More Firsts For Gavin

We affectionately refer to Gavin as "the goat" because he will eat anything we offer him from carrots to cookies!  We decided to let him feed himself tonight in the hopes that it would slow him down a little.  (Seriously, at this rate, Mike will need a second job to feed him!) 

He was so excited when I presented him with bowls and utensils instead of the usual jumbled heap of food that looks like it was served with an ice cream scoop!  Apparently, Gavin pays more attention to us than I realized, because he immediately knew exactly how to use the fork and spoon.  His technique was a bit unsteady at first as he accidentally launched a few pieces of peaches over his head onto the floor behind him.  Luckily, Guinness had positioned himself at the base of the highchair and was anxiously waiting for sneaky handouts and dropped food. 

Here's a "before" picture.  Anticipating a big mess, I stripped him down to his diaper before beginning the meal, but have no explanation as to why I decided to forego a bib.

Here's a brief video clip of Gavin's first meal feeding himself with utensils.  As you can see, he's quite excited about his new independence at mealtime.  Although he's normally a big eater, tonight he was more excited to stir his food with the fork and spoon.  I'm not sure how much actually made it into his mouth.  It's also touching to see Ryan so excited to celebrate Gavin's achievements and equally as endearing to see how enamored Gavin is with Ryan.  He relishes any attention Ryan directs his way!

Here's an "after" picture.  For those of you who may be impressed at how relatively clean he is, please note that this was taken after round two of the meal.  Handfuls of peaches and macaroni noodles had already been scooped out of the highchair and fed to Guinness, and Gavin had already been completely scrubbed down once.  This is what he looked like after gobbling down a cereal bar for dessert!  He was immediately whisked to the bathroom for a much needed bath.  Then, the kitchen floor had to be wiped and moped.  Guinness probably needs a bath to get the sticky food droppings out of his fur, but I don't have the energy to tackle that tonight!

Gavin is also dangerously close to walking.  He's been furniture cruising for weeks now and can walk across a room holding on a finger for support.  Recently, he began standing unassisted for long periods of time and just today took a few unsteady steps on his own before resorting to crawling.  He also likes to push the walker around the house, but has realized that he can do it much faster if he pushes it while crawling.  I think it's only a matter of time before he's truly walking - a milestone I have mixed feelings about.  On one hand, I'm anxious to regain the use of both of my arms.  Although I've gotten used to carrying him around on one hip, he's getting heavy!  But, it is also a sign that he's growing up.  The past year has already flown by so quickly!

 
Finally, I wanted to share a picture of Gavin after completely emptying my Tupperware cabinet.  Despite my repeated half-hearted objections, Gavin, with a little help from Ryan, pulled out every plastic container I own, and then had a grand time crawling into the cleared out, much roomier cabinet!