Update on the boys

I love saying "the boys" ;)

Mr. Liam is growing up.  He is a big boy and "pear shaped."  He is one size bigger on his bottom. :)  He now wears 6 months clothing but only if they are onesies/one piece, if they are separates the pants are usually too tight on his butt/thighs.  So he is wearing some 9 months clothing now.
I've been working more this week and my freezer milk supply was running low so my mom almost had a panic attack and she asked if she could give him a little formula just to see if he would drink it.  She didn't want to run out of breastmilk and then try formula with no back up so we tried it.  Epic fail!  Liam tried a few sucks and then shut his mouth.  We then tried to mix the formula with some cereal to see if he would eat it and he took one tiny bite off the spoon and then shut his mouth.  Later that night after we went to bed I woke up and smelled puke and noticed Liam was making noises.  When I picked him up he was COVERED from head to toe in vomit.  Poor little guy was trying to get away from the puke but he was just spreading it all over the sheets.  I can't believe that tiny amount of formula caused such an upset.  I have ruined his "virgin tummy".  So, I'm back to pumping every chance I get and hoping 2 oz here and there will add up and be enough to get me through my data collection work time.  I've just been leaving the house in 3 hour periods because I can't even pump while away (there's just no place clean or safe enough for me to do it on the road).  I just need to survive the next 2 weeks and then we'll be back to our somewhat normal routine.

In other food news, I did start giving Liam some solids.  Partly in hopes that the need for milk would decrease but so far that has not been the case. He doesn't sleep any longer at night either contrary to popular belief.  Liam has tried and loved pears, apples, and butternut squash.  He has done so well with solids.  I guess that's the difference with waiting until they're older and ready.  Liam doesn't waste this stuff.  He opens his mouth and pushes the food to the back and swallows- no mess.  Baby Gavin was so little when he started cereal that it was all over the place but his mouth.  I enjoy making the baby food. I look forward to seeing the face he'll make when he tries something new.  

Yesterday Liam flipped over from his back to his belly...although the arm still gets a bit stuck under him.  He hasn't quite figured out to lift himself a bit to get his arm under him but he swings his body pretty good.  Thanks to the iphone I got it on tape. I guess I should rephrase, I got it on video.  I will post later.
Liam is also making some new sounds.  He babbles stuff most of the time but he does make a distinct "ta ta" sound.  He goes on rants "ta ta ta ta ta ta".  It seems like we're getting to the stage when all kinds of developments are happening.  I can't wait until I'm done with my work so we can go back to SC so Nick can see all the new things Liam is up to.  Technology has made things a lot easier.  A couple of weeks ago Nick and I upgraded to iphones and we've been using "facetime" to talk and it's so worth the price.  It's like skyping but better b/c the phone is smaller and mobile so we can use it anywhere.  It's made being apart a little easier.

As for Gavin...I don't think I officially announced that he is fully potty trained now.  It just kind of happened overnight really.  One day he wanted underwear and just never looked back.  I don't even use a pull-up training pant overnight anymore.  He can hold it until morning just fine (so far).  The same thing happened with his "bobo" (pacifier).  I was afraid he would get to 3 years old and still want his paci at night but he just stopped asking for it and that was that.  Even when I pointed to it just the other day he said they are Liam's paci's not Gavin's.
He continues to make us laugh with his sayings.  He cannot stand silence and when no one is talking he asks, "what do you want to talk about?".  He has been a good talker for a while but he is definitely sounding more and more like a "big boy."  He says things like "hey guys, check out this" or "that's cool".  Sometimes I definitely forget his age.  He just sounds like such a big boy.
We've had a couple of "incidents" this week where he has picked up words he shouldn't have.  Funny enough that the show Modern Family this week featured a situation with the little girl and a curse word.  With Gavin, it's not as bad.  The word is in Spanish which means that I'm to blame (and my mom).  However, the word is not a true curse word and he's only heard them in a cute/funny context...which is difficult to translate to English.  The word he said is "coÑo" and I guess it's like "darn" in English...where it's not a great word but it's not a really bad word either.  The context where he picked it up it's like someone saying "you're so darn cute" but now he has tried to use it in other contexts and I'm afraid it doesn't sound  good. I am guilty of saying "Mira coÑo" all in fun (like when he says he "belongs to abuela"- it's a little game my family plays with him) and today he was pushing Liam on the swing and telling Liam "Mira cono, mira cono, mira cono" like 5 times in a row.  It's a problem now!!!  I can't have him say that in public.  I (and my mom) have to be super careful about what we say because we're so used to joking around with these words so we have to make a conscious effort to stop.  

Gavin is in a "crafty" stage now.  He loves to make arts and crafts.  A few days this week he has asked me to "find a craft for me."  He loves his scissors and glue.  Sometimes I just give him a magazine to cut up and then glue the pieces on a piece of paper and he thinks it's great.  The bad thing is that I have to keep coming up with ideas of things for him to make or do.  He needs structured or he turns into a different child.  Sadly he is also not napping and that makes him literally run in circles and go crazy.  RARELY will he take a day nap now.  Oh, I don't know what I'll do when I go back to SC.  Hopefully I can continue to have him "rest" on the bed during naptime even if he sings or talks through it.  Nap time is about me having a break so I'll take whatever I can get.