Good Morning Gavin!Mobility is overrated. OK, maybe I don't really mean that. But as Curt said today, "the collection of bruises on our kids heads is mindboggling". The only child to not have bruises is Brady and he has scratches from seemingly non-existant nails on his face and in his ears. he must do some serious flailing of his arms while he is sleeping. Brady seems to have the greatest sense of physical self-preservation as he slowly gets on the move. He is full on crawling (even if it is more primitive than his brothers right now) but he is just now thinking about pulling himself up on things. Maybe next week. :)
Brady loves US Soccer and the Cubbies!Gavin pretty much bangs his head into something every day. He doesn't get upset about it, but it always looks like it hurts. I saw him trying (so hard!) to slowly lower himself to the floor from the coffee table this morning. Apparently he didn't communicate his plan to his legs or his head and he bonks his chin RIGHT on the edge of the table. He didn't cry, but he did look shocked and unhappy. and he got right back up to get right back down again. Amazing. I lift weights too hard one day and I don't hit the gym for a week if i am too sore! Gavin also likes crawling under the coffee table, however it is too low for him to sit up underneath it. That doesn't seem to stop him from trying (again and again) and then getting frustrated that he can't sit up straight. one day, he'll learn to slouch. :)
Shoes are fun! Aidan and GavinAnd dear, sweet, Aidan. He is our MOST mobile and i think he just wears himself out. By the end of the day we find ourselves witnessing any number of falls that nearly always end up in tears (for more than one of us). Wednesday night we had everyone in PJs, bottles done, teeth brushed, books read - they couldn't have been MORE on the road to bed. I was holding Gavin and Curt was holding Brady on the couch and Aidan was between us standing on the floor while he slapped his hands on the couch cushions like it was the BEST thing ever. He then decides to turn toward the coffee table (he's moving between stationary objects now) and loses his balance and WHAM! SMACKS his head into the side of the coffee table. he did one of those really hard SILENT cries that break my heart every time (i really would rather a loud wail). There was a white line on his temple with ruby red spots above and below. It is now turning yellow and brown and looks like he has a line of dirt on his temple. All i can say is thank goodness for my Target shopping spree. In the US I bought a "children's" ice pack where you put the gel pack in a little stuffed animal puppy thing that is supposed to distract them so you are able to ice injuries a little bit. even I thought I was being a little nuerotic when i bought it. But aidan let me put ice on his head for about ten minutes while he played with the ears on the puppy's head.
Sweet Aidan
Gavin is off to the Dr. tomorrow. Curt and I have noticed he doesn't seem to respond to his name like his brothers. and I'm not comparing them like "oh my gosh! WHAT'S WRONG WITH GAVIN?!" it's more like a benchmarking comparison. We really spent the last week being sure we used his name a lot and spoke to him directly in his face a lot, with little change. So we are going to get his hearing checked out. Thanks to a good friend whose sister is a speech pathologist in the states, I got a free consultation this evening from her about what to ask about, what testing she would recommend and she even did a little developmental checklist over skype with me. She was very reassuring and while she thinks it may be his hearing, it seems like it may be more of accumulation of fluid, as opposed to something permanent. Of course this makes me concerned, but i'm OK (as long as things at the dr are OK'd and we feel comfortable with where to go from here). Keeping in mind of course, we know he has SOME hearing, just not sure how much. 
When will breakfast be served??? - GavinUPDATE: after the appointment the Dr. has said Gavin is OK - he thinks it may just be he doesn't KNOW his name (i.e. developmental) which he says for a preemie is perfectly acceptable for his milestones. We are going to do a follow up hearing test (the machine in the dr's office didn't work - welcome to Doha) even though he passed the physical tests Dr. Ihab was doing (snapping fingers on the side of his head, rubbing hands together - he responded to all outside of his field of vision). The doc said that since he is on target for all other developmental milestones (both social and physical) he's not concerned now that he doesn't repond to his name. We feel good, but are still going to do the follow up hearing check with the hearing specialty center in the hospital. :)
