Overall we're doing just great. At her 1 month doctor's appointment Ms. Lily weighed in at 8 lbs 5 oz. The girl has been eating like a fiend although she tends to spit up a lot. The only issue is that Lily does not like to be by herself. This has made nights pretty tough but Jenna is doing a great job keeping the little one content. Gavin is his normally awesome self. He loves helping out with his sister as much as he can. Right now that help is pretty limited to throwing away dirty diapers but he's itching for more.
Jenna and the kids are going to spend 6 weeks of April and May in Illinois visiting Jenna's Grandma as she recovers from a broken hip. We figured it was a good time to get home and see all of the family while Jenna's on maternity leave. Bob will be coming home for a week in May to celebrate Mother's Day, Gavin's 2nd Birthday and Lily's baptism. We hope that we can see many of you while we're in the neighborhood.
And on one final note, we're glad to say that we have finally unloaded our house in Orange County. After 9 months on the market we received a solid offer a few days after Lily was born. It's about time and we're glad we can finally move on!
The whole family is ready for the baby girl to arrive. Jenna's been on leave from work for a few weeks now and her parents are set to arrive tomorrow. This time around with Gavin in the picture we're definitely going to need the help! Check back often for updates and pics of the little girl and the whole family.
Wish us luck!
It was great to see the whole crew but really sad to see them go. Gavin had so much fun playing with his cousins that he didn't know what to do after they left.
T-minus 12 weeks until the baby arrives. We still have lots of work to do - not the least of which is coming up with a name! We didn't settle on Gavin's name until a few days before he was born so we shouldn't be surprised that we're having trouble again!
Even so we're getting into the mood of the season by taking a family trip to the pumpkin patch. In our area there's only one place to go for pumpkins - Half Moon Bay. It's a small beach community on the other side of the mountain from us. If you can believe it they even have there own Pumpkin Fest each year.
It was a nice trip but Gavin was feeling a little under the weather. So he wasn't sure what to think about everything. Next year he'll be old enough to enjoy some of the activities - pony rides, petting zoo, hay rides & other fun stuff!
We're so excited about the news; I think Jenna's going to be shopping for little girl dresses at lunch!
This week we begin the remodel of our house. We've settled on an architect & they're coming to do the initial measurments tomorrow. The whole project is going to take approximately 8 months. We've got a long road ahead so wish us luck!!
Sorry for the long delay since our last entry but our days just keep getting busier. Last week we officially moved into our house in Burlingame & we're still working to paint Gavin's room and unpack dozens of boxes. We're not going to get too settled in because we are going to be remodeling half the house early in 2007. We have to make room for baby #2!
In case you haven't heard Jenna is pregnant with our second baby who'll join us in early February - just in time for Jenna's birthday! We are thoroughly excited and can't wait for our little family to get a bit bigger. The sex of the little one is still TBD but we are all full of guesses. The ultrasound should happen in 6-8 weeks; then we'll know for sure.
This month Gavin started at his first daycare in San Francisco. He seems to be enjoying it a lot; it's nice for him to be around kids again. Another tooth finally broke through this week. Teeth numbers 7-10 have been trying to break through for a couple of months - maybe the rest will follow soon! The other exciting news this month is that Gavin is getting more confident standing on his own.
Gavin is officially 1 year old now! We all survived; now it's all downhill from here!
Currently we're settling into San Francisco. We're living in corporate housing while we're searching for a house. Hopefully we'll decide on something soon. There are a lot of different areas to consider so it's making it more difficult than we had imagined. Weighing cost, property size, home styles & commute distances make for an extremely tough decision.
Gavin is about to start daycare at a very nice facility right next to Jenna's office building. It's so close she'll be able to walk over and see him at lunch, which I'm sure they'll both love.
What a year. What a month!!
The big news this month is that we're moving to San Francisco! Jenna received a job offer from Genentech (Fortune Magazine's Best Company to Work For) and we decided to take a chance. Genentech is the leading Bio-tech company with a bunch of drugs on the market but it's mostly noted for their cancer drugs. She's really excited about the opportunity and we can't wait to see what lies ahead.
