Happy 17 Months!

Almost 1 1/2 years old!

The months go by so quickly and Gabriel continues to learn new things every day. It's happening faster than I can up with these days. I try to jot down notes when I can to remember for later.

He loves to make you laugh and then he says "That's silly" or "That's funny" afterward. He has the best sense of humor. He is constantly trying to "tickle tickle". He likes knock knock jokes or when you mess up nursery rhymes.

He continues to follow Leah and Louis around and tries to be just like his big sis and big bro. He wants to be where they are and do everything they do. Louis copies Leah, Gabriel copies Louis. One after the other. It amazes me they all don't fight more but they just tolerate and love one another.

We're working on showing Gabriel how to be more gentle. He is definitely the roughest of our three kids. He is physically over the top with the things he does. Nothing is safe around him. If he wants it? He will get it. Whether it means moving a box, stool, chair, stacking toys one on top of another--he will get what he wants. He climbs what I would think is unclimbable but he proves me wrong.

The past month he has shown his more assertive side. Most of his phrases and the words he uses tend to be descriptive of his assertiveness, what he wants, what he needs. He does not take well to being told no. He will get upset and his face will pout up in one of the cutest pouts I have ever seen. It is hard not to just hug him and do whatever he wants. He will throw a tantrum like I've never seen. It usually happens when it is someone unfamiliar to him telling him he cannot have or do something. It doesn't happen often but when it does, he is nearly inconsolable. Knowing that he reacts this way has led us to be more sensitive to his needs and help him try to navigate his feelings a little better.

I often hear from others concerns that Gabriel is too attached to me. I tend to brush those comments off. I'm his mom. He spends all day with me. All night with me. Kind of expected but overall in the entire day? Really not the way people see it in those few moments they are around.  He will go to me first when he is tired or upset but outside of that and his need to nurse/for comfort? He is typically on his own, running off and rarely looking back for me. He's very independent. He can go hours being in the house with people, with me around and never so much as look for me. It's an interesting growth to see in him--where as months ago I couldn't leave his sight without him freaking out.

He's very headstrong. And can be stubborn. But always sweet. He keeps me on my toes.


Developmental Milestones (via BabyCenter)

Mastered Skills (Most kids can do)
Uses six words regularly - Gabriel has about 4 or 5 words he uses regularly. A few phrases he uses more often like "Go Away" "That's mine" "I don't wanna."
Enjoys pretend games - Gabriel and Louis play pretend all day long. Pretend pirates, pretend kitchen, pretend daddy. They pretend to talk to one another on the phone.
Likes riding toys - He enjoys riding toys, usually sits backwards on them and pushed back on them.

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Feeds doll - Gabriel loves to play with the "bebes" and he often brings them cups or has Louis nurse them. Or brings them to me to feed them.
Speaks more clearly - I've noticed over the past few weeks that the words he does say are more clearly understandable to others but overall it's still mostly the family at home that understands him best.
Throws a ball underhand - He loves to throw balls, well anything really.

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
Dances to music - Our favorite past time is our daily dance party. We have a few a day and Gabriel is the first to get up to dance.
Sorts toys by color, shape, or size - I've noticed that he likes to sort big and little things together but nothing specific to color or shape.
Kicks ball forward - Gabriel is a soccer fan in training. He loves to kick balls around, forward, to the side. He has taken to aiming his kicks too. 

Oh Santa...

We were up early today and all ready to head out to our friend Jen's son's C's birthday party when she met us outside to let us know poor C was sick :( so no party. All dressed up with nowhere to go we decided to hit up the mall for a visit with Santa and breakfast at Ikea.

I wasn't too sure how Gabriel would handle the visit to Santa. We got there just shortly before 10 am and waited in line with a few other families. Santa arrived promptly at 10. Gabriel kept having me hold his hand and walk over to the photo area and then run away. He didn't seem upset and he did seem a bit excited about it. When the time came to head into the photo op area he wasn't clinging to me at all. Louis chose to sit on Santa's lap, Leah next to him and I put Gabriel in her lap. He wasn't crying or upset. I could tell he was a bit anxious as he has his hand in his mouth but he didn't try to run off. I walked away and he sat for a few shots.

The photographer tried her hardest to get a pic of him without his hands in his mouth so we could see his face.

Happy 16 Months!

