BritBaby

We're Moving!

2009-03-14T14:20:00.001-05:00

We decided to upgrade our blog a little, so we're moving it to a new address which should be easier to remember:

jakeandangieboone.com

BritBaby will still be here, but this will be the last post. All future posts will be at the new site, so update your bookmarks!

Clara Grace Boone!

2009-02-26T21:42:00.005-06:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that Gabriel is now a wonderful big brother!!!

We brought Clara home today, and we are all well. She was born on Monday, February 23, 2009 at 8:36pm at Frederick Memorial Hospital. We both had a fever when she was born, so Clara had to stay a few days in the NICU while they ran some blood tests to make sure she didn't have an infection. She received the all clear last night, and she was released today at lunchtime. She was born at 7lbs. 8oz. and 21 1/2 inches long (almost as long as Gabriel, who was 8lbs. 2oz. and over 22 inches long). She has very dark hair and dark eyes. Her skin is much more olive than Gabriel's, so they don't look anything alike! Luckily, we dressed them both in maroon for coming home day, so Gabriel was thrilled that they both had maroon and white shirts on.

Clara is wonderful! She is calm and quiet, and she doesn't fuss unless there's something to fuss about. She impressed the nurses by holding her pacifier in by herself (all the NICU babies have them), and they all loved her fuzzy dark hair. She has long fingers and toes, and her eyes are big and bright. And she loves to have her mouth open, even when she is asleep! She loves to nurse and sleep, so she is an ideal baby!

Gabriel was sooooo excited to bring her home, and he has been covering her in hugs and kisses since we got here. He made me sit in a chair with him and Clara and he wanted to show her his High-5 Magazine. He would intermittently pat her head, hug her shoulder, or squeeze her hand to make sure she was paying attention. He only got annoyed once: he wanted me to "put Clara on floor: play trains!" He really wanted her to come play with him, but we decided to cuddle as a family instead! He is wonderfully gentle and loving, and just so proud to have his little sister home. I am really pleased with his understanding of everything and joy about the new situation. Thank you, God!!!

Gabriel has been such a superstar since this whole fiasco began on Sunday. I was miserable all day, but he was very patient and loving. We were at the hospital until midnight, and he did his best to be a very good boy. After going home for a few hours of sleep, we all decided it was time to go back to the hospital. We dropped him off at a friend's house at 5:30am, and he cuddled with Maureen until her kids got up, then he got to play all day long. Once Clara was born, we called to say that Jake could come pick him up. Maureen had already put him to bed, and he'd been asleep for an hour and a half already! So Gabriel got to have his first sleepover party!!! He was so proud, and he had so much fun. I am so proud of him for being a big boy and playing nicely with his friends.

While I was at the hospital, Jake came home with Gabriel a few times. One naptime, Gabriel was not in the mood for a nap. Jake put him in his bed, but Gabriel threw his pillows all over the place and hopped off the bed to play with his toys. Jake was exhausted and just let him do whatever, but he had to stay in his room. An hour later, Jake went to free him from his confinement, but Gabriel was in bed asleep with all his pillows back in place! He's never done anything like that, and it makes me even prouder of my big boy.

One more note: our blog will be changing soon! We'll have a new address that will be a bit more fitting for our family of four. It'll be an easy transition, but Jake will post all the details once it's ready to go. Also, we'll have tons of pictures up as soon as we can. We need to develop a few rolls of film, and we have lost our phone-to-computer cord, so we'll do our best to get pics up quickly!

UPDATE: We'll pick up our pictures from the lab tomorrow, but here are some phone pictures to tide you over :).

Party Videos

2009-02-20T14:48:00.000-06:00

I know it's been way too long since we posted any videos, so here are a couple from Gabriel's 2nd birthday.

Happy 2nd Birthday Gabriel!!!

2009-02-18T21:04:00.003-06:00

What a wonderful day! Gabriel is now two years old, and we had the best birthday ever! He woke up cheerful and excited, and he went to bed cheerful and excited... in a big boy bed in his big boy room, might I add! We had some Stroller Strides friends over for a lunchtime party, and G just loved it. We ended up with 6 kiddoes (5 girls and a boy) coming over to play, eat dino-nuggets with fruit and a super-yummy chocolate cake, and decorate flowerpots and plant some seeds. Gabriel got some really great presents and looooooved having his friends over to play. His tool table was especially popular. I think there are a few little girls that will be getting little tools for their birthdays :).

Gabriel was such a little star. He woke up a little early, so he and Daddy had breakfast downstairs while Mama got a some extra rest. He was Mr. Happy, and it was so great to wake up to his little smiling face this morning. He got two early birthday calls this morning from his grandparents (which so delighted him), then he helped me finish making his birthday cake, and then he got to watch Peter Pan while he danced around in his Indian Moccasins and reorganized his presents -- what a fun morning for the little guy.

We didn't get around to opening all his presents at the party, so we decided to wait until Jake got home to finish up. Instead, he helped me clean up (he insisted on helping me clean before he took his nap!!!) and then we curled up on the couch for a cozy Mama and baby snooze. When we woke up, he almost immediately wanted to open presents, but I said that we needed to wait for Daddy. We started cooking dinner when Jake walked in the door. Gabriel yelled "Daddy is home! Let's open those presents!!!" With that, he zoomed from the kitchen to the living room, completely ignoring Jake and diving into the rest of the gifts. It was the funniest thing he's done all day!

As for other random info, G can count to 16 now, and he's starting to recognize his letters better (although he picked up a letter A from the floor today and said "A is for Gabriel." We'll work on that one!) He is a puzzle-working machine, and he still loves to read books. He is pretty good at identifying dinosaurs, and he knows the names of half of the Thomas Trains! I catch him singing all the time, and I'm always surprised by how many of the words and tunes he remembers correctly. And of course he's usually singing AND dancing. That is the cutest thing you'll ever see, especially when we are out in public and he just HAS to stop, dance, and sing! If he gets tired of singing, he'll just stop, shake his head and say "can't sing that song" and continue on his way. He is such a little person now, and we can have real conversations about things. It's just amazing to see his little brain working. Unfortunately, he's figured out that if he cocks his head to the side and says "pweeeeese," it's very hard for grown-ups to resist him!!!

As for Clara, she is still doing fine and we are still waiting for her to arrive. Two weeks left until the due date, and I still feel good. I'm a bit tired at times, but I'm still active and comfortable (mostly, as long as I am careful about how much I'm on my feet and how much jumping or side-stepping I'm doing). I still go to my exercise class 3 days a week, and I just feel so grateful to have those women in my life! Although we are so far from family, these ladies make us feel safe and at home here in Maryland. It's so nice to have Christian friends that are in the same phase of life and even live in the same town... it's a first for us!!! And I can't neglect to mention our awesome neighbors that love us like family. We may not be thrilled about renting a little back-to-back townhome sometimes, but I love our neighbors (as well as Jake's 4 minute commmute to work).

Happy Valentine's to you all, and we'll let you know when little Clara Grace decides to arrive! Whoopee!

Happy 2009!

2009-01-23T22:00:00.007-06:00

We have been having so much fun that I have been terrible about blogging! We had a great time in Texas visiting as much of our family as we could, although we came back to Maryland fairly exhausted from all our traveling. After a few weeks of fighting colds and other ailments, we are back in the swing of things. Jake is back at work with a new schedule (he now has to go in early, but he gets alternate Fridays off), and Gabriel and I are back at Stroller Strides and keeping busy with our chores and errands. It's nice to be back to normal, and it's fun to see Gabriel getting excited about our new schedule. He likes getting up and leaving in his pajamas to take Daddy to work, and then it's fun to come home and make breakfast before going to class.

It's been rough adjusting to the terribly cold weather up here since our return, but even tougher since the weather was soooooo nice in Texas -- in the 60's and 70's!!! We had some snow the other day, so that was a nice way to break up the bitter cold. Gabriel and I went for a snow hike and found a big, fat, brown bunny curled up on the playground. He's still excited about the snow-bunny!!! Today it was finally warm enough to play outside -- first time in a couple months. It's supposed to get cold again soon, so we'll have to go back to hibernating :(.

As for the baby, we are getting excited about finally meeting her! I'm at 34 weeks now, so we have around 6 weeks until her due date. If you don't already know, her name is Clara Grace, although Gabriel calls her "Cwara Grace!" She has suddenly moved down lower in my tummy, so I finally feel like I need to waddle a bit... I'm doing my best not to duck-walk :).

As for Gabriel news, he is just growing and learning every day. One of the most fun new developments is that he can sing songs now! He knows quite a few, and I'll catch him singing to himself verses from songs that I had no idea he even remembered. He's often fairly in tune and has a bit of rhythm, but he sometimes likes to put his own spin on things. And if he wants a song about whatever thing he's thinking about, he'll just make up his own lyrics. For example, if he wants an "elephant song" he'll start sing-songing "elephant song, elephant song, elephants eat dinner, elephant song, elephant sleeping in the chair..."

He's also great at identifying dinosaurs. We have a couple dinosaur books, and he has memorized many of the dinosaurs' names! He's also getting good at remembering the names of a lot of the states. Grampy (my dad's dad) gave him a big U.S. puzzle, and he loves working it bit by bit and naming the states, especially Montana, California, and Texas. He really likes to put his animals on Maryland and announce "dinosaurs sitting on Maryland! Gabriel lives in Maryland!"

He still loves to cook, he loves his new tools that he got for Christmas (he is constantly fixing things), and he is absolutely obsessed with Thomas trains. Anything involved with transportation is great, but especially trains. And his animals play with his toys with him. It's really cute. Another new thing is that he likes for his animals to "talk" to him. He wants Jake or me to hold an animal and make it move and talk like a puppet. His eyes light up and he gets so excited! If I can't get him to put on his shoes, all I have to do is pick up an animal and have the animal ask him to put on his shoes. Voila, shoes are on in a flash :).

To answer a lot of questions, yes, we are planning to have Clara up here in Frederick at the local hospital. Please come visit if you can! We have a guest room, a hide-a-bed couch in the living room, and an air mattress, so we can squeeze you all in :). And the next time we'll be in Texas is the end of May, as we'll be attending Melanie's (Jake's sister) HS graduation in Amarillo.

We've also had a lot of questions about gifts for Gabriel and Clara, so I thought I'd put our answer on the blog for all to see! We made a little registry with Babies R Us. It's mostly a list of things we're planning to get for Clara, but there are a couple Gabriel-related items as well. We're planning on moving him to a full-sized bed for his birthday in February, so bed related things will be exciting! He looooves books, so that's always a good choice. And he loves to go to Target or Barnes & Noble to pick out a toy or book, so that's a for sure fun thing for him. As for Clara, we have a lot of the basics but not as much "girl" stuff. Most of G's baby stuff was pretty neutral, so we plan on using most of it for C as well. Babies R Us and Babiesrus.com are good places to go to look for Clara ideas.

I've got a ton of pictures to post, so I'll do a few when I get a chance. Keep checking, and I promise to get some up here eventually!

Natural Science Museum

Reindeer!

Dinosaurs!!!!!

Santa came a few days early because he knew we'd be in Texas on Christmas morning.

Santa left lots of candy canes on our tree... Gabriel loooooves candy canes!

The Mountain Overpass Thomas Train Set!!!

The Lincoln Memorial from the car

The White House from the back

The National Christmas Tree and lots of big train sets

Mimi and Gabriel playing trains and diggers

Mimi, Gabriel and Grandma Becky playing trains and diggers

Mimi and Gabriel in the BEAR CAVE!

Our newest cousin, Sage Gasaway!

Ugly (the horse) is as old as I am!!!

Great-Grandma Gasaway, Mimi, and Gabriel

Gabriel and Pippy in Bastrop

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-29T21:52:00.003-06:00

We had such a nice weekend! We went next door for brunch on Thanksgiving Day, and then Jake, Gabriel and I had a little turkey dinner at home. It was so nice and peaceful, and the weather was gorgeous. Yesterday we had a trip to the library, we went out to lunch, then we did a bit of shopping and then bought our Christmas tree at a farm nearby. The trees are lovely here, and Jake did a great job sawing it down. Gabriel had a great time despite the cold weather, although he was a bit more impressed with the cows mooing and the tractors driving by than with the tree-retrieving process. Every time the cows would moo, he'd yell a big "MOOOOO" right back at them! It was super-cute! Once we brought the tree home, it was very exciting. Gabriel wanted to help with every step, and he even started decorating early... by throwing all his toys in the tree! After we told him that throwing things at the tree is not allowed, he just let all his animals (mainly his talking chicken) nibble on the branches. He now has a little tree in his room with A&M lights on it, and he loves it. He had to give it hugs and kisses before he would go to bed!

Today we worked on Christmasing up our house. We hung lights and wreaths, decorated our tree, and played at the playground. It's been so cold that we haven't been to the playground in weeks. Gabriel loooooved getting to go swing and slide, and he especially loved that Daddy got to come with us. He is getting so good at "stop and go" on the way to the park, and he knows that we have to stop and look for cars before we can go across the street. And we don't dare vary from our normal route or he will have a fit! He definitely knows the way to the park.

Another funny note is that Gabriel loves counting in English and Spanish. He has his favorite numbers, though. If he's playing by himself, he'll say "2, 3, 9, 11, DIEZ!!!" or "uno, taco (for quatro), cinco, seis, siete, ocho, DIEZ!!!"

We also started watching a little bit of Sesame Street after naptime the last week and a half. We have our afternoon snack and drink and talk about what's on the t.v. He loooooves it, and he especially likes Elmo. He even makes an "Elmo face," where he opens his mouth in a big smile with his lips tucked in. It's hilarous! When Elmo comes on t.v., he desperately wants to give him a hug and kiss. It's the cutest. He also makes happy and sad faces, and he loves my old high school drama t-shirt with the sad/happy drama masks on it. His sad face is really just no smile and a tilted head, but it's funny anyway.

Today we were reading our fire-safety magazine and we were talking about "stop, drop, and roll." I asked him if he could do it, and he said yes. So, I said stop and he stopped with bent knees. I said drop, and he dropped to all fours. Then I said roll, and he rolled from his tummy to his back and put his hands on his forehead. I couldn't figure out what he was doing until I looked at the picture -- the boy in the picture is on his back with his arms over his head! I guess Gabriel really does pay attention when we read our stories!!!

We read a library book called Christmas in the Big Woods, and in the story Ma makes pancake men for all the kids. Gabriel is always impressed with this, so tonight I made him a pancake man and a pancake heart for dinner. He was sooooo excited, and Jake held him up so he could watch me make it. It's so much fun to learn with Gabriel, and then to make stories come to life for him. He learns so much every day! I almost feel like I can't keep up with all his new developments. I still can't believe that he's going potty like a big boy already (no, he's not potty trained, but he's getting there) and he loooooooves wearing pull-ups. He really wants to eat at the table or counter like Mama and Daddy, so we let him go high-chairless whenever we can. He does so well! And today he climbed the stairs by himself for the first time. He's been able to do it for a long time, but we never let him go solo until today. Yay, Gabriel!

It's late, so I won't add photos today. I will add them tomorrow, so check in again to see some nice Fall pictures!

Remember, Remember, to Blog in November...

2008-11-17T21:13:00.008-06:00

Once again I've let a month go by without a post. Ugh. What's gonna happen when I have two little munchkins to take care of?! And I have a ton of good pictures to show off! Of course, I have to start off with pictures of our little dragon-baby. He had a great Halloween! We had a day-before-Halloween-party with our Stroller Strides friends, and he loved his costume and playing with the other costumed kiddoes. We then had a spider cake at class on Friday morning, followed by a day out and about with our friends Becca & Jonny (from London, moving to Melbourne, Australia), and some fun trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. He did so great! We only went to a handful of houses, but by the end he knew the drill: ring doorbell, say trick-or-treat and Happy Halloween, get candy, say thank you! He did not want the night to end! And he loves his dragon costume. He would occasionally want to take off the dragon-face-hood to give it a hug and a kiss! And his roar-roar is the cutest ever!

We don't have a lot going on. We are house-hunting (although we have now decided to wait a bit longer), preparing for the new baby girl due in March, and enjoying the cool weather up here. The leaves changed colors beautifully up here, so we made sure to go hiking while Becca & Jonny were here. That is something that most of Texas really misses out on. Gabriel loved the leaves, and we even had a few leaf fights with all the kids at class! It was awesome! We are still searching for a church home, so we go somewhere different every week. Nothing has fit right (not even near), so we may start trying churches closer into the DC area. Other than that, we are just keeping our heads above water.

As for Gabriel news, he had a biggie today! Now that the weather is cold, we have Stroller Strides indoors at the mall. Santa arrived a couple weeks ago, so after each class we go look at the model trains and wave at Santa. At first, G wouldn't even wave. Then he'd give a little wave while clutching to Mama. Lately he's been giving humongous waves with a big, excited smile and blowing kisses. Today he wanted to go see him! He gave Santa a hi-five, took a little candy cane, and even talked to him! I asked G what he wanted Santa to bring him, and he said "trains." Okay, we had practiced that once or twice ;). Then Santa asked if he wanted just regular trains, or Thomas trains. Gabriel's eyes lit up, he looked at me, then he looked at Santa and said "Thomas trains, please!" I am so proud of him! Maybe in a week or two he'll even sit on his lap for a picture. We'll see...

What else? He loves to move the barstools away from the counter and push a dining room chair over so that he can stand on it and be with the grown-ups or reach for things we've hidden from him. We had a long visit with Jonny & Becca (almost 2 weeks), and now Gabriel has picked up a few things: he often says "cheerio" or "cheerios" when someone leaves, he says "tract-ah" instead of "tractor" about half the time, and he still thinks Jonny & Becca are somewhere upstairs. Actually, he knows they're in Australia now, but he believes that is somewhere upstairs. He is super excited about Christmas already, although I don't know that he knows what it is. He loves reindeer, Santa, snowmen, Christmas trees and lights, and all the music and decorations to go with it. He loves Nativity scenes and Baby Jesus, but his favorite parts are the animals and the angels. I have to sing Jingle Bells and Up on the Housetop every day, and we read "The Night Before Christmas" about twice a day! And if he's fussy, we just pop in some Christmas CD's and he will start dancing and trying to snap his fingers. He is definitely my son!

We don't have much new baby news, other than that she is a tough little girl. Gabriel moved constantly in the womb, but it was mostly gentle. This girl likes to kick and poke with all her might! It actually hurts quite often, and once she starts to push out a foot or an elbow, she just won't release. Ouch! But everything else is great. She's right on target for size, as am I. And despite my complaints, I love to feel her wiggle. I think it just makes her feel more real to us. Gabriel likes to put his little hands on my belly to feel her move, and he still loves to give her hugs and kisses. And no, we don't have a name yet, but we are desperately trying to figure it out. It's so hard! She'll be stuck with whatever name we choose forever, and we want to give her a name that is special, meaningful, and something she'll love. We'll let everyone know what we decide, and we promise not to make you wait so long this time around.

Well, tomorrow is a long day of house-hunting, and it's supposed to snow tonight, so I'd better sleep while G is sleeping.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, and I hope to post again before Christmas comes and goes!!!

Here are a few random pictures in no particular order. I might come back and comment on them later, but it's late and I am sleeeeeepy!

Happy October!!!

2008-10-06T21:21:00.008-05:00

It's been such a long time since I last posted, so I'm sorry for the delay. To be fair, we have been quite busy lately. We had a trip to Texas in September, and we've all been suffering from colds since then, so blogging has not been much of a priority! Anyway, we are all feeling better now so I hope to be a bit better about posting.

Everybody asks, so I'll just tell you: no we don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet!!! We'll find out on Monday (if he/she cooperates), and I'll be sure to let everybody know asap! I am feeling a lot of wiggling and a few kicks, so I am guessing that the baby is healthy and happy. It's not as busy as Gabriel was, but it's still early. Gabriel really loves the baby and often wants to lift my shirt and give the baby a hug and a kiss. Or sometimes he wants to push on my bellybutton like button and say "beep," but usually he's being sweet. Lately he's started saying, "Baby. Out. Baby. Out. Now!" I think he knows that there really is a baby in there, but I still think he'll be a little surprised when a baby actually does show up in our home! He loves other babies and likes to help out. Stroller Strides has been great for that. He sees lots of pregnant mommies and new babies, and he is fascinated with all the babies! He likes to give them bottles and toys, and he loves to fetch a diaper or burpcloth for them. He could sit and pet them for hours!!! And he's never been jealous when I've been babysitting or caring for someone else's little one. All this gives me hope that our new baby will be accepted without too much jealousy or animosity. We'll do our best to make it a smooth transition! I really like my cousin's idea of the baby bringing presents... okay, so maybe I just like presents! I also hope to encourage G to take ownership in the situation... after all, it'll be his little brother or sister. Any other suggestions?

We've had a few fun trips since my last post. The weekend after I ran the Annapolis 10-miler, we took a little family trip to Annapolis and wandered the town. We had a great time checking out the shops and the boats, and we finished off the day with a little tour around the Naval Academy. It was really fun, and Gabriel loved the cannons and the guys in uniform. We sat and watched boats for ages! We decided to wait for visitors to come with us and take a ride on one of them. I can't wait!

Our trip to Texas was really great. It didn't go exactly to plan, but we got to see everyone we intended on seeing and Jake got to go to the Aggie game. Nathan and Lauren hosted us in their new, lovely house, and their dog Remmy babysat Gabriel for us most of the time. Thanks, cousins!!! We had such a nice time with them, and I am soooo jealous of their house. It's the perfect size with a more than perfect sized yard, in the perfect town. And Lauren has it decorated so nicely that it almost feels like a show-home, but a little cozier! Anyway, Jake had a Track & Field reunion, I had a Squadron 16 reunion, and we had a Boone family reunion to attend, so we were busy! We also made a little bit of time with each of my parents, as well as a visit with Cookie and Dewayne (who are actually like family anyway). My mom and Jim bought Gabriel a stuffed Reveille dog, and now he won't part with it. He feeds it, sleeps with it, and I have to kiss him goodnight and good morning every day. It's so cute! We met up with the Sarles' at this awesome restaurant in Houston called the Rainbow Lodge for brunch. It's lovely, and I really want to go back!!! We had our own little room, so it was fairly easy to visit (although we were a pretty large group). Aunt Beth gave G a personalized sippy cup (that I love), and now he has to have his juice in it every day. It's great! And my dad brought him an old toy tractor. Although it was a bit heavy in my suitcase, Gabriel loves it and plays with it all the time. The steering wheel actually turns the front wheels, and G loves to "drivps," which is his interpretation of "drive."

Unfortunately, I got food poisoning while in College Station, and then we all three got colds, so we came home in need of a bit of rest! We are pretty much healed up now, and we've even started back running again. It's a lot slower now since my bump is getting bigger, but we're still healthy and happy little joggers. Gabriel loves it and will often point to the stroller and say "stroller - run" or "ride, ride!"

