7 Months!

I can't believe Gabriel is 7 months old!  The last month has been a busy one for Gabe.  He has leaned to crawl, pull himself up, started saying mama, and clapping for himself.

Since he is crawling, nothing is safe and it's all he wants to do.  He is constantly exploring the house and chasing Reily.  When he pulls himself up, he takes small steps to get closer and balance himself with whatever he is holding on to.

 

We don't have a month doctor's appointment for his stats, but I've been told he is around 21.5lbs on the scale at Nana's house.  He's a big boy, but he is so happy and fun to have around!

 

Happy 7 months Gabe!

Forest Park Walk

Gabe went on his first exploring walk around Forest Park last weekend.  Scott wanted to get a long run in and I needed my walk.  So, Gabe and I took a scenic 3 mile walk around the park.  He didn't sleep at all during this walk and was just looking at everything we passed.

First we walked over to the World's Fair Pavilion and checked out the ducks. 

Then we walked all the way to the Muny and saw the St. Louis wall of fame.

Then we went to the History Muesum and saw the trolley car out front. 

Then we walked by the tennis matches and tried to understand the sport - we still didn't get the scoring.

Then it was time to meet Scott at the car for a much needed diaper change and milk before we headed down to Soulard.

It was a little toasty in the market and Gabe and I hung out outside and showed off his game day shirt.  Go Big Red!

 

Viva Las Vegas!

We have returned from our weekend getaway to Las Vegas.  It was the perfect time away from daily life and enough time away from Gabe for me not to go crazy.  Although, I could use a few more days at the pool.

My flight out of St. Louis was crazy early (6am, what were we thinking?).  Since it was my first trip west of I35, I was like a kid staring out the window as we flew over the mountains.

Flying into Las Vegas and driving down the strip was a trip in itself. The hotels were huge! But then I saw that everything was just on one street. For some reason, I thought things would be more spread out. But what did I care, I was seeing mountains in my own country (I've only seen mountains in Spain).

I arrived Thursday morning, bright and early (7:30 Las Vegas time).  I quickly grabbed my bags and headed to the Bellagio Hotel to get my room and a nap.  Our room overlooked the mountains and the Palms Hotel.  I shut the blinds and had a great nap. 

I met up with my friend Suzie, from Lindenwood, for lunch at Planet Hollywood Hotel.  Since it was just across the street from my hotel it was an easy place to find and walk around.  We sat and caught up on all things St. Louis and Lindenwood. 

Later, I met up with Nicole, Mike, Rachel and Brian at the pool.  It was so nice to lay by the pool and relax.  We picked a place for dinner at the Cosmopolitan Hotel, China Poblano.  It was an interesting mix of Chinese and Mexican foods.  The menu made things seem a little scary, but everything was great!

On Friday, I took my time doing anything.  It was my full day to not care and I took advantage of it.  I got breakfast at Jean Phillippe.  There was anything chocolate and crepes and coffees.  

It was a easy breakfast and watching the chocolate flow from the ceiling was pretty cool.  I then headed to the pool.  I had the pool all to myself for a few hours.  I tanned and needlepointed. 

Scott met me there on Friday afternoon from Australia.  I waited patiently at the entrance to the hotel for him to arrive from the airport.  It was so nice to finally see him walking up (he saw me first).  We had a little time to relax and walk around the strip before we went on our seperate ways for the night.

 

We walked around the strip for a while so Scott could keep moving and not let the jet lag set in. We walked from the Bellagio over to Caesar's Palace and then walked the mall inside the hotel. There was a lot to see and a lot of high end stores that I would never think of going into.

 

 Above is the garden that is inside the Bellagio and to the left is the ceiling in the lobby.

Girls night/Guys night was on Friday.  The guys went to a great surf/turf dinner while the girls took in a show and then went to a club for some free drinks and dancing.  The club, Hyde was on the first floor of the Bellagio, we had a front row seat for the fountain show every 30 minutes. 

 

 

 On Saturday Scott and I were able to do our own thing during the day.  We walked the strip, from the Bellagio all the way to the Tropicana.  It was a long, hot walk.  We did go inside New York, New York for some a/c, food and to check it out.  

