Drumming at the park

The new park at 16th and P, open since January, has been a wonderful thing for us all. I can look out my office window and see the kids playing there, and occasionally I look out and Gabriel's there. Here he plays the drums.

At the Sculpture Garden

A very composed Gabriel strikes a pose at the Sculpture Garden on the Mall. We haven't yet taken him inside any of the museums-- have chosen so far to show him the outdoor sights.

Like so many of the places DC has to offer, the sculpture garden will be a wonderful place to take the Goose once he's able to appreciate things a bit more. It's a wonderful city in which to be (and to raise) a child.

A Builder, or a Destroyer?

Early evidence points to "destroyer." Gabriel has developed a tendency of systematically dismantling things. Here he takes apart, one piece at a time, a stack of, well, stackable toys. His general approach upon discovering that his dad (or his grandma, whose handiwork is being taken apart in this picture) has built a stack is to start from the top, patiently tossing each piece over his shoulder using his left hand. He seems incapable of sitting in a room with a peacefully built stack-- feels compelled to disassemble it. I feel equally compelled to re-assemble. The battle of wits is ongoing.

Gabriel's 11 month birthday

We celebrated Gabriel's 11 month birthday with a trip to the Mall on a lovely April day-- walked down from our temporary 13th street digs. Gabriel went on the merry go round with Alison, who seemed much more into the whole thing than he did. Alison and Gabriel shared a bench with another parent and child. This was a difficult thing to photograph without blurriness, so you'll have to take my word that they actually got on the thing.

Climbing the Stairs

A new development since we've moved into our temporary 13th Street abode: Gabriel is climbing stairs. Frequently.

This started in early March, at the age of 10 months, with slow, deliberate, supported climbing up the carpeted steps of our apartment. He quickly became better at it, and now scoots up without even pausing, at least when he's had a good nap. Even after a few consecutive trips up the stairs, he's still ready for more. Here he poses mid-ascent.

Bath time

A couple of people have remarked that Gabriel looks more like a little person than a baby now. Here he stares down the camera mid-bath. Photo courtesy of Uncle Kurt from NYC.

Paparazzi Shot

These damn photographers! During a quick visit this weekend from NYC, Uncle Kurt snapped this one of Gabriel immediately post-bath. Is there no privacy anymore?

With Eegee

Gabriel had a great time in Florida, as he was never without a playmate.  Here he is with his Eegee - the name for now, but we'll see what he has to say about that once his vocabulary expands beyond dadadadadadada.......

Exploring at Grandma's

In late March, Gabriel paid his second visit to the Gardner Farm. For a 158-year-old house, it's remarkably well child-proofed, probably because the other 14 Gardner great-grandkids have put the place through its paces already.

Man in Motion

Gabriel practices his speed-crawling on the sands of Daytona.

Thus Endeth the Dance Career

Gabriel's brief period of training as a professional dancer under Wendy's tutelage came to an end when he found pulling her hair was more fun.
She was a good sport about it.

Dancer in Training

Wendy flew in from San Francisco to join us this weekend, taking a break from her Rawdance duties to give a few pointers to our budding ballet dancer. Her presence was especially welcome in that she's the only family member left who's still capable of lifting Gabriel.

Grokking with Barry

Gabriel expresses affection by pressing his forehead against other people's. Here he gives Barry the treatment.

HUC

Once named "house under contract," our home is now probably more aptly named "house under construction." Here's the view from the back - minus our bedroom.  The room with the scaffolding (former kitchen) is now gone too. 

Room to crawl

Gabriel started crawling in earnest about a week shy of 9 months, and has been picking up speed ever since.  Here he is demonstrating his moves in the park with Grandma Jan.

On the swing

Swing time

There's a wonderful new park in the neighborhood and, based on Gabriel's response to the swings, I suspect we'll be spending a lot of time there in the coming years.  What a joy!

Beer!

Another Kodak moment.

Dad's Hat

Just like his dad, Gabriel looks good in hats.

Morning Ritual

Wake up, have some milk, pinch dad's nose.

What's Better than Christmas? Moving Day!

Yup.  To keep Gabriel occupied during the first installment of our relocation efforts, we let him play with his favorite toy - paper!  

One Heavy Kid!

At his 9 month doctor visit, Gabriel weighed in at a sturdy 26.5 pounds.  Hence, the new carrier (for toddlers!) on the back.  Despite claims of ergonomic fit, I was still exhausted after 20 minutes of walking on the beach.  But really, who could refuse such a face?

A Warm Day

It was a toasty day in a lot of ways, although we bundled up tight. Inauguration day, January 2009! Grandma Gardner babysat for Gabriel while Alison and I hunkered down by the World War Two memorial (cleverly situated close to the Jumbotron and sound systems, so we saw and heard everything better than most, I bet) to see Barack Obama usher in a new era of theocratic-socialist rule. We're all a bit apprehensive to see whether Obama will start by taking our guns or our hard-earned pay. It's a difficult choice. Whichever he chooses, I, for one, welcome our new Muslim overlords.

