One of my favorite parts of being a mother is having the opportunity to do so with Stephen by my side. I always knew he would be a hands-on dad, but seeing the bond he has with Gavin has really made me love both Stephen and Gavin that much more.
Stephen went back to school last year, so in addition to working full-time, he is constantly busy with studying, homework, and class. His time with Gavin is limited on school nights, so he learned to make the most of it early on by taking over Gavin's nighttime routine. Gavin gets his bath, with plenty of time to splash around and play with toys, then dries off in his giraffe towel before getting his oily massage. After a fresh diaper and jammies, G gets fed, put into his sleep sack, and read to. Still awake, he gets a big kiss from Daddy and dozes off as his musical seahorse plays lullabies. It's a pretty perfect routine, and one that has thankfully proven to help him sleep through the night.
The cutest thing is how SPECIFIC Stephen is about the whole process. He chooses two toys for Gavin to play with in the bath each night, and he likes them to be different so that Gavin ends up playing with all of them at one point or another. He makes sure the nursery fan is off so that G doesn't get chilled when he comes into the room naked, but always remembers to turn it on before shutting off the light. Gavin has a specific lovey he uses for bedtime, and another one he uses for naps. The thing I love most, though, is how much Stephen loves reading to Gavin. To preface, we have two book bins for Gavin, one filled with board books and cloth books, and one filled with books from my elementary education days (which are probably more appropriate for ages 4+). Stephen always ends his reading sessions with the board book "Goodnight Gorilla," but likes to start by reading either a Golden Book or something out of the big kid book bin. If Gavin doesn't show enough interest, Stephen doesn't read the book again the next night. If Gavin likes the book, he repeats it night after night until Gavin loses interest. He has read "The Red Lemon" by Bob Staake maybe fifty times. "The Red Lemon," meanwhile, is a book I used years ago to teach third grade students about consumerism...but he's convinced Gavin really enjoys the bright colors. He probably does. More importantly, though, Stephen has found a love for children's literature that makes me want to burst with excitement (since children's literature is one of my biggest passions). We went to Joseph Beth yesterday afternoon, where Stephen promptly went up to the counter to ask where more books by Bob Staake were located. As it turns out, he's only written one other book, an American History children's book about Obama's dog...but we are now the proud owners of "First Pup."
Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because when I first had Gavin, a lot of people told me stories about their husbands never changing diapers...never waking up in the night...never taking charge of bath time or mealtime or anything...telling me how lucky I was that Stephen was so hands-on. And I am lucky, of course I am. But I am also not surprised that Stephen is so involved. That's the kind of man I married, the kind of partner-in-crime I wanted in parenthood. And as I sit here listening to him on the baby monitor say goodnight to our son, I am absolutely sure that I picked the right man to start a family with.
Goodnight everyone!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Saturday, June 16, 2012
And Six Months Later...
Well, hello again! I know I fell off the face of the planet after Gavin was born, but rumor has it that's fairly common with new moms. The good news is that I've spent the past six months caring for the most adorable, loving baby in the whole universe. There is no bad news. :)
As anyone who is even relatively close to me knows, the first few months of parenthood were no cakewalk in the Dowd household. After finally kicking a bad case of baby acne, Gavin developed a case of colic that kept him screaming from around 6:30 pm until he finally fell asleep around 9:00. There was no rhyme or reason for it, and there was no solution. This lasted for two months (though it felt more like two years). Apparently moms who suffer from migraines have a 40% higher chances of having colicky babies, so this is something I can also look forward to with subsequent children, haha. Anyway, Gavin outgrew the colic around four months but still refused to sleep through the night, often waking every single hour for some Mommy or Daddy cuddles. We knew something had to change, so about a month ago (after a lot of back-and-forth feelings and several phone calls to the pediatrician) we used the Ferber method to sleep train him...and it WORKED! We had one rough night, but by the second night we were already getting longer stretches of sleep, and by the third night we actually had to wake HIM up! We still have a rough night here or there, but we now have a baby who puts himself to sleep in his crib (without needing to be rocked) and actually STAYS asleep! Last night he went to bed at 8:30, woke up for a bottle at 5:45, and went back to bed until 8:30. This has literally changed our lives. Gavin is happier, we are more well-rested, and there is more time in the day to take care of things around the house and update this lovely family blog.
I will try and do a better job of updating more frequently, particularly now that Gavin is undergoing big changes on what seems to be an everyday basis! He's rolling both ways with ease, sitting up on his own, interacting with toys, and giggling up a storm. His smile also seems to be changing as his teeth come in. He's always had a cutie pie little smile, but I especially love how he crinkles his nose now when he gets excited.
As anyone who is even relatively close to me knows, the first few months of parenthood were no cakewalk in the Dowd household. After finally kicking a bad case of baby acne, Gavin developed a case of colic that kept him screaming from around 6:30 pm until he finally fell asleep around 9:00. There was no rhyme or reason for it, and there was no solution. This lasted for two months (though it felt more like two years). Apparently moms who suffer from migraines have a 40% higher chances of having colicky babies, so this is something I can also look forward to with subsequent children, haha. Anyway, Gavin outgrew the colic around four months but still refused to sleep through the night, often waking every single hour for some Mommy or Daddy cuddles. We knew something had to change, so about a month ago (after a lot of back-and-forth feelings and several phone calls to the pediatrician) we used the Ferber method to sleep train him...and it WORKED! We had one rough night, but by the second night we were already getting longer stretches of sleep, and by the third night we actually had to wake HIM up! We still have a rough night here or there, but we now have a baby who puts himself to sleep in his crib (without needing to be rocked) and actually STAYS asleep! Last night he went to bed at 8:30, woke up for a bottle at 5:45, and went back to bed until 8:30. This has literally changed our lives. Gavin is happier, we are more well-rested, and there is more time in the day to take care of things around the house and update this lovely family blog.
I will try and do a better job of updating more frequently, particularly now that Gavin is undergoing big changes on what seems to be an everyday basis! He's rolling both ways with ease, sitting up on his own, interacting with toys, and giggling up a storm. His smile also seems to be changing as his teeth come in. He's always had a cutie pie little smile, but I especially love how he crinkles his nose now when he gets excited.
He has so much personality and LOVES to use those dimples to flirt with any and everyone who crosses his path. I can't get enough of him.
Gavin is at the age where things are starting to get a little bittersweet. Our little boy no longer needs to be cradled when we carry him...he fits nicely on our hips. He likes to hold his own bottle while he eats. His little coos and gurgles are now full blown baby conversations. We're looking into getting an upright carseat because if Gavin grows just one more inch, his current carseat will be too small. His peach fuzz hair now needs combing every morning. Our tiny baby is becoming a little boy, and even though I wouldn't change the stage he's at now for anything, I do look at pictures of him a few months ago and feel a twinge of sadness that those moments have passed.
So there's the shortened version of where I've been for the past six months. Father's Day is tomorrow and Gavin and I are planning to take his daddy to the aquarium or zoo to celebrate, depending on what the weather is like. Maybe we'll get some Orange Leaf afterwards? Gavin LOVES Orange Leaf. :)
Until next time...
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