A Gabe update!

Since our darling boy is now 3, I wanted to do an update on all things Gabe!  Along with all the fun Gabriel facts there are also a lot of pictures from his 3rd year photo shoot. 

At 3 years old Gabriel is approximately 42 inches tall and weighs 41.5 lbs.  He wears size 4T clothes and size 7 shoe. 

 Gabriel loves life.  He always has a smile on his face and has just the best disposition.  He's at the stage where his personality is hilarious.  Whether he's telling me to be careful as I wash the floor or yelling "c'mon guys" to the football players playing on television, he is always good for a laugh. 

 I know most parents think their children are smart but Gabe, well I worked with children for a long time and Gabriel is a gem.  By 3 he just couldn't sing his ABC's but he recognizes the letters.  He knows his numbers, colors and shapes too.  Gabe is a little bit of a shape connoisseur as he knows the regular shapes (circle, square, triangle) but he also knows the hard ones like crescent, octagon and hexagon.  Smart boy! 

Gabe is an insanely hard worker.  I'm continually amazed at how hard he'll work during therapy and how hard he works at home on his 'homework.'  Gabe has therapy four days a week and despite the hard work he does there, he loves to go!  His ladies (therapists) are so great and he loves them a ton.  Well, his speech therapist (Miss Hannah) just left so he's not quite warmed up to Miss Kacy yet, but Miss Leslie and Miss Mindy have won him over.  Especially Miss Leslie.  He asks for her over the weekends and always wants to watch the video's of him walking with her.

Walking?  Yes, you read that correctly.  Gabe's therapies are pretty intensive and in physical therapy he is learning to walk!  He's practicing with a gait trainer at therapy and once we find one we really like, we'll order him one for home.  You can't even understand the surge of pride I have every time he starts walking.  Nothing is impossible for this little man.  Absolutely nothing. 



For play time Gabriel loves all things Thomas the Tank Engine, basketball, puzzles and reading books.  His current favorite book is Green Eggs and Ham, his Children's Bible and his new Babar books. We read his Bible at breakfast and lunch everyday.   He loves to play on the iPAD and I love all of the free educational apps.  It's also a great tool to get him to use his left hand!  Gabe also loves building blocks, bouncing on the bed and balloons.  

Gabe's love of books has given him a huge vocabulary!  He surprises us every day with new words and sweet little sayings.  His sweet little voice saying "I love you"melts my heart every single time he says it.  As well as when he asks to pray before meals and bedtimes.  Oh he has such a sweet heart. 



His sweet voice gets even sweeter when he's singing.  I love hearing his rendition of ABC's in the morning over the monitor or when he sings along with his Veggie Tales Cd's but nothing melts my heart faster than when he sings praise music.  Hearing Gabe singing out loud "we need to be courageous" or "take this world and give me Jesus" is amazing.  Matt and I think we may have a little music pastor on our hands.

Medically Gabe is doing fantastic.  He continues to make strides in therapy; great and small.   At his last neurologist visit besides telling Gabe he'll see him walking next time, Dr. Zeller also said Gabe didn't need to come back for 12 months!  That's a whole year!  At his well child check besides the schizencephaly diagnosis and the resulting issues, Gabriel is doing great.  Another proud parent moment when the doctor tells you that your little boy is very smart!   On the horizon is another eye surgery for Gabriel, but besides some muscle issues his vision is actually great - near perfect with his glasses on!

A few times over the past weeks I've looked at Gabriel around the corner, across the room or while he's sleeping and couldn't help but wonder just when he grew up so much.  What happened to the little baby we brought home from the hospital or the bigger baby who loved to cuddle?  There are glimpses of our baby still in there; the way his body conforms to mine when I pick him up and he cuddles in for a hug or how he cuddles with his doggy as he falls asleep.  This growing big and getting older, it's a good thing - a blessing... but it's happening much faster than anticipated. 

Truly Gabriel is just a joy, a miracle.  There are times we catch ourselves wondering how this perfect little boy belongs to us?  I just can't get over God's goodness when I think about Gabe. 

"Every good and perfect gift is from above..." - James 1:17

Photographs by Stacy Anderson Photography