Here are a few recent pics. As soon as I finish the roll in my camera, we'll have some cute pictures of Gabriel in Texas to add as well. Enjoy!

Gabriel loves to "ride, horse"

After the 10-miler with a few Stroller Strides ladies

In Annapolis

On the Naval Academy campus checking out the Boone Walk!!!

My two block-heads

Our new rocking chair!

Run, Mama, Run!!!

2008-08-24T14:17:00.005-05:00

So much good news to share!!! First of all, today I ran the Annapolis 10-miler!!! I had to be careful because Annapolis is quite hilly, and it was rather warm and humid today. I made sure to keep my heart rate and body temperature down, which meant that I had to walk a bit on some of the steeper or longer hills. I was really happy that I finished with lots of time to spare, and I had a lovely day with a few of the Stroller Strides girls. We ate cookies to our hearts' content, did a little sports clothes shopping, and we even got sports massages. How great is that? And our awesome hubbies took care of our babies while we were playing! We've been training for 10 weeks, so it was rather bittersweet to be finished with the race. Although it was very satisfying, I am still sad it is all over.

The reason I had to be careful on the run is that Gabriel is going to be a big brother! We are due for a second little one around the beginning of March, so my 10-mile training schedule had to be a bit altered :). We are so excited to be awaiting a sibling for G, and we are really happy to have a little baby again. Keep us in your prayers!

As for Gabriel news, he is just talking, talking, talking! Whether it's babbles or words or mimicking us, he just doesn't stop. And it's adorable! He learns so much every day, and he's starting to use words together (for example: "Mama, read, back" means "Mama, read me this book. Here, take the book back so you can read it to me"). He's getting more independent, especially around other kids. I looooove seeing him make friends and play with the kids at Stroller Strides, and he loves to just be free to run around and be silly.

Here are a bunch of pictures from our little hiking excursion along the Appalachian Trail to the Annapolis Rocks (not in Annapolis). We have some way cute videos I'd love to share, but Jake is a bit slow moving them over (hint, hint). We'll get 'em up as soon as possible.

Gabriel is looking for cats and dogs

Still looking

We made it up to the Annapolis Rocks for a picnic

Gabriel and his walking stick!

Gabriel playing hide and seek with his walking stick

Notice Gabriel's pet rock

He carried the rock for a quarter mile!

Who is this cute little person???

2008-07-29T22:00:00.011-05:00

Sometimes as a mom, you just have to ask yourself who is this person in front of me??? I definitely feel that way about Gabriel lately. It's as if he's having a new word explosion! In the last three days, he has said so many new words that I absolutely cannot keep up. In the past, we would be excited about a new word every few days. Now it's by the hour - sometimes by the minute!!! Here are a few of my favorites: read (with the sign), sing, flag, burp, nut, rock, please (with the sign), bright, swing, pop, back, frog, boat, and at dinner tonight he said bean for the first time! What a smartie!!!

We've had a fun week so far, and it's only Tuesday!!! Yesterday after Stroller Strides, we took a tour of the downtown firestation. It's close to the park, so we all pushed our strollers the few blocks over to the station and got to check things out. Gabriel looooooved all the trucks. He would have done anything to play with all the buttons and levers, but he had to settle with getting all greasy playing with the wheels (yuck). The real excitement came when they had a call and we watched the ambulance take off, and a few minutes later one of the big firetrucks came back to the station after another call. The firemen were all great, and our tour guide was a daddy himself, so he was great with the kiddoes. Some of the young single guys didn't know what to do with all the tots running around asking silly questions! Overall, it was a very fun little outing. We picked up Jake afterward, and found a hidden gem... there is a Ben & Jerry's here in Frederick!!! We've been here all this time and never knew it! How great is that?! Yea!

Today we took a day off. Jake still had to go to work, but Gabriel and I decided to stay home and chill out. We colored on a big cardboard box until we were colored out, played with trucks and cars, snacked on every fruit we could find in the fridge, and played with every ball in the toybox. When we ran out of things to do, we just spun in circles and giggled! Then snacktime came about, and we decided to try something new: popcorn! I got out the popper and we just had a blast watching the kernels pop and jump. That's when he said pop for the first time. I didn't think he'd like it much, but I was wrong. We nibbled on popcorn while we played for the next hour. He liked it so much that he said "ummm" with almost every bite! It totally felt like our own little party day :).

Although we have been busy, we've had lots of fun little outings. We get tired of running (or Jake's old sports injuries flare up), so we'll strap on the rollerblades and take Gabriel out in the stroller. He absolutely loves it, and spends the whole trip singing, waving at passersby, and yelling out random words or sounds! It's really fun for all three of us. We've also taken a few weekend hikes on local trails. We first tried Catoctin National Park, near Thurmont, and had a nice little trip. Recently we wandered around the Monocacy Battlefield National Park trails and had a nice time and a lovely little picnic. Gabriel had fun, but got so tired he took a nap right in the carrier! It didn't look very comfy to me, but he was out like a light (but still holding his train, of course).

Since it's been so long since I left a post, I've included a few older pictures. The ones in the water are from Wimberley, Texas, and the motorcycle is from our little trip to Amarillo for Jake's sister's high school graduation. Enjoy!

What a Wonderful World!

2008-06-23T21:35:00.003-05:00

Sometimes it seems like life is going by so slowly; each week meanders by, each day is filled with a thousand jobs, chores, and errands. It takes forever to make dinner, an eternity to drive across town, and the trip to the grocery store takes ages. And then I turn around and my sweet little baby has turned into a sweet little boy! When did that happen? How did he grow several inches overnight? When did the nighttime routine turn into a relaxing and joyful moment that I look forward to and linger over? How in the world did Gabriel learn to empty the dishwasher, set the table, and drink from a big boy cup? We still have temper tantrums and separation anxiety and selfishness and occasional nap refusals, but this phase we are in is so loving and peaceful that I simply can't even imagine it getting better or richer, although I know it will! It's been such a joy getting to know our little "Butter Bean," and we still feel so blessed by all the wonderful things he's brought to our life!

Tonight was especially nice. We had a fun day outside at the park, pool, and on the swing reading books and being silly, so Gabriel was really sleepy and ready for bed. We hopped over next door for a moment (he loves our neighbors on both sides - lucky us!), and he got to play with their little poodle while I had a cup of real Colombian coffee - yum! Gabriel even got to taste his first dogfood... yuck! Okay, he liked it but we all said yuck. Anyway, we finally got him bathed and booked and to bed (with a lot of giggling and snuggles), and Jake and I sat outside on the swing to enjoy the breeze after the sun went down and watched the lightning bugs and the lightning and thunderstorm. It was awesome! We are finally feeling like this is home, and this is where we are supposed to be in this phase of our life. Tonight just made us feel so cozy and at home and at peace.

As for new news, not too much to report. We had a very chilled out weekend. We went to Linganore for the Wine and Jazz Festival which was great! The music was really good, and we met up with some other Stroller Strides families. Gabriel just had a blast and thought he owned the place. He went from blanket to blanket visiting the other families, playing with toys, eating their goldfish, and dancing like a star! We tasted a few of their wines, and found some that were really nice. It's lovely and if you come visit we'll take you there :). I am still running and planning to run a 10 miler in August. Last Thursday I was supposed to drive 15 minutes east of here to meet up with some girls for a hilly run... I got lost and ended up halfway to Baltimore! It took me an hour and 15 minutes to find the place, and the girls were well finished with the run. I ran the route alone anyway and really enjoyed the challenge. It lifted my spirits and boosted my confidence. We'll do it again on Thursday, and I hope to actually make it on time this time!!!

G is just talking away. He now says a few more words: yuck or it's yuck, truck, dark or it's dark, step, stop, and a few others. He can make monkey sounds and a modified fish face. He's almost reaching the pedals on his tricycle, and he can occasionally make it move a bit! He still loves watering the flowers, but he's eating less of the soil and is no longer afraid of the worms. We still smell every flower. He likes to help me clean up and copies everything. It's so fun to see him be silly and we all get the giggles! Tonight he was yelling, patting his head, slapping his knees while crouching, then cracking up -- it's so great!!! There are a million little things he does that are just so big-boy. Our little baby is not much of a baby anymore, but boy we love him!!!

Happy June, now that it's almost July :)

2008-06-18T21:12:00.003-05:00

It has been a fun month for us, but busy. We started out the month with a visit to Texas to watch Jake's sister graduate high school. It was a nice few days, but Gabriel's favorite part of the visit was definitely Pippy the puppy. They became great friends, and they loved to kiss. Okay, it's kinda gross, but very cute. Pippy would run up to Gabriel, and G would open wide for a big kiss and giggle like crazy!

We had a layover in Austin, so we had a quick visit with some of my family as well. I got to see my little sister, my mom and my step dad. We also drove up to Rogers to see my Grandma, and Gabriel got a quick visit with his cousin, Aubrey. Gabriel loooooved feeding her cookies!

Although it was a quick trip to Texas, Gabriel grew in leaps and bounds! He did great on the planes (we rode 6 planes in all!) and he slept very well in his pack and play. He loved on everybody and showed off his tricks! He even learned to make bubbles with an electric bubblemaker and a bubble wand and he walked up a small flight of steps without holding on or climbing!!! In Wimberley with my parents, Gabriel got his first little red wagon and he looooved it! We rode around and watched the deer (although G tried his hardest to abandon ship and run after the deer). We even took a little trip down to the river and played on the rocks and in the water. Yay!

Once we got home, we went to our first strawberry farm and picked berries in the scorching heat. Gabriel got a little fussy, but then he realized that all these red things we'd been picking were edible!!! He was much happier after he discovered that!

Gabriel and the Pippy puppy kiss in Amarillo

Angie, Gabriel, and Aunt A'Landra go for a tree climb

Daddy and Gabriel take a little dip

A Mama deer and three babies

A ride in the Radio Flyer

Bubbles!

Gabriel loooooved Gramma Alice's bird bath!

Gabriel climbing the stairs and telling us all about it

Feeding cousin Aubrey

Angie and Gabriel at the Strawberry Farm

Testing out the results

Picking a berry with Daddy Jake

Trying to convince Gabriel to put berries in the basket, not straw!

Memorial Day in D.C.

2008-05-26T22:16:00.004-05:00

What a lovely day. We went next door for dinner last night and stayed up late, so we slept in today! We finally got into Washington around lunchtime, so we wandered down to the Sculpture Garden for a picnic lunch and listened to the music festival nearby. Gabriel loooooved the ducks and the fountains, and he was super excited that we let him put his feet in the water. It absolutely tortured him that he couldn't get all the way in for a little swim, but a bit of yogurt and dancing distracted him enough to keep him warm and dry!

We then headed over to the National Air and Space Museum. We thought that a bunch of huge pieces of metal would totally bore Gabriel to death, but he was fascinated! He couldn't get enough of the planes and other aircraft. He pointed, yelled, sang, jumped (kind-of... his feet don't quite come off the ground yet), and danced around all the planes. Maybe he'll be a pilot? Or a plane fixer-upper? I guess we need to invest in a model airplane!

All during this time, the parade was forming up, practicing, and marching by. Gabriel especially liked the horses and drums, but any music is fine by him. Let me put it this way: we did a lot of dancing in public today!

After some museum-ing, we met up with a friend from high school (Brenda) for a nice, relaxing visit and Spanish food. Gabriel loved playing peek-a-boo, and we were very glad Brenda was patient: Gabriel was quite fussy and tired by the end of a long, fun day!

As for last night, it was great! Our neighbor had her family over and invited us to join the party. Gabriel was the center of attention, and he knew it. It was like having a little celebrity sitting in my lap! He danced, pointed out body parts, waved, smelled flowers and demanded others smell flowers, clapped, and pointed to his heart's content. By the end of the night, G had eaten a bit of everything (including some of a brownie, a pill bug, and a bit of dirt from the garden) and shared hugs and kisses and high-fives with everybody present! What a little star! He is great entertainment and seems to liven up any party!!!

Happy Birthday to the Mama!!!

2008-05-14T21:59:00.011-05:00

Today is my 29th Birthday... am I really that old??? Anyway, it was a wonderful day! I got to sleep in, then we had a playdate at the park, Jake took us to lunch, I got to bake my birthday cupcakes (yes, it was fun for me), Jake made dinner, and then I got my birthday present: a place setting of my china!!! Yea for Angie! It really helped that the weather was nice today and yesterday. I am soooo affected by the weather, so nice weather is grrrrreat for my mood.

Now about these cupcakes: S'mores Cupcakes. Does that sound decadent and awesome, or what? They have a graham cracker crust, a dollop of Scharffen Berger chocolate in the middle, a rich and moist chocolate cake, and a toasted marshmallow icing. They are fab, but filling. I made some tiny ones so that Gabriel could have one, and he couldn't get enough. It was G's first cupcake, and I think he was very happy with the experience. We put one on his little plate, and he would poke his finger in the middle and lick it off! Then he ate the rest of the cupcake, and when that was gone, he was wiping the plate with his little fingers to get all the chocolate and icing off! What a funny guy! I got the recipe from Martha Stewart, and she got it from a little shop called Trophy Cupcakes. Here's the recipe for anybody interested:

Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Icing
Makes 2 Dozen

-ingredients--------------------------------------------------

2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 20 squares)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Marshmallow Frosting

-preparation--------------------------------------------------

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake liners; set aside.
Sift 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix ingredients together on low speed.
In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and continue mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add boiling water and stir to combine; set cake batter aside.
Place graham cracker crumbs, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl; stir until well combined.
Place 1 tablespoon graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each prepared muffin cup. Use the bottom of a small glass to pack crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Reserve remaining graham cracker mixture for topping.
Place 2 teaspoons chocolate in each muffin cup. Transfer muffin tins to oven and bake until the edges of the graham cracker mixture is golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and fill each muffin cup three-quarters full with cake batter. Sprinkle each with remaining chocolate and graham cracker mixture. Return to oven and bake, rotating pans halfway through baking, until tops are firm and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer muffin tins to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely.
Transfer frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a large plain round or French tip (such as Ateco #867 or Ateco #809). Pipe frosting in a spiral motion on each cupcake. Transfer cupcakes to a baking sheet. Using a kitchen torch, lightly brown the frosting, taking care not to burn the cupcake liners. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, up to 2 days.

Marshmallow Icing
Makes enough icing for 2 dozen cupcakes

-ingredients--------------------------------------------------

8 large egg whites
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

-preparation--------------------------------------------------

Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.
Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined. Use immediately.

As for baby news, Gabriel is getting so smart. We knew that he knew his body parts, and we make special effort to name them if he points to them or as we change his clothes, etc. I got stuck in a waiting room yesterday, so I started asking him about his body. I started with the usual "where's your nose?" and "where is your eye?" I ran out of the easy ones, and started asking the harder ones. I had no idea that he had such a detailed knowledge of his anatomy! What a smarty pants! When I asked him where his foot was, he was tired of pointing, so he just lifted is foot to me. I pushed for an answer, and he finally pointed to his foot in exasperation as if to say "you know already!!!" It was so funny!

He also has started this thing where he squeezes his rubber duckies as hard as he can. But you really have to see it to get the full effect: he's usually naked and standing in the tub, and then he shrugs his shoulders, smiles really big, sucks his tummy in, and squeezes as hard as he can until his arms shake and his face turns red! It totally cracks us up!!!

And today he helped me empty the dishwasher for the first time. I handed him all the plastic containers to put away. He would take the containers, one by one, put them in the cabinet, clap for himself, and then come back for another plastic container to put away. It was so cute, and actually helpful. He usually just steals all the silverware and hides the forks in funny places. This was so much better than the silverware treasure hunt I'm used to!

I have some new pictures, but I'll add them when they're developed. I know, I know: I'm a bit slow at getting pictures up as I do it the old fashioned way... we'll be digital eventually.

It's a Zoo!

2008-05-07T22:53:00.011-05:00

Today was totally fun! We started out at Stroller Strides for a good workout at Baker Park. The weather has been absolutely beautiful, and this morning was no exception. Gabriel had a fun ride in the pram, and we saw lots of dogs, ducks, geese, baby ducks and geese, and other birds of all kinds. G was way excited :).

After class, we all went to Ijamsville to the petting zoo. It's a nice little farm that started out as a "pick your own veggies" place, but people were more excited about the animals than the vegetables. So now they are rather famous for their kid-friendly animals. Gabriel got to pet a zebra, donkeys, pigs, cows, a duck (whoopee!), chickens, and a baby goat. He could have pet the grown-up goats, but he was totally scared of them. I don't blame him! They scare me, too! He really wanted to pet the emus, but I talked him out of it... and then the emu went potty and scared the daylights out of him! He especially loved the little chicks. I held them and he petted them; I was so scared he would smoosh them, but he was very gentle and loving. So sweet! I didn't think I'd ever get him out of the chicks room, but I lured him out with the promise of ducks and geese. So, we marched over to the ducks and geese pen, and he had a grand time chasing them around the pen with all the other kids. But then the inevitable happened: the biggest goose decided he was tired of being chased, and he decided to pick on the littlest of the chasers! As I was about to take a picture, the goose bit Gabriel and sent him screaming! It didn't even leave a mark, but he sure stayed close to his mama for the rest of the afternoon :).

Next we headed over to the chickens. I didn't think G would care for them at all, especially considering the unfriendly goose. I was so wrong. We pet and followed chickens for 20 minutes, until I got dizzy from running in circles and herded him over to the cow barn. I milked a cow (for the first time in over ten years), but Gabriel wasn't so sure about the squirting milk situation, so we moved on to other animals. It was a ton of fun!

He also had his little Spanish session with our neighbor, and he was particularly loving. I took a few pictures of him cuddling up to Laura. Gabriel insisted on walking her home, and he had a total meltdown when it was time for us to say goodbye. I am so happy that he is making friends and (hopefully) learning a valuable skill. We'll see if it works out the way we are hoping!

Our little guy is growing up so fast!!! If we are using a fork, spoon or knife, then he has to have one of his own. If we are sitting in a chair to read, then he needs to sit in a chair to read. If we are going outside to water plants, then he has to water plants as well. Such a copycat, but it's so sweet! I really like that he likes to set the table -- it gives him a job to do while I finish dinner. And now that he is really babbling like crazy, I just know that one day he's just going to open his mouth and talk like a grownup! His most recent babbles are "yabba-dabba-jabba" and "boodja boodja biedja bidja." We haven't figured out what it's supposed to mean, but Jake insists he's trying for "Yabba Dabba Doo!"

On a non-baby note, we are sending our thoughts to NYC and West Point this weekend. Jake's sister, Diane, is traveling with Lucia (their mom) and the choir group, ending with a performance on Sunday at West Point. How fun for them! Good luck Randall High School choir!!!

And for you photo junkies, here are some of our favorite new pics. Be sure to check out the "Albums" link in the right column for all the new pictures. Have a Happy Mother's Day!!!

Gabriel's first tree climbing!

Our neighbor, Karen, taught him how to smell flowers

He loves to drink from the water hose

Helping water the plants

Cool kid at the Zoo

Chickens!

Sneaking away from those scary llamas

A Big Pig

Little guy, big horse

Soooo sleepy!

Like mother, like son! He cries if he sees a Starbucks logo and we don't let him have it. We used to frequent Starbucks (and other coffee shops) a lot in London when Gabriel was itty bitty and I needed a warm, cozy place to feed him.

A day at Baker Park

Cherry Blossoms!

A cozy spot by a covered bridge in the park

On the swings with Daddy

How exciting! The bridge has windows!

So many rocks to collect, so little time

Barefoot in the grass, eating the leaves under the Cherry Blossoms

Keeping Busy

2008-04-29T22:24:00.020-05:00

We just don't stop these days! The weather is improving, and we are really starting to enjoy it up here. Gabriel is sooooo glad to be getting outside more, and he's finally getting to play with kids his own age. I've joined Stroller Strides, which is a Mommy and Baby exercise group. We meet at Baker Park to jog and exercise while pushing our prams, then the kiddoes get to play at the playground afterward. It's great for both of us! They also host little outings, and we are looking forward to a trip to a petting zoo next week. Gabriel looooves animals (but especially dogs and ducks), so that should be a perfect fit!

He's learning loads of new tricks these days. Today he helped me to load the dishwasher, then he closed the door, I locked it, and he turned it on! I guess we've found his second chore. His first is sweeping the floor, although Jake and I do a *bit* of touching up afterward... he kinda just moves the dirt around all over the place. It's amazing that I can ask him to do something and he does it. He also loves to help me put things on the table for a meal or a snack, so I'll hand him yogurt, silverware, plastic bowls and plates, etc., and most of them end up where they're supposed to be. He really thinks he is one of us, and is frustrated that he can't always do what we do. It's really frustrating that he can't see what I'm doing when I'm cooking or cleaning, so sometimes I let him stand on a stool and help me "chop" veggies or "clean" the counter with a paper towel. He likes to use his silverware properly (and he wants silverware like we have, not kid stuff), drink from a glass, and sit at the table. It is a lot of fun for us -- although a bit messy at times -- and he's learning, so we indulge him as often as we can. He's such a great little person!

Another little trick he learned today was how to take off his pants. Uh-oh... what do we have to look forward to??? He was happily typing on the laptop. I glanced at Jake, and when I looked back, Gabriel was stepping out of his pants, then carefully piling thim on the computer. He turned to us as pleased as pie! What a silly-willy! We got to giggling, and he followed suit. He's learned to throw his head back and laugh like we do, so it only makes us laugh more. What fun!

We try and create an environment that is conducive to learning and creativity, and we think it's really important that he is exposed to different languages. Luckily, we live next door to a family from Colombia!!! Laura is in Junior High, and she's coming over every week to give G Spanish lessons. He loves her and has totally accepted her as a member of the family. Not only does he happily give her kisses and cuddles, but he fully expects me to give her hugs and kisses as well! If we don't, he'll take our hands and pull us together. If we still don't, it's meltdown time. Needless to say, I am happy to give her a hug as well!

We've also started a little potted plant garden. Gabriel has really gotten into it, and his favorite job is watering the plants. We have carrots, artichokes, chives, lavender, and a few different flowers coming up, so we'll cross our fingers that we should have a pretty little crop of plants in a few weeks. Unfortunately, he also loves to play in the mud that is created from his watering, so it's a messy job! On occasion a bit of that mud ends up in his mouth, which he doesn't like, so he'll point the water hose at his mouth to take a drink. He's gotten really good at it, but he's usually a sopping mess before it's all over! After a particularly messy and muddy session, we came in to clean him up. As I ran over to grab some towels to clean him up, he reached up on the table and grabbed a huge cup of water and decided to take a drink. He's not used to full cups of water and ended up dumping the whole cup of water on his face! He was momentarily surprised, then very proud to have accomplished his task of cleaning up and getting a drink. I didn't even know he could reach that far on the table, so we will have to be more careful in the future!!!

Sorry for yet another week without posting. Gabriel was a little sick (and waking up constantly), now he's teething, and then Jake got sick, so I'd rather sleep than type these days! Thanks for your patience!!! We're all better now, and we are back in business.

