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!