I should have said... My Little Roughneck Daredevil

...Because that's what she is. Gabi is a wild child. She thrives on adventure and wild moments. She loves to be thrown up in the air, wrestled with, to go as fast as she can. Anything that has a fear component is especially fun. She has NONE! But she is instilling some in me little by little. Edward and I are seriously going to have to be careful with this child... she certainly isn't going to be.

There are major advantages to that though. We want to get her on the slopes in Park City, swimming in the big pool, playing games, riding Uncle Barry and Aunt Paige's ponies, and trying anything that we think she might enjoy. The rougher the activity the better. She's just all over the place.

Aunt Paige, you'll be glad to know that she has a lot of words. Actual words, not just jibberish. There will be no excuses for not knowing what she wants. She'll tell you. Also, we're hoping that she can have her birthday party at the farm where she can ride Fonzie. I have no doubt that she'll love him. You should probably start trying to catch him now!

We marvel at her disposition. She is extremely happy. We're not sure what there is to be so darn happy about, but she knows something that we don't. You look at her, she grins; talk to her, she grins; let her play by herself, she grins. You get my point. We have been blessed with an amazing little girl. Even when she's upset, it doesn't amount to anything and she can be soothed very easily. We just adore her!!

In other news, our attorney, Walter, was mugged yesterday and his briefcase was stolen. Walter is okay, but Ella's passport was in it, so the M.'s are off getting it replaced this afternoon. We hope this is no big deal. I've called Hector to ask what Walter has said about our Central Authority registration. Unfortunately, Walter's phone was stolen so it is more difficult to speak to him in a timely manner. We hope to know something by the end of the day. I actually sent a note in Spanish to Walter, hoping to get some answers. Please pray that cases continue to come out of the CA and we can move back into PGN.

We're having a great time just taking it easy by the pool today. Gabi needed the freedom to play after being captive yesterday in her sling. I'm working on getting another video uploaded and some new pictures. Enjoy!

Oh, and I should report that Gabi loves her mommy. When she gets up in the morning, I go get her. A couple of times I've taken her to GG after a few moments of cuddling so I can get her bottle ready. She cries if I hand her over. I definitely think that's a sign that we're on the right track.

My Little Trooper and Master of Destruction

I apologize for not posting yesterday. But we were sooo tired and it takes a long time to upload all of these pictures! I just didn't have the strength.

Yesterday we headed off to Antigua in a van for all of us with 2 broken carseats. We were driven by a non-English speaking man who I think thought we were nuts. And we were met in Central Park of Antigua by Roberto, our tour guide. He was a very energetic, passionate man who has been guiding tours for 10 years or so. Our day consisted of shopping, siteseeing, shopping and taking in all that is special about Antigua.

Antigua is a lovely town that lies in a bowl surrounded by volcanoes (that are still active) and is rich in Spaniard and Mayan culture. Here's the trick though. The streets are cobblestone so NO strollers. I carried Gabi in her sling, which worked out great. The tough part is that I don't have all of those Mommy muscles that you acquire when you carry a baby. By the end of the day, I was a sweaty, tired mess. We had a great time at the jade factory, the Santo Domingo monastery, which I visited 2 1/2 years ago with Kristin and Ryker, and the numerous shops and streets of Antigua. I think Mom especially enjoyed it.

That's all I've got for now. Enjoy the pictures. I'll probably have more later. That's what we do here. Look at Gabi, laugh with her and take her picture while she gets into something else.

Superbowl Sunday in Guatemala

We spent the afternoon and evening with the SC crew. I discovered that Mike dated Liza's cousin in high school. That's weird! Robin went to grade school with her. That's obviously a side note, but definitely noteworthy.

Superbowl Sunday is apparently a big deal at the Marriott in GC. There were 3 separate celebrations to choose from. I didn't watch a bit of the game, but it's wonderful to be here with our friends. Gabi was in rare form, or what I would have thought was rare form before this trip. She has an excruciating amount of energy, especially at dinner time. She is like the stinkin' Energizer bunny. Very, very funny... but exhausting!!! We love it. Ella is delightfully entertained and happy, but calm and somewhat refined next to our goofy little monkey.

Gabi brushed her teeth for the first time. I think her Uncle Roger would be proud. She swam like a fish again. She's so joyful!

Oh, and she danced. And she danced some more. And then she thought she'd throw in a little dance.

We're off to Antigua tomorrow. Mike, Robin, Ella, Sara, Jimmie, GG, Gabi Sol and me are all piling into a van and spending the day in this beautiful city. We hope we have beautiful weather like we did today. I'll have a lot of great pictures, I'm sure.

A few pictures from our day...

Hi Dada!

Here's the video of Gabi saying Dada. In this video, it sounds like it's somewhere between dada and gaga, but she's laying down. I promise she says Dada!! A lot.