It's rather late, so I'll leave off with a few recent pictures of our cutie.

His bear and new best friend from the Boones -- he's named Rillo (pronounced rijo) after Amarillo!

Gabriel and Nana at Mien Yu in Georgetown on her Birthday

"ME LOVE COOKIES" --Cookie Monster

"Baby Baby" by Amy Grant... we listen to this musical card over and over and over and over and over.....

He loooooves eggs!

A close relative of the Easter Bunny

Our first Easter in Frederick

Even practices the drums in his sleep!

Mr. Cool in his new sunglasses

G and his little sandcastle set that we take everywhere

Beside the YMCA's gorgeous dogwood tree

Peekaboo!!!
This is the bike we have to ride every day, rain or shine!!!

Our Big Boy

2008-04-13T23:52:00.004-05:00

It's very late, but I just couldn't go to bed without a little post. I won't add pictures tonight, but maybe in the next day or two.

Gabriel is growing in leaps and bounds. When we moved to Frederick, he could run around everywhere, including under the kitchen table. The other day, he was running around chasing his Spiderman soccer ball (or football for you Brits), and it rolled right under the table. He ran after it and BUMP! The table hit him smack in the middle of the forehead. It surprised Gabriel almost as much as it surprised me. I hadn't realized how much taller Gabriel had grown in just a couple months! I knew he had grown, as we had to buy new jeans and slacks for him, but I didn't think it was quite that much!

AND THEN, today he learned a new trick with Daddy. We have more stairs than I've ever had before in a house. Since we have three stories and are uphill from the parking lot, Gabriel has had to learn to negotiate stairs. He is great at climbing them, but has had a few difficulties coming down. He wants to walk down like Mommy and Daddy, but he doesn't quite understand the whole gravity thing (he gets that from me...). Jake has really worked to help him learn to bump down on his little bum, but he gets impatient and wants to go go go! Today G made it from the top floor to the bottom by himself! Jake only had to assist a couple times, but the rest was all Gabriel, mostly sliding on his bottom, with a few backward crawls. I am so proud of him!

He has also mastered using a grown-up fork (toddler ones just will not do, apparently), and can often properly use a spoon in the last few weeks. It doubles as a sword or drumstick, so we do have to watch our fingers. If we are eating with utensils, the G-Man has to have his own! And if I want to give him a bite of whatever I have, he usually wants to take the fork from me and feed it to himself. What a big kid he's getting to be.

These days, Gabriel wants to be outside 24/7, regardless of time of day or weather. It's been so nice that I have been able to indulge him, but today was yucky. It was torture for him to stay inside all day, but we raced around on his bike and that made things better. He still ended up banging his head against the front door a few times and trying to use a spatula to manipulate the doorknob throughout the day. Thankfully tomorrow is supposed to be lovely! We'll be sure to go to the park and do some major climbing and sliding. He really loves all the other kids, and makes sure to point out all of their noses. So far, they have all been sweet and obliging!

As for other small achievements, he uses the word Mama constantly, and Daddy is usually "Da" or "Da-Da," but occasionally "Ga." His favorite words are still "duck," "dog," "cat," "mama," "ack," and "da," but "light" and "eye" are currently slightly out of favor. He loves to play with saucepans and lids, and the new thing is filling them up and putting the lid on. He is excited to find his treasures still in there when the lid comes off! He loves rocks, and carries them everywhere, and really loves dirt. We walk the sidewalks searching for dogs and motorcycles, and he gets very excited about planes, helicopters and ice cream trucks. He is great at piling up blocks, but now he is able to help me put them away as well. At the grocery store, he gets to pick out produce and put them in the bag for me. He actually cries when we leave the produce section! Can you believe that he can help out already? I didn't expect that from a 14 month old! He also loves to do Mommy and Baby Yoga with me, and his favorite move is downward dog -- he especially likes to peek through is legs and see Mama and Daddy upside-down!

I think that is everything of note. We still have a few boxes to unpack, but our momentum has way dropped! Someday we'll be all unpacked. We're getting closer!!! We still haven't decided on a church, but we also have a few we want to visit. That is such a difficult decision. I'm trying to decide if I should join MOPS or the MOMS Club here, so let me know if anyone has any advice.

I have really had Eldorado, Texas on my heart lately. As Christians, we think polygamy is wrong (much less somewhat illegal), and the situation with the young girls being forced to marry is deplorable. But I just can't imagine what those families are going through right now. Many of the women have never left the compound and think that the rest of the world is evil -- how terrifying for them to have to leave their home and their husbands and be in such an insecure situation. I feel even worse for the kids. I'm sure they don't understand what's going on, and no matter how it ends up, their safety and security is compromised. I just can't imagine Gabriel being away from Jake for so long. It makes me so thankful to be married to such a loving, supportive and strong Christian man, and I am so humbled to be so loved by our little baby. It literally makes my heart ache to think of anything happening to Gabriel, or to imagine him growing up without his Mama or Daddy. We are blessed with many friends and family members that love and support us, and we are so thankful for everything we have!

P.S. If you haven't tried a Magic Eraser, you have to. It's magical!!! Scuffs, rust, crayon, and stains are no match. Just be careful, as it can take the paint off your walls if you scrub too hard. I also love Chlorox Bleach Pens for little spots on white fabrics or surfaces -- one of the best inventions ever!

Movin' and Groovin'

2008-03-27T22:20:00.013-05:00

Gabriel had a big moment today: he can now stand up by himself! He usually crawls to a ledge, wall, or piece of furniture to stand up, but today he decided that he could do it without assistance. He is now officially an independent mover and shaker!!! Jake saw it the first time while I was making dinner, but I got to see it soon thereafter. I got super excited, so Gabriel did, too. We ran around the living room yelling "yea!!!" with our arms over our heads and pausing only for kisses. It was way fun!

Speaking of kisses, G is a great kisser. Especially since he gives big, slobbery ones occasionally laced with his last meal and often ended in a giggle. His hugs are really wonderful. He is very loving and really enjoys showing his affection. He made a friend at the park yesterday who was about a year older, and Gabriel gave him some of the sweetest hugs ever! Takeshi didn't seem to mind, as long as Gabriel continued to share the cars and trucks they were playing with. Gabriel is fascinated with other kiddoes, and he followed Takeshi all over the playground!

We are liking Frederick more the longer we live here. It seems to be family friendly, but a bit more hip than we first imagined. Here is a picture of our townhouse... second from the end, with the red door. We have great neighbors and live next to two small playgrounds, so that makes us feel more at home. There is an awesome park in the middle of old town called Baker Park, and we love to play on the playground or walk along the sidewalk and look at the ducks/geese. There are tons of Canadian Geese around here, and Gabriel loooooves them! Plus, there are lots of kids at the park on pretty days, and Gabriel almost always makes a friend or two. He is usually one of the youngest playing on the equipment, but he doesn't seem to realize it! On cold or rainy days, we try to do different projects around the house. One of Gabriel's favorites was an idea from Anitra Edney: I made colored ice cubes and we melted them in warm water. The water ended up funky colors, and G was really impressed that they disappeared! Actually, I think Gabriel enjoys anything that involves water!!!

We like to go to the YMCA here in town for our swimming sessions, and I get a workout a couple times a week. Gabriel isn't great at staying with strangers unless there are other kids to play with, so he's usually okay. The ladies there are very nice, and it's nice that they always remember his name and understand that he's not away from Mama much. As for swimming, he looooves it! He can now blow bubbles (occasionally), doggie paddle (with support), float on his back, climb out at the ladder all by himself, and go under water for a few seconds without support. We play and giggle the whole time -- except for when he is flirting with the lifeguards! He especially loves the locker room; he could spend all day in there running around and greeting all the people coming through.

He still loves to help me cook. If I am stirring something in a pot or bowl and I don't let him help, he cries as if I had totally rejected him! He is very patient and helpful, and is so proud of himself when he helps me stir or measure something. Once he's helped, he is content and will run off and play.

Unfortunately I am very mean to him: I often close the refrigerator door. Suddenly, that has become an awful thing. He loves to play in the fridge, and he especially enjoys taking the yogurts out one by one and placing them on the kitchen table. And we have a lot of yogurt! He loooooves yogurt, and he looooooves the fridge, so there you go. I've even gotten to the point of waiting until he is in the living room to hurridly open the fridge and get out everything I need before he comes back into the kitchen! Otherwise it's meltdown time if I need to close the door again. Worst of all, he's started banging his head when he gets mad, and I'm always worried he'll bump too hard. Fortunately, he's very careful not to hurt himself, and we try not to make a big deal of it. I'm concerned that it's a way to get our attention, and I'd rather not give him negative attention. If he's doing it out of frustration, he needs to get those emotions out (I just wish he'd do it another way). I focus more on distracting him or trying to prevent the meltdown than on the actual head-banging. Let me know if anyone has any better ideas!

Here is a picture of Gabriel's first experience with a rolly-polly. He was quite fascinated with that little bug, although he nearly squashed him most of the time. I think he and Daddy finally set him free outside, although I'm not sure what kind of shape the pill-bug was in. Good luck little pill-bug!

Well, it's late. Our cheeky little monkey is sound asleep, so I'd better follow his example. He slept 10 1/2 hours last night (a new record), although he averages around 9. I hope this is a new trend... :) I'll close with a picture of Gabriel "monkeying around" in his new monkey pajamas. Have a great weekend!!!

Gabriel is 13 Months!

2008-03-18T21:09:00.006-05:00

So much to tell! First of all, we finally have internet access at the house, so no more trips to Starbucks just to try and check my email while a one year old runs around like a crazy person! From now on, we'll try to post something at least once a week, usually with pictures or little videos.

One of the most obvious changes is that we now officially have a toddler in the house! He turned one on the 18th of February, and it seems like he suddenly turned into a little boy instead of being our little baby. He is such a wonderful blessing to us each day! It's amazing how much he has changed since we first met him a year ago, but it's even more amazing to see what parts of his personality have been consistent. He is still very happy, calm and mellow, but he's constantly moving and he's very deliberate. He was even like that in the womb! He is tough and doesn't do much crying, but he makes sure to let us know what he's thinking, wanting, or needing. He still doesn't require much sleep, but I guess that's my fault as I didn't sleep much as a baby either.

He is just learning so much every day these days! Yesterday he learned how to stack blocks up all by himself, and a couple days ago he learned how to carry two things in one hand. He can say "dog," "cat," "duck," "mama," "dada," "eye," "light," and "aiden," although we don't know what the last one means. He always says it when he's happy, and I think he sounds like a little Swedish baby. He was born abroad, after all!

Since the last post, Gabriel has become more independent and opinionated, but also a lot funnier and sillier. He knows that he can be silly, and he knows when Mama and Daddy are being silly. My favorite times are when we all three get tickled and we just fall on the floor and crack up! We also love to play chase/hide-and-seek, and G loves to be a little scared. We'll growl or snort at him and he'll squeal and run for the other parent! He's also copying everything we do, and he tries to mimic our conversation and movements. I must talk on the phone too much, as he's started putting a block to his ear and saying "yayayayayaya," then he'll put the block to my ear and I have to say "yayayayayaya."

As for developmental achievements, I don't even know where to begin. He learned how to stack up blocks (he can do as many as five without knocking the pile over), throw a ball and make it go where he wants it to, slide down a little slide alone, he's trying to run, he can blow bubbles and has learned to climb out the ladder by himself at the pool, he eats just about everything, he is climbing on everything, put things in other things (even if it has to be a certain shape), he dances anytime music is on or we are singing, and he has figured out how to work the DVD player and cable box (whereas Jake and I are still confused).

