- This month brought a whole new level of difficulty taking pictures. The boy will NOT stay still! :-) Pardon the blurriness of a few pictures but some had to be shared just because you can see how much he's moving.

- He's eating solids like crazy. He eats rice cereal, oatmeal, avocado, sweet potato, butternut squash, and carrots. He's eating breakfast & dinner and he still drinks breastmilk 5x a day. 

- He continues to roll around like a maniac. Definitely not safe to leave him on a bed for any amount of time. 

- He's still napping 3x a day. Those naps used to all be 30-45 minutes although lately he has taken a few longer ones. Even up to an hour and a half! Maybe we'll transition to only 2 naps...? 2 naps which are each long would make mom very happy.

- His activity seat "Hoppy" is still a real favorite, as is rolling across the floor. 

- He still sucks his thumb although not as much as when he first discovered it. He usually takes a pacifier when he's going to sleep, although not always. He doesn't seem totally dependent which is wonderful. Every toy he owns has gone in his mouth at some point and he's enjoying frozen teething toys too. 

- Still good at sleeping everywhere. For naps we usually read a book and cuddle on the guest bed together for a bit and then move him to the crib once he's asleep. But he'll sleep in all the old places too if the need arises (on the couch, in the bouncy chair, in the Mei Tai, in the car seat).

- This month we took a trip to NY so mom could have an on-campus interview at a university. He got to spend a solid day-and-a-half with dad! The 2 of them had lots of fun exploring Potsdam and hanging out together. Dad did an excellent job managing a full day (which he doesn't usually have to do) and mom did a good job not worrying too much. :-)

- Also in the past month classes have started back up at Penn State. Because our little man is such a mover & shaker and LOVES to make noise, we realized he would not be content hanging out at school with mom as much as he did last semester. We are incredibly blessed to have Jess & Bethany watching him for a few hours a week while mom is at school in seminar class, teaching, or working on research. And dad still keeps him on Mon & Wed afternoons too. He has adapted so well to spending time with our dear friends. He gets along so well with their kids (Aiden & Nathanael) and so far seems better behaved for them than he is at home sometimes! He goes down for naps, he sucks down his bottle, and he's generally a smiley, low-maintenance, happy guy (their words!). We're so grateful for their love and care of Gabriel and we're glad he has good friends to learn from & grow with.