Late again… sitting in the draft folder for a couple of weeks. This is my reality. Cheers!
Happy 11 month birthday blue eyes! We’ve almost made it to the one year mark… what a difference a year makes.
December was a blast. Between the developmental leaps and Christmas all kinds of interesting stuff went on. Will took the rest of his paternity leave so he was home for all of December. We didn’t end up doing as many family Christmas related events as I was planning but that’s okay. We managed to make it out to the Night of Lights where he tried clam chowder for the first time. Loved it. Didn’t get to stay around for caroling but we can do that next year.
Gabe did really well with his first Christmas. He was a trooper when it came to long days of shopping… which ended up spanning multiple days because there is really only so much you can get done in one shopping trip with him. He also did really well with the Christmas tree. He helped quite a bit when it came to sorting the decorations especially when he learned how to take the lids off the plastic tubs. But then again I already told you that last month. He had a blast tossing empty Christmas light boxes onto the ground as I stacked them on a side table. Wherever he could get in an and “help” he did. But overall we didn’t have much of a problem of him getting into the tree. He was interested in feeling the needles and the bottle brush ornaments but as Christmas came and went he was much more interested in taking things off the tree. But we survived without any broken things… mostly. When it came time to take the tree down he indirectly “helped” by pushing the screen that was behind the tree over thus toppling the tree to the ground. Thankfully I had most everything off at that point.
I think we did really good with not over buying for Gabe’s first Christmas. I had a few specific things I wanted to get him and then between friends and family he had more than plenty. He was definitely due for an upgrade on some toys. Age appropriate, developmentally challenging toys are important. Some books, a wooden walker, a few stuffed animals and he was good. I had to remind myself that he has a birthday coming up very soon. He is loving his walker. He pushes it with no abandon and hasn’t quite figured out how to turn so he runs into things. The walker came with a little wooden hammer and so the first couple of days he would crawl/walk around with his hammer. So I took to calling him “Thor.” Blond hair, blue eyes and a hammer. Maybe he can be Thor for Halloween. 😉
So all in all Christmas was quiet for us as we didn’t do any traveling. Staying at home is quite okay for me. This year had me thinking quite a bit about traditions and what is important to us. It’s kind of neat to be in the position to really set the tone for our family. We get to decided what is good and important for us. I gave myself a pass on this first year, but 2016 is the year to start trying to do those things we want to do.
It has been fascinating to start watching him exhibit little boy traits. His balance, coordination, mannerisms… they are all maturing. His attention span is growing a bit. He is much more willing to let us read to him… that is of course, when he has a bottle. He had no interest in being read to months ago. He just wanted to eat them. But now he will listen for a bit. He will also sit with a board book and open it up and turn it around. But he can’t be unsupervised for too long as he starts eating them. And not just putting his mouth on it. No, it’s the chewing and destroying the pages kind of thing. We are also seeing him respond to correction and “no.” Oh goodness it is our nature at its best! It doesn’t matter if you keeping him from doom either. He gives quite a good whine/fuss. It’s amazing how we really are born with it. You don’t have to teach it at all. He is simply learning that he can express himself more. Which also means that he can get frustrated with his lack of ability to express himself. This has led to his first baby fit. It’s only happened a few times but they have turned into an all out “end of the world” type cry complete with streaming tears and a red face. Thankfully redirection works pretty well to pull him out of it.
Perhaps the biggest development for December was his first steps. A couple weeks before Christmas he took 3 steps towards the Christmas tree. After that he took a break. A step here and there but always met with a quick fall. Just before new years he took 7 steps and then 10. Little steps too. And now he can do 20+! He wobbles but balances himself out. It’s so incredible to watch him stand up and go where he wants to go. I think we will have a full fledge walker come his birthday. Thankfully not a white walker though… 😉
A little sneak peak at his wobbly steps
Okay so maybe there wasn’t as much to write about as I thought. But there are a ton of pictures from December.
Not So Serendipitous 
I’m fascinated watching his gr0wth! How is he reacting to your CAT, and vice versa? Hopefully CAT has also accepted GABE into your lives/domain! Does your cat attempt to cuddle up with him? (Must watch that, if so.)
What’s Gabe’s middle name?
LOVE, PEACE & HAPPINESS!
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Loved this, and miss you so much!! Thank you for sharing little Gabe as he grows and develops into the person God has designed him to be. As you watch all the gifts and talents that make him Gabriel. He is so blessed to have the mommy and daddy that the Lord has given him!
My goodness, what happened at the end of Christmas? Did the tree fall down and knock everything over???