Gabriel is ready for me to read with him, so I'll have to continue and post the pictures later. Everybody is invited to come visit (just not at the same time), so I hope to see some of you up here in MD soon! Frederick is a neat little historic town, with tons of little places to visit. We are close to the coast, mountains, the Capitol, and NY! Hope to see you soon!

First Post from Maryland!

2008-02-06T12:43:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the delay, folks! We've been traveling, and we haven't gotten internet service at the house yet. We still have the same cell phone numbers, so that is the best way to get ahold of us for now. We took almost a week to drive up to Frederick, and now we are frantically trying to unpack all our boxes. That doesn't sound so bad, but some of the boxes have been in storage since before Jake left for Africa... that was in 2004!!! It's been fun seeing things we forgot we owned, and it's been refreshing to get rid of extra stuff. Wish us luck; I think it's a long-term project!

As for Gabriel, he is growing so much! He really is a little boy now. He'll be 1 on the 18th, so we are gearing up for his first birthday party. It'll just be the three of us as far as we know, but it'll be a cute little celebration if I have anything to do with it... and I do!!!

During the drive up, Gabriel was so great. He loved the different hotels, but especially the lobby of the Union Station Hotel in Nashville. I loved it, too -- it's beautiful! He also loved the "Duck March" at the Peabody in Little Rock. Every morning and every evening, the ducks cross the lobby on a red carpet to float in the fountain or to go to their bed. It was great. Another great one was Hotel Roanoke, which had lots of places to wander around, and the staff was excellent and helpful.

Once we arrived, we were worried that G would take some time to adjust, but he has settled in beautifully. It's actually shocked us how great it has been for him. He suddenly goes to sleep like a charm: we say our prayers and hug, then we say our I love yous, and then it's bedtime. I lay him down and he rolls onto his tummy, puts his hiney in the air, grabs his Baby Bear and smiles himself to sleep. It's amazing!!!

As for other new tricks, he walks everywhere, he points at what he wants or where he wants to go, he can climb the stairs by himself (we have three stories), he eats mainly grown-up food, and he can color with crayons!

I'm almost out of time here at Starbucks, so I'll close for now. I'll have Jake upload some pictures as soon as possible! We are doing well and settling in, and we hope to be online at the house in a week or two.

Come visit if you can... we're only 45 minutes from D.C.!

P.S. Gabriel just learned a new trick: I gave him a milk box to drink from, and as soon as I turned my head he squeezed it as hard as he could. The next time I looked, he had milk dripping off the top of his head and down his shoulders!!!

December Photo Update

2008-01-01T17:01:00.000-06:00

We've got a new album of pictures taken in December 2007. Click here to see the whole thing, and here are some samples:

With cousin Aubrey

"I'll be in the stands if you need me."

Three generations of Aggies

Videos!

2007-12-24T18:30:00.000-06:00

Daddy finally figured out how to get the videos from his camera up to the internet without losing too much quality, so here are a bunch of new clips of the G-man in action. (Also, the two videos in the "Latest Acting Gigs" post below are better quality now.)

Making Indian noises

Laughing in his high chair

Learning to walk!!!

His first family Christmas in Wimberley (with the Kayes)

Pushing his truck and lawn mower around

Yankees or Southerners???

2007-12-08T21:32:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since my last post, but boy have we been busy! Right now we are in Frederick, Maryland looking for our new home!!! Well, at least our new home for the next year. We flew in this afternoon and had a pleasant flight. G loved closing the window and playing with the lights, and he even got to take a long walk up and down the aisle with his daddy! It wasn't too bad, but Gabriel was such a wiggle worm! Our 10 hour flight from London when Gabriel was 2 1/2 months was a million times easier than this 3 hour flight with a 9 1/2 month old. He was restless, excited, and sleepy, but the people sitting around us said he did really great and wasn't too noisy. I hope they were telling the truth!

Anyway, we flew into Dulles (Washington D.C.) and drove through Leesburg to Frederick. It's a great drive, and lovely. There's still a bit of snow on the ground, so it made all the Christmas lights look so romantic and Christmasey as the sun went down behind the hills on the horizon. There were lots of old farmhouses and stills everywhere, and tons of old barns... the Boones know I looove old barns (remember the Washington/U-haul trip and the hunt for the perfect barn???). I saw many antique shops, although Jake refused to stop :( and even a great Farmers' Market. I can't wait to visit there! Leesburg had a huge outlet mall that I MUST visit :).

It was dark by the time we got to Frederick, so I didn't get to see much today, but we are close to a little area with lots of shops and restaurants, but it's set up like a cozy little village. We had dinner at Macaroni Grill and Gabriel had so much fun playing with the crayons and paper on the table. I thought about saving his artwork, but he drooled, spilled food, and tore it up before I could save it. Oh, well. By the time we finished dinner, it was late and Gabriel was ready for bed. Jake and I got a Tiramsu to go, then we came home and got G ready for bed. It was then that we realized that the only spoons we had were baby spoons. So, we had a romantic dessert and hot chocolate... borrowing Gabriel's spoons. It was fun, but silly! Anyway, I want to go back tomorrow to look at the shops -- especially a shop called My Organic Market... the sign says MOM, with an apple for the O. Sound familiar, Mom??? She spells hers with a heart for the O, and I've always loved that!

Here ia a picture of Gabriel in his new coat, mittens and cozy little hat! Oh, this is the first time for him to see snow!!! Yea!

In other news, we took a weekend trip to Wimberley to see my mom and step-dad. G had a fab time, and he made himself at home with Gramma and Pops. We went to see the Christmas lights at the Yule Walk at the Emily Ann Theater. I highly recommend it! Gabriel loved the xylophone section, he got to see Santa and Mrs. Claus, and he loved all the lights. Jake and Gramma roasted hot dogs while Gabriel helped me roast marshmallows on his first campfire. Gabriel even got to taste his first marshmallow... he's a BIG fan, but he'd better not expect many more until he's a bit bigger! We even got to hear the Dripping Strings, a bunch of kids playing violins/fiddles. They were great!

The next day, Gramma took Gabriel and me to downtown Wimberley for a bit of shopping. If you haven't been, you have to go. There are all kinds of shops with antiques, new stuff, and everything in between. I fell in love with a cozy shop in an old house (I forget the name), and Gabriel loved the handmade swings. He even cried when we had to leave!

I haven't posted in so long I have forgotten some of the new things Gabriel has learned. He recently learned the "P" sound, so we have a lot of that going on, as well as the occasional "H" sound. They often alternate, and it is so cute to watch his little lips pucker! He gives tons of kisses and cuddles now, and loves to wave at anyone who will smile at him. Swimming pool day is still his favorite day of the week, and now he loves to sit on the side and jump into the water to me. He doesn't care if he goes under or not, as long as he gets to jump in! What else? Well, he loves to play standing up. He even lets go and walks a few steps sometimes, especially when he's excited. He's gonna be walking any day now!

It's late and I am sooooo sleepy. It's 11pm local time, so it's way past my bedtime. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we search for a new home up here. And as for the title of the post, can anyone tell me if we'll be Yankees or Southerners once we move here??? Nobody seems to agree. Not even the people that live here!

Asleep with his favorite sippy cup

Playin' in a box with Daddy

Peekin' out of a box at Mama

The first present he's ever opened (Thank you Hall Family!!! Whoop!)

Afternoon nap with Mommy

Gangsta G

Playing with his cousin, Aubrey at Grandma Gasaway's house.

Checking In

2007-11-16T21:35:00.000-06:00

I can't believe November is halfway over already! It has gone by so fast. Before we know it, it'll be Christmas!!! We are just enjoying this nice cool weather. Gabriel loves his time outside, so we spend a lot of time playing in the yard, swinging on the swing, and looking at the leaves and flowers. He's not fond of crawling in the grass though. It's like watching a cat that has tape stuck on its feet; Gabriel will pick up one hand and hold it up high, looking for somewhere to put it (preferably not in the grass), then he'll reluctantly put it down and pick up a foot and hold it up high. It's really cute, but drives Gabriel crazy!

Gabriel is growing in leaps and bounds. He crawls sooooo fast. He can now stand up with support, even if it's just a wall or a curtain. He "cruises" all over the house, which means he's had a couple bruises and scrapes from his new talent. He's getting much more stable and adventurous, and I just know he'll be walking any day now. He can take a couple steps, but only if he is going toward Mama or Daddy and is really excited!

Okay, I have to say that he has learned the cutest trick ever. He's learned how to make Indian noises! As soon as we start to pat his little lips, he opens his mouth and says "Ahhhhh." It's great, and I can't get enough of it. We took a video with the camcorder, but apparently our computer is too old to transfer the video and get a good picture (that's why the videos below are grainy). Jake says we need a new computer, but I've convinced him to wait until after the move. If we are somewhere with a better computer, we'll put the videos up. It may take awhile, but I'll do my best to get it done eventually :(.

Another new thing he's learned is to say "hey." He just says it for fun, not knowing what it means, but it is so great to walk in the room and hear this tiny person say "heyyyy."

As an update about the sleep situation, it's getting better and better. He now sleeps about 8 - 9 hours, then I feed him at 5 a.m. and he'll usually sleep another hour. It's so much better than before, but it's been a long process. Hopefully it'll be easier whenever we get around to having another baby.

That's all for now. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Holidays

2007-11-04T21:06:00.000-06:00

Halloween is over, and now I am ready for Christmas!!! Okay, I guess I should at least pretend to celebrate Thanksgiving. Christmastime is my favorite, although I have to admit that I enjoy a good Christmas carol anytime of the year (to Jake's chagrin). Before I get into it full swing, I'll be sure to introduce Gabriel to the joys of Thanksgiving baking. He's a great helper, and I love to see what kinds of messes he can make!

Speaking of Halloween, we had a nice, peaceful Halloween at home. We trick-or-treated next door, and we passed out a few pumpkin cupcakes to a few lucky friends. We even had two trick-or-treaters. That sounds like not many, but sometimes we don't have any here! We were delighted, and those two got as much of our candy as they wanted. Hope they like peanut butter candy! Just so you know, we think Gabriel is the cutest cowboy we have ever seen. We hope you agree!

Most of you know that we'll be moving up to Frederick, Maryland sometime in the near future, so it will be interesting to see where we'll actually be when Christmas does finally come around. As long as I have a tree with lights and ornaments and can listen to Christmas music, I can handle anything! We are really excited about the move, but we are just ready to find out when things will happen. We'll let everyone know as soon as we have more information.

As for Gabriel news, he is growing in leaps and bounds. He took his first step today! He doesn't like to pick up his feet unless he's holding our hands, but he finally decided to try it out. He immediately grabbed for mama, but there was definitely a step he took all by himself. He'll be running around soon, so I am just trying to enjoy this time of limited mobility. He is crawling around everywhere now, but he's slow enough that I can keep up with him and still wash the dishes or do a bit of cleaning. Once he's on his feet, I'll have to figure out a new method of madness!

And to update you on the sleeping thing, it comes and goes. He usually sleeps 6 - 8 hours (usually right at 7), but occasionally wakes at 6 hours and cries until we pick him up, even if that is two hours!!! I don't like it, but that is what my doctor said to do. Hopefully it'll get better with time. He's learned to stand up in his crib, so now it sometimes takes a bit longer for him to get to sleep. Last night he fell asleep immediately, but it took an hour tonight. His crying is a mad cry, not a hunger or hurt cry, so I know he's okay. But I still hate to listen to him so sad and not be able to comfort him. It's a choice between comforting him or getting sleep and being able to function. I'd rather be a better mommy during the day than spoil him at night.

