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Havin' Gavin: A Baby 'Blog

So that family, friends, and fans of Gavin can follow along with his progress without taking all of his parents' "free" time on the phone or writing emails, we decided that he should have his own weblog.

At first, we were going to write it as if from Gavin's point of view... but initial efforts turned out to be unbearably cutesy, not to mention more time-consuming to write. So this isn't so much Gavin's blog as a blog about him by his parents -- what it's like havin' Gavin in our lives.

(Gavin's own blog should be available in three or four years!)
November 30, 2007 * Squirrels on a Train

We woke up to the sound of rain this morning. Being an L.A. baby, Gavin still isn't very familiar with rain. He heard the noise, though, and searched for meaning in it.

"Squirrel," he signed to us. The gentle rustle of leaves and the skitterring sound made the connection sensible enough, but we corrected him. "No, sweetie, that sounds like squirrels, but it's rain."

He tried to comprehend. "Train?" he signed. We couldn't help but laugh, but we again said, "Rain." And we signed it to him. He tried to get it, but it may take a few more rainy days before he truly uses that sign.

Speaking of signs, here's an addition to the last vocabulary list of signs. There are also a few in the "watch" list ("rain" among them, plus "big", "little", and "penguin") -- signs he's tried out, but hasn't fully incorporated into use.

  • train (11/11)
  • watermelon (11/11)
  • hippopotamus (11/12)
  • turtle (11/12)
  • squirrel (11/13)
  • dog (11/13)
  • lion (11/14)
  • elephant (11/14)
  • what?/where? (11/15)
  • kangaroo (11/16)
  • flower (11/16)
  • toothbrush (11/17)
  • bicycle (11/18)
  • hot (11/18)
  • parrot (11/19)
  • snake (11/21)
  • balloon (11/21)
  • bear (11/22)
  • cheese (11/22)
  • diaper (11/23)
  • leaf (11/25)
  • cracker (11/26)

November 9, 2007 * Vocabulary test

Today is Gavin's fifteen-month doctor visit. As part of the developmental conversation with the doctor, we wanted a complete list/count of the words that Gavin can sign. We were guessing 25-30 signs... but here's the list we came up with once we got scientific about it:

  • all done
  • bye-bye
  • no
  • more
  • hat
  • ball
  • bird (9/24)
  • light
  • moon
  • stars
  • water
  • bib
  • frog
  • pig
  • cat
  • cow
  • fish
  • horse
  • bunny
  • mouse
  • music
  • apple
  • banana
  • book
  • want
  • socks
  • shoes
  • bath
  • baby (10/28)
  • hair
  • eat
  • drink
  • cereal
  • dirty/wash hands
  • butterfly
  • outside
  • sun
  • chicken
  • alligator
  • sleepy
  • airplane
  • ice cream (11/4)
  • giraffe (11/5)
  • helicopter
  • telephone (11/7)
  • duck (11/8)

That's 46 signs he can make! We're running out of things to teach him.

There are many, many more words that he understands (that list must be upwards of 200 by now), and some of them are accompanied by motion, but we didn't count those that aren't official signs (though you could). Among them are jump, dance, climb, (pick me) up, and shake/rattle. There are also a few "mystery" signs we have yet to figure out.

The results of the doctor's visit are in: 32 1/4 inches tall (80th percentile height), and 24 pounds 8 ounces (40th percentile weight). He also got another booster shot, for which didn't even cry. What a big guy!


November 5, 2007 * Teach the children

It's come to our attention that some of the children in Gavin's day care group are bringing home sign language with them, apparently learned from Gavin! We're amazed. Never did we expect that sort of side effect from the teaching of baby signs.


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August 2006 | September 2006 | February 2007 | June 2007
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