Up close and personal

Morning alertness, probably before his mid-morning nap.

Beginning to "use" his toys

Gabe is beginning to use the numerous toys that await him. Today was the first day that he took any interest in the hanging, spinning mobile above his crib. He laughed, smiled, and swatted his arms at the animals circling his head.

On a date

Gabe is out on a date with his first friend -- Blake Rosen. They were born the same day at the hospital. This is their 3rd or 4th date already!

Starting the Day

Always good to have a nice, long mid-morning nap to get things going. The pacifier is never far, as you can see in the photo. Gabe is wearing another one of his leisure suits today, and this one has built-in booties that look like puppies on his feet. Gabe's dad is looking for a similar jumpsuit in adult sizes.

Pure joy

The smiles are getting bigger and more excited; they're most frequent in the morning. Gabe really enjoys light -- looking out the window in the morning, watching TV while he gets his diaper changed, and looking at the overhead lights in the evening while we're trying to settle him on our shoulders. In this photo, Gabe is laying on the couch, looking-out the window and loving it.

Busy Birthday

While mommy ate breakfast, Gabe laid in his bouncy seat, with the occassional fussiness. Notice that he actually grabbed one of the hanging rings and is holding it. That's cleary by accident, but it's still a step forward (he was batting at the hanging things). Gabe then got bundled-up for a trip to mommy's OB for her 6-week post-delivery check-up (all was good). Gabe is finally fitting snugly into some stocking caps.

Happy Birthday Gabe (6 weeks)!

Gabe turns 6-weeks old today. He was in a fairly festive mood this morning, and is seen here sitting on his parents' bed while mom brushes her teeth. Not the best sleeper last night, but good enough for a 6-week old.

Fun on the playmat

Gabe enjoys some quick playtime on his playmat. Smiles are becoming more frequent, but they seem to be more like reflexes at this point, not yet controlled or focused on someone yet.

Late morning nap

He looks so peaceful, doesn't he?

Bath Time

Always is fun time. Gabe loves the warm water on him.

Just ate dinner

Whiskey and Gabe both just ate dinner, then both decided to nap next to mommy.

Smile

No doubt, that's a smile. And we have photographic evidence too!

Sleeping

Gabe takes a morning snooze, laying next to his mommy. His recent "routine" has been to wake-up shortly after it gets light outside (and the cars and street noise start), then generally go right back down for another hour or two. We'll see if he sticks to that for a while.

Not quite the Valadictorian

Gabe's first (and hopefully not last) diploma. Yesterday he graduated from a 2-session infant massage class, which his mom also attended -- mom was the massuse. Last week at the first session, he was a fairly good student, particulalry for a 4 1/2 week old. Yesterday, a week later, he cried a bit, then slept through class. I can't imagine him doing that years from now in college ... at least not the crying part. Nevertheless, he graduated with honors, and has the diploma to prove it. Congratulations son!

Hanging-out with mommy

Gabe and mommy are having a nice day at home, after an earlier trip to infant massage class. He needs his massages to deal with all the stress of sleeping and eating all day.

Alert to the world

There's not question that Gabriel is "awake" now -- the first few weeks he was still in that sleepy, brand-new-infant stage. He's very alert for numerous periods throughout the day, and aware of the world around him. We're excited about some soon-to-arrive milestones, such as him reacting to what he now sees. Maybe an intentional smile, a coo, or some babbling, will arrive soon.

Quick update

Busy day, but here's a pic!

New Photo Album posted

We posted a new photo album on Google picassa. The link to this album, as well as several other albums, is to the right on this blog (see top right section with Photo Album links). The new album we just posted is First Month

Sunday bath time

A nice morning bath, which Gabe loves. Maybe it's the warm water, or maybe he's just a water-baby (like John Liebengood) -- who knows? This photo is happy, playful Gabe, after his bath. It may be hard to see in this photo, but Gabe's clean hair is clearly strawberry blond (I.e. Blond with reddish tint). We wonder what color it will end-up. Same for his eyes, which are currently blue.

Saturday nap

After a nice bottle of milk, Gabe takes a Saturday nap. A full tummy usually means some nap time, though naps can be varying durations.

