Langston Family Blog

Today we saw Gavin's allergist for the first time in over a year. For anyone who may not know - Gavin is allergic to wheat, milk, eggs, soy, peanuts, corn, oats and green peas! The whole morning before the appointment, people were laughing because he was walking around Ochsner saying "I don't want to go see the doctor". It was pretty funny!

We have his blood allergy tested every so often and see where his numbers are for each food. If his numbers for any one food looks better, we can attempt to give him the food he is allergic to in the hospital where he is monitored in case he has a reaction. We already tried wheat a year ago and he had a bad reaction at Tulane. His allergist is very happy with his progress, weight gain and health. He weighed in today at 31.1 pounds - he finally broke the 30 pound mark!! He should, though, he eats constantly throughout the day - every day!

Here is a picture of Gavin showing where they drew his blood. He was a trooper! They caught him very off guard being that he is not used to having his blood drawn...Overall, he was very brave!!

Tomorrow night, Gavin and I will attend our very first open house. We are starting to search for a 3-year-old program that Gavin can start attending in the summer/fall of this year. Mommy gets a little teary and anxious about that day! ;)

Tomorrow's open house we will attend is for John Calvin Presbyterian Church. Yes, Scott, I know that we are not presbyterian. It is on Transcontinental in Metairie. It comes highly recommended by many parents. Many of the nurses that I work with have children that went there - they said their children adored the school. My little brother, Shaun, went here too and loved it! We shall see...we are excited about this new adventure for Gavin II - but at the same time, extremely picky!

I entered Gavin into the Regis and Kelly "Beautiful Baby Search". This is not really the picture that I wanted to use but it had to be taken within the last month. This one was from Christmas. I really wanted a picture that would feature his eyes. Anyway, they say that all the pics will at least be shown on Regis and Kelly.

Gavin got this clubhouse/tunnel for Christmas from our neighbors. He loves it! He just built up the courage about a year ago to actually go all the way through the tunnel!

As we prepare for our Chattanooga/Memphis trip in April, we decided that it was time to get a suitcase for Gavin. We found this suitcase at Target. Gavin actually wanted the girl's "Dora" suitcase but Daddy opted for this one instead! Gavin II pushed it all through Target while we shopped.

Notice the Thomas the Train luggage tag! What suitcase would be complete without one? This was one his Christmas presents from his Godmother, Chrishelle. Thanks Cici!

Gavin went to Chrishelle's daughter, Morgan's birthday party at the Posh Paint Pub back in December. He painted an iguana all by himself. We had to wait for it to be completed and "fired" at the store. Cici (Chrishelle) brought it to us the other day at the shower. He was so excited when we gave it to him. It is proudly displayed on his dresser in his room. It is technically his first art project! We are so proud!! :)

Gavin and I sat down and completed his Elmo puzzle that Sheri and Bob gave him for Christmas. He kept telling me the same thing he told Sheri's parents - "Ok, here's the picture, mommy". He would also cheer for me saying things like "That's awesome mommy - you're almoooost done". Elmo is about as tall as he is - he wanted to stand it up but that's just not going to happen! :) Thanks Aunt Sheri and Uncle Bob - he loves it!!

Here are The Bird's appearances at Chrishelle's wedding in January 2005!
It even made it into the band that night with the Bucktown Allstars!

So, about "the bird". He has a history. When my grandfather passed away, Chrishelle and Kirk sent a plant to the funeral home. There was this dove (pictured above) on a stick in the plant. When I called to thank Chrishelle, I asked if she had noticed the ugly bird - we both had a good laugh about it. I told her that when she had her bridal shower, I was not going to put a card on her gift, there would only be "the bird" and she would know who it was from. Well, the bird went to all of Chrishelle's wedding functions and people just adopted him. He ended up in her wedding pictures! People just put him places and you see him around. We tried to even have Emily carry him down the aisle in Chrishelle's wedding! Anyway, he has moved on to appearing at all of Emily's wedding functions especially after making it alive through Katrina. People tonight kept saying "I recognize that bird". It's hilarious! By the way, Chrishelle did not actually like the bird until it got passed on to Emily.

