Walking??

Yesterday I went to pick Gabe up at the school and Miss Susan was so excited....Gabe had discovered the push walker and had been walking behind it all around the classroom. Upon hearing this news I got the walker out to see for myself and sure enough, Gabe totally did it! He walks kind of hunched over and stops to rebalance and rest quite a bit, but he was doing it. I wonder if he will take his first steps unassisted soon? Pretty cool. He looks so happy and proud of himself.

11 months!

Gaby Baby,

You are 11 months old and all boy!

You are a super proficient crawler and love to explore every knook and cranny (sp?) of the house. There is no stopping you! You pull up on everything and love to walk with us holding your hands. You are getting pretty quick! It has been fun/sad to watch you develop that skill. It is so neat to watch you try and succeed. You look so proud of yourself. We are so proud of you too. However, it is so awful to watch you fall down. I know we have to let you explore and figure things out on your own (in a safe environment, of course), but I would prefer you did it with a helmet! You, and I am sure all babies, have a knack for still bumping your head even after every precaution has been taken to keep you safe. Life is full of bumps and bruises. Here we go.

You are cruising all over the place, also. You stand up and take steps all around what you are holding on to. You especially love the dishwasher. If your dad or I open that thing up, you make a beeline over for a full inspection. I bet you walk by your first birthday. You pull up, walk all around that object and then look off toward something else. You are clearly trying to figure out how to get over to that something else.

This new-found mobility has made it kind of difficult to put you to bed at night. You used to be the easiest baby to put to sleep. Around 7:30 you would start rubbing your eyes and that was our cue to put you in your crib. As soon as you were laid down and tucked in you would roll over, put your thumb in your mouth and we wouldn't hear a thing from you until morning. Now, we tuck you in, you roll over and keep rolling until you are on your stomach where it is easy for you to push back up to a standing position. You do this as late as 9pm sometimes. You are so tired and so cranky, but totally unwilling to stop cruising. We promise, Gabe, you aren't missing anything! Your dad has the most success in getting you to bed. When you get super cranky, your dad picks you up and you lay your head on his shoulder and totally relax. It is really cute. I have to admit, I am a little jealous that I don't have the same effect on you, but as long as one of us does.

You also are the reason they have to keep the door shut to your classroom at school. You have discovered a whole world out there and are ready to go! Miss Susan says that you don't have a hall pass, but are always sneaking out of the room. This endless wondering/exploring is kind of exhausting sometimes, but I am glad for your curiousity and coordination. For a while you were kind of a bump on a log....you are making up for lost time. :)

You started school lunch last week also. You love it. You gooble it up. My suspicion was correct...you are totally done with boring, pureed baby food. Now we just need to work on holding a spoon. It is about to get messy!

We can't get enough hugs and kisses and we melt every time you smile and laugh. My favorite thing ever is to have you reach out for me. You actually hug now too. You sure know how to make me feel special.

We love you so much, munchkin. Happy 11 month birthday. We can't believe you are about to be one year old!

P.S. Update on the teeth....eight teeth are fully showing now. Four on the top, four on the bottom.

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving day with Brad's family in Devine, Texas....actually Big Foot, Texas. We got to Brad's parents' house around dinnertime. We ate and visited with them and when Gabe started to get sleepy we snuck off and met Brad's friend, Brian, and his wife Daisy out at the only bar in town. It was our first night out since Gabe was born (thank you, Grandma!)and Brian and Daisy's first night out since their daughter, Bailey, was born six months ago. We really enjoyed ourselves. When the bar closed Brian and Daisy invited us back to their parents' house to continue to hang out. I was totally down for it, but Brad decided we better head back to check on Gabe. Father knows best...when we drove up, Grandma was up rocking Gabe in the rocking chair. I think it was just different surroundings that made Gabe a little flustered. Sorry to keep you up late, Grandma! Thanks again!

Thanksgiving day was chaotic as usual. Everyone was trying to get the meal together. Brad fried two turkeys, Margaret made stuffing and sweet potato casserole and gravy, and I made mashed potatoes along with a pumpkin cheesecake that I had made in Austin and brought along. For a little bit I was kind of anxious that the meal wasn't going to come together. Now that Gabe is a proficient crawler, there is no stopping him. He required constant supervision which is kind of hard to provide and peel pototoes at the same time. I tried to contain him in his pack 'n play with some toys, but nope. I would peel a potato and then have to go pick him up...that went on and on until Brad's sister Cathy, her husband Joseph, and their five kiddos showed up. Gabe was whisked off to play with that bunch and boy, did he love the attention! Thanks, gang! Without you I don't think we would have had mashed potatoes this year!

