Catching up

Taking a 2-ish month break from the blog means that we're now behind on a lot of the happenings in the Gillespie family.  This will be my attempt to upload some of the best pictures from the last few months and fill you in on what we've been up to without writing the world's longest post.  I also can't promise that these pictures are posted in any particular order, mainly because with the amount of sleep I'm getting, I no longer have any idea what we did when!

This first batch of pics is from our impromptu trip to St. Louis.  Ryan's youngest brother and Gavin and Dec's favorite Uncle (jk!), Kevin, played basketball at North Central College, and this year he led his team to a berth in the NCAA tournament for DIII schools.  The first and second rounds were held at Washington University in St. Louis, so on a whim, we decided to pack up the kids and head down there to watch Kev play.  The trip was a total success.  The boys were really good at Kevin's games, and we had a blast at the Magic House and just hanging out in our hotel.  Here are some of our favorite pics from that trip:

Our fam of 4 posing on the court before Kev's second round game vs. Wash U.  NCC won!

 The Kevin Gillespie super fans on the court after NCC's win over Wash U.

 Declan enjoying our trip to the Magic House.

 I have to be honest, I thought it was fun to sit in the Cat machinery too!

 Toddlers at work

 Mommy and Dec

 Daddy and Gav having a blast in the shadow exhibit

 Neat

 All that fun at the Magic House wore Gavin and I out, time for a nap!

 "It's how many more miles back to Mundelein?!"

 All smiles after a fun trip to St. Louis!

This next collection of photos is from Easter weekend.  My school gets Good Friday off, so we spent that morning at the egg hunt in Mundelein.  It was kind of chaos, and my group of girlfriends have already decided to just host our own egg hunt in our backyard next year!  After that, we headed out to Geneseo for the rest of Easter weekend.  Gav was excited to see his cousin Bryce, since Shane and Karyn are back in town awaiting Kailyn's arrival.

Gav and his buddy Caleb ready to hunt for eggs!

 My friend Alicia and I staged this picture after the chaos that was the real Easter egg hunt.

 Gav and his buddies Olivia, Eli and Caleb.

 Bryce and Gavvers playing together.

 Dec and Uncle CJ battle each other for the "shiniest dome" award

 Easter morning!  Gav loved Easter this year, and still wants to "play Easter"

 Showing off his loot from the Easter Bunny

 Brycers gets in on the egg hunt action

 This egg took a team effort to find

 My three favorite boys

 The cousins spending some quality time with Grandma

 Bryce is not amused by Grandpa's silliness

 Bryce and Gav team up to take out Grandpa in a tickle war

Dec and Grandpa in their Sunday best for Easter mass 

 Dec showing off his style

 A nice family pic with Great Grandma at church

 Chillin with Uncle Bren



Happy 5 months Declan!

It kills me to admit this, but poor Declan is already suffering from "second kid syndrome."  As you can tell from the blog posts, we managed to get a 1 month and 2 month picture, but months 3 and 4 seem to have slipped by in the blink of an eye, and all of a sudden, Dec was 5 months old.  A little part of me was tempted to take pictures of Declan and just switch out the 5 month sticker for the 3 month and 4 month sticker and pretend that we hadn't forgotten, but the teacher in me tells me not to cheat!

Below are a few pics of Declan's 5 month old photoshoot, some "first solids" pics, and our 5 month letter to Declan.

Declan's first try at solids...some oatmeal!  We learned with Gavin that no one should be forced to eat rice cereal, that stuff is nasty!

 So I know I'm biased, but that is one cute Gerber baby pose if I ever saw one.

 5 months old!  Dec has the ability to sit up...

 ....but he usually starts to lean forward....

 ...and then tip to one side.  One time I let Declan tip over and the look and cries of indignation were priceless!  How dare I let his precious little cheeks touch the floor!

 Gotta love those pudgy legs and that cute smile!

 Caught trying to take off his 5 month sticker when he thought I wasn't looking.

 It's exhausting being this cute!  Time to relax!

