40 Weeks

Our little bundle of joy is no longer little, I'm afraid!  At 40 weeks old, Gabriel is sitting, crawling (well, he still isn't lifting his belly off the floor, but he gets around pretty quickly!), and pulling himself up to standing.  Here's a link to an army crawl video!

Sleep is still hit or miss, as are the lengths of naps.  Nursing continues to go well (and at the same rate as before), and Gabriel is constantly expanding his food exploration.  (Although, bananas, cucumbers, and avocado are not as interesting at this time as they once were.  Red grapes and blueberries have been the new favorites.)  Gabe has been grunting/yelling out when he wants something and crying (I mean real tantrum crying) when we take something away (like his cup when he tries to throw it off the highchair).  He is drooling like crazy, so we are anticipating a new tooth soon (hopefully).

Early in the week, we had Gabe's 9 month pediatrician visit.  He is up to 16 lbs 15.5 ounces (ok, let's just call it 17 lbs, haha!) and 27 inches long.  He gained 4 whole pounds in 3 months!  Excellent!  (Typically, babies this age tend to slow down weight gain to less than a pound a month because they are becoming mobile and learning how to eat solid food, which can tend to have fewer calories and fat than breastmilk.  So Gabriel is doing very well and making up for lost time!)

"Yes!  Gained 4 lbs in 3 months!"

"You're the best, Mommy!"  (pointing to Mommy the photographer)

We had the Kozaczka's over for some BBQ, and the three boys had the opportunity to play together.  Well, Hudson is still "stationary," so he mostly watched Gabe watching (and sometimes trying to crawl after) Wyatt.  I can't wait until all 3 are able to play together!  Soon!  And I am sure they will be triple-trouble!

With the nice weather we were having, I took the opportunity to take Gabe out in the yard and get some cute photos and a video.

Checking out Daddy's landscaping

Watching the clouds

Thoughtful

We visited the Worcester Historical Museum for Free Fun Friday.  It was cool to check out the history of Worcester's factories and industries.  We are learning that Gabriel likes these types of places - so much to look at!  (A note to parents - strollers were not allowed in the museum; we're not sure if this is the case all the time or just in anticipation of a busy day...)

Space suits made by David Clark Company

 

"With" Robert Goddard, Father of Modern Rocketry

Any way you pronounce it, haha!

We also celebrated Grammy's birthday this week.  We decided to have everyone over here, since we wanted to show off the updated paint job after the ice damage and our new sectional sofa.  It was a nice day out, so we got to enjoy being out on the deck too.  Happy birthday Grammy!!

9 Months of Joy

Yep, this kid is now 9 months old!  (And 39 weeks on the same day.)  Notice how his knees now have chubby little rolls!  So cute!

We started off the week with a mega-purchase!  We brought home a beautiful brand-new blue 2015 VW Passat LE.  I have to give a big thank you to our nephew Daniel for taking the long tedious hours time to explain to me the differences between buying & leasing and also the bells & whistles of the Passat.  I will be honest here (as usual!), this was my first new car purchase EVER.  Craig & I decided we needed something more dependable now that we have a family and New England winters are just shy of daily blizzards.  We also got a nice maintenance package so my dear husband does not have to do any oil changes or regular maintenance until 60,000 miles.  (This is definitely a benefit, since I can now nag someone who does car repair for a living instead of my hubby!)  I just have to come up with a name for the new car now...  thoughts?  (My old choice for a car name was Paolo, but I feel like I need something new for a new car!)

Yippee!  Mama got a new car!

Mommy took out Gabriel's giraffe rocker from Christmas (Thanks Godparents Chelsea & Andre!) finally and got a cute picture of him on it.

This week we headed to the Kingsbury's for a play date.  Connor (almost 3) was loving on Gabriel!  He wanted to hug him and kiss him and give him toys.  It was really cute!  Once the twins (Carolyn & Lucas, almost 2) woke up from their nap, they were bringing Gabe toys left and right.  It was so fun to see him interacting with other kids well.

Gabe has been interested in playing peek-a-boo lately.  He decided the shower curtain was a good option for a hiding place!  Click here for the video.

