This week I am relieved and happy to report that we have had more good moments than hard ones. Gabe is healing from his illnesses last week and feels much better on the whole.
Both days of testing at CCH went as well as they could have. The staff was attentive and kind, and Gabe was strong and brave. Although he was upset during the tests and did not like the anesthesia (really, who does??) we were so proud that as soon as they were over he was our happy boy again. We had been told to expect he could be grumpy and mean, but he was just the same love bug as ever.
Here's some of the highlights-
Gabe discovered my nose. He would pinch my nose and I would make honking noises, which cracked him up. He also thought it was hilarious when I honked his nose in return.
Socks have many uses. I have no idea where his imagination came up with this, but he's been pulling his socks off his feet and putting them on his hands. Then he walks around and tries to play with toys, pick things up, pet the dogs, etc with socked hands. It's so fun to watch him explore with his senses.
In the hotel we used a luggage cart to roll our things up to the room. Oh my goodness, this was so fun for Gabe! Once the luggage was ditched, he perched right up there and loved riding around on the cart through the halls! When we got ready to leave and Tim brought the cart back, we had a struggle for Gabe to understand that the Cart's one true purpose was carrying the luggage, not him. We did reach a compromise in the standoff that allowed us and our belongings to get to the car.
The hotel did not have a bath in our room, just a shower. We weren't really sure how that would go over with our little one, but stuck him in just to try. He loved it. He had plenty of room to dance and play, and could dart in or out of the water stream. Gabe doesn't mind the water in his eyes, and just wipes it out of the way with a cloth and goes right back to playtime.
Gabe loves my old Mickey Mouse ears that are in his room. It's fun to put them on me and then take them off so he can put them on himself. The movie Mulan is also a big hit, as well as Little Mermaid movie, but he's not a Peter Pan fan.
Gabe's English vocabulary is also picking up noticeably. He is starting to mimic and say 2-3 word phrases like "see you later" in addition to words like the more common "uh oh" and "bubbles". Gabe even tells the dogs "off" if one is in his way. Gabe understands much more English words than he can say. He recognizes songs and will ask for one he likes most. Sometimes when he's crying or upset there's a couple songs that will almost always calm him down or distract him (from Sandra Boynton's "Frog Trouble" cd). To my dismay it's hard to read to him; chiefly because he doesn't want to sit still long enough. We have snuck in some quick, easy reads though.
Coloring is a fun activity. Gabe scribbles with crayons and then takes the page and balls it up and throws it across the table. Throwing is so much fun that he throws anything that may be at hand. The game that we play after throwing is called "pick it up" and is somewhat less well received, but he's a good sport and is a helper to pick up his toys.
Brushing teeth is a routine we cannot miss. Gabe loves his toothbrush and if we forget or bypass this bedtime routine he is quick to remind us. He stands proudly on the stool in his bathroom and sings and wiggles while he brushes.
Here's a few new pics:
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