Mama's got another new ride...

Daddy wanted to join in the fun too!

(and he looked pretty cute on my schwinn beach cruiser bike)

Until next time...

Now that Gabe is quite mobile these days, the last thing he wants is to be confined. Lately, whenever I try to put him in his exersaucer or jumperoo, he screams bloody murder... so we packed them up and put them away. No more tripping over these big toys. I remember the first time we let Gabe try out these fun toys... he was just 4 1/2 months!

He was too little for it at first so I had to prop him up with blankets!

He got his jumperoo for Christmas and like the exersaucer he was a bit too small for it.... nothing a pillow couldn't fix though :)

Father's Day Gift

Where did we take Andy for his very special Father's Day surprise?

We took him to the Harford County Airport...

So he could fly this!

Yes, he really flew this...with a little help from an experienced pilot of course! They flew all over the place... they even flew to Ocean City!

There sure are a lot of controls and switches!

While Andy was flying... Gabe and I watched safely from the ground and talked to the owner of the airport. He gave us a little flying lesson of our own.

There goes daddy!

He made it back in one piece!

After Andy landed, we had to get him home to rest. While he didn't actually get sick, he was feeling quite queasy after this fun filled adventure...

Hopefully Gabe and I gave Andy a First Father's Day gift that he will never forget :)

My apologies...

After receiving several phone calls and texts... I wanted to clear the air. I didn't think about the fact that posting about my new ride and then posting about "Andy's special surprise... that will be revealed later" would cause inquisitive minds to believe that I am pregnant!

Well let me assure you... there is no baby on the way!!! Good grief... I would have to be out of my mind to put myself through that... 2 under 2...not happening!

Gabe and I will be taking Andy somewhere special on Saturday... pics to come!

Happy First Father's Day!

Father's Day was a relaxing Sunday filled with family fun! We hung out in our PJ's... we enjoyed a nice big breakfast... we played... we did some work around the house...we went for a walk in Gabe's "car car", and Andy and I spent hours putting together an entertainment center from IKEA!

Gabe, however, did have a few special gifts for his "DaDa"!

He made him a card...

and then wanted to eat the card...

and he made him a super neat garden stone with his footprint...

(We'll put that right next to the dead Mother's Day plant ;)

I love how Zoey wanted to be next to her daddy too!

Andy also received another special gift... which will be revealed at a later time ;) Gabe and I sent him all around the house on a scavenger hunt... gathering clues for this super fun and special gift!

Later that afternoon, we got to play with Pop-pop Jr., Rebecca, and Aunt Amy. It was so nice seeing everyone! Gabe just loved having a new audience to entertain!

Happy First Father's Day Andy!

Gabe is one lucky little boy!

Mama's got a new ride

Well, I did it! I traded in this...

for this...

Pretty Crazy huh?!? I never thought I would EVER trade in my Lexus for a minivan...YUCK! In fact, I was dead set on buying a small SUV. Something that would give me room for the dog... room for the stroller... and even room to throw his wagon in the back. Because I really missed my Honda Accord (that Andy STOLE from me!!) I was kinda leaning towards a Honda CR-V. Andy agreed that we could buy a CR-V on one condition... I test drive the Honda Odyssey. We had many arguments over this... I screamed at him and told him I was too young to be driving a minivan and no way was I going to ever look at a minivan!!! We fought for weeks over this....... and finally he got me in one... kicking and screaming... of course! Well to my surprise... I absolutely loved it! It drove just like my Honda Accord. It was zippy and in no way shape or form did it feel like I was driving a boat!

I hate when Andy's right! Man do I hate it! After driving it, it was clear that the Honda Odyssey was the right vehicle for our family... on one condition... if I was going to be driving a minivan than it better have every bell and whistle imaginable! And that it does ;)

We actually couldn't even install his car seat properly in the Lexus. There wasn't enough room for the car seat to recline like it should.

but now the carseat fits just fine!

and look... plenty of room for Zoey too!

Gabe thought it was pretty funny seeing his "sister" in the back!

I look forward to all of the fun and comfortable roadtrips our family is going to enjoy in this minivan :)

(and Andy... I really really hate when you are right)

He's on the move!

Here is our little crawler now! He's come a long way in just a short couple of weeks... He is now crawling all over the house. Zoey especially enjoys this... someone on her level! She follows him everywhere. Notice how she desperately wants Gabe to play ball with her in this video!

Walk of shame...

Yup. I totally had to do the walk of shame today. I picked Gabe up from school this afternoon and was informed that my child... my sweet little child... bit another child and apparently it was pretty bad. I walked from the building to my car with my head down in shame... I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel embarrased and of course sad for this innocent child that he bit. I know that he didn't intentionally do it to hurt this other child. I know that he is teething like crazy and well... that leg probably looked like a good thing to chomp down on and relieve his discomfort....
but Gabe, for mommy's sake, for the sake of your classmates, and for the sake of your reputation... please chomp down on your little teething beads.... not other children!

