B is for Big Brother!!!

Gavin has a very important announcement to make...

He is going to be a BIG BROTHER!!!

That's right...Mommy is rockin' a BIG BELLY!

And we will be welcoming a new BABY to our family at the end of March / beginning of April 2011!

We are very BLESSED!!!

This was a very busy and hectic week with my first week working full time so we didn't do a whole lot with the Letter of the Week. But Gavin did learn the ASL sign for "B".

And he had his first trip to the BARBER! I have been delaying getting his hair cut for as long as possible because I am so in love with his curls (although I'm not in love with trying to brush them and keep them looking nice). So I finally gave in and agreed to take him in for a trim!
BEFORE:

AFTER:

It doesn't look a whole lot different and I was very happy that he still has his beautiful curls! It is just a bit neater now and the back isn't so dry and nappy. I didn't even cry!

A is for Arm, Ambulance, Alligators, Ants and Apples!

This was our first week of "Letter of the Week" and of course we started with the letter "A"! It was a busy week but lots of fun!


We started the process of getting Gavin fitted for a new prosthetic ARM!

We went to Bloorview for step 1:
Making a cast of Gavin's arm for the socket of his prosthesis.

He was so patient, sitting there and holding out his arm until Bryan was finished. We go back in 2 weeks to make sure its a good fit and talk about what kind of prosthetic would be the best choice.

We also learned about ALLIGATORS this week. We got some books from the library and learned a new poem which Gavin loves!

Mr. Alligator, Mr. Alligator, (make mouth open and close with your arms)
Don't you bite! Don't you bite! (wag finger to say no)
I will run away from you, I will run away from you (running motion with hands)
Out of sight, Out of sight! (Hands hide face)

We also learned a little about ANTS by doing a few colouring sheets and going outside to look for ants. I got a book from the library as well but we didn't even end up looking at it.

We were also lucky enough to get a personal visit from an AMBULANCE thanks to Paramedic Jim!! That was pretty AWESOME! Gavin got to go in the back of the ambulance and look around. Jim couldn't stay long (understandably!) but he left lots of colouring sheets, magnets, stickers, tattoos, pamphlets and cardboard build-your-own amubulances!

Today we had bushels of fun going APPLE picking!! We went to Pingle's Farm and there were so many activities for the kids. Gavin had a blast and was so tired out that he fell asleep in John's arms while waiting in line for a snack!

He was very proud to come home and eat one of his "special" apples that he picked all by himself! Now we have more apples than I know what to do with and I'm going to have to look up some recipes!

We had a great week. Gavin learned the ASL sign for the letter "A" and proudly shows it to me at the most random times!

We have those foam letter mat puzzles for the floor and I took out the letter "A"s and put them in the bath tub with him. It ended up being a great idea because they stick to the tub and the walls when wet. It was a great way to help him recognize what the letter looks like and after that, he had to have them in the bath with him every night.

I'm not sure how much we will be able to do in the coming weeks because I just got offered a full time job on Friday, which I'm very excited about. And I start tomorrow! But the exciting part is that I don't have to work any more weekends or overnights!! So hopefully we will still be able to squeeze some fun things in during the evenings and definitely on the weekends!

THANK YOU!

I want to extend a HUGE thank you to everyone who was involved in supporting Gavin's FilmPossible entry! The contest is now closed for votes and we have to stay tuned until October 8th, when they announce the six finalists.

Thank you again to everyone who took the time to vote! It really meant a lot to our family and we appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts!

Gavin's ABC Remix

I took this video of Gavin in the car on the way home today. (I wasn't driving, don't worry!) This boy sure likes to sing! And make up his own words...

Happy Grandparents Day!

Gavin made this card at daycare today for his grandparents.



I was so happy that they stamped his little arm too instead of just stamping his right hand twice to make two hand prints. I love it and I know they will love it too!

Letter of the Week

My awesome friend Jodi (who is quite honestly the most amazing mom I know!) has inspired me to do the "Letter of the Week". She did it last year with her kids and each week focuses on a different letter of the alphabet.

We will be starting next week with...the letter "A"!

My obvious goal is to help Gavin learn his alphabet (He can sing his own version of the ABCs that I like to call "the Remix"). We can focus on what the letter looks like and the sound that it makes and words that start with that letter. And we can learn the ASL sign for each letter too.

My other motive is to give myself something to focus on so that I feel more productive and we get out there and do things we don't usually do.

If anyone is interested in joining us that would be great! We could team up for weekly trips (I'm thinking a trip to Whittamore's Farm for APPLE picking next week! Or maybe to the AQUARIUM? I know Gavin would love to see an AMBULANCE!). It would help to share ideas too! Here is a great website to get you started!

The Pizza Man

So I confess: I may be guilty of ordering take-out a little too often. What can I say? I hate to cook!

Last week Gavin & I were home alone while John was working nights so I decided to order a delicious panzerotti for dinner. Gavin is a HUGE fan so this was fine by him! (These panzerottis are so enormous that Gavin and I can share one and barely finish it. And that boy can EAT!)

We waited for the "pizza man" to arrive and when Gavin heard the knock at the door, he was right by my side. We opened the door and Gavin greeted the pizza man with an enthusiastic "Hi!!"

The man looked down at him and must have noticed his little arm because he seemed to freeze for a second and then didn't even respond to Gavin. I paid and took the food and Gavin yelled "Thank you!" And then "Bye!" And not once, did the pizza man acknowledge him.

OK so maybe it was the first time he saw a child with a missing limb but when a little boy is clearly talking to you, it would be nice if you could respond.

Clearly Gavin has better manners than the pizza man.

I want my tip back.

Reflections of Motherhood

I just wanted to share this beautiful video with all the Moms out there! Thanks Annya for sharing it with me :)