The last month has been a lot of fun with Gabriel. He has developed a great sense of humor. He says "tickle tickle" and tries to tickle himself then you. He pretends he's sleeping and when he sees you glance away will open his eyes and stick his tongue out at you. He loves to play with Leah and Louis, they make him laugh so much.

He's also taken to asserting himself more in our family. Newest words and phrases in his vocabulary are mine, me, no me alone and go away. He used to toss his food off his plate when he was done eating. Now he'll tell you he wants to 'get down' at least once and tries to hand you his plate before tossing it. I'd say that's progress. :P

He has also added the words Melmo (or other variations of Elmo), says grandma (which may sound a bit like mama but there's definitely a difference). He still doesn't really say mama to me but when he does it's super sweet to hear. He is very lovable and gives kisses and hugs. If you kiss him or he hears/sees you get a kiss from someone else he can't help but give kisses to everyone. He also blows them.

He still isn't the best sleeper but a lot of that has to do with all the teeth he's been cutting and his teeth seem to take four times longer than Leah and Louis' ever did. I can deal with the lack of sleep but I feel bad he's so miserable.

He loves to dance, sing and listen to music. Lately drums have been a favorite of his. Abuelo has quite the collection and Gabriel enjoyed them on Thanksgiving. Gabriel also enjoys looking through books. A few times during the day he'll bring me over a book or two and crawl into my lap.

Mastered Skills (Most kids can do)
Turns the pages of a book
Has temper tantrums when frustrated
Becomes attached to a soft toy or other object
Sing

Emerging Skills (Some kids can do)
Discovers the joy of climbing
Stacks three blocks
Uses spoon or fork
Learns the correct way to use common objects (e.g., the telephone)
Help around the house
Say up to 10 or 15 words - Not quite there yet but I see he's made a leap over the past month.

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
Takes off one piece of clothing by himself - He detests socks & shoes and lately has started to take off his pants.
Gets finicky about food
Switches from two naps to one
Experience less separation anxiety
Dance to music

Happy 15 Months!

Gabriel has been moving around like a toddler for quite some time but over the past month I can see he's behaving less like an infant/baby and more like a toddler. So while he may be the baby of the family and my baby? He is definitely no longer a baby. I accept he hasn't been for a while now.

Gabriel is curious, growing more independent and has a bit of mischievous streak. He enjoys helping me around the house, things like answering the phone, vacuuming, throwing out trash (and things that aren't trash too--thank goodness for the lock of our trash can), sorting laundry and wiping down the tabletops. He is a nonstop whirlwind of activity. One thing to the next. He loves to play with blocks, especially Duplo/Mega Blocks. Our daily dance parties continue to be a favorite.

He is becoming more social. He'll shout at you, pinch, poke at you to get your attention and see your reaction. He has learned to give kisses with his mouth closed, he makes a 'Mmmm' sound as he does it. He'll kiss each person one after the other. Cutest thing ever! He's found his sense of humor and will often just do things that he finds amusing and laugh. The whining has started a bit but it isn't on overdrive yet. He loves to go wherever Leah and Louis are off to. He loves going outside to play and gets excited when he knows he is heading out with his grandparents. He has developed a wonderful relationship with Matt. I'd say the first year or so Gabriel was all about Mommy but that has changed quite a bit. He runs to Matt as soon as he gets home. Wants to head up to bed when Matt goes to sleep at night. Daddy is fun.

Gabriel's food tastes are developing. Over the past few months he wouldn't touch cheese but now eats it with gusto. It has opened up a whole new range of dishes he is now willing to eat and enjoy doing so. He loves coconut and almond milk. Continues to nurse throughout the day. He won't start to eat his meals without the proper utensils. He eats most of his meals independently.

He's started to talk more and words are becoming easier to understand. He had added 'me', 'mine' and 'up' over the past week. He also says 'uh uh' when he means no.  He says 'cat', 'dada', a version of Leah and Louis, a very whiny version of "I wanna get out". He says 'mama' or 'mommy' if prompted but hasn't really said it to me yet. I'm always around and honestly I can see he has very little need to ever call me. He sings a lot. I noticed the ABCs and Twinkle Little Star melody. Old McDonald Had A Farm, Row Row Your Boat and Part of Your World (Little Mermaid) are some of his other favorite songs to sing along to in his baby talk.

