BIG WEEKEND

On Friday, Gabi had her first pediatrician's appointment. She weighs a whopping 18 lbs. Ed and I cheered in the hallway when we saw the scale hit 18. She's gained 3/4 lb. in a month. She had been so stagnant that we really wanted to see some progress. She is in great health and our doctor is amazing. She knows exactly what to look for in IA children and was very thorough about child development, vaccinations, current research and overall care. However, Gabi had to get 3 shots, a TB test and blood drawn for several screenings. She was NOT happy. But she's our little trooper.

We went to Mt. Vernon this weekend to spend time with family and friends. Gran Gran drove up and we were able to hang out with Paige, Barry, Liza and Mom and Dad. We saw a lot of friends and Gabi had a great time. I can't believe how well she is taking all the chaos in stride.
Friday night we went out to dinner and Gabi did well for most of the night. She eventually had enough and let us all know. Saturday we went to the park and several "Gabi Stalkers" joined us to meet her in the flesh. It was pretty funny that people just kept pulling up at the park. Gabi got to swing and go down the slide and climb on some things. She loved it! Gabi also stood up from her little rocker and took 3 steps toward me. She's so close to walking independently.

Saturday night, Mom and Dad had a belated birthday party for Gabi. We had cake, present and friends and family. She didn't have a great nap so Edward and I braced ourselves that she might not do very well. She fooled us all! Apparently, this center of attention game is her specialty. She just lit up and reveled in having on those eyes on her. She also tore into her cake like it was the last food on earth. But she did offer some to everyone else.

Today, Gabi had an especially big day! She got her first haircut from Auntie Li. I think it's safe to say that she wasn't Liza's easiest customer. She doesn't know the meaning of sitting still, but she did great and the new 'do is darling! We estimated that Liza took 4 inches off. She still has plenty of hair too! After the haircut, we were able to go out to Paige and Barry's farm to see if she had any interest in going for a horseback ride. Of course she did. She went for a ride on Grandpa and loved every second. Uncle Barry and Daddy held her. She grinned from ear to ear. Grandpa is a sweet old guy and he loves to take kids for rides. She also got to pet Snap before her ride. Snap was sweet to her too.

The final excursion was back to Uncle Barry and Aunt Paige's house to meet Bocephus the Pot- Bellied pig. Technically, his name is Bocephus the Baconator but that requires a lot of energy to say. We call him Boce. And Gabi thought he was a stitch. She laughed at him and tried to walk after him and he sort of thought she was a bully. Can you imagine a pig thinking 18-lb Gabi is a bully? Well, he did. Gabi and the animals were a hysterical source of entertainment today.

And the big moment came when she kissed Aunt Paige on the lips. She didn't let her kiss her. She kissed Paige right on the smacker. She's never done that before. She'll lean in and sometimes she does a pop with her mouth. But that was a first. And it was right after Paige thumped her in the head with her camera. Gabi really, really wanted Aunt Paige to know there were no hard feelings.

Some of these pics are from the weekend and some are from last week. Many of them are courtesy of Paige. Enjoy!!