Daddy and Tony

While Mommy and Gabe were shopping with Grandma and Grandpa, Daddy was at the Cincinnati Reds game with Tony. Looks like they were having fun!

Shopping at Edinburg

Gabriel and Mommy went with Grandma and Grandpa to shop at the outlet stores in Edinburg today. The kiddo got cranky and restless after about an hour of shopping. Our last stop was the Carter's Kids store. In that store, they have a Lego table and toddler chairs that were just Gabriel's size. He had a good time playing at the Lego table. When it was time to leave, he tried to figure out a way to take a chair with him. Then he cried because he didn't want to leave. On the way home the kiddo was so tired. He fussed and cried if Mommy was not singing silly songs with him. Mommy had to sing for the last half hour --- I think I need to learn some more/new songs!

Eating Like A Big Kid

Gabriel is working on eating from a plate using a fork or spoon. Often times he ends up "beating" his food with his utensil and the plate ends up upside-down. He'll get the hang of it though.

We had a meeting with First Steps yesterday to go over Gabriel's evaluation. He qualifies for services from a physical therapist and a developmental therapist. The physical therapist will work with him on walking more steadily, balancing, stooping, squatting, and kicking. The developmental therapist will work with him on language development, specifically mimicking animal sounds, learning new words, and identifying objects by name. She will also work with him on some fine motor skills like using utensils to eat, brushing his teeth, and stacking objects. The conference was really positive, and the therapists feel like his services will be very temporary. We will meet with them again in five months to evaluate his progress and decided if services need to continue.

Tears and Exhaustion

As I have said before, the physical therapist with First Steps recommended that Gabriel wear soft-soled, hightop shoes. It has been quite an ordeal trying to find them in his size. As one helpful salesperson reminded me, most kids his size are already walking. (Duh!!!) So finally I found the shoes! I paid $40 at Dillards for Stride Rite shoes. (I rarely pay that much for my own shoes --- Geez!)

Anyhow, yesterday Gabriel and I went Meijer to grocery shop. The kiddo cried nonstop from the time I put him in his carseat at home until we were in the checkout lane. It was a miserable shopping trip, and I felt like everyone in the store was wondering why I wasn 't doing anything about it. I couldn't figure out what to do for him! Finally, at the checkout lane, I took the shoes off as a last resort to figure out his problem. The tears stopped immediately! The kid was so exhausted after an hour of crying that he fell asleep in the car on the way home and slept for two hours at home.

Now the question is: Try the shoes again? Return them and say forget it?

First Fat Lip

Gabriel was crawling along at Grandma and Grandpa's house this evening when out of no where, he took a header into the kitchen floor. It obviously wasn't a far fall, but his tooth got into his top lip and scraped the skin off. It isn't really bad, but it looks awefully fat and icky. I guess that this is the first of many to come.

Fun, Sun and Cousins

Daddy, Mommy, Gabriel, Bobby, and Ben went to the pool yesterday afternoon. It started out being a cloudy and drizzly day, but by about noon it had cleared up enough to go to the pool. As soon as we walked through the doors into the pool area, Gabriel squealed and giggled. He recognized where we were and was so excited to be there. Having Bobby and Ben with us made it all the more fun because Gabriel LOVES his cousins! Gabriel discovered yesterday that he enjoys laying in the water on his back, and he doesn't even mind to occasionally be dunked under the water. If he knows the dunk is coming, he gets a little excited.

Open up and say AHHH

Gabriel has developed his own way to communicate to us that he wants a bite. We can repeat the word BITE to him a hundred times and ask him to say, "Bite." Everytime, though, he says, "Aaaahh!" It really is adorable.

WALKING!!!!!!!!!

Gabriel has really been practicing walking on his own since last week when he took his first unassisted steps. Tonight he amazed us with his motivation and will to walk! He walked from the living room into the kitchen with no help and only fell on his bottom twice. It was awesome! We are so proud.

