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.
Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Turns the pages of a book
Has temper tantrums when frustrated - has started to whine more, throw himself on the floor
Becomes attached to a soft toy or other object - Like with Leah and Louis I haven't noticed much of this
Laugh at funny things- Loves to do things he finds funny and laughs, he expects you to laugh too. Loves funny faces and silly games, songs.
Plays with ball
Learns about five words other than initial vocabulary
Can walk backward - He will walk to the front door then backward to the living room. Rinse & Repeat.
Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Discovers the joy of climbing - Gabriel will climb up one couch, across the top, over to the other, jump off and all over again. He loves to climb the ladder at the playground, climb down and back up again.
Stacks three blocks
Uses spoon or fork
Learns the correct way to use common objects (e.g., the telephone) - The telephone right now is his favorite object to play with.
Walk well or run
Draw lines - He likes to scribble but no definition of lines
Say no and shake head - Says no, shakes his head and also says 'uh uh'.
Sing songs
Follow simple directions
Can draw a dot and a line - Not quite
'No' becomes his favorite word - We definitely had a phase where he said no to everything but now it seems that he tends to use it when he means it...for the most part.
Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
Takes off one piece of clothing by himself - He is now starting to try to take off his pants and shorts. He can take off his socks and shoes. He hates both so this happens often.
Gets finicky about food - At the moment we have the opposite happening.
Switches from two naps to one - We've been at one nap for about 3 months now. Some days he'll take a late morning & early evening nap.
Walk up stairs - Loves to walk up the stairs.
Want to help around the house
Put his finger to his mouth and say "shhh" - Not seeing this yet
Respond to verbal requests without signals of any type - He understands a lot and doesn't need much help.
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