Getting this post out a bit later than I would have liked so things are a bit mishmashed. A few details and pictures may be missing but with the month we’ve had, that is quite alright.
This month we saw the most development in his mobility and movement. Along with that his learning and adapting response has kicked into high gear. Oh falling hurts? Let’s figure out a better way to get down. Babies are so much smarter than we give them credit for.
We also had some big change in that we moved at the end of September. Will and I bought our first house!! What an olympic event!! We are mostly settled at this point but with Gabe everything takes a bit longer to do. But that is okay. We are full of thanksgiving and gratitude for our home. It was a bit sad to leave our last place as it was the first rental that felt like home. And Gabe’s room… I never got around to doing a nursery tour but with the vinyl birch trees, the calming grey, and the closet it was a sad goodbye. That home is where Gabe was born, his first room, and a whole lot of other firsts for him. It is but a blip though that he will only remember from the pictures we’ve taken and the stories we will tell. Such a short but wonderful time in the grand scheme of things. With the new home we get to build a lifetime of memories, not just a blip.
Now, what has Gabe been up to…
He is standing and doing a whole lot of it. At the end of last month Gabe was able to stand up but needed a bit of assistance getting up. Not anymore. He regularly pulls himself up now. Doesn’t matter where… coffee table, couch, side table, or his play yard he is up and wants to see what is going on. At first things were a bit shaky and we had quite a few hard tumbles. He quickly learned that he has to hold onto something if he wants to stay up. It’s been neat to watch him learn how to keep from falling/hurting himself. He now takes his time, puts hand over hand, or looks for something else to grab onto as he squats down. Thuds and bumps still happen but they don’t often send him to tears. He just moves on with his objectives. He is much more secure when he pulls himself up. His grip is strong. Sometimes it looks like he is going to do a pull up as he often wants to see over the play yard. He hasn’t quite pulled that off yet but with the rate he is going it will happen.
Play overall has become much more independent. He can crawl in and out of his inner tube. Flip it over and crawl on top of it. Pulling up, getting down, crawling. He also greatly enjoys pulling all his toys out of the soft storage box I keep all the toys in, as well as pulling up on said box and flipping said box over. Independent play has made things much easier/less stressful for me. I know part of this has to do with him growing up but the other part I think has to do with the play yard itself. We put two play yard sets together so he has one big area to play so he can crawl around and spread things out. I think he feels less confined than when he is in one play yard. Though this independence has meant that he no longer wants to be in his jumper… which creates a whole different problem when I need to be in the kitchen.
I’m not ready to call him a chatter bug just yet but he has turned on the gibberish! In addition to the jibberish and LOVES to do squeals of joy. Goodness they are loud. When he does them in his room there is an echo effect that he loves. He also gets a kick out of you responding to him with a squeal. I’m sure our neighbors love us. 😉
In other small things…
Day one of being in the new house? Climbed up the stairs. Spotted of course. And what did we do promptly after that? Bought a baby gate for the top of the stairs. 🙂
This kid devours bone broth. We can put it in his sippy cup and he will drink every last drop we give him. I’m looking to transition from puree’s to more of a baby led weaning style of eating. Though sometimes trying to find the extra time to prepare his food can be a little difficult. He is handling dairy well so far even though I’m introducing it a bit early. He enjoys cottage cheese and is warming up to yogurt. The yogurt I like is more of a European style and is on the sour side.
Can I just say that I love back carrying Gabe? We’ve gotten pretty good at getting in and out on our own and I love the freedom it gives me! Grocery shopping just got a whole lot easier. Anything that makes life with Gabe a little easier is very welcomed.
As always, click to embiggen.
Not So Serendipitous 
Love the photos and the progress report!! What a KID…not a baby anymore.
Especially enjoyed the box photos…kids have so much fun with the simple stuff…
too much plastic when cardboard works really well!! Next step…magic markers!!!
See you in December!
Where is your new home??????
So good to hear you will be back for the winter! We didn’t move too far, just across the highway from the old place. 🙂