That's all for now. Here are some great pumpkin pictures to help you get in the Thanksgiving spirit!

A Little Lapse

2007-10-28T21:08:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the delay, everybody. I've been a little under the weather, so I've been procrastinating my duties here on the blog. And what a time to get sick! We have quite a few things to mention and some pictures to post.

The most exciting thing (to me) is that Gabriel said his first word!!! He said 'Mama' and used it to get my attention. I don't think he understands that I am the Mama he's talking about, but he does know that if he uses it I get way excited and he often gets to get out of his walker or out of his highchair. He has said 'boom' many times before, but Mama is the first word he's actually used. Yay for Mama!

Other exciting moments include a couple today! He finally got his first haircut. He did really well with Mama doing the cutting and Daddy doing the distracting. We hit a snag when Gabriel decided that he could not live without holding the comb for me, but we managed to get the job done. The other exciting moment happened just afterward: he was crawling around on his mat, and suddenly he was sitting up. We almost missed it! I'm not sure Gabriel understood how it happened, but he can now officially go from crawling to sitting. Whoa baby!

Hmmm, it seems like he's done a few other amazing feats this week, but it's been a bit of a blur. He has started eating non-pureed foods, and it's a ton of fun. He likes to hold the food, and sometimes it even ends up in his mouth. So far he's had toast, Cheerios, banana bits, mango bits, mushy carrots, salmon flakes, chicken bits, and graham crackers. He really likes to eat things that Jake and I are eating, and now he can finally taste a few things. I can't believe that he's already starting to eat like a big boy. Here he is after a particularly exciting supper! Yes, he does have spinach everywhere and mango under his eye.

Another big moment: we let Gabriel stay in the nursery during church last week!!! He usually sleeps through the service, so we have just kept him with us in the past. He's starting to get very vocal now, so we thought the time was right to let him play with the other kiddoes. We go to Second Baptist in Houston, and the nursery there is great. They even give the parents pagers, so if your baby has any problems you'll know to come back to the nursery right away. Gabriel did really well, although it was a little traumatic for his mother. I have never heard less of a sermon before! Jake said it was good, but I was too busy worrying about G! Gabriel got to go on a buggy ride with a bunch of babies, so I am sure he loved that. He doesn't get to play with other kids often, so we hope to take him again very soon.

He also got to ride on a big kid swing all by himself! He loved it, and we spent forever just swinging and giggling! The final exciting moment this past week or so is that Gabriel finally got a walker. It has been so great... for both of us! He likes to be on his feet, but I can't hold his hands all day long. The walker is a great compromise. He can follow me all over the house, and I can play with him while I do a little housework.

As an update for the Cry It Out experiment, I would say that it worked. Gabriel still does not need a lot of sleep, and it seems like he really only needs seven or eight hours at night. That is way better than we were getting before, so I am happy. It was very hard, and we went a few nights without much sleep, but it's getting better. It's kinda hard to judge since I've been sick, and the medicine I'm taking zonks Gabriel out, too, so the real test will be this week. On the downside, Gabriel has been extra clingy and wants to be within a foot or two of me at all times! He's dealing with a little separation anxiety now, which wasn't as much of a problem before. And I'm not crazy that every night starts with a few tears, so I hope that goes away. He often only cries five minutes at bedtime, but I would rather it be more peaceful. I have to admit that CIO is not for everyone, but it is awfully nice to have more rest and be more cheerful for my little family!

I think that's about all for now. Time to hit the hay. I hope you enjoy the little pictures of our big boy!

Gabriel's Latest Acting Gigs

2007-10-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

In the Austin County Fair Parade:

Swimming:

Double Dose

2007-10-15T21:18:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I've already posted something today, but I thought I'd add a few pictures and a few notes to encourage anybody that is going through what I am right now. I'll start from the beginning...

Gabriel is the best baby ever. I am so lucky. He is soooo easy and happy! He eats well, naps well, hardly ever cries. He is patient in restaurants. He loves a ride in the pram/stroller. He looooooves going outside, but is happy to play with his toys indoors as well. He's slow to warm up to some people, but once you're in his good books, he's ready to play! He loves to take baths, loves to be tickled, and is just all around a happy little fellow.

Unfortunately, although he naps well and goes to sleep easily, he wakes up a lot. We are trying to let him learn to fall back asleep using the Cry It Out method. That totally goes against what we have done so far. We are supporters of Attachment Parenting, and it has worked for everything else except his nighttime sleeping patterns. It was okay for a while, but now I am sleepy. And groggy. And some days I can only plan from one nap to another.

He's been able to fall asleep alone before, but this last bout of bronchitis messed us up (not to mention a move 6 time zones away...) and so we have tried a few different approaches. Okay, so close to 10. None have worked. Not even the Ferber method, which is a cry it out method. It only made him mad. So, we had a chat with our pediatrician, and now we've gone cold turkey with Cry It Out, and boy do I feel awful!

He's crying right now, and to make matters worse, he's being really sweet. He's learned to clap, and he often claps when he wants attention. I peeked in to check on him, and he had stopped crying, but he had his feet propped up and was clapping and clapping. Oh, it hurt my heart!!! 10 minutes later he was sound asleep, but my heart can still hear him clapping!!! I think we'll only CIO at bedtime for the next few nights, but we'll do it all night long starting on Thursday, when he is 8 months old. He has a new crib, a new bumper, and the timing is right. Keep me in your prayers... I'm sure Gabriel will survive just fine, but I'm not sure if I can handle the pressure!!! For anyone trying the CIO method, this webpage has helped to encourage me. I still recommend trying no-cry (or only a little crying) methods first, and then talking to your doctor before jumping in to a cold-turkey CIO method, but every child is different! I've added a picture of him clapping... :(

On more exciting notes, Gabriel is now a carnivore!!! We went to dinner with Jake's Granny and Papa at Pop's on the Square, here in Bellville. I had salmon, so I let G try some. He liked it, as well as the potatoes. Today he had Chicken Devine, which I made from a baby cookbook that Jake's Aunt Rosie sent us. The food in there is great, and I even stole a nibble :). Gabriel almost liked it, but he's not sure of the new consistancy yet. I mixed in some rice cereal, and convinced him to eat quite a bit. He'd still prefer to eat peaches, bananas, and melons at every meal!

Our meateater and his messy mouth

Helping Mommy make beans and cornbread

Learning about Pop's moustache

First time in the high chair I used when I was a baby

Chillin' like a villian with Gramma Alice and the yoga ball

A happy baby!

Yee-haw!

2007-10-15T16:36:00.000-05:00

Gabriel is officially a cowboy!!! This past weekend was the Austin County Fair, and on Thursday we got to ride in the parade... on a mule-drawn covered wagon. We have close friends that own the mules and the wagon, and they were pulling it in the parade for Monk Realty here in town. So, they invited us, and the rest is history. Gabriel really liked petting the mules. He did really well during the parade, but the last 5 minutes was about all he could take. He gave me a big hug, laid his little cheek on my shoulder, then slept for over half an hour. How he could sleep with all the noise of the people, animals, trucks, tractors, sirens, etc. is beyond me!!!

Our friends came over for lunch (they're Gramma Becky and Papaw Gary to Gabriel) and then we took to the fairgrounds. Gabriel loved all the animals, especially the baby ducks. He liked the pigs, but I was too afraid he'd get bitten to let him pet the pigs! This boy has no fear of animals. I can't decide if this is a good thing or a bad one. Give him a toy animal that moves or makes noise, and it will scare him silly. The real thing is just exciting and fun. Go figure!

Today we had a big storm come through, complete with wind, thunder, and lots of rain. Gabriel and I took a long afternoon nap, and I just curled up under a blanket with him and enjoyed the weather. Rainy Fall days are the best days for naps!!! Gabriel was dying to get outdoors, so I finally let him go out. He quickly changed his mind about that, but it was so cute to see him put his hand out to catch the raindrops and give me an excited but confused look! I think he would have loved going out in the rain if it hadn't gotten a little chilly. Yea for Fall!

Well, enough puttering. Time to get to some housework. Jake should be bringing home new pictures, so I'll add them tomorrow.

Happy October!!!

2007-10-04T22:12:00.000-05:00

A new month and a new experience... Gabriel is sick for the first time :(. He has a little bronchitis, but he's already healing. I never realized how scary a high fever can be until my own little baby had one. I just prayed and prayed for it to go away! And now that it's finally gone, but I still find myself checking his little forehead to make sure. The timing was perfect, as we just found a pediatrician and already had a well-visit planned. I guess God is in the details!

On a lighter note, the weather has been so brisk in the mornings and evenings that I just can't help but spend some time outdoors. The only problem with that is that once we go out, Gabriel doesn't want to come back in! That's fine with me. I finally have someone to spend time outside with while Jake is at work. We pick up pecans, sit on the swing, chase grasshoppers, and water or look at all the flowers. In the mornings we jog and play at the park, and in the evening we check the mail and look at the withered leaves in the front yard. Gabriel loves every minute!

I just have to tell you, if you want a CD/Book to help your child learn French, we have the one for you! It's made by a company called KIDZUP and is called Comptines: picotines, rigolotes, ratatouilles, and we bought it from Petite Librarie online. It's lovely, and Jake and I love it as much as Gabriel! It is full of stories and rhymes set to music, and the voices are just wonderful. We also listen to Spanish CDs about Cri-Cri, which are equally wonderful. They are songs and stories about a little cricket, and Jake and I enjoy it immensely. I have a new French book and CD that I'll try out tomorrow, so I'll let you know what I think of it as well. [The new book is great... Jake likes it even better than the other one but I am undecided. It's called Mon imagier de l'alphabet, and the CD is beautiful as well. The artwork really could be in a gallery. We love it, and so does Gabriel!] Jake and I really want Gabriel to grow up with a foundation in English, Spanish and French so that as he gets older it will be easier for him to learn to speak fluently if the opportunity arises. I've read that the brain sorts out what sounds it needs by the time a baby is 9 months old. If you can make other languages a part of a baby's daily sounds, it is supposed to make it easier for the child to pronounce words in those languages correctly later on. We'll see... I guess he's our little experiment!

It's late, and everyone is in bed but me!!! I'll add a little picture of our little sick baby in the morning. Boy is he pathetic and cute. He just wants to be held all the time. He'll grab a little handful of my hair to twiddle, then he'll sit there and moan with his cheek against my chest. Talk about a sad little baby! Only a few days left of the medicine, and I hope to see a happy Gabriel again. Keep him in your prayers!

Surf's Up!

2007-09-24T13:36:00.001-05:00

Gabriel had his first visit to the beach this past weekend!!! He loved watching the waves at Surfside Beach on the Gulf Coast here in Texas. The weather was perfect for a day at the coast, but we just stayed for a short visit before meeting my Grampy and dad for lunch. I took some pictures, but we have to wait for them to be developed. I'll add them to the post later. Sorry.. we're not quite all digital yet!

This past weekend, Gabriel's fourth tooth finally showed up. Gabriel was a little wiggley and fussy, but he handles new teeth very well. He wakes up a bit more in the night, but with a little cuddling (and sometimes chewing), he goes right back to sleep. Yea!

In exciting developments, Gabriel is just on the verge of crawling. He'll do a little crawling on the bed, but I think the carpet hurts his little knees. He definitely likes to push up onto his hands and knees to rock or reach for a toy, but he would rather inch worm from place to place when he needs to travel. He's so cute! And how 'bout a round of applause? Gabriel just learned to clap, and anytime he wants attention he starts clapping. We get excited and clap with him, so it has turned into a fun game for all of us!

