Bryson and Ashley: Gavin {5 months}

Dear Gavin,

You turned 5 months old on August 6, 2013. These last 5 months have really showed me that my capacity to LOVE is endless. Somehow I fall more and more in love with you the more I get to know you, the more your charming little personality emerges. Just when I think it's impossible to love you any more, when I think you just can't get any cuter, sweeter, happier, yummier...you surprise me and my heart feels like it could burst of love and admiration. I feel incredibly lucky to be your mom.

This month, you started the "grab-everything-and-put-it-into-your-mouth" phase that all babies seem to go through. For a while I thought you must be teething simply based on the vast amounts of drool and the non-stop chewing on everything you could wrap those chubby little fingers upon. I think I must have blamed every slight whimper on those seemingly soon-impending teeth...those teeth which have still yet to show up. So for now, you still have the sweetest purely-gummy, toothless smile. No rush. (especially while I am still nursing you - ouch!)

I have loved watching you this month discover just how BADLY you WISH to be mobile. You can roll in both directions, which is your mode of transportation for now. You roll from one side of the room to the other, and you even ended up under the couch one time. You also can do a complete 360 while on your tummy. You want to crawl so badly - pushing your little bum into the air, up on your knees, but not quite able to get up all the way. Let me reiterate - no rush! I love the fact that you are immobile for now - I know as soon as you can crawl, you will be chasing your big sister around, getting into all kinds of mischief with her. I think I might be in trouble with the two of you! ;)

At the very end of this month, our family flew to North Carolina for your Uncle Brad and Aunt Kelsey's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and you were so excited to welcome a new aunt into our family! After the wedding, we spent a few days at Aunt Kelsey's lake house, boating, jet skiing and swimming. You loved hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Blake, Aunt Maddie and Joe and all of Aunt Kelsey's family. After our time in North Carolina, we drove up to Virginia to visit your Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Lord, Aunt Kaitlyn, and Great-Aunt Karen and the rest of the Jorgensen family. While Aunt Karen and Auntie Kaitlyn watched Ava, you went on a little "getaway" with Mom and Dad to Washington DC to visit some of our good friends. You LOVED having our undivided attention, I could tell and we loved spending such good quality, one-on-one time with you. While in Virginia, we went to Busch Gardens and you rode some of your first "rides." I was so proud of you on both the flight out and the flight coming home - you were absolutely perfect and slept for almost the entirety of each flight. I think your favorite part of our trip to the east coast was the great amount of time you spent with your Daddy. You two were inseparable for two straight weeks, even taking many naps together...your Dad said he really enjoyed that "father-son" bonding time. :)

At your 4-month check-up (which was actually 4.5 months), you weighed 17 pounds 5.6 ounces, putting you in the 76th percentile for weight for age and the 15th percentile for weight for height. You were 2 feet, 3.75 inches, landing you in the "100th percentile," meaning you are "off the charts" tall for your age. Your BMI is 15.83. Bottom line, you are tall and relatively thin for how tall you are (although those scrumptious rolls on your thighs would beg to differ). While at your appointment, your pediatrician gave me the "go ahead" on sleep training, telling me that you can, and should, be sleeping much longer periods than the 2-hour-at-a-time stretches you have been doing so far. She also okayed rice cereal at bedtime, which we tried a few times and, while I would't use the word "enjoy," you definitely tolerated it well. :)

Other cute/funny/random things about you:

You love to play with your toes.
You are incredibly smiley and smile at anyone and everyone.
You have THE most beautiful blue eyes. People always comment on how dreamy your eyes are.
You love when we sing to you as you are falling asleep. If we are singing and then stop, you will start humming to yourself until we start singing again.
You have found your voice and you love to test that lung capacity as you squeal loudly for joy all day long.
You are ALMOST sitting up on your own. You can do it for a little while, but then will topple over if I'm not there to catch you.
You are very ticklish on your feet, under your arms and under your neck.
You are definitely a tummy sleeper and you love being on your tummy in general. The second I lay you on the floor, you roll straight to your tummy.
You take 3 naps a day - usually one around 10am, 1pm and 5pm. You go to bed around 8pm and usually wake up for the day between 7:30 and 8am.
You are still exclusively breastfed, except for the handful of times you had about a tablespoon of rice cereal.

Here you are at one, two, three, four and now five months (you were SO done with pictures by the time I took this 5-month shot - but you are still adorable even as you are crying).
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