Sunday Morning Peace

Ooooh that Gabi Sol!!! She is such a delight. She was up early this morning, played happily for a LONG time, gave Mommy and GG plenty of time to get showers. We headed down to breakfast and she had her breakfast like a big girl at the table. She was very patient. While I was feeding her, we were talking to a couple from Boston who are taking their little girl home this week. We talked for a pretty long time. And Gabi ate the whole time. Finally, the guy said, "Wow, that kid can eat. She's been eating for a really long time." I cracked up because you can't believe what this kid can put away. Clearly, it's all going to her hair.

Then we played in the Baby Lounge for a little while. We saw Ella for a bit before they headed down for breakfast. Fortunately, she is a much happier girl this morning.

Long Locks

I had to take a picture of Gabi from the back after her bath so you could see (and I can remember) how freakishly long her hair is at the ripe old age of 10 months! When her face is completely straight, the longest pieces are right between her shoulder blades. Unbelievable!

I Forgot a Funny

Last night when Mom and I were simultaneously blowing up Gabi's duck bathtub (thanks Amy and Dan... brilliant!), I had Gabi on my hip. Mom and I were trying to blow this thing up as fast as we could because Gabi was winding down. Next thing you know, Gabi is blowing as hard as she could. We lost it!!! How could she have possibly understood what we were doing? She loves to imitate what we're doing. This is what her face looked like when she was blowing her semi-raspberries. She's funny. I think she's weird. I love that.

I got the video to work. If this doesn't cause you to bust a gut, I don't know what will. All day by the pool, she would dance to the different songs on the radio or TV commercials. She's incredibly tuned into any music around her. I'm sorry it's sideways. I take these videos with my digital camera and I tend to forget that the video can't be turned like the pictures. I'm not so bright sometimes. And check out her reaction at the very beginning when the rooster crows. What the heck was that!?!

Saturday Night

We had dinner with Mike, Robin, Ella, Sara, and Jimmie. Poor Ella was having a difficult time getting adjusted, but was able to acclimate as the night went on. It was so nice to see them again and I'm looking forward to the next week.

Gabi has some sort of secret stash of sugar snacks or something. Literally, for the entire 1.5 hours that we were eating dinner, she did not stop moving. She sat in her highchair and played, she sat on my lap and played, she sat on GG's lap and played, she made faces at Mike, she talked to everyone who walked by... my goodness. And you don't have to entertain her. For the most part, she just plays. Occasionally, she reminds you that she's there, but that's it. And we must have taken 100 pictures to get a few good ones. Not possible. She's just too BUSY!!! We are in so much trouble when she starts walking.

I'm still working on the video. Hysterical. Enjoy our girl!

Squirreliest Kid in Town

Today we dealt with ongoing technology issues. I could not get the internet set up. The Marriott man had to come and switch out the modems and wave his magic wand. Once again, we've met amazing people who so generously share their stories. That's my second favorite part about being here.

Gabi is a dream. She is sooooo stinkin' happy! She is a HUGE music lover. She starts dancing immediately when music comes on-- like you've flipped a switch. It's so funny. And she's got lots of moves-- not the same old routine all of the time. I'm attaching a video so you can see for yourself.

She loves her GG. GG loves her Gabi. It's ridiculous. We played by the pool all day. Gabi has an additional tooth on top, bringing her total to 3. She still hasn't caught her friend Tyler, who at 1 year had 14!!! But she has her tongue going all the time. Actually, today I caught her rolling her tongue with it turned to the side. Now that takes talent. She's so funny.

The only negative is that she had a diaper rash last week and Gabi had an allergic reaction to the cream that Jackelin used to clear it up. We're working on making it better, but it is awful!

And the biggest news of all is that she says, "Dada!!!" and "GaGa", an occasional "mama." Her daddy was so excited to hear that he is out of sight, but NOT out of mind. Another big thing is that when Jackelin brought her yesterday, she remembered me. Daddy, your plan worked. She wasn't too sure of GG, but now she loves her. She thinks GG is funny, just like most of the world.
She cried when she saw GG naked today and then laughed. She's so smart!!!

Mike and Robin arrived to see their sweet beloved Ella, with Ella's Aunt Sarah and Uncle Jimmie in tow. They were thrilled to meet her for the first time. I just love seeing people's reunions with their children. There really isn't anything more pure than that moment.

As you can see, all is well. Once again, we're in Gabi Heaven. She is such a little blessing who provides so much laughter and light. I couldn't love her more if I tried. Stay warm in the blizzards at home. Thanks for writing. I loved all the comments and concern for our travels. Enjoy the pics.

We're Safe and Sound

Stupid technology. Can't post now, but I will in a bit. Just wanted our support team from home to know that we're here and she's more amazing every minute. I have to pry GG's hands off of her, not to mention her lips. Ridiculous. Crazy about this Gabi girl...

Take care in the snow. Love to all.

Amanda, GG and Gabi Sol