We have nicknamed the worm "Gabby Gabe" this week.  He has started "talking" in more understandable "ba ba ba ba" language.  Click here for a video.  Other talents for the week include being able to sit back up from reaching forward on his belly and waving!  Gabriel is also starting to crawl (though he still has a little trouble picking his chest/belly off the floor, so it is more of an army-style crawl).  So, Mommy and Daddy broke out baby jail the baby play yard in order to corral this kid during times like when we want to cook dinner or grab something from the basement.  He's not the biggest fan, but he has enough toys to entertain himself!

Our niece Justine made Gabe a cute stegosaurus dinosaur toy complete with ribbon "spikes" on its back.  (I am impressed at how great she is doing with sewing awesome items using nothing but a picture!)  Gabe loves cuddling it!

I hosted an online Usborne books party a week or so ago, and we were blessed with an awesome gift from my babysitter (when I was young) & family friend, Ginny Julian.  She purchased a bunch of books for Gabe (Thank you!!), which we received this week.  He dug right in!

I'll leave you with a final picture that I swear means Gabriel is going to be a genius!  I mean, who else could read a book while sleeping?  Must be a smart kid!

38 Weeks

This week was fun-filled as usual:  a little play dating, a little sight-seeing, and a little family time.

• Teeth:  Still only the lower two incisors.  However, the drooling and chewing is going full-force, so we think another one (or two?) may be lurking.
• Crawling:  Not fully yet, but Gabe did start this army crawl thing where he slides himself forward (belly still on floor) with the tips of his toes.  Click here for a video example.
• Sleeping:  Some nights Gabriel goes from 7:30pm-5:45am and then back to sleep till 7 or 7:30 after nursing.  Other nights he has random wake-ups at all different hours.
• Eating:  He PLOWED through a half a corn cob on Saturday!  And I mean seriously ate >85% of the kernels off clean!  With only 2 teeth!  He has had corn cobs before, but he never got much off, even when I "started" it for him.  We were amazed!  (I think Auntie Debbie made magical corn cobs or something - it was so fun watching him devour it!)  I also captured a few special moments with cousin Evan & with Grammy.

 

Daddy grabbed a picture

• Drinking:  Gabe is doing well with various types of cups, but he has a bad habit of trying to throw them (as well as any food he doesn't want at the time).  This is the face I got when I took away the straw cup before it could land on the floor!

 

• Playing:  Some new second-hand toys have Gabe enthralled this week.  Craig set him up on the alphabet train and got some cute shots.  We have also been teaching him how to share his toys (in hopes this will continue later in life!).

We scheduled a last-minute photo shoot with a photographer (Photography by Suzanne) late last week and got the pictures back this week.  I can't get over how cute Gabriel is!  (Ok, I know that I am his mother and I'm supposed to say that, but we do get compliments on his cuteness almost everywhere we go, haha!)  Here are some of our favorites:

On Thursday, Gabe and I went out adventuring.  We had a play date with Julia & Irina first, then stopped over at the Kingsbury's to see Auntie Janet (Carolyn & Lucas were napping and Connor was at day care).  No picture evidence, sorry!  That night I "hosted" an online Usborne books Facebook party.  (I'm not usually into the direct sales stuff, but as you already know, I can't resist a good book for Gabe - or myself - so this was the perfect opportunity to get a free book for hosting and a discount on other books.  The consultant, Katie, did a great job - it was really fun!)  We were blessed to receive a wonderful gift of several books for Gabe from our long-time family friend (& one of my babysitters when I was little!) Ginny Julian - Thank you so much, Mrs J!  (If anyone wants to order, please let me know; shopping is still open for the weekend!  Sorry, couldn't resist that plug!)

We have been taking advantage of Massachusetts' "Free Fun Fridays," and this week that landed us at the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton.  So much for educating Gabriel - he slept through the whole thing!  After the museum, we had a picnic lunch at the Wachusett Reservoir.

Maybe he absorbed the culture through his eyelids...

Woke up for lunch at the reservoir!

 

A beautiful spot for a picnic!  Just hope the dam holds!

Not so tall now, are you, hubby?  Haha!

A couple of fun videos:
Angry Monkeys
Morning Jig

Other pictures from the week:

Watching Daddy fix the steam heater

Practicing standing on the new couch

After-bath hair do