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.