G's First Christmas

Happy 9 months!

We celebrated Gabriella's 9 month birthday after Thanksgiving. I should have known that the dining room table shot (that we did at 6 months) wouldn't work.

And she's off!!!

Stew had to blow the candle out right before she grabbed for it!
(And of course then shoved it in her mouth.)
Yummm... her first taste of sugar....

On sugar high and loving 9 months!!!

Coming down off sugar high with Daddy and Ellis... blue frosting still on cheek.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in Buffalo...

My side of the family....

My brother and nephews..."Cousin of the Year"

She crawled!

November 3, 2007
Age 8.25 months

Where to put a baby when work needs to get done...

Fighting her Morning Nap

Must...keep...playing...can't...fall...asleep...

Morning Nap = 1, Gabriella = 0

Corn Maze

Getting into character

Soooo big!

October 13, 2007
Age 7.5 months old


Umm... might be time to lower the crib mattress and remove the mobile.

October 8, 2007
Age 7.5 months

I was trying to get some cleaning done today. ("Trying" cannot be emphasized enough.)
At one point, I put her in her crib because I "KNEW" she was tired. She seemed pretty quiet, so I crept into her bedroom and started situating some things. I was really quiet and stooped down low, so she couldn't really see me.

I looked up and almost jumped out of my socks! I saw this eyeball staring at me. (See below.) It really freaked me out! Apparently she heard me. And apparently she was NOT asleep.

And, in true G fashion, she's all smiles when the camera starts flashing.

Last vacation pictures, I promise

Just a few more vacation pics and then I'll move on...

Stew and G having a beer and some sourdough bread in San Francisco. (The NY Jets were on the television, hence Stew's gaze.)

G and I at Monterey Bay

Stew, G, and I at Monterey Bay Aquarium.

"Food doesn't taste any better in California. No more peas please."

Stew didn't have any better luck with feeding Gabriella solids during our trip...

Taking Walks

Vacation continued...
Gabriella is about 7.3 months old

While I was at training, Stew took Gabriella on lots of walks, usually at least two each day. They explored Palo Alto together, and I got to hear the stories after getting back to the hotel for lunch or in the evening. These aren't the kind of walks I would go on -- they would walk very fast and, in true Stew fashion, turn them into workouts. Gabriella had a blast.


On several occasions she fell completely asleep. (Cute, huh?)Stew said he stopped into Stanford, at one point, to give G a tour of the grounds and to pick up an application. I'm sure the picture above caputure her interest in this activity.

Okay, so this is my first time posting a video. If you have dial-up (Lola) you may want to choose not to look at this, because I can imagine it would take a while. And, this is just a trial... so this video isn't really anything wild!

Adventures in Travel

Traveling with Baby...

I have a great idea. I'll share a suitcase with Gabriella. I'll start by packing her stuff, and then I'll put mine on top.

I may not have had room for any clothes on my trip, but I was still looking forward to spending some quality time with my family.

Gabriella LOVED the stroller and the Buffalo airport.

I'm so happy, I'm so happy, I'm so happy.

If you could hear this picture, it would be LOUD. This should have been a red flag for us. But nope, naivete wins.

"I REALLY love the Buffalo airport!!" She screamed out of sheer happiness while waiting for the plane. Adorable. Again, should have been a red flag.

Okay, so imagine this blank space being the two hour flight from hell, from Buffalo to Atlanta. She cried. No, she didn't cry, she SCREAMED the entire trip. There was nothing we could do - we tried nursing, bottle, snacks, rocking, distraction.... and the list goes on. Our neighbors weren't shy about offering their 2 cents. I'm sure because they were ready to blow their brains out one hour into the flight.

Okay, finally in the Atlanta airport. Me, looking extremely tired... Gabriella looking amazingly energetic. Apparently letting out all that steam on the flight was exactly what she needed to feel refreshed for the 2 hour layover in Atlanta.

....must...keep....moving.....

....must....eat.....paper.....

....paper doesn't taste good....don't let on....

....Medicine for the 5 hour flight to California....

Miracles do happen. She finally fell asleep. We had to take a picture because they joy of this brought tears to our eyes.

And thanks to an empty seat in between us, she was able to sleep for most of the flight to California. It's hard being a baby.

We love you Monkey Breath.

Car Seat Antics

September 30, 2007

Stew and I just returned from California. It was a work trip that we turned into a mini vacation. I wanted to stay forever; we had such a good time.

