This week has been quite an emotional roller coaster for Xavier. He started out the week with a fever of 102+, then daddy had to go back to work full time, scouts, a work dinner, etc. Xavier didn't see daddy much because of his hectic schedule. And Gavin obviously takes quite a bit of attention from me. He finally had a major meltdown Thursday evening and just cried and cried and cried some more.
It started after we came home from the park and I was about to make dinner. Xavier just cried and begged me to cuddle with him on the couch. He said "I miss Michigan. I miss Skyler. I miss Kameron. I miss my old house. Is someone else playing in my old house now? I miss daddy. (and on and on.) I'm sad about the bee stinging James' nose." As his mom I just wanted it to all go away. I didn't want him to be sad. I didn't want him to miss Michigan. I wanted him to be happy and love his new home. Then I decided to just hug him, love him and let him cry. It about broke my heart. And I have had a lot of those same feelings. Then when he saw daddy the next day he seemed to be back to his normal self. I learned that I was naive in thinking that Xavier has fully adjusted to his new life in Pennsylvania. I learned that it will still take more time for all of us to feel comfortable in our new setting and our new routine with Gavin in the home. Plus, I realized that I don't want Xavier to think that crying and being sad is a bad thing, because it's not. Sometimes we just need a good cry and a new day to make it okay again.
Xavier has stepped into his role as Big Brother without any hesitation. He loves Gavin so much. Every morning Xavier asks "Where's my baby." I'll ask him if he's mommy and daddy's baby too and he will insist that it's only his baby. He also has been role playing that he's the daddy, I'm the mommy, and Gavin is our baby. Luckily we haven't had any jealous acts of rage and I've been able to balance one on one time with Xavier, which I think has helped Xavier welcome his baby brother with loving arms.
I'm sure this is just the "honeymoon" phase so to speak and there will be plenty of moments of anger, frustration, and demands for my attention, but I'm going to enjoy this time as much as possible. I'm so glad Xavier has another person to love in our house and that he can learn to be helpful, loving, gentle, and mature by having a younger sibling. Having Gavin in our home has been a joy and will be the best way for Xavier to learn to share and get along with other little people. 
Xavier loves to "exercise" with Gavin. Every time I put Gavin on his stomach Xavier is instantly by his side cheering him on.
The only way I could teach Xavier what gentle kisses were was by telling him to give Gavin Spined Pygmy Shark kisses. If you don't know what a Spined Pygmy Shark is, it's the smallest shark in the world. Sounds kind of silly, but it worked like a charm and now Xavier kisses Gavin with the utmost care.
Every time Gavin wiggles or opens his eyes it makes Xavier giggle like crazy. I was so glad I caught it on camera.
Xavier likes to give Gavin his pacifier. He also likes to take it away from Gavin and sometimes chuck it across the room. I guess he can't be perfect all the time. Sometimes he just has to be a tease like big brothers always do.
I have managed to capture many of Gavin's facial expressions. It reminds me of the Dr. Seuss book my many colored days. My favorite line from the book goes like this: "You'd be surprised how many ways I change on different colored days!....Then comes a mixed up day and WHAM! I don't know who or what I am!" Here is Gavin's different colored faces:
AAaaaaachooooo!
Now I'm ANGRY!
RRRRRrrr me Matey
Skeptical
I am learning many things about Gavin.
First, he HATES getting his diaper changed.
Second, he HATES getting dressed
Third, he LOVES to sleep
Fourth, he LOVES to eat
Fifth, he LOVES his big brother
Sixth, he HATES being bathed, but LOVES having his hair washed
Seventh, he LOVES to suck on anything that comes near his mouth, pacifier, fingers, blankets, shirts, he even got my chin once.
He is such a calm and content baby as long as he's fed, clothed, and sitting in a dry diaper. He has such a sweet countenance about him and I hope it continues.... When he was born the first thought I had was "he looks nothing like Xavier to me. He looks like his own little person." His eyes especially remind me of Tim's dad. I'm really hoping he has hazel eyes like Tim. It will be fun to see who he looks like more in the months to come.
Gavin has set a Richardson record for being the biggest baby. When they weighed him I couldn't believe it! My total weight gain with Gavin was 19 pounds. At my final ultrasound they estimated his weight at 7 lbs. 6 oz. give or take a pound. Given my weight gain I was pretty certain he wouldn't be any bigger than 7 lbs. Especially since I had gained 27 lbs. with Xavier and he was 13 days late, I thought for sure Gavin would be smaller than Xavier was (7 lbs. 7 oz) Boy was I wrong. A whopping 8 lbs. 2 oz.! It must have been all the hamburgers I ate at the end that pushed him over the top.
Gavin also came even faster than Xavier did. I pushed for about 15 minutes with Xavier. I think I pushed about 6 times before Gavin came out. Luckily for me that meant an easier recovery. Seeing that Xavier has so much energy I'm guessing that was a blessing from above. I just wouldn't have had the luxury of sitting on the couch and resting once I got home.
The Purple Cow, our one of a kind discovery! On a day out with Grandma and Grandpa we happened to stumble upon a great ice cream place. Tim and I have tried about 4 different ice cream places and we have been disappointed each time. This place was a gem. It is hidden in an alley in downtown Easton. As you can see from the pictures it has its own flare and personality. The entire place is covered in color and pizazz. And the ice cream is the best we've had in Pennsylvania. 
We have Grandpa to thank for this find. His sweet tooth paid off today!
I love this mural that was on the wall. Just makes you want to smile doesn't it? So much color. So much fun. So much yumminess.
Last, but not least, the Purple Cow's two newest fans. Mooooooooo!
Our first week in Pennsylvania I was hoping to find some kind of splash park. I couldn't go through the summer without getting Xavier some time in the water. After hours of searching the internet I didn't find any. A couple weeks later one of my friends let me in on a secret. We found 2 splash parks in neighboring cities, so I thought we'd test one out while Grandma and Grandpa were visiting. 
There were a lot of kids at the park that day and they covered the drains so that a huge puddle would form. Then they'd all sit in a big mass in the middle of the puddle. Xavier of course had to join the crowd. Here he is being a little fish.
He spent most of his time sitting on his belly, but every couple minutes he'd get up, jump to make a big splash in the puddle, then run through this tunnel twice. He'd follow this routine over and over again until he got a little chilly and wanted to play on the regular park equipment.
He also placed his claim on this water truck. It even got a little ugly when he hit a couple girls while they tried to sit next to him. Boy was his alpha male showing today. But after some rebukes from mama he let the girls sit next to him as long as he could hold the steering wheel.
