the morning of the 23rd! hopefully we'll be posting pictures of the homecoming soon!

CRAWLING FOR REAL!

Just a note to say that Gavin has taken OFF in the crawling. He's all over the house, getting wherever he wants in a hurry. We're still waiting for final details on Garrett's flight... soon I hope!

Gavin Lately

Sorry so long in posting! Soldiers are on their way home and I've been staying late at work to get ready! Gavin, meanwhile has been very busy growing - at his 6 month checkup he was 27 inches long, which apparently is quite tall for his age.

Garrett gets home in less than a month! WOO!

7 more weeks!

Well, it's actually been far too long since my last post, and so much has happened since!

We got word about 2 weeks ago that Garrett and 4th Brigade would be back before Christmas, a full month early! It's awesome news, and it means that my work has more than doubled getting ready for them to arrive. Late nights at the office are becoming a regular thing. But that means we only have about 7 more weeks apart! I can't wait!

Gavin is adorable, as ever. Still working on crawling (very frustrating for him... it's much easier to just have the big people move you quickly toward whatever object you're reaching for, apparently) but very interested in EVERYTHING. Every object in the house must be touched or put into the mouth.

Love, Tegan and Gavin

Columbus Day in Nashville!

Gavin and Tegan went to Nashville for some quality time with Nonny and Grandpa Sheldon, and were happily surprised that Granny and Grandpa Sauer were able to come out from Texas to meet the Great-Grandbaby! 

We had a great time, and everyone was amazed at how BIG Gavin has gotten! 

Adorable

So I got a little carried away and went ahead and ordered Christmas cards (they were on SALE), so Gavin and I had to have a little photo shoot. Don't worry - no spoilers here - the final shot will only come in the mail :)

Sitting pretty (handsome?)

Hey, all! Gavin has gotten big enough to sit in his fancy pants high chair... big stuff loved it (for a time). I think he's looking more like Garrett every day!

Cute Stuff

Gavin and I were by ourselves again this weekend. My mom headed down to Arkansas for the game. It's nice just to be able to hang out with Gavin - I get ALL the moods throughout the day, which is nice. I also gain a healthy appreciation for single moms. They must be tired all the time. No one to hand the 18-pound weight off to for a few minutes!

In the midst of it all, I tried my hand at making my own pizza dough (someday I aspire to manage a food blog for a living. Any sponsors out there???), with good success. So Garrett can look forward to pizza when he gets back :)

Isn't Gavin the cutest?

Poor Baby

Well, Gavin had his first round of shots today, and spent this evening on my chest, crying until the tylenol kicked in. Poor kiddo. I put it off at his 2-month appointment (when did they decide that kids need to be immunized against EVERYTHING at 2 months???), but at 3.5 months, he really was due.

I know he'll be feeling better tomorrow, but since Gavin doesn't really ever cry, just fuss, the tears rolling down his nose were so hard to watch.

Hilton Head Adventure

Gavin, his Grandmommy and I just returned from a weekend in Hilton Head, SC. It was great for Gavin to meet his Uncle Mike for the first time, and for his Grandaddy Pat to see how big he's gotten.

Gavin was a little unsure about the whole ocean thing... this is sort of a new thing, fear of new/unknown things. We went out to dinner and he SHRIEKED when some nice little old lady told him how adorable he was. I guess this is all part of learning who he belongs to (or doesn't). He got a little suntan, but was ready to be home!

We also celebrated my upcoming 25th with some delicious coconut cake, and an AWESOME baby backpack for Gavin and I from Aunt Brenna and Uncle Mike... Gavin looked like a camel herder when we headed out to the beach in it!

Bigger by the hour?

Gavin is getting so big... To illustrate this point, I'd like to juxtapose two pictures:


and



Isn't the difference amazing? Every day we're having to put away clothes that are too small...

We loooove bath time

It's darn hot down here in Savannah, so Gavin sweats like a fiend most days, which means that most days he also gets a bath. Lucky for us, he loves his baths... and the post-bath lotion massage :)

One, twice, three times...

We saw him!!! Gavin woke up from his nap this morning very happy and alert, so I put him on his stomach and we got rollovers... both directions.

I'm telling you, this kid has athlete genes. I especially challenge the future Speace progeny to an athletic competition later in life. We will totally dominate.

Tummy Time and Rollover Minutes

Well, although not yet captured on film, Gavin has rolled over from stomach to back! He was napping on his stomach, but when Elena went to get him when he woke up, he was on his back!

This feat has been accomplished through some pretty intense Tummy Time... He's getting almost all the way propped up on his arms these days!

SO BIG!

Gavin had his 2-month appointment today - on his daddy's birthday - and got weighed, measured and evaluated :) And has he ever grown! He measured 23.5 inches and weighed 12.6 lb!!! That's quite a lot of growing for the little man!

Exciting News!

Well, the Army has finally shown it may, after all, be run by humans. In a directive released recently by the big wigs in Washington, new parents are now allowed 6 months, instead of 4 months, to spend with their children.

What does that mean for me?

I WON'T be headed to Iraq in September! Instead, Gavin and I will be able to meet Garrett together when he comes home. I won't be getting the coveted combat patch, but there are more important things in life.

Boo the wonder dog

This may seem ridiculous to some, but I'm really very excited about the following news:

Boo, my faithful wonder-mutt, killed a mole yesterday.

I thought about posting a picture, I was so excited, but it seems not in good taste. The reason I'm so pumped about this is that these darn moles have been tunneling through the yard, happily undeterred by Mole Chaser, since spring. And, pregnant as I was, I didn't have the heart to even try and kill them.

Boo spent the spring digging up the yard in an attempt to find them, irritating me and forcing me to fill in and re-seed the lawn. However, our troubles may well be over, since most mole research I've done has asserted that moles often do so much damage alone, we only THINK we have a pack of them burrowing.

Way to go, Boo!

July 4th Weekend

Gavin and I headed up to Charleston with my mom for a friend's wedding. Gavin made his THIRD trip to the beach at Isle of Palms, complete with fabulous July 4th outfit. He did great at the wedding... Clearly I had the best-looking date there :)

Well, it's been a while...

Well, I intended (fully) to post to this more frequently, but alas, life got in the way. Instead we'll start from scratch! I'm back at work, with my mom taking care of Gavin at home. He's growing up WAY too fast already. I swear he's getting bigger every day... We measured him today at just over 22 inches!

About a week out...

Welcome to our blog! I hope that this provides a way for those (near and far) to keep up to date on our new family! It should also allow Garrett and I to both see our little man grow while we're in Iraq until January 2009. Thanks for visiting!

Love, Tegan