6 months old!

Time is just flying by (so much that I didn't even get a chance to post a 5 month picture!) and I can't believe that Gabe is already 6 months old. We had a little photo shoot with Noah's old 6 month t-shirt so we could compare him and Noah at this age.

Gabe

Noah

I am loving this age right now. He's finally starting to take real naps, he's giggly and smiley whenever people are paying attention to him, not quite mobile so he can't get into Noah's toys yet (dreading this!), and he loves to be held and cuddled. I'm suspecting a tooth any day now... we've had a few rough nights this past week but he's a trooper.

I finally have some video footage of him for the long distance relatives. Sorry it's taken me so long to post! (and sorry for the super annoying mommy voice)

and last but not least... here are some 5 month pics that I didn't get a chance to post:

feeding himself already!

(I still squeeze his chubby little legs into this thing even though they get stuck everytime I try to get him out... and I have to peel the seat off of him!)

starting to sit up on his own

so happy in this thing!

watching "Little Einsteins" with Noah

finally getting them to bathe together

chillin' at the playground

1st, 2nd, and 3rd days of school...

Noah started preschool last week which was very exciting for everyone! He's in a great environment, a few of his close friends are in his class, and the best part about it is that it's only 2 blocks away! He's had no problems with separation thanks to our preschool prep class last year and the teachers have TONS of experience, which is extremely reassuring.

I wanted to take a picture of him in front of our building on the first day of school, which he was slightly hesitant about. I kept saying, "But, Noah... it's your FIRST day of school!" but he didn't really seem to understand the significance at the time. Then the next day he woke up and said, "Mommy... it's the SECOND day of school!" with some serious enthusiasm. So, I made a big deal out of that and we took another picture (and this time he actually wanted to wear his backpack!). The third day of school was even more exciting... where he wanted to take another picture and this time show off his and Gabe's matching Paul Frank shirts.

(Unfortunately the fourth and fifth day of school weren't met with as much excitement -- but he still willingly went!)

1st day of school


2nd day of school

3rd day of school


posing with Gabe

teacher's pet already...

summer vacation

I guess I've finally come to terms with the fact that summer is really over. So, I'm officially posting some summer pics of our summer vacation. We had a lovely little trip to my parent's house upstate. They took my little bro out to BYU and we took advantage of their empty house, minivan, and backyard (not to mention the ever-so-accessible Target, Walmart, and Shop-Rite!). We had a great time! It was so nice to just have some quality family time, not have to spend a ton of money on travel expenses, and have Jon around the whole time. I think it was probably our first "family vacation" where it was only us. It wasn't the most relaxing vacation because it was only us and we have 2 kids now which is just a lot of work, but it was time away from home and the city to re-group, which we desperately needed. We stopped by the Bronx Zoo on the way upstate, took a little side trip to the beach (mostly the hotel pool!) in Rhode Island, and spent some quality time in grandma's backyard!

checking out the zebras

counting the ducks!

watching big bro laugh at the crazy gorrilla...

carousel at Bear Mtn.

(our picnic plans were foiled by swarms of bees --where I got stung twice!-- so we took cover at the carousel)

kodak moment in gma's backyard

gotta love the inflatable pool!

Noah entertaining Gabe in the car

a fine Northeast dining establishment

(a staple during our trip -- I just couldn't pass up those baby carseat holders!)

boats at Mystic Seaport

the hotel pool -- family fun for everyone.

Gabe poolside

loving the water

(I seriously couldn't believe how long he stayed in this thing... I think it was close to an hour!)

testing out his floaties

3-day trip to Naragansett beach in R.I.

actual time spent on the beach: 2 hours

sandcastles!

playing out on the deck of our hotel room

(or our "backyard" as Noah called it -- the poor city kid has a warped sense of what a real backyard is!)

double stroller

We got a steal-of-a-deal on this Phil and Ted's double stroller through craigslist after Gabe was born and he just recently graduated to the bottom seat from the newborn seat! (this also brings our stroller collection count to 5 -- whatever it takes to get around this city and not lose my mind!)

Aren't they cute?

After seeing our new stroller, my mom sent me her version of a double stroller:

my big bro and me

1980

4 month old tricks!

Even though he's already 5 months old! I thought I'd post some of Gabe's recent 4 month old tricks...

his first swing!

happy tummy time :)

loving his new Bumbo chair

rice cereal... yum!

this kid is growing up too fast... sigh.

Coney Island!

A trip to Coney Island has been one of those things that we've wanted to do since we moved here almost 8 years ago... and we finally got around to it last Saturday! I think it's kind of funny that we've become more adventurous now that we have 2 kids -- Noah is much easier to tote around these days (especially since naps are a thing of the past), and Gabe is such a chill little guy that he could care less! So, we headed out early last Saturday morning and took the D train straight down to Brooklyn. It was a great day and we couldn't have had better weather. Noah headed for the beach immediately and just wanted to play in the sand (the very dirty sand) and splash around in the water. I was definitely expecting the beach to be dirty and crowded, but it was totally tolerable and the fact that we only paid $9 to get there and back was pretty awesome. Gabe and I sat on the beach while Noah and Jon splashed around in the water. Then Noah took a ride on the "Wonder Wheel" and 2 other kiddie rides that he chose and we got pizza, chocolate ice cream and called it a day!

the subway ride was kinda nice -- fun to look out the windows once we got to Brooklyn

(Gabe slept the whole way there -- good little baby!)

"Coney Island rules!"

hitting the beach!

gotta love beach playgrounds!

(he could've stayed here all day)

Gabe doing what he does best -- chillin'

riding the fire truck ride... by himself.

he found a topless ferry to ride the boats with him

daddy to the rescue with chocolate ice cream cones!

family pic

headed home...

Noah conked out -- too much excitement for one day.

brotherly love...

When I found out I was having another boy, I really was excited about the 2 of them becoming really close and being best friends. The transition to becoming a big brother has been kind of rough on Noah, but I think things are finally starting to get better. I know that deep down he really loves his baby brother, but sometimes the attention that gets taken away from him is too much to handle! We have had a few really nice moments with these little guys and I can see how much Gabriel is watching Noah. In fact this week, Noah has been away in the mornings to preschool camp and I can tell that Gabriel is looking around for him and wondering where he is. It's funny because he's actually a lot fussier when Noah's not around (actually, it's not funny at all -- it's kind of driving me crazy, because I was supposed to be getting a break!).

In any case, it's been so fun to see playful sibling interaction and how it has changed the dynamics of our family. I can't wait until Gabriel starts laughing at his silly big brother and they can really start to play together. Noah loves to call Gabriel "baby Mister Gabey" and run up to him and say "Hi! Mister, Mister Gabriel!" He also loves to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle" to him and sometimes asks him the funniest questions. The other day Gabriel was cooing and he turned to him and said, "Gabey -- are you speaking English?"

here are some recent pics of the boys together: