12.22.2012

Annual Whitaker Family Picture, 2012

Every year Perry & I take an "Annual Family Picture" (2011, 2010 bloopers, and 2009's were our wedding photos!). 2012 was the best one yet... because our family grew by two feet! Gabriel's!!!

We aimed for mid-November but something kept coming up and our photo shoot got pushed back to December 2nd. I was worried it would be cold & dreary but it turned out to be a beautiful day! Mom W has been our photographer in years past but my Mom (Mom J) had recently gotten a "fancy" camera so we made an extended-family event out of it! We met at an art museum and used some of the outdoor structures as back-drops. 
Gabriel thinking he's big stuff sitting in the front seat, waiting for everyone else to arrive!
We ended up with some great pictures and I love our Christmas card!! I used walmart.com and got forty 4x8" photo cards for less than $20!


I adore these...



The boys ♥
G & Mommy
The whole gang (Dad & Mom W on left, Paul & Mom J on right)

12.16.2012

Gabriel at 11 Months Old!


Likes:
-Carrying around kitchen utensils (like a spatula or big wooden spoon)
-Looking at all the Christmas decorations go up around our house
-Feeding us his finger foods. Hopefully he'll be a good sharer!
-Everything from his 10-Month post

Dislikes:
-If he wants to get down from being held or do something on his own, he will push and swat(!) our hands away
-When I say "ouch". He immediately starts crying like whatever hurt me was his fault! It's so sweet but sad!
-Stranger danger!

New skills:
-Clapping!
-Giving hi-fives
-Shaking his head "no" (although I don't think he makes the connection with the meaning just yet)
-Walking well

Clothes/Diapers:
Gabriel is wearing 12-month clothes. Still in size 4 diapers.

Eating:
Some new foods Gabe has tried: grape jelly sandwiches; grilled cheese; spaghetti; turkey, stuffing, some veggie casseroles, Grandma's zucchini banana bread, and pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving; and ground beef (it comes right back out of his mouth!). Breastfeeding is still going great! He nurses when he wakes up, about 2 hours later before his morning nap, in the afternoon (once, or sometimes twice if in the early afternoon and then early evening), at bedtime, and once in the middle of the night. So 5-6 times/day.

Sleeping:
No change in his napping.

Hair & Eyes:
The color of his hair is lightening up some! His big brown eyes with long lashes make me melt.


Randoms:
-Perry & I are afraid he will be a temper-tantrum boy. When he gets over-tired, grumpy, or clingy to Mommy, he can have some serious meltdowns, literally turning to a puddle on the floor. And he can whiiiiine. I wonder where he got that from!
-Gabe says "Da da" a lot! Perry patiently waited for his turn and now it's only every once in a while that I'll get a "Mama"!
-I wasn't as diligent in recording details this month due to the holiday season gearing up. I'm sad this post is short. But no worries, his 12-Month post... ONE YEAR... will be BIG!!!

11.25.2012

Gabriel is 10 Months Old!

Stats
Weight: 22 pounds, 4 ounces (58%)
Length: not done
^at 10 1/2 months when he got his flu shot booster


On the move and doing his own thing!


Our expressive little man :)
Likes:
-Walking around, exploring the house
-Holding the remote control, the house phone or our cell phones
-Opening & closing things, including doors (with supervision to avoid smashed fingers!)
-Picking toys out of the ottoman toy box
-Pushing things across the room, like his Leap Frog table, laundry baskets, empty boxes
-Everything from his 9-Month post

Dislikes:
-Having something taken away from him
-Sometimes he isn't happy to be laying him down for a diaper change

New skills:
-Walking!!!!! He took his first steps on October 19 at just 9 months & 1 week old!!! *Warning: this video is rated PG-13 for Daddy's language. He was shocked at how far Gabriel walked! ;)

-Initiating peek-a-boo (he will pull a blanket up to hide his face and quickly, before you even have a chance to say "where is Gabriel?", he puts it down and smiles so big! He also started leaning back to "hide" behind something, then lean forward to peek out!)
-Cheesy smile, crinkled-up nose and all!

Clothes/Diapers:
Gabe can wear 9 or 12-month clothes, although he is still most comfortable with the leg length of 12-month sizes. We moved up to size 4 Luvs diapers when he wears disposable.

Eating:
This month Gabriel started eating finger foods! He continues to love pieces of banana. I made diced carrots, green beans, broccoli (sometimes with cheddar cheese), diced sweet potato and sweet potato "fries". He loves Gerber Puffs but we try to limit them {the serving size on the package is 70 pieces. Really?!}. Other finger foods he has tried: pieces of whole wheat bread, whole wheat rotini pasta, cubes of mozzarella and mild cheddar cheese, pears, mango (but he couldn't quite chew them so I pureed the cubes), kiwi and toppings/spices: grated Parmesan cheese, cinnamon, garlic. His favorites are cheese and carrots! His least favorite was kiwi. I don't think he even swallowed any. He also tried a few new spoon-foods: canned pumpkin (plain and with pears), scrambled egg yolks (which he strongly disliked), plain yogurt mixed with fruits, mashed potatoes. Shortly after turning 9 months old, Gabe went through a 2-week phase of refusing food from a spoon (now we know it was most likely related to his 2 top teeth coming in. I wrote about that below in Randoms!). All the boy would eat were finger foods, and even then his appetite was low. One day I decided I would try offering him purees to see what happened and the strike was over! Thankfully there was no change in his breastfeeding and that is still going well! He nurses every 4 hours during the day when I'm home. Strangely, he started flat out refusing a bottle of breastmilk from Perry. My initial thought was it was due to the plastic nipple of the bottle causing pain on his top two teeth coming in, but he won't even drink it from a sippy cup but continues to drink water! Someone said to us, "he has learned where it comes from and it ain't a bottle!" That seems to be the case :)