10 Months...

No not 10 months! Not 10 months, because that means you are 2 months from being a one year old and being a one year old means you are no longer a baby. Not 10 months because that means I need to start planning your very first birthday party and I'm not quite ready for that! Not 10 months because...

SCRATCH!

Scratch all of that! As I was typing, I sat here silently watching Gabe for a good 30 minutes, just zipping from one room to the next... discovering his environment like I have never seen before. It was absolutely amazing! He discovered the dog bowls. He discovered the throw rugs. He discovered he could open and close the door to Zoey's crate. He discovered the door stop in the bathroom makes a really neat noise when you grab it. He discovered the metal legs to the table and the sound the hard wood floors make when you hit them with your hand. I could have sat here for hours... just watching him discover his surroundings. In fact, the only reason I had to stop silently observing, was because he discovered a little baby spider, scurrying across the floor, and was about to catch it! I now have a new outlook. 10 months is cool. 10 months is really cool!

I have noticed the most changes between 9 and 10 months than any other month. Gabe has learned to do so many different things. Just after turning 9 months, he learned to army crawl and now he crawls on his hands and knees... and is actually really fast!! He can also pull himself up to stand... which means he now pulls himself up in the crib and screams and hollers for us to come get him! He also has really really started to notice different things that he never really paid attention to before. For example, on our walk yesterday he kept looking up at the trees and reaching his hand out to grab at the flowers as we walked by. He also has learned to make lots of different noises, including this funny little clicking noise with his toungue. He even has a new laugh this month... kinda like a "fake" old man laugh.

Each and every day we are seeing more and more curiousity and watching his personality really come to life. He has come so far from that squishy little newborn that just layed there, sleeping and eating...

Happy 10 Months Gabe!

Dear Gabe...

Dear Gabe,

I took these photos because you look super cute in your bright taxi cab yellow NYC shirt and your cute little jeans. Because I love the way you stand and play with your toys. I took these photos because I love that strand of drool that is always hanging from your mouth and soaking your t-shirts. I took these photos because you are growing up way too fast and I wanted to get one more set of photos before you are officially a big ten month old. I love you so much my super cute little boy!

Hugs and Kisses,

Mommy

What's for breakfast?

Mommy made me blueberry pancakes for breakfast. What an "oh so delicous" mess!

NYC

This past weekend we went to New York City to visit with Andy's brother, Uncle Dave! We got to NYC late Friday night... Gabe was such a good boy and slept for the entire ride. Unfortunately, once we got there... he was ready to party! Apparently, someone told him we were going to "the city that never sleeps"... because Gabe did very little sleeping on this trip... which of course made for one cranky monster!

After, a 4:30am stroll around the city (to calm down a screaming Gabriel), Uncle Dave, Daddy, and our friend Dave went to BMW of Manhattan to test drive some fancy wheels. I heard something about going 120mph on the highway and tuned things out after that... While they were driving BMW's, Gabe and I hopped on the subway and headed to Times Square! We enjoy breakfast at Au Bon Pain, did some shopping, and walked through the gigantic Toys R Us. It was oh so hot and humid with temps in the 90's and to make matters worse, I was "wearing" him in his carrier...so we headed back to Uncle Dave's for some AC, lunch and a nap.

Once recharged, we headed to a neat place, where we watched the helicopters flying in and out of the city. Gabe was actually more interested in the pigeons than the helicopters. He loved when we would chase the pigeons with his stroller! We played on the "grass" (or should I say AstroTurf) and fed Gabe some dinner on the rooftop patio.

Sunday came upon us quickly and it was time to head home... but not before breakfast and yet another sleepless night!

Thanks for letting us come and play Uncle Dave!

A true test of patience

Today is just one of those days. One of those days where no matter what I do, Gabe is unhappy and screaming. Unfortunately these days are coming with quite regularity. He doesn't want to be put down... he doesn't want to be picked up... he doesn't want to eat... he's not being fed fast enough... I just can't win! He has learned this new blood curdling scream that is just ear piercing (I'll spare you the video on that one) Needless to say, Gabe has spent a lot of time "crying it out" in his crib today! In addition to this scream, he also has been biting...a lot... and pulling hair. These are the days where I'm kinda glad I get to go to work a couple days a week ;) I have an enomous amount of respect for full time stay at home moms! I miss my sweet little smiley Gabe!

I'm pretty sure he's growling at me in this picture

While it's not funny today... I know that one day I will look back on this and laugh...