We threw a kids' birthday party for Gabe a week after his actual birthday - 11 children under the age of 4! It was fun and nerve-wracking at the same time, but everyone had a good time and there were no meltdowns! When kids (and their parents) started coming in and playing with the toys we put out, Gabriel got a little weird and went to site by himself a few feet away in the kitchen. We're thinking he might be a little bit of an introvert until he gets to know someone; but luckily, after a little bit, he came right over to play with everyone.
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| Cake courtesy of Chantel's Sweet Treats |
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| All dressed up for his party! |
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| Waiting for our guests |
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| Looks yummy! |
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| Mommy went a little overboard with balloons! |
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| Gabe & Samuel |
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| Gabe & Julian |
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| Gabe & Richard |
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| Hudson |
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| Carolyn, Lucas, & Connor |
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| Wyatt, waiting for cake |
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| Irina, supervising the boys |
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| Emma & Gabe |
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| Oooh, candles! |
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| Proud Mommy & Daddy! |
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| Wyatt & Gabe "fighting" over who gets to touch Hudson's head! |
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| Getting walking assistance from Babcia |
Gabriel received a huge blue truck for his birthday from his Godparents (thank you!). It has become the love of his life, haha! He can't leave it alone and screams when you try to lure him away for a diaper change or a meal. Here's a
Video of Gabe's new wheels, plus some pictures below.
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| Pushing the truck around the house with Daddy steering |
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| Kissing the truck! |
The next day, we had a LaTour family birthday party over at Craig's sister Deb's house - we celebrated Hailey (6), Evan (8), Lorene & Julie (never ask a woman her age, haha!), and Gabriel (1).
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| Another beautiful cake from Chantel's Sweet Treats |
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| Babcia was in town to celebrate with us |
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| Happy birthday, Hailey! |
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| Gabe's new Brady jersey & football |
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| Watching the game with Uncle Clark |
It's amazing how much Gabriel has learned in his first year. I don't think we were prepared for how quickly he soaked everything up like a sponge! This month, Gabe:
- finally stopped crawling with his belly on the ground
- knows how to find his brush from among other items and attempts to brush his hair
- says "splash," "truck," "stairs," "socks," "shoes," "meow," and "all done" in addition to "Dada" and a whiny rendition of "Mama"
- attempts to head-butt the cats
- turns light switches on & off
- knows the difference between "little truck," "big truck," and "giant truck"
- points at everything
- throws a ball to get it to light up
- has woken up a few times without crying/screaming
Here are some videos of fun moments this month:
- Video of Gabe singing
- Video of Gabe walking around the play yard
- Video of Gabe climbing the stairs
- Video of Gabe pushing his toy
- Video of Gabe "asking for help"
- Video of Gabe warming up for American Idol; and Part II
- Video of Gabe splashing (aka practicing his doggy paddle)
Mid-month, we moved Grammy to her new place and got a few fun photos.
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| Dancing on the kitchen table! |
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| Evan, Gabe, and Auntie Debbie |
Gabe & I met up with Nicole & Richard on the 23rd for a VERY COLD day at the park. None of us was prepared for the wind chill, so after a quick swing and slide, we ended up at the local Dunkin' Donuts to warm up.
We had a lovely Thanksgiving at Clark & Julie's. Hailey couldn't stay away from her cousin! It was so funny how Gabriel wiggled when she tried to hold him!
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| "Let us go eat turkey!" |
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| Smiling with Auntie Rene |
Other pictures from the month:
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| Can't shovel it in fast enough! |
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| Hamming it up for a selfie |
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| "Pick me! Pick me!" |
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| "It wasn't me." |
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| Rearranging the play yard |
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| Brushing his teeth with his buddy Zephyr |
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| Penguin pjs! |
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| Shirt caption: "Baby of the Year" |
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| Reliving Mommy's childhood memories! |