Sleeping:
Gabriel is still waking up in the middle of the night, but usually just one time. The time will vary, but he tends to go 5-8 hour stretches. His nap schedule is still the same: morning nap 2 hours after waking up and then an afternoon nap sometime later. His naps range from 1 1/2-3 hours long.

Hair & Eyes:
No change in his medium brown, thin hair and big brown eyes.

Randoms:
-His top two teeth came in as a pair, finally breaking through his gums at 9 1/2 months. They look huge in his little baby mouth, with the cutest gap in between them!
-I could not believe it- he actually started opening his mouth and willingly takes medicine (ibuprofen)!
-The whole family, Mommy & Daddy and (local) grandparents, went to Trick-or-Treat The Trails on Gabriel's 1st Halloween! It was fun, and he was so cute! Separate post to come.

Being a Mommy- his Mommy- is the best!!!

11.10.2012

Firsts: Teeth and Convertible Car Seat

10/3/12: Gabriel got his first tooth teeth one week shy of being 9 months old! We could also see the outline of his top 2 teeth under his gums but they hadn't broken through yet.


11/9/12: Our big boy outgrew the infant carrier so we got him a convertible car seat! He looked like such a big boy sitting in it.


11.01.2012

Homemade Baby Food

I decided pretty early on that I wanted to make Gabriel's baby food. The pros outweigh the cons in my opinion. It's fresher, more nutritious, without additives & fillers, and often times cheaper. Ready-made baby foods are heated to very high temperatures in order to withstand a longer shelf life but this destroys many of the natural flavors, aromas and key nutrients (credit: The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet). On the down side, it does take more time than swiping jars off the store shelf and it requires more planning to take on-the-go.


After cooking the fruit or vegetable by steaming or baking it, I would let it cool down and puree it using my Ninja Master Prep blender {thanks, Mom & Dad W!}. To get the right consistency for the stage Gabe was at, I would mix in a little water or Bmilk. My Ninja came with 5 different containers and lids. It worked perfectly for making baby food, and I've also used it to make mixed berry sorbet & soups, too!


For freezing, I used OXO Tot Baby Food Freezer Trays {thanks, Mom!}. I also used them for stockpiling my freezer stash of Bmilk in Gabriel's first few months. They come in a set of 2, and each tray holds fourteen (14) 3/4-ounce cubes. Looking back now, my baby food-making probably would have been more efficient with more than two; it's doable, obviously, just slower because I could only freeze a little at a time. I just cooked a few foods at once and refrigerated the purees until I could get them in the freezer trays, one after another.


Once the cubes were frozen, they easily rocked out of the trays to be stored in freezer bags! Initially I swore by Ziploc brand but quickly realized it would be easier to get a good seal with a slide-lock instead of a zipper you have to pinch all together, especially when you have your arms full with a hungry baby! I switched to Hefty One Zip quart & gallon size freezer bags.


When it came time to introduce Gabriel to meat, I made several chicken & beef combinations with fruits and vegetables. I'll be honest, making meats into baby food intimidated me, but I was determined to give him the freshest, yummiest, most natural things to eat!

10.31.2012

Halloween: Gabriel the Greaser

I scoured Pinterest for costume ideas for Gabriel's 1st Halloween and ran some by Perry, but nothing struck us. Then Perry suggested a Greaser. I envisioned the 1950's style- think white t-shirt, leather jacket, cuffed jeans- on our baby... Perfect!! It would be relatively easy to put together, too. My Mom always made (sewed) amazing Halloween costumes for me & my brother, but I gave myself a break on the first one for our first kid. It was more for us to enjoy his cuteness than for him, anyway.

*White onesie- already owned
*Wrangler jeans- already owned (but never worn)
*Leather jacket- harder to find in size 12 months than I expected; ordered on eBay for ~$35 (expensive in my opinion but he's worth it!)
*Converse sneakers- ordered on eBay for ~$20
*Hair- slicked back with gel & a comb
*Hot rod- already owned

Seriously? SO CUTE.



Oh-I dressed up too. It was a Mommy & me date! The poodle skirt I wore was made by my Mom for one of my Halloween costumes (maybe around age 12?)!! It didn't still fit, of course; I cut the elastic waist and a slit down the side to fit it over my mommy-hips, secured it with safety pins, and wore a long sweater to hide my lovely "alterations"!

