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.

Carousel

The highlight of our zoo trip for Gabriel was the ride on the carousel. He laughed the entire time. As we would go around, he would spot his daddy and say, "Dada, Dada" until we had gone around again. It was very cute.

Cincinnati Zoo

We went to the Cincinnati Zoo this morning. It was really fun! We saw all sorts of cool animals, rode the train, had lunch, and fed the lorikeets. Here are some of our best pictures of Gabriel. He liked the misting fans that were set up throughout the zoo. He had more fun watching the other people at the zoo than looking at the animals. He was a great kid,and we all had a nice time.

Still Not Well

Gabriel is still not feeling well. Yesterday his fever got up to 101, and it was not coming down well with Tylenol. The only place that we could take him on the holiday was Clark County Hospital's Express Care. It's part of the emergency room that is for cases of strep throat, mild flu cases, etc. He was checked out by Dr. Haq and had a chest x-ray. It was determined that he had a cold, and we needed to alternate ibuprofen and Tylenol. We should have known that. Dan took him to his pediatrician today for a follow-up to discover that he had developed a mild ear infection in his right ear overnight. His cold symptoms are getting better. We are managing his fever better with the ibuprofen/Tylenol combo, and his ear infection was caught so quickly that he has felt no effects from it yet. Hopefully, he'll be back to his typical playful self soon. This is a picture of Gabriel at the hospital. They had us put him in a little baby sized hospital gown. I hate to say it, but it was so adorable on him. I just hope that we won't have to see one of those on him again.

Cookout

We hosted a cookout for the Ellnor/Lausman side of the family today. Gabriel LOVES his big cousins Bobby and Ben. He has a great time playing with them! It was a good time with great company and beautiful weather. We are really proud of the picture of the 3 generations of Ellnor boys. Will we have to add another Ellnor boy to the picture come October? We'll see.

Not Feeling Well

Gabriel is not feeling well today. When I checked on him last night in bed, he sounded a little stuffy. This morning his nose was really runny. He didn't eat any breakfast and very little lunch. After his morning nap, he had a little bit of a fever. Poor baby. I hope that this passes quickly.

15 Month Check Up

Gabriel saw the doctor yesterday for a check-up. He weighs 30 1/2lbs. which is in the 98th percentile. He is 32 inches which is the 75th percentile. All of his development seems to be on track, except for the lack of walking. The doctor wants him to begin a program with First Steps if he doesn't walk in the next month . . . no pressure, Buddy!

Walking?

In the Pool

Daddy bought Gabriel a baby pool Saturday morning. By the afternoon, the sun had been on it long enough that the water was comfortable, and the kiddo took an impromptu dip. He had fun splashing in the water!

Tantrum!

Gabriel threw a huge tantrum today when we were leaving Staci's house. He absolutely did not want to get in the car seat. He arched his back, beat his fists, kicked his legs, and screamed. It took five minutes to get him into the car seat. I hope that this is not a preview of what we have to look forward to!

Little Monkey

No, he can't walk, but he can climb up on top of his toy chest with no problem at all. We're in trouble!

Sitting in the Grass

Gabriel hates to sit in the grass. He hates the way it tickles his legs, and usually he will sit with his legs lifted up. Sunday at Uncle Rob and Aunt Wendy's house, we put Gabriel on a blanket in the yard. He would not leave the blanket because that meant that he had to get in the grass. Later, at Grandma and Grandpa's house, we sat him in the grass hoping that it might encourage him to get up and walk. No Dice! He sat patiently and waited for Grandma to feel sorry enough to come and get him. Honestly, if Grandma hadn't, Mommy would have. We're suckers for our little boy!

Grandma Book

Gabriel has a book about Grandmothers. It has photographs of all of his grandmas and great grandmas in it. He giggles when he sees some of the photos and recognizes the people.

Playtime in the Kitchen

Gabriel cleaned out Mommy's Tupperware cabinet. He took all of the bowls out that he could reach and spread them all over the kitchen floor. When that was done, he opened the drawer above the cabinet and tried to reach what was inside the drawer. Luckily he is still a little too short to reach inside the top drawers in the kitchen.

Look mom! no hands

Denise is out of town last night and tonight. Gabe and I have been having fun! He walked all the way across the kitchen with the help of his john deer tractor. ( thanks aunt carol and uncle carl!)