Every week I try and teach Gabriel something totally new and exciting. Sometimes it's baking bread or cookies, other times we just experiment with new textures. I'm going to start adding a picture or two each week of our new experience, both to show all of you what he's learning and to document it for myself! I hope you enjoy the pictures this week of Gabriel playing with water in different containers and learning about what a water hose does!!!

Following in Daddy's Footsteps...

2007-09-18T10:10:00.000-05:00

...With his first laptop! Djojie and family came for a visit and brought Gabriel the perfect present: "My First Computer!" Djojie works with Jake, and they first got to know each other in Africa (Equatorial Guinea). Now they're both here in Houston, working on the same project again. Gabriel loves his computer, although it frustrates him a bit. He loves to close it, but he hasn't figured out how to open it up. We'll keep practicing!

Djojie and his son, Joshua, went with Jake and his dad to the Aggie game last weekend. As Djojie is from Manila (the Philippines), this was his first football game! His wife, Ann, as well as their one year old, Maryann, came with Gabriel and me to College Station. We had a very nice time, and I hope we can all be good friends now that we have all finally met!!! I do have to mention that Gabriel had his first kiss from our exotic foreign visitor. Maryann and Gabriel were fast friends, and both love to give kisses. Uh-oh... we're in trouble already!

In Gabriel news, he now officially has three teeth and a fourth is just getting ready to make an appearance. He's getting very verbal, and he's on the verge of saying 'mama.' He can say 'mmma' but hasn't added that second syllable yet. He likes saying 'abu' and 'aboom,' but we aren't sure what they mean quite yet. He definitely knows what a bath and a kiss are, as those are two of his favorite things! His most recent acheivements are learning how to turn off the lights with a lightswitch and turning on and off the closet light with a pull string. He is so proud of himself!

Other than that, we just spend our time walking around the house with Gabriel, as he loves to practice walking. The weather is so nice in the mornings that we often go jogging with the jogging stroller. If Gabriel can stay awake, he is fascinated with all the birds, clouds, trees and squirrels we see on our jog. He doesn't know what to think about the horses and goats, but he wants to touch them and find out! I can't wait to see what he thinks when he finally has his first ride on a horse!

Gig 'Em Aggies!

2007-09-09T21:28:00.000-05:00

Gabriel is practicing for Maroon Out already! As Jake was going to the game last week, we decided to tag along to College Station and have lunch with friends and family at Freebird's. If you haven't been there, they make the best burritos anywhere, and Jake and I ate a ton of them when we were going to A&M.

As for baby news, Gabriel is growing in leaps and bounds. He can play sitting up by himself, he has learned to tilt his head to the side -- left only, of course -- and he is extremely impressed with feet. His new thing is rubbing his feet together, which is especially exciting when he has shoes on and can make lots of noise! He looks like a little cricket! We listen to a children's Spanish CD with stories and songs about a cricket (Cri-Cri), so it's very appropriate! Gabriel's face just lights up with excitement when we turn on Cri-Cri!!!

Gramma and Pops came for a quick visit yesterday, and I think they brought magic fairy dust. Gabriel started babbling just before they left, and he hasn't stopped. He is making so many new noises all of the sudden, and is sooooo proud of himself. Thanks for the fairy dust! He is hilarious, but talks as if we should understand him. It's great, and I can't wait until he finally says his first real word!

I hope all is well with everyone. I am sorry I took so long to post, but Gabriel is teething again, and not falling asleep very easily. He is just about to have a third tooth, and a fourth one is not too far behind. He was eyeing our burritos at Freebirds... we had to tell him that just because he has 2 1/2 teeth, it doesn't mean he's ready for humongous burritos!

BritBoons

2007-08-22T21:19:00.000-05:00

Back in April when we still lived in London, Angie and I took Gabriel to see where his Boon ancestors lived before they immigrated to America in 1828. (There was no 'e' on the end of our surname before my great grandfather.) It's a little town called Appledore, not too far from the coast in Kent, England. A member of the local historical society showed us around and pointed out houses that the Boons owned or leased from about 1700 to 1830.

Below is a map of all the houses, with the pictures placed exactly where we took them. You can zoom, scroll, and click on the pictures in the map below, click here to see a larger version of the map, click here to view the full-size pictures in the online album, or download the Google Earth file here.

Angie's ancestors through her mother are from England as well, but we didn't even think to look for them while we were there. Guess we'll have to go back someday!

Blogging Buddies

2007-08-20T15:25:00.001-05:00

Speaking of buddies, Gabriel has a new buddy! His name is Baby Bear (it says so on his tummy), and he was a gift from Gramma Alice and Pops, who we went to visit in Wimberley, Texas last weekend. Gabriel loves his new little friend, and his little face just lights up when Baby Bear comes out to play. The hill country was beautiful, and Jake and I had a blast going jogging and walking in the great outdoors. We had such a relaxing weekend that it was hard to come back to the real world of working and cleaning house! Unfortunately, Gabriel isn't sleeping well in his travel chair/bed anymore, so I guess it's time to start shopping for a pack 'n play. Any advice anybody???

Now for the real reason for the post: blogging buddies. Along the right column, I've added a list of blogs I like to peek at from time to time. I'd like to especially mention The Edney Family's Tuesday Tips. Anitra has taught me a ton of little hints and shortcuts, and I just discovered her blog last week! She is an old friend from Camp Balcones Springs. I really have so much respect for her and the example she sets for kids and peers alike, although I do have to admit that I mooned her once -- sorry Anitra... it was totally Michelle P's crazy influence!!!

Speaking of Michelle, her Travels of a Lost Texan are great to read about. She always has neat stories of people she's met up in D.C.

I found Sarah Johnson Online while researching on the internet, and I really like her articles. She is described as "a London-based journalist, a mother of four children and also a birth doula and birth educator. She is writing a book for Christian parents called The Christian Parents' Toolkit."

The other blogs are of good friends and lots of baby pictures. Erich has some pretty Colorado pictures that totally make me want to go camping and hiking!!! I am way jealous, so hopefully we can do some camping with Gabriel when the weather gets a little cooler.

That's all for today. Thanks for all the pictures, advice, and stories, fellow bloggers! Have a great week, and stay clear of Hurricane Dean!!!

Cookie Monster

2007-08-18T12:46:00.000-05:00

We had a surprise waiting for Jake when he got home the other day: cookies!!! Gabriel helped me make a batch of cookies (Cinnamon-Chip Oatmeal Nut, one of our favorites) for the first time ever! He loved putting his hands in the batter, and it was such fun to chew on the silicone spatula. No, I didn't let him taste any yet... he'll have to wait a year or two for that. He enjoyed it so much that he started to cry when it was over -- until he realized that he got to play in the sink! I had to strip him down and rinse him off from head to toe to get all the cookie dough off!

Here's a funny photo of Gabriel brushing his barely-there teeth. It's a new favorite hobby, and we have to pry the toothbrush out of his hands at bedtime!

Gabriel Gets to the Bottom of Things

2007-08-16T12:35:00.000-05:00

Gabriel has noticed his feet in the past. They seem to follow him around, and he is always surprised where they'll turn up. Upon closer examination this past week, he has discovered that his feet are actually quite fascinating, and rather tasty! He is constantly tugging on them, and he is awfully confused when they are hiding behind some very cute shoes. His new favorite sport is crib-climbing, which is where he attempts to climb out of the crib feet first! Isn't it fun when babies discover something new, even if that something has been around from the start?!

In other news, we have survived our first Tropical Storm since moving back to Texas. And Gabriel has been through his first Tropical Storm ever! There was a lot of lightning, rain and thunder here, but only a little wind. It hasn't rained much the last week or two, so my pumpkin vines are glad for a little break from the 100° temperatures we've been having.

I just thought I'd include a couple pictures of Gabriel's great-grandparents on his daddy's side, Dan and Sally Boone.

We went up to Bastrop for a quick visit when Jake's parents were down. No pictures of them yet because we have to wait for the film to be developed!

Going Green

2007-08-11T21:00:00.000-05:00

Gabriel winces after eating broccoli for the first time.

Chew On This

2007-08-09T20:27:00.000-05:00

Gabriel's first teeth are coming in. (What do you mean you can't see them? Look closer!) Everyone is excited, but Angie's a little nervous since she's still nursing. Ouch.

Playing Catch-Up

2007-08-03T16:28:00.000-05:00

Since we started the blog a little late, I'd like to backtrack and mention some very important visits we had. Most of you know that we just moved back to Texas from London, so we had to be sure and introduce everyone to our little London-born BritBaby, hence the name of the blog.

One of his most important visits was with his Great-Grandmother, Irene Gasaway (Angie's Grandma). He even took a nap while he was supposed to be meeting relatives at the Gasaway Reunion!

Gabriel and I also took a little trip to the best little town in the world: College Station, home of the Aggies!!! Whoop! We went to visit Dewayne and Cookie Mattheson, my wonderful adopted parents who made my Senior Boots. Without their kindness, I would have never made it through my senior year in the Corps.

Gabriel has also gotten to know his third cousin (or first cousin twice removed), Forrest and my CRANA cousin, Rachel, who was visiting from El Paso. We had a few nice visits, and the boys LOVED our trip to the swimming pool!

We also had a visit from our very special neighbor, Miss Grace. She loved our big boy, and we compared notes as her grand-daughter is only a month older in age. She's not feeling well, so we are keeping her in our thoughts and prayers as she heals.

Another group of special visitors came by: more cousins!!! Gabriel's first cousins once removed and our Uncle Sammy came by to say hi to our little guy. Uncle Sammy just beat cancer, and although he now has dark, wavy hair, he's really getting back to normal. Kacie and Kelleigh got to hold Gabriel a little bit (even though he's almost as big as they are) and I'm sure they'll have fun growing up together!

And of course he's had several visits from his Gramma and Pops (my mom and step-dad), who totally dote on Gabriel!

He's had a few more visits, but we have to wait on the film to be developed -- if you're one of them, keep checking the blog and I'll update it as soon as we can!!!

Photo Album Update

2007-08-03T13:12:00.000-05:00

45 more pictures were added to the 2-4 mo. album, including this one:

We've Gone Bananas!!!

2007-07-30T19:51:00.000-05:00

Today was a big day for Gabriel... and Jake. Jake has been waiting for this day since we found out that we were going to have a baby! Gabriel finally got to eat some Gerber Banana babyfood, which means that Jake got to have a taste as well :). Gabriel missed his late afternoon nap so he wasn't as excited as usual about eating. Although he did give us a few little grimaces, he continued to eat it all -- only a teaspoon or so. He was falling asleep while he was eating, but we managed to finish his bananas and rice cereal (which I love), but just barely!
Also, we had a visit from Aunt A'Landra this afternoon, and Gabriel loved playing with her! She has nice long hair, so that was very funny to our little guy.

One more exciting note: Gabriel is pretty much sitting up by himself!!! We still have to sit behind him while he plays because he gets excited and falls backwards, but it's so much fun to watch him play independently!

Gabriel Plays the Piano

2007-07-28T17:53:00.000-05:00

First Post

2007-07-28T10:11:00.000-05:00

Hi Everybody! Jake and I started this blog to let everybody see Gabriel grow up, whether you are near or far. Gabriel is growing so fast and there is so much that he learns everyday. It's hard trying to remember who we've told about what he's done or learned, so I hope that this will be a place to post everything. I'll do my best to post something new every week, and I'll be sure to include lots of pictures and a few little videos we take with our phones. I'll also include a link to a few photo albums of Gabriel if you just can't get enough of him on the blog! Enjoy!!!
Love,
Jake, Angie, and Gabriel <><