Photo update

Here's some of the things Gabriel has been up to. 

Playing at Will's 3rd birthday party. 

Wearing a hat, just like Daddy...but backward. 

Wearing Daddy's hat and shades at dinner. Dinner tastes better that way. 

Chomping on a cupcake at the preschool Thanksgiving party. 

Not wanting his picture taken. 

Building and then knocking down a tall tower. 

Lining up french fries. 

Doing puzzles and learning games on "his computer" (the iPad). 

Being super cool. 

Going down the slide at the park. 

Decorating and eating Christmas cookies. 

Watching movies with Will. (While uncle Cory watches the big TV.)

2 1/2 Year Letter

Dear Gabriel,
You are talking up a storm these days. It seems like you never stop. You point out things you see while we're driving in the car, you summarize things that you just did, and you tell us what you want us to do. You ask for help, but we're still working on getting you to verbalize what you want help with. You will tell me you want to go to the kitchen, but you won't tell me what you want from the kitchen.

We're also working on verbalizing your feelings when you get really upset. You are so quick to total frustration. I think your feelings overwhelm you and the part that could tell us what is wrong shuts down. We've had trouble working on this because you can flip the switch back to happy in a heartbeat, too. There isn't much time to help you work through the frustration and figure out how to express what is going on. But we'll keep working on it.

Lately you've been building lots of block towers and castles and playing with the train set. Sometimes you pull out the boxes of blocks and then make us wait because they're not ready yet. Then you path your hand and look around a bit before you suddenly declare that they are ready. I don't know if you're mimicking behavior of someone else or if you have just found another way to gain control. You love to have control. You also love to do puzzles. You are rocking the 9-piece puzzles and like to do larger puzzles together. At Christmas, you got a small xylophone for bathtub play and you love to bang on that thing while I sing Jingle Bells.

You've started singing along with many of the songs I sing to you. It's funny to hear how you process the song and sing the "words." Your favorites seem to be the ABCs and Bah Bah Black Sheep. At bedtime, you ask me to sing these two songs in different voices. Sometimes you want me to stick my tongue out while I sing so that all the sounds are funny. Sometimes you want me to do each syllable in a staccato fashion. One time you wanted me to kind of croak(?) the words out, and other times you tell me we have to whisper.

I see your imagination starting to develop. You have conversations with monkey and sometimes monkey and sheep have conversations. Lately you'll say hi to something (monkey, sheep, mommy, my shoulder) and then say "How are you today?" It's pretty adorable.

You are still as independent and strong-willed as you have ever been, but you are sweet and happy and pretty easy to work with. You really are a lot of fun at this age. It's amazing to watch as you continue to develop your personality.

Love,
Mama

Halloween 2013

This little Nemo did not want to wear the hat to complete his look.
He also did not want to stand still, so our documentation of the event is minimal.

It was Gabriel's first time to go trick or treating. It was actually my first time, too. We had fun together. Though we really only made it to half a dozen houses before he stripped the Nemo costume off and we went on home.

The cutest part was when he ran, the fins on the back wiggled back and forth. I really wish I had video.

These few pictures will have to do.

Belated Birthday pictures

We celebrated Gabriel's 2nd birthday while on vacation in Niagara Falls. I'm pretty late in posting these...sorry!

Two Year Well Check

At G's 2 year well-check appointment, he was:
weight: 31 pounds 8 ounces (80%)
height: 36 inches (88%)
head circ: 49.75 cm (76%)

Slightly less of a bobble-head situation going on now. :)

Two Year Letter

Dear Gabriel,

Last week we celebrated your second birthday. Somehow you are already 2 years old! Time has flown, it seems.

In April you started going to Sunrise Montessori. This has been a great change for you. You really enjoy your time at school where you wok on social skills and all kinds of cognitive and physical development. You love to do things for yourself, like serve yourself food.

Sunrise has been a great opportunity for you to experience a more structured day that still allows you to have some control over what you focus on. You even got to watch butterflies hatch.

You’re also learning about using the potty. You’ve used the potty successfully several times now, but you’re not consistent about it. We’re not pushing it yet, but the fact that you are interested in the process is good.

You had your first school pictures taken this spring. It almost seemed silly to get school pictures when you weren’t even 2 years old yet, but man are they cute. You look so darn grown up.

Lately you’ve been dancing and singing for us. You love to groove to a good beat, and you often grab something to use as a microphone (or use your hand) and shout “Duppa duppa day!” It’s so cute that Daddy bought you a microphone for your birthday. Now you can perform for us all the time!

Your language and vocabulary development has really taken off in the past couple of months. You talk a lot and can mostly tell us what you want with words now. You’ve been putting 2 or 3 word phrases together for a little while, like “socks and shoes” or “help please, mama.” This morning you came into the bedroom and said “I’m drinking milk.” Sentences!! Your daddy has more trouble understanding you than I do, but you’re getting clearer every day.

Just this past week you’ve started doing some two-foot jumps. And you’re still a dare-devil about climbing and jumping on things. There is very little fear in your heart, little man. You’re still fairly clumsy, though. It seems you always have a bruise or scratch somewhere from running or falling.

You’re still a good helper. You are great at putting your dishes in the sink after a meal, at throwing trash away, at putting dirty clothes in the laundry hamper, and helping load or unload the dishwasher and clothes washer and dryer. Sometimes you help sweep or vacuum around the house, too. Your teacher at school says you are a good helper there, too.

You pay a lot of attention to what is going on so you can try to understand how it all works. You love to play with trains, you love to do puzzles, and you love to read books. You like to build towers with blocks and to throw balls. And! You learned to open all the doors in our house, so nothing is off-limits anymore. Plus, you go into a room and close the door behind you, just because you can.

You’re growing up, my little boy. Keep at it. I love to watch you learn.

Love,

mama

First Plane Ride

Gabriel took his first plane ride today. He did really well and even took a nap. 

Paisley's Birthday Party

I took Gabriel to a classmate's birthday party today. It was at Pump It Up where the kids can climb and bounce on large inflated bounce houses and slides. 

Gabriel went straight up the ladder and down the big slide as his first thing. It was pretty difficult for him to climb that ladder at first, but he was not giving up, even when bigger kids went right past him and made him feel unsure of his footing. 

After the first time down, he still wanted to climb up, but wasn't so sure about going down that long, fast slide again. So the second and third times he ended up needing help from an employee to come down the slide. 

He liked going in the bounce houses, too. I thought he might get overwhelmed by all the bigger kids bouncing near him and knocking him down, but he really had fun. He went back and forth and back and forth between different activities and smiled the whole time. 

 

He was definitely the smallest/youngest one there, but he was by no means the most timid. 

Brave Mr. G. 

He's a Dancin' Fool!

Gabriel was getting his groove on last night during the credits of Shrek Forever After.

Milestone: language

Gabriel is saying many more words now. Most recently he started saying stuck, hug, and no. Lots of no.