Many ways to Sleep

Sometimes with a pacifier, sometimes on mommy's lap, and sometimes just hanging-out on the couch -- Gabriel demonstrates that he has already learned the many ways to sleep. These photos were taken today, during a late morning cat-nap, just after a mid-morning bath.

Tough day

After a tough, busy day -- including a 1-hour "infant massage" class, Gabriel passed-out on the car-ride back home. He was the youngest student in the class, but enjoyed looking at the 5 other babies. He enjoyed parts of the class, cried during a few portions, and slept through the last part. We hope he gets to be a better student by the time he gets to college.

Gabe plays on his mat: Video

Video of Gabe playing on his play mat. Do we see a smile? Maybe a giggle? Hard to say, but he's definitely growing-up. Seeing him bat at the hanging animals is quite the sight. It won't be long before he's off to college.

Gabe awakens!

It's like the first few weeks of baby slumber have worn-off. He's
more alert, more interested in the world, and now beginning to focus
on things -- the faces of his parents, toys, etc. It's just the
beginning, but he seems to actually be able to focus on toys hanging
above his head. It won't be long until he can coordinate his
arms/hands with what he sees. We seem to be only days away from a
legitimate smile. There's a rumor going around that he may have
snuck-in a smile today during playtime, but it's not confirmed.

Hoos that baby?

Gabe looks at himself and his mommy in the mirror for the first time. He seemed interested, but who knows what it was that he saw. There's a school of thought that putting a fussy baby close to a mirror can settle them down. Maybe we'll give it a try!

Bashful sleeper

This photo looks a lot like Gabe's ultrasound pics -- covering his face with his arms. After an active morning, Gabe fell fast asleep in mommy's arms.

Sunday swaying

It's the end of the weekend, and Gabe had lots of activity. The highlight was two stroller rides in the unseasonably nice weather. Now he's doing a sway as we try to get him to sleep.

Play and then sleep

We enjoyed play time on Ron/Nicole's gymboree mat this morning. Gabe was moving his head to follow the movement of the hanging stuffed animals. He really liked hearing them rattle, and was batting at them with his hands. I'm pretty sure he was really just flailing his arms at this point, but he was certainly beginning to try and coordinate his arms and eyes. After some crying due to too much playing, he fell into deep sleep.

Feb 6th, evening

It's the late evening on Friday, Feb 6, and during Gabe's witching hours (each evening). Tonight he's being relatively good (for the evening), and having some interested alert time. He sure has energy when dad gets home from work.

Another episode of MTV "Cribs"

Gabe's crib is a lot smaller than what you'll typically find on an episode of MTV "Cribs." We haven't watched that show in a while, but we did see the NFL's Jason Taylor, and his "crib" was huge (probably 15,000 sq. ft.). It's funny to see Gabe, wrapped like a burrito, smack-dab in the middle of this "huge" bed. I wonder how long until he outgrows it, and then moves to a big-boy bed. Maybe 18 months? Also, I wonder when we start referring to his age in months (vs. weeks), and then eventually is years (vs. months).

Quiet morning

Dinosaurs are cool -- just look at my onesie and you'll know it's true. Today was a nice quiet morning. I was in a good mood, and I was totally relaxed during diaper changes and clothes changes. I may get mad tonight, just to keep my parents honest. Still TBD. Busy day ahead.
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Swinging single

Gabe hasn't developed a love for the swing yet. He seems to like it a lot for a few minutes, but gets fussy with it quickly. This picture is during the swing honeymoon period. We're going to keep trying it, as many babies seem to love it. In addition to the swinging motion, it plays some nice rushing water sounds, or Mozart.
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Big Brother is watching

While Gabe naps on the couch, his big brother Whiskey keeps watch. Whiskey doesn't like it when Gabe cries, and tends to first go check on Gabe, then flee the area. What Whiskey doesn't realize is that his little brother is only a few months away from being his "big" brother.
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Big and little brother

Gabe and his older brother Whiskey nap together on the couch. This is the beginning of many, many years of sleeping on the couch on a NFL Sunday, watching football after a big meal (in this case, a big meal of milk). Gabe is looking forward to sleeping through his very first Super Bowl.
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