Aoooww Says the Wolf

We got the cutest dress up props today. Louis picked out a dinosaur tail for himself and grey wolf tail for Gabriel.

Oh Fridays...

Friday evenings are hard right now. Matt is bowling so the boys try to stay up as late as possible. Tonight I was able to get them both to calm down for a bit with me on the couch. They both ended up falling asleep.

 The boys sure spend a lot of time sleeping on the couch together. 

 

Chalk Talk

Our days are constantly busy. There is very little stopping, the boys are always on the go. They want to move from one activity to the next. Louis does take time to sit and do things but Gabriel isn't quite there yet. One thing that both boys will do for at least 15 minutes is play with chalk outside. Whether it be drawing on the garage door, sidewalk or driveway---they are content. Gabriel has started to draw more scribbles and really enjoys when you draw circles around him. Then he colors inside them.

Daddy's home!

Playing with the Dough

A couple times a week Louis sits and plays with dough for at least an hour. Sometimes longer. He loves it. Gabriel usually spends that time playing blocks or eating a snack or napping. He's never shown an interest in playing with it. Today he asked to sit in his high chair alongside Louis' and tried his hand at play dough. He loved it.

Dream Weaver

Gabriel has been working on cutting some teeth this past month and other than nursing the only other thing that seems to comfort him is being carried on my back. It was the perfect afternoon napping spot for him today.

Bowl of Fun

Matt usually gives the kids breakfast in the morning. For the boys it is more of an early morning snack to keep them occupied while Leah gets ready for school. Today it was sugary cereal with marshmallows. This means Louis picks out all the marshmallows and leaves the cereal in the bowl. Gabriel helped himself to it.

Brother, Brother

One of the best decisions we made as a family to date was the one that made me a stay-at-home parent. While it can be chaotic, exhausting and sometimes redundant? It is never boring and having a chance to see the boys bond makes it all worth while. Today they were watching a show together, nicely side by side on the couch. Usually they end up irritating one another and it doesn't last very long but today it was like this for 15 minutes or so. At one point Gabriel had his head on Louis' shoulder and Louis had his arm around him.

Side by Side

Matt was away for the evening and the boys had little interest in going to sleep. The boys are wearing matching shirts-the Yankees-gifts from Grandma Ruth.  Wide awake. We had a late dinner. Fortunately afterward they calmed down a bit and went to sleep.

Happy 14 Months!

Gabriel is running around the house and everywhere else we go. While he does still love to be worn and carried around, right now his favorite place to be is on the go. He's bubbly, energetic and determined. I see a streak of stubbornness developing.

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Eats with fingers
Empties containers of contents
Imitates others 


Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Toddles well
Initiates games
Points to one body part when asked
Responds to instructions (e.g., "give me a kiss") 

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
Uses a spoon or fork
Matches lids with appropriate containers
Pushes and pulls toys while walking  

Bros Forever

Louis loves to pick out clothes for Gabriel to wear and he especially loves to go all matchy match with their outfits. His favorite outfit to match are pajamas. The boys ready for bed.

Pieces of Autumn

It has become our yearly family tradition to head out east to Water Mill and visit The Milk Pail and Hanks Pumpkintown. We spent the afternoon picking apples, posing for pics, picking out some beautiful pumpkins and playing.

Gabriel couldn't wait to get his hands and mouth on an apple.

Nom Nom

Look Who's Talking!

Over the past two weeks Gabriel has made leaps with his verbal skills. Up until now he's had a handful of words mostly understandable to me and a phrase and a few words others can understand. The past two weeks though I've noticed he's moved on from babbling (what appeared to be more random) and is attempting to hold a conversation. He stops for you to respond and looks mildly annoyed when you don't. He's definitely talking with an intent behind it. So while most of what he says is still hard to get, it's a fun new chapter in Gabriel's development. He looks so excited when he says something and you finally understand him. Right now he's favorite thing to do is to ask "What's that?" and pointing towards whatever object he wants you to name for him. He has added Leah's name to his vocabulary. Clear as can be---Laaayaaah.

Having an artsy day

I count myself as lucky when it comes to my children and their love for all things arts and crafts. I wasn't sure if Gabriel at just a year or so would have any interest but today he spent nearly an hour alongside Louis while they painted and drew on the driveway.

