Belated Christmas at Grandma Deb's

Last Sunday, we went to Grandma Deb's for a belated Christmas breakfast. Obviously, this event was supposed to take place on December 25, but because of the snow it got pushed back. It was very nice; we exchanged gifts, with Gabriel getting the most gifts of course! Among other things, he got some stackable cups that he took to right away.

Right now, he is really into whatever is new, stuff he hasn't seen or touched before. He is deep into the "touch anything I can get my hands on" stage. We definitely have to watch him closely!

All about solids

Gabe is eating great and acclimating nicely to pureed foods. He gets solids twice a day (morning and evening). When I started giving him solids, for a while there all he seemed to like was pears and apples. Then we tried carrots and he didn't like it. Peas got a thumbs down. Then we mixed some fruit with the peas and it turns out he loves it! It's no surprise that babies have a sweet tooth since formula and breast milk are sweet. So for moment veggies will be mixed with a little fruit. Here are few pics of him wearing a cap and looking cute, as usual.

Oh, and did you notice I changed the color on the blog? The green started looking kind of weird to me, so I changed it to blue (which is both Craig and mine's favorite color).

White Christmas in Portland!

Gabe's first Christmas was marked by the biggest snowstorm to hit Portland in 40 years, reportedly. It started around December 14 and basically snowed continually until Christmas day, with nightly ice-overs. For a few days in a row, we were snowed in and it put a dent into holiday duties (i.e. shopping, presents, all the good stuff!). I think because most times it's a wet Christmas, most people around these parts were tickled to have a white Christmas. But I have to admit that I have a love/hate relationship with snow. I loved it as a kid of course (it meant no school and snow angels, yay!), but the older I got, the love lessened. I am not a Grinch, I swear. But snow is only pretty if it doesn't interfere with my plans, :)

Anyway, the great thing is that Craig was able to walk to a toy store that was very close by and he bought G some presents. And I think it was nice to spend Christmas together, just the three of us. And during naps, I was able to catch some of the Star Trek: The Next Generation marathon on the Sci-Fi channel. Awesome.

Oh, by the way, despite my complaints, I still like walking and playing in the snow. If Gabe was older and it hadn't been so cold, I would have taken him out in it. Maybe next year...but hopefully not with quite as much snow!

The Anti-Napper

I've seen this term here and there online and it describes Gabe. As most moms know, it's a challenge to get much done when you're taking care of a baby. During those first few months, I gave myself up to not getting anything done except eating, showering and sleeping. I thought that once Gabe was in a routine, I could do things while he napped. Well, come to find out the boy doesn't "nap" in the strict sense of the word. He has what can be more accurately described as "brief lapses in consciousness."

Emphasis on brief.

I've heard of babies going down for sleep and/or naps seamlessly and staying that way for 2-3 hours. It's a foreign concept to me. Gabe needs to be walked or rocked to sleep. Now admittedly, it doesn't take long for him to enter sleepyland; maybe 5-10 minutes. But he's sure in a hurry to get out. He'll nap for a half-hour, usually. If I'm really lucky, I might get 90 minutes.

So what do I do? I go with the flow. Until he can understand that he must lay there, even if he's not sleepy!

First Foods

We've been feeding Gabe rice cereal mixed with breast milk for a few weeks now and he seems to like it okay. However, Gabe has been utterly offended at the other foods I've given him.

Cases in Point:
1) I tried yams on Thanksgiving: a look of complete disgust.
2) Sneaked yams into rice cereal: are you kidding me?
3) Tonight, pureed apple (Golden Delicious): mmm, this is strange...maybe I like it...no! Sorry!

I know its normal for babies to spit food out, hate it, then like it, like it, then hate it, on and on. But I must say I really thought he'd like the apples straight away. I certainly thought it was good. I was tempted to eat the rest myself. I wonder what babies are thinking when they are being given these new tastes and textures? If anyone has any stories about their babies (even if they are not babies anymore) and eating, do share.

Gabe sits up alone!

Wow..I hear all these milestones just suddenly happen. Craig was playing with him and he just sat up by himself. Just like that. It's amazing to watch Gabe grow up. So much happens in the first year, so we're trying to relish every moment.

Grandma Claire visits for Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! Ours was pretty eventful. In addition to my mom flying out from Philadelphia for the week, Gabe's first two teeth (bottom front) worked their way up at an incredible speed. He also got a cold, but weathered it very well (no fever).

This was my mom's third trip to Portland and I think she likes the Northwest more with every visit. She was content, for the most part, just visiting with Gabe (oh and us, too). She, Craig's mom and I divided up cooking duties for the big day. A small crowd, but nice. We played a game called Apples to Apples, and that was fun. My mom is already planning her next visit: next summer (by the way, we've convinced her to move here, but it won't be for a few years! Still got to work on my bro...).