Stuntman

Here's a picture of Gabriel from Mother's Day. We spent the day at a park with my family.

Gabriel is growing up so quickly. He's starting to look like a little boy rather than a baby. He is cutting two new teeth right now, his front top two teeth. We are getting ready to go on our trip to Ohio and Kentucky. I know he'll have a good time with all of his family, particularly his cousins. (He loves to watch older kids play.)
He continues to get closer to crawling. He gets up on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth. He is already trying to pull himself up although he can't do that from a sitting position. We are fairly certain he is going to walk soon after crawling. He loves to stand and rock back and forth on our laps.
One funny side note is he shakes his head back and forth whenever I blow dry my hair.
I had a wonderful first Mother's Day. I feel as though I am in a new category of life. I, of course, have a lot more respect for my own mother. I think of all of the sacrifices I have already made in my life, sacrificing my personal time and energy for that of my son. At times it seems overwhelming but then I play with Gabriel and he looks up at me and smiles with such love and admiration. It makes it all worth while.

Here is a picture of Gabriel with his Grandpa Riley from the end of April.











Well I said I would try to post more and miracle of miracles I am posting again within two weeks of my last post. Not much new here just life as usual. Gabriel is doing very well, no new colds which is great! He continues to be on the verge of crawling but hasn't completely figured it out. He is, however, starting to walk when we guide him. I am thinking he is probably going to be one of those kids that crawls for a very short time and then goes to walking. He definately seems more motivated to walk than crawl.
It is always a wonder to watch him as he matures into a toddler. Recently he has been really watching my husband and me for our facial expressions. He seems to be doing this when he is playing or doing something new. I read that they do that to figure out if something he is doing is alright or if it is wrong. It is amazing that he has the intellect to figure that out. He cannot talk yet and does not understand what we say for the most part, but he knows to look to our faces to read our reactions. Amazing!
Gabriel, of course, continues to be adorable. He usually has a big smile on his face and is recognizing people regularly. He gets really excited and breathes heavy when we play with him. He is graduating slowly to regular food. He loves goldfish crackers and I dare say french fries. (gasp!) Yes he has tried them, his Grandma Hott and I were eating at McDonalds and he was watching us so intently while we were eating that we decided to let him try a little. But that will be a few and far between meal.
Obie, or dog, no longer lives with us. She has moved to Grandpa Riley and Grandma (or Nana) Mary's house. We could no longer put up with the pooping on the carpet, especially with Gabriel being ready to start moving around. She is actually enjoying it, she loves to sun herself on the patio. It was a sad loss to our little family but I must say it is refreshing not having to worry about taking the dog out. I will continue to try to update this blog in the future.