Dear Declan,

Happy 5 months!  You’re continuing to grow, weighing in at 17 lbs, 9 oz this month, and measuring 27.25 inches long.  Like last month at the doctor’s, you simply smiled when you got your vaccination!  You’re such a brave little guy!  Unfortunately, 5 months also marks your first cold.  You’ve got a stuffy nose and a yucky cough.  You’re not too happy about being sick, and you’re whining a lot as a result.  We hope you’re feeling better and back to your old self soon!

I think the fifth month of your life could best be summed up by Dory from Finding Nemo when she said, “just keep swimming.”  This month you’ve spent a lot of time practicing and improving on new skills Declan.  You’re still trying to master sitting up on your own.  Mommy will let you fall over sometimes, and you get so mad at her when she does!  But you’ll never learn otherwise, so I’ll just have to hope that you forgive me J 

Declan, you’re also still working on eating solid foods.  In your 4 month letter, we talked about just trying oatmeal for the first time.  Since then, you’ve also sampled carrots and sweet potatoes.  You seem to like those foods as well, Dec, but you still don’t quite understand how to swallow.  Also, your solids “meals” haven’t become a part of the daily routine yet, so you’re not getting tons of practice yet.  You do love to watch other people eat though!  Declan, you are always mesmerized by Mommy whenever she is eating and holding you at the same time (which happens a lot!), and you love to sit in your high chair and watch while Daddy, Gavin and I have dinner.

Rolling over is a skill you seem to have mastered, but you’re a ninja roller.  We rarely ever see you roll over, we just see the end result.  Dec, you’re very good at waiting until just the right moment so that you can roll over in secret!  One day Mommy saw you roll front to back to front 3 times in a row….you were half-way across the room when you were done!

Your personal preferences are becoming clearer to us Declan. You definitely love your blankie that Aunt Shari gave you.  It’s soft and fuzzy with blue, orange and grey polka dots, and a blue edging.  We already bought a back up, and may need to buy a third to have Grandma sew into “mini blankies!”  Every night, you suck on your pacifier, snuggle your face into your blankie, and roll onto your left side to sleep.

Your favorite toys include your new Sophie the giraffe teether, your caterpillar rattle, your “baby iPod,” and the toys on the activity bar that hangs over your bouncer chair.  Daddy had to go on a business trip for a few days this month, so Mommy had to put you in your bouncer while she showered in the morning.  You had a blast pulling the ring on the froggy toy and making the song play over and over again!

In your 4 month letter, we guessed that you might be teething, but so far, no teeth in sight.  There is still plenty of drool, though!  We’ve started putting a bib on you during the day just to catch the drool.  Otherwise your shirt is soaked after 10 minutes!

It’s hard to believe that your half birthday is next month Declan.  The time seems to go by even faster with two kids in the house, and we’re trying not to miss a minute of your baby-hood!  We love you so much Decker Joe!

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

Happy belated 4 months Declan!

As I wrote in the previous post, months 3 and 4 of Dec's life zoomed by.  We did manage to write a 4 month letter, even though we didn't get any official pictures.  So here's our letter, with some pics of Dec at 4 months old:
Dear Declan,

Happy 4 months!  I’m sad to say that with you to keep us busy, we never got around to a 3 month letter or picture L  The good news is we’re just too busy having fun with you to sit down and write a letter, but we promise to keep up to date for the rest of your first year!  At your 4 month checkup, you were 16 lbs, 2 oz and 26 inches long.  You’re pretty “tall” for your age, but not quite as chunky as Gavin was at this age.  You did a great job at the doctor this month Dec.  You needed to get 4 vaccinations: 1 “drink” and 3 shots.  You took the drink down like a champ, and didn’t even cry for the first two shots!  You’re such a brave little guy!

We also got some wonderful news about you this month Declan.  When you were first born, you failed the newborn hearing test in the hospital not once, but twice.    This meant we had to take you to an audiologist at 1 week old to be tested again.  Daddy and I assumed you would pass and everything would be fine, but again you didn’t pass.  This meant we had to follow up with your pediatrician and an ear, nose and throat specialist.  We did follow up, but no one seemed to be able to tell us IF you were hearing, and if not, WHY?  At home, it was clear that you weren’t hearing everything, but it did seem that sometimes you could hear what was going on around you.  Eventually, we were told that we would have to wait until you were at least 3 months old to determine anything else.  You were just too little to figure things out yet.  So we waited (and waited some more when your hearing appointments kept being rescheduled), and earlier this month, you were re-screened at the audiologist.  And it turns out, you hear just fine!!  We may never know why you weren’t hearing in those first weeks, but we’re just happy that you’re as healthy as can be.