The rest of the crew arrived, Brad's uncle James, aunt Beth, and cousin Callie came over. They brought pumpkin pie, garlic green bean, and corn casserole (yummy!) Joseph's parents celebrated with us as well. His mom, Fannie, brought her famous Thanksgiving stuffing.

The meal was served and we ate and ate and ate. Gabe sat in a highchair that has been used by all of the grandchildren of that family and ate turkey and all the fixins. That kid loves turkey! The only thing he didn't get was any dessert...not too sure about giving him sugar yet. Don't worry, I ate his share! Nothing went to waste. (I'm sure it did go to my waist, though!) Thank you for indulging me in my bad play on words.

That evening we watched the A&M/UT football game and A&M won! Gabe wore his A&M onesie and Sandy wore her A&M bandana. Go Aggies!

We left that next Friday morning and enjoyed some down time at home the rest of that Friday and Saturday. That mainly consisted of playing with Gabe, putting up Christmas lights and watching football. Sunday we went to my Dad and Tricia's house to have a Thanksgiving meal with them. It was sooooo delicious. Brad and I love my Dad's stuffing. They got a nice booster seat with a tray and Gabe sat at the table right along side us. He ate a ton of turkey, mashed potatoes, peas, and stuffing. I think Thanksgiving might be Gabe's favorite meal...just like his momma. We had a great time visiting and Grumpy and Mimi loved spending time with their "little guy". They marvelled at how mobile Gabe is and we just enjoyed watching him explore.

Gabe sure is a nice addition to the family. Despite some fussyness over the weekend, Gabe was great during the celebrations. He loved spending time with everyone at both Thanksgivings and behaved so well and was so sweet as he was passed around from person to person.

We have a lot to be thankful for this year. That is for sure!

It has been a while...

I can't believe the last time I posted was back in August! So much has happened! You are now 10.5 months old. Oh, were to begin....

First, teeth...you have six teeth fully showing and a seventh and maybe eighth on the way. The seventh just broke through on the bottom the other day, but is still very small. I think you may have an eighth coming in on the bottom as well. If so, that will make four teeth on the top and four teeth on the bottom. With all of those chompers I am now pretty much exclusively pumping. It is too dangerous to continue nursing.

Nine-month well check: Here are the stats:

Height: 28 inches
Weight" 19 lbs

We were back to the pediatrician on November 8th with a bad cough and a suspected ear infection. At that point, you weighed 20 lbs, 5 oz.

On the sickness front....yes you had an ear infection. We are just finishing up your antibiotic, which you hate, and you are much better. All in all, I am pretty impressed with your immune system. We have never had to take you to the pediatrician outside of well checks until this episode. Not bad considering the amount of germs exchanged between you and your friends. You babies are all over each other!

You are crawling!

About a week before your ten month birthday you started to crawl. You were playing with your daddy on the floor in your room and all of a sudden you pushed yourself from your stomach to a sitting position. You looked so proud of yourself...no longer trapped when you fall on your stomach. By the middle of the week you were on all fours rocking back and fourth. By the end of the week you were crawling around your immediate area. You are really enjoying your new found freedom. You can get your own toys and explore at will. It is fun watching you check stuff out. However, this past weekend you wore us out! That is kind of scaring us considering you are not that fast yet. However, that didn't keep you from getting into everything and crawling off into other rooms. You also can pull yourself up onto things. You are pretty wobbly so we don't like to leave you without a spotter. You have gotten so strong though. You can walk your way around your music table by yourself and you have even let go for a few seconds. I bet you will be walking soon.

Eating:
You will eat almost anything. You love to feed yourself. In fact, it has become sort of difficult to feed you. It seems as if you are not interested in the food I am trying to offer you if you aren't able to feed it to yourself. Not so good when it is a puree...so messy! So, we are trying to be creative with finger foods. You are a champ at the pincher grasp. Sandy is bummed because you are getting so good there is hardly anything falling on the floor to her now.

We are also feeding you things from our plates. This should improve our eating habits because I wouldn't want you to eat some of the things that I am eating...that should tell me something about my eating habits? Hmmm.

Anyway, your favorite things right now are cheerios (you get really excited when we get the box out) and puffs, black beans, peas and carrots, sweet potato chunks....actually anything that can be in chunk form. You had blueberries the other day at school and you gobbled them up. Thank you for sharing your blueberries, Maren. However, I don't think Gabe gave you much of a choice.

Those are the biggest life changes as of now. Next I will update on the fun stuff, like halloween!