Tonight, we went to Emily and Jason's couple's shower. Emily is an NICU nurse and Chrishelle's cousin. Emily is one of the sweetest people I know! Her wedding was supposed to be November 19th but Katrina postponed it until May 6. It was a very nice evening..fun was had by all :)

Picture #1: No introduction necessary!
Picture #2: Gavin and Chrishelle's husband, Kirk
Picture #3: Emily (bride-to-be) and Chrishelle
Picture #4: Me and Chrishelle

We went back and forth about where to eat last night. We were going to go to Sal & Sam's and then we thought that we would try Austin's. On the way, we decided that mexican and a beer would be great!! So, since were going to a movie at the Clearview Palace, we decided to go to Serrano's. The food was excellent. We were not sure if the food was really that good or we were just starving! I got the fajitas and they rivaled Chili's fajitas.

We went to see "Last Holiday" after dinner. It was pretty funny. We were told it was hilarious - I am not sure I would agree with that but it was funny and definitely worth seeing - makes you think!

On our way out last night, we went out the exit near the Clearview room where Scott and Jenn's baby shower was held the Saturday before Katrina hit on Monday. Gavin and I said how weird it felt because the last time we were there, we were watching the TV in that exact spot waiting to see where Katrina would make landfall! Kind-of eerie!!

Tonight, we get another date night. We will be going to a couple's shower for our friends Jason and Emily who are getting married in May.

Gavin had these beautiful flowers on the table when I woke up from sleeping this afternoon! So thoughtful!!

Today is Gavin and I's 5 year anniversary! We cannot believe it!! My anniversary gift was another wedding band!! Gavin had my wedding band duplicated for the other side of my engagement ring. It is beautiful and I love it - the set is so sparkly! I have the best husband in the whole world and I am so fortunate to be married to such a wonderful guy!

Our nightly plans are going to dinner (undecided where at this moment) and then to a movie. We are going to have a date night while Gavin stays with Juju and Pappy! :)

Gavin II and I went to Gym Rompers this morning - Gavin's interactive class that he just adores! There is song time and then free time to play and they play with this big parachute, blow bubbles, etc...Gavin II loves it and plays hard when he is there being that there are other kids there that he runs around with....For anyone interested, check out the website for classes - www.gymrompersfun.com

Today, after gym rompers, we stopped at Target for a few minutes and then headed home for lunch. Gavin fell asleep in the car right before we made it home. So, when I took him out of his seat, I carried him into the house and then put him down while I put my bags down. He got upset that I wouldn't hold him and laid on the ground. By the time, I put my bags down and glanced at him, his eyes were closing! Can you imagine falling asleep on the hard floor! I guess that's easy when you are 2 and REALLY tired!! It was hilarious and a first!

Gavin II loves this shirt. He adores puppy dogs. This shirt is so fitting for him...it reads "fierce". All day long, he has been walking around saying "fierce"!!

Gavin hates when he has to go night night because that means not playing with his trains while he sleeps. So, in order to get him to go to bed tonight, Gavin had a genious idea! While he was putting on Gavin II's pajamas, he asked me to go put all his engines in the Round House (where Thomas and friends go at night to rest). When Gavin II ran into the living room, he found all his trains in the round house "resting". He said good night to each one!!

Our friends Natalie and Richard were in town for a wedding this weekend so we stopped by this evening to see them before their flight. Natalie's belly has grown a lot since her last picture posted on Christmas Eve. She looks precious. The rest of her is frozen in time...no change!

We got a tour of her mom's house in the Gabriel subdivision in Kenner. It is fabulous!! We drove around the rest of the subdivision and were in shock at a house we saw all the way at the back of the subdivision at the levee - ENORMOUS! It is 4 stories with 2 spiral staircases that come down from the 3rd floor of the house. I thought for sure it was condos. Natalie reassured me that it is a house and that the kids have their own floor. Ms. Virginia divulged that the cost is 9.5 million and still going! Then, Nat said "Guess who owns that house?" - you'll never believe this - the guy who sells t-shirts in the french quarter!

Apparently, I am in the wrong business!!!

My brother Shaun is leaving tomorrow to go back to USM for his last semester! We stopped to see him and say goodbye...

As you know, my parents are still moving back into their house and have a lot of boxes laying around. Gavin loves to pretend that he is in a boat or, of course, a train. It's even better when Uncle Shaun plays, too. It was hilarious watching them in the boxes. It's pretty cool that your uncle can fit into a box, too!

Home Depot can be a dangerous place for a 2-year-old - or at least the basket can be! Gavin II and I were playing while waiting endlessly for daddy to finish shopping. If it was not implied just now, I hate Home Depot.

