2 years old!

Just like that, Gabe is two!
Here are some of his wonderful ways (brace yourself for some bragging and some boring facts unless you really love him):

* One of his favorite games to play is 'family band.' After dinner he passes out the instruments: mom on the keys, dada on the drum, and Gabe on the guitar and the harmonica (he thinks he's Bob Dylan). We then have a jam session while Gabe sings. At the end he raises his microphone and says "yeah!"

* The one sure fire way to calm him down is to recap his day. I've been doing that for 6 mos, but it still works like a charm. He loves a 'cap.'

* He has a 'movie night' most nights in his crib. He takes his stuffed animals and they all sit there against the back of the crib, his blue blankie over all of them and they watch the aquarium at the other end of the crib.

*Another funny thing we see him do in his crib on the video monitor is he piles up all the stuffed animals and blankets, stands up and says "two, go" and then he jumps and plops down on the pile.

*He is very chatty and is repeating everything, usually the last word in a sentence.

*He loves letters and can recognize almost every one. He'll pick out his faves (B, M, O, E, P, big G) regularly on signs, sides of trucks, book titles, etc.

*Drawing has recently become a very fun activity. He'll 'draw' eyes, trees, letters, etc.

*He's shy around new people, including fellow toddlers. When a toddler comes at him, he does NOT like it. I think the 'unpredictability' of his peers scares him a bit. Are they going to take my toy? Push me? (both of which obviously happen in toddler-dom).

*He's 29lbs and 35 inches tall...approximately 75 percentile.

*He's still very much a mama's boy. He'll stay by me when we are in a store or walking down the street, not in an anxious way though. He loves other people, but it's very rare that he'll choose to spend time with someone else if I'm available.

*He puts his hands behind his head when we change his diaper, in the high chair and even on the couch (a glimpse of my future teenager).

*He's a gentle boy. He often hugs and kisses his stuffed animals, he climbs up on the couch to cuddle with me to watch tv or read a book. He gives kisses and hugs to all his loved ones and he's gentle with animals, especially the Po.

*He has a great arm...he throws very accurately and far. He has since he learned to throw around 11 mos. No matter where we are...the park, his gym class, at a friend's house...we always get a comment. And not in a faux compliment way, but in a "whoa...he has an arm" kind of way. He's equally good at hitting a ball off a tee. Look out White Sox!

*On that topic, he's really strong. He can carry an 8lb gallon of milk, no problem.

*"Bye" is heavy in his vocabulary. If he wants juice and I say 'no,' he has to say 'bye juice' in order to move on. He also uses it when something is off that he doesn't like. For instance, if mom is holding a baby or has her hair in a ponytail, he walks right up, points to the 'problem area' and says 'bye' in a very strong voice.

*Whenever I'm asked to describe Gabe's personality, I always say that he is very much a boy with a soft center. He's brave and tough, but also very gentle and kind.

Happy Birthday to the best 2 year old a mom and dad could ever dream of!!!