Bob continues to enjoy his time home with Gavin. Their bond couldn't be stronger - he loves spending time with his daddy. Even with as much fun as they're having, Bob is ready to go back to work! He's working with some contacts up North to line up his next gig. Hopefully it comes through soon after we move.
Gavin's development has really picked up this month. He's mastered clapping and high 5, as well as many of his toys. This weekend Gavin came down with a fever and light rash over his whole body. The doctor said that he has the trifecta - viral infection, ear infection & eye infection! But even with all of that he's been a great kid. By the way he acts you wouldn't even know he was feeling lousy. It's amazing!
We hope you've all been watching Gavin's progress with the photos & videos. The last couple of weeks have given us some video-worthy action & we've been sure to document it.
As you've probably seen Gavin is moving around quite well now. He's small but mighty. The whole family went to the doctor today for Gav's 9 month check up. He's healthy as can be but the doctor is concerned that he hasn't put on enough weight. Gavin's tipping the scales at a shocking 14 lbs 10 oz, and is 25.5 inches tall. We're supposed to "stuff him" (doctor's orders!). At this rate he's going to be in his infant car seat until well after his birthday!
Time continues to fly & Gavin keeps making great strides. His 8th month birthday came & went last week but Gavin was too busy to notice! The little guy has reached the point where we can't leave him unsupervised because he can crawl or roll (or a combination of both!) across the room. He's very determined to get where he's going & he usually succeeds. Also last week, for the first time, we came into his room to find him standing in his crib just hanging out waiting for us. Bob's got to lower the mattress ASAP!
The most shocking news this month is that Bob found out shortly after the new year that his startup company LTN was going out of business due to lack of funding. They are keeping him on board for a short time while they liquidate the equipment & fixtures. After that who's know what'll happen. He's taking this news as an opportunity to find something else great out there & in the meantime spend some quality time with Gavin.
Gavin's 2 days away from turning 7 months old & he's nearing the 14 pound mark. While he hasn't started crawling yet he is trying to figure it out. Nowadays he's eating fruit & vegetables and drinking juice from a sippy cup.
Gavin's still full of laughter & giggles which keeps us smiling. At home and daycare he loves to sit & play with his toys. No matter what it is it is sure to end up in his mouth! While he's out in the world he just loves watching everything. He'll have the blankest look on his face but you can tell he's just taking everything in.
On Thursday night we set out for the frozen tundra of Illinois. The weather report calls for cold with a 70% chance of frigid! Gavin's not going to know what hit him. Grandma Sayre hooked him up with a snowsuit but it might not be enough.
Gavin is nearing his 6 month birthday next week & he just keeps rolling along. This week Gavin had his first bites of cereal. It was a bit foreign to him but he'll grow to love it. Check out the full video here.
This weekend Gavin also got his first taste of crawling. A couple of times as he was sitting up he leant forward and dragged himself forward a few inches. He wants to move; he just has to figure out how it's done!
Also, this week Gavin must have been experiencing a growth spurt. He was eating & sleeping a lot more than usual & we can see he's just gotten bigger.
Wednesday night Jenna's headed to Vegas for a conference. Bob & Gavin are going to fly solo for the first time! Wish us luck!
Wow! What a busy 2 months it's been! Since the last entry we took our trip to the Caribbean, Bob's new network launched, Jenna went back to work & Gavin turned 5 months old.
After our vacation, Jenna started back to work on October 3rd, the same day that LTN hit the airwaves. She misses spending her days with the boy! ...but who could blame her? 2 weeks after she started back at work Gavin came down with a 4 day fever. So Jenna & Bob both got to spend some days at home looking after the little guy. He's still congested but overall he's back to his normal happy self.
Gavin's been attending day care at a local school/church since Jenna went back to work. We think he misses being at home with Mom but he seems to be adjusting.
The boy is growing everyday but he's still pretty small for his age. Last week we went to get some photos taken & saw 2 other babies there that were 3 months old & at least the same size as Gavin. Even with his small stature he's progressing beautifully. Currently, he's sitting up with just a little help from Mom & Dad, within a couple of weeks he'll probably be doing it on his own.
Happy Labor Day from California!