We took 167 pictures during our trip. I hope to post some of them soon, but it's going to to take some time deciding on what to post, without boring everyone! For now, I'm posting a picture illustrating Gabriella's car seat antics.



On the way home from the airport, I turned around and saw this:

She had craned her neck around and was staring at me. How cute.

Her smile grew even bigger when I took that first picture! Our little ham loves the camera.



Smile quickly fades to whimpering (above) and eventually screaming! (Moods tend to change instantly.) Don't worry Gabriella. You're cute regardless.

Sickness, Spoons, and Smiles

September 17, 2007

Abraham came down with a case of swollen face and itchy ears. Nighttime call to the vet confirmed that it was probably an allergic reaction. Stew was out the door in no time, returning with the coveted medicine.

Poor guy.

Sickness (can't really see his puffiness in the picture...)

We knew Ellis would love the introduction of solids. What we didn't expect was that his love for baby food would also become a love for baby spoons.

Ellis' new favorite "toy"



Although the sweatshirt is too big, we had a lot of fun putting it on her the other night for an evening game of fetch with the boys.

The staff at daycare asked me if Stew and I take a lot of pictures of Gabriella. I informed them that we do, indeed. They responded with an, "Ah-ha! We knew it!" They explained that every time they take out the camera, Gabriella lights up and begins smiling at them, regardless of what her mood was previously.
What a little ham.

I love you Grandpa

Doctor's Appt

Gabriella had her 6 month check up and I haven't posted the pictures yet... I wish I could figure out how to attach videos because some of them are pretty cute.

Overall, the doctor gave her a thumbs up. I forget her actual measurements, but her height was in the 90th percentile, and her weight was in the 50th percentile. I don't place much stock in these though, as there seems to be quite a margin of error in their abilities to take reliable measurements (e.g., squirming baby.)

Stew and G - pre vaccinations
"Mom! Don't make me do it!"

Our normal doctor is still out on maternity leave. This doctor (I forget his name) holds a special place in my heart because he was the very first pediatrician to exam Gabriella after her birth. I was still a little delirious when he visited me in my hospital room.
She has just started on the whole stranger anxiety thing (see below.)

And finally came the vaccinations (nurse came back in to do this, of course.) She took them like a screaming banchee. Poor kid.

Upside is that she got the next two days off from daycare because of her "vaccine fever." Dad and baby enjoyed a couple of "sick days" together.

A little cherry-flavored Tylenol helps with the fever. We learned to give it to her naked, as half of it ends up outside of her mouth. What a cutie. Fever or not.

Mommy - 0,Baby - 1

September 3, 2007

So we're introducing Gabriella to a variety of foods (so far it has been rice cereal, avocado, and paper.) The latter was by accident, sorta.

The past few days I thought I'd try banana with her. As with the previous foods, she's really not that interested in eating. She tastes a little, spits most of it back out, and quickly becomes bored. I used to assume this meant she was full, but I quickly learned this wasn't the case (as she breastfeeds after eating..?) So, upon recommendation from the doctor, we breastfeed first and then offer food. Our pattern has evolved into: breastfeed, eat 1 tsp. at most, breastfeed, sleep.

So, I thought I'd switch it up! She loves sucking on her toes, nibbling on her fingers, stuffing anything she can into her mouth. I decided I'd put the mushed up banana/breastmilk combination on her high chair table. Good baby would dip her hands in it and eventually put her hands in her mouth, per usual pattern. I'm a genius.

This isn't how it turned out though.

Banana was put on table. Hand was put in banana.

Banana was in hair, banana was on cheek, banana was not put in mouth.
Banana was on ear, banana was on onesie, banana was still not put in mouth.
Banana was all over sides of high chair, banana was on elbow (?), banana was not in mouth.
Banana was now all over both hands, and all over face, banana never made it to her mouth.

Ah ha! I'll put banana on toes! She'll never know!
She knew.
Repeat above paragraph.

I gave G a bath and nursed her. She fell right to sleep. No banana. Baby wins.

Visiting Relatives

Labor Day Weekend
Age 6 months, one week

Stew, Gabriella, and I visited Stew's family over the weekend. I love watching Gabriella with others, especially family members. One day she'll understand that, next to Stew and I, family will love her in a close second.
Aunt Beth gave Gabriella a new toy - which she immediately loved!

Uncle Todd and Aunt Beth (due December 07)

Brother and sister.... Grandma and Grandpa Loewy after a great dinner...
Now that we have a dogsitter, we'll be able to visit for longer periods of time in the future...

we look forward to G getting to know her Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt and Uncle as she grows up!