While Gavin was in the front of the basket, we were playing and he slammed his head into the basket handle. He screamed! He also had a goose egg right between his eyes!! Ouch!!

I went outside to get the mail at around 3:30 today when I realized that our gate was open - Fudge was gone!! Gavin started the drive home from work to help look for him. Fudge will jump in Gavin's truck but he could not have gotten in my car! I scooped up Gavin II and we started driving around. A kid said that he had seen Fudge down the street about 10 minutes ago. We drove and drove to no avail. One problem is that a lot of backyards are open due to fences being down (Katrina).

We had the windows rolled down and Gavin II was yelling "Fudgy, Fudgy...where are you?" and then would say "where is that silly doggy?"

When Gavin was driving down the street, the same kid flagged him down and asked if he was lookinh for his dog. Gavin said yes - the kid told him that Fudge had just run back through the gate a minute ago. So, when Gavin got home, Fudge was in the yard like he never left! Crazy dog!

My friend Jenny Mutter (some may remember her as Jenny Schaff) was on the cover of Sophisticated Woman magazine in October 2005. It is a mag published on the Northshore. She was featured in regards to opening her own luxury linens boutique called "Hestia's " in Covington. Mind you, Jenny is only 26. She is now in the running for enterprising woman of the year!!

I am so proud of her! I have known Jenny for, literally, most of my life. Our moms taught together and we used to have sleepovers ALL the time!! She has done so well for herself. Please go to the website and cast a vote for her! I know she will appreciate your support. The website is www.gallinghouse.com/sw and then you click on the right hand side of the site where you can cast your vote! Her article is also available to read in the left hand column under "past articles". The picture above is from her article and she is also the 4th magazine cover in the banner picture!

Her store's website is www.hestialuxuryinlinens.com - all you Northshore people, go stop by and say hello!

Mommy made Gavin cupcakes tonight for a treat. He loves baked goods - can't resist them. I snuck him a few bites but told him that was all because he had to eat dinner. I went to go take a shower and Gavin II ran into the bathroom and said "I promise, I am not going to eat any more cupcakes". I was confused but said "ok". Then about a minute later, he ran back in the bathroom and said "Mommy, I took a bite". I asked him if he had reached up on the oven and taken a bite and he said yes. Anyway, this is what I found when I got out the shower.

Gavin loves to play with mommy's stethoscope. After we listened to Gavin's stomach, heart and lungs, we listened to mommy's. Then, Gavin informed me that we needed to listen to Mr. Ducky. After his thorough assessment, he informed nurse Sherry that Mr. Ducky had a "bad stomach" - I swear, he came up with that diagnosis totally on his own!

Gavin spent the morning with Juju and Pappy while I slept. When he got home, he walked in with a wet paper towel around his middle finger. Juju said that he had slammed his finger in their glass door. Gavin added that he had "a little blood on it" but he was handling it well :)

The bo bo was made all better with a snoopy band-aid! Thank goodness children are so resilient :)

We finally, after many anxious days, received Gavin's much anticipated Thomas wall calendar. When it hit 2006, we said goodbye to his "Peanuts" calendar and said hello to Thomas. He went nuts when the mailman delivered it today. The only problem is that he wants to constantly take it off the wall and look through each months' pictures.

I think our Thomas collection is now complete.....HARDLY!!

Sorry that I have been a slacker about posting on the blog. I have worked 2 nights in a row so 2 nights of working = 2 days of sleeping. It's hard to do much of anything on work/sleep days! Gavin II has been enjoying some babysitting time with Juju and Pappy this week. Nana and PaPa are working on their house and are really busy! He does like to visit their trailer, though!

Gavin II's quote from the other day "You know, Mommy, sometimes...sometimes...sometimes I just love you" - he is so sweet!!! He tells people that he is "mommy's doodlebug" and "Daddy's Munchie" - his nickname is Munchkin....

We have almost finalized our vacation plans for March-April. On our way to Chattanooga, we are planning to go to drive through Birmigham to see James and Lauren.

We are very excited. We also found out that "Day Out with Thomas" will be in Calera, Alabama right when we would be going to Birmingham. Calera is only 33 miles from B'Ham. So, we are going to buy tickets to see the REAL Thomas and Friends. You actually go to a railway station and Thomas and other trains are there and there is day of activities planned. The trains are actual steam engines that you can ride on. I think he will explode when he sees a real Thomas.

Gavin II also got a computer for Christmas...his own computer. He loves to play on it. He can navigate web sites by himself. Daddy ordered him an Elmo mouse to go with the computer. Gavin knows how to click on "the big E" for Internet Explorer. He tells me things like "no, mommy, you need to hit the back arrow". Nothing like getting computer help from a 2-year-old!

This is Gavin II's morning ritual. He eats his bagel and watches Go Diego Go! on Nickelodeon. For those of you who do not have small children, Diego is Dora the Explorer's cousin...He loves that show! He watches the show in his "Watching Chair".

Gavin II woke up from his nap this afternoon and laid around for a while but then said "Mommy, can I go pee pee on the potty?" Of course, I jumped on it and ran him into the bathroom. SUCCESS!! He sat on the potty for about 5 minutes and then he actually peed!! He was very excited and so was I!! He got a Thomas & Friends sticker....His eyes were as round as baseballs when he realized what he had done.

Boy, the things you get excited about really change when you become parents! :)

Well, we did see Chrishelle and Kirk on Letterman. They panned the audience and we did spot them! So, they didn't actually have an appearance on the show but they were seen. They must have upgraded their seats...I still haven't talked to Chrishelle yet!

Our friends Chrishelle and Kirk got married January 7, 2005. They lived in Lakeview and, as you can imagine, were devestated by Katrina. After a horrible year, Kirk surprised Chrishelle with tickets to New York for their 1st anniversary. They left this morning - they had to be in New York early because they had David Letterman tickets and had to be at the studio for noon.

This afternoon, I got a voicemail from Chrishelle staying that when they got to the studio, they pulled she and Kirk aside and said that they were going to do "something special" with them. So, they are apparently going to make an appearance on David Letterman tonight (Jan. 5) so keep your eyes open for them.

I love to watch him sleep...children are beautiful little angels when they sleep. He still sleeps with his Snoopy blanket that he has had since birth - I love that!

So, we have been trying to potty train Gavin II. He has peed by fluke 3 times but, lately, we have really been working with him. This has been the toughest parenting job so far! He is too smart of a child to not get this concept! I think it's a control thing personally.

Today at Target, we bought Thomas the Train underwear. Tonight we gave him about 4 ounces of water and then all three of us sat - Gavin II sat on his potty and Gavin and I were cheerleaders - for 45 MINUTES! He just sat on the potty playing. He was trying but it didn't happen tonight! Oh well, we'll keep trying!

We just received this new family picture of the Bolles family and Katelyn, their newest addition. I am sure you can figure which one she is! Everyone is doing great and Carter is apparently loving being a big brother and keeps tabs on his "baby sister" at all times!

We have a lady that cleans our house named Ms. Anita. She loves Gavin and he talks her ear off when she is over here. Ms. Anita always fixes up Gavin's bed nicely and arranges his animals. He gets the biggest kick out of her doing this!

Well, a few days ago, I told Gavin that his room was a mess. He said "Who needs to clean it?" I asked him in return "Who needs to clean it?" He smiled and replied "Ms. Anita needs to clean it." When I told him that he needed to be the one to clean up his room, he blinked his eyes at me (making pretty eyes) and said "Yeah - when I get older".

Ms. Anita got a big kick out of that this morning when I told her! Must be nice to know that you have a maid at 2-years-old!

Gavin finally ate his meat without a huge fight tonight!! I made "crunch meat" - a long-time favorite in the Walker household. We gave him a whole bowl - he fought us at first but then ate it all! We were so excited...he got one of his italian ice treats for dessert!

After we left Sheri and Bob, we dropped Gavin II off for a sleepover at Juju and Pappy's house and headed to Southport Hall. It was a lot of fun - The Molly Ringwald's were playing. They are an 80's cover band and they were wonderful! So fun!! We met Dave and Megan and some of Megan's family. We last until almost 2am - that's a late night for us now.

Gavin and I had to have a picture of the grandma in the window. It was so loud and smokey but this old lady was just hanging out in the window watching the band!

Sheri and Bob gave Gavin II an Elmo puzzle that is about 2 or 3 feet tall after you put it together. Gavin II loved it. Sheri's mom, Sheri and Bob were nice enough to try to put it together and took a little longer than expected. So, Gavin II, holds the box up for them and said "Ok, here's the picture" - just in case the adults needed a little help! Thanks for the gift - he loves it - and they have BIG pieces!!