First day of school drop off

Today is the first day of school for all of Austin and that included Gabe. Today is Gabe's first day in room 2. I have been strangely nervous about this....more so than when I dropped him off for the very first time to be cared for by someone other than Brad and me. I think what is causing the nerves is moving on from Miss Kesha and Miss Maria. Gabe really thrived in their care. I am so grateful to those ladies. They also helped me thrive as Gabe's mother. Maternity leave was a wonderful time, but it was also very difficult and sort of lonely. It was nice to get some professionals on my team! Room 1 is a special place for me.

We started the day at full steam and were looking forward to the adventures that lay ahead. On the way to Room 2 we stopped by room 1 to say hello. Everything was fine until I got a hug from Miss Maria. I got kind of sad again. We moved on though and were greeted by a very cheerful Miss Susan and Miss Kimberly. One of the ladies scooped Gabe up and gave him lots of love while the other showed me the ropes. I felt instantly better. Of course it was going to be ok. I knew it all along. It is just that Miss Maria and Miss Kesha know Gabe and they have a little pattern that they have fallen into together. I just reminded myself that I will give the new teachers all of the Gabe tips I can and the rest will just be a matter of getting to know each other. No sweat.

So, I went to work and realized I forgot something at the school. When I walked in to Gabe's new room, there was Miss Maria putting Gabe into his crib for his 8:30 nap. She knew he would be tired and didn't think his new teachers would know to put him down so she paid him a quick visit to make sure he got what he needed. I went back to work with no worries at all.

Movin' on up!

Gabe is graduating!...from room 1 (0-5 months) that is! Gabe got his walking papers yesterday and will begin his first day of school in room 2 (5-9 months) on Monday, August 23rd. This is happy and sad news.

The happy news: Gabe is currently seven months old in the 0-5 months room at school. That makes him the oldest baby in that class and the only one that can sit up. As much as I love those other babies...especially Gabe's buddy, Jack, it will be good for Gabe to be with the older babies in room 2 who can not only sit up on their own, but are beginning to crawl. Gabe made his first effort to crawl the other day. I bet once he sees how it is done by those older babies he will develop that skill in no time.

Also, it will be fun to see the babies (and mommies) that were in the class when Gabe first started school...especially Emma and Jazmin who are just a few days older than Gabe. Over the course of the last few months the oldest/most advanced of those babies got moved up and a new baby would take their place. I was always sad to see them go, but it was fun to meet the new baby and mommy. Anyway, since Gabe is the youngest of our original crew (Eli, Mac, Nathan, Maren, Isaac, the twins, Emma, and Jazmin) he is the last to get moved up. All of the classes at the school are full so that means there had to be a bump in each class to make room for Gabe in room 2. We had to wait a little while until that was possible. So, Gabe's reign as the upperclassman of room 1 is coming to an end and he will be the freshman of room 2!

Now for the sad news: Gabe is so comfortable and well cared for in room 1. I trust Miss Kesha and Miss Maria completely. Brad and I go to work every day with a light heart knowing that Gabe is ok. Gabe is more than ok actually, I think he really enjoys being there. The saddest part of the transition is that Gabe has formed a special bond with Miss Maria. Miss Maria will always have a place in my heart for the special love and attention she has shown Gabe. Let's not get too wishy-washy though, we will only be down the hall and will visit often. Sniff, sniff...

We will also miss the friends that will remain in room 1 until their time comes to rejoin Gabe in room 2. Fortunately, Gabe's best friend, Jack, also lives in our neighborhood so we will have a chance to see him regularly! In fact, we will see Jack and his parents for some fun on Saturday night.

As for the new teachers, I have not had a chance to get to know them yet, and with all new things comes some trepidation. However, these ladies seem wonderful and the babies in that room are as happy as can be. That is a good sign! I'm sure Gabe will find some love in that room as well. Who couldn't love that baby?!

So, that is that. Movin' on up! Watch out room 2...here we come!

Gabe's first accolade

As previously mentioned, Gabe and I took the Shrimp swim class at the YMCA...I guess it is just called "The Y" now. Anyway, it is an introduction to water and swimming for babies six months old and up. It was a lot of fun. We sang songs and worked on floating on backs and tummies, and staying horizontal in the water while kicking. The class also was geared toward early water safety by trying to ingrain basic safety tips such as waiting for an adult before jumping in the water, finding the edge of the pool, and bouncing on the bottom of the pool. We also tried to blow bubbles in the water. Gabe thought the bubble blowing was funny. He would imitate me by taking a breath and sticking his face in the water, but he never actually blew bubbles with me. That meant that he would get water in his mouth which he would prompty spit out. Not bad! However, I hope that instinct doesn't translate to when I am actually trying to get him to drink water, but we will see. At least he was not afraid to stick his face in the water.

