Spring!

Here in the Gillespie household (or at least Gavin and I), we are very excited that Spring and its friend the Sun have returned!  Gav and I were definitely suffering from cabin fever.  I can only hear the same version of Fisher Price's Twinkle Twinkle Little Star so many times without starting to lose a few brain cells.

So earlier this week, on one of the nicer days here in the northern burbs, I picked Gavin up from Miss Jeanne's and took him on his first walk in a very long time.  The last time Gavin went on a walk, he had to sit in his car seat inside his stroller, and was annoyed that he couldn't see very much, or move around.  Now, Gavin is big enough to sit in his stroller sans car seat, and while he enjoys the view, he's not sure what to do with the increased mobility.

Gavin huddled in the corner of his stroller, not sure about this "going on a walk" thing just yet.

Gav decides this might be ok after all.

Who needs fresh air when you can chew on the dirty blanket that just fell on the ground? (I swear, I only let him chew on the clean parts :)

Showing off those cute two front teeth

Gavin did really well on his walk.  I kept thinking during our walk how different things are now.  Back in the fall when we went on walks, it was like playing a game of Russian Roulette.  Dare I go one more block and risk being too far away from home when Gavin inevitably loses it and screams his head off?  I was terrified of having a screaming baby on my hands.  Now I know that its not the end of the world if Gav does cry, and I've learned a few Gavin calming tricks in my 7 months as a mommy.

This weekend has been interesting, since Ryan threw his back out Friday night when we were working out.  It was shocking to realize that a) we are VERY out of shape and b) we are OLD.  I had a similar realization at school this week when I realized the kids I'm teaching were born in 1996.  I was a freshman in high school in 1996...sigh.

Anyway, Ryan throwing his back out means he can't pick up 20 pound babies, so I've been on Gavin duty this weekend.  That coupled with the Illini being on the bubble for the NCAA tournament has made for a tense environment in our home this weekend.  But before Ryan threw his back out on Friday, he and Gav took some pretty cute pictures together.

Discussing the possible scenarios that put Illinois in the tournament?

Laughing at Mommy's suggestion that Iowa football is way better than Illinois basketball?

And finally, Gavin and I had some fun with the camera during our time together this weekend.