Annie One Can Cook: Gabriel's 9 Month Update

I literally just finished typing up Gabe's 8 month update, but I am sitting at a Starbucks childless for a couple of hours and figured now is the PERFECT time to finally get caught up on our cutie's monthly posts! Here is a little peek into Gabriel's month:

This boy moves CONSTANTLY, so ignore the blurry hands!

Weight: 18 lbs. 14 oz. (33%)

Length: 29 1/2 inches (88%)

Head Circumference: 19 inches (99%)

Nicknames: Gabey, Gabe, Blue Eyes, Red, Gabes, Chunks, Chunkalicious

Wearing: 12 month

Sleep: Still sleeps with us, BUT now that Jackson is back in his bed, we are seriously discussing getting Gabe crib trained... we know it isn't going to be pretty (especially with as vocal as he is about EVERYTHING), but according to the articles I've read, the worst of it should last 3 days... we will see.

Gabe likes: Jackson, Bella, standing on his OWN, yelling/being heard, crawling around on his feet and hands, getting into things he knows he shouldn't get into, climbing, cuddling

Gabe dislikes: When mommy tries to lay him down for our monthly photo session, having to stay still for too long, long car rides, his car seat, when Bella hisses at him, being pulled away from something

Mom & Dad's Favorite Things: His HUGE personality, his red hair and blue eyes, how smart and funny he is

~This picture still makes me choke up... As I mentioned in last month's update, Gabe's doctor recommended we get an x-ray of his hips since they seem so tight (he figured he was fine but wanted to rule out bigger issues), so we went into Children's Hospital for it. Because of a typo on his referral/prescription, we had to wait FOREVER to be seen (since the doctor's office had to fax over a new one) and then I wasn't even allowed in because of Jackson... As expected, Gabe SCREAMED the entire 2 minutes he was in there and poor Jackson just stood out in the hallway (with his doctor's kit) panicking and asking to go in with Gabey. Fortunately, it didn't last long and we received great news: Gabe's hips are fine and are most likely tight because he is just freakishly strong!

~Gabe just randomly stood up on his own this month... We were outside running through the sprinkler and out of nowhere, he went for it! In addition to *just* standing, he also walks along furniture and pushes things around the room in order to get from point a to point b.

~An update from his doctor: I guess Gabe is ahead on the curve on everything (which is always nice for the unbiased mother to hear, ha) and his doctor said he is excelling in both fine motor skills (i.e. clapping at 5 1/2 months) and overall development. We also found out that Gabe is in the 33rd percentile for weight and 88th for height, so his doctor guesses that he will always be a tall and skinny guy (maybe he's taking after Grandpa Tony?)!

~Oh my gosh, this kid. eats. EVERYTHING (shown here eating a blade of grass during a trip to the park). One day I was changing his diaper and noticed it glaring back at me... come to find out, Gabe found one of those googly eyes for crafting and ate it (oh the things that poor eye must have seen during its long and terrible journey...). Another memorable "Gabe eats everything" moment was when he found a ladybug, delicately picked it up and stared at it with such childlike innocence, and then shoved the thing in his mouth and clenched his jaw so I couldn't fish it out :/ (He knows I am going to pull stuff from his mouth and has learned to tighten his jaw and/or crawl away as quickly as he can.

Note: His older brother (who is wearing underwear on his head... potty training is going great!) trapped under the basket.

Baby's first 4th of July! (We hosted some dear friends for a BBQ... our neighbors shot of fireworks 3 nights in a row and Gabe did NOT like the loud noise!)