Tis the Season & Our Sweet Little Boy is Growing Up Fast!

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving has already come & gone.  Each year my husband & I (and now Gavin too) alternate where we will spend Thanksgiving.  This year we spent it with my husband's family & it was magnificent.  Not only because of lots of good food, but because it was Gavin's first Thanksgiving & my wonderful hubby out-did himself by preparing a delicious turkey, ham, & dressing for the family.  I wandered off my "lose the baby weight" diet just for Thanksgiving; however, there has been one major problem...I'm having a hard time getting back on it!!!! ugh!!! I hate that I love food so much!!! :)  The day after Thanksgiving Gavin & I went to my parents' house to spend a few days with family & friends.  It was wonderful to see everyone.  Gavin was able to meet framily from out-of-town for the first time.  Those few days served as a reminder of how blessed we are to have a family that loves Gavin so much! 

Now we are prepping for Christmas and looking forward to more fun times with family & friends.  This year is the first time in a long time that I didn't get out in the Black Friday madness! Mostly because of Gavin, but I also couldn't bear the thought of it!  I guess it's the tired mommy in me! lol! I was able to get some shopping done otherwise.  My husband & I decided that since it is Gavin's first Christmas, we aren't going to go overboard and spend alot of money on toys, etc.  Easier said than done!  I keep finding things & somehow justifying the purchases.  He's only 3 months old, but it's so much fun shopping for him even though he won't remember a thing from Christmas day!  I guess, selfishly, most of the joy is felt by us. I have to pat myself on the back though, because we've managed to purchase mostly necessities...being clothes.  Gavin is only 3 months old, but he's already over 15 pounds! He's growing like crazy, & we don't have enough winter clothes to last him through the season.  It's so hard to believe that we're going to have to buy our sweet little boy (who seems like he was just born yesterday) 6-9 month clothing already! He certainly isn't missing any meals! :)

On another note, I was thinking today about how God has made me more comfortable with Gavin's exposure to certain things.  I'll admit, I'm one of those over-protective mothers who is attached to her child. I miss him tons when I'm away from him, which is rarely.  I think that part of it is being a first-time mom, and part of it is just the overabundance of love that I have in my heart for him.  I'm constantly working on the battle of balancing a healthy relationship with my child versus these feelings.  For example, I'll admit that there aren't a whole lot of people that I trust to babysit Gavin.  My mom has repeatedly offered & asked to watch him while I take some "me" time.  Now let me take a moment to clarify that I do trust my mom, but the thought of leaving Gavin was and still is hard, even if only for half an hour.  Recently, I've felt a little more comfortable with this, & I have taken some "me" time to get some Christmas shopping done.  I have to admit that it was a good break (which I feel guilty for saying), but I missed him every minute that I was away from him.  This is improvement, because a month ago, I would have rushed through the shopping time, in a hurry to get back to my little man!  Another example is that I used to not like for him to nap in a different room from where I was located.  I was worried that something may happen & I wouldn't be able to get to him.  We recently put him in his crib for the first time & he loved it! Gav was located in his bedroom, while my husband and I were in the living room getting a few things done.  I was so proud of myself!!!! lol! Along with these struggles has come trying to make sure that I'm not forgetting to trust that God will take care of him.  This has, perhaps, been the hardest part of it all!  I know that God will watch over him & is in control, but I still feel like He loaned us this precious angel and entrusted my husband & me to care for him to the best of our ability.  Gavin is not independent yet, but as he has grown, I've felt more comfortable with certain things & I know it's God working.