Dec, you’ve developed a lot in these last 2 months.  You can grab toys around you, and you really love to grab the monkey on the mobile in your crib and really shake him up!  You can pass a toy from one hand to the other, and you can roll from your belly to your back.  Tummy time isn’t as awful as it used to be, now that you have much better control of your neck and head.  And you’re starting to sit up!  Right now its basically sitting where it looks like you’re trying to touch your toes (which you can do, it must be nice to be so flexible!), and that only lasts for a little bit before you start tipping over, but you’re definitely on your way!  You do like to sit in your Bumbo chair as well, and Gavin thinks it’s so cool that you can sit like a big boy!

The one area you could work on Dec is sleep!  Much like you did even just after birth, you are ready to eat every 3 hours on the dot, even at night.  You’ve gotten a little better about sleeping during the day.  Sometimes you take a nap that last an hour or longer, rather than your 20 minute cat naps, and everyone is happier when that happens!  Since you’re not sleeping as long as we might like at night, your doctor suggested that you start “solid” foods, so today you had your first few bites of oatmeal.  You smiled at the first bite, but I don’t think you’ve really figured out how to swallow quite yet.  I think you had more fun making oatmeal bubbles than actually eating the oatmeal, but that’s ok!

Since we wrote you last, you’ve started going to Miss Jeanne’s because Mommy had to go back to school.  You seem to like Miss Jeanne’s, and Gavin likes having you there.  You’re the youngest one there Dec, and I think you like watching all the older kids crawl, run and play.  You’re a very observant guy Declan, and you’re happiest when you have lots of action to entertain you.

This month you went on your first long road trip Declan.  Our family of four packed up and drove down to St. Louis to watch your Uncle Kevin play in the NCAA tournament at Washington University.  You did a great job in the car and at the hotel, and we all had a really fun time!  You loved Uncle Kevin’s game (they won both of them that weekend!), and you had a good time at the Magic House with Gavin and Grandma and Grandpa.  Hopefully we have lots of fun trips ahead of us with you and your big brother!

Some of your likes have stayed the same since you were 2 months old Deckers.  You still love the song BINGO, and peek a boo is still hilarious (although you laugh so much more now, so it’s a lot more fun for Daddy and I!).  You’re a little more tolerant of car rides, and you still think Gavin is the coolest guy around.

One thing we forgot to mention in your last letter was one of your most popular nicknames: Mr. Poopers!  You got this nickname from Daddy, who is a pro at making up songs for you and your brother.  Somehow Daddy came up with the Mr. Poopers song, and now it’s a hit in our house.  You light up and giggle and smile every time we sing it.  Even Gavin knows the words, and will start singing the Mr. Poopers song when I walk in the room with you!  We promise not to keep calling you Mr. Poopers when you’re 16 and going on dates, but for now, it’s a cute nickname that you love!

We think your next milestone might be teeth Declan, because you are the king of drool right now!  Every outfit of yours ends up soaked, and Daddy and I find our sleeves, pants and feet covered in Declan drool as well!  You haven’t found a toy that you really like to chew on yet, but you’re also not very crabby about your potential teeth either. 

We’ve had a great third of a year Dec, and we’re looking forward to all the fun to come.  We love you buddy!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

Practicing the art of sitting

 Brothers!  Gav was so excited that Declan was sitting up like a "big boy."

 Forget this sitting thing, lets skip straight to walking!

 Hugs

 Dec and his beloved blankie.

We're baaack

Well, I see its been quite a while since we've updated the blog.  As any parent knows, parenting means letting go of some things.  Our houses aren't as clean, our clothes aren't always ironed, and our dinners consist of pb&j's more often than we might like, but our kids are healthy and happy, and that's really what counts. 

So as a mom of two adorable boys, I've had to learn to let go of even more things than before, including blogging on a regular basis.  This saddens me because I enjoy sharing about our lives, and I like that the blog gives me a chance to sit down and really reflect on my boys.  I've gone back and read so many of our older blogs and been shocked at the things I've already forgotten about Gavin's "baby" years! 