Attempting to break into the garage, one of the more dangerous rooms in our house but of course it's Gabriel's fave one.

Obsessed with getting to this tomato

Not so happy about the leaves in his face

Baby G on the Road - Part IV

By Day Six of our road trip it appeared Gabriel was used to the hotel room and our routine. He and I would wake up early in the morning, usually around sunrise. We'd get ready for the day and head down to breakfast. The breakfast room at this time in the morning wasn't busy and we were able to sit and enjoy our breakfast. We'd then head back up to the room, at this point either Louis would wake up and I'd go down with both the boys back to get Louis breakfast or Matt and Leah would finally wake up and head down together. It was nice to spend the early morning with the boys.

On our final day in Toronto we visited the Ontario Science Centre and Centre Island.

Baby G on the Road - Part III

By the fourth day of our road trip I found I wasn't as worried about Gabriel and the car anymore. In fact by this point he was happily climbing INTO his car seat--a first for him. It was a nice change as up until this point I've always felt guilty about forcing him into the car knowing how miserable it makes him. At home I limit the time he spends in there as much as possible.

We headed to the Toronto Zoo. Like his older siblings and most children, Gabriel loves the zoo. Unfortunately at the start of our visit to the zoo we had an accident involving our camera and the lens broke so we had a very limited number of photos at the zoo and not one of Gabriel. Wish I had one of him playing in the splashpad/sprinkler area. He couldn't get enough of the water.

Day five of our trip brought us to the city of Toronto.

Baby G on the Road - Part II

Our next leg of our road trip took us to Niagara Falls. We visited the American side first followed by the Canadian side. This was Gabriel's first trip out of the United States.

We went on the Maid of the Mist. I wore Gabriel on my back in the Ergo. I wish we'd gotten a photo of our set up with the poncho. What a sight. It worked though. Gabriel was happy to up there. On the boat, right in the middle of going up to Niagara Falls when the roaring was the loudest, the boat was rocking the most AND as we were being soaked (we were right up front) Gabriel fell asleep. The Captain stopped me afterward to tell me he'd never seen that before. Now I know what to do when I need Gabriel to fall asleep!

Baby G on the Road - Part I

Gabriel and cars...always creates a ball of anxiety for me. In the past Gabriel and car travel has been a mixed bag. Overall he does not do well for extended periods of time. On our trip to Sesame Place that appeared to be changing so with some planning we were hopeful this trip would go well.

We lucked out. On the way to Ithaca Gabriel slept most of the way. He awoke shortly before our first stop at a rest area. He had a snack and ran around for a bit. Here he is playing with the dirt. After our break we headed back into the car for the rest of the drive. Gabriel sat and played quietly and napped some more.

Gabriel wasn't keen on playing in the water much (it was cold) at Taughannock Falls State Park. He did enjoy running up and down the small hill by the beach.

Happy 13 Months!

Gabriel is so much fun. He is such a lovable, giggling little fool. I say fool affectionately. He finds humor in everything. He has shown a lot of emotional growth over the last month alone. His separation anxiety has alleviated a bit and he is happy to run off to family members. He takes off without a moment's hesitation to run off to do whatever it is he wants so we have to make sure to be extra vigilant with him while out and about.

He enjoys playing with balls and 'reading' Green Eggs and Ham. Favorite daily activity is unloading my clean laundry basket, looking at me mischievously, and loading it and unloading it again.

He and Louis play together all day long. They have their battles over what toy they want or where they want to sit but they work it out in their own way. They are very rough and tumble boys and I spend a lot of time trying to get Gabriel to understand he IS small. He has other things in mind. He is very physically capable of doing a lot of things. Like getting up and down the big kid slides at the playground, playgrounds meant for children much older than himself. Right now he has very little fear so we try to stay nearby to make sure he isn't taking any leaps off playground structures. He is STILL a baby and while it is easy to forget as we watch him run everywhere, we try to remember so he is relatively safe but still independent.

He has increased his vocalizing a bit over the past few weeks but he is still more of a doer than a talker. If he wants something he will either attempt to get it for himself (like if he wants to eat he will climb up into the high chair on his own) or he will gesture for you to get whatever he wants for him. I've noticed he is saying the few words and phrases he knows much more clearly now.