Anyway, at the end of the four day course Gabe received a certificate for participating. It is kind of funny, but I was/am pretty excited about this!

This was an all around good class and was a lot of fun. His friend and daycare classmate, Emma, was in the class also which made it extra fun! There are no pictures which is unfortunate because both babies looked darling in their swimwear.

Seven months!

Gabe, you turned seven months old yesterday and so much has happened!

Let's start with the latest and most exciting news...you have two teeth coming in! You have been making this repetitive moaning sound for the last week and a half...it is borderline obscene! Anyway, we finally realized it was your teeth and started giving you oralgel to help with the discomfort. Poor kid, you have needed a few doses of baby tylenol also. Your best friend has become a frozen teething ring. You also like it when your dad rubs your gums vigorously...and I mean vigorously! Your whole body shakes while he does it, but you seem to find comfort in it. Whatever works, right? Aside from some moaning you have weathered this like a champ. Your two little nubs were discovered on Friday. You can't really see them yet...partly because you have become so squirmy (more on that later) that it is almost impossible to get a good look, but you can feel them. They are both in the front, one on the top and one on the bottom. The top one is farthest along. I am very excited about your teeth, but will miss your gummy smile.

**Update...I got a better look in your mouth at our lunch visit and I think you actually have two more teeth coming in! You can't feel anything yet, but it looks like little blisters on your gums. Ouch!! If that is the case, you will have two teeth coming in right next to each other on the bottom and two teeth coming in right next to each other on the top. Very exciting!

On the squirmyness front...your dad and I have decided to stop changing you on top of your dresser. You twist and turn and push off of the wall. We are so afraid you will squirm your way right off of the changing pad and onto the floor. It is a long way down so we are on to Plan B which is to put the changing pad on the floor. This is much safer because you couldn't get any closer to the ground, but I must say it is kind of a hassle. Totally worth avoiding a horrible accident, but still kind of a hassle. The changing pad has staps and also came with some screws to secure the pad to the wall or the dresser, but I don't know if that system would be a match for this level of squiryness. You are hella squirmy! Anyway, we will get used to the new set up. Again, totally worth avoiding an accident.

As for eating, now that you are seven months old you will need to have two meals of solid food a day. That means that one of those meals will have to happen at school. I talked to Miss Maria and we will begin tomorrow. I am going to have to step up my baby food making!

You are one lovable kid! You have started to reach for us when we pick you up. It makes me smile every time. And you have the best laugh. You are ticklish under your chin and on your chest. We try not to tickle you too much since you are pretty defenseless, but just a few seconds can't hurt, right? You are laughing so it can't be that bad. You also laugh really hard when bounced on my knee to the tune of Bonanza. What gets the best results, though, is when I take your socks off of you before we get in the car to go home from school. It is so hot outside I thought I would let those little toes breath. I whip your socks off and wave them around...you laugh soooo hard!

Gabe, you are such a sweet, loving boy and you get cuter by the day. You love to play and cuddle with us. I've never seen a more content baby (or daddy) then when you are in your daddy's lap after a long day of playing. Speaking of playing...your favorite toys are your music table, your Gymboree wiffle balls, daddy's glasses, and mommy's necklaces...especially the one with the big beads. You have a one track mind when I am wearing that necklace. You grab it in your little fist and shake it like crazy. It is a bit of a strain on my neck, but it makes me laugh. However, I don't think I will be laughing when that necklace finally breaks so I guess I shouldn't encourage that behavior. As for the glasses, you can whip the glasses off of your daddy's face in nothing flat. They go straight into your mouth (Nice work with the hand/eye coordination!) Again, there probably won't be much laughter when those finally break.

You are also a champion sleeper. I hope I did not just jinx us, but I would like to thank you for mastering this skill so easily. That is not the case for a lot of babies, so thank you!

We love you so much, Gabe. We couldn't be happier!

Play date for mommies

It has been fun hanging out with the other mommies at school so we have decided to take this show on the road. A group of the mommies made plans to get together at Jocelyn's and Eli's for a playdate for the babies. As we have come to realize, however, the babies really dictate the schedule so when it came time for the actual event there were several conflicts that widdled the party down to Jocelyn and Eli, Marci and Mac, and Gabe and me. We were sorry to miss out on the company of the others because we sure had a good time! We learned that the babies are still a little bit too small to play with each other so it was really a playdate for mommies. Let's just call it what it is! We had some wine, yummy casserole ala Jocelyn, and some laughs as we shared stories and enjoyed watching the funny babies.

Here are the boys.



Gabe and I came over after his Shrimp swim class at the YMCA. He and Emma, a fellow Rosewood Oaks student, are in this class together. Pictures to follow...I haven't figured out how to keep Gabe afloat and capture photos at the same time. Anyway, Gabe was donning his after-swim-leisure-wear.





Gabe was so awestruck by these big boys and all that they can do! Mac is a proficient crawler and Eli is on his way.





Off to the races!



Here is Mac in action again. Note: You can't tell from this photo, but Mac had a definite path...straight to my glass of wine. Watch out, Marci, this kid likes to party!



Gabe was also awestruck by Marci. I think he has found a friend! Here is a picture of Eli and check out Gabe and his new friend in the background. He loves the ladies!



Thank you Jocelyn and Eli for having us over! It was lots of fun!

More school fun

I spend my lunch breaks visiting Gabe at his school and so do a lot of the other moms. We had started to become friends and now it is like a big mommy club. It has been a lot of fun getting to know the other moms and sharing stories/tips about our kiddos. We all watch out for each other's babies too, which is nice. However, I must say...the teachers that take care of Gabe are fantastic! I feel very lucky to have Gabe at this school.

So, back to the fun. Since the babies are so cute we have decided to have some fun. There have been a few dress up days....PSF - which has stood for pearl snap friday and plaid short friday. Also all of the babies got dressed up for the fourth of July. That picture is in an earlier post.



We thought it would be cute to have all of the babies on their tummies to show off their plaid baby butts. It was very chaotic and silly. Gabe, you and Jazmin both hate tummy time so you were placed on your stomachs last with the hope that you both would be able to stay happy for a few seconds while the pictures were taken...not so much.

Here is most of the gang. From left to right, Heather and Jack, Malinda and Emma, Me and Gabe, Jocelyn and Eli, Debbie and Maren, and Sydnia and Jazmin.

Fun at school

Gabe with friends Emma (left) and Jazmin (right) looking patriotic for the July 4th dress-up day at school. Note: These are not school sanctioned dress-up days. Just a bunch of crazy mommies...me included!


Our little firecracker!


Gabe driving the toy car at school.

The independent sitter

Six month check-up

You had your six month check up a couple of days ago and you did great. You only cried for a few seconds when you had your shots...such a trooper! We hadn't weighed or measured you since your four month check-up so we were curious to see how much you had grown. Here are the stats:

Six months:

Weight: 17 pounds, 7 ounces - 50th percentile
Height: 26 1/4 inches - 50th percentile
Head circumference: Don't know, but you are in the 10th percentile...I guess you got your mom's peanut head! No worries, you look very proportioned.

Compared to the four month check-up:

Weight: 15 pound, 4 ounces - 50th percentile
Height: 25 inches - 50th percentile
Head circumference - 10th percentile

Six months old!

Well Gabe, you turned six months old on the 8th! Everybody comments about how fast time goes by and how fast kids grow up, but it is so true. You are such a big boy now. Your dexterity is really improving. You reach and grab very accurately now and are even pretty accurate when you only use one hand. I am still trying to see if you have a dominant hand, but it may be too early to tell.

Just in the last few weeks you have developed so quickly. You now can sit up for several seconds at a time. However, if you turn your head in a different direction, you tend to fall in that direction. You also fall over if you reach too far for something. Just yesterday I noticed you were using your hands to support yourself and you also raised your arms up for balance. You are not an independent sitter yet, but I think we are close. We got a boppy pillow to help you balance and to cushion your fall in case we are not fast enough. I was too slow the other day and let you face plant...sorry about that. You also do crunches to try to get into a full sit-up. You’re very strong and you get upset when you’re not allowed to sit up and look around.

We have gotten you a few more toys to stimulate you and to help with dexterity. You have a Leap Frog musical table that you seem to really enjoy. You furiously punch buttons and pull levers and watch as the lights flash. You also have a new ring stack. You seem to like the ring stack, but I think it frustrates you a little. The first time you played with it I was amazed at how well you were able to remove the rings. Note: You showed no interest in trying to put the rings back on the stack...that is probably a sign of things to come with not picking up your toys! Anyway, ever since that first success you have struggled a bit. You try to get those rings off for a while and then you get kind of fussy. It may be a combination of trying so hard to maintain your sitting position and trying so hard to manipulate those rings. I think your mind works faster than your little body will allow and you get frustrated. It is hard being six months old.

One thing that I have really enjoyed lately is how happy and comfortable you seem to be with us. It has always been obvious that you know we are your parents and your source for food, warmth, and comfort, but now you look for us when we are not there and show a genuine look of happiness when we return. When we hug you you don't really hug us back yet, but you smile really big and snuggle in really close. It is the best. You giggle and play with your daddy and think he is really funny. Sometimes if you and I are sitting together after a feeding and you start to fall asleep you will wake right up and look around if you hear your daddy's voice. You roll over and offer him a big, sleepy smile. Too cute, I really get a kick out of it.

As far as eating goes, your menu has expanded farther. You have had oatmeal, rice cereal, sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, zuchini, peaches, apples, and bananas. Not a huge fan of the zucchini, but I don't blame you...I tasted it and it wasn't that great. However, you love bananas. You are a pretty good eater and have really taken to just about everything. It is funny when you get hungry...you will be perfectly content and then it is code red. Your daddy and I joke that hunger has slapped you in the face.

We laugh all of the time and love hanging out with you. You are such a sweet boy. Sandy, the dog, thinks so too. She tries to lick you all the time and when we are playing with you on the floor she snuggles right up to you. I think you have found a friend. We love you so much, Gabe.

Father's Day

I have been married to Brad for over six years and we have been together for over 11 years. We started dating when we were 22 years old and have been through a lot and have grown together through the years. I have always loved Brad and have always been proud of him, but never so much as I am now. Although Brad tries to conceal it, he has a very tender heart. This is something our son, Gabe, will surely know.

Brad is the best father I could ask for for Gabe. He is gentle and comforting and infinitely patient with Gabe. He can make Gabe smile and laugh like no one else can and he has a knack for making any tears go away. He has changed the most diapers and been up as many hours as I have. When Gabe cries at night and I get up to feed him, Brad gets up also...just to keep us company. Those middle of the night feedings at the beginning can be kind of lonely....not for me. A special thanks to Sandy for that as well.

As excited as we have been to welcome our sweet boy into our lives, this has, by far, been the most challenging life change we have been through yet. Brad has risen to the occasion and then some. I am not surprised that Brad would be an excellent father. I knew he would be. I am just so thrilled at how special he makes every moment. I am so happy and excited for Gabe to get to grow up with a dad like Brad. Brad will always be someone that Gabe can count on. This is something I think Gabe already knows.

Happy 1st Father's Day, Brad! I hope it was as special as you are! To celebrate the event we went to the Gospel Brunch at Stubb's BBQ. It was fun and worth going to. The food was good...great migas!... and the gospel band was very entertaining. We had a great table by the balcony looking down at the band. We all enjoyed it.

For a gift I gave Brad some framed portraits of Gabe. The Friday before Memorial Day, Gabe's school closed early so I thought we would make good use of our time. We headed over to Sears and had portraits taken. I had the intention of having three 8X10s done to have framed and hung on our stairs. I ended up buying a whole package since it was only going to be about $25 more to have triple the pictures. Ya, I know...I fell right into Sears' trap. They know you can't say no when you see beautiful pictures of your kid. Anyway, totally worth it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also got a frame for Brad for his first father's day and put the picture that we took at Stubbs in it.

Gabe had a special surprise planned for his dad as well....with a little help from his Grumpy (my dad). Brad had mentioned possibly wanting some golfclubs. Well, one mention of that to my avid golfer father and you know where he is going to end up...the golf store. I mentioned Brad's interest to my dad on a Saturday night and on Monday afternoon I got a call from him asking for permission to buy clubs for Brad. The kicker is how the clubs would be purchased. Since Gabe was about two weeks old, Grumpy has been putting his change in a piggy bank for his grandson. In five months that piggy bank had accumulated about $90. My dad thought it would be fun to use that piggy bank money to pay for part of the set of clubs. That way those clubs would truly be from Gabe. So, that is what we did. Brad woke up that morning and went to check on Gabe and found a set of golf clubs propped up against the crib.


The funny thing is, Brad had been selling some of his music gear on ebay and at the same time found a set of clubs that he liked so he used the money he made selling his old stuff to bid on the set of clubs....the bidding closed on Father's Day and Brad won the bid. O'well, that is the only trouble with trying to surprise someone...sometimes they beat you to it. It was a fun idea and Brad was very touched by the gesture anyway. Thanks for your thoughtfulness, Grumpy.

You rolled over!

Your daddy was playing with you on your activity mat and I heard you crying. I came to see if maybe you were hungry, but it was the other thing that makes you cry...daddy was making you do tummy time. Then it happened, you had finally had enough and managed to roll yourself back over onto your back. The look on your face was pretty funny. You seemed relieved that you finally figured out how to get out of that uncomfortable position. You instantly went back to happily kicking and punching in the air.

Seeing you roll over completely made my day. Your poor daddy was looking the other way and missed it. You were on your tummy, he looked away, and when he looked back you were on your back.

Five months

Gabe you are five months old as of June 8th and you now look more like a little boy than you do like a baby. We can't believe how fast the time has gone by and how big you have gotten. Your dad and I got you some new clothes last weekend because you really only had about 4 outfits that fit you comfortably. The funniest is the pajamas with the footies...you have gotten so tall that you have not been able to staighten your legs completely. Since we don't want to stunt your growth we decided to go shopping. You were wearing clothes that are sized for six month olds and are now into clothes sized for nine month olds...even though you are only five months old. You are also in stage 3 diapers.

As far as your development goes you are right on track. You haven't rolled over yet, but I think it will be any day now. You can sort of get on your side so I think you are close. You have gotten pretty good control of your hands and you grab your toys and put them in your mouth. You track things with your eyes really well. Although you still hate it, you have gotten really strong with lots of tummy time. The latest thing that you have started to do is push your lips together to do raspberries/zerberts. You do it all the time. It is very slobbery. Cute though. Also, we have expanded your menu to include oatmeal, rice cereal (eh), and sweet potato. You seem to get pretty excited when you see us get your spoon out. Next we will try sweet peas.

Eating oatmeal...sort of.

Four months

Gabe, you are now four months old and have changed so much. We are past the inconsolable crying, for the most part, and onto wonderful smiles, cooing, and giggles. You look up at us and just talk away. Your favorite phrase is "aghoo." We don't know what you are saying to us, but it seems most genuine. When I hold you after a feeding you stare back at me and smile and chat away. It is the best. You also reach out and touch my face. I don't know if you are meaning to do this, but you do it every time so I think so.

You have adjusted well to going to school and seem to really enjoy your time there. Your teachers are Miss Kesha and Miss Maria. There is another teacher that spends a lot of time helping in your class, Miss Sista. You love Miss Sista. When she is around she has your full attention. I am glad you have found a friend! When you first started school you were very quiet and slept quite a bit, but now you are talking with your friends and teachers, and even with the other moms when they come visit their own kids! Your school is right across the street from my work so I come over to spend my lunch break with you. You are the best lunch date I ever had!

At school they have a log recording your activities during the day. We almost always request that you get some tummy time. You hate tummy time, by the way, and get really angry if left on your tummy too long. It is actually kind of funny because when you have had enough and start to cry you continue to cry for several minutes after you are rescued. We think you are just trying to drive your point home! You have also discovered your hands. You have them in your mouth a whole lot (we think you may be getting a tooth soon), but when you are not sucking on your fingers you are grabbing and reaching for toys. You investigate everything in your hands and further investigate it by putting it in your mouth.

We have established a pretty good routine. Your daddy wakes you up around 6am and changes your diaper and plays with you while I get ready for work. Then we switch and I feed you and get you ready for school. You are usually there at 7:45. I pick you up at 4pm and we are home around 4:45. Your daddy plays with you and gives you a bath while I prepare your bottles for the next day. You then eat and play with Daddy until you get so sleepy you just drift right off. That usually happens around 7:30 or 8pm, but has been a little earlier lately. You must be in a growth spurt because you are eating and sleeping a bit more than before. In fact, we know you are in a growth spurt because you only have four outfits that fit you now! Your Daddy and I don't spend much money on your clothes because you grow out of them soooo fast. Don't worry, we will change our perspective on this once you start to care about what you are wearing. Rest assured, we make sure you are always looking cute! Daddy and I shop the sale and clearance racks for ourselves also, so please don't feel too shafted. :)

You have started to eat some solid foods. We have only had oatmeal so far and it sure is messy, but I think you are getting some of it down...maybe.

We have also started going to "Play and Learn" classes at Gymboree. Your Dad and I have started to realize that we are running out of ideas on how to stimulate you and could use a little help. We went to a free class to try it out and you seemed to really like it. You stayed engaged the whole time with lots of giggling and squealing. We ended up signing up for a membership just to try it out for a few months. You seem to be a pretty social guy and enjoy being around others so this will be good for you.

Four months stats:

Weight: 15 pounds, four ounces - 50th percentile
Height: 25 inches - 50th percentile
Head: 10th percentile

The big day

Gabe was born on Friday, January 8th, 2010 at 8:57am.
He weighed in at 7 lbs, 4oz and was 20 inches long. Our lives will never be the same and we couldn't be happier!

Gabe's original due date was January 31st, but at my 35 week doctor's appointment I was told that it would be likely that the baby (we didn't know if it was a boy or girl) would come early and that I would probably not even get to 37 weeks. We were really prepared, but thought we still had about another month to let the thought of this little baby soak in. Nope. I called Brad from the parking lot. We needed to install the car seat, pack a bag, grocery shop, wash the baby's clothes and blankets...it was very overwhelming news! Also, Brad's company had planned a baby shower for us on January 15th. There was likely going to be a pretty major scheduling conflict now. A week later at my next appointment, Jan. 5th, the doctor said I could have this baby at any moment. I selfishly hoped that the baby would not be born on my birthday, January 12th. I would never get another gift! Just kidding...not really. :)

On January 7th, the night of the college football national championship game with UT vs. USC, we went over to Barry and Susan's house for the game. Around halftime I laughed out loud at a funny commercial and felt a little gush. (Ok, this is TMI, but let's just get it out there...really pregnant ladies sometimes pee a little when laughing, sneezing, or coughing. There, done.) Anyway, I just assumed that was what happened, but I kind of wondered. We left at halftime and while walking to the car it happened again. I was not laughing, sneezing, or coughing this time. I mentioned it to Brad, but blew it off because I felt no other symptoms of labor. We went home and continued to watch the game. I was getting more and more nervous, but felt nothing. We went to bed and when I tried to switch positions I really felt something. There was no denying it this time, I was having a huge pain that would not ease up. We had just gone to bed so Brad was pretty much awake. I told him that I thought it may be labor, but I could be wrong because it was not what I was expecting. Either way, there was a lot of pain and if it was not labor we should go anyway because something is wrong.

So, at 11 o'clock at night we grabbed the bags, left a key under the mat for Barry to come take care of our dog, Sandy, and we headed off to the hospital. We would have given anything to get a good night of sleep before facing labor, but as we were soon to learn...the baby is the boss. So off we went. I was getting really scared and giddy. I was also completely uncomfortable....having nothing to do with the labor pains. We had installed the baby car seat behind the front passenger seat and I didn't realize how little leg (and pregnant belly) room it left the front seat passenger. Anyway, Brad was trying to stay focused and on top of the labor, but I was of no help. I had no idea how far apart the contractions were because the pain never stopped...so not what I was expecting!

We got to the hospital, got registered, I got checked out to confirm that I was, indeed, in labor, and then got set up in a labor and delivery room. Poor Brad had to go back for all of our stuff and was barely able to find the room again. The hospital is a huge maze and it is especially hard to navigate in the middle of the night because some doors are locked and there is no one around to ask for directions.

The whole experience was the scariest and most exciting thing ever. We had taken lamaze class and read a bunch of books, but there was no preparing for this. First of all, my water broke so I had to go to the hospital right away. If your water doesn't break you can stay in the comfort of your own home until the contractions get to be about five minutes apart. I had a few things in mind for how I would deal with the pain while I was at home....a warm bath, a walk with Brad and Sandy, and other distractions like movies, the music selection Brad had prepared for the labor (Brian Eno), and breathing exercises we learned in class. Brad even printed out instructions to remind us how to do the breathing exercises when the time came. In the labor videos, the women would be helped through the contraction by her husband and then walk around and chat until the next one came. What?! There was not a clear break in the contractions and there was certainly no getting up and walking around! Despite my freaking out a bit, Brad was really great and calming the whole way through. He really helped a lot.

I had initially decided I would try to labor without any meds. I very quickly said I not only wanted the epideral, but also some pain meds to take the edge off until the doctor arrived to administer the epideral. What a wuss! However, it ended up being the best decision because it gave Brad and me a chance to get some rest for the real work that was ahead of us. I finally got the epideral around 2am and we dozed until about 5:30am when it was time to start pushing. That was when it finally became real. We were about to meet the little baby we had been thinking about and planning for for the last nine months...even longer actually.

We chose to keep the sex of the baby a surprise. We thought it would be fun. There are so few surprises in life and you can't go wrong either way, right? Anyway, Brad was standing in the place with the best view of the baby so the doctor let Brad call the sex. At 8:57am, the baby who would later be named Gabriel Kegan Parker, was born. I had my eyes clenched shut so it was so exciting to hear Brad say "it's a boy." I knew the baby would be a boy. I don't know why, but I just knew. Brad cut the cord and we stared at our little baby and shared tears of joy. There is no describing such a moment.

They took the baby off to clean him up, weigh him, take foot prints, etc. I asked Brad to stick close to the baby to make sure he was ok and also to make sure there was no way our baby could accidently get switched with someone else's. Kind of paranoid, but you see 20/20 episodes about this happening. Feel free to laugh...I know.

And so begins our journey...