Good Morning, Gavin

"Hey, Dad! How's this pose?"

Southpaw

Southpaw. Up until this week, Kiersten had not heard that particular, alternate term for those of the left-handed persuasion. She was not the only one either and I was beginning doubt my random store of trivial facts until I consulted Wikipedia.

Anyway, you may have guessed where this is going. Among our many observations of Gavin's habits, moods, and likes, we have noticed that his "handedness", or chirality (for chemisty buffs, although not quite accurate), or asymmetric preference (almost sounds P.C.), has continued to develop and mature.

After Gavin was born, we noticed that he had a tendency to turn his head to the left. If I were motivated, I would go check the sonogram picture of him sucking his thumb to figure out his womb-preference, but I will leave that for a rainy day. In the present, he is finally getting the thumb-sucking skill down. And which thumb is the favored target? Exclusively, the left-hand thumb, as far as we have observed to date. So we have concluded at this point that Gavin is indeed a lefty, whether or not it is supported by any specific child development research.

I have been amazed by the learning process of things which are simple in nature to me, but are obviously first encounters for Gavin. Learing this new skill, thumb-sucking, appears to be very important to Gavin as he spends hours each day practicing. He even seems to be very methodical in his approach to mastering thumb-sucking. Watching him closely reveals a very logical approach to the problem:

1. Extend the hand.
2. Extend fingers and point thumb toward face.
3. Keep eye on the thumb.
4. Slowly move hand, thumb, and fingers toward face.
   

Unfortunately, at step 4 things begin to break down. The hand goes off course or the thumb is flexed and his knuckle arrives at his mouth, which does provide a sucking target, if less than ideal. He is successful some of the time -- notably during a nap. We have just begun to let him nap and sleep without the "baby straight-jacket", so with availability of free-moving arms, the self-soothing thumb-sucking may increase and help him continue sleeping through the night.

Gavin Attempts a Laugh

After laughing for Kiersten a second time, we attempted to provoke more laughs for the camera. Gavin tried to placate us, his evil parents, while we tickled and taunted him. He made a valiant effort.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Gavin Laughs

Just minutes ago, Gavin laughed for the very first time. Kiersten and I were fortunate enough to both be present for this event.

After returning home from a long walk in the neighborhood, Kiersten was preparing Gavin for his evening routine: dress for bedtime, have a bottle, and go to sleep. As I walked into the bedroom, I caught the end of a new sound I had never heard before. Kiersten was staring at Gavin in disbelief -- she almost looked as if he had just done something not-so-good.

I asked, "Was that a laugh?" Kiersten responded, "I...I...I'm not sure." So we proceeded to talk silly and tickle him. It didn't take long before Gavin pulled in his arms and legs and let out another unmistakable and incredibly cute laugh!

Hopefully, we will be able to capture this on some shareable media in the near future.

Happy Harry Potter Day!

Gavin hopes you are enjoying your copy of Deathly Hallows as much as he is his.

Good Morning, Gavin

Gavin's new chair had him showing off some of his biggest smiles yet.

Good Morning, Gavin

Playtime for Gavin with his friend "Lamby" and his trusty iFlop powered by Mom's mini iPod.

He's Not a Newborn Anymore

Gavin reached his 3 month, or 12 week, milestone today. The ticker says different -- I guess we will scrap it going forward!

As you can see, there is a quite a difference between left (the day Gavin came home) and right (this afternoon) pictures. Back then, what seems like ages ago at this point, he was cranky and had scrunched feet. Now, he is cute as a button and very happy since the crushing memory of birth has undoubtedly faded.

I hear that we are swiftly approaching the Golden Age of the Baby, or G.A.B. since I love acronyms. Many veteran parents have shared that this time is short-lived and that we will remember this special period fondly in years to come. I am so glad that at this point I have the opportunity to experience all of Gavin's first days, weeks, and months. He is just not allowed anywhere near Daddy's computer since he discovered the synergy between drooling bubbles and blowing raspberries!

I finally caught up with my gallery uploads so check out the new and updated picture galleries, Second Month and Third Month, if you are up to it.

Good Morning, Gavin

Is Gavin the cutest baby on the planet? The evidence is stacking up in his favor!

Good Morning, Gavin

Gavin goes for the "brass ring".

Good Morning, Gavin

Gavin discovers the Paparazzi.