This week Gavin really started laughing, smiling & talking like crazy. He really enjoys all of the adults acting silly around him. Saturday marked the opening of college football season so Bob & Gavin got to watch their first Michigan game together. Hopefully that starts a great family tradition for years to come.
The pacifier weening has been going pretty good. We started trying to get Gavin off of his pacifier about three weeks ago & so far we've been pretty successful. There have been a handful of occasions where he was just so tired that he couldn't get it to sleep without it. But we've been really proud at how well he's done in calming himself without it.
Next Thursday we take off for our vacation in St. Lucia. Check back around October 1st for some new photos & videos.
After our trip to Illinois Gavin returned to get caught up on his 2 month vaccinations. He had a total of 5 shots due and the doctor decided to spread them out over 2 weeks to ease the ill effects. Gavin took them all like a trooper and recovered quickly. At his last weigh in Gavin was up to 10 lbs 4 oz, but Jenna suspects by now he's easily past 11 lbs.
Now that we're into the 4th month we've started to break him of the pacifier habit. We may be fooling ourselves but we don't want him to rely on it any more than necessary. Our goal is that by the time we're back from vacation in St. Lucia he'll be completely off it. We'll probably still hang on to it for emergencies but hopefully that's it.
Gavin's summer vacation to Illinois was a complete success. He was a big hit with both sides of the family.
Jenna & Gavin flew home ahead of Bob to spend a week in Andover and had a ball while they were there. Jenna's sister was in town with her two kids, Ian & Danielle. Danielle really took to Gavin; she loved doing anything she could with him, including holding, changing & feeding him. Grandpa Steve took him swimming in the hot tub, for a tour of the firehouse and for a ride on the new tractor.
On Sunday July 24th Gavin was baptised at Augustana Luthern Church in Andover. Gavin's grandparents, cousins, aunts & uncles were all there for the event; Jenna's grandma was also able to attend. After the baptism we all went to brunch in Galesburg before the Carlson clan headed back to Morton.
In Morton, the Carlsons got to spend some real time with Gavin for the first time. Mom & Dad moved into their new home in April and they spent months remodeling. It looked great and we can't wait to see how much more they're able to do by the time we come home for Christmas. Kathy & Mike have been working on their house too. Their pool was installed just days before our visit, and thank god they had it - the 100 degree temperatures made it a welcome relief.
Then the day before we flew home we took a road trip up to Chicago to visit the extended Carlson family. This was the first time that we've seen most of them in nearly 2 years. We had a great afternoon with lots of food & good company to catch up with. Thanks Grandma & Grandpa for hosting the event & Mom for doing the cooking. We hope that we get to see all of you again, and especially those that we missed, during our trip home at Christmas.
Jenna and Gavin are packing their bags to head home to Illinois on Saturday. Traveling with the boy has required a lot more planning then we ever imagined - diapers, car seats, feed schedules, oh my!
Our schedule in Illinois is filling up quickly. Jenna's family is throwing her a baby shower and then she's having a pot luck dinner with her high school friends to catch up and meet all of their kids. Then after Bob arrives we've having the baptism & brunch on Sunday 7/24/05, followed by a day with the Chicagoland Carlsons the following weekend.
Gavin has had a good couple of weeks. The boy's smiling like a fool & he's been sleeping great too - including one 7 hr stretch last Saturday night! Jenna has been taking a lot of walks with Gavin & Maddie. Gavin loves his Baby Bjorn carrier; he just sleeps all the way to the beach & back.
Gavin & Jenna are preparing to fly home on July 17th to see all of our Illinois family members. Bob & Maddie will join them on the 24th - just in time for the baptism in Andover.
Happy 4th of July to everyone! Enjoy the fireworks & barbecues.
Tuesday he has his 1 month checkup with the doctor; we think he's easily over 7 pounds. Last night he slept for 5 hours between feedings - although it's rare, it's a wonderful thing when it happens!
The boy is starting to spend more of the day awake and just loves to stare off into the distance. Now that he's soaking everything in I hope to have some more action shots to share with everyone. Today he took a little ride in his swing and it calmed him immediately. I think that is going to turn out to be a wise investment.
