Preschool, Shiners, and Puffs.......oh my!

What a week!  On Tuesday night we had 'open house' at Kayla's preschool.  She was so excited to scope out all the kids she'd be going to school with, find her classroom, and meet her teacher.  It was a fun night.  The next day we made a little trip to Target, of course, and she picked out a backpack and a new dress for her first day of school.  I couldn't be more pleased with her selection :)

She was SO excited to go out and take pictures!  I can't believe how quickly my girl is growing up.  She had a GREAT time at school, no tears (from her) and NO second thoughts from her of me leaving her there.  I believe she loved every minute of it.  This past month has been a huge eye-opener for Garrett and I of just how much Kayla has grown and matured.  Our trip to San Diego last month was our first time traveling since she surpassed milestones like potty-training, crib to big girl bed, the end of pacifiers during the night and sippy cups.  It was an amazing feeling when we took her to Disneyland, crammed all of our stuff into one little overnight bag, and went into the park with just a backpack full of water bottles, snacks, and sunscreen!  Of course we're enjoying EVERY minute with our sweet baby boy; but that new experience of just being able to get up and go with very little baggage made us very excited for future family outings and vacations.  And now she's off to school!  Well, preschool anyways.  Three days a week, three hours a day in the morning. 

As soon as we got into her classroom, she found her seat and immediately began working on what was in front of her :)  I really think we're going to love this preschool.  It's run by the Baptist church down the street (not our church) and they learn weekly bible verses.  There's about 50 kids in the school and they're separated into actual classrooms according to age.  Kayla's classroom has six students, so the opportunities for growth and learning and individual attention are great.

Last weekend Kayla received her first shiner.  On her way upstairs for bedtime she was goofing around and hanging on the baby gate we have at the bottom of the stairs.  It was secure enough for an eight month old to hang on but not a three year old!  She fell back and it landed on top of her, knocking her delicate eye area, and instantly bruised and swelled.  These pictures were taken the next morning.

Day two or three, I can't really remember:

A week later and it's still slightly bruised :(

Gavin is 8 months old today!  And he also crossed a noteworthy milestone this week.........his first official finger food........the puff.  For those not familiar with the puff, it is a perfect first finger food because after being in the mouth for several seconds it dissolves away, eliminating the threat of chocking.  There is very little nutritional value to the puff.  It's basically (in my opinion) to be used briefly as a learning tool: to gauge a baby's ability to chew and swallow and give them the opportunity to experience new textures and practice feeding themselves.  As soon as Gavin got the puff in his mouth he gave me the BIGGEST smile.  He seemed to be SO excited to have something of texture in his mouth.

(minor note ~ I realize Gavin is wearing a pink/purple bib with hearts and flowers on it.  With an older sister, it's bound to happen.  Obviously I don't dress him in hand-me-down clothing from his sister.....but things like bibs, burp cloths, and bath towels, I'm really not to worried about.  Generally I try not to photograph him in these girly items, mainly because I don't want him to look back on these photos 30 years from now and think his mom was always dressing him up like a girl.  But on this day...I was just excited about him eating his puff like a big boy and not even paying attention to the bib he happened to be wearing :)

Gavin is really getting the hang of effectively chewing and swallowing.  This morning he had fresh bananas for the first time and did very well with that.  Tomorrow, maybe some avocado.......