But blogging takes a lot of time: uploading all of our pictures, deciding which of the hundreds are "blog worthy," captioning, writing the narrative, and all while trying to fight Gavin and Ryan for some time on the computer!  Many times, its easier and quicker to just dump a few pics on facebook, enjoy all the "oh, your boys are so cute" comments, and call it a day.  Facebook is little effort and lots of reward, whereas the blog is a labor of love.

I'm certainly not saying that we're giving up on the blog, I just want our readers (that sounds silly to say, but I'm not even sure who reads this, family? friends? random strangers who have stumbled on my blog on the web?!) to know that at this point in our lives, the blog has to take a back seat to enjoying our boys in real life, and keeping our sanity as parents.  I've got a few posts I hope to get up here today, and I hope to post more in the summer months when teaching isn't also demading my attention.

Thanks to those of you who do read this blog.  Gavin and Declan are lucky to have such involved family and friends who care so much about them!

Happy 2 months Declan!

A very late post for Declan's 2 month "birthday."  The letter was written close to Dec's 2 month mark, but the pictures were just taken the other day!  Oops!  Here's some pics of our cutie with Fred the penguin:

I'm sure its just the angle, but Declan looks like he could be on the O-Line of a toddler football team in this pic!

 New for this month:  smiling! (at least, smiling not caused by farts)

 So serious...mo months, mo problems.

 That's Rufus off to the side trying to sneak in on Declan's pictures.  Rufus is wearing Gavin's "robot" hat...we're still working on getting a picture of Gavin in his whole robot outfit!

 Like his Mommy and Daddy, Deckers already has lots of funny facial expressions!

 "I'm a cutie and I know it" (you should sing this in your head to the LMFAO song)

 That Fred is one hilarious penguin.

 Declan looks very mature to me in this pic.

 Putting those cute, beefy thighs to good use!

And here is our 2 months letter to Decker Joe:

Dear Declan,


Happy 2 months! You continue to grow by leaps and bounds Dec! You’re now 13 lbs 4 oz, and 24.25 inches long! You’re wearing 6 month outfits and are almost as big as your older “friends” Ethan, Jacob and Lilia.

This month seems to have gone by much more quickly than your first month of life. For most of this second month, Daddy and I didn’t notice many changes with you, but in the last week or so, you’ve turned into a new little guy Declan!

You’ve started smiling and cooing, and we’ve even caught an occasional laugh! Your likes and dislikes are becoming more clear to us as well Dec. You definitely don’t like car rides, but you’re happy as can be when we arrive at our destination and you’re taking a cart or stroller ride.

You love to be sung to, and your favorite songs are BINGO and The Wheels on the Bus. You also like to play peek a boo with Mommy and Daddy, and love it when we make silly faces at you. The ceiling fan and any bright lights are also interesting to look at. And you really like to be a spectator at Uncle Kevin’s college basketball games. You’ve already been to two of Kevin’s games, and you loved them both!

Squeezy blocks, caterpillar rattle and the giraffe rattle are some of your favorite toys. Sadly, the bears mobile broke and was beyond repair, but you’ve taken a liking to the jungle animal’s mobile in your crib. You’ve also started to like playing on your play mat, and you’ve started batting at some of your toys! You especially like the globe rattle, but you haven’t managed to grab anything just yet.

You still dislike tummy time, even though you’ve gotten pretty good at holding up your head when Mommy or Daddy holds you in a sitting position. The car seat isn’t your favorite place to be either (at least not at first, you tend to get over it). Thankfully, you seem to like the same Music Machine CD that Gavin likes to listen to in the car, so that helps calm you down when the car ride is making you angry!

We’ve also come up with more nicknames for you Declan. Any good Gillespie has at least a few nicknames, and you’re no exception. Some of your nicknames include Dec, Deckers, Decker Joe, Goober, Goobs, Piggy (because when you get really hungry, you start snorting!), and Mr. Poopers (you really love when Daddy sings the Mr. Poopers song).

It’s been a great month Dec, and we’re excited for you to grow into more of a little person every day! We love you so much little guy!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy