Daddy Football

Since we have gotten home, Gabe has been a Daddy's boy for the most part.  He asks about David constantly & likes to watch football or pretend to play video games with him.  He gets really excited about watching football & will even make me turn on the TV when David is gone.  He gets mad if I can't find it & yells "FOOTBALL...NO TV....FOOTBALL!!!"

 

Swimming Pool

There was an indoor pool at the condo that Gabe became quite fond of.  The water outside was pretty chilly, but inside it was very warm & a good temperature for him to go in & out of.  He wanted to be Mr. Independent (of course) & was not thrilled to be held by anyone.  He would constantly try to push you away even though he can't even begin to swim.  He could climb up & down the stairs & spent a lot of time hanging on to the rail.  After the first day we bought him a swim vest & that seemed to help a lot.  He still can't swim by himself because he doesn't understand how to keep his feet underneath him, but it was much easier to just brace him.  He would jump in, go all the way under, pop back up & then we would grab him.  He had a great time on the stairs & even climbed the big ladder to jump back in.  Gabe enjoyed swimming with Grandma.  He definitely loves the water & will be a good swimmer someday.

 

Gatorland

Our next big trip was to Gatorland, also in Orlando.  It is a rescue & breeding park for alligators, crocodiles, snakes, exotic birds & turtles.  I'm not sure anyone knows exactly how many alligators they have, but it seemed like 1,000 or more.  They came in all different sizes from the tiny ones to 13 foot long ones.  They even had 4 albino alligators.  Again, the park was not very crowded, & we got to see everything up close.  When we first walked in, Gabe wanted out of the stroller so he could look at the "dinosaurs".  He had a great time going from fence to fence to see the different piles of alligators hanging out in the sun.  We taught him to say "gator" instead, & he was captivated.

After watching an unsuccessful attempt to get the gators to jump (they said it was too cold at 10 am....68 degree weather), we headed to see the giant tortoises.  We went into their pen to feed them sweet potato on a stick, & Gabe wanted to do it all by himself.  There was really only one moment when I thought he might get his finger bitten off, but Grandma was there to help.  I'm sure the tortoise was a little frustrated with us as Gabe tried his hardest to hold his stick steady & shove the potato in his mouth.  We then got them up & walking so we could pet them.

Gabe was also very excited about the snakes.  He likes to make the "SSSSSS" sound & got to look at several of them up close.  He even got to pet a snake (well he tried to pinch it) & a baby gator.  He really wanted to touch a tarantula, but I was worried the tarantula would not survive the experience.  :)  We watched a gator wrestling show & got to sit on the back of the gator together.  Gabe was very excited about this & was not pleased that he had to wait in line to touch the big gator.

After a quick lunch including some gator nuggets, we fed some hotdogs to a few of the big gators & got to ride on the small train around the park.  Gabe had been talking about this train every time he saw or heard it. But, he was tired & within the first 5 minutes he fell asleep on my lap.  We walked around a little after transferring him to his stroller, & he woke up just in time to help me eat my ice cream before heading back to the condo.

Sea World

One of the things that I looked most forward to was Sea World.  I had never been there & was very excited to see the killer whale & dolphin shows.  Gabe also loves animals so I knew that he would have a great time.  We drove the hour & a half to Orlando & got to the park shortly after it opened.  Since it was off season, there were not as many people as you might expect (& a lot from Europe actually).  We were able to walk around quite easily, first seeing their cold exhibits with polar bears, a walrus & beluga whale.  Gabe was mesmerized by the walrus as he swam in one large circle, over & over & over, pausing in exactly the same spot.

We moved on to the killer whale show, & while I was amazed by their size, Gabe seemed uninterested.  He instead wanted to climb down the stairs, up onto the bench or hang through the side rails.  He spent several minutes trying on Grandma's sunglasses & showing off to the people around us.

We meandered around the park, visiting the seals, seal lions, manta rays, sting rays, dolphins, manatees, turtles, alligators, sharks & lots of fish.  Gabe seemed to like the big fish tanks, especially the sharks!  He was very excited when we went through the shark tube, & they swam over & around us.  He also like the manta ray pool where we got to stick our arms in & pet them.  (Gabe's arms were too short to touch anything so he just splashed, & I'm pretty sure he scared the rays away rather than attracted them.)

We ended up at the dolphin show in the early afternoon.  Gabe did better at this show, partly because there was more action & partly because the man next to us shared his popcorn.  He was also European & thought it was so fun to watch Gabe stick his arm way down into the bag.  The dolphin show also had exotic birds & human divers so the adults were entertained as well.

After a pretty busy day, Gabe finally passed out in his stroller.  We grabbed a couple souvenirs & a quick bite to eat then got to sit down when he took a quick nap.  He woke up & had chicken nuggets, & we headed back to the condo.  Gabe & I both took naps on the way home!!

Daytona Speedway

The Daytona Speedway was close by so we decided to definitely make a stop even though we aren't big race fans.  Gabe was still a little cranky/clingy so we didn't want to travel far.  We got to walk around a little before we took a half hour tour of the track.  The sheer size of the stands is astonishing to me & the number of people that attend their events.  We got to take a picture on the winners stage & see the car that won last year's Daytona 500.  Gabe was back to his rambunctious self, running around trying to climb on things or touching things that he probably shouldn't.  There were several places where cars were roped off & he just ducked right under to go touch them!  He also enjoyed throwing pennies into the fountain out front & chasing after the tiny lizards he saw in the bushes.

Playing inside the gift shop.

Standing on the winner's platform.

The view of the stands from the infield.

Daytona Beach

Gabe & I headed down to Florida with my mother-in-law to spend the week after Thanksgiving in a condo. When we planned this trip in early summer, David was originally supposed to go with us.  However, after enrolling in school, he decided that class was more important so he got a mini-vacation from us.  :)  We left in the morning on Black Friday & took two days to make it to our condo in Daytona Beach.  We stayed right on the beach & even had to drive over water to get there.  Gabe did great in the car, reading the 25 books we brought along, throwing his ball of yarn from Grandma & discovering the movie "Finding Nemo."  Pretty sure he only wanted to watch the "fish/shark" movie the rest of vacation.

Unfortunately, about an hour away from our destination Gabe threw up in the car....multiple times.  We ended up having to change his clothes twice, put a towel underneath him in the car seat & make him wear a bib until we got there.  He was coughing & caught a flu bug, so he was just miserable that last little bit.  I'm pretty sure he wanted nothing more than to climb in my lap but we made it!  It was dark when we finally arrived, but we were able to open our windows & hear the waves crashing down below.  After unpacking quickly, Gabe got a bath & went to bed.  Needless to say we had a lot of laundry the next day.  He wasn't sick again once we got there but was very whiny & clingy the next day (understandable of course).  He spent a lot of the day cuddled in my arms & even fell asleep on my lap several times.  He was eating by the end of the day & slept better the next night.

The view outside our window.

The weather was very pleasant our whole trip, between 65 & 75 each day.  There were a couple of overcast days, but definitely better than what it was back home.  Gabe loved talking about the ocean & got to go play on the beach several days.  The water was a little chilly & the first day Gabe would literally run away from the waves.  He reminded me of one of the birds on the beach....walking along playing only to realize the wave was close & run screaming in the opposite direction.  Hilarious!  Eventually we got him into the water, & he had a great time throwing seaweed the second day!

Avoiding the water.

Playing in the waves.

Picking up seaweed.

Throwing shells in his bucket.

The Atlantic Ocean.

Quick Thanksgiving

As has been tradition for several years, we headed to my parents house for our Timm Thanksgiving.  My sisters & I all converge on my parents & have wonderful food & spend family time together.  Being farther away from everyone really makes me appreciate any time we get to spend with them!  Gabe also loves to spend time with his cousins even if it means fighting over toys with Coye & trying his hardest to figure out a way around the gate so that he can climb up & down the stairs.  We also got to see one of my Aunts & visit with her. Our normal Thanksgiving this year was cut a little short....by a trip to Florida!  No complaining here. :)  Here are a few pics of Gabe & I....David managed to squirm out of them somehow.

Halloween 2012

Gabe had a great Halloween this year....mostly because he got candy!  :)  He was both a baseball player & Nemo.  Or course both costumes were adorable on him!  The best part of the Nemo costume was the tail....it wagged back & forth as he walked...I had to take a video!  He got to carve a pumpkin with the assistance of Daddy & talked about his pumpkin for days....can't count the number of times he yelled "Oh punkin!!"

We first attended Trunk or Treat at church the night before Halloween.  It was held inside because of the weather, & there were actually quite a lot of people there.  Gabe wasn't thrilled about wearing the hat for his costume, but he quickly forgot with all of the other kids to watch & all of the candy to grab.  There was a bouncy house for the older kids & he spent a good 5 minutes just watching them jump.....literally just stood there.  We got lots of compliments on our cute Nemo & had donuts & juice afterwards.  I'm really glad we got to go!

Since Halloween was on a Wednesday, Gabe got to wear a costume to the sitter's house.  I decided that he could wear his baseball uniform since there was no way he could be Nemo all day.  It was a good thing he wasn't any bigger because the costume just fit....his buttons actually gaped when he sat down.  He had a great time all day & came to visit me at work with Daddy.

I then changed him into his Nemo costume so the women in my office could see him.  We took him down the hall, & he got a few more pieces of candy.  We actually had no other trick or treaters at work so everyone was excited to see him.  Later that night, David & I decided we didn't really want to take Gabe out in the cold & drizzle.  He had no idea what he was missing out on so I figured we could just hand out candy instead.  So, Nemo & I answered the door for about 20 mins until we ran out of candy.  He was so funny....he would wait until he saw someone, call for me & then just stare when I opened the door.  I kept trying to get him to say hi or bye, but he was silent.  Until the door closed....then he was waving & saying "bye-bye".

His favorite candy by far are suckers....but he also loves chocolate.  When he hears a wrapper rustling, he now screams "chocolate" & comes running!

Gabe & his pumpkin...& his sucker.

In his baseball costume.

The clothes he wore under Nemo...I thought his little girl leggings were hilarious....David was not happy.  :)

Carrying his bucket in his pjs & baseball hat.

At Trunk or Treat.

Watching the kids jump in the bouncy house.

With Mommy & Daddy

 With Grandma Diane

Reading books as Nemo

Waiting at the door for Trick or Treaters.

The Language of Gabe

As Gabe has begun to talk more & more, we have had to learn to "speak Gabe."  He has a language all of his own, & he is constantly adding new words & sounds that I have to figure out.  The easy ones like "bankie" & "snack" are not bad.  But he calls spiders "fly" & uses "opie" to mean open, help me & up at different times.  Applesause is "apeshaw" & "dadoo" is dinosaur (& maybe tractor).  Sometimes he just spits out a whole bunch of sounds & looks at me like I was supposed to understand him.  We have weekly conversations that involve me trying to tell him that I don't know what he wants while he points/gestures/rants & gets frunstrated.  Trying to figure out what book he wants to read at bedtime is like a guessing game.  He started saying "koopa" last week, & it took us two days to figure out that he was talking about the scooper on his toy truck.  He also told my mother-in-law "Gamma mean" when she took something away from him.  :)  Personality is not something this little boy will ever lack!

Gabe has finally learned to say please when he asks for something & now thinks it is the magic word for getting things he wants, like cookies or suckers or my cellphone.  I always feel bad because he just doesn't understand sometimes.  But it still amazes me how much he picks up on things & how much he actually does comprehend when I tell him things.  He is growing so fast!  I am very appreciative of my babysitter because he is her youngest charge & she always tries to include him.  I know that he has picked up a lot of his speech & maturity at her house hanging out with the kids one or two years older.  He loves other kids & is constantly trying to imitate what they do.  He does this with David too.  They sat on the couch watching football last weekend, & Gabe copied David's body position down to the hand on his face.  Very cute!

Gabe continues to eat like a pig & develop more & more physical ability.  He has reached a clumsy stage because he tries to run too fast or turns really quickly & ends up tripping or falling down.  Pretty sure he bumps his head at least five times a day, some worse than others.  He has had numerous fat lips, bruises & even a big slit on the inside of his bottom lip where he fell & his teeth must have broken the skin.  He is a pretty tough kid & usually only needs a couple of minutes of hugs or a quick distraction to calm down.  He doesn't slow down until he falls alseep...definitely all boy....all the time!

Reading books

He has finally mastered using his beach ball as a chair.

18 Months!!

Today our baby boy is 18 months old.  I can't believe so much time has passed so quickly.  I am very very thankful for Gabriel & the light he brings into our lives!

Gabe had a checkup this week, & he seems to be growing like a weed!!  He is 26.4 lbs (fully clothed) & 34 inches tall.  I was surprised to learn he is in the 90th percentile for height, but everyone tells me he is soooo tall & looks older than he really is.  (He definitely thinks he is older too!)  He is moving along well developmentally & never seems to slow down.

He continues to talk a lot, especially at home when it is just the two or three of us.  He has started to string words together & has become fascinated with the concept that something is "gone."  He likes to tell us "Daddy gone" or "Mommy gone" even if we just leave the room for a couple of minutes.  He continues to also try our patience & test the limits on what he can do.  He just gets this ornery look on his face that lets me know I better be watching because he is going to do something his is probably not supposed to.  As you can tell, he has quite the personality & can be very stubborn/head strong at times.  My sitter told me this week that she had never watched a little boy who could be so dramatic.  Happy one minute, screaming mad the next & then goofy soon thereafter.  I know that we have a long road ahead of us when it comes to controlling some of those emotions & learning how to properly express them. 

Gabe is constantly working on his climbing skills & has been found on the couch, the kitchen table, the coffee table, the TV stand & numerous chairs around the house.  If he can pull himself up onto it & there is enough room for him to sit, then you will find him there.  David said he recently caught him in our bedroom, pulling the dresser drawers out & attempting to climb up them to reach the top.  He loves being outdoors & going for walks around the subdivision.  I can't wait for the snow to come this year so that he can go out & play in it for real. 

Aunt Dani (my sister) came to visit us last weekend, & we had a great time mostly hanging out at home.  I think this was the first time she & Gabe got to spend a lot of time one on one.  He loved her & was even starting to say something close to Dani by the time she left.  :)

Wearing his new winter coat.  He insisted on trying it out.

Helping Aunt Dani with her work.

His favorite hiding spot in the laundry room between the furnace & water heater.