Gabriel also had his evaluation for First Steps today. First Steps is a program for preschool children who may have developmental delays. He did really well on the evaluation for as best we could tell. He was able to identify Momma and Dada in pictures. He could orient a book and turn the pages. There are certainly many things that we need to work on. He should wear high top shoes to support his ankles. He needs to start using a spoon to eat. He needs to have more choices and decision making activities. We are also supposed to show him objects/pictures, name them, and have him choose them by name. We'll see next week if he will qualify for any services, but right now we doubt it. We know now how to help him better at home, so I don't think that we will agree to services if he qualifies.

Father's Day

Our Father's Day was spent with a little family cookout. Uncle Robbie, Cousins Bobby,and Ben came over. So did Grampy, Great Gramma, Grandma, and Grandpa. Daddy grilled porkchops and corn on the cob. We also had some yummy green beans, fruit salad, and pasta. Grandma also made two delicious desserts. Gabriel was so busy playing with his cousins that we didn't even get a picture of him with Daddy today. Oops!

Sun and Fun

Mommy and Gabriel went to lunch and the pool today with our friends Alicia, Mackenzie, and Sam. We had such a good time! We ate lunch at McAllister's where Gabriel had PB & J all to himself. Then at the pool Gabriel enjoyed the sprinklers, and Sam had some great sea toys to share. Mackenzie, Alicia's niece, was a ton of help with the boys and all of their "stuff." Both boys were WORN OUT when we left the pool. It was a great time, and we'll have to do it again.

Yum! Yum!

We never know what will "hit Gabriel's hungry spot." Tonight we had pasta with chicken, salad, and breadsticks. We thought the kiddo would never stop eating. He ate every bite that we put on his tray. He just kept eating and eating and eating. It's nice that he is such a good eater, but sometimes we wonder where it all goes!

IT'S A GIRL!!

She is not shy; she is almost certainly a girl. Her name will be Grace Catherine. We are happy to be giving Gabriel a little sister, but I have to admit that I am a little nervous too.

Another Celebration:
Gabriel took his first unassisted steps today. He let go of his Zebra toy and walked over to his Elmo toy --- about 4 or 5 steps. He also walked from the end table by the couch to the living room chair. We are so proud of him!

Visit with Cousins

Gabriel and Mommy went to Indianapolis today to visit cousins Chris, Michele, Anthony,and Maria. We played on the swing set, had lunch, went to the pool, and then had dinner before returning home. It was a really fun day playing with Anthony and Maria. Gabriel loved the baby pool at Cousin Mary Jo's house. We can't wait to play again in July!!

An Elmo Trance

The cable was out this afternoon due to a storm, so I put in Elmo In Grouchland for Gabriel while I fixed dinner. For the first fifteen minutes, he was in a complete trance watching Elmo which shocked me. After that he paid no attention to the movie which is more along the lines of what I had expected. Funny!

Newport Aquarium Picture

Here is another picture that we had taken at the Newport Aquarium.

Newport Aquarium

We finished our Cincinnati trip with a stop at the Newport Aquarium on the way home. The aquarium has a policy against stollers so we got a loaner backpack. I understand why they have the policy, but I think it stinks. Gabriel was more interested in the aquarium than he was the zoo. I think sitting up high in the backpack was a big part of his interest. It was a nice way to wrap up our trip.

Another Zoo Picture

We downloaded this picture from the Cincinnati Zoo's photo site. It is the only picture of all three of us that we have from the zoo.

Exploring the Hotel Room

Gabriel has had some time to explore the hotel room now. He has figured out some fun things that he can get into. He knows how to start the dishwasher. He can open the cabinet where the trash can is hidden and pull the trash out. He can open the silverware drawer and the oven. He can turn the TV's on and off. He can also take control of the air conditioner. It's been an ideal room for a curious little guy.

Cookie Before Bath Time

Nothing tops off a good swim like a chocolate chip cookie. There were free cookies in the hotel lobby. Mommy got one for each of us. Yes, Gabriel got a whole cookie all to himself. It is vacation after all. As you can see from the pictures, he enjoyed the devil out of it and needed a bath immediately afterwards.

Swimming

After dinner tonight we came back to the hotel for dip in the pool. It was Gabriel's first time in a pool. He had so much fun. He kicked and splashed. He put himself under the water, and he attempted to blow bubbles. He was one tired kid after about 45 minutes.