Archive | Gil

Gil’s 1st Birthday!

January 27, 2014 at 3:50 pm

Well, folks, we have a one-year-old! He might be the cutest little guy I’ve ever seen, too, but of course I’m biased, haha. We had a fun day celebrating off and on, mixed in with a hike with friends, delicious naps, and plenty of playtime. I followed Gil around with the camera for part of the day to capture that first bite of cake, the joy of play, and moments with each of the members of his family.

For full disclosure, the day wasn’t perfect, and actually began and ended with meals that looked like this:

Yep. So I was glad to get some of the happier moments in between, like the ones that follow!

They shared beaters covered in cream cheese frosting as I frosted his cake. I made two: one “smash cake” for him to enjoy on his own and one entirely massive snowman cake (his “real” birthday cake) that I am basically polishing off by myself now. Too. Much. Cake. Anyone want some cake?!

We tried to get a picture of Mama and Son, but that mission failed. I like these two photos, though, because they show what I do most of the day: facilitate my children’s play/sense of adventure/lives and try to keep them from killing themselves! Ah, motherhood.

For Gil’s birthday, he and Lena got absolutely adorable matching “jammies” from my parents, but, try as I might, I couldn’t get a good picture of them together. Can you imagine why? Always on the move around here.

And then I came around the corner and saw this in action… and that looked picture perfect to me!

And finally, since I usually post portraits of my children every Monday, here is one of Lena I took this morning. The artist (and reader!) at work! She after she finished each marker or crayon, she lined them up. And then we read two huge stacks of books during Gil’s nap, a typical activity for us because I am lazy and would rather sit and read books than do craft or learning activities. Oh well!

6 :: in 52 project, Baby Numero Due, Gil

he turns one tomorrow…

January 24, 2014 at 3:20 pm

… and I’m just not sure I can handle that!

You know what they say: “The moments are long, but the years are short.” We’ve had some looooong moments this year with mischievous little Gil; he came into our lives like an 8lb hurricane and really shook things up for awhile. But as the months have gone by, his blond curls and heart-stopping belly laugh have completely undone us time and time again, and we love him more than we could have ever imagined.

Like I mentioned here, this past week was a hard one for me. Elliott was asked to speak at a veterinary conference in the States, so I was holding down the fort with two rather small children. Lena got a stomach virus the morning that he left, and then on Tuesday both kids developed an impressive cold. I have never mopped up so much snot or said, “Cover your mouth, Lena. Cover! Cover… your… oh, never mind…” so many times in an hour. Gil in particular was severely congested, and I spent several of his nap times rocking him back to sleep every 20 minutes, something I’ve haven’t done since he was a couple months old.

But even when the going got tough, both kids continued to be loveable this week, and we toughed it out together. Also, Gil developed this adorable habit that makes everything completely ok with the world again. Before every nap, after he’s done nursing, he has started turning over onto his stomach and wedging his little head into my armpit. He murmurs and giggles while he does it, burrowing until he can’t burrow anymore and then lying there in complete contentment as I rub his back and murmur nonsense to him. Then he often climbs onto my stomach and snuggles some more, gently tapping my shoulder with his fist, cooing and giggling.

Finally, I scoop him up and kiss him, just like always, and breathe deeply of his baby curls, and lay him down in his bed, and rub his back, and slip out of the room whispering, “Goodnight, Gil-baby. I love you. I love you so much!”

P.S. Photos are all from this morning, a sweet and everyday one with just the three of us. Here are some posts from last year at this time: my last day as mother of one, Gil’s birth announcement, and Gil’s birth story.

17 :: in Baby Numero Due, Gil, motherhood, thoughts

Gil’s 5-month photo shoot

June 24, 2013 at 8:31 pm

I don’t know about you, but when it comes to friends, I have a special place in my heart for those who have these three character qualities:

Good taste
Incredible handicraft skills
Adoration of your child that rivals your own

Do you have friends like this? They are good people, these friends!

My sister-in-law Eden and my own mom are definitely in this category for me. Another wonderful friend is my “Aunt” Leslie, who I have known since before I can remember and who absolutely loves my two little ones. She owns an heirloom clothing business called Rosebasket and has made beautiful clothing for Lena and Gil. She made the darling outfit pictured above for Gil after he was born.

Although it probably won’t fit Gil properly until next summer, just for fun we dressed him up in this outfit last week and took some photos. I have been wanting to do another Gil photo shoot after the last one went pretty well (although his first photo shoot was a bit of a bust!). I loved how these photos turned out. He’s such a cute little munchkin!

Now, Gil, can you please learn to be as good at sleeping through the night as you are at taking pictures? I love you, my adorable baby boy.

Love,
Mama

——–

P.S. Winner of the bike seat and helmet giveaway is announced here!

7 :: in friends, Gil, Rosebasket

Gil’s 3-month photo shoot

May 7, 2013 at 2:15 pm

The days are whizzing by and our little boy is growing up. Three-and-a-half months already! I haven’t done a photo shoot with Gil since he was two weeks old and figured it was time to get him gussied up and pull out the big camera.

I seriously think I am falling more in love with Gil every day. We had a rough start, but over the last month he really has become a very different baby. His sleep schedule is much more regular and his smiles, coos, and even little chuckles are becoming a part of everyday life. He is content to hang out by himself for long periods of time while listening to me work in the kitchen or while lying on the rug while Lena and I play.

Speaking of Lena, he loves her. I get such a kick out of seeing him break into a grin when he sees her! He tolerates her so well, too. Yesterday she wanted to take off all his clothes, roll him over on a blanket for tummy time, and put cookie cutters on his arms like bracelets (“Mama, look! Gil sooo pretty!”). I think he actually enjoyed all of it; he seems curious to see what she’ll come up with next. And trust me, there’s no end to her ideas.

^ With a daddy who is a veterinarian, of course Gil has puppies on his corduroys!

I really need to print out some new pictures for Elliott to have in his office… because I haven’t done that since I was pregnant with Lena. (?!?!) One of these photos will probably be a part of that update. Which photo is your favorite?

15 :: in Gil

baby chuckles and happy Friday!

May 3, 2013 at 2:59 pm

Nothing much to report around here on this peaceful spring day besides a really cute baby laughing this afternoon. He just started the chuckles and I’ll do all kinds of silly to get him to giggle!

I’m waiting for my kiddos to get up from their naps so we can walk into town to buy pasta and fresh bread. My dinner plan is garlicky tortellini soup and bread dipped in olive oil. The experts say we’re supposed to consume a 1/4 C of olive oil a day! Do you??

What are you up to this weekend? We have a couple of social events on the calendar — a birthday party tomorrow and my friend Becca’s baby shower on Sunday — but otherwise are looking forward to some downtime as a family. Usually over the weekend Elliott and I watch a movie together. We’ve been trying to rent Argo for weeks now but the movie rental box on base doesn’t seem to have it in stock. Have you seen it? Any other recommendations?