He has been cutting two of his upper molars over the past 2 months. We have a week here and there when the teeth really bother him and he goes without any sleep. Those weeks have been difficult but we've made it through them in one piece.

His food palate has expanded quite a bit lately. He is not a lover of cheese like his siblings but he has started to eat mozzarella cheese.  He still prefers avocado, broccoli, a wide variety of fruit and pasta. He LOVES beans. He nurses every 3-4 hours if we're home, if we're out it spaces out a bit more. He doesn't always sleep through the night, will get up to eat now and then but it's never for very long. Happy and proud to say our nursing relationship is still going strong.

13 Months Milestones

Mastered Skills (Most kids can do) 

- Uses two words skillfully (ie. "hi" and "bye")
- Bends over and picks up object
- imitates activities - He likes to pretend to talk on the phone, type on a laptop, pretends to cook in the kitchen
- stand well
- take a few steps
- walk with help


Emerging Skills (Some kids can do)

- Enjoys gazing at his reflection - I noticed he is doing this more often in the mirror in our playroom.
- Holds out arm or leg to help you dress him - makes for a much easier time getting him dressed
- drink from cup independently - has started to hold the cup and minimize how much he sips but most of it still ends up all over him
- Respond to command without gestures - He will pick up and bring what you ask or go over to where he is told to go
- Scribble with crayons and markers - loves to scribble on the driveway with Louis with chalk

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)

- Combines words and gestures to make needs known - not there yet
- Rolls a ball back and forth - loves to play with balls, will sit and roll it to you and back again
- walk well - off and running

1st Birthday Party Time!

This year we decided to have a more low key birthday party for the kids. Leah had a tea party with some of her friends and for Gabriel we invited our immediate family over for some grilled food and cake. I feel some guilt about this. We had a big party for Leah with all our friends and family and then the same for Louis for his first birthday. It wasn't an easy decision but we decided a family trip to Sesame Place, a road trip to Canada at the end of the summer AND Hershey Place in September made for a lot of special family time.

I think it turned out to be a nice day. Gabriel had fun running around and enjoyed spending time with everyone who was able to make it. And at the end of the day? That is what matters.

Sesame Place 2012

We headed to Sesame Place this weekend. This was our first trip there as a family. We packed up and got on the road in the early morning. Made great time and the boys slept through most of the ride there. Leah was as excited as Louis and Gabriel freaked out pointing at all the characters as soon as we got there. It was an overcast day with storms in the forecast so I expected it wouldn't be as busy as other weekends. It isn't a large place so it was nice that it wasn't packed.

We weren't sure what rides Gabriel would be able to go on. As a walking baby but not quite a toddler he met some requirements but not others. He isn't really a handheld infant as he does walk independently but he isn't the size of most kids who do the same thing. Fortunately there were still plenty of options for him. Eventually we did do a few rides together. He wasn't really into them so we stuck to the water sprinklers.

Let's Celebrate!

Even though birthdays have never been a big deal to me, it is a very different case when it comes to our family and with the kids. It doesn't take much though, a few decorations, a dinner out, some cake? A few gifts? And they couldn't be happier.

Louis and Leah wanted to make Gabriel's 1st birthday extra special. Louis asked for rainbow poms poms. We stuck with a rainbow theme for the day.

Grandma Ruth & Grandpa George joined us before we went out for Gabriel's birthday. Leah assisted him in opening his gifts...as Gabriel's method of stomping on everything wasn't nearly as effective.

Leah and Louis decorated Gabriel's birthday cake. 

We find we are limited on places we can go out to eat these days with the boys. They have a very short attention span and limited patience with sitting in one place for too long. We try to avoid situations where we are forcing them to be miserable so we headed out to Chuck E Cheese's.

Enjoying some pizza.

 Big sister shows some love.

 Louis playing a Spongebob game with Matt.

Gabriel enjoyed going up and down the slide in the tot playground.

Went for a drive with Chuck E. Cheese.

 He loves making phonecalls.

After Chuck E. Cheese's went back home for cake and more gifts!

Cake Time!

Gabriel's not waiting for his cake. 

 Yummy!

 Louis digging right into his piece.

 When Gabriel is done with something? You know.

Our happy, beautiful Gabriel. 

Photo Taken by Leah

Photo taken by Leah

I'd say this is a good sign of a good birthday. Out cold.