 We placed our only bet of the weekend at the sports bar in our hotel.  We placed a straight win/lose bet on Nebraska. 

 After our day of exploring Vegas, the strip, we had a wonderful group dinner at Prime Steakhouse.  The food was amazing!

 

It was a great trip to celebrate our wonderful friends and their upcoming wedding.  Can't wait to celebrate in November!

Life Lately

Things have been different the last 2 weeks.  And that is because Scott is in Australia for work.  Gabe and I have been home, alone while Scott is on the other side of the world exploring and having fun working very hard. 

Since Scott left Gabe decided it would be fun to start crawling.  He started with scooting backwards and then after a lot of frustration, he is very mobile and following everyone.  I'm pretty sure he desire to be mobile at 6 months is to chase Reily and explore the house.



Checking out the cars

Self pic to send to Dad!

 

Look Dad!  No hands!



 

 

Reily has been very good with his grabbing and pulling on her.  This was a huge fear of mine.  I didn't know how my 10 year old, only fur baby, would do with a baby grabbing, pulling, chasing, climbing on her.  You can tell she is thrilled that she has a follower, but that boy just loves his pup.

Another wonderful new trick that Gabe has started is to pull himself up.  He wants to see what is going on at all times.  He is so curious and it's fun watching him explore table tops and Reily's food bowls and the kitchen rug.

 

So, while I've taken over the role of single working mom for 2 weeks, Scott has explored Sydney. 

We can't wait to have Scott back home with us.  But that will have to wait a few more days.  Scott is meeting me in Las Vegas for a bachelor/bachelorette party weekend.  I cannot wait to have a couple days of vacation and fun.  It will be even more fun seeing Scott and enjoying a weekend, even though I know he will be jet lagged and exhausted from the 2 weeks of crazy work. 

Reily

It is National Dog Day!  And what better way to celebrate than a great picture of a boy and the dog that he adores. 

Poor Reily, she has been through a lot in the last 6 months.  She has gone from being the Queen of the castle to being chased by a crawling baby.  She has adapted well and still has to know what is going on at all times. 

Reily-girl you are truly appreciated, my first fur baby!

Scott's Birthday

Happy Birthday to my wonderful and amazing husband.  Since Scott is in Australia for his birthday (lucky guy), Gabe and I have been celebrating for over a day.  We started yesterday (18th) with a wonderful song and video text. 

Saying Happy Birthday!

Showing off our new toys

That was followed by some FaceTime and Gabe showing off his crawling skills.  Of course Gabe and I have been busy sending random pictures to Scott of all the little day to day things we are doing at home.

Gabe two big birthday presents to his dad are:

• - officially crawling
• - eating sweet potato puree

Happy Birthday Scott!!! I can't wait to see you next week in Las Vegas!  We love you!!

6 Months, already?!

Someone went and turn 1/2 year old already. Gabriel had his 6 month check up and he is a very healthy and happy boy.  His inability to sit still and crawling on the table in the doctor's office impressed his doctor a lot.  So much so, she thinks he will be walking by 10 months!  Guess we really need to baby proof the house. 

His stats from this appointment are:
Height:  27.75 inches (82%)
Weight:  19.9lbs (80%)

Waiting for the doctor

This was the first doctor appointment that Scott missed and it was tough to watch the shots on my own. But Gabe and I survived the whole ordeal. He only cried less than a minute with me holding.

He is moving around faster and faster every day.  He is finally coordinating his arms and legs and is full on crawling for a few and then stopping and sitting.  Since he gave up on rolling over, he is like a turtle on his back, hates it and can't roll over to his tummy.  He loves watching Reily walk around the house.  Reily has figured out that Gabe sitting at the table will mean more food on the floor for her.  He has tried rice cereal and has mixed feelings about it.  He tried sweet potatoes and enjoyed that more(less in the hair). Gabe is learning how to pull himself up on things around the house.  I really think walking will be sooner than expected.

He is a happy little boy and we love him to the moon and back!