Here Anke Meyer was nice enough to snap a picture of us as we shivered our way homeward. Anke was volunteering as a "bike valet," a clever service offered by WABA. 16th Street south of K was shut down and hundreds of bikes were penned in-- a scene reminiscent of Amsterdam.

Gabriel, B'gosh

In due time, he'll wear overalls like his dad. For now, he can still wear the hat.
We officially frown on dressing up our child in other people's clothes for cutesey pictures. But what the heck.

Messy Marvin

His table manners aren't much. But he's got quite an appetite.

Gabriel is now eating 2, sometimes three meals a day. Finely granulated rice cereal with a little bit of pureed veggie mixed in.

He's really starting to enjoy eating-- absolutely knows what's going on, and anticipates each bite--and will sometimes grab the food from you.

As is usually true, you can double-click on the image to see a much bigger version. If you dare.

President -Elect Obama!

Yeah!!!!!!!

Flying

with a little help from dad.

Solid

Food that is.

Starting in October, Gabriel entered the exciting world of solid food - starting with rice cereal and progressing through 4 veggies (green beans, peas, avocado, and squash).  So far he's doing really well (no surprises that this kid loves to eat), but didn't seem particularly enamored with with beans.  He also has an aversion to chunks at this point, despite the fact that his 2 front lower teeth are in and ready for action.

Back on the charts!

At his 4 month check up, we learned that Gabriel is no longer "off the charts" for height and weight.  He now weighs in at 20 pounds 14 ounces, and measures 27 and 1/4 inches.  Still a big guy, but that just means there's more to love... and we do!

A word of Advice

Gabriel consults with his consiglieri before making his next move... 

On the move (almost)

Though his feet don't quite yet reach the floor, Gabriel really likes the latest plastic contraption in our collection - the tot rider II (a vast improvement over the tot rider I to be sure).

All by himself (sort of)

With the help of the Bumbo seat, Gabriel now enjoys sitting up while playing with (eating) his toys.  

No Choice

Until he's 18 (and hopefully thereafter), Gabriel will be aligned with the preferred party of the liberal elites.

Centerfold

Hopefully he won't hate us too much for posting this shot.  And if he does, it will just be the first of many parent-sourced humiliations.

All Snuggly

To spell mom while she got a pedicure, Auntie Wendy strapped Gabriel in the Moby wrap and took him for a nice, snuggly walk in the hood.

Our little leprechaun

Though there's no Irish in his veins (that we know of), Gabriel seems to have the little Leprechaun jig down pat.

Burping...again

Despite the frequency of meals (usually every 2-3 hours), Gabriel is sometimes a bit stunned by the whole forced-burp thing.  

Miles of smiles

Smiles started happening at about 2 months. Now, you can expect a torrent of them in the morning, and a decent supply later on. He seems like a pretty happy kid. 

The Polish Prince

Shows off his aquiline profile...

Forcing a Smile

No shortage of smiles from this kid. This one looks like one of those smiles where you're being told to smile for the camera but you really don't feel like it.

He Must Have Picked It Up From His Grandmother

Our boy thinks duck is pretty tasty. 

Yuppie scum

I guess you just have to embrace it. 

Sunday morning, back from the farmer's market with a mocha and a kid in the Bjorn. It's a good, if easily mockable, life. 

Gabriel and Mom on the Beach

An indescribably wonderful shot, although Gabriel doesn't seem to be in the spirit of things.

Max Bends the Rules (Again)

If his table tennis behavior is unconventional, his billiards technique is downright revolutionary. While at the beach, Max had ample time to test his theories about the just distribution of balls between the eight holes on the pool table. Oddly, the correct answer always seemed to be that they all belonged in the same hole. His unorthodox position on top of the pool table proved very effective in "winning" every match. 

Max Bends the Rules

Turns out ping pong would be more fun if we all just used a bigger racket. Max taught me a few lessons about the finer points of table tennis at the beach. He's a wonderful kid, albeit with little regard for the rules governing equipment modifications.

Gabriel Gets His Feet Wet

In the first of what will hopefully be many encounters with the Atlantic Ocean, Gabriel and the surf get along just fine. He wasn't especially interested in going for a swim, but didn't cry bloody murder either. 

A rare visit to the Outer Banks in high season (second week of August), and the water's wonderfully warm- 73-74 degrees. 

All Smiles... well, almost

At about 7 weeks, Gabriel learned how to turn on the charm - smiling at people as well as inanimate objects (he loves the ceiling fan and his bear mobile).  Here he is with his dad in Deep Creek MD.  

And there he goes again... this time with his Grandma Gardner.

A visit from Auntie Erin and Cousin Megan

Gabriel got to meet his future partner in crime in late June, and already has another visit scheduled for late July.  Better hide the car keys...