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| (Gabriel-14 months) |
Gabriel has always had the sweetest temperpent - from the day he was born. He was a pretty easy baby to care for. He didn't fuss much, ate well and after a few months of sleep training he slept pretty well too. He was always content with life in general. This temperment has continued as a part of his personality today.
He is a quiet observer of life around him until his little brain is just overloaded with questions - at which point you can't get him to stop asking them.
He has a DEEP sense and understanding of family-how important it is to him and how much he loves his family. I don't think I developed this depth of appreciation for my own family until I was in college. We have a ritual that we call "family time," which is spending the last 20-30 minutes before bedtime as a family up in our bedroom snuggling, talking about the day and rough-housing with daddy. He enjoys this time so much that he will ALWAYS choose it over more TV time or a longer bath time.
Gabriel is very affectionate, but I suppose that is because I grew up in an affectionate family and as a result Patrick and I have always been affectionate with Gabriel from the beginning. So, he is constantly hugging and kissing us and telling us he loves us. The other day he was in the middle of playing and he stopped to come over and give me a hug and said, "I love you SOOO much, Mommy." To which I responded, "I love you MORE!" Gabriel said, "No, I love you all the way to the moon!"Gabriel has a special relationship with his Daddy and I love to watch them interact. He knows if he wants to have fun then daddy is the person to go to, but he also has a lot of respect for Patrick and mimicks his example all of the time.
Our little guy isn't so little anymore. We took him to the doctor the other day (for an ear infection) and he weighed 44 lbs and was 42 inches tall. He reminds us often that he isn't a Sunbeam at church anymore (as of last month), and has already memorized two articles of faith!
It is such a bitter-sweet experience to watch him grow up. In my mind he is still my baby and I just wish he wouldn't grow any older. But, it's also such an amazing experience to see him learn and grow, and to help him understand his purpose and who he is. We sure love our Gabriel!
A FEW RECENT GABRIELISMS:
Gabriel: When I turn 10 I'm going to be in high school
Daddy: Well you would have to be some sort of genius to go to high school at that age
Gabriel (laughing): Yah I know. I will wear jeans when I'm in high school.
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Mommy had been sick with a bad cold and really needed to cough, but wanted to cover her mouth. Gabriel's blanket was on her lap, so she picked it up to cover her mouth to cough.
Gabriel (with a look of disgust): "Mommy, that's just wrong!"
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We recently had a family home evening lesson on making good choices/choosing the right. Patrick and Gabriel were watching TV...watching a show Gabriel wanted to watch. Daddy decided he wanted to change it to a show HE liked.
Gabriel: Daddy, are you "choosing the right" by changing my show?
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Gabriel: When I grow up first I'm going to be a rock star, then a spy then I'm going to meet my wife at the temple. (oh boy)
1 comment:
Not only have you been blessed with such a wonderful son, but he has been blessed to have you and Patrick as his parents. Your family is a wonderful example to me of what living the Gospel looks like.
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