Gabe want seafood! NOW!

Okay...so that's a bit of a lie. We went to eat seafood, and Gabe got stuck eating chicken...again. Hey, it's not my fault they say you shouldn't give seafood to children under the age of two. Either way, Gabe had a blast eating at this restaraunt because it was right on the beach, it had cool ceiling fans, and our waiter looked like a mop-haired cartoon character. I know the picture makes it look like we are torturing him, but I thought it was funny.

Gabe started saying about 15 new words in the month of April. Once he gets going, he is a chatterbox. I'll get the list from Jules and put up his vocabulary.

"MINE!"

 

Gabe's beach romance

I don't think he's old enough to appreciate how rare it is to have a woman proclaim her love for you in the sand just yet. Gabe is going to be a ladies man though...he must have gotten that from his Mom's side of the family...because the girls just love him. Especially his stylin' hat.

"Sing Summer Lovin' from Grease again Daddy..."

 

Sand, sand everywhere

After a few days of going to the beach, Gabe started to get pretty comfortable down there. He would wander around, wobbling on the sand, and then when he fell he would start picking up sand to bring to us. You know, because we didn't have any sand near us.

"Clap for the sand mommy!"

 

Wore out

Who knew the sun would drain the life out of Baby Gabe? By mid-day, Gabe was ready to sleep, and decided being carried was a much better way of getting around.

"Daddy's shoulders are SO much better than dirty old sand"

 

Caged!

One of the ideas that Jules had was to take the 'baby octogon' to the beach with us. Boy was that a good idea. Now that Gabe is walking, he wants to walk everywhere, and pick up everything. Well, sand+salt water+sunscreen apparently stings when it gets in your eyes. And for some reason, Gabe didn't understand the explanations. However, by setting up the 'babe-a-gon', Gabe was able to play in the sand and we didn't have to worry about him deciding to go 'for a little swim'.

"I came all this way and still got stuck in the cage? Seriously?"

 

Gabe goes to the beach

So we went to Destin, FL on vacation and took Gabe to the beach to let him see the ocean and walk on sand. He did really well, and his footprints in the sand were just precious. He was also stylin' in his matching threads. All the ladies were lookin'...

 

Biker Baby

Gabe is so adorable riding on the new bicycle with Daddy and he absolutely LOVES riding! The helmet alone was a great idea considering how often he falls down or bumps his head on some piece of household furniture....Maybe he should just wear that helmet around for a while to avoid injury?I just thought this pic was too cute not to share!! Can't you just hear him squealing with delight? Oh, and those crystal blue eyes with that fancy matching helmet....Precious.

"Pedal faster, Daddy, pedal faster!!!"

 

Bike rides

I went and bought a bicycle with a baby seat on the back so I can take Gabe around. Our neighbor has a bike and a daughter that is about four months older than Gabe, and I thought it would be cool to go on rides with each other. I'll get some exercise and Gabe will get to go for a ride. Everyone wins.

Well, I put Gabe in the seat and put his little helmet on him, and he loved it. Actually, I am speculating somewhat, since I can't actually see him when I am riding, but I tell myself that he loves it. Now I just need to teach him to say 'bike', although that might be hard since 'K' is supposed to be one of the harder sounds (and Katie has been trying to get him to say her name for several months now).

"All the fun of riding a bike and none of that nasty sweating!"

 

Riding in Style

Grandpa Owen bought Gabe a really fancy carseat with all the bells and whistles and all the 5-star rated safety features for his birthday. Until recently, Gabe has been a rear facing car passenger and is really well behaved in the car. He likes to ride and listen to music and will even take a nap in the car (if it's naptime).
The carseat he was riding in was his infant carrier that fits right in to his stroller. This new one is a transitional seat where he can ride rear facing OR forward facing safely at his current weight (25 lbs) and up to 35-40 lbs. We just turned him around for the first time and allowed him to ride facing forward and it opened up a whole new world to him. He can now stretch out his legs and he looks like he "fits" a little better for his size.
He can look out the windows and watch DVD's and even see the driver and other passengers now. What a thrill!

Where are we going today, Mum??