After taking pictures at our house, we headed to a local park for Trick-or-Treat The Trails. Local businesses, organizations and churches set up tables along a walking path to hand out candy (and brochures).

Love this picture of us.
Grandma // Boo & Nonny // everyone on the trail!
These guys have my ♥
And just for fun... there were two things that Gabriel was not sure he wanted to pose with...


10.29.2012

2012 NC State Fair

We missed the 2013 Fair with all the craziness of selling our house. Here are pictures from Gabriel's 1st trip to the Fair! I hope he'll grow up loving it as much as I do!
Looking at all the sights


Not enjoying Mommy's sour pickle...

Top left- artistic angle by Perry; top right- family photo while waiting for the park 'n ride bus; bottom- so happy to help hold the umbrella (the skies opened up in a downpour right after we got on the bus!)

10.25.2012

Bye Bella

Ever since we adopted Bella, she has tested us. But how can you not love this face? We did!!

But having three dogs was pushing our limits. 
Our girls in the backyard and the bathroom (during a tornado watch)
Peaceful moments
Since Gabriel was born, we have come to realize we can no longer keep Bella... Her energy, her temperament, her shedding! It broke our hearts to lose her as part of our family but we knew it was the right decision for us and for her. Saying goodbye was hard...


Won't. Sit. Still! Best pictures Perry could get of me & her
Take care, sweet blue-eyed Bella!

10.21.2012

Gabriel is 9 Months Old!

Stats
Weight: 21 pounds* (54%)
Length: 29.5 inches (82%)
Head circumference: 45.5cm (52%)
*I don't think his weight is correct. The nurse had Perry put Gabriel in the sitting position on the infant scale. The number on the scale kept fluctuating because Gabe does not sit still, and Perry couldn't let go for more than a second or two to make sure he didn't fall! He was 21 lbs when we weighed him at home a month and a half ago!!


On the move!

So he would sit still stay in one place long enough for us to take pictures, we distracted him with a book, shoes (that he wanted to eat), and a hat (that he did not want on his head)!




Likes:
-Riding on Daddy's shoulders
-Playing with my wedding rings on my hand
-His Leap Frog table
-Being outside
-Watching, talking to and touching the dogs
-Everything from his 8-Month post

Dislikes:
-Messing with his mouth (holding his lip back to see his new teeth, giving him medicine, etc)
-Everything from his 8-Month post

New skills:
-Crawling perfected!!
-Cruising- to & from and all around furniture and along walls!!
-Easily getting into just about any position (laying, sitting, standing, and even squatting & kneeling!). He has learned that he can get almost anywhere. If he wants something, he'll get it!
-Standing with his arms stretched out for a few seconds!

Clothes/Diapers:
Gabe has definitely outgrown 6-month clothes and is filling out 9-month stuff, sleep 'n plays especially. He is most comfortable with the length of 12-month sizes. At the end of September I got the storage bin of his 9-12 month fall/winter clothes out of the attic so I could wash everything and reorganize his closet & drawers. He's in cloth diapers about half the time, disposable the other (still size 3).

Eating:
He has tried a few new foods, including meat & dairy. I rinsed, trimmed and boiled a boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped it and ran it through my Ninja with sweet potatoes. He liked it! I try everything that I make for him- the texture was odd but it tasted good. I also did a combination with peas, but he wasn't as enthusiastic about it. He tried his first dairy, cottage cheese blended with banana. He ate 7-8 spoonfuls before deciding he was done with that. I'll continue to offer it, though. At the beginning of October (38 weeks), we gave Gabe carrot-apple juice, diluted with water of course. Now he's a pro at drinking from his sippy cup. Breastfeeding is still going well. He nurses every 4 hours during the day.

Sleeping:
Gabriel is still waking up in the middle of the night, but usually just one time. Most times his diaper is full (if not leaking out!) and he is usually hungry. Teething has disrupted his sleep some- I think the pain wakes him up and can make him grumpy but also wears him out. He continues to take 2 naps a day, one ~2 hours after waking up and a second in the afternoon/early evening. I hope he isn't ready to drop his 2nd nap any time soon. One time on a Daddy Day, he took one long 4-hour nap! "Daddy Days" are most Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays whenever I have to work and Gabe gets to spend all day with Daddy! That particular morning, he woke up extra early so he was ready for a nap before I left for work. I laid him down at 9:50am and he slept until 1:45pm. Perry texts me throughout the day; neither of us could believe he was sleeping that long!

Hair & Eyes:
Medium brown, thin hair and precious brown eyes!

Randoms:
-Gabe reached an exciting milestone: first tooth!!! Actually two! His bottom front teeth came in at the same time, starting one week before his 9-month birthday and we could see the outlines of his top 2 teeth under his gums! 
-He had a cold (runny nose, sneezing).
-He rolls and chews on his tongue and learned how to make a "click" sound.

I love life with our happy, cute boy!!!

10.10.2012

Pumpkin Picking & Carving



Bottom right: "What are those things behind me?"


Time to carve the big pumpkin!

Bottom left: My attempt at a picture of all 3 of us. Hah!

An owl, like Gabriel's nursery!
Silly boys!