9.21

{one}

The More I Know You, The More I Love You

I know
Gabe currently weighs in at just over 30 pounds.
I love
when my arm is crazy tired from carrying his weight around he helps me forget by hanging on around my collar with his sweet paws.

I know
Gabe is 30 and a couple inches tall
I love
when he pulls his 30something inches up to standing at the front window to pound and greet our neighbors

I know
Gabe says: mom, dada, Gav, Gibson, Hope, up, hi, bye, uh-oh, ta-da, and ball
I love
his deep voice

I know
Gabe has 9 sharp teeth in his little grin
I love
the way he readily shares his toothy smile with everyone, earning him the "oh, what a happy baby" label and no one can resist starting a little conversation with him

I know
Gabe sleeps about 11 hours at night, wakes up for a pre-breakfast, and falls back asleep for another hour
I love
that even during the Idon'twanttobeleftaloneinthiscribtosleep screaming fit he will instantly stop, sniffle, and say "thnuggle" if we walk in to reassure him we are still close by

I know
Gabe loves to play Pat-a-Cake
I love
how he tucks his chin and acts shy every time we say "baker's man."

I know
Gabe has really blond hair after spending time in the summer sun
I love
the one giant swirl that is the back of his whole head

I know
Gabe wants nothing to do with baby food anymore.  He only wants "people food" and he prefers fruit to most other foods
I love
how his pincher finger curls around the teeny tiny pieces he is trying to pick up

I know
Gabe's kidneys are looking strong and healthy
I love
that the details of his spina bifida aren't always the first things that come to mind as I spend my day playing with, caring for, and getting to know my baby ONE year old!

9.18

{ball?}

9.17

9.6

{you thought today was hard, mom?  wait until all 4 of us are off to school}

9.5

{neighborhood watch baby}

9.4

{gabe's newest word: snuggle}

Gabe's GEMs

In honor of the new community of friends we have found in the last year, the children and adults living with SB, all that the West MI Spina Bifida Association is doing for families like ours, and in honor of Gabe's 1st Birthday we invite you to stroll and celebrate life with us!

Join The GEMs as we walk, talk, and have a great time celebrating your support for our family during the last year and all of our Glimpses of Everyday Miracles:)

When: October 15, 2011 at 10:00 AM
Where: Millenium Park 1415 Maynard Ave SW Grand Rapids, MI

As we build our team we will be designing a simple t-shirt for those who will be strolling with us. I will let you know when they are available if you are interested.


The Stroll ‘N Roll is a family friendly event being held to raise awareness about Spina Bifida and to celebrate those living with it. The goal of this event is to create teams that will collect donations for the West Michigan Spina Bifida Association. All proceeds are used for programs and services for people living with Spina Bifida.

For those of you who would normally attend Gabe's birthday party and bring a gift we would like you to consider making a donation to our stroll and roll team instead. You have already been especially generous with our family this year, so we want to be clear that no donation is required or expected for your participation. Whether or not you would like to donate to the team we would LOVE to have your company during our stroll.

Credit card donations will be accepted through WePay.


For more information about the event: http://wmspinabifida.org/strollnroll/Home.html

9.2

{apparently no one mentioned to him that standing was not in his DNA ;)}

9.1

{I'm coming home}