Higher and higher!

Gavin climbed our steps for the first time today!  Previously, he hadn't shown any interest in tackling them.  He has attempted to climb onto Brennan's bed and the mini-trampoline, which are higher steps.  He was in the basement with me, crawling around while I was moving a load of laundry.  I looked at the stairs and he was on the first step!  I immediately went to the stairs and was there for possible support.  He quickly climbed the entire flight of stairs without assistance!  He climbed them again two other times today.  We recorded him, but are having technical difficulties with posting the video.

Speaking of higher, Brennan counted to 50 yesterday--his highest yet!  He was counting objects in a book and kept going and going and going...

So Big!

Sorry for the direction of the video.  It's too adorable to not share!  He's also starting to play Peek-A-Boo with blankets!

10 Months Old!

Sweet Gavin-boy is 10 months old! 

~He loves being mobile!  He can crawl quickly, using a variety of crawls depending on the floor surface.  He travels the fastest for electrical cords, puzzle pieces, and patio door blinds (i.e.: things he shouldn't have).  He also likes to crawl to air conditioning vents.  Want him to crawl even faster?  Chase him exclaiming, "Hey! Hey! Hey!".  This is also guaranteed to get a belly laugh.
 ~He also likes to pull himself up, especially on Mommy/Daddy, the mini-trampoline, Brennan's bed, and his crib.
~Gavin enjoys giving kisses and high fives.
~While it seems that he may only be repeating us, he's clearly said "Up", "Hug", and my favorite, "Mama!"  We're anxiously waiting for him to say them intentionally and meaningfully!
~He continues to enjoy eating, gobbling up all purred food we offer.  Gavin also enjoys Puffs and Mum Mum crackers.  He's successfully eaten tiny pieces of soft fruits (pears, bananas), but hasn't mastered Cheerios yet as he usually ends up spitting them up.
~His smile is full of pearly whites--8 teeth!  4 on top and 4 on the bottom.
~Gavin goes to sleep around 7:30pm and wakes between 5:30am-6:00am.  More often than not, he wakes up once over night.  He could very likely put himself back to sleep, but he goes back to sleep easily with a diaper change and quick nursing session.  I suppose I'm a softy, as I assume that his cutting teeth or eczema is bothering him when he wakes up.  He's a full-time belly sleeper, usually using one of his blankets as a pillow.
~Speaking of eczema, we continue to battle with his flare ups.  We've had a few appointments at the dermatologists' office and he's been prescribed several creams/ointments.  We declined using a cream that has been "black boxed" due to possibly causing cancer, despite the dermatologist assuring us that she would feel comfortable using it on her infant.  We also made an appointment with a pediatric allergist, wondering if an allergy is preventing his eczema from being controlled with medication.  The earliest appointment for new patients is mid-August and we're on the cancellation list, allowing us to go in if someone cancels their appointment.  He's a trooper with his skin, although it does seem to bother him at times.
~Gavin is most attracted to noisy toys.  Upon picking up small toys/objects, he'll immediately shake it to see if it makes a noise.
~He also likes to "dance", bouncing when he hears music.  He continues to like bouncing on beds, the mini-trampoline, etc.
~We're working on introducing sippy cups.  We've removed the valve on cups and he'll get excited when he gets a drink of water.  He usually chews the cup when given with a valve.  He also likes to play the infamous I-drop-and-you-pick-up game with sippy cups.

Ready, Set, Go!

It didn't take long for Gavin to master mobility and he now crawls very quickly!  Sometimes, he'll crawl on one knee and one foot, typically when he's not on carpet.  He also "monkey crawls" on his hands and feet.  He consistently "monkey crawls" when he's transitioning from carpet to tile/hardwood.

This video